Yoma 87a (פז.) — the Talmud in English

When he came out willingly

of his own accord

to be killed

to his own death

he came out.

But he does not act in accordance with the will of his household, and he goes home empty-handed.

Would that his entrance be like his departure.

The Bach deleted Rava’s words, as they merely repeat Rav’s words.

And when he would see

when he saw

a procession

groups of people walking

behind him

after him in his honor

he would say

to himself, so that he would not become arrogant because of the honor, the verse: [Job 20] “Even

if he ascends to the heavens, and his head reaches the clouds

as

high

as his dung

his excrement that emerges from him, so too he

shall perish forever.

And

h

e

will be seen

in his greatness

and they will say

they will later wonder

: Where is he!?

When Rav Zutra was carried

because he was elderly, they would carry him on their shoulders to the house of study

on the Festival Shabbat

the Shabbat of the Festival, when many people would gather to hear him and his honor was especially great

he would say

Proverbs 27]: “For wealth is not forever, h

o

and

h

e

will the

crown

[the crown] remain and endure

from generation to generation!?”

And the beraita continues:

[Proverbs 18] “Showing favor to the wicked is not good” —

it is not good for the wicked that they are shown favor

,

that Heaven refrains from punishing them

in this world.

For by this they are repaid in the World-to-Come [Maharsha].

It was not good for Ahab that he was shown favor

from Heaven

in this world.

As it is stated

I Kings 21]: “Because he humbled himself before Me

,

when Elijah rebuked him

I will not bring the evil in his days.”

Since the evil did not reach him, he continued in his wickedness, and as a result he lost his share in the World-to-Come. [Maharsha]

The continuation of the verse is: “It is good

to incline the righteous in judgment” —

It is good for the righteous that they are not shown favor in this world.

It was good for Moses that he was not shown favor in this world.

And as

it is stated

Numbers 20], that he was not shown favor: “Because you did not believe in Me to sanctify Me.”

Had you believed in Me

—

your time

had still not come to depart from the world.

Fortunate are the righteous.

Not only do they merit, but they also cause their sons and their sons’ sons to merit, until the end of all generations.

For how many

years

] sons did Aaron have, who

were also

worthy of being burned like Nadab and Abihu.

As it is stated

Leviticus 10] concerning Eleazar and Ithamar

: “Those who remained

“Those who remained

”

,

who had been worthy of being burned

except that their father’s merit stood them in good stead

and they survived the conflagration.

Woe to the wicked. Not only do they render themselves liable, but they also render their sons and their sons’ sons liable, until the end of all generations.

Canaan had many sons who were worthy of being ordained

as judges

, like Tavi, Rabban Gamliel’s slave.

But the liability of their father caused them

not to attain this.

Anyone who causes the masses to merit —

the Holy One, blessed be He, causes him to merit that

no sin should come about through him.

And anyone who causes the masses to sin —

they almost never enable him to repent.

And the Gemara explains:

Anyone who causes the masses to merit, no sin comes about through him; what is the reason? —

So that he should not be in Gehinnom while his students are in the Garden of Eden.

As it is stated

Psalms 16]: “For You will not abandon my soul to the underworld; You will not allow Your pious one to see the pit.”

And anyone who causes the masses to sin, they almost never enable him to repent —

in order

that he should not be in the Garden of Eden while his students are in Gehinnom.

As it is stated

Proverbs 28]: “A man oppressed by the blood of a soul

,

who destroyed a life and is liable to punishment

—

until the pit

of Gehinnom

shall flee,

and

they shall not support him

from Heaven to save him!”

We learned in the Mishna: “One who says: I will sin and repent, I will sin and repent”

they do not enable him to repent.

And we raised a difficulty:

Why do I need the phrase ‘I will sin and repent, I will sin and repent’ twice?

The reason they do not enable him to repent is that the opportunity to repent is the cause of his sin; it should suffice that he said this once

!

And we answer: The intention of the Mishna is to say that one who is accustomed to sinning and repenting is not enabled to repent, since the transgression has become insignificant in his eyes. And this is

as Rav Huna said in the name of Rav.

For Rav Huna said in the name of Rav: Once a person commits a transgression and repeats it —

it is permitted to him.

Can it enter your mind that it is permitted to him?

Rather, it becomes to him like something permitted.

We learned in the Mishna: One who says

“I will sin, and Yom Kippur will atone” —

Yom Kippur does not atone for him.

And we raised a difficulty:

Shall we say that the Mishna

is not in accordance with Rabbi,

who maintains that Yom Kippur atones for him even if he has not repented?

As it was taught in a beraita: Rabbi says: For all transgressions in the Torah, whether he repented or whether he did not repent —

For it was taught: Rabbi says: For all the transgressions in the Torah, whether he performed repentance or whether he did not perform repentance —

Yom Kippur atones!

You may even say that it is in accordance with Rabbi; ‘on account of’

is different.

Since his entire sin is on account of his relying on the atonement of Yom Kippur, Yom Kippur does not atone for him.

We further learned in the Mishna:

“For transgressions between a person and the Omnipresent, etc.”

Rav Yosef bar Havu raised this contradiction to Rabbi Abbahu:

But

does Yom Kippur not atone for transgressions between one person and another?

But it is written

I Samuel 2]: “If a man sins against a man

—

God shall judge him.”

The Gemara assumes that the term for “judge” here denotes appeasement: since he has repented before Heaven, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeases him and atones for him even if he has not appeased the other person.

And we answer:

Who is the ‘God’

mentioned in the verse? —

A judge.

The term denotes judgment, meaning that the judge judges him in court, as it says: “and he shall give it to the judges.”

And we challenge this:

If so,

since the term used here denotes judgment,

say the latter part

of that same verse

: “But if a man sins against the Lord —

who shall judge him?”

According to your explanation, the continuation of the verse should mean: Who will judge a person for a sin that he committed against the Lord?

But this cannot be so, for He has many agents.

And we answer: The term in the verse indeed denotes appeasement, but

this is what it says:

“If a man sins against a man, and he appeases him

he appeases the other person

— God will forgive him.

But if a man sins against the Lord —

who will appease

him

on his behalf?

Only

repentance and good deeds

will help him!

Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Anyone who vexes another, even verbally —

must appease him, as it is stated

Proverbs 6]:

“My son, if you have stood surety for your fellow,

financial surety [or if you have another financial obligation toward him].

Or if

you have struck your palm to a stranger,

meaning that you made him a promise with a handshake.

Or if

you have been ensnared

you have stumbled and become trapped

by the words of your mouth,

meaning that you vexed your fellow verbally —

Do this, then, my son, and save yourself

in the following manner

:

for

you have come into the hand of your fellow —

humble yourself, and urge your fellows.”

The Gemara explains the verse: What should he do?

If he has money

owed

by you, “humble yourself” —

open your palm to him,

open your closed palm and repay the debt

.

But if not,

if there is no monetary debt between you, but rather you vexed him verbally

— bring many friends upon him.

Send him many friends to appease him, so that he will forgive you.

Rav Ḥisda said: The one who wronged another must

the person who harmed his fellow

appease him

three times

, in three rows

one row each time

of three people

in each row.

As it is stated

Job 33], concerning one who wronged his fellow: “He should set

a row

before men

of people

and there are at least three people in a row

], and say:

a. I have sinned.

b. And what was upright I made crooked.

c. And it was not beneficial to me

to do so

.”

For each statement, he should arrange a row of three people.

Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: Anyone who seeks forgiveness

a request or pardon

from another should not ask him more than three times.

As it is stated

Genesis 50], concerning Joseph’s brothers: “Please, forgive

the sin of your brothers

. And now, please forgive.”

The expression “please” denotes a request, and Joseph’s brothers used it three times.

And if he died

the person who was wronged before the wrongdoer asked him for forgiveness

—

he brings

the wrongdoer

ten people, and stands them by his grave, and says: I have sinned against the Lord, the God of Israel, and against so-and-so whom I injured.

Rabbi Yirmeya had a matter involving Rabbi Abba.

Rabbi Yirmeya had done something against Rabbi Abba for which Rabbi Abba could justifiably have resented him.

He went

Rabbi Yirmeya went to appease him

.

He sat at the doorway

and sat at the entrance gate

of Rabbi Abba.

While his maidservant was pouring out water,

when Rabbi Abba’s maidservant poured out wastewater

, drops of water reached his head.

Wastewater splashed onto Rabbi Yirmeya’s head.

He said:

Rabbi Yirmeya

: They have made me like a refuse heap.

And

he applied to himself

the verse

Psalms 113]: “From the refuse heap

— He raises the poor.”

Rabbi Abba heard

Rabbi Yirmeya’s voice

, and went out

and emerged

to meet him

there

.

He said to him

Rabbi Abba said to Yirmeya

: Now,

now that wastewater from my house has splashed upon you, the situation has been reversed, and I am the one who

must come to terms with you,

to appease you and remove your resentment against me. As

it is written: ‘Humble yourself, and urge your fellows.’

When Rabbi Zeira had a matter with someone,

when a person had sinned against him

, he would pass and repeat his walking

he would walk back and forth

before him,

before the one who had wronged him

, and make himself available

to him

, so that he would come

so that the wrongdoer would come and appease him

, and he would be relieved of his resentment toward him.

Then he would be able to forgive him.

Rav had a matter with a certain butcher,

for the butcher had sinned against Rav

.

He did not come

the butcher did not come

before him

to appease him and ask his forgiveness.

On the eve of Yom Kippur,

Rav

said:

I will go

I will go

to appease him

to reconcile with him

.

He encountered

him

Rav

Rav Huna.

He said to him

Rav Huna said to Rav

: Where are you going,

are you going

Master?

He said to him

Rav

: To appease so-and-so.

Rav Huna said

to himself

: Father

Rav, who was his master

— is going to kill a person!

Since Rav is taking the trouble to go to him, the butcher is destined to be punished with death.

He went,

Rav went

, and stood over him,

standing opposite the butcher.

He was sitting

the butcher was sitting

and splitting a head,

breaking the bones of an animal’s head.

He raised his eyes

the butcher raised his eyes

and saw him

saw the one standing before him

.

He said to him: You are Abba! Go,

go away from here

, I have no matter with you!

I have nothing to discuss with you!

While

he was splitting the head,

a bone slipped loose,

one of the bones came loose and flew with force

, struck him in the neck,

hitting him when it struck his neck

, and killed him.

Rav was reading

a section

of the order

a passage from the Prophets or the Writings

before Rabbi,

in Rabbi’s presence

.