Talmud zu Könige I 16:78

So what did Aḥab do¹²⁹To commit a new kind of sin.? It is written¹³⁵1K. 16:31.: If it would have been too easy to follow the sins of Jeroboam ben Nevat. Are not the light sins of Aḥab the serious sins of Jeroboam? Why was Jeroboam counted first¹³⁶This shows that the Mishnah underlying the Halakhah was not the Mishnah as quoted in the ms. but followed the order of the Yerushalmi: Jeroboam, Ahab, Manasse.? Because he started the misconduct. What did Aḥab do? He adorned himself every day and stood before his army commander¹³⁷The word probably represents Greek στρατηλάτης “army commander”. Ḥiel, asking him, for how much am I good today? He answered him, so and so much; then he donated its value¹³⁸Greek τίμησις “estimation, valuation”. to foreign worship. That is what is written¹³⁹1K. 21:20. Because you sold yourself to do evil in the Eternal’s eyes. Rebbi Levi continued for six months to explain the following verse to shame¹⁴⁰1K. 21:25. There never was anyone like Aḥab who sold himself to do evil in the Eternal’s eyes. He came to him at night¹⁴¹This shows that Ahab has part in the World to come, against the Mishnah. and asked him, how did I sin against you, what did I do before you? You have the first part of the verse, but you do not have the end of the verse: whom his wife Jezebel had misguided. He¹⁴²R. Levi. continued for six months to explain it as praise, only one should not be like Aḥab … whom his wife Jezebel had misguided.

It is written¹⁴³1K. 16:34; cf. Babli 113a, Tosephta 14:6–9.: In his days did Ḥiel from Bet-El build Jericho; with his first-born Aviram he set the foundation and with his youngest son Seguv he put in the doors. Ḥiel is from the descendants of Josaphat¹⁴⁴Identifying this Hiel with Yehiel, 2K.21:2., Jericho is in the territory of Benjamin. Only that good deeds are put in the hands of the worthy and bad deeds in the hands of the unworthy; therefore, it is said, with his first-born Aviram he set the foundation and with his youngest son Seguv he put in the doors. If it was not appropriate for him to learn from his firstborn Aviram, should he not have learned from the wicked Seguv¹⁴⁵The death of the firstborn could have been an accident; the death of the youngest certainly must be ascribed to Joshua’s curse. (It is presumed here that the children died a natural death, not that they were killed by their father as building sacrifice.)? Because they wanted to make more money¹⁴⁶The rebuilding of Jericho was a real estate investment., the curse ruled over them and they were continuously weakened to confirm what was said¹⁴³1K. 16:34; cf. Babli 113a, Tosephta 14:6–9., following the word of the Eternal, the God of Israel, which He had spoken through Joshua ben Nun. It is written¹⁴⁷1K. 17:1, the verse immediately following 16:34; the medieval division into chapters is misleading.: Elijah the Tisbite, from the inhabitants of Gilead, said to Aḥab: By the Living Eternal, the God of Israel, before Whom I stood, there will not be dew or rain in the coming years except by my word. What is the connection between these¹⁴⁸1K. 17:1, and 1K. 16:34.? The Holy One, praise to Him, had said to Elijah: this Ḥiel is an important personality, go and pay a visit of condolence. He answered, I do not want to go. He asked, why? He said, for if I go and they say things that enrage You, I shall not be able to bear it. He told him, If they say anything that would enrage Me, anything that you decide I shall fulfill. He went and found them discussing the verse¹⁴⁹Jos.6:26.: At that time, Joshua imprecated as follows: Cursed be the man before the Eternal who would build this town, Jericho; with his first-born he shall put in the foundation and with his youngest set the doors. He said, praised be the God of the just, Who fulfills the words of the just. Aḥab also was there. Aḥab said to them, who is greater, Moses or Joshua? They told him, Moses. He said to them, in Moses’s Torah it is written¹⁵⁰Deut. 11:16–17.: Watch yourselves, lest your hearts be seduced, you deviate, and worship other powers and bow down before them. What is written next? The rage of the Eternal will burn against you, He will lock up the sky and there will be no rain. But I did not leave any strange worship that I would not have worshipped, and all good and comforting things came in my generation. He did not uphold the words of Moses; would He uphold Joshua’s words? Elijah told him, it is as you say, by the Living Eternal, the God of Israel, before Whom I stood, there will not be dew or rain in the coming years except by my word. When he heard this, he started crying. That is what is written¹⁵¹1K. 21:27. This belongs to the Nabot affair, not the drought.: When Aḥab heard these words, he tore his garments, put sackcloth on his flesh, fasted, slept in sackcloth and went at. How long did he fast? He fasted for three hours. If he was used to eat at 6 o’clock, he ate at noontime. If he was used to eat at noontime, he ate at three p.m. He went at. What is at? Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said, he went barefoot¹⁵²The early Medieval translator Daud ben Abraham Alfasi in his Jamuˋ (S. L. Skoss, Kitab Jamuˋ Al Alfāz, New Haven 1935) accepts the Jerushalmi’s explanation. Rav Saadya Gaon (נחמיה אלוני, האגרון לדב סעדיה גאון, י־ם תשכט) translates אט as رفق “to be sweet. Compare Arabic اطّ “to creak, to groan”.. It is written:¹⁵³1K.21:28–29. The word of the Eternal went to Elijah the Tisbite as follows: Did you see that Aḥab surrendered before me? The Holy One, praise to Him, said to Elijah: See the good part which I put in My world. A person may sin greatly before Me, but if he repents I am accepting him¹⁴¹This shows that Ahab has part in the World to come, against the Mishnah.. That is what is written, did you see that Aḥab surrendered before Me? You saw that Aḥab repented. Because Aḥab surrendered before me, I shall not bring the evil in his days; in his son’s days I shall bring the evil over his dynasty.

³⁸²Halakhah 2, Notes 143–146. It is written¹⁴³1K. 16:34; cf. Babli 113a, Tosephta 14:6–9.: In his days did Ḥiel from Bet-El build Jericho. Ḥiel is from the descendants of Josaphat, Jericho is in the territory of Benjamin. Only that bad deeds are put in the hands of the unworthy; therefore, it is said, with his first-born Aviram he set the foundation and with his youngest son Seguv he put in the doors. [If it was not appropriate for him to learn from his firstborn Aviram, should he not have learned from]³⁸³The addition in brackets is only in a Genizah fragment. the wicked Seguv? Because they wanted to make more money, the curse ruled over them and they were continuously weakened to confirm what was said¹⁴³1K. 16:34; cf. Babli 113a, Tosephta 14:6–9., following the word of the Eternal, the God of Israel, which He had spoken though Joshua ben Nun.

Totally, for the Eternal. your God. Nothing of what should be destroyed shall stick to your hands. It was stated³⁸⁴Tosephta 14:10.: Rebbi Simeon ben Eleazar says, they did not rebuild it but built another town. After it was built, you are permitted to dwell there³⁸⁵As the Tosephta points out, the students of prophecy lived at Jericho, 2K.2:5.. Rebbi Yose³⁸⁶The Tanna. and Rebbi Joshua ben Qorḥa say, why does the verse say¹⁴³1K. 16:34; cf. Babli 113a, Tosephta 14:6–9., who would build this town, Jericho? That one may not build another town and call it Jericho, or Jericho and call it another town. And so He says³⁸⁷Deut. 17:16., you shall not continue to return on this way, you may not return for dwelling; you may return for peddling, business³⁸⁸Greek πραγματεία., or to conquer the land³⁸⁹The verse prohibits return to Egypt to procure war materiel. It seems that the inference is based on a derivation of the word לָשׁ֛וּב not from the root שוב but from ישב..