Taanit 11a — the Talmud in English

There is a practical difference between them

there is a practical difference between them]

when he is sitting in a boat

when his journey is while sitting in a boat.

For if the reason is because of me'ayena, in this manner there is no concern, since he does not walk on his feet.

But if the reason is because of sustenance, that concern applies even to one traveling in a boat, for the journey may be prolonged and his provisions may run out in the middle of the way.

Alternatively,

there is another practical difference between them:

when he goes from village to village.

When he goes from village to village in a place where food merchants are found.

For if the concern is because of sustenance, then in this manner there is no concern, since food merchants are available to him along the entire way.

But if the reason is because of me'ayena, there is a concern even in this manner.

The Gemara says:

Rav Pappa

was not concerned to eat much on the way, and

each and every parasang

that he passed on his way—

he ate one loaf

he ate one piece of bread.

And the reason was that he

held

that the reason they said not to eat much on the way was

because of me'ayena.

And since his belly was very broad [as we find in tractate Bava Metzia 84a], much eating did not harm him.

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

although he has food in abundance,

is saved from an unusual death

such as death by the sword or by hunger. Any death that is not at the hands of the angel of death, in the manner of every person on his bed, is considered an “unusual death.”

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

And if the meaning of the verse is as it appears at first glance, that the Most High redeemed the person from death, then

“from famine

He redeemed you”

should have said

it should have said!

Rather, this is what it says:

so the verse said: “With famine,”

as a reward for a person starving

his

himself during years of famine,

when all Israel is dwelling in distress, and he joins himself to the distress of the community—“He redeemed you from death,”

he is saved from an unusual death.

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

for 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.”

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

A tanna taught: Those deprived of children

those lacking children, who had not yet fulfilled the mitzva of procreation—

engage in relations

with their wives

even

during years of famine.

The Sages taught: When Israel are dwelling 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.”],

and place their hands upon 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 .

It was taught in another beraita: When the community

as a whole

is dwelling in distress, a person should not say: I will go to my house and eat and drink, and peace be upon you, my soul

that is, upon my soul, myself, let there be peace; what concern of the distress of others is it to me.

And if

the person

does so,

he does not suffer in the distress of the community,

the verse says concerning him: “And behold, joy and gladness, killing cattle and slaughtering sheep, eating meat and drinking wine, eating and drinking”—

“for tomorrow we shall die.”

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 .

And this means that those people were saying: what concern of the distress of the community is it to us? We have no distress now. Let the distress suffice in its time [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 afterward, later in the verse—

“And it was revealed in the ears of the Lord of Hosts: If this sin shall be atoned for you—

until you die.”

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

Thus far is the trait of the intermediate ones

who are neither righteous nor wicked. For at least they fear and are afraid of death, and therefore in the end they repent, as it is stated: “For tomorrow we shall die.”

But regarding the trait of the wicked,

who are worse than the intermediate ones,

what is written—

“Come, I will take wine, and let us drink strong drink, and tomorrow shall be like this day”.

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

What is written afterward

what is written in the following verse—

“The righteous man has perished

and no man takes it to heart, for because of the evil the righteous man is gathered.”

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

Rather, a person should suffer together with the community.

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

As it is stated

at the time of the war with Amalek: “And it came to pass, when Moses raised his hand, that Israel prevailed, etc.,

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

And it is astonishing: why did Moses sit upon a stone, which is hard and is not comfortable for sitting?

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

Rather, Moses said thus: Since Israel are dwelling in the distress of

the war—

I too shall be with them in distress,

by sitting upon a hard stone.

And whoever afflicts himself together with the community—

merits and sees the consolation of the community.

And perhaps a person will say: Who testifies against me concerning this

that I do not suffer together with the community? After all, I eat and drink secretly in my house, not in the presence 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 the stone from the wall shall cry out, and the beam from the wood

shall answer it.”

The students of Rabbi Shila say

—those who study in Rabbi Shila’s academy say:

The two ministering angels who accompany a person

always,

they testify against him.

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

to guard you in all your ways.” Thus, we have that there are two angels who accompany a person always, in 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: “From the one lying in your bosom, guard the openings of your mouth.”

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

As it is stated: “You are My witnesses, declares the Lord”

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

It is written in the Torah:

“A God of faithfulness, and without injustice,

righteous and upright is He.”

And thus 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. Whereas the righteous are punished for the minor transgressions they commit—in this world, so that they will come clean of transgressions into the World to Come.

“And without injustice”—

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

in order to drive them away 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 “righteous and upright is He”: He justifies the judgment concerning the righteous, to punish them, and acts with goodness and uprightness toward the wicked, paying them all their merit in this world, in order to drive them away.

“Righteous and upright is He,”

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

It teaches that at the time of a person’s departure to his eternal home,

when he ascends to the heavenly court,

all his deeds

that he performed all the days of his life

are set out before him

—presented before him in detail .

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

And he

admits the matter and

says: Yes.

Indeed, this is what I did.

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 person he shall sign.”

And not only that, but

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 what is stated: “So that You may be justified

in Your word.”

Samuel said: Anyone who sits in a fast—

is called a sinner .

And from where does Samuel derive this matter?

Samuel reasoned

that

in accordance with this tanna

—according to the words of the tanna cited below.

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

says: What is the meaning of the verse

—what does it come to teach us—that which is stated concerning a nazirite:

“And he shall make atonement for that in which he sinned against the soul”; and with what soul did

a person

this one sin,

that the priest must make atonement for him?

Rather,

he sinned in that

he afflicted himself by abstaining from wine

—for the nazirite is forbidden to drink wine, as it is stated: “From wine and intoxicating drink he shall abstain, etc.” And this is “that in which he sinned against the soul”: he sinned in that he afflicted his soul.

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

And is this not a kal va-chomer: If this one,

the nazirite,

who afflicted himself only

by one thing,

by wine—

is called

for that reason

“a sinner,”

the

one who sits in a fast, who

afflicts himself by

eating and drinking

each and every thing—

all the more so

is he called a sinner!

Rabbi Elazar

disagrees with Samuel, and

says:

One who sits in a fast not only is he 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 nazirite:

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

For we have that the nazirite 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 nazirite.

And this one,

the nazirite,

who afflicted himself only by one thing,

by wine,

is called holy,

the

one who sits in a fast, who

afflicts himself by everything—

all the more so

is he called holy!

It now emerges for us that concerning a nazirite there is indeed written both the expression “sin” and the expression “holy.” But Samuel learned from the expression “sin,” and Rabbi Elazar learned from the expression “holy.”

The Gemara asks:

And according to Samuel

who said that the nazirite is called a sinner,

he is called holy

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

The Gemara answers:

That matter,

what we find that the nazirite is called holy,

refers to the growing of untrimmed hair

—this concerns the growth of untrimmed hair. The nazirite is commanded to grow his hair and not shave it, as it is stated: “All the days of his vow of naziriteship, a razor shall not pass over his head, etc.; he shall be holy, he shall let the growth of the hair of his head grow.”

And the intention of the verse “He shall be holy, he shall let the growth of his hair grow, etc.” is that the hair of the nazirite is called holy and is forbidden for benefit .

The Gemara continues and asks from the other side:

And according to Rabbi Elazar,

who said that the nazirite is called holy,

is it not

—for we find in Scripture that he is

called a sinner!

The Gemara answers:

That matter,

what is stated, that he is called a sinner, is in a situation

where he renders his soul impure

—where he rendered himself impure through the impurity of the dead. For what is stated, “that in which he sinned against the soul,” means that he rendered himself impure through the impurity of the dead .

And the Gemara raises a difficulty:

And did Rabbi Elazar say thus,

that one who sits in a fast is called holy?