Sotah 22a — the Talmud in English

7.

Ulla said: This is

a person

who read,

who learned the Scripture,

and repeated

the Mishnayot,

but

he

did not serve Torah scholars,

for he did not learn the words of the Gemara, and therefore he does not know the distinctions between the laws that emerge from the study of the words of the tannaim in the Gemara.

And since he is not expert in the reasons of the Mishnayot, he is called “wicked,” because his Torah is not clarified, and he causes the students who learn Torah from him to stumble.

And he is also called “cunning,” since he deceives people, so that they will honor him as they honor a Torah scholar. For when they see him repeating Mishnayot, they are certain that he also studies the words of the Gemara, and they regard him as a Torah scholar who knows the reasons of the Mishnayot explained in the Gemara.

It was stated:

A person who

read,

learned the Scripture,

and repeated

the Mishna,

but did not serve Torah scholars

in the study of the words of the Gemara—

Rabbi Elazar says: This is an am ha-aretz!

For he is suspect concerning tithes and purities.

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said: This is

considered

a bor,

for he is worse than an am ha-aretz, since there is nothing in him, like an empty pit, whereas in an am ha-aretz there is something.

Rabbi Yannai says: This is

considered like

a Kuti!

That is, it is forbidden to eat from his bread and his wine, just as the Sages decreed concerning the bread and wine of the Kutim!

For since he is not particular about the words of the Sages, to know them in their entirety, and therefore he refrains from learning the words of the Gemara, it is found that all his learning is not in order to know the Torah in its truth, but only in order to mislead people so that they will honor him as a Torah scholar; therefore they decreed that he be considered according to the law of a Kuti.

Rav Aha bar Yaakov said: This is

a magosh [

like a sorcerer, who deceives the eyes of people and steals their hearts]!

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak said: It stands to reason

that he is considered

as

he said,

Rav Aha bar Yaakov,

that he is like a sorcerer.

Because of

what people say: “The magosh chants”,

the sorcerer whispers his incantations,

“but he does not know what he said,”

for the sorcerer does not know the meaning of his incantations!

And this person is like him:

a tannai teaches,

he repeats the Mishnayot,

“but he does not know what he said,”

without understanding their meaning.

The Sages taught: Who is an am ha-aretz?

Anyone who does not read [

who does not know how to read even]

the recitation of the Shema in the morning and evening with its blessings, the words of Rabbi Meir.

But one who knows how to read the Shema, and recites it with its blessings, is not considered an am ha-aretz.

And the Sages say: Anyone who does not put on tefillin.

Ben Azzai says: Anyone who does not have ritual fringes on his garment.

Rabbi Yonatan ben Yosef said: Anyone who has sons and does not raise them to study Torah.

Others

say: Even one who reads and repeats, but did not serve Torah scholars—

this is an am ha-aretz!

He read but did not repeat—

this is a bor!

He neither read nor repeated—

concerning him the verse [

Jeremiah 31]

says: “

And I shall sow the House of Israel and the House of Judah, the seed of man and the seed of beast.”

For he is like the seed of a beast, which knows nothing.

And the Gemara brings the words of Rabbi Yitzhak in his exposition of the verse in Proverbs 24, concerning those who do not study Talmud but only Mishnayot— “

Fear the Lord, my son, and the king.

And with those who repeat—

do not mix.”

Rabbi Yitzhak said:

The intention of the verse is to say: Do not associate with

those

who did not serve Torah scholars,

who repeat laws

of the Mishnayot alone, and were not particular to investigate the reasons of the Mishnayot!

And the Gemara wonders:

Is it obvious

that this is what the verse intended? For what is the other explanation of “do not mix with those who repeat”?

And we answer: Rabbi Yitzhak comes to teach us

what you might say,

lest you say that the intention of the verse is those who are

repeatedly sinning,

and in accordance with Rav Huna—

For Rav Huna said: Once a person has committed a transgression and repeated it—

it becomes permitted to him,

it is considered for him as something permitted!

He teaches us

Rabbi Yitzhak that the intention is those who repeat laws, and not those who repeatedly sin.

The tannaim taught: The tannaim,

people who repeat Mishnayot alone—

destroyers of the world

they are! For they cause destruction to the world.

And the Gemara wonders: Could it be that

“destroyers of the world”

enters your mind,

that you should call those who repeat Mishnayot by this name!? And what harm do they bring to other people?

He said,

he answered,

Ravina:

The harm is that

they

instruct

the people

the halakha

in practice

from their Mishna, and since they are not expert in its reasons, they issue rulings in error.

and since they are not familiar with the reasons underlying them, they issue erroneous rulings.

It was also taught so: Rabbi Yehoshua said, and do

people who repeat Mishnayot alone

“destroyers of the world”

are they?

Are they not the establishers of the world,

as

it is said, “

The ways of the world are his”?

For one who repeats laws, the world is his, for it exists by his merit!

Rather,

they are considered destroyers of the world because they do not engage merely in studying the Mishnayot, but rather

that

they

instruct the halakha from their Mishna,

and their ruling of the halakha is in error.

We learned in the Mishna:

A woman who withdraws

this one is included among the destroyers of the world.

The Sages taught: A devout virgin,

who prays constantly,

and a neighborly widow,

who makes a practice of frequently visiting her neighbors,

and a minor whose months have not been completed [

this will be explained below]—

these are destroyers of the world.

For their intention is not for the sake of Heaven, but rather they commit adultery and practice sorcery, and pretend to be righteous women so that no one will investigate their deeds.

And we ask:

Is that so!

Can this really be said?

But did Rabbi Yohanan not say: We learned fear of sin—

from a virgin,

as will be explained.

And

likewise we learned that a person should toil greatly for

receiving reward

more

than from a widow,

as will be explained.

And the Gemara explains his words:

We learned

fear of sin from a virgin—

For Rabbi Yohanan heard a certain virgin who fell upon her face, and she said: Master of the universe! You created the Garden of Eden,

to give the righteous their reward,

and You created Gehenna

to punish the wicked.

You created righteous people, and You created wicked people.

May it be Your will that human beings not stumble through me!

So that they will not lose their portion in the Garden of Eden and will not be punished in Gehenna.

We learned exertion for

receiving reward

greater

from a widow—

for there was a certain widow whose synagogue was in her neighborhood,

which was next to her.

But she did not pray in the synagogue that was in her neighborhood; rather,

every day, she would come,

she would come every day,

and pray

and pray in the

study house of Rabbi Yohanan.

He said to her,

Rabbi Yohanan:

My daughter,

is it not

the synagogue in your neighborhood!?

There is a synagogue near your home; why do you come to pray in my study house, which is far from your place?

She said to him: Rabbi! And

is it not that

I have the reward of footsteps,

for walking from a distance in order to pray!?

And if so, the question arises: Why did the beraita say that one must be concerned that every special practice of piety that a woman practices is merely a pretense, and that she is included among the destroyers of the world!?

And we answer:

When

the tannai said that she is included among the destroyers of the world,

for example,

the sorcerous widow called

Yohani bat Retivi,

who would use her sorcery to stop the womb of a woman in labor, and only after the woman in labor had suffered, she would say to those present there that she was going to pray for her; at that time she would go to her house and undo the effect of her sorcery upon the woman in labor, and the child would emerge, and everyone thought that he had been born through the merit of her prayers, until it was revealed that she was a sorceress.

And now the Gemara discusses:

What is “

a minor whose

months have not been completed,”

which the tannai said is among the destroyers of the world?

Here they explained,

here, in Babylonia, they explained:

This is a Torah scholar who kicks his teachers,

and therefore he is called “a minor whose months have not been completed,” as a metaphor for the shortening of his days.

Rabbi Abba,

in the Land of Israel,

said: This is a student who has not reached the stage of issuing rulings, and

nevertheless

issues rulings.

For Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rav Huna in the name of Rav:

What is written [

Proverbs 7] concerning the strange woman who causes people to stumble in transgression, and this is a metaphor for a student who does not conduct himself properly— “

For she has cast down many slain, and all her slain are mighty.” “

For she has cast down many slain,”

in the sense of a premature birth, one born before his time—

this is a Torah scholar who has not reached the stage of issuing rulings, and

already

issues rulings. “

And all her slain are mighty”—

this is a Torah scholar who has reached the stage of issuing rulings, but does not issue rulings!