Talmud su Salmi 37:78

Rebbi Yudan in the name of Rebbi Isaac said it in four versions. Flesh and blood has a protector⁴³Latin patronus, who was obliged to protect his clients.. When they tell him, your client was arrested, he will say: I will protect him. When they tell him, he is going before a court, he will say: I will protect him. When they tell him, he is taken to be hanged, where is he and where is his protector? But the Holy One, praise to Him, saved Moses from the sword of Pharao; that is what is written (Ex. 18:4): “He saved me from the sword of Pharao.” Rebbi Yannai said⁴⁴Most of the following is also in Exodus rabba 1(37)., it is written (Ex. 2:15): “Moses fled from before Pharao.” Is it possible for flesh and blood to flee from the government?⁴⁵R. Yannai takes the sentence to mean that “Moses fled from before the face of Pharao,” as translated here, and not “Moses fled because of Pharao,” as usually understood. But at the moment when Pharao arrested Moses, he sentenced him to have him beheaded. The sword slipped off the neck of Moses and broke. That is what is written (Songs 7:5): “Your neck is like the ivory tower,” that is Moses’s neck. Rebbi⁴⁶The name of the tradent is missing; he cannot be Rebbi since R. Eviathar belongs to the second generation of Amoraïm and exchanged letters with Rav Ḥisda and Rav Sheshet. The sentence is missing in Shemot rabba. said, Rebbi Eviathar: Not only that, but He moved the sword from the neck of Moses on the neck of the executioner and killed him. That is what is written: “He saved me from the sword of Pharao.” He saved me, but killed the executioner. Rebbi Berekhiah quoted on this (Prov. 21:18) “The evil one is ransom for the just one.” Rebbi Abun quoted on this (Prov. 11:8): “The just will be extricated from distress, the evil one will take his place.” Bar Qappara stated: An angel came down and appeared to them in the shape of Moses. They arrested the angel and Moses fled. Rebbi Joshua ben Levi said: when Moses fled from before Pharao, all his troops⁴⁷Semitic plural of Greek ὄχλος, “multitude” (of people, troops). became dumb, deaf, or blind. He asked the dumb, where is Moses? But they could not speak. He asked the deaf, they could not hear. He asked the blind, they could not see. That is what the Holy One, praise to Him, said to Moses (Ex. 4:11): “Who gave man a mouth, or who makes dumb?” There it upheld you and here you do not want to uphold. That is what is written (Deut. 4:8): “Who is like the Eternal, our ĕlōhīm, always when we call on Him!”

Concerning the overbearing, haughty, proud, violent, insolent and pugnacious, Scripture declares, For the arms of the wicked shall be broken; but the Lord upholdeth the righteous.²ibid. XXXVII, 17.

R. Dosethai b. Judah said: One should always⁵⁶In Ber. 7b (Sonc. ed., p. 36) the text reads ‘it is permitted to’. contend with the wicked, as it is stated, They that forsake the law praise the wicked; but such as keep the law contend with them.⁵⁷Prov. 28, 4. Should somebody whisper to you, ‘[But is it not written,] Contend not with evildoers, neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness?’⁵⁸Ps. 37, 1. E.V. fret not thyself because of evildoers. answer him, ‘Only he whose conscience pricks him⁵⁹lit. ‘whose heart knocks him’. So GRA in agreement with Ber. loc. cit. speaks thus. Contend not with evildoers means, to be like them; be not envious against them that work unrighteousness means, to emulate them’.

BARAITHA. ¹With the Baraithoth of this chapter, cf. DEZ III.Judge your words before you let them come forth from your mouth. Plan your deeds in accordance with good manners and so add to the furtherance of your progress.²lit. ‘reward to your steps’. Always accept with resignation the verdict against you and refrain from grumbling. Judge your fellow-man in the scale of merit and do not judge him in the scale of guilt. Rejoice in your portion; be content³lit. ‘suited’. with the little you have and do not hate him who reproves you. Be small in your eyes so that your portion may be blessed for ever. Regard everyone with a good eye and a considerate soul. Teach your tongue to say, ‘I do not know’ lest you be induced to tell a falsehood and be caught.⁴Ber. 4a (Sonc. ed., p. 10). If you are slack in the performance of one precept⁵Reading miẓwah for Mishnah. in the end you will neglect another like it. If you feel impelled⁶The text of V is corrupt. For the meaning given here, cf. DEZ II (ed. Higger, p. 89) to make light of it in the end you will make light of another like it, and you will have no reward for your trouble. If you have taken what is not yours, then what is yours will be taken from you. Be careful with sacred foods both in the eating and disposing of them. Be submissive and beloved when answering those whom you know.⁷Here, too, the text of V is corrupt; cf. DEZ III. Be submissive towards all men and towards the members of your household more than to all men.
The beginning of vows is the door to folly; the beginning of impurity [in conduct] is the door to idolatry; levity with women is the door to immorality. If you become surety, it is on the condition that you will have to pay; if you borrow, it is on the condition that you will pay back; if you lend, it is on the condition [that there is a possibility of] not being paid back. Hasten to settle your account.⁸The text is corrected in agreement with DEZ III. One who gains a good name gains it for himself. The shamefaced cannot learn, the impatient cannot teach, the ‘am ha-’areẓ cannot be pious, the empty-headed cannot be God-fearing, and who is engaged over much in business cannot acquire wisdom.⁹Aboth II, 6 (Sonc. ed., II, 5, p. 13).
GEMARA. ‘Judge [your words]’: so that a man may consider what to answer and what answer might be given to him.
‘Accept with resignation’: [Admit that the judge] has given a correct judgment, that he has rightly condemned, that he has judged well.
‘Refrain from grumbling’: But this has already been taught!¹⁰Cf. III, 24. There it speaks of matters concerning himself, here of matters relating to the Holy One, blessed be He.
‘Judge your fellow-man’, etc.: when the matter is known to you.
‘Do not judge him in the scale of guilt’: by not abiding by the verdict when he wins it.
‘Rejoice in your portion’: That is [in your] wife; for Scripture declares, For what would be the portion of God from above?¹¹Job 31, 2. and it further states, House and riches are the inheritance of fathers; but a prudent wife is from the Lord.¹²Prov. 19, 14. ‘Be content with the little you have’—in the matter of food. ‘Hate the “how much?” ’¹³Reading המה בכך for V’s המברך. This clause has apparently fallen out from the present Baraitha. But this has already been taught in a previous chapter!¹⁴In III, 20. There it refers to general matters; here [it means that] one should not say, ‘How much [I would like to be the husband of] So-and-so’s daughter if she were unmarried!’
‘Be small in your eyes.’ As it is written, In whose eyes a vile person is despised.¹⁵Ps. 15, 4. ‘So that your portion may be blessed.’ As it is written, Let thy fountain be blessed.¹⁶Prov. 5, 18. ‘Regard everyone with a good eye.’ As it is written, He that hath a bountiful eye shall be blessed.¹⁷ibid. XXII, 9. ‘And a considerate soul.’ As it is written, And if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry.¹⁸Isa. 58, 10. ‘Teach your tongue.’ As it is written of Ahimaaz.¹⁹Cf. 2 Sam. 18, 29. In reply to a question by David, he answered, But I knew not what it was. ‘If you are slack.’ As it is written, If thou faint in the day of adversity.²⁰Prov. 24, 10. ‘Be submissive and beloved’—but this has already been taught!²¹In III, 3. There²²H reads ‘here’; but in both references the context relates to human beings. it certainly refers to being so before the All-present.
‘The beginning of vows … levity with women.’ It is not necessary [to mention this] except in connection with one’s wife. ‘If you become surety.’ As it is written, Take [leḳaḥ] his garment that is surety for a stranger.²³Prov. 20, 16. Here it is written leḳaḥ and in another verse it is written ḳaḥ: Take [ḳaḥ] his garment that is surety for a stranger!²⁴ibid. XXVII, 13. [It indicates] that whoever is surety for another and does not repay [if called upon to do so] is regarded as though he incurred the debt and did not repay. If you borrowed with the intention to repay, all is well; but if you lent with the intention not to demand it,²⁵Reading with H lithbo‘a. then ‘split’.²⁶i.e. grin and bear the loss. If so, the consequence is that the money is lost! We deal here with the disciples of the wise who will not transgress [the teaching of Scripture], The wicked borroweth, and payeth not; but the righteous dealeth graciously, and giveth.²⁷Ps. 37, 21.
‘Hasten to settle your account.’ This is good advice offered to the disciples of the wise, that when they have business deals with men of the world not to be neglectful and incur one loss after another.
‘One who gains a good name.’ As it is written, If thou art wise, thou art wise for thyself.²⁸Prov. 9, 12. ‘The empty-headed man cannot be God-fearing.’ Since he is ignorant of the Torah, he does not know how to keep away from sin. ‘The ’am ha-’areẓ cannot be pious.’ Why? Since he has not learnt the words of the Torah, the verse is applied to him, He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer is an abomination.²⁹ibid. XXVIII, 9. ‘The shamefaced cannot learn, the impatient cannot teach.’ This is self-evident! No, [it was necessary to mention it to make clear that it holds good] even in matters of behaviour.
Father³⁰A term of endearment suggested perhaps by Elisha’s cry, my father my father, when Elijah was translated to heaven (2 Kings 2, 12). The phrase ‘Father Elijah’ occurs in Sanh. 113a (Sonc. ed., p. 780). Elijah, may his memory be for good, said, ‘The knowledge of the Torah cannot be spread except by one who is not impatient. I, too, will not reveal myself except to one who is not impatient’. Happy is the man who met [Elijah] and sat with him, for he is assured of being a son of the World to Come.

²¹³A different version of the entire paragraph in Babli, 16a. Rebbi Jacob bar Idi in the name of Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: It happened that the Sages visited Rebbi Dosa ben Hyrkanos²¹⁴A contemporary of Rabban Joḥanan ben Zakkai, already old at the time of the destruction of the Temple. He was almost blind in his old age. to ask him about the daughter’s co-wife. They said to him, are you the one who permits co-wives? He said to them, what did you hear? Dosa ben Hyrkanos? They said to him, ben Hyrkanos. He said to them, my brother Jonathan is exceedingly sharpminded²¹⁵Interpretation of Rashi. and of the students of the House of Shammai. Be careful with him, he has three hundred arguments about the daughter’s co-wife. They went to him. He sent and wrote to him²¹⁶R. Dosa to Jonathan., be careful because the Sages of Israel will visit you. They came and he placed them before him. He lectured²¹⁷About his 300 reasons to permit the co-wives to the brothers. but they did not understand, repeatedly. They started to get drowsy. He said to them, why are you getting drowsy? He started pelting them with pebbles. But some people said, they entered in one door and left in three²¹⁸Defeated.. He sent to say to him²¹⁹Jonathan to Dosa., why did you send to me, the people want to learn and you said to me, these are the Sages of Israel? They came to him²²⁰R. Dosa. and said to him, what do you say in the matter? He said, on this stone²²¹A stone used to crush spices. sat the prophet Ḥaggai and testified to three things: On the daughter’s co-wife that she can be married into priesthood²²²Following the House of Hillel., on Ammon and Moab that they tithe for the poor in a Sabbatical year²²³Mishnah Yadayim 3:3., and on proselytes of Palmyra that they are acceptable to marry into the congregation²²⁴They are reputedly the children of Gentiles from Jewish women. The statement objects to the opinion (Halakhah 7:6) that the child of a Gentile and a Jewish woman, who certainly has to be counted as Jewish, is a bastard. It is known from the Babli that the soldiers of Odenathus of Palmyra in his campaigns in Babylonia abducted Jewish women for their own use.. He said, lift my eyelids so I can see the Sages of Israel. He saw Rebbi Joshua and said to him: “To whom will one teach knowledge²²⁵Is. 28:9. “To whom will one teach knowledge, to whom impart understanding, to those weaned from milk, removed from the breasts.” This determines the start of school for outstanding scholars at age 2. As usual, the part of the verse not quoted is the one intended.?” I remember that his mother brought his crib to the Synagogue that his ears should cling to the words of the Torah. [He saw] Rebbi Aqiba, and said to him: “Lion cubs will be poor and hungry²²⁶Ps. 34:11: “Lion cubs will be poor and hungry, but those who seek the Lord will not lack any good thing.” R. Aqiba at the outset was an ignorant seeker of the Lord..” I know of him that he is a man strong in Torah. He saw Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah and said to him: “I was a youth but became an elder²²⁷Ps. 37:25. A pun is intended; זָקַנְתִּי “I grew old” is turned into “I was appointed as an elder” at age 16, cf. Berakhot 4:1, Note 118..” I know of him that he is the tenth generation from Ezra and their eyes are similar. Rebbi Ḥanina from Sepphoris said, Rebbi Tarphon also was with them and he addressed him as he did Rebbi Eleazar ben Azariah.

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)..”

He said to them: Go out and see what is the best path that a person should stay on, so that he can follow it into the World to Come. Rabbi Eliezer came back and said: A good eye. Rabbi Yehoshua came back and said: A good friend. Rabbi Yosei came back and said: A good neighbor, good desires, and a good wife. Rabbi Shimon said: One who sees what is coming. (Another version says: Like Mordechai the Jew, who saw what was coming.) Rabbi Elazar came back and said: A good heart toward Heaven, and a good heart toward others. [Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai] said to them: I prefer Rabbi Elazar ben Arach’s words, because I see all of your words contained within his words.
He said to them: Go out and see what is the evil path that a person should stay away from, so that he can enter into the World to Come. Rabbi Eliezer came back and said: An evil eye. Rabbi Yehoshua came back and said: An evil friend. Rabbi Yosei came back and said: An evil eye, an evil neighbor, and an evil wife. Rabbi Shimon came back said: One who borrows money and does not pay it back. For one who borrows from people will be punished by God, as it says (Psalms 37:21), “The wicked one borrows and does not repay; the righteous one is generous and keeps giving.” Rabbi Elazar came back and said: An evil heart toward Heaven, an evil heart toward the mitzvot, and an evil heart toward others. [Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai] said to them: I prefer Rabbi Elazar ben Arach’s words, because I see all of your words contained within his words.

Rabbi Dosa ben Hyrcanus would say: Sleeping through the morning, drinking wine in the afternoon, [the chatter of little children, and sitting around in the gathering houses with the common folk; these things drive a person from the world.]
Sleeping through the morning. How so? This teaches that a person should not plan to sleep so late that the time for reciting the Shema will pass. As, if he does sleep that late, he will end up wasting time he could have spent studying Torah, as it says (Proverbs 26:13), (“The door turns on its hinges, but the lazy one is still in his bed.) The lazy one says: There is a leopard in my path. A lion roams the streets.”
Drinking wine in the afternoon. How so? This teaches that a person should not plan to drink in the afternoon, because whenever he does, he ends up wasting all the time he could have spent studying Torah, as it says (Ecclesiastes 10:16), “Woe is the land whose king is a child, and whose ministers eat late in the morning.” And then, “Happy is the land whose king is a free man [and whose ministers eat at the right time; with restraint, not guzzling].” And what is the right time? One might say it is in some future yet to come, as its says (Isaiah 60:22), “I, the Eternal, will bring it about at the right time.” Or (Numbers 23:23), “At the right time Jacob will tell Israel [what God has planned].” The Holy Blessed One said to Bil’am, “At the right time,” not: In the right time; that is, not in the time you live, but at some future time when I redeem Israel.
The chatter of little children. How so? This teaches that a person should not plan, when he is studying in his house, to chat with his wife and his sons and daughters. For when a person is studying in his house, and becomes distracted with his children and the people in his house, he ends up wasting time he could have spent studying Torah, as it says (Joshua 1:8), “Do not let this book of Torah depart from your mouth; reflect on it day and night.”
Sitting around in the gathering houses with the common folk. How so? This teaches that a person should not sit with those who sit around in the marketplace, or he will end up wasting time he could have spent studying Torah, as it says (Psalms 1:1–2), “Happy is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked […for only the Torah of the Eternal does he desire].” Rabbi Meir said: What does it mean [in the continuation of the verse] by “sitting with those who mock”? (Not to sit in) the theaters of mockers (in which they sentence people to death), as it says (Psalms 26:5), “I hated the gathering of evildoers, and I will not sit with the wicked.” (And the evildoers are the wicked, as it says [Psalms 37:9], “For the evildoers will be cut off.” Where is their punishment? In the World to Come, as it says) (Malachi 3:19), “For behold, the day is coming that blazes like an oven, and all the sinister and all those who do wickedness will be like straw.” These “sinister” ones are the mockers, as it says (Proverbs 21:24), “The sinister, arrogant one is called a mocker.”