Yoma 87a — the Talmud in English

With his will

of his own accord

to kill

himself

he goes out.

And his will is not that he do it, and he goes empty-handed to his house.

Would that his coming be like his going out.

The Bach erased Rava’s words, for they are merely a repetition of Rav’s words.

And when he would see

when he would see

a procession

groups of people who were walking

behind him

after him in his honor

, he would say

to himself, so that his mind would not become haughty because of the honor, the verse: [Job 20] “Even if his height ascends to the heavens, and his head reaches the clouds” —

even if his height ascends to the heavens, and his head reaches the clouds

like

his

his refuse

, his excrement that comes out of him, so too he

will perish forever.

And

they

will

will see him

in his greatness

will say

they will wonder afterward

: Where is he!?

When they would carry Rav Zutra

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

on the Festival Shabbat

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

, he would say

Proverbs 27]:

“For not forever is the fortress

of

and

the

the crown

if the

will be

the crown, existing and enduring

for generation after 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 through this they are punished in the World to Come [Maharsha].

It is not good for Ahab that he was shown

by Heaven

favor 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.”

And since the evil did not reach him, he continued in his wickedness, and because of this he forfeited his share in the World to Come. [Maharsha]

And the continuation of the verse is: “It is good

to pervert the righteous in judgment” —

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

It is 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.”

Indeed, had you believed in Me —

your time

had

to depart from the world had still not arrived.

Fortunate are the righteous.

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

For how many [

years

sons Aaron had, who

they too

were fit to be burned like Nadab and Abihu.

As it is stated [

Leviticus 10], concerning Eleazar and Ithamar

“those who remained”

”

,

who were fit to be burned

, but their father’s merit stood them in good stead

and they remained after the burning.

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

Canaan had many sons who were fit to be ordained

as judges

, like Tavi, Rabban Gamliel’s slave.

But their father’s liability caused them

not to reach this.

Whoever causes the many to merit —

the Holy One, blessed be He, causes him

so that no sin comes about through him.

And whoever causes the many to sin —

they scarcely enable him to perform repentance.

And the Gemara explains:

Whoever causes the many to merit, no sin comes about through him; what is the reason —

so that he will not be in Gehenna while his students are in the Garden of Eden.

As it is stated [

Psalms 16]

“For You will not abandon my soul to the netherworld; You will not allow Your pious one to see the Pit.”

And whoever causes the many to sin, they scarcely enable him to perform repentance —

so that

he will not be in the Garden of Eden while his students are in Gehenna.

As it is stated [

Proverbs 28]

“A man oppressed by the blood of a soul

who destroyed a soul and is liable for this to punishment

until the Pit

of Gehenna

will flee,

and

they will not support him

from Heaven to save him!”

We learned in the Mishna:

“One who says: I will sin and Yom Kippur will atone, I will sin and Yom Kippur will atone”

they do not enable him to perform repentance.

And we raised it:

Why do I need it to say, “I will sin and repent, I will sin and repent,” twice?

But the reason they do not enable him to perform repentance is that the opportunity for repentance is the cause of his sin, and it is sufficient that he said this once!?

And we answer: The intention of the Mishna is to say that a person who is accustomed to sinning and repenting is not enabled to perform repentance, since the act of the transgression has become easy in his eyes. And

it is like Rav Huna said in the name of Rav.

For Rav Huna said in the name of Rav: Once a person has committed a transgression and repeated it —

it becomes permitted to him.

Does it enter your mind that it becomes 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.

And we raised it:

Shall we say that our Mishna —

is not in accordance with Rabbi

who holds that even without performing repentance, Yom Kippur atones for him

?

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 Rabbi’s opinion; “on account of”

it 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:

“Transgressions between a person and the Omnipresent, etc.”

Rav Yosef bar Havu raised an objection to Rabbi Abbahu:

And is it so that

transgressions between a person and his fellow, Yom Kippur does not atone?

But it is written [

I Samuel 2]:

“If a person sins against a person —

then God will judge him.”

And the Gemara assumes that “judge” is an expression of reconciliation: since he has repented toward Heaven, the Holy One, blessed be He, reconciles with him and atones for him even if he does not appease his fellow.

And we answer:

Who is the “God”

mentioned in the verse

— a judge.

And the expression “judge” is an expression of judgment, for the judge judges him in judgment [as in “and he shall give him over to the judges”].

And we challenge:

If so

that “judge” mentioned here is an expression of judgment

, say the latter clause

of that same verse

: “But if a person sins against the Lord —

who will judge him?” And according to your words, this is what the continuation of the verse should mean: Who will judge for a sin that a person committed against the Lord

?

But this cannot be, for He has many agents.

And we answer: “Judge” mentioned in the verse is indeed an expression of reconciliation, but

this is what it says:

“If a person sins against a person, and he reconciles with him

he appeases his fellow

— God will forgive him.

But if a person sins against the Lord —

who will reconcile

appease

on his behalf?

Only

repentance and good deeds

will help him!

Rabbi Isaac said: Whoever vexes his fellow, even with words —

must appease him, as it is stated [

Proverbs 6]:

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

a monetary surety [or if you have another monetary obligation to him

].

Or if you have pledged your palm to a stranger,

that you promised him a promise by striking the palm.

Or if you have

been ensnared

stumbled and been caught

by the words of your mouth,

that you vexed your fellow with words —

Do this, then, my son, and be saved

in this way

: for

since

you have come into the hand of your fellow —

go, humble yourself, and prevail upon your fellows.”

And the Gemara explains the verse: What should he do?

If there is money

that he owes

in your hand, “humble yourself” —

“humble yourself”

open to him the palm of your hand,

open your closed palm and repay the debt.

But if not,

that there is no monetary debt between you, but rather you vexed him with words

— increase friends for him.

Send him many friends who will reconcile him, and he will forgive you.

Rav Hisda said: And he must

the one who injured 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 injured his fellow

“Straight

he shall send a row to him

upon people” [

and in a row there are at least three people

], “and he shall say”:

a.

“I have sinned.”

b.

“And what is straight I have perverted.”

c.

“And it was not fitting for me

to do this.”

And for each statement he should set up a row of three people.

Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina said: Whoever requests pardon

a request or forgiveness

from his fellow should not ask him more than three times.

As it is stated [

Genesis 50], concerning Joseph’s brothers

“Please, forgive now

the transgression of your brothers.

And now, please, forgive.”

And “please” is an expression of request, and Joseph’s brothers used it three times.

And if he died

the injured person before the offender asked him for forgiveness

— he brings

the offender

ten people, and places 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 Jeremiah had a matter with Rabbi Abba.

Rabbi Jeremiah had done something against Rabbi Abba, for which Rabbi Abba was entitled to be angry with him.

He went

Rabbi Jeremiah went to appease him

.

He sat at the door

of Rabbi Abba.

As his maidservant was pouring water

when Rabbi Abba’s maidservant poured out the wastewater

, the drops of water reached his head.

Drops of wastewater splashed onto Rabbi Jeremiah’s head.

He said

Rabbi Jeremiah

: “They have made me like a refuse heap.”

And

he applied to himself [

Psalms 113]

“From a refuse heap —

He raises the poor.”

Rabbi Abba heard

Rabbi Jeremiah’s voice

, and went out

and emerged

to him

toward him.

He said to him

Rabbi Abba to Jeremiah

: “Now,

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

must go out to meet your mind,

appease you and remove from you your resentment against me. As

it is written, ‘Go, humble yourself, and prevail upon your fellows.’”

When Rabbi Zeira had a matter with a person,

when a person sinned against him

, he would pass and repeat his walking

he would pass and walk back and forth

before him

before the one who had sinned against him

, and present

himself

to him, so that he would come

so that the sinner would come and appease him

, and he would remove him from his mind.

Then he would be able to forgive him.

Rav had a matter with that butcher,

the butcher had sinned against Rav

.

The butcher did not come

before him

before Rava, to appease him and ask his forgiveness.

On the eve of Yom Kippur,

on the eve of Yom Kippur

, he said

Rav

: “I will go myself

I will go

to appease him.”

to reconcile with him

.

He met

him

Rav

, Rav Huna.

He said to him

Rav Huna to Rav

: “Where are you going,

going

Master?”

He said to him

Rav

: “To appease so-and-so.”

Rav Huna said

to himself

: “Father is going,

Rav, who is the master

— to kill a soul!”

Since Rav troubles himself to go to him, the butcher is destined to be punished with death.

He went,

Rav went

, and stood over him,

and stood facing the butcher.

He was sitting

the butcher was sitting

and splitting a head,

and breaking the bones of an animal’s head.

He raised his eyes

the butcher raised his eyes

and saw him

and 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 no matter to discuss with you!

As

when

he was splitting a head,

breaking the bones of the head

, a bone flew loose,

one of the bones detached and was thrown forcefully

and struck him in the throat,

striking him when it hit his throat

, and killed him.

Rav was reading

was reciting

the seder

a section from the Prophets or from the Writings

before Rabbi,

before Rabbi.