Talmud su Isaia 57:78

BARAITHA.²⁶K 17. R. Eliezer [b. Jacob] said: Whoever masturbates is as though he committed murder, as it is stated, That slay [shoḥeṭë] the children in the valleys. Do not read shoḥeṭë but soḥeṭë [‘that squeeze out’].
GEMARA. It has been taught:²⁷Nid. 13b (Sonc. ed., p. 88). Proselytes and they who masturbate delay the advent of the Messiah. This is understandable of them who masturbate because R. Joḥanan said: The son of David²⁸A term for the Messiah, who will be a descendant of David. will not come before all the souls in the guf²⁹lit. ‘body’, the place of the souls of the unborn. have been disposed of, as it is written, For the spirit that enwrappeth itself is from Me, and the souls which I have made.³⁰Isa. 57, 16. But why proselytes? For it has been taught:³¹Yeb. 47b (Sonc. ed., p. 312). Proselytes are as hard for Israel to endure as a sore, as it is stated, And the stranger shall join himself with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob.³²Isa. 14, 1. There is a play upon the word for cleave (נספחו) and the word for scab (ספחת) in Lev. 13, 2. [Cf. Moore, op. cit., I, pp. 346f.]

Rebbi Joshua ben Ḥananiah said: When the wind goes out into the world, the Holy One, praise to Him, breaks it on mountains, lets it stumble on hills, and tells it: Be careful not to hurt my creatures. What is the reason? (Is. 57:16) “The wind becomes faint before Me.” He makes it tired, as one says (Jonah 2:8): “When I am fainting.” All that why? Rebbi Ḥuna in the name of Rebbi Aḥa (Is. 57:16): “And I made souls;” because of the souls that I made.

⁶⁸This paragraph has been copied by the corrector from B. It is neither in the scribe’s text nor in ג; it is a Babylonian addition. It is a slight rewrite of a text in Šabbat1, Notes 274–286, based on the Babylonian version of the last Mishnah in Soṭah.[“And so did Rebbi Phineas ben Yair say, promptitude brings to cleanliness, cleanliness brings to purity, purity brings to holiness, holiness brings to meekness, meekness brings to fear of sin, fear of sin brings to piety, piety brings to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit to the Resurrection of the Dead, the Resurrection of the Dead brings to Elijah, may his remembrance be a blessing.” “Promptitude brings to cleanliness,” as it is written⁶⁹Lev. 16:20., he finishes, and he atones. “Cleanliness brings to purity,” as it is written⁷⁰Lev. 12:8., the Cohen shall atone for her, then she will be pure. “Purity brings to holiness,” as it is written⁷¹Lev. 16:19., he shall purify it and sanctify it. “Holiness brings to meekness,” as it is written⁷²Is. 57:15., for so says the High and Elevated One, Who thrones eternally, His name is Holy, in sublimity … and the oppressed and of meek spirit.“Meekness brings to fear of sin,” as it is written⁷³Prov.22:4., the consequence of meekness is fear of the Eternal. “Fear of sin brings to piety,” as it is written⁷⁴Ps. 103:17., the Eternal’s piety is eternally on those who fear Him. “Piety brings to the Holy Spirit,” as it is written⁷⁵Ps. 89:20., then You spoke in a vision to Your pious ones. “The Holy Spirit brings to the Resurrection of the Dead,” as it is written⁷⁶Ez. 37:14., I shall give My Spirit into you and you will live. “The Resurrection of the Dead brings to Elijah, may his remembrance be a blessing,” as it is written⁷⁷Misquote of Pr. 2:5., then you will understand the fear of the Eternal, and the knowledge of God you will find. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Meïr: Anybody permanently in the Land of Israel who speaks the holy language, eats its produce in purity, and recites the Shema` mornings and evenings is assured of his place in the World to Come.]

²⁷⁴This baraita is the end of the Babylonian Mishnah Soṭah (quoted in Avodah zarah 20b); it is not in the Yerushalmi Mishnah. The entire paragraph appears in a slightly different version (adapted to the Babylonian Mishnah) in the hand of the first corrector in Šeqalim 3:4; the differences will be indicated in the Notes. The Šeqalim text, with the Babylonian version, consist- ently has the full form “a brings to b”.
There also exists a Genizah text edited by L. Ginzberg (op. cit. Note 25 p. 66ff.) which here is too fragmentary to be of much use.
The different version has the sequence cleanliness purity holiness meekness fear of sin piety Holy Spirit resurrection. In Yerushalmi sources it also is found in Cant. rabba 1(9) whereas the version in the text here is in the Munich ms. of the Babli Avodah zarah 20b. The Šeqalim text is reproduced in Midrash Prov. Chap. 15[32]. The different implications naturally require different verses.“From here did Rebbi Phineas ben Yair say, promptitude brings to cleanliness, cleanliness brings to purity, purity brings to holiness, holiness to meekness, meekness to fear of sin, fear of sin to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Spirit to piety, piety to the Resurrection of the Dead, the Resurrection of the Dead through Elijah, may his remembrance be a blessing.”“Promptitude to cleanliness,” he finishes, and he atones²⁷⁵It seems that the correct quote is given in Šeqalim: וְכִלָּה֙ מִכַּפֵּ֣ר he finishes to atone (Lev. 16:20). The High Priest, who has to perform all the rites of the day of Atonement unaided, has to be quick because only if he finishes all required ceremonies will there be atonement..“Cleanliness to purity,” the Cohen shall atone for her, then she will be pure²⁷⁶Lev. 12:8..“Purity to holiness,” he shall purify it and sanctify it²⁷⁷Lev. 16:19..“Holiness to meekness,” for so says the High and Elevated One, Who thrones eternally, His name is Holy, in sublimity and holiness I dwell, and the suppressed and of meek spirit²⁷⁸Is. 57:15. The verse is explained differently in the Babli, Megillah 31a..“Meekness to fear of sin,” the consequence of meekness is fear of the Eternal²⁷⁹Prov. 22:4. In the first quote, the implied meaning “consequence” is intended, in the second the original meaning “heel”.. Rebbi Isaac bar Eleazar said, what wisdom proclaimed as a crown to its head, meekness made a heel for its sandal²⁸⁰Latin solea, -ae f. “sandal”., for it is written, the head of wisdom is the fear of the Eternal²⁸¹Ps. 111:10. The usual meaning is the beginning of wisdom is …, but it is written, the heel of meekness is fear of the Eternal²⁷⁹Prov. 22:4. In the first quote, the implied meaning “consequence” is intended, in the second the original meaning “heel”..“Fear of sin to the Holy Spirit,” as it is written, then you will understand and knowledge of God you will find²⁸²Prov. 2:5..“The Holy Spirit to piety,” as it is written, then You spoke in a vision to Your pious²⁸³Ps. 89:20..“Piety to the Resurrection of the Dead,” as it is written, I shall give My Spirit into you and you will live²⁸⁴Ez. 37:14..“The Resurrection of the Dead through Elijah, may his remembrance be a blessing,” as it is written, behold I am sending to you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Eternal, that he turn the fathers’ hearts to the sons and the sons’ hearts to their fathers²⁸⁵Mal. 3:23–24..It was stated in the name of Rebbi Meïr: Anybody permanently in the Land of Israel who eats his profane food in purity, speaks in the holy language, and recites the Shemaˋ mornings and evenings is assured to participate in the life of the World to Come²⁸⁶In Šeqalim: “… eats his produce in purity, …, may be told that …”..

BARAITHA. Seven patriarchs died in universal honour, and the worms and maggots had no power over them, viz. Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Amram the father of Moses, Benjamin the son of Jacob, Jesse and Chileab.¹⁷⁹The second son of David (2 Sam. 3, 3, who is named Daniel in 1 Chron. 3, 1). Cf. Ginzberg, The Legends of the Jews, I, p. 22. Some add: David, as it is stated, Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also dwelleth in safety.¹⁸⁰Ps. 16, 9.
Seven entered Paradise in their lifetime, viz.: [Seraḥ [the daughter of Asher],¹⁸¹She showed Moses the place in the Nile where Joseph’s coffin lay hidden, thus enabling him to take it with him when the Israelites left Egypt (Ex. 13, 19). Cf. Ginzberg, op. cit., II, pp. 116, 181; V, pp. 96, 165, 356, n. 295, 359, n. 321. See also Soṭah 13a (Sonc. ed., p. 67). Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh,¹⁸²Cf. 1 Chron. 4, 18; Meg. 13a (Sonc. ed., p. 74); Ginzberg, op. cit., II, p. 270; V, p. 401, n. 60. Hiram, king of Tyre,¹⁸³Because he was of great help to Solomon in the building of the Temple. Cf. 1 Kings 5; Ginzberg, op. cit., IV, p. 155; V, pp. 96, 165; VI, p. 425. Ebed-melech the Ethiopian,¹⁸⁴He rescued the prophet Jeremiah when his life was in danger. Cf. Jer. 38, 11ff.; Ginzberg, op. cit., IV, pp. 318ff.; VI, pp. 387, 409f., 411f. Eliezer [the servant of Abraham],¹⁸⁵op. cit., I, p. 297; V, pp. 96, 165, 263, n. 301. the grandson of Judah the Prince,¹⁸⁶op. cit., V, p. 96, where he refers to R. Judah’s ‘slave’, not his grandson. Jabez¹⁸⁷op. cit., V, p. 96; VI, p. 187, n. 30, where Jabez is identified with R. Judah’s grandson. and some add, R. Joshua b. Levi].¹⁸⁸op. cit., V, pp. 31, 96, 165.
GEMARA. Seraḥ, as it is written, I am of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel¹⁸⁹2 Sam. 20, 19, E.V. we are of them, etc.; the words which the wise woman spoke in the name of the people of the city. Here the words are applied to another wise woman, Serah. [which is interpreted,] It is I who completed the number of entrants to the Garden of Eden. Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh, as it is written, And his wife Hajehudijah bore Jered the father of Gedor … and these are the sons of Bithiah the daughter of Pharaoh whom Mered took.¹⁹⁰1 Chron. 4, 18. God said, ‘I will call Moses by no other name than she called him’,¹⁹¹Cf. Ex. 2, 10. as it is stated, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said: Moses, Moses.¹⁹²ibid III, 4. To this David alluded when he exclaimed, He sent from on high, He took me; He drew me out of many waters.¹⁹³2 Sam. 22, 17; Ps. 18, 17. [It is written,] And she called his name Moses, and said: Because I drew him out of the water.¹⁹⁴Ex. 2, 10. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Because she caused salvation to come to Israel and brought them forth to life, behold, I will prolong her life’. He [also] said, ‘I have made a covenant with your fathers and they followed in the path of their fathers. This woman, however, who has forsaken her royal status and attached herself to you, shall I not reward her?’
In what did Hiram, king of Tyre, earn his merit? Because he built a Tabernacle as Moses did; as it is written, Even all these vessels.¹⁹⁵1 Kings 7, 45. In the Heb. text the word for these is so spelt that it could be read ’ohel which is reminiscent of the ’ohel mo‘ed, ‘the tent of meeting’, which Moses erected. To what does the word these allude? To the tent of meeting. [Why did] Ebed-melech the Ethiopian [enter Paradise alive]? Because he brought up Jeremiah [from the dungeon], as it is written, And Ebed-melech the Ethiopian said unto Jeremiah, etc.¹⁹⁶Jer. 38, 12f. [Why did] Eliezer [enter Paradise alive]? Because he prayed on Abraham’s behalf. On what occasion? When he said, O Lord, the God of my master Abraham, send me, I pray Thee, good speed this day,¹⁹⁷Gen. 24, 12. and it is further written, Because the Lord thy God sent me good speed.¹⁹⁸ibid. XXVII, 20. Jacob said this to his father. And whence do we know that the latter one¹⁹⁹Jacob. [entered Paradise alive]? For it is written, And he brought him wine, and he drank;²⁰⁰ibid. XXVII, 25. and it further states, See, the smell of my son is as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed.²⁰¹ibid. 27, i.e., the Garden of Eden. Jacob, according to tradition, brought the vine from the Garden of Eden; cf. Midrash Rabbah, Genesis, LXV, 22 (Sonc. ed., p. 599): ‘When Jacob went in to his father, the Garden of Eden entered with him’.
And the grandson of R. Judah the Prince? For this we have a tradition. And R. Joshua b. Levi? For this too we have a tradition. And whence do we know it of Jabez? For it is written, And Jabez called on the God of Israel … and that Thy hand might be with me.²⁰²1 Chron. 4, 10. Some derive it from here, And that Thou wouldest work deliverance from evil, that it may not pain me.²⁰³ibid. Whence do we know that evil means death? As it is written, The righteous is taken away from the evil to come;²⁰⁴Isa. 57, 1. and it has been taught: But for the ills that come upon the world, the righteous would not be taken away before their time. And Jabez prayed concerning himself, That it may not pain me, [and then it is written,] And God granted him that which he requested.²⁰⁵1 Chron. 4, 10.

R. Eliezer b. Jacob said: Whoever masturbates is as though he committed murder;⁶³Cf. Nid. 13a (Sonc. ed., p. 86). as it is stated, That slay [shoḥeṭë] the children in the valleys, under the clefts of the rocks.⁶⁴Isa. 57, 5. Do not read shoḥeṭë but soḥeṭë (‘that squeeze out’). And the Sages said: He is as though he worshipped idols, as it is stated, Ye that inflame yourselves among the terebinths, under every leafy tree.⁶⁵ibid.

It happened that the son of Rabban Gamliel fell ill and he sent two scholars to Rebbi Ḥanina ben Dosa in the latter’s city. He said to them, wait until I go to the upper floor. He went to the upper floor, came back, and said to them: I am sure that Rabban Gamliel’s son will get respite from his sickness. They noted that at this hour he asked for food¹⁷⁷In the Babli (34b) he is reported to have asked for water.. Rebbi Samuel ben Rebbi Naḥmani said: If you were able to concentrate your attention on your prayer, you are told that your prayer was heard. What is the reason? (Ps. 10:17) “You prepare their hearts, You will listen with Your ears.¹⁷⁸The first “you” refers to the person, the others to God.” Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said: If a person’s lips bore fruit¹⁷⁹Not only that he concentrated his attention as required by R. Samuel ben Naḥmani, but that his lips produced a well-formed result. he is told that his prayer was heard. What is the reason? (Is. 57:19) “He Who created the fruit of lips: peace, peace to the far and the near said the Eternal, I shall heal him.”

We have learnt there:⁴³Sanh. 71b (Sonc. ed., p. 488). The assembling of the righteous benefits themselves and the world; the scattering of the righteous harms them and the world. The assembling of the wicked harms themselves and the world; the scattering of the wicked benefits them and the world.⁴⁴Because they are no longer able to join together for evil. When the wicked are uprooted from the world, good comes to the world, as it is stated, And when the wicked perish, there is joy.⁴⁵Prov. 11, 10. When the righteous depart from the world, evil comes to the world, as it is stated, The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart.⁴⁶Isa. 57, 1. Raba said: Do not say that [this refers only] to the men of his generation who knew him but to the whole world; for it is written. And no man layeth it to heart, and it is written there, The whole land is made desolate, because no man layeth it to heart.⁴⁷Jer. 12, 11. Raba also said: The righteous depart from this world for the sin of neglecting [the study of] the Torah, as it is written, And this is the law which Moses set before the children of Israel.⁴⁸Deut. 4, 44. Higger suggests that the homily is based on the juxtaposition of verses 41-43, which deal with the setting aside of Cities of Refuge for those who killed by accident.

The Rabbis taught:⁴⁹Shab. 33b (Sonc. ed., p. 155). What reason did the righteous Isaiah see for saying, The righteous perisheth? It means to say that the righteous man is made responsible⁵⁰i.e. suffer. for the sins of his generation; as R. Gorion said: When there are righteous in a generation, they are made responsible for the sins of their generation; when there are no righteous in a generation the schoolchildren are made responsible for the generation. The master said: ‘The righteous man is made responsible for the sins of his generation’. He abandoned the [plain] interpretation of the verse and gave it his own interpretation! This is what he meant: People say that [the righteous man] was punished for his own sins, because although he perishes no man layeth it to heart; nevertheless he returned and contradicted⁵¹Adopting the reading of H. them through the Holy Spirit, as it is stated, The righteous is taken away from the evil to come.⁵²Isa. 57, 1. The meaning is that the righteous is removed from the world to be saved from the punishment destined upon his evil generation. [Taken away:] this refers to Aaron, as it is written, As Aaron thy brother was taken away.⁵³Num. 27, 13. E.V. was gathered. The Heb. verb is the same. What evil was there? And the Canaanite, the king of Arad … heard.⁵⁴ibid. XXI, 1, referring to the attack of the Canaanites on Israel. Aaron’s death saved him from witnessing this misfortune. And godly men are taken away:⁵⁵Isa. 57, 1. this refers to Samuel and the elders of his generation who were associated with him. None considering:⁵⁶ibid. this refers to Saul and Abner, as it is stated, And no man saw it,⁵⁷How near Saul and Abner were to death. nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep.⁵⁸1 Sam. 26, 12. After this verse⁵⁹The homily now reverts to the interpretation of Isa. 57, 1, and also cites the next verse to prove the statement that the righteous through their death are saved from the punishment of their sinful contemporaries and rest in peace. it is written, They rest in their beds, each one that walketh in his uprightness.⁶⁰Isa. 57, 2.
Raba said: The story is told of a general against whom the people under his authority⁶¹For the correct reading, cf. Krauss, Lehnwörter, p. 425. rebelled. Among them were some of his friends; so what did he do? He took them one by one and hid them. Next day he sat in judgment and said, ‘Bring before me the people of the province’. He sentenced some to imprisonment, some to be killed, some to be lashed and some to be hanged.⁶²The translation follows the better text of H. So, too, is it with the Holy One, blessed be He. When He sees the sins of the generation are grievous upon them, He removes the righteous and after that [commands], But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot⁶³Isa. 57, 3.—that is, those of them who are sorcerers and adulterers—and then He gives a respite to that generation. The Rabbis taught:⁶⁴For other sharp criticisms of Isaiah, cf. Yeb. 49b (Sonc. ed., p. 324). Isaiah was punished for three things: because he called [Israel] a seed of evil-doers,⁶⁵Isa. 1, 4. sons of the sorceress and the seed of the adulterer; as it is stated, But draw near hither ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot. And whence do we know that he was forgiven? As it is stated, And he touched my mouth with it, and he said: Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is expiated.⁶⁶ibid. VI, 7.

The Rabbis taught:⁴⁹Shab. 33b (Sonc. ed., p. 155). What reason did the righteous Isaiah see for saying, The righteous perisheth? It means to say that the righteous man is made responsible⁵⁰i.e. suffer. for the sins of his generation; as R. Gorion said: When there are righteous in a generation, they are made responsible for the sins of their generation; when there are no righteous in a generation the schoolchildren are made responsible for the generation. The master said: ‘The righteous man is made responsible for the sins of his generation’. He abandoned the [plain] interpretation of the verse and gave it his own interpretation! This is what he meant: People say that [the righteous man] was punished for his own sins, because although he perishes no man layeth it to heart; nevertheless he returned and contradicted⁵¹Adopting the reading of H. them through the Holy Spirit, as it is stated, The righteous is taken away from the evil to come.⁵²Isa. 57, 1. The meaning is that the righteous is removed from the world to be saved from the punishment destined upon his evil generation. [Taken away:] this refers to Aaron, as it is written, As Aaron thy brother was taken away.⁵³Num. 27, 13. E.V. was gathered. The Heb. verb is the same. What evil was there? And the Canaanite, the king of Arad … heard.⁵⁴ibid. XXI, 1, referring to the attack of the Canaanites on Israel. Aaron’s death saved him from witnessing this misfortune. And godly men are taken away:⁵⁵Isa. 57, 1. this refers to Samuel and the elders of his generation who were associated with him. None considering:⁵⁶ibid. this refers to Saul and Abner, as it is stated, And no man saw it,⁵⁷How near Saul and Abner were to death. nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep.⁵⁸1 Sam. 26, 12. After this verse⁵⁹The homily now reverts to the interpretation of Isa. 57, 1, and also cites the next verse to prove the statement that the righteous through their death are saved from the punishment of their sinful contemporaries and rest in peace. it is written, They rest in their beds, each one that walketh in his uprightness.⁶⁰Isa. 57, 2.
Raba said: The story is told of a general against whom the people under his authority⁶¹For the correct reading, cf. Krauss, Lehnwörter, p. 425. rebelled. Among them were some of his friends; so what did he do? He took them one by one and hid them. Next day he sat in judgment and said, ‘Bring before me the people of the province’. He sentenced some to imprisonment, some to be killed, some to be lashed and some to be hanged.⁶²The translation follows the better text of H. So, too, is it with the Holy One, blessed be He. When He sees the sins of the generation are grievous upon them, He removes the righteous and after that [commands], But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot⁶³Isa. 57, 3.—that is, those of them who are sorcerers and adulterers—and then He gives a respite to that generation. The Rabbis taught:⁶⁴For other sharp criticisms of Isaiah, cf. Yeb. 49b (Sonc. ed., p. 324). Isaiah was punished for three things: because he called [Israel] a seed of evil-doers,⁶⁵Isa. 1, 4. sons of the sorceress and the seed of the adulterer; as it is stated, But draw near hither ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot. And whence do we know that he was forgiven? As it is stated, And he touched my mouth with it, and he said: Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is expiated.⁶⁶ibid. VI, 7.

The Rabbis taught:⁴⁹Shab. 33b (Sonc. ed., p. 155). What reason did the righteous Isaiah see for saying, The righteous perisheth? It means to say that the righteous man is made responsible⁵⁰i.e. suffer. for the sins of his generation; as R. Gorion said: When there are righteous in a generation, they are made responsible for the sins of their generation; when there are no righteous in a generation the schoolchildren are made responsible for the generation. The master said: ‘The righteous man is made responsible for the sins of his generation’. He abandoned the [plain] interpretation of the verse and gave it his own interpretation! This is what he meant: People say that [the righteous man] was punished for his own sins, because although he perishes no man layeth it to heart; nevertheless he returned and contradicted⁵¹Adopting the reading of H. them through the Holy Spirit, as it is stated, The righteous is taken away from the evil to come.⁵²Isa. 57, 1. The meaning is that the righteous is removed from the world to be saved from the punishment destined upon his evil generation. [Taken away:] this refers to Aaron, as it is written, As Aaron thy brother was taken away.⁵³Num. 27, 13. E.V. was gathered. The Heb. verb is the same. What evil was there? And the Canaanite, the king of Arad … heard.⁵⁴ibid. XXI, 1, referring to the attack of the Canaanites on Israel. Aaron’s death saved him from witnessing this misfortune. And godly men are taken away:⁵⁵Isa. 57, 1. this refers to Samuel and the elders of his generation who were associated with him. None considering:⁵⁶ibid. this refers to Saul and Abner, as it is stated, And no man saw it,⁵⁷How near Saul and Abner were to death. nor knew it, neither did any awake; for they were all asleep.⁵⁸1 Sam. 26, 12. After this verse⁵⁹The homily now reverts to the interpretation of Isa. 57, 1, and also cites the next verse to prove the statement that the righteous through their death are saved from the punishment of their sinful contemporaries and rest in peace. it is written, They rest in their beds, each one that walketh in his uprightness.⁶⁰Isa. 57, 2.
Raba said: The story is told of a general against whom the people under his authority⁶¹For the correct reading, cf. Krauss, Lehnwörter, p. 425. rebelled. Among them were some of his friends; so what did he do? He took them one by one and hid them. Next day he sat in judgment and said, ‘Bring before me the people of the province’. He sentenced some to imprisonment, some to be killed, some to be lashed and some to be hanged.⁶²The translation follows the better text of H. So, too, is it with the Holy One, blessed be He. When He sees the sins of the generation are grievous upon them, He removes the righteous and after that [commands], But draw near hither, ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot⁶³Isa. 57, 3.—that is, those of them who are sorcerers and adulterers—and then He gives a respite to that generation. The Rabbis taught:⁶⁴For other sharp criticisms of Isaiah, cf. Yeb. 49b (Sonc. ed., p. 324). Isaiah was punished for three things: because he called [Israel] a seed of evil-doers,⁶⁵Isa. 1, 4. sons of the sorceress and the seed of the adulterer; as it is stated, But draw near hither ye sons of the sorceress, the seed of the adulterer and the harlot. And whence do we know that he was forgiven? As it is stated, And he touched my mouth with it, and he said: Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin is expiated.⁶⁶ibid. VI, 7.

²⁶[Cf. ARN XXXVIII, 3, above pp. 191ff.] When R. Simeon b. Gamaliel and R. Ishmael came [to be tried], it was decreed against them that they should be put to death. Whereupon R. Ishmael broke into tears; and R. Simeon said to him, ‘Abrek,²⁷A title of honour (cf. Gen. 41, 43). It was interpreted by the Rabbis as the initial letters of the Heb. phrase, ‘father in wisdom though tender in years’; cf. Midrash Rabbah, Genesis, XC, 3 (Sonc. ed., p. 829). why do you weep? Two steps more²⁸i.e. immediately. and you will be in the bosom of the righteous, and yet you weep!’ He replied, ‘Do I then weep because we are about to be executed? It is because we are about to be executed [in the same way] as murderers and desecrators of the Sabbath’. He said to him, ‘Perhaps you were having a meal or you were sleeping when a woman came to ask [a ruling] concerning her ritual impurity or her cleanness, and your servant told her that you were asleep. And the Torah states, Ye shall not aflict²⁹Keeping an anxious woman waiting is a form of affliction. any widow or fatherless child. If thou afflict them in any wise—for if they cry at all unto Me, I will surely hear their cry.³⁰Ex. 22, 21f. And what is written after this? My wrath shall wax hot, and I will kill you with the sword’. Some say that it was [47b] R. Simeon b. Gamaliel who was weeping and R. Ishmael who answered him in these words.
When R. Simeon and R. Ishmael were executed and the report reached R. ‘Aḳiba and R. Judah b. Baba, they arose, girded their loins with sackcloth, rent their garments and exclaimed, ‘Our brother-Israelites, if good were destined to come to the world, at first none would receive it but R. Simeon and R. Ishmael; but now that it is revealed before Him Who spake and the universe came into being that eventually great punishments will come upon the world, they have consequently been taken out of the world; [as it is stated,] The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart,³¹Isa. 57, 1. and it continues, He entereth into peace, they rest in their beds’.³²ibid. 2.

³⁹⁷Tosephta 4:8; Babli 13b, Sifry Num. 106. It was stated in the name of Rebbi Jehudah: If it had not been written, it would have been impossible to say: This teaches us that when Moses died, he was lying on the wings of the Shekhina³⁹⁸The Divine presence on Earth. Parallels about the burial of Moses, cf. Sifry Deut. 355,357, Midrash Tannaïm p. 224; Abot dR. Nathan (Schechter) A 12, B 25; Bet ha-Midrasch (Jellinek) vol. 1 p. 115, vol. 6 p. 71. about four miles, from the inheritance of the tribe of Reuben to the inheritance of the tribe of Gad, since he died in the inheritance of the tribe of Reuben and was buried in the inheritance of the tribe of Gad. From where that he died in the inheritance of the tribe of Reuben? Because it was said, “the tribe of Reuben built Ḥešbon, Elaleh, Qiryatayim, and Nebo.³⁹⁹Num. 32:38.” And it is written⁴⁰⁰Deut. 32:49.: “Ascend this ‘Abarim mountain, the Mountain of Nebo, and die on the Mountain up which you will climb.” And from where that he was buried in the inheritance of the tribe of Gad? For it was said⁴⁰¹Deut. 33:20–21.: “To Gad he said, praised be He Who enlarges Gad, etc. For there the part of the lawgiver is hidden.” The Holy One, praise to Him, added: “He came at the head of the people.” The angels of the service said, “he executed the justice of the Eternal”, and Israel were saying, “and His laws with Israel.⁴⁰²Since one cannot assume that Moses praised himself.” All together were saying: “⁴⁰³Is. 57:2. A fitting end of a sermon of consolation of mourners. May he come in peace, may they rest on their couches, he goes in His pleasure.”

BARAITHA.¹³⁵Cf. DER XI, p. 565. The reading in the Baraitha must have been originally ‘if his shoe fell off and he went out’. Hence the point of the question in the Gemara: ‘What is he to do?’ His haughtiness is displayed in his desire to be different from others. If he loosened his shoe and went out into the street he is regarded as haughty.
GEMARA. What is he to do? This is what it means to say: If he put on¹³⁶Reading with H na‘al; V has nafal, ‘fell off’. his shoe when he went out into the street he is regarded as haughty. Raba said: It is forbidden to bring a haughty man into one’s house; for the Rabbis said:¹³⁷Soṭah 4b (Sonc. ed., p. 16). Any man in whom is haughtiness of spirit will in the end stumble through an [unfaithful] married woman, as it is stated, Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord.¹³⁸Prov. 16, 5. Even if he be learned in the Torah like Moses our teacher, he will not be free from the judgment of Gehinnom. As for everyone who is lowly of spirit, the Holy One, blessed be He, will save him from [evil] visitations that come upon the world; as it is stated, For thus saith the High and Lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones¹³⁹Isa. 57, 15. [55b].