Shabbat 31b — the Talmud in English

Rabba bar Rav Huna said: Every person who has Torah, but does not have ![](pamud.bmp "

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fear of Heaven,

he is

like a treasurer to whom the keys were entrusted

of the inner doors,

but

the

keys

of the

outer ones were not entrusted to him.

And if so—

with what does he enter?

Through which opening will he be able to enter in order to open the inner openings?

For if a person does not fear Heaven, then even if he studies Torah, he will not be anxious to fulfill it.

And it is a parable for fear of Heaven, which precedes wisdom, as we learned: Anyone whose fear of sin precedes his wisdom—his wisdom endures. And without fear, which is the outer key, how will he enter into the inner wisdom? Maharsha].

Rabbi Yannai announced: Woe to

one

who has no courtyard

who has no courtyard,

yet makes a gate for the courtyard,

and makes a gate for his courtyard.

And the analogue is: Torah is only a gate for entering into fear of Heaven, and therefore fear of Heaven must precede the study of Torah [Rashi, Yoma 72b].

Rav Yehuda said: The Holy One, blessed be He, created His world only so that they would fear before Him.

As it is stated: “And God made

His world—in order

that they would fear before Him.”

Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Elazar were sitting

[they were sitting].

He passed and went—

he passed before them—

Rabbi Yaakov bar Aḥa.

One

of them

said to his fellow: Let us rise before him,

let us stand in his honor, since

he is a learned man

a son of Torah

he is.

The other said to him:

You diminished his praise.

I am telling you,

I thought to rise in his honor, because

he is a man who fears sin

who fears sin

he is, and you say to me, “He is a son of Torah”!?

Is not the level of one who fears sin greater than his?

And we bring proof from this, that they said to rise in his honor because he feared sin—

it may be established that it was Rabbi Elazar who said that he is a man who fears sin.

For Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: The Holy One, blessed be He, has nothing in His world except fear of Heaven alone,

for this is the only matter dependent upon a person, as they said in tractate Berakhot 33b: Everything is in the hands of Heaven—except for fear of Heaven. [Maharsha].

And from where did we learn this matter

? As it is stated: “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God ask of you, except to fear”.

And it is written

also:

“And he said to man: Behold, fear of the Lord is wisdom.” “

Behold,” it is one

поскольку на греческом языке одну называют

,

for in the Greek language they call one— behold

.

And we conclude:

It may be established

that indeed Rabbi Elazar was the one who said, “Let us rise before him,” because he is one who fears Heaven.

Rav Ulla expounded: What

is the meaning of the verse

that is written: “Do not be excessively wicked”

? And is it

only excessively that one should not be wicked, but a little

is permitted to him

to be wicked?

Rather,

the meaning of the verse is: If you have become wicked a little, do not add to your wickedness.

And it is a parable:

One who ate garlic, and its odor is spreading

from his mouth—should he

return and eat

more

garlic and have its odor spread

even more? So too, because he has become a little wicked, he should not add to his wickedness.

Rava bar Rav Ulla expounded: What

is the meaning of the verse

that is written: “For there are no pangs at their death, and their body is sound.”

The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Is it not enough for the wicked that they are not anxious and distressed from

fear of

the day of death,

and the meaning of “pangs” is an abbreviation: anxious and distressed, “at their death”—from fear of the day of death.

And not only are they not anxious and distressed over their wickedness in the past,

but their heart,

whose desire and joy is to continue living in this world in prosperity,

is sound for them

[that is, strong]

like a hall

open for ventilation [Maharsha].

And this is

what

Rabba said: What is written

in Psalms: “Their inward part is their houses forever”—the end of the wicked is burial. Yet despite this,

“This is their way; folly is theirs,”

and this means that although

the wicked know that their way is toward death,

but since

they have fat

which covers

their folly

[their kidneys], therefore they do not place the thought of their end upon their hearts.

Lest you say that it is forgetfulness for them,

and they have the status of inadvertent sinners,

the text states:

the conclusion of the verse,

“And afterward”—

what will come upon them in the future,

“with their mouths they will recount forever”

they will recount it forever.

We learned in the Mishna: One who extinguishes the lamp because he is

concerned for the lamp,

concerned for the oil, or concerned for the wick, is liable. Rabbi Yose exempts in all of them except for the wick, because he makes charcoal.

And we raised an objection concerning it:

Rabbi Yose,

who exempts in all of them,

in accordance with whom does he hold?

If he holds in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda,

who declares liable one who performs a labor that is not needed for its own purpose,

does he hold,

then

even in these

where his intention in extinguishing is because he is concerned for the oil and the like,

he should also be liable?

And if

Rabbi Yose

holds in accordance with Rabbi Shimon,

who exempts one who performs a labor that is not needed for its own purpose,

does he hold,

then when he extinguishes for the sake of the

wick, he should also be exempt?

Ulla said: Actually,

Rabbi Yose

holds in accordance with Rabbi Yehuda,

who declares liable,

he holds.

And Rabbi Yose holds that

the

demolisher

of a wall

in order

that he should be able

to build in its place

another wall

is

the labor of

“demolishing”, and he is liable for performing it on Shabbat. For although demolition in its essence is damage, since its purpose is repair—to build another wall—and without demolishing the old wall he cannot build a new wall, therefore even the demolition is considered an act of repair.

But if he demolishes

in order

to build not in its place

another wall,

it is not

included in the labor of

“demolishing”,

because this act in its essence is damage.

And likewise concerning our matter, the act of extinguishing in its essence is damage. And in this Rabbi Yose distinguishes: If his intention when he extinguishes is because he is concerned for the oil or for the lamp [but he is not concerned for the wick], then although he thinks that he will use this oil another time, this extinguishing is not considered damage for the sake of repair. For the damage is in one thing and the repair in another thing. However, if he extinguishes the lamp for the sake of the wick, intending to light it a second time, this act is damage in order to repair in that very place where he is now damaging; therefore Rabbi Yose declares liable only one who extinguishes a wick, “because he makes charcoal,” which is destined for additional lighting.

Rabba said to him

to Ulla:

Since,

after all,

all the labors

of

Shabbat we derive from the Tabernacle, and there—

the demolishing was in order to build not in its place,

for they dismantled the Tabernacle at the time of the journey in order to erect it at another encampment!?

He said to him,

Ulla:

There it is different, since it is written

[Numbers 9]

“By the word of the Lord they shall encamp”

—it is considered like demolishing in order to build in its place.

For the “place” of the Tabernacle is the place that the Lord designates for it, and not the place where it currently stands.

And Rabbi Yohanan said: Actually,

Rabbi Yose

holds in accordance with Rabbi Shimon,

who exempts from an offering for a labor that is not needed for its own purpose.

And what is different

about extinguishing a

wick,

for which he declares one liable—

as Rav Hamnuna said, and some say Rav Adda bar Ahava: Here we are dealing with a wick that one needs to singe,

so that it will be fit for lighting,

and with the extinguishing of that

wick

we are dealing; even Rabbi Shimon concedes

the wick

that he is liable,

because

he is improving an implement,

and it is a labor needed for its own purpose.

Rava said: It is also precise

that here the teaching concerns a wick that one needs to singe:

For it teaches:

Rabbi Yose exempts in all of them except for the wick because

“he makes charcoal!”

And it implies that in this extinguishing he intends to make the wick like charcoal.

And it does not teach, “because it becomes charcoal”

because it had already been singed at the outset.

And we conclude:

Learn from it.

Mishna:

For three transgressions women die at the time of giving birth:

[And in the Gemara we explain why they die specifically at the time of their giving birth].

Because they are not careful with the

laws of

menstruation, with the

separation of

ḥalla, and with the lighting of the lamp

of

Shabbat . Gemara:

And we raised an objection concerning it: For the sin of

menstruation—

what is the reason

that she is punished?

And we explain:

Rabbi Yitzḥak said:

This one who was not careful with the laws of menstruation

damaged the chambers of her belly,

the source of her blood;

therefore

it is fitting that she

be struck in the chambers of her belly.

We further raised an objection concerning it:

Menstruation is understandable,

she is fitting to be punished, as Rav Yitzḥak explained. But for the sin of

ḥalla and the lighting of the lamp, what can be said?

Rather, the reason is

as that Galilean expounded concerning it,

before

Rav Ḥisda:

The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I gave you a quarter of blood,

upon which a person’s life depends.

Concerning matters of blood,

that is, the laws of menstruation,

I warned you.