Babylonian Talmud

Rodkinson 1918 — source 9, scan section 29

be compared to ? To a piece of iron which is placed in the fire; so long as it is there, various vessels can be formed out of it. The same is the case with evil thoughts : there is no other pre- ventive but the Torah, which is likened to fire. As it is written [Prov. XXV. 21, 22]: " If thy enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat ; and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink ; for though thou gatherest coals of fire upon his head, yet will the Lord re- pay it unto thee." Do not read Tn Q^IJJ^^ (repay unto thee), but Tp 2^7^'' (make thee at peace). Said R. Jehudah the Prince : To the following parable the evil thoughts can be compared : Two men entered a hostelry, and one of them was arrested for robbery. When asked for art accomplice he said he had one, although he could easily have denied it, yet he said so in order to implicate also his compan- ion and make him share his own fate. The same applies to TRACT ABOTH. 65 €vil thoughts: they are not satisfied with their destruction of the soul, they also destroy the body. Said R. Simeon b. Johai: From the following is to be de- duced that the Israelites will never see Gehenna. The following parable can be applied to this: A king who had a barren field rented it to some persons at a yearly rental of ten measures of wheat. The land was manured, watered, and surrounded with ditches, and generally properly cared for. Still, at the end of the year the lessees paid the king only one measure of wheat in- stead of ten. When the king asked them for an explanation, they said: " Our lord and king, thou knowest well that the land was barren, and brought thee no revenue at all; now even after so much of our labor invested, it did not produce more than this measure." A similar plea will the Israelites make In the future before the Holy One, blessed be He: " Lord of the Universe! thou knowest how the evil thoughts allure us." As it is writ- ten [Ps. ciii. 14]: " For he knoweth our frame" (and on that consideration will be forgiven). ** And misanthropy/' This means: One should not say: Love the sages, but hate the disciples; or, Love the disciples, and hate the common people; but, Love every one except the infidels, the enticers, the misleaders, and the informers. So also says David [Ps. cxxxix. 21, 22]: " Behold, those that hate thee I ever hate, O Lord ! and for those that rise up against thee do I feel loathing. With the utmost hatred do I hate them: enemies are they become unto me." It is also written [Lev. xix. 18]: " But thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself: I am the Lord." Because I have created him ; and if he practiseth what thy people do thou shalt love him, but not otherwise. R. Simeon b. Elazar said: The above passage was said as a strict admonition: If thou wilt love him, thou art assured of a good reward ; otherwise (remember), I am the judge and I will see to it that thou art punished. MiSHNA jV". R. Jose : *' Thy neighbor's property must be as sacred as thine own. Set thyself to learn the Law, for it is not an heirloom unto thee. Let noble purpose underlie thine every action." MiSHNA O, R. Simeon : " Be careful in reading the 5 ^5 THE BABYLONIAN TALMUB. She'ma, and in prayer ; do not look upon the prayer as an obligatory task, but as a privilege granted by mercy and grace before God, for it is written [Joel, ii. 13] : • For gracious and merciful is he, long-suffering and of great kindness, and he bethinketh liimself of the evil/ Never think thyself too great a sinner to approach Him " MiSHNA P^ R. Elazar:* ''Be most zealous In the pursuit of study ; be prepared always to answer a scoffer; remember in whose service thou laborest." (He also added:) "Know who is thy Master, that he may be trusted to recompense thee for thy work." MiSHNA ^. R. Tarphon was in the habit of saying: " The day is short, the work is great, the -workmen are slothful, the reward is rich, and the Master is urgent." MiSHNA i?. He also said: ''It is not incumbent on thee to complete the whole task, but thou art not at lib- erty therefore to neglect it entirely. If thou hast learned much Law thou wilt be given much reward ; and faithful is the Master of thy work, who will pay thee the reward of thy work ; and know also that the gift of the recompense of the righteous is for the world to come," Tosephtlia—Ahoth of R, Nathan, t** Thy neighbor's property must he as sacred as thine,'* It means that one should be as careful of his friend's property as he 1$ of his own ; and as he is desirous that there shall be \iO slur cast on his belongings, so shall he desire that there should be none on those of his friend. Others explain the above thus: When a disciple comes to thee with the request to teach him, if thou art able comply with his request; otherwise, dismiss him at once, and do not accept his money, as it is written [Prov. iii. 28]: " Say not unto thy neighbor, Go, and return, and to-morrow will I give, when thou hast it by thee.*' " Set thyself to learn the Law.'* How so ? When Moses n\- III 1 1I • I -, I 1 1 1 1 ' ■ .. ■ ' * the text reads •♦ Eli«er,".but tbU must be a misprint, as Elazar was the fifA Of the disciples, each of whom had three maxims. \ Chapter XVU. of the origMal. TRACT ABOTH. 67 our master saw that his sons knew not enough of the Law to be able to succeed him, he wrapped himself up and prayed: Lord of the Universe ! designate to me the one who should be at the head of the people, as it is written [Numb, xxvii. 15-17]: " And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, appoint a man over the congregation, who may go out before them, and who may come in before them." Said the Holy One, blessed be He: " Moses, take Joshua, ap- point an interpreter for him, and at the head of the great men in Israel let him lecture in thy presence. " Thereupon Moses said to Joshua: Joshua! these people which I deliver in your care are not to be regarded as he-goats or sheep, but as kids and lambs; for they have not as yet had experience in the command- ments, and therefore cannot be considered as such. As it is writ- ten [Songs, i. 8]: " If thou knowest this not, O thou fairest of women ! go but forth in the footsteps of the flock, and feed thy kids around the shepherds' dwellings." Rabban Johanan b. Zakkai once went in the market, and he noticed a girl picking up barley from under the feet of the cattle of the Arabians. " My daughter, who art thou ?" he asked her, but she made no reply. Again he put the same question to her, but again she was silent. Finally she said: '* Wait a little." She enveloped herself with her hair, stepped up to him, and said: ** Rabbi, I am the daughter of Nakdimon b. Gurion."