Sanhedrin 107b — the Talmud in English

“In Hebron he reigned seven years, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years.” And

in another place

it is written: “In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and so forth.” And these six months

that are mentioned here

are not counted

[they were not mentioned] in the first verse.

Learn from it:

that he

was afflicted with leprosy for six months, and his kingship was not complete during those months.

for six months, and during those months his reign was not complete.

David said before Him,

after he had received the sufferings:

“Master of the Universe, forgive me for that sin.”

The Holy One, blessed is He, said to him:

“You are forgiven.”

David said to Him:

“Make with me a sign for good, and my enemies will see and be ashamed, for You, Hashem, have helped me and comforted me!”

Make a sign so that everyone will see that my sin has been forgiven!

He said to him: By your life,

I shall not make known

that your sin has been forgiven.

But I shall make it known

this

during the lifetime of Solomon your son.

And where did the Holy One, blessed is He, make this known?

When Solomon built the Temple, he asked to bring

the

Ark into the Holy of Holies.

The gates clung to one another,

and they did not wish to open .

Solomon said

Solomon

twenty-four supplications —

but he was not answered.

He said: “Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, everlasting entrances, and let the King of glory enter. Who is this King of glory? Hashem, mighty and powerful, Hashem, powerful in battle.” And it is said: “Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift yourselves up, everlasting entrances, and let the King of glory enter, and so forth”—

but he was not answered.

Once he said: “Hashem, God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed; remember the kindnesses of Your servant David,”

for he mentioned the kindnesses of his father David—

he was immediately answered.

At that moment the faces of David’s enemies were transformed like the bottom of a pot

[their faces were blackened like the bottom of a pot, which is black] because of their shame,

and all Israel knew that the Holy One, blessed is He, had forgiven him

David

for that

sin.

Gehazi—

from where do we know that he has no share in the World to Come?

For it is written: “And Elisha went to Damascus,” and “Elisha came.” Where did he go

[where did he go]?

Rabbi Yohanan said: He went to bring back

the

Gehazi in repentance. But he did not return.

He said to him,

to Gehazi:

“Repent!”

He said to him: This is what I have received from you: One who sins and causes the many to sin—

they do not enable him to repent .

What did he do

[what did Gehazi do]?

Some say: He hung a lodestone

[a magnet]

for the sin of Jeroboam

[the calves of the idolatry that Jeroboam made],

and

through this

he set it between heaven and earth .

And through this he caused the many to sin, for they believed that there was substance in that idolatry and worshipped it.

And some say: He engraved the Name

of Heaven

in the mouth of

the idolatry,

and

through this

it would proclaim and say: “I am

Hashem your God”

and “You shall have no other.”

The listeners thought that there was substance in it and worshipped it.

And some say: He drove away the sages from before him

[he kept students from before Elisha].

As it is stated

after Elisha sent Gehazi away from serving him:

“And the sons of the prophets said to Elisha: Behold now, the place where we sit before you is too narrow for us.” From this

[it follows]

that until now it had not been narrow

[until then the place had not been narrow].

And this was because until then, when Gehazi served Elisha, he would drive away students from studying before him, and therefore the place was sufficient. But now, when he had departed from before him, many students came, and the place became narrow.

The Sages taught: Let the left hand always push away—

and the right

draw near .

Not like Elisha, who pushed Gehazi away with both hands,

both with the left and with the right [the censor’s omission:

and not like Joshua ben Perahiah, who pushed Jesus the Nazarene away with both his hands].

Gehazi—

from where do we know that Elisha pushed him away with both hands?

For it is written

after Elisha healed Naaman of his leprosy, when Naaman wished to give Elisha a gift and Elisha refused, and afterward Gehazi came to Naaman and lied, saying that Elisha had sent him to take a talent of silver and two changes of clothing:

“And Naaman said: Please, take talents; and he pressed him, and he bound talents of silver, and so forth.”

[“Please” means: Swear to me that Elisha indeed sent you. “And he pressed him” means: Gehazi urged him to give it to him.]

Afterward, when Gehazi returned to Elisha:

“And Elisha said to him: Where have you been, Gehazi? And he said: Your servant did not go anywhere. And he said to him: Did not my heart go when the man turned from his chariot to meet you? Is it a time to take silver, and to take garments, and olive orchards, and vineyards, and sheep, and cattle, and servants, and maidservants?”

[“Did not my heart go, and so forth” means: Do you think that my heart did not go with you and see when Naaman turned his chariot toward you and gave you these things?]

And there is reason to wonder: What is meant by what is stated in the verse: “And to take garments, and olive orchards, and vineyards, and sheep, and so forth”?

Did he take all that much

[did Gehazi take so many things]? For only

silver and garments did he take

[those are the things that he took]!

Rabbi Isaac said: At that moment, Elisha was sitting and expounding on

the matter of

the eight creeping creatures.

Naaman, the commander of the army of the king of Aram, was a leper.

That young girl who had been taken captive from the Land of Israel said to him

[that young girl who had been taken captive from the Land of Israel]:

“If you go to Elisha—

he will heal you

[if you go to Elisha, he will heal you of your leprosy].

When he came

[when Naaman came to Elisha],

he said to him,

Elisha:

“Go

[go]

immerse in the Jordan.”

He said to him,

Naaman:

“Are you mocking me

[are you ridiculing me], that you say I will be healed through immersion in the Jordan!?

Those who were with him said to him

[those who were with Naaman said to him]:

“What difference does it make to you? Go and try it”

[what does it matter to you? Go and try the matter].

He went and immersed in the Jordan—

and was healed

[Naaman went and immersed in the Jordan—and was healed of his leprosy].

He came and brought him all these things that he had taken—

he did not want to accept them from him

[Naaman came and brought everything that he had with him to Elisha, to give him a gift, but Elisha did not want to accept anything from him].

Gehazi departed from before Elisha

[he left from before Elisha],

went and took what he had taken

[he went and took from Naaman what he had taken],

and deposited it

[and deposited what he had taken somewhere, so that Elisha would not know about it].

When he came

[when Gehazi returned to Elisha],

Elisha saw that leprosy was flowering over his head

[he saw leprosy flowering on his head].

He said to him,

Elisha:

“Wicked one! The time has come to take the reward for the eight creeping creatures.”

And therefore he mentioned all those things: the silver, garments, olive orchards, vineyards, sheep, cattle, servants, and maidservants, to say: Do you think you will purchase all those things as the reward for the eight creeping creatures?

And the verse concluded that Elisha said to him:

“The leprosy of Naaman shall cling to you and to your seed forever.” And he went out from before him leprous like snow.”

And this is how he pushed him away from before him with both hands .

And this is what is stated later:

“And there were four leprous men at the entrance of the gate.” Rabbi Yohanan said:

Those four lepers were

Gehazi and his three sons .

The censor’s omission:

Joshua ben Perahiah,

who pushed away with both hands—

what is it?

When King Yannai killed the Sages,

[when King Yannai killed the Sages],

Joshua ben Perahiah and Jesus

[who was his student]

went to Alexandria of Egypt.

When there was peace

[when he returned and there was peace between Yannai and the Sages, and there was no danger for the Sages to be in the Land of Israel],

Shimon ben Shetah sent to him

[he was Yannai’s wife’s brother, and he had not fled]:

“From me

[from me],

Jerusalem, the holy city, to you

[to you],

Alexandria of Egypt: My sister! My husband

[that is, Joshua ben Perahiah]

dwells within you, while I sit desolate

[and it is as though I sit widowed and desolate].

Rabbi Joshua ben Perahiah arose

Rabbi Joshua ben Perahiah and

came. And a certain inn happened to be available to him

[one inn happened to him along the way],

and they accorded him very great honor

[and they showed him great honor there].

Rabbi Joshua said

Rabbi Joshua:

“How beautiful is this inn.”

And he intended to say that its deeds were beautiful.

Jesus thought that Rabbi Joshua intended to say that the innkeeper was beautiful, and therefore

he said to him,

to Rabbi Joshua:

“Rabbi, her eyes are round

[wide] !”

He said to him: Wicked one! Is this what you are occupied with?

He brought out four hundred shofarot—

and excommunicated him

[he brought out four hundred shofarot—and excommunicated him].

He came before him several times

[Jesus came before Rabbi Joshua several times], and

said to him: “Accept me”

[accept me again]!

He paid no attention to him

[Rabbi Joshua paid no attention to his words].

One day, he was reciting the recitation of the Shema

[one day Rabbi Joshua was reciting the recitation of the Shema]. And at that time

he came

Jesus

before him

[Jesus came before him].

He intended to accept him

[Rabbi Joshua intended at that moment to accept him in repentance],

so he showed him with his hand

[and made a gesture with his hand that he should wait until he finished].

But

he,

Jesus, misunderstood the matter, and

thought: “He is pushing me away”

[by this hand gesture he is indicating that he is again pushing me away from before him].

He went

[Jesus went],

stood a brick upright

[he raised a brick onto its side],

and bowed to it.

Rabbi Joshua said to him,

Rabbi Joshua:

“Return!”

[repent]!

He said to him: “This is what I have received from you: Whoever sins and causes the many to sin—

they do not enable him to repent .

And the master said: Jesus practiced sorcery, incited, and led Israel astray .

Up to here is the censor’s omission.

It was taught: Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: With regard to the evil inclination, a child, and a woman, let the left hand push

them away—

and the right draw near.

The evil inclination—he should not distance it from himself completely. For if so, he diminishes the perpetuation of the world. And, on the other hand, he should not bring it entirely near. For if so, he will come to transgression, because he will be unable to conquer his inclination concerning a sinful matter.

A child and a woman—their judgment is light. If he brings them near with both hands and does not discipline them, they will go out into a bad culture. And if he distances them completely, he will drive them from the world.

The Sages taught: Elisha was afflicted with three illnesses:

One—

because he

sent bears against the children.

And one—

because he

pushed Gehazi away with both hands.

And one—

the illness

in which he died.

As it is stated: “And Elisha became ill with the illness with which he would die, and so forth”

[and the end of the verse is: “with which he would die.” And these are the three illnesses: “became ill,” “his illness,” and “with which he would die”].

Until

the time of

Abraham, there was no old age

[there were no signs of old age in a person]; rather, when a person’s time came to die, he would immediately die. Therefore, it was not recognizable who was old and who was young.

And since Isaac’s facial features were like those of Abraham ,

whoever saw Abraham would say: “This is Isaac.”

And

whoever saw Isaac would say: “This is Abraham”

[everyone who saw Abraham erred and said that this was Isaac, and conversely].

Abraham requested mercy that he should have old age

[Abraham requested mercy that old age should come upon him] , and it came upon him.

As it is stated: “And Abraham was old, advanced in days” .

Until

the time of

Jacob, there was no weakness

[there were no illnesses]. And since this was so, a person did not know that he was about to die and could not call his sons to come, each from his place, to be with him at the time of death.

He requested mercy

[Jacob requested mercy]—

and there was weakness

[and illness came to be].

As it is stated: “And he said to Joseph: Behold, your father is ill.”

For through hearing that his father was ill, he knew that he had to come to visit him, so that he could command him before his death.

Until Elisha, there was no person who was ill and recovered

[there was no sick person who was healed]; rather, when a person became ill, he always died from that illness.

And Elisha came and requested mercy—

and he recovered

[Elisha came and requested mercy—and he recovered].

As it is stated: “And Elisha became ill with the illness from which he would die.”

It implies that there was another illness from which he did not die, but rather recovered.

Mishna:

The generation of the Flood—

they have no share in the World to Come, and they do not stand in judgment. As it is stated: “My spirit shall not judge with man forever.”

And this is how the verse is expounded: They have

neither judgment,

for they do not stand in judgment [and this is “shall not judge”],

nor spirit

to be with the righteous, who have a share [and this is “My spirit”] .

The Generation of the Division -

have no share in the World to Come, as it is said: “And the Lord scattered them from there across all

the earth.”

And thus they expound the verse:

“And the Lord scattered them” -

in this world. “And from there the Lord scattered them” -

in the World to Come .

The people of Sodom -

have no share in the World to Come, as it is said: “And the people of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly.”

And thus the verse is expounded:

“Wicked” -

in this world. “And sinners” -

in the World to Come. But

they

stand for judgment .

Rabbi Nehemiah says: Both these and those,

both the people of the generation of the Flood and the people of Sodom -

do not stand for judgment.