Sanhedrin 104b — the Talmud in English

One of them said to his companion: “A camel walking before us

692, blind in one of its eyes, and laden with two wineskins, one of wine and one of oil, and two people leading it, one

of them

an Israelite, and one a gentile.”

The captive-taker said to them: “Stiff-necked people! From where do you know

all these things?

They said to him: “A camel

when it eats

from the grasses before it, from the side where it sees it eats,

and

from the side where it does not see

it does not eat.”

And since we see that the animal before us ate only on one side, necessarily it is blind.

“And laden with two wineskins, one of wine and one of oil,”

because drops

of wine

drip and sink

into the ground,

and of oil

drip and float.

And since we see on the road sunken drops and floating drops, it follows that there are upon it wineskins of wine and oil.

“And two people leading it, one a gentile and one an Israelite,”

because

a gentile,

when he needs to relieve himself,

relieves himself on the road,

beside his animal, and does not hide.

And

if

an Israelite,

for he is modest,

relieves himself to the sides .

The captive-taker

pursued

them

[the camel and its leader],

and found

that indeed it was

as they had said,

his two captives.

He came and kissed them on their heads, and brought them to his house

695, and made them a great feast, and danced before them, and said: “Blessed is He who chose the descendants of Abraham and gave them of His wisdom, and wherever they go they become ministers to their masters.” And he released them

[set them free],

and they went to their homes in peace.

“She weeps and weeps at night.” These two weepings, “

weeps and weeps”—

why?

Rabba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: One

for the First Temple, and one

for the Second Temple.

For both of them were destroyed on the Ninth of Av.

“At night”—

over the matter of night. As it is stated: “And all the congregation lifted up and gave their voice, and the people wept on that night.”

Rabba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: That night

when Israel gave their voice in weeping

was the night of the Ninth of Av. The Holy One said to Israel: “You wept a weeping for nothing, and I shall establish for you a weeping for generations” .

Alternatively: “At night,” for whoever weeps at night, his voice is heard .

And this is “she weeps and weeps at night,” so that their voice would be heard and they would have compassion upon them, and nevertheless “she has no comforter.”

Alternatively: “At night,” for whoever weeps at night, the stars and the constellations weep with him

[for their compassion upon him is stirred] .

Alternatively: “At night,” for whoever weeps at night,

because his voice is heard more, the heart of

the one who hears

his

voice

and

weeps opposite him.

There was an incident

that

a certain woman, the neighbor of Rabban Gamaliel, died her son, and she would weep over him at night.

Rabban Gamaliel heard her voice and wept opposite her

699, until the eyelashes of his eyes fell out

[because on account of the abundance of tears, the eyelashes of his eyes folded over and fell upon his eyes].

The next day his disciples recognized him

that he was weeping because of his neighbor—and

they removed her from his neighborhood.

“And her tear is upon her cheek.” “

Her cheek”—it is an expression of moisture and youth.

Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan:

She is

like a woman

young,

who weeps over the husband of

her youth .

For she always weeps, and her tear is present.

As it is stated: “To Me, like a maiden girded with sackcloth over the husband of her youth.” “

To Me” is an expression of lamentation.

“Her adversaries have become the head.” Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: Anyone who oppresses Israel—

becomes a head .

As it is stated:

“For there is no weariness to the one who is pressed by it now; the former made light of the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and the latter made it heavy, the way of the sea, beyond the Jordan, Galilee of the nations.”

Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: Anyone who distresses Israel—

does not grow weary .

As it is stated in the preceding verse: “For there is no weariness to the one who is pressed by it.”

“It is not for you, all who pass along the way.” Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: From here,

from the fact that the prophet said “it is not for you,” there is proof

for a complaint

from the Torah.

That is, when a person tells another of his trouble, he says to him: “May this not come upon you as it came upon me.” And one who is particular about this does not thereby violate the prohibition of divination .

Thus the prophet too mourned over the destruction as though the trouble had come upon him, and said to those of Israel whom Nebuchadnezzar had not exiled: “May such trouble not come upon you.”

“All who pass along the way.” Rav Amram said in the name of Rav: They made me like one who transgresses religion

. For in Sodom it is written: “And the Lord rained upon Sodom,” whereas concerning Jerusalem it is written

a similar expression:

“From on high He sent fire into my bones, and it subdued them, etc.”

It follows that the Holy One judged me as He judged the people of Sodom.

And it is written:

“The iniquity of the daughter of my people became greater than the sin of Sodom.”

And since this is so, that Israel sinned even more than Sodom, it is difficult: Why were Israel not overturned as Sodom was overturned?

Is there partiality in the matter?

Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: There was an

good

quality in Jerusalem—

which was not in Sodom,

and therefore it was not overturned like Sodom.

For in Sodom it is written: “Behold, this was the iniquity of Sodom your sister: pride, fullness of bread, and the hand of the poor and needy she did not strengthen, etc.”

It follows that they were cruel, for they did not strengthen the hand of the poor and needy.

Whereas concerning Jerusalem it is written: “The hands of compassionate women cooked their children

who became food for them,” for she would invite her companion to eat with her. It follows that they were compassionate .

“He cut off all the mighty ones of the Lord in my midst.”

All the mighty ones—the Holy One invalidated them, and made them invalid and crushed like a roadway. And this is

like a person who says

to his fellow: “This coin has been invalidated,”

and there is no remedy for it.

“They opened their mouths against you.” Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: For what reason did he place the letter pe before the letter ayin

in most of the alphabetical orders in the Scroll of Eikha?

Because of the spies, who said with their mouths—

what they had not seen with their eyes .

And this is hinted at by placing pe before ayin: the spies spoke with their mouths first, saying what they had not seen with their eyes.

“Those who eat my people eat bread; they did not call upon the Lord.” Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: Everyone who eats from the bread of Israel—

tastes the taste of bread. And one who does not eat from the bread of Israel—

does not taste the taste of bread.

For the gentiles find taste specifically in the bread of Israel, for it is pleasurable for them when they rob them . “

Those who eat my people eat bread

they did not call upon the Lord.” Rav said: These are the judges.

For on account of their sins, that they perverted justice, my people became food for their enemies.

And Shmuel said: These are teachers of children,

who perform their work deceitfully .

And now the Gemara returns to the words of our Mishna, which enumerated those who have no share in the World to Come.

And we raised it:

Who enumerated them?

Rav Ashi said: The Men of the Great Assembly enumerated them.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: The Men of the Great Assembly sought

the Men of the Great Assembly

to enumerate one more

among those who have no share in the World to Come. Namely, Solomon, concerning whom it is stated: “His wives turned his heart to follow other gods.”

The likeness of the image

of

David

his father came and spread itself before them

so that they would not enumerate Solomon—and

they paid no attention to it.

Fire came from Heaven and licked fire on their benches—

and they paid no attention

even

to it.

A Divine voice went forth and said to them: “Have you seen a man diligent in his work? Before kings he shall stand; he shall not stand before the obscure.”

He who placed first

the building of

My House

[the Temple, which is the house of the Holy One]

before

the building of

his house, and moreover, that

the

building of My House he completed in seven years, and

the

building of his house he completed in thirteen years,

for he was slower in building his house than in building My House [and this is “a man diligent in his work”],

before kings he shall stand

in the Garden of Eden,

he shall not stand before the obscure

in Gehenna—and

yet

nevertheless

he paid no attention to it.

A Divine voice went forth and said: “Will He recompense it from you, because you reject? For you choose, and not I, etc.” “

Will He recompense it from you”—are you responsible for paying a person’s punishment, that you say Solomon has no share in the World to Come? “For you choose, and not I”—is this a question. Is the choice of who has a share and who does not depend upon you?

The matter depends on none but Me

! Expounders of cryptic passages

[verses]

were saying: All of them,

all those enumerated in our Mishna,

come to the World to Come. As it is stated: “Gilead is Mine, and Manasseh is Mine, and Ephraim is the stronghold of My head, Judah is My lawgiver, Moab is My washbasin, upon Edom I shall cast My shoe, over Philistia raise a cry of joy.”

And this is what the Holy One said: It is upon Me to bear the burden of these, so that they may merit the life of the World to Come.

And now the Gemara explains who are those mentioned in the verse:

“Gilead is Mine”—

this is Ahab, who fell at Ramot-Gilead.

“Manasseh”—

as its plain meaning.

“Ephraim is the stronghold of My head”—

this is Jeroboam

718, who came from Ephraim

[who came from the tribe of Ephraim].