Sanhedrin 99b (צט:) — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Akiva says:

Sing every day,

that is, although your learning is ordered and fluent in your mouth like a song, arrange and sing your learning anew every day. Then you will merit that in the World to Come you will have

a song,

joy and songs,

every day .

Rav Yitzḥak bar Avudimi said: What is the verse by which this matter is learned from Scripture]?

how do we learn this from Scripture]?

As it is stated: “The soul of one who labors—

it labors for him, for he forces his mouth upon it.”]

And this is the interpretation of the verse: “

The soul of one who labors”—whatever

he labors at in this place,

in this world, “it labors for him,” that is,

his Torah labors for him in another place,

namely, in the World to Come. “For he forces his mouth upon it”—because he constantly places words in his mouth, just as a saddle is always upon the donkey .

Rabbi Elazar said: Every person—

was created for labor

as it is stated: “For man is born to labor.”]

However, from this verse I still

do not know

whether

he was created for the labor

dependent on the

mouth,

or perhaps

he was created for the labor of work .

When it says, “For he forces his mouth upon it,”

that is, he constantly places words in his mouth, like a saddle that is always upon the donkey,

you must say: He was created for the labor

of the mouth.

And I still do not know whether he was created for the labor

of the mouth, through engagement in

Torah,

or

for the labor of conversation

in general .

When it says: “This book of the Torah shall not depart from your mouth,” you must say: He was created for the labor

of the mouth through engagement in

Torah.

And this is what Rava said: All bodies all bodies]—

[all bodies]—

are receptacles for labor they are laborers; that is, they were created for labor].

[they are laborers]. That is, they were created for labor.

Fortunate is the one who merits fortunate is the one who merits]

[fortunate is one who merits]

to be a receptacle for Torah whose labor is in Torah] .

[whose labor was in Torah].

It is further written:

“An adulterous woman lacks understanding.” Reish Lakish said: This is one who studies Torah intermittently,

and does not study regularly. He is like a man who is not married to one woman, who has intercourse sometimes with this one and sometimes with that one .

As it is stated: “For they are pleasant when you safeguard them in your belly; let them be fixed together upon your lips.”

That is, when are “you to safeguard them in your belly,” so that words of Torah will be preserved in your belly? When “they are fixed together upon your lips”—if you study them and review them regularly.

The Sages taught: “And the soul that acts high-handedly”—this is Manasseh son of Hezekiah

479, who would sit and expound disgraceful interpretations .

He said: Could Moses have had nothing else to write except these verses:

“And Lotan’s sister was Timna,” “And Timna was a concubine to Eliphaz,” “And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest and found mandrakes in the field”?

For what purpose did Moses write these verses in the Torah?!

A Divine voice emerged and said to him: “You sit and speak against your brother, you slander the son of your mother; these things you did, and I kept silent. You thought that I would be like you; I will rebuke you and set them in order before your eyes.”

That is, you sit and expound disgraceful interpretations and speak against your brother—he is Moses our teacher, for all Israel are brothers—and you find fault with him, saying that he wrote unnecessary things in the Torah. “

You did these things and I kept silent; you thought that I would be like you”—that I would remain silent regarding your words, and you would think that I am like you, speaking false and futile things?

Not so. Rather, “I will rebuke you and set them in order before your eyes,” for these matters needed to be written [as explained below].

And concerning him it is explicitly stated in the tradition: “Woe to those who draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as with cart ropes.” “

Cords of vanity”—that is, for nothing, since Manasseh sinned without deriving any benefit from it.

What is the meaning of “as with cart ropes”?

Rabbi Asi said: The evil inclination, at first, resembles a spider’s thread ,

which is easy to overcome.

But ultimately,

after it has enticed and defeated a person,

it resembles

a

cart rope ,

which is already exceedingly difficult to overcome .

And since

we have already arrived at we have already cited this verse]

[this verse]

at least, “Lotan’s sister was Timna”—

what is it?

What did Scripture intend to say by this?

Timna—

she was the daughter of kings she was].

[she was].

As it is written: “The chief of Lotan, the chief of Timna.” And every chief—

is a kingship without a crown a high-ranking minister, but without a crown]

[a great officer, but without a crown]—

.

And since Timna was the sister of Lotan, who was a chief, she was certainly also the daughter of a king.

She sought

Timna

to convert she wanted to convert].

[she wanted to convert].

She came to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob—

but they did not accept her .

She went and became a concubine to Eliphaz son of Esau,

who was descended from Isaac.

Because

she said

in her heart:

“It is better that I be a maidservant to this nation,

to the descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who fear Heaven,

than that I be a mistress to another nation.”

There emerged from her there emerged from her]

[that there came from her]

Amalek, who caused suffering to Israel.

Why?

Why were Israel punished by the fact that Amalek emerged from her?

Because

they should not have distanced her Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob should not have distanced her from beneath the wings of the Divine Presence; rather, they should have accepted her and converted her].

[Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob should not have distanced her from beneath the wings of the Divine Presence]; rather, they should have accepted her and converted her.

And for what purpose is the verse stated:

“And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest”?

Rava bar Rabbi Yitzḥak said that Rav said: “

The days of the wheat harvest” means after they had harvested the field, when everyone was permitted to enter the fields of others.

From here it is derived concerning the righteous that they do not stretch out their hands to robbery .

“And he found mandrakes in the field.”

What are mandrakes?

Rav said: Yavruḥei This is how Onkelos translated the word “mandrakes”; the nature of yavruḥei was not explained].

[this is how Onkelos translated the word “mandrakes,” but it was not explained what yavrukhei are].

Levi said: Violets .

Rabbi Yonatan said: Saviskei Violets and saviskei are types of fragrant plants].

[violets and savisqei are types of fragrant plants].

Rabbi Alexandri said: Anyone who engages in Torah for its own sake—

establishes peace in the retinue forces]

[the armies]

above

489, and in the retinue below .

As it is stated: “Or let him take hold of My stronghold; let him make peace with Me; peace let him make with Me.” “

My stronghold”—this is the Torah . And it says “peace with Me” and “peace let him make with Me”—that is, peace twice: in the retinue above and in the retinue below.

Rav said:

One who engages in Torah for its own sake is

as though he built palaces mansions]

[palaces]

above and

below

. As it is stated: “And I have placed My words in your mouth, and I have covered you in the shadow of My hand, to plant the heavens and establish the earth.” “

To plant the heavens and establish the earth”—this means palaces above and below.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: He also protects the entire world. As it is stated: “And I have covered you in the shadow of My hand.”

For the shadow of His hand and authority—the Holy One, blessed be He—is the entire world and all that is in it. And he said that everything over which He protects with the shadow of His hand is covered “for your sake.”

And Levi said: He also brings the redemption closer

. As it is stated

further in the aforementioned verse:

“And to say to Zion: You are My people.”

Reish Lakish said: Anyone who teaches Torah to the son of another, Scripture ascribes it to him as though he had made him.

As it is stated: “And the souls that they made in Haran,”

and Onkelos translated: “whom they brought under the wings of the Divine Presence in Haran.” Thus Scripture calls teaching others “making” .

Rabbi Elazar says: It is as though he made the words of Torah as though he made the words of Torah].

[as though he made the words of Torah].

As it is stated: “And you shall observe the words of this covenant and perform them.”

Rava said: It is as though he made himself as though he made himself ].

[as though he made himself].

As it is stated: “And you shall perform them.” Do not read it otam the alef vocalized with ḥolam],

[with the first letter vocalized with a holam]

but atem the alef vocalized with pataḥ].

[with the first letter vocalized with a patah].

Rabbi Abbahu said: Anyone who causes another to perform a mitzva who causes another to perform a mitzva ]—

[who causes another to perform a mitzva]—

Scripture ascribes it to him as though he performed it

himself [that same mitzva].

And from where do we derive this?

As it is stated,

when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses:

“And your staff with which you struck the Nile.”

And this is surprising:

Did Moses strike it? Aaron struck it,

as it is stated: “Say to Aaron: Take your staff, and so forth”!

Rather, this tells you: Anyone who causes another to perform a mitzva—

Scripture ascribes it to him as though he performed it.

Therefore, since Moses told Aaron to strike the Nile, the act is considered as though Moses performed it.

We learned in our Mishna that one of those who have no share in the World to Come is an

epikoros .

And we must explain what an “

epikoros” is.

Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi and Rabbi Ḥanina both said:

An epikoros is

one who disgraces a Torah scholar.

Rabbi Yoḥanan and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: This is one who disgraces

his

fellow in the presence of a Torah scholar.

We raised an objection:

Granted, according to the one who says that

that

one who disgraces his fellow in the presence of a Torah scholar—

is an epikoros,

according to his view it is possible to say that one who

disgraces

a

Torah scholar himself—

is one who brazenly interprets the Torah contrary to halakha.

For “epikoros” connotes mere abandonment, whereas “one who brazenly interprets the Torah” connotes something more severe. That is, he brazenly acts toward those who engage in Torah.

But according to the one who says that

that

one who disgraces a Torah scholar himself,

which is a severe matter, is only

an epikoros,

all the more so, one who disgraces his fellow in the presence of a Torah scholar, which is a less severe matter, is not “one who brazenly interprets the Torah”! If so,

one who brazenly interprets the Torah—

such as what? Who is considered one who brazenly interprets the Torah]?

[Who is considered one who brazenly interprets the Torah?]

And we say:

one who distorts the face of the Torah is

such as Menashe ben Hizkiyahu,

who would expound disparaging interpretations.

And some teach it with regard to the latter clause

[and some said that the dispute concerns what we learned at the end of the Mishna], namely that the

one who distorts the face of the Torah

has no share in the World-to-Come.

Rav and Rabbi Hanina say: This is one who disgraces a Torah scholar.

Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi say: This is one who disgraces his fellow in the presence of a Torah scholar.

And we raise an objection:

Granted, according to the one who says

that the

one who disgraces the Torah scholar himself,

which is a grave matter,

is one who distorts the face of the Torah,

according to his view it can be said that the

one who disgraces his fellow in the presence of a Torah scholar,

which is a less severe matter,

is an apikorus.

But according to the one who says

that the

one who disgraces his fellow in the presence of a Torah scholar,

which is a less severe matter,

distorts the face

of the Torah,

then according to his view it is impossible to say that one who disgraces a Torah scholar himself, which is a more severe matter, is an apikorus, whose meaning is merely one who treats everything as ownerless, a less severe matter than distorting the face of the Torah! If so,

an apikorus—

such as whom?

Rav Yosef said: Such as those who say

[such as those who say]:

“What benefit have the Sages brought us? They read for themselves, they study for themselves”

[What benefit have the Sages brought us through the Torah they study? They read for their own sake, and they study for their own sake].

And they do not know that the world endures by virtue of those who study Torah.

Abaye said to him: This one,

those who say this are not merely apikorsim, but

are also ones who distort the face of the Torah. For

it is

written: “If not for My covenant, day and night—

I would not have set the statutes of heaven and earth.”

Thus it is written in the Torah that the world endures only by virtue of Torah study! Yet these people say that the Sages accomplish nothing!

Rav Nahman bar Yitzhak said: From here,

from the following verse,

we can also infer

that the righteous benefit others.

As it is stated

when Avraham prayed on behalf of the people of Sodom, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous people

I will spare the entire place on their account.”

Thus the righteous benefit all the inhabitants of the place!

Rather,

what is an apikorus?

Such as

a student

who sits before his teacher

[who sits before his teacher],

and a teaching occurs to him in another context

[and he recalls a teaching concerning another matter],

and says: “This is what we said there”

[This is what we said there],

and does not say: “This is what my master said”

[This is what the teacher said]. And this constitutes a lack of respect for his teacher.

Rava said:

An apikorus is

such as those of the house of Binyamin the physician, who say: “What benefit have the Sages brought us”

[What benefit have the Sages brought us]?