Talmud su Salmi 90:78

From where do you understand that if somebody dies at age 50, he dies of extirpation? It is written (Num. 4:18–19): “Do not extirpate the tribe of the families of (Levi), etc. Do the following for them that they should live and not die.” Organize them that they should not enjoy seeing the holiest of holies. And it is written (Num. 4:20): “They should not come to look, when the holies are wrapped, and die.” And it is written (Num. 8:25): “At age 50, he should retire from the work force.” Rebbi Abin, the son of Rebbi Tanḥum ben Rebbi Tryphon, understood it from here (Ps. 90:10): “The days of our lives here are 70 years.” Subtract from these 20 years during which the Heavenly Court does neither punish not extirpate¹³This tradition is also in the Babli, Šabbat 89b. While a male becomes a full member of the religious community at age 13, a female at age 12, they are treated as adults before the Heavenly court only at age 20 since in the story of the spies only the men older than 20 were punished. One has to assume that until then the parents are not absolved from responsibility for their children.
Neither “proof” has any logical consistency., and you will find that one who dies at up to 50 years dies in extirpation.

From where do you understand that if somebody dies at age 50, he dies of extirpation? It is written (Num. 4:18–19): “Do not extirpate the tribe of the families of (Levi), etc. Do the following for them that they should live and not die.” Organize them that they should not enjoy seeing the holiest of holies. And it is written (Num. 4:20): “They should not come to look, when the holies are wrapped, and die.” And it is written (Num. 8:25): “At age 50, he should retire from the work force.” Rebbi Abin, the son of Rebbi Tanḥum ben Rebbi Tryphon, understood it from here (Ps. 90:10): “The days of our lives here are 70 years.” Subtract from these 20 years during which the Heavenly Court does neither punish not extirpate¹³This tradition is also in the Babli, Šabbat 89b. While a male becomes a full member of the religious community at age 13, a female at age 12, they are treated as adults before the Heavenly court only at age 20 since in the story of the spies only the men older than 20 were punished. One has to assume that until then the parents are not absolved from responsibility for their children.
Neither “proof” has any logical consistency., and you will find that one who dies at up to 50 years dies in extirpation.

At 70, a death of love. (Ps. 90:10): “The days of our lives are then 70 years.” At 80, death of old age, as it is said: “At most, 80 years.” Also thus Barzilai²⁰In verse 33, he is described as “extremely old, 80 years of age.” said to David (2S. 19:36): “I am today 80 years of age, do I still know good from bad?”

⁵⁶The legend of Aḥer is also found in Ruth rabba 6(6), Eccl. rabba 7(18); partially Babli 15a/b. Note that Aḥer’s birth is dated both to Jerusalem before the first war against the Roman as also to the ascendancy of RR. Eliezer and Joshua after the death of Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai about 80CE. His apostasy is dated to the Hadrianic persecutions after 130, and his unmarried daughters appear before Rebbi not before 180. Rebbi Meïr was sitting and preaching in the House of Study of Tiberias when his teacher Elisha passed by riding on a horse on the Sabbath. They came and told him, your teacher is outside. He stopped his sermon and went out to him. He asked him, what did you preach today? He told him, and the Eternal blessed the end⁵⁷Job 42:12. etc. He asked him, what did you explain about this? He answered him, and the Eternal added double all that Job had owned⁵⁸Job 42:10.; that he doubled his money. He said, woe for those who are lost and not found, your teacher Aqiba did not preach this but, the Eternal blessed the end of Job from his beginning, by the merit of commandments and good works which were in his hand from his beginning. He asked him, and what did you preach further? He told him, the end of a matter is better than the beginning⁵⁹Eccl. 7:8.. He asked him, what did you explain about this? For example, a man who had children in his youth but they died, and in his old age they lived; that is the end of a matter is better than the beginning. For example, a man who traded in his youth and lost, and in his old age and gained; that is the end of a matter is better than the beginning. For example, a man who studied Torah in his youth and forgot, in his old age he remembered; that is the end of a matter is better than the beginning. He said, woe for those who are lost and not found, your teacher Aqiba did not preach this but, the end of a matter is good from the beginning, in case it is good from the start, and this applies to me. My father Abuya was one of the leading Jerusalemites. On the day he came to circumcise me he invited all the leading Jerusalemites and sat them in one room, and Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Joshua in another room⁶⁰Cf. Note 56.. After they ate and drank they started to clap with their hands and dance. Rebbi Eliezer and Rebbi Joshua said, while they are occupied in theirs let us be occupied with ours. They sat occupied with words of the Torah, from the Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Hagiographs. Fire descended from Heaven and surrounded them. Abuya told them, my teachers! Why do you come to burn down my house? They told him, Heaven forbid! But we were sitting reviewing the words of the Torah, from the Torah to Prophets, from Prophets to Hagiographs, and the words were joyful as at their giving on Sinai. And was the main giving on Sinai not in fire? And the Mountain burns in the fire up to the heart of Heaven⁶¹Deut. 4:11.. My father Abuya told them, my teachers! If that is the power of Torah, if this son of mine survives I dedicate him to Torah. Because his intent was not for Heaven, it did not succeed with this man. He asked him, and what did you preach further? He told him, it cannot be valued by gold or glass⁶²Job 28:17.. He asked him, what did you explain about this? He told him, the words of the Torah are as difficult to acquire as golden vessels, and as easy to lose as glass vessels. And like golden and glass vessels when they are broken he can make them vessels as before, also the student of the Sages who forgot his learning can learn it anew. He said to him, this is enough, Meïr, up to here is the Sabbath domain. He asked him, how do you know? He told him, from the horse’s hooves which I continuously counted for 2’000 cubits. He said to him, all that wisdom is in you and you do not repent? He told him, I cannot. He asked him, why? He told him, once I was passing by the Holiest of Holies riding on a horse on the Day of Atonement which fell on a Sabbath and I heard an unembodied voice coming from the Holiest of Holies, saying, return, erring children⁶³Jer. 3:14,22., except for Elisha ben Abuya who knew My power and rebelled against Me. And all that came to him because he was sitting memorizing in the valley of Genezareth and saw a man climbing to the top of a date palm taking the mother with the chicks and descending safely. The next day he saw another man climbing to the top of a date palm, taking the chicks and sending away the mother. When climbing down he was bitten by a snake, and he died. He said, it is written⁶⁴Deut. 22:7., sending away you shall send the mother, but the chicks you may take for yourself, so it will be good for you and prolong your days. Where is the good for this one? Where is the prolongation of days of this one? He did not know that Rebbi Jacob had explained it preceding him⁶⁵Tosephta Ḥulin 10:16., so it will be good for you in the future world which is all good, and prolong your days, in the future which is all long. But some are saying, because he saw the tongue of Rebbi Jehudah the baker in the mouth of a dog, oozing blood. He said, is this the Torah and this is its reward? This is the tongue which was delivering the words of the Torah correctly; this is the tongue which occupied itself with Torah all its days; [is this the Torah and this is its reward?] It appears that there is no reward and no resurrection of the dead. But some are saying, when his mother was pregnant with him she passed by pagan temples and smelled of this kind. And this smell was bubbling in her body like the poison of a viper. Later Elisha fell sick. They came and informed Rebbi Meïr, your teacher is sick. He went to visit him and found him sick. He asked him, are you not repenting? He asked, and if one repents, is one accepted? He told him, is it not written, man shall repent up to extinction⁶⁶Ps. 90:3., one receives up to the extinction of the breath. At that moment Elisha cried, passed away, and died. Rebbi Meïr was happy internally and said, it seems that my teacher passed away repentant. After they buried him, fire descended from Heaven and burned his grave. They came and informed Rebbi Meïr, your teacher’s grave is on fire. He went to visit it and found it burning. What did he do? He took his kaftan and spread it over it. He said, stay for the night⁶⁷Ruth 3:13., etc. Stay for this world which compares to the night, and it will be in the morning, this is the Future World which is all morning, if the Good One will redeem, this is the Holy One, praise to Him, who is Good, as it is written⁶⁸Ps. 145:9., the Eternal is good to all, and His mercies are on all His creatures. And if He does not want to redeem you I shall redeem you, living is the Eternal⁶⁷Ruth 3:13., and it was extinguished. They asked Rebbi Meïr, if they ask you in that World, whom do you want to visit, your father or your teacher? He told them, I shall visit my teacher first and afterwards my father. They said, will they listen to you? He told them, did we not state⁶⁹Mishnah Šabbat 16:2., “one saves the case of a scroll with the scroll, and the case of phylacteries with the phylacteries”? One saves Elisha Aher by the merit of his Torah. Later his daughters went to take charity from Rebbi. Rebbi decided and said, nobody shall show him grace nor be friendly to his orphans⁷⁰Ps. 109:12.. They told him, Rebbi. Do not look at his deeds, do look at his Torah. At this moment Rebbi cried and decided for them that they be provided for⁷¹This usually means to be given a dowry for a decent marriage.. He said, if this one who toiled in Torah not for Heaven’s sake, see what he produced⁷²He raised a good Jewish family.; one who toils in the Torah for itself not so much more?

²⁴Cf. M.Ḳ. 28a (Sonc. ed., p. 182). In j.Bik. II, 1, 64C there are variants in the enumeration. If one dies under fifty, that is death by kareth;²⁵Cf. J. Rabbinowitz, Mishnah Megillah, p. 54. at fifty-two, that is the death of Samuel of Ramah; at sixty, that is the death referred to in the Torah, as it is stated, Thou shalt come to thy grave in ripe age;²⁶Job 5, 26; in ripe age is בכלח in Heb., the numerical value of the letters being sixty. Cf. M.Ḳ. loc. cit. at seventy, that is the death of the hoary head, as it is stated, The days of our years are threescore years and ten;²⁷Ps. 90, 10. at eighty, that is the death of a vigorous old man,²⁸lit. ‘of strength’. as it is stated, Or even by strength fourscore years.²⁹ibid. More than this is a life of trouble, for so³⁰This is GRA’s reading; V and H have ‘and likewise Barzilai’ and insert ‘more than this is a life of trouble’ after the quotation. Barzilai the Gileadite said to David, I am this day fourscore years old; can I discern between good and bad?³¹2 Sam. 19, 36.

The following are written with a he which is not pronounced: when I saw;²⁵Josh. 7, 21, written wa’er’eh and read wa’erë’. and I brought;²⁶ibid. XXIV, 8, written wa’abih and read wa’abi. the lion²⁷2 Sam. 23, 20, written ha’aryeh and read ha’ari. in the Book of Samuel;²⁸This excludes the parallel passage in 1 Chron. 11, 22 where ha’ari is both written and read. was he found;²⁹Jer. 48, 27, written nimẓa’ah but the reading is nimẓa’. and … saw;³⁰ibid. III, 7, written wattir’eh and read watter’ë’. this [city];³¹ibid. XXVI, 6, written hazzothah and read hazzoth. evil;³²Micah 3, 2, written ra‘ah and read ra‘. [the] evil;³³Jer. 18, 10, written hara‘ah and read hara‘. gone down;³⁴ibid. XV, 9, written ba’ah and read ba’. and he shall come;³⁵ibid. XLIII, 11, written uba’ah and read uba’. and a line;³⁶1 Kings 7, 23, written weḳaweh and read weḳaw. and a line;³⁷Zech. 1, 16, as in the preceding note. thoroughly;³⁸V incorrectly gives the keyword as wera‘. Ps. 51, 4, written harbeh and read hereb. them that love me;³⁹Prov. 8, 17, written ’ohabehah and read ’ohabai. and … friend;⁴⁰ibid. XXVII, 10, written were‘eh and read were‘a. deal;⁴¹Ruth 1, 8, written ya‘aseh and read ya‘as. open;⁴²Dan. 9, 18, written piḳḥah and read peḳaḥ. a lion;⁴³Lam. 3, 10, written ’aryeh and read ’ari. V incorrectly connects this with the next word joining them together as one. these;⁴⁴Ezra 5, 15, written ’elleh and read ’el. venison.⁴⁵V incorrectly reads ẓur. Gen. 27, 3, written ẓedah and read ẓayid.
The reverse is the case with the following:⁴⁶In the preceding a written he is not pronounced, but the following are spelt without a he which is to be pronounced. and multiplied;⁴⁷Josh. 24, 3, written wa’ereb and read wa’arbeh. on the housetop;⁴⁸1 Sam. 9, 26, written haggag and read haggagah. and they;⁴⁹2 Sam. 21, 9, written wehem and read wehemmah. be he;⁵⁰1 Kings 1, 37, written yehi and read yihyeh. and … shal be;⁵¹2 Kings 9, 37, written wehayath and read wehayethah. and behold;⁵²Isa. 41, 23, written wenerë and read wenireh. behold;⁵³ibid. LIV, 16, written hen and read hinneh. planted;⁵⁴In Jer. 17, 8, referring to yireh (shall … see) which is spelt without the final hei. Gedaliah;⁵⁵ibid. XL, 16, referring to ta‘aseh (do) which is without the final hei. and … she doted;⁵⁶Ezek. 23, 16, written watta‘gob and read watta‘gebah. the measure;⁵⁷ibid. XLV, 3, where ḥamesh (five) is written and ḥamishshah read. and I shall be glorified;⁵⁸Hag. 1, 8, written we’ekkabed and read we’ekkabedah. three;⁵⁹In Prov. 30, 18, we’arba‘ (yea, four) is written and we’arba‘ah read. she considereth;⁶⁰ibid. XXXI, 16, naṭa‘ (planteth) is written and naṭ‘ah read. she perceiveth;⁶¹ibid. 18, ballayil (by night) is written and ballayelah read. arise;⁶²In Lam. 2, 19, the same variant occurs as in the preceding. remember;⁶³ibid. V, 1, habbeṭ (behold) is written and habbiṭah read. turn Thou us;⁶⁴ibid. 21, wenashub (and we shall be turned) is written and wenashubah read. thou hast declared;⁶⁵1 Sam XXIV, 19, we’at is written and we’attah read. thou … hast cursed;⁶⁶Eccles. 7, 22, where the same variant occurs as in the preceding. Thou hast set;⁶⁷Ps. 90, 8, written shatta and read shattah. Thou hast made;⁶⁸Neh. 9, 6, written ’at and read ’attah. is sore affrighted;⁶⁹In Ps. 6, 4 the same variant occurs as in the preceding. the carved work thereof;⁷⁰ibid. LXXIV, 6, written we‘at and read we‘attah. with her harlotries;⁷¹In Ezek. 23, 43, written ‘at and read ‘attah. turn back;⁷²In Ruth 1, 12, lekna (go your way) omits the final hei. disclose;⁷³ibid. IV, 4, where we’eda‘ (that I may know) is written and read we’ede‘ah. Thou [hast] made an hedge;⁷⁴In Job 1, 10, ’at (Thou) is written and ’attah read. and [he] saw.⁷⁵ibid. XLII, 16, written wayyar and read wayyireh.

There, we have stated⁵⁷⁶Mishnah Idiut 2:9.: “The father bestows on his son beauty, strength, riches, wisdom, and years.” From where beauty? “May Your deeds appear on Your servants, and Your glory on their sons.⁵⁷⁷Ps. 90:16.” Strength, “strong on earth will be his descendants.⁵⁷⁸Ps. 112:2.” Riches, “I was young and became old, but never saw a just man abandoned and his descendants in need of bread.⁵⁷⁹Ps. 37:25.” Wisdom, “you shall teach your sons to argue about them.⁵⁶⁹Deut. 11:19. Cf. Berakhot 2:3. Note 110, where the verse is quoted to show that daughters do not have to be instructed in Torah (Babli 29b).” Years, “that your and your sons’ days be many.⁵⁸⁰Deut. 11:21.” And just as he inherits five qualities, so he owes him the following five things. He feeds him, he gives him to drink, he clothes him, he puts on his shoes, he leads him⁵⁸¹Peah 1:1, Note 119; Babli 31b.. That is what is written⁵⁸²2S. 3:29.: “This should fall on Joab’s head: sufferer from flux and from skin disease, holding the distaff, falling by the sword, and senseless.⁵⁸³This is a slip of the pen; later it is quoted in the language of the verse, “without bread”.” Sufferer from flux, weak. From skin disease, abandoned⁵⁸⁴Cf. Lev. 13:46.. Holding the distaff, uneducated. Falling by the sword, short lived. Without bread, poor. ⁵⁸⁵The Babylonian version is in the Babli, Sanhedrin 48b, and Num.rabba23(13). When Solomon came to kill Joab, he said to him: Your father gave me five sentences; accept them and I can be killed. He accepted them and all of them came to pass on the House of David. Sufferer from flux was Rehabeam: “King Rehabeam with difficulty climbed on his chariot to flee to Jerusalem;⁵⁸⁶1K. 12:18.” some say, he suffered from flux; some say, he was weak. Suffering from skin disease was Uziahu: “King Uziahu suffered from skin disease until the day of his death⁵⁸⁷2Chr. 26:21..” Holding the distaff was Joash: “They punished Joash⁵⁸⁸2Chr. 24:24..” Rebbi Ismael stated: ⁵⁸⁹Mekhilta dR.Ismael,Amaleq 1; Tanḥuma Bešallaḥ 25 This teaches that they gave him over to hardened hoodlums who had never known a woman and they raped him the way women are raped. That is what is written: “Israel’s pride will testify against it,⁵⁹⁰Hos. 5:5, repunctuating עָנָה to עִנָּה.” Israel’s pride will be raped in its face. Falling by the sword, this is Josiah, as is written: “The archers shot at king Josia,⁵⁹¹2Chr. 35:23. In the text: הַיֹּרִים.” and Rebbi Joḥanan said, this teaches that they made his body like a sieve⁵⁹²Babli Mo‘ed qaṭan 28b; Thr.rabbati on 1:18.. Rebbi Ismael stated: 300 arrows were shot at the Eternal’s anointed. Without bread, that is Jehoiachin: “And his meal, a permanent meal was given to him,⁵⁹³2K. 25:30. He never had any money of his own. A completely different interpretation of the verse in Midrash Shemuel 18(5)..”