Taanit 11a (יא.) — the Talmud in English

There is a difference between them

there is a practical difference between them]

when he is seated on a boat

when his journey is undertaken while seated in a boat] .

For if the reason is due to contemplation, in this situation there is no concern, since he is not walking on foot.

But if the reason is due to provisions, that concern applies even to one traveling by boat, since the journey may be prolonged and his provisions may run out midway.

Alternatively,

there is another practical difference between them:

when he travels from one town to another.

When he travels from one village to another, in a place where merchants selling food are found .

If the concern is due to provisions, then in such a case there is no concern, since merchants selling food are available to him all along the way.

But if the reason is due to contemplation, there is concern even in such a situation.

The Gemara says:

Rav Pappa

was not concerned about eating a great deal on the way, and

at every parasang

that he traversed on his journey—

he ate one loaf

he ate one piece of bread].

And the reason was that he

held

believed] that the reason they said not to eat a great deal on the way was

due to contemplation.

And since his stomach was very large [as we find in tractate Bava Metzia 84a], a large meal was not harmful to him .

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: Anyone who starves himself during years of famine,

despite having food in abundance,

is saved from an unusual death

such as death by sword or by hunger. Any death that does not occur at the hands of the Angel of Death, in the ordinary manner of a person dying in his bed, is considered “an unusual death”].

As it is stated: “With famine He will redeem you from death.”

And if the verse means what it appears at first glance to mean—that the Holy One, blessed be He, redeemed a person from death—then

“from famine

He will redeem you”

should have been

it should have] the wording] !

Rather, this is what the verse is saying

this is what the verse said]: “With famine”—

as a reward for a person starving

himself

during years of famine,

when all Israel is immersed in distress and he joins in the distress of the community—“He will redeem you from death”;

he will be saved from an unusual death.

Reish Lakish said: It is forbidden for a person to engage in marital relations during years of famine ,

because he must conduct himself in distress together with the community .

As it is stated: “And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came,” . Since the verse emphasizes that the sons were born to Joseph “before the year of famine came,” it is clear that Joseph was careful not to engage in relations during the years of famine . A tanna taught: Those without children childless people ], who had not yet fulfilled the mitzva of procreation, engage in marital relations with their wives

From the fact that the verse emphasized that Joseph’s sons were born “before the year of famine came,” it is proven that Joseph was careful not to engage in marital relations during the years of famine .

even

during years of famine . The Sages taught: When Israel is immersed in distress, and one of them separates himself and does not suffer together with the community, the two ministering angels who accompany a person come to him, one on his right and one on his left [as it is stated: “For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you, etc.”] , place their hands upon his head, and say: This person has separated himself from the community— may he not see the consolation of the community . Another beraita taught: When the entire community is immersed in distress, a person should not say: I will go home and eat and drink, and peace be upon my soul meaning: Peace be upon my soul, upon myself; what do I care about the distress of others] . And if a person does so, and does not suffer in the community’s distress, the verse says of him: “Behold, joy and gladness, killing cattle and slaughtering sheep, eating meat and drinking wine; let us eat and drink— for tomorrow we shall die.” That is, those people were saying: What concern is the community’s distress to us? We have no distress at present. Let the trouble be dealt with when it comes [and this is “for tomorrow we shall die”: Now we are living in peace and tranquility. Tomorrow, when we are liable to die, we will see what to do]. What is written afterward what is written subsequently, later in the biblical passage]— “And it was revealed in the ears of the Lord of Hosts: Surely this iniquity shall not be atoned for you until you die.”

may engage

in marital relations

even

during years of famine .

The Sages taught: When the Jewish people are suffering, and one of them separates himself

and does not suffer together with the community,

the two ministering angels who accompany a person come,

one on his right and one on his left [as it is stated: “For He will command His angels concerning you, to guard you, etc.”] ,

place their hands on his head, and say: “This person who separated himself from the community”—

let him not see the consolation of the community.

may he not see the consolation of the community .

That is, only when the distress reaches them, and they know that they are about to die, do they repent.

This is the measure of the intermediate people

who are neither righteous nor wicked]. In any event, they fear and dread death, and therefore ultimately repent, as it is stated: “For tomorrow we shall die.”

But regarding the measure of the wicked,

who are worse than the intermediate people, what is written— “Come, I will fetch wine, and let us drink strong drink; and tomorrow shall be as today” .

They say that even on the following day, despite knowing that they will then die if they do not repent, they will continue doing so .

What is written afterward what is written in the following verse]—

and does not suffer over the community’s suffering,

the verse says about him: “Behold, joy and gladness! Slaughtering cattle and killing sheep, eating meat and drinking wine; let us eat and drink”—

“The righteous man perishes

and no one takes it to heart that the righteous man is gathered in because of the evil.” That is: “The righteous man perishes” from the world, and “no one takes it to heart” why the righteous man died. In truth, the reason is “because of the evil the righteous man is gathered in,” so that he will not see the evil befalling the wicked .

That is, those people were saying: Why should we care about the community’s suffering? We ourselves are not suffering now. Let trouble remain for its own time [and this is the meaning of “for tomorrow we shall die”: now we are living in peace and tranquility; tomorrow, when we are liable to die, we will see what to do].

What is written afterward [

what is written next, later in the verse]—

“It was revealed in the ears of the Lord of Hosts: Surely this iniquity shall not be atoned for you”—

“until you die.”

That is, only when the trouble reaches them and they know that they are about to die do they repent.

This describes the conduct of ordinary people [

who are neither righteous nor wicked]. At any rate, they fear and dread death, and therefore eventually repent, as it is stated: “For tomorrow we shall die.”

But regarding the conduct of the wicked,

Rather, a person should suffer together with the community .

what is written—

“Come, I will fetch wine, and let us drink intoxicating drink; and tomorrow shall be like today” .

They say that even on the following day, despite knowing that they will die then if they do not repent, they will act in this manner .

What is written afterward [

what is written in the following verse]—

“The righteous man has perished

and no one takes it to heart, for the righteous man has been gathered in because of the evil.”

That is, “the righteous man has perished” from the world, and “no one takes it to heart” why the righteous man died. In truth, the reason is “for the righteous man has been gathered in because of the evil,” so that he would not see the evil come upon the wicked .

Rather, a person should suffer together with the community .

For we find that Moses our teacher suffered together with the community .

As it is stated concerning the time of the war against Amalek:

“And whenever Moses raised his hand, Israel prevailed, and so on;

but Moses’ hands grew heavy, so they took a stone and placed it beneath him, and he sat upon it.”

And one may wonder: why did Moses sit on a stone, which is hard and uncomfortable for sitting?

Did Moses not have a cushion or a pillow upon which to sit?

Rather, Moses said as follows: Since Israel are suffering

the suffering of the war—

I too will be with them in suffering,

by sitting on a hard stone.

And anyone who causes himself to suffer together with the community—

merits seeing the consolation of the community.

Perhaps a person will say: Who will testify against me concerning this , that

I do not suffer together with the community? After all, I eat and drink secretly in my home, not in front of anyone!

The stones of a person’s house and the beams of a person’s house

—the stones and beams from which a person’s house is built, which see him all the time—

testify against him.

As it is stated: “For a stone from the wall will cry out, and a beam from the wood

will answer it.”

The students of Rabbi Sheila said

—those who studied in Rabbi Sheila’s study hall said:

The two ministering angels who always accompany a person

always

testify against him.

As it is stated: “For He will command His angels for you

to guard you in all your ways.” Thus, we learn that there are two angels who always accompany a person, on all his ways. And they can testify against him concerning his deeds.

Rabbi Ḥidka says: A person’s soul—

it

testifies against him.

As it is stated: “Guard the openings of your mouth from she who lies in your bosom.”

And some say: A person’s limbs testify against him.

As it is stated: “You are My witnesses, says the Lord” “You are My witnesses” is in the plural, implying a person’s limbs .

“You are My witnesses” is in the plural, implying a person’s limbs] .

It is written in the Torah:

“A God of faithfulness, without injustice,

righteous and upright is He.”

And this is how we expound the verse:

“A God of faithfulness”—

just as the wicked are punished

in the World-to-Come

even for a minor transgression that they commit

in this world,

so the righteous are punished in this world for a minor transgression that they commit.

That is, the wicked are punished for the minor transgressions they commit—in the World-to-Come. The righteous, by contrast, are punished for the minor transgressions they commit—in this world, so that they will arrive in the World-to-Come free of transgressions.

“And without injustice”—

just as the righteous are paid reward in the World-to-Come even for a minor mitzva that they perform, so the wicked are paid reward in this world even for a minor mitzva that they perform,

in order to confuse them and remove them from the World-to-Come. As it is stated: “And He repays His enemies to their face, to destroy them.” That is, the Holy One, blessed be He, pays His enemies for their good deeds here and immediately, so that He will not need to pay them in the future.

And this is the meaning of “righteous and upright is He”: He justifies the judgment concerning the righteous by exacting punishment from them, and acts beneficially and uprightly with the wicked by paying them their entire reward in this world, in order to confuse them.

“Righteous and upright is He,”

for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not render judgment without true and just judgment.

This teaches that at the time of a person’s passing to his eternal home,

when he ascends to the Heavenly court,

all his deeds

that he performed throughout all the days of his life

are set out before him

—presented to him in detail .

And they say to him: You did such and such in such-and-such a place on such-and-such a day.

And he

admits the matter and

says: Yes.

Indeed, I did so.

And they say to him: Sign

that you performed these deeds!

And

the person indeed

signs.

As it is stated: “By the hand of every man shall He seal.”

Moreover,

the person

justifies the judgment against himself

that they decree upon him,

and says to them: You have judged me well

—you have judged me correctly.

To fulfill that which is stated: “So that You are justified

when You speak.”

Shmuel said: Anyone who sits in a fast—

is called a sinner.

And from where does Shmuel derive this matter?

Shmuel

held

in accordance with this tanna

—in accordance with the words of the tanna cited below.

As it was taught: Rabbi Elazar HaKappar, son of Rabbi,

says: What does the verse come to teach

—what does it teach us—that which is stated concerning a nazir:

“And he shall atone for what he sinned against the soul”; and for which soul did

a person

this

sin, that the koen must atone for him?

Rather,

he sinned by

causing himself suffering through abstaining from wine

—for a nazir is prohibited from drinking wine, as it is stated, “from wine and strong drink he shall abstain, etc.” And this is the meaning of “what he sinned against the soul”: he sinned by causing his soul suffering.

And Shmuel says that one who sits in a fast is called a sinner by means of a kal va-chomer from a nazir:

Is this not a kal va-chomer: If this one,

the nazir,

who caused himself suffering only

through one thing,

wine,—

is called

for that reason

a “sinner,”

the

one who sits in a fast,

who causes himself suffering through

eating and drinking

every single thing—

all the more so

he should be called a sinner!

Rabbi Elazar

disagrees with Shmuel and

says:

one who sits in a fast not only is not a sinner, but

is called holy.

For through fasting his sins are cleansed, and he becomes sanctified.

And from where does Rabbi Elazar derive this matter?

As it is stated

concerning a nazir:

“He shall be holy; he shall let the growth of the hair of his head grow.”

Thus, the nazir is called “holy.”

And Rabbi Elazar learns that one who sits in a fast is called holy by means of a kal va-chomer from a nazir.

And if this one,

the nazir,

who caused himself suffering only through one thing,

wine,

is called holy,

the

one who sits in a fast,

who causes himself suffering through everything—

all the more so

he should be called holy!

It follows now that the nazir is indeed described both with the language of “sin” and with the language of “holiness.” Shmuel, however, derived his ruling from the language of “sin,” while Rabbi Elazar derived his from the language of “holiness.”

The Gemara raises a difficulty:

And according to Shmuel ,

who said that a nazir is called a sinner,

he is called holy

—for the nazir is called holy, as it is stated, “He shall be holy”!

The Gemara answers:

That statement,

that we find that a nazir is called holy,

refers to the growth of the untrimmed hair

—it is speaking of the growth of the hair in an untrimmed state. The nazir is commanded to let his hair grow and not shave it, as it is stated: “Throughout the days of his vow of naziriteship, no razor shall pass over his head, etc. He shall be holy; he shall let the growth of the hair of his head grow.”

And the meaning of the verse “He shall be holy; he shall let the growth of the hair of his head grow” is that the nazir’s hair is called holy and is prohibited for benefit.

The Gemara continues and asks from the other side: And according to Rabbi Elazar,

who said that a nazir is called holy,

is it not the case

that we find in the verse that he is

does the verse not indicate that]

called a sinner!

The Gemara answers:

That statement,

that he is said to be called a sinner, refers to a case in which

he rendered his soul impure

—he rendered himself impure through impurity imparted by a corpse. For what is stated, “what he sinned against the soul,” means that he rendered himself impure through impurity imparted by a corpse.

And the Gemara, the Talmudic discussion of the Mishna, raises a difficulty:

But did Rabbi Elazar really say this,

that one who fasts is called holy?