Midrash su Ecclesiaste 10:8

(Numb. 25:14:) “And the name of the slain man of Israel...” Just as the Holy One, blessed be He, is concerned with the praise of the righteous to publicize³Rt.: PRSM. Cf. Gk.: parresia (“boldness in speaking out”). them throughout the world, so is he concerned with the disgrace of the wicked to publicize them throughout the world. He publicized Phinehas for praise and publicized Zimri for disparagement. About them is it stated (in Prov. 10:7), “The remembrance of a righteous one is for a blessing, but the name of the wicked shall rot.” (Numb. 25:14, cont.:) “Zimri ben Salu, the prince of a clan.” The sages said Zimri had three names: Zimri ben Salu; and Saul the son of the Canaanite woman; and Shelumiel ben Zurishaddai. [He was called] Zimri because of the fact that he became like an addled (hamuzeret) egg (as a result of engaging in multiple acts of intercourse); ben Salu because he evoked [shehisli] the sins of his family; Saul [Shaul] because he lent [shehishil] himself to sin; the son of the Canaanite woman because of the fact that he performed an act of Canaan. And what is his [true] name? Shelumiel, son of Zurishaddai. (Numb. 25:14, cont.:) “Zimri ben Salu, the prince of a clan,” as whoever discredits himself discredits his family along with himself. (Numb. 25:14, cont.:) “Zimri ben Salu, the prince of a clan.” The verse is astounded by him (in Eccl. 10:8), “The one who breaks through a barrier will be bitten by a snake.”⁴“To break through a barrier” means “to transgress.” [As it was] his [ancestor Simeon) who was the first to display zeal against harlotry, as stated (in Gen. 34:25), “then two of the sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, [the brothers of Dinah, each] took [his sword]….” And [yet] this (Zimri) broke through the barrier which his [ancestor] had made. (Numb. 25:15:) “And the name of the Midianite woman who was slain [was Cozbi bat Zur; Zur was the tribal head of a clan in Midian].” [These words are there] to inform you how far the Midianites hatred went. Thus they had abandoned a daughter of kings in to shame, as stated (in Numb. 31:8), “[And along with their other victims] they killed the kings of Midian:…, Zur.” Zur was the greatest of them all; and [since] he abandoned his daughter, who would not abandon [his own daughter]? But because he had disgraced himself and abandoned his daughter to shame, the text has demoted him and numbered him third (on the list). He was, however, the king of them all, as stated (in Numb. 25:15), “[Zur] was leader of the nations of the clan [in Midian].”

(Fol. 27b) (II. Kin., 7, 9) If we say, We will enter into the city, There is the famine in the city, and we will die. But why did they not take into consideration that should they fall in the hands of the enemy, they would then be killed immediately? We must therefore say that for a life of short duration nobody cares. An objection was raised from the following: One must not interfere with the Minim and must not cure himself by them, even to delay death for but a few hours. As it happened to ben Dama, the son of Ismael's sister, who was bitten by a snake; Jacob of the village of Sechania came to heal him by means of infidelity, but R. Ismael would not permit it. The patient, however, said to him: "Ismael, my brother, let him cure me and I will bring you evidence from the Scripture that such is allowed." But ere finished, his soul departed, and R. Ismael exclaimed: "Happy art thou, ben Dama, that thy body was pure and thy soul left thee in purity, and thou hast not transgressed the decision of thy colleagues, who say (Ecc. 10, 8) And whoso breaketh through a defence, a serpent shall bite him." With means of heresy, it is different, for it is attractive and he may be induced to follow them. It was stated above, 'And hast not transgressed the decision of the colleagues who say (Ecc. 10, 8) And whoso breaketh through a fence, a serpent shall bite him.' But he himself was bitten by a serpent? R. Ismael referred to the words of the Rabbis which are like the bite of a serpent. But what had ben Dama to say [to justify it]? As R. Nachmeni b. Isaac said: (Lev. 18, 5) And he shall live with them, but not he shall die with them. R. Ismael, however, maintains that such is allowed only privately, but not in public; as we are taught in the following Baraitha: R. Ismael used to say: "Whence do we know that if one is told to worship idols, under the threat of being killed, that he may worship and not be killed? From the above-cited verse — And he shall live with them, but not he shall die with them. Perhaps one will say that this may be done publicly, therefore it is written (Ib. 22, 32) And ye shall not profane My holy name, etc."

Another matter, “all matters are wearying” – matters of heresy exhaust a person. There was an incident involving Rabbi Eliezer, who was apprehended for the purpose of heresy.⁶³He was apprehended by heretics in order to force him to concede to their beliefs. The governor took him and brought him up to the platform to judge him. He said to him: ‘Rabbi, is it appropriate for a great person like you to engage in these idle matters?’⁶⁴The reference is to the Oral Torah. He said to him: ‘I consider the judge trustworthy.’ [The governor] thought that he said it regarding him, but [in fact, Rabbi Eliezer] said it in reference to Heaven. [The governor] said to him: ‘Since you trusted me, although I [still] say what I have believed: [How] is it possible that these academies would be [so] mistaken [as to believe] in these idle matters, [but nonetheless] the verdict is that you are exonerated.’
After Rabbi Eliezer was exonerated [and allowed to descend] from the platform, he was distressed that he had been apprehended for the purpose of heresy.⁶⁵He did not understand why this had happened to him. His students entered to console him, but he did not accept it. Rabbi Akiva entered to him and said to him: ‘Rabbi, did, perhaps, one of the heretics ever say something before you and you found it pleasant?’ He said to him: ‘Yes, by Heaven, you reminded me. Once I was ascending in the upper marketplace of Tzippori, and a person approached me, and his name was Yaakov of the village of Sikhnaya, and he said to me one matter in the name of so-and-so⁶⁶Some say this is a reference to Jesus. and it brought me pleasure. That matter was: ‘It is written in your Torah: “You shalt not bring the fee of a harlot or the price of a dog to the house of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:19). What are they?’ I said to him: ‘They are prohibited.’ He said to me: ‘They are prohibited for an offering, but is it permitted to destroy these [coins]?’⁶⁷Once they have been consecrated. I said to him: ‘If so,⁶⁸That they cannot be destroyed. what will he do with them?’ He said to me: ‘Let him make with them bathhouses and bathrooms.’⁶⁹For use in the Temple complex. I said to him: ‘You have spoken well,’ and a halakha⁷⁰That one must not engage in discourse with a heretic or accept his words. was temporarily concealed from me.
‘When he saw that I accepted his words, he said: ‘So said so-and-so: From repugnance it came, and to repugnance it should be expended,⁷¹The money came from payment to a harlot, and therefore should be used for repugnant matters, such as bathrooms. as it is stated: “For from the fee of a harlot she gathered them, and to the fee of a harlot they will return” (Micah 1:7). Let them be bathrooms for the multitudes,’ and it gave me pleasure. For that matter I was apprehended for heresy. Moreover, I violated what is written in the Torah: “Distance your way from her, and do not approach the door of her house” (Proverbs 5:8). “Distance your way from her,” this is heresy. “And do not approach the door of her house,” this is prostitution. Why? It is because: “For she has felled many wounded; abundant are all she has killed” (Proverbs 7:26).’
How far [must one distance oneself]? Rabbi Ḥisda said: Four cubits. For this, Rabbi Elazar ben Dama, son of the sister of Rabbi Yishmael, died. He was bitten by a snake, and Yaakov of the village of Sikhnaya came to cure him [through incantation] in the name of so-and-so, but Rabbi Yishmael did not allow him to do so. He said: ‘You are not permitted to do thus, ben Dama.’ [Ben Dama] said to him: ‘Allow me, and I will cite you proof from the Torah that it is permitted,’ but he did not manage to cite him proof before he died. Rabbi Yishmael rejoiced and said: ‘Happy are you, ben Dama, as your soul emerged in purity and you did not breach the boundary of the Sages, as anyone who breaches the boundary of the Sages, ultimately punishment befalls him, as it is stated: “One who breaches a fence, a snake will bite him” (Ecclesiastes 10:8).’ But was he not bitten [by a snake]? Rather, that a snake would not bite him in the future.⁷²Had he been cured from this snake bite, he would have thereby sinned and he would have in any event then received another snake bite that would have been incurable (Etz Yosef). What did he have in that regard?⁷³What proof did Rabbi Elazar ben Dama seek to bring? “That a man shall do and he will live by them” (Leviticus 18:5) – and not that he will die by them.⁷⁴This proves that one may violate most prohibitions in order to save a life (Yoma 85b).