Shabbat 30a — the Talmud in English

Gemara:

And we infer:

from what it teaches in the final clause of the Mishna,

“because he is concerned for the lamp,”

he is liable; infer from it:

the Mishna—

it is Rabbi Judah, who says: One who performs a labor that he does not need for its own purpose is liable for it. For the extinguishing in the final clause is not done for the purpose of the extinguished object itself, to repair the wick, but rather to prevent the lamp from bursting.

And if so, this is difficult:

the first clause of the Mishna, which teaches: One who extinguishes the lamp because of a sick person—

with what are we dealing?

If it deals with

one who extinguishes for the sake of

a dangerously ill person—

why does it teach “exempt”? For “exempt” means that he is exempt from the penalty of stoning when acting intentionally and from a sacrifice when acting unintentionally, but it is nevertheless forbidden by rabbinic enactment, as Shmuel said above: “With regard to all the exemptions of Shabbat—he is exempt but it is forbidden.” Yet

“permitted”

should have been required for it to teach, since it is preservation of life!?

And if the Mishna deals

with

a person who is not dangerously ill—why does it teach “exempt,” whose meaning is merely rabbinic prohibition? For according to Rabbi Judah,

“liable for a sin-offering” should have been required for it to teach, since Rabbi Judah holds one liable for a labor that he does not need for its own purpose!

And we explain:

In fact,

the Mishna deals

with a dangerously ill person [and likewise the other cases enumerated in the first clause, “because of gentiles or an evil spirit,” deal with concern for danger].

And since it is preservation of life,

it would properly have been

to teach “permitted”, which implies that it is permitted from the outset.

And the reason that the Mishna used the expression “exempt”:

since it needed to teach in

the final clause, regarding one who extinguishes because he is concerned for the oil,

liable—

it also taught “exempt” in the first clause [since it is an expression corresponding to the word “liable.” Indeed, in the case of a dangerously ill person, it is permitted from the outset].

And we raise an objection:

And that which Rabbi Oshaya taught:

One who extinguishes the lamp,

if it is for the sick person to sleep—

he should not extinguish it, and if he extinguished it, he is exempt but it is forbidden.

And it explicitly teaches: exempt but it is forbidden; whereas according to your words, it is permitted from the outset? And we explain:

That of Rabbi Oshaya

deals

with a person who is not dangerously ill, and nevertheless its prohibition is not from Torah law but rabbinic, since this extinguishing is a labor that he does not need for its own purpose, since by it he is not repairing the extinguished wick,

and it is according to

Rabbi Shimon, who says that for a labor that he does not need for its own purpose one is exempt by Torah law.

This question was asked above [before]

Rabbi Tanḥum of Noi [a place].

What is the ruling concerning extinguishing a burning lamp [a lit lamp]

because of a sick person,

on

the day of

Shabbat?

Before he answered them their question,

he began

with words of aggada,

and said:

You, Solomon

the king—

where

is

your wisdom, where your understanding!?

Where did your wisdom and understanding go?

Is it not enough for you that your words contradict

the words of

your father David, but your words contradict one another;

Your father David said: [Psalms 115:17]

“The dead do not praise the Lord,”

and it follows that the living are preferable to the dead.

And if

you had said: [Ecclesiastes 4:2]

“And I praised the dead who have already died.”

And its meaning is that he praises the dead more.

And your words contradict one another: for

you went back and said: [there, 9:4]

“For a living dog—

it is better than a dead lion.”

That is, the status of the living is greater than that of the dead. Thus your words contradict what you said: “And I praised the dead who have already died.”

And Rabbi Tanḥum of Noi resolved it for them:

It is not difficult.

This that David said, “The dead do not praise the Lord,”—

this is what he is saying: Let a person always engage in Torah and mitzvot before he dies,

because

once a

person

dies—

he is idle

from

Torah and mitzvot .

And

more,

the Holy One, blessed be He, has no praise in him.

And

yet

you said:

[Ecclesiastes 4:2]

“And I praised the dead who have already died.”

And this is what Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What

is the meaning of this

that is written [Psalms 88:6]

“Among the dead, free”?

Once a person dies,

he

becomes free from Torah and mitzvot.

And

this that Solomon said:

“And I praised the dead who have already died,”

this is its meaning:

When Israel sinned

with the sin of the calf

in the wilderness, Moses stood before the Holy One, blessed be He, and uttered many prayers and supplications before Him.

As it is written in the section of Ekev [Deuteronomy 9:18]: “And I cast myself down before the Lord as at the first, forty days and forty nights” [Maharsha],

but he was not answered

by Him.

And when he said [Exodus 32:13]

“Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants”—

immediately he was answered.

And if so: Is it not true that

Solomon properly said: “And I praised the dead

who engaged during their lives in Torah and mitzvot, who have already died,” and they are deserving of more praise than the righteous who are living, because the righteous are greater in their death than in their lives, for Moses’ prayer, when he was alive, was not accepted, whereas the merit of the Patriarchs, who had already died, stood for Israel. Alternatively: It is the way of the world that a ruler

who is

flesh and blood, when he

issues a decree, it is uncertain whether people

will fulfill it, and uncertain whether people

will not fulfill it.

And even if you should say that they fulfill it, during his lifetime they fulfill it,

but

after his death they do not fulfill it.

But Moses our teacher issued many decrees, instituted many enactments, and they remain forever and for all eternity.

And if so: Is it not true that

Solomon properly said: “And I praised the dead

who have already died”? [

And these are some of the decrees and enactments that Moses issued: a. He issued a decree concerning the netinim. b. He instituted the wording of the blessing of sustenance when the manna descended. c. He instituted that they should read from the Torah and expound upon the subject of the day. And see the commentary of Rav Nissim Gaon here.]

Alternatively:

What is that which is written,

“And I praised”

the dead—

as Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: For Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: What

verse

is written: [Psalms 86:17]

“Perform for me a sign for good, and let those who hate me see and be ashamed.”

David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Forgive me for that sin

of Bathsheba.

He

the Holy One, blessed be He,

said to him:

You are forgiven.

He

David

said to Him:

Perform for me a sign during my lifetime,

so that those who hate me—these are those who mock me, saying that You have forgiven me—will see and be ashamed.

He

the Holy One, blessed be He,

said to him:

During your lifetime I will not make it known,

but

during the lifetime of your son Solomon I will make known

that I have forgiven you.

And so it was:

When Solomon built the Temple, he sought to bring the Ark into the Holy of Holies, the doors

of the Holy of Holies

clung to one another,

and he could not bring it in.

Solomon uttered twenty-four expressions of rejoicing [expressions of rejoicing and prayer mentioned in Solomon’s prayer],

but he was not answered.

Solomon began

and

said: [there, 24:7]

“Lift up your heads, O gates, and be lifted up, O everlasting doors, and let the King of glory enter.”

They hurried,

hastened

after him,

the gates—

to swallow him.

For they thought that he was saying “King of glory” about himself, and therefore they sought to swallow him.

They said

to him, the gates:

“Who is this King of glory?”

He said to them

Solomon:

You are forgiven.

“The Lord, mighty and valiant.”

Solomon went back

and

said: “Lift up your heads, O gates, and lift up, O everlasting doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is this King of glory? The Lord of Hosts—He is the King of glory forever,” but he was not answered,

and the gates did not open for him;

Once he said: [II Chronicles 6:42]

“O Lord God, do not turn away the face of Your anointed; remember the kindnesses of David Your servant”—

immediately he was answered

and the gates opened.

At that moment, the faces of all David’s enemies [the families of Saul and Shimei]

were transformed like the bottom of a pot

from the great shame.

And all the people and all Israel knew that the Holy One, blessed be He, had forgiven David

for

that sin

of Bathsheba.

And did Solomon not properly say: “And I praised the dead who have already died,”

for while David was alive it was not known that He had forgiven him, and only after he died was it known that he had been forgiven.

And this is what is written

there: [I Kings 8:66]

“On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king and went to their tents, joyful and good of heart because of all the goodness that the Lord had done for David His servant and for Israel His people.”

And this is the meaning of the verse:

“And they went to their tents”—

for they found their wives in a state of ritual purity.

“Joyful”—

for they enjoyed the radiance of the Divine Presence.

“And good of heart”—

for each one’s wife became pregnant and gave birth

to a

male child.

“Because of all the goodness that the Lord had done for David His servant”—

for He had forgiven him for that sin.

“And for Israel His people”—

for He forgave them

for

the sin of

eating on

Yom Kippur. [As it is brought in the Gemara, Moed Katan 9a: Rabbi Parnakh said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: In that year in which they inaugurated the Temple with a feast, Israel did not observe Yom Kippur, and they were anxious and said: Perhaps the enemies of Israel have become liable to destruction. A Divine Voice went forth and said to them: All of you are destined for life in the World to Come. And there they derive by means of a

kal va-chomer to permit eating on Yom Kippur.]

And that which Solomon said: “For a living dog is better than a dead lion,”—

what is it?

And we explain:

As Rav Judah said in the name of Rav, for Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: What

verse

is written: [Psalms 39:5]

“Make known to me, O Lord, my end and the measure of my days—what it is; let me know how transient I am.”

David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe! Make known to me, O Lord, my end

—what are the things destined to come upon me?

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed be He:

It is a decree from before Me that the end of flesh and blood is not made known.

“And the measure of my days—what it is,”

how many are the days of my life?

He said to him:

It is a decree from before Me that the measure of a person’s days is not made known.

“And let me know how transient I am”—

on which day I cease and become idle from the world?

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed be He:

You will die on Shabbat.

David pleaded with Him:

“Let me die on the first day of the week,”

so that they could attend to my burial and my eulogy .

“And glad of heart”—

because each man’s wife had conceived and given birth

to a

male child.

“For all the goodness that the Lord had shown to David His servant”—

because He had forgiven him for that sin.

“And to Israel His people”—

because He forgave them

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed be He:

The time has already arrived

for

the reign of your son Solomon, and one reign does not touch its fellow even by a hairsbreadth.

He returned and pleaded with Him:

“Let me die on Friday,”

before the time for Solomon to reign arrived.

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed be He: [Psalms 84:11]

“For one day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand”—

one day that you sit and engage in Torah is better for Me

than

a thousand burnt-offerings that your son Solomon is destined to offer before Me upon the altar

in Gibeon on one day, as it is written: “A thousand burnt-offerings Solomon shall offer.”

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed be He:

It is a decree from before Me that the end of a human being is not made known.

“And the measure of my days, what is it,”

how many are the days of my life?

He said to him:

It is a decree from before Me that the measure of a person’s days is not made known.

“And that I may know how transient I am”—

on which day will I cease and pass from the world?

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed be He:

You will die on Shabbat.

David requested of Him:

“Let me die on the first day of the week,”

so that they would be able to attend to my burial and eulogy .

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed be He:

The time has already arrived

for the

reign of your son Solomon, and one reign does not encroach upon another even by a hairsbreadth.

He requested again:

“Let me die on the eve of Shabbat,”

before the time arrives for Solomon to reign.

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

[Psalms 84:11]

“For one day in Your courtyards is better than a thousand”—

one day on which you sit and engage in Torah is better for Me

than

the thousand burnt-offerings that your son Solomon will one day sacrifice before Me on the altar

in Gibeon in a single day, as it is written: “A thousand burnt-offerings Solomon shall offer.”