Sanhedrin 99b — the Talmud in English

Rabbi Akiva says: ![](pamud.bmp "

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Sing every day,

that is, although your learning is arranged and fluent in your mouth like a song, arrange and sing your learning again every day. And then you will merit that there be for you in the World to Come

a song,

joy and songs,

every day.

Rav Yitzhak bar Avudimi said: What is the verse

from which this matter is learned from Scripture?

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

it labors for him, for he has bent his mouth over 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,

and his Torah labors for him in another place,

that is—in the World to Come. “For he has bent his mouth over it,” because he continually places words in his mouth, just as the saddle is always upon the donkey.

Rabbi Elazar said: Every person—

was created for labor

. As it is stated: “For man is born for labor.”

But from this verse I still

do not know

whether

he was created for labor

that depends on the

mouth, or

perhaps

he was created for labor of work.

When it says, “For he has bent his mouth over it,”

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

you must say: For labor

of the mouth he was created.

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

of the mouth, through occupation with

Torah,

he was created,

or for labor of conversation

in general.

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

of the mouth, through occupation with

Torah he was created.

And this is what Rava said: All bodies

all bodies—

are drupatkei

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

Fortunate is the one who merits

that he

is a drupatka of Torah

whose labor was in Torah.

It is further written:

“One who commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding.” Reish Lakish said: This is one who studies Torah intermittently,

and does not study constantly. He is like a person 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 guard them within your belly; let them be established together upon your lips.”

That is, when is “you guard them within your belly”—how will words of Torah be guarded within your belly? When “they are established together upon your lips,” if you study them and review them constantly.

The Sages taught: “And the soul that acts with a high hand”—this is Manasseh son of Hezekiah

479 , who would sit and expound discrediting homilies.

He said: Did Moses have nothing to write except these verses:

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

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

A Divine voice went forth and said to him: “You sit and speak against your brother; against the son of your mother you give fault. These things you did, and I was silent; you imagined that I would be like you. I shall rebuke you and set them in order before your eyes.”

And this means that you sit and expound discrediting homilies, and speak against your brother [he is Moses our teacher, for all Israel are brothers], and give fault in him, saying that he wrote in the Torah things that are unnecessary. “

These things you did, and I was silent; you imagined that I would be like you”: Would I remain silent over your words, and would you think that I would be like you, speaking vanity and falsehood?

Not so. Rather, “I shall rebuke you and set them before you,” for these things needed to be written [as is explained below].

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

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

What is “as with cart ropes”?

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

which is easy to overcome.

And finally,

after it has seduced and defeated the person,

it resembles

a

cart ropes ,

which are already very difficult to overcome.

And since

we have already come to

the verse that we have already brought

at any rate, “Timna was the sister of Lotan”—

what is it?

What did Scripture intend to say by this?

Timna—

she was a daughter of kings

she was.

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

is a kingship without a crown

a great minister, but without a crown—

it is.

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

Timna

Timna

desired 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 of the seed of Isaac.

Because she

said

in her heart:

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

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

and not be a mistress to another nation.

The result was

that there emerged from her

Amalek, who caused suffering to Israel.

What is the reason?

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.

And for what purpose was the verse stated:

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

Rava son of Rabbi Yitzhak said in the name of Rav: “

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

From here: The righteous do not stretch out their hands in robbery.

“And he found mandrakes in the field”

. What are mandrakes?

Rav said: Yavrukhei

thus Onkelos translated the word “mandrakes.” And it was not explained what yavrukhei are.

Levi said: Sigalei.

Rabbi Yonatan said: Saviskei

Sigalei and saviskei are types of fragrant plants.

Rabbi Alexandri said: Anyone who occupies himself with Torah for its own sake—

establishes peace in the retinue

armies

above

489 , and in the retinue below.

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

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

Rav said:

One who occupies himself with Torah for its own sake—

it is as though he built palaces

palaces

above and

below

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

To plant the heavens and to establish the earth”—that is, palaces above and below.

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

For the shadow of His hand and His 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 the world in the shadow of His hand is “I have covered you”—for your sake.

And Levi said: It also brings the redemption closer

. As it is stated

in the continuation of the above verse:

“And to say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’”

Reish Lakish said: Anyone who teaches the son of his fellow Torah, Scripture considers it as though he 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 one who teaches others “making.”

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

as though he made the words of Torah.

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

Rava said: It is as though he made himself

as though he made himself.

As it is stated: “And you shall perform them.” Do not read otam

the letter alef with a holam vowel,

but atem

the letter alef with a patah vowel.

Rabbi Abbahu said: Anyone who causes his fellow to perform a mitzva

who causes his fellow to perform a mitzva —

Scripture considers it as though he performed it

himself [that same mitzva].

And from where do we have this matter?

As it is stated

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

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

And this is astonishing:

Did Moses strike it? Surely Aaron struck it,

as it is stated: “Say to Aaron: Take your staff, etc.”!

Rather, this is to tell you: Anyone who causes his fellow to perform a mitzva—

Scripture considers it as though he performed it.

And therefore, since Moses told Aaron to strike the Nile, the matter is considered as though Moses performed the deed.

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

an apikorus.

And we must explain what an “

And we must explain: What is an “apikorus”?

Rabbi and Rabbi Hanina both said:

An apikorus—

this is one who disgraces a Torah scholar.

Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: This is one who disgraces

his

fellow in the presence of a Torah scholar.

And we raised an objection:

Granted, according to the one who says

that

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

is an apikorus,

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

disgraces

a

Torah scholar himself—

is one who reveals a face in the Torah not according to halakha.

For “apikorus” implies mere abandonment, whereas “one who reveals a face in the Torah” implies something more severe. That is, he brazenly sets his face against those occupied with Torah.

But according to the one who says

that

one who disgraces a Torah scholar himself,

which is a severe matter—only

is an apikorus,

all the more so one who disgraces his fellow in the presence of a Torah scholar, which is a lighter matter, is not “one who reveals a face in the Torah”! If so,

one who reveals a face in the Torah—

such as what

who is considered one who reveals a face in the Torah?

And we say:

one who reveals a face in the Torah is

for example, Manasseh son of Hezekiah,

who used to expound defective interpretations.

And there are those who state it with regard to the latter clause [and there are those who said the dispute with regard to what we learned at the end of the Mishna],

for the

one who reveals a face in 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 concerning it:

Granted, according to the one who says

that

one who himself disgraces a Torah scholar,

which is a serious matter

is one who reveals a face in the Torah,

according to his approach it is possible to say that the

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

which is a less serious matter

is an apikoros.

But according to the one who says

that the

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

which is a minor matter

one who reveals a face

in the Torah,

then, according to his approach, it is impossible to say that one who himself disgraces a Torah scholar, which is a more serious matter, is an apikoros, whose meaning is merely licentiousness, which is a lesser matter than one who reveals a face in the Torah! If so,

apikoros —

for example, whom?

Rav Yosef said: For example, those who say [for example, 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 that they study? They read the Torah for their own needs, and they study for their own needs].

And they do not know that the world endures in the merit of those who study Torah.

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

Abaye said to him: This one,

those who say this are not merely apikorsim, but

he is also one who reveals a face in the Torah. For

indeed

it is written: “Were it 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 exists only by virtue of Torah study! And these say that the Sages are of no benefit at all!

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: From here,

from the following verse,

we also learn

that the righteous benefit others.

As it is stated

when Abraham prayed for the people of Sodom, the Holy One, blessed is He, said to him: “If I find in Sodom fifty righteous people

I shall forgive the entire place for their sake.”

Thus the righteous benefit all the people of the place!

Rather,

what is an apikoros?

For example,

a student

who sits before his teacher [who sits before his teacher],

and a teaching occurs to him concerning another matter

and a teaching occurs to him in another place [and he recalls a teaching concerning another matter],

and he says: “This is what we say there,”

and he says: “Thus we said there” [Thus we said there],

and he does not say: “This is what the Master said,”

and he does not say: “Thus said the Master” [Thus said the teacher].

And this is a lack of respect for his teacher.

Rava said:

an apikoros is

for example, those of the house of Benjamin the physician, who say: “What benefit have the Sages brought us [What benefit have the Sages brought us]?

[What benefit have the Sages brought us]?