Talmud su Isaia 61:78

MISHNAH: From where that a ship is pure⁴While a ship is a vessel, it is not subject to the impurity of vessels. This not only applies to large vessels which are not subject to impurity if they are so large that they cannot be moved by a single human empty or loaded but even small boats if they are never used on land.? For it is said⁵Prov. 30:19., the way of a ship in the heart of the Sea. From where that a garden bed that is six by six hand-breadths one may sow with five kinds of seeds, four at its four sides and one in the middle⁶The problem is that of kilaim, the prohibition to grow different kinds of produce on the same field. Different kinds if grown on parallel fields must be separated by an uncultivated strip, but such fields may touch one another at a single point. The minimum size of a plot that can be planted with several kinds is a 6-by-6 hand-breadths plot, cf. Mishnah Kilaim 3:1 Notes 1–2; the configuration envisaged by the Mishnah is shown there in fig. 3–1. It is suggested that one divide the plot into 36 squares of one hand-breadth edge length each. Along the four edges, the corner squares are left fallow. Then on each edge, a rectangle, 4 long and 1 wide, can be planted. These 4 rectangles may be planted with 4 different kinds since they meet only at a pair of vertical angles. Together, they contain 16 of the 1-by-1 squares. The interior edges of the rectangles enclose a 4-by-4 square. In this square, a square can be planted in the shape of a diamond, having its vertices at the midpoints of the inner edges of the rectangles. This is permitted as רֹאשׁ תּוֹר. The diagonals of the diamond have length 4; it covers exactly half of the internal square of 16 square hand-breadths. Hence, the entire cultivated area is 8 + 16 = 24 hand-breadths square. [If instead we assume that the fallow squares at the corners have edge length a, then the total cultivated area, in square handbreadths, is
f(a) = 4a(6 - 2a) + 0.5(6 - 2a)².
A simple computation then shows that the maximum is attained for a = 1, f(1) = 24. One third of the total area must lie fallow.]? For it is said⁷Is. 61:11., for like the earth it will bring out its plants and like a garden it will cause it to grow its sown seeds.

BARAITHA.³⁸K 19. Ye that inflame yourselves among the terebinths. These are they who excite themselves and masturbate. To what is he comparable? To an animal; as an animal is not mindful [of what it does] he too is not mindful of what he does. Another explanation: As an animal is destined for slaughter and has no portion in the World to Come, he too has no portion in the World to Come.
GEMARA. It has been taught: He³⁹The man who excites himself with lustful thoughts and one who practises masturbation. trangresses the law on the ground of copulating and of being subjected to copulation.⁴⁰He is considered as having played the part of both male and female in intercourse. And why is this so [heinous]? Because he excites the evil inclination against himself. It has been taught:⁴¹Suk. 52a, b (Sonc. ed., p. 249). The evil inclination of a man grows more powerful within him daily, as it is stated, And that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.⁴²Gen. 6, 5. The Heb. for imagination (veẓer) is the same as for ‘inclination’. Hence our Rabbis expounded that thinking leads to desire, desire to love, love to pursuit and pursuit to [the sinful] act. This should make you realize how difficult is the return from one to the other. It is similar with repentance: abstinence leads to strictness, strictness to zeal, zeal to cleanliness, cleanliness to [levitical] purity, [levitical] purity to piety, piety to humility, and the greatest of them all is humility, as it is stated, The spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord hath anointed me to bring good tidings unto the humble.⁴³Isa. 61, 1. It does not mention the righteous, Israel, the pure or the pious, but to bring good tidings unto the humble.

Concerning them who sigh, grieve and look forward to [national] salvation and mourn for Jerusalem, Scripture declares, To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes.³⁹Isa. 61, 3.

Beloved are proselytes [by God], for [Scripture] everywhere uses the same epithets of them as of Israel; [61b] as it is stated, But thou, Israel, My servant, Jacob whom I have chosen.⁷Isa. 41, 8. Jacob is here interpreted as ibid. XLIV, 5, And another shall call himself by the name of Jacob—these are the proselytes of righteousness (cf. towards the end of this tractate). The order of the quotations in V is confused. The term ‘love’ is applied to Israel, as it is stated, I have loved you, saith the Lord,⁸Mal. 1, 2. and the term ‘love’ is applied to proselytes, as it is stated, And He loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment.⁹Deut. 10, 18. Israel are called ‘servants’, as it is stated, For unto Me the children of Israel are servants,¹⁰Lev. 25, 55. V omits the quotation. and proselytes are called ‘servants’, as it is stated, To be His servants.¹¹Isa. 56, 6. The term ‘acceptable’ is used of Israel, as it is stated, And it shall be always upon his forehead, that they may be accepted before the Lord,¹²Ex. 28, 38. and the term ‘acceptable’ is used of proselytes, as it is stated, Their burnt-offerings and their sacrifices shall be acceptable upon Mine altar.¹³Isa. 56, 7. The term ‘keeping’ is applied to Israel, as it is stated, The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand,¹⁴Ps. 121, 5. and the term ‘keeping’ is applied to proselytes, as it is stated, The Lord preserveth the strangers.¹⁵ibid. CXLVI, 9. The term ‘ministering’ is applied to Israel, as it is stated, But ye shall be named the priests of the Lord, men shall call you the ministers of our God,¹⁶Isa. 61, 6. and the term ‘ministering’ is applied to proselytes, as it is stated, Also the aliens, that join themselves to the Lord, to minister unto Him.¹⁷ibid. LVI, 6.
Beloved are proselytes seeing that our father Abraham did not circumcise himself when he was twenty or thirty years of age, but when he was ninety-nine years old;¹⁸Cf. Gen. 17, 24. since if he had circumcised himself when he was twenty or thirty years old, no Gentile would have become a proselyte when he had passed the age of twenty or thirty. The Holy One, blessed be He, kept putting it off¹⁹The verb has fallen out of V. until he had reached ninety-nine years, so as not to close the door in the face of proselytes, [and to allow more days and years so as to increase the reward of those who do His will, as it is stated, The Lord was pleased, for His righteousness’ sake, to make the teaching great and glorious].²⁰Isa. 42, 21. The passage within brackets is added by MS.K. and H.
Our father Abraham called himself a ger, as it is stated, I am a stranger [ger] and a sojourner with you.²¹Gen. 22, 4. Similarly David, king of Israel, called himself a ger, as it is stated, For I am a stranger [ger] with Thee,²²Ps. 39, 13. and likewise it states, For we are strangers before Thee.²³1 Chron. 29, 15.
Beloved is the Land of Israel because it makes proselytes fit [to be received]. If a man says in the Land of Israel, ‘I am a proselyte’, he is accepted at once, but outside the Land of Israel he is not accepted unless his witnesses are with him. Beloved is the Land of Israel because it atones for iniquities and transgressions, as it is stated, And the inhabitant shall not say: ‘I am sick’, the people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity.²⁴Isa. 33, 24.
And so you find in the four classes that stand before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated, One shall say: ‘I am the Lord’s’; and another shall call himself by the name of Jacob; and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.²⁵ibid. XLIV, 5. One shall say: ‘I am the Lord’s’—this alludes to one who belongs wholly to the Omnipresent and has no admixture of sin. Another shall call himself by the name of Jacob—this alludes to the proselytes of righteousness.²⁶A term to denote the genuine and complete convert. Another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord—this alludes to those who repent. And surname himself by the name of Israel—this alludes to those who fear Heaven.

¹This chapter, known as Pereḳ Ḳinyan Torah, ‘The Chapter on the Acquisition of the Torah’, or as Pereḳ R. Meir, ‘The Chapter of R. Meir’, is an appendix to the tractate Aboth. Cf. Aboth, Sonc. ed., p. 78, n. 2. It is printed in P.B., pp. 208ff.BARAITHA. R. Meir said: Whoever occupies himself with the Torah for its own sake merits many things; nay more, the whole world is beholden to him. He is called friend,²Cf. Isa. 41, 8, where it is used of Abraham. beloved,³Cf. Prov. 8, 17, I love them that love me. a lover of the All-present and a lover of his fellow-creatures, one who gladdens⁴Cf. Judg. 9, 13, [wine] which cheereth God and man. The Torah is compared by the Rabbis to wine. the All-present and his fellow-creatures. It clothes him⁵Cf. Isa. 61, 10, He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation. with meekness and reverence [of God]; it fits him to be righteous, pious, upright and faithful; it keeps him far from sin and brings him near to merit. From him men enjoy counsel, sound knowledge, understanding and strength; as it is stated, Counsel is mine, and sound wisdom; I am understanding, power is mine.⁶Prov. 8, 14. It gives him sovereignty,⁷A regal appearance. dominion,⁸An impressive personality. greatness and [the ability to be] searching in judgment, and to him are revealed the secret [meanings] of the Torah.⁹Cf. Ps. 25, 14; Amos 3, 7. He becomes like a well that never fails and like a stream which gathers strength as it flows on. He is modest, patient and forgiving of insults directed at him It makes him great and exalts him above all things.