ר֤וּחַ אַפֵּ֙ינוּ֙ מְשִׁ֣יחַ יְהוָ֔ה נִלְכַּ֖ד בִּשְׁחִיתוֹתָ֑ם אֲשֶׁ֣ר אָמַ֔רְנוּ בְּצִלּ֖וֹ נִֽחְיֶ֥ה בַגּוֹיִֽם׃ (ס)
Дыхание наших ноздрей, помазанников Господних, было взято в их ямы; О ком мы говорили:'Под его тенью Мы будем жить среди народов.'
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
Our Rabbis were taught: Not only does the foregoing apply unto unfriendly armies, but also to peaceful ones [who have no intention of attacking the place, but merely desire to pass through to make war upon others]; for there could not have been a more friendly army than the one which was sent by Pharae N'cho, king of Egypt, to Josiah, king of Judah, and still Josiah lost his life on their account, as it is said (II Chr. 35, 21) But he (Necho, king of Egypt) sent ambassadors to him (Josiah) saying: 'What have I to do with thee, thou king of Judah? I come not against thee this day, but against the house wherewith I have war, and God hath commanded me to make haste: forbear thee from meddling with God who is with me, that He may not destroy thee.' What God could N'cho have had with him? R. Juda said, in the name of Rab: "It was an idol, and for the reason that N'cho had confidence in the idol, Josiah thought that he could surely vanquish him in battle"; And it is written further (Ib. 23) And the archers shot at king Josiah; and the king said to his servants: 'Carry me away; for I am sorely wounded.' What does sorely wounded mean? Said R. Juda, in the name of Rab: "It means that his entire body was perforated by the arrows, like a sieve." Said R. Juda, in the name of Rab: "Why was Josiah punished? Because he did not consult Jeremiah the prophet. When Josiah was dying, Jeremiah the prophet came to visit him and noticed that his lips were moving. Thinking that, God forbid, he was saying something blasphemous on account of the terrible pain he was suffering, Jeremiah bent down and heard Josiah justifying the judgment which had befallen him, reciting the passage (Lam. 1, 18) Righteous is the Lord; for against his orders have I rebelled. Thereupon Jeremiah took up the following text (Ib. 4, 20) The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of our Lord, etc."
Eikhah Rabbah
“The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was captured in their traps; of whom we said: In his shade we will live among the nations” (Lamentations 4:20).
“The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord,” Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] and Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei were sitting and studying the scrolls of Lamentations on Shabbat, the day before the ninth of Av, toward nightfall. They left one alphabetical acrostic. They said: We will go out57They went to eat the third meal on Shabbat before the fast. and finish it tomorrow. When Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] ascended to his house, he stumbled and hurt his finger. He said in his regard: “There are many maladies for the wicked” (Psalms 32:10). Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei said to him: Had we not been engaged in this matter, I would have said this; now, all the more so: “The breath of our nostrils…”58Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had implied that his suffering was due to his own sins. Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei interpreted the verse in Lamentations (4:20) they had just studied as indicating that the leader of the generation can suffer due to the sins of the people of the generation, as “their traps [beshḥitotam]” can be translated as “due to their corruption,” referring to Israel. Thus, he said that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had been injured due to the sins of the generation.
When Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] entered his house, he placed a dry sponge on his wound and tied a reed over it on the outside. Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei said: We learned three matters from him: The sponge does not heal, but rather, it protects the wound;59If it would heal it would be forbidden to place it on the wound on Shabbat, due to the rabbinic prohibition of applying medicine on Shabbat. a reed in the house is prepared;60It is not muktze. and one may read the sacred Writings only from the afternoon onward,61The Rabbis prohibited reading from the books of Writings on Shabbat (see Mishna Shabbat 16:1) so that people would not become engrossed in reading them and fail to attend the public lecture that the Sages would conduct on Shabbat. This prohibition expired in the afternoon, by which time the lecture would be finished. This is proven from the fact that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi did not have enough time in the afternoon to finish studying Lamentations. however one may study its midrash and expound the verses. If it was necessary to check and read the verse, one may bring it and read.
Shmuel said: Any shard of earthenware,62A shard that broke from a vessel before Shabbat is not muktze because it may be used to cover another small vessel. Rabbi Ze’eira said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: The stopper of a barrel and a shard, it is permitted to handle them on Shabbat. If one cast them into the garbage dump, it is prohibited to handle them on Shabbat.
“But one who trusts in the Lord, kindness envelops him” (Psalms 32:10). Rabbi Elazar of Basra and Rabbi Tanḥum in the name of Rabbi Aḥa said: Even one who is wicked but he repented, the Holy One blessed be He accepts him, as it is stated: “But one who trusts in the Lord, kindness envelops him.”
“The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord,” Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] and Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei were sitting and studying the scrolls of Lamentations on Shabbat, the day before the ninth of Av, toward nightfall. They left one alphabetical acrostic. They said: We will go out57They went to eat the third meal on Shabbat before the fast. and finish it tomorrow. When Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] ascended to his house, he stumbled and hurt his finger. He said in his regard: “There are many maladies for the wicked” (Psalms 32:10). Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei said to him: Had we not been engaged in this matter, I would have said this; now, all the more so: “The breath of our nostrils…”58Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had implied that his suffering was due to his own sins. Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei interpreted the verse in Lamentations (4:20) they had just studied as indicating that the leader of the generation can suffer due to the sins of the people of the generation, as “their traps [beshḥitotam]” can be translated as “due to their corruption,” referring to Israel. Thus, he said that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had been injured due to the sins of the generation.
When Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] entered his house, he placed a dry sponge on his wound and tied a reed over it on the outside. Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei said: We learned three matters from him: The sponge does not heal, but rather, it protects the wound;59If it would heal it would be forbidden to place it on the wound on Shabbat, due to the rabbinic prohibition of applying medicine on Shabbat. a reed in the house is prepared;60It is not muktze. and one may read the sacred Writings only from the afternoon onward,61The Rabbis prohibited reading from the books of Writings on Shabbat (see Mishna Shabbat 16:1) so that people would not become engrossed in reading them and fail to attend the public lecture that the Sages would conduct on Shabbat. This prohibition expired in the afternoon, by which time the lecture would be finished. This is proven from the fact that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi did not have enough time in the afternoon to finish studying Lamentations. however one may study its midrash and expound the verses. If it was necessary to check and read the verse, one may bring it and read.
Shmuel said: Any shard of earthenware,62A shard that broke from a vessel before Shabbat is not muktze because it may be used to cover another small vessel. Rabbi Ze’eira said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: The stopper of a barrel and a shard, it is permitted to handle them on Shabbat. If one cast them into the garbage dump, it is prohibited to handle them on Shabbat.
“But one who trusts in the Lord, kindness envelops him” (Psalms 32:10). Rabbi Elazar of Basra and Rabbi Tanḥum in the name of Rabbi Aḥa said: Even one who is wicked but he repented, the Holy One blessed be He accepts him, as it is stated: “But one who trusts in the Lord, kindness envelops him.”
Vayikra Rabbah
Another matter, “a man, if he will have on the skin of his flesh” – that is what is written: “Punishments are prepared for cynics”8Sinners. (Proverbs 19:29); sentences were prepared for cynics. The way of the world is that a person rides a donkey; sometimes it disobeys him and he strikes it, sometimes it is agreeable to him, and he strikes it. However, here, it is for the cynics that punishments and blows are prepared. This is analogous to a noblewoman who entered the king’s palace.9She married him. When she saw the whips hanging, she was afraid. The king said to her: ‘Fear not, those are for the slaves and the maidservants, but you will eat, drink, and rejoice.’ When Israel heard the portion of leprosy, they were afraid. Moses said to them: ‘Fear not, these are for the nations of the world, but you will eat, drink, and rejoice,’ as it is stated: “There are many pains for the wicked, but one trusting in the Lord, kindness surrounds him” (Psalms 32:10).
Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] and Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei were sitting and studying the scroll of Lamentations on the eve of the ninth of Av that coincided with Shabbat, as it was getting dark, in the late afternoon. They did not complete one alphabetical acrostic.10The chapters of Lamentations are arranged in alphabetical acrostics. They said: ‘We will complete it tomorrow.’ When Rabbi ascended [to his house], he stumbled and hurt his small finger. He read in his regard: “There are many pains for the wicked.” Rabbi Yishmael said to him: ‘Had we not been engaged in the matter: “The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was captured in their traps” (Lamentations 4:20), I would have said this; now that we were engaged in it, all the more so.’11Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had implied that his suffering was due to his own sins. Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei interpreted the verse in Lamentations (4:20) they had just studied as indicating that the leader of the generation can suffer due to the sins of the people of the generation. Thus, he said that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had been injured due to the sins of the generation.
When he entered his house, he placed a dry sponge on his wound and tied a reed over it on the outside. Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei said: We learned three matters from his actions: The sponge does not absorb, but rather, it protects the wound.12It does not absorb the pus and thereby heal the wound. If it would do so, it would be forbidden to place it on the wound on Shabbat, due to the rabbinic prohibition of applying medicine on Shabbat. One may tie over it a reed from the house because it is prepared.13It is not muktze. And one may read the sacred Writings only from the afternoon onward;14The Rabbis prohibited reading from the books of Writings on Shabbat (see Mishna Shabbat 16:1) so that people would not become engrossed in reading them and fail to attend the public lecture that the Sages would give. This prohibition expired in the afternoon, by which time the lecture would be finished. This is proven from the fact that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi did not have enough time in the afternoon to finish studying Lamentations. however, one may study its midrash and expound the verses. If it is necessary for a matter to be checked, one may take it and check it.15One may take the scroll to reexamine the verse.
Shmuel said: Any shard of earthenware,16A shard that broke from a vessel before Shabbat is not muktze because it may be used to cover another small vessel. any reed. Rabbi Ze’eira said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: The stopper of a barrel and the shards of [a broken barrel], it is permitted to handle them on Shabbat. But if one cast them into the garbage dump, it is prohibited to handle them.
Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Tanḥum of Basra in the name of Rabbi Yirmeya: Even one who was wicked but repented, the Holy One blessed be He accepts him, as it is stated: “But one trusting in the Lord, kindness surrounds him” (Psalms 32:10).
Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] and Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei were sitting and studying the scroll of Lamentations on the eve of the ninth of Av that coincided with Shabbat, as it was getting dark, in the late afternoon. They did not complete one alphabetical acrostic.10The chapters of Lamentations are arranged in alphabetical acrostics. They said: ‘We will complete it tomorrow.’ When Rabbi ascended [to his house], he stumbled and hurt his small finger. He read in his regard: “There are many pains for the wicked.” Rabbi Yishmael said to him: ‘Had we not been engaged in the matter: “The breath of our nostrils, the anointed of the Lord, was captured in their traps” (Lamentations 4:20), I would have said this; now that we were engaged in it, all the more so.’11Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had implied that his suffering was due to his own sins. Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei interpreted the verse in Lamentations (4:20) they had just studied as indicating that the leader of the generation can suffer due to the sins of the people of the generation. Thus, he said that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi had been injured due to the sins of the generation.
When he entered his house, he placed a dry sponge on his wound and tied a reed over it on the outside. Rabbi Yishmael ben Rabbi Yosei said: We learned three matters from his actions: The sponge does not absorb, but rather, it protects the wound.12It does not absorb the pus and thereby heal the wound. If it would do so, it would be forbidden to place it on the wound on Shabbat, due to the rabbinic prohibition of applying medicine on Shabbat. One may tie over it a reed from the house because it is prepared.13It is not muktze. And one may read the sacred Writings only from the afternoon onward;14The Rabbis prohibited reading from the books of Writings on Shabbat (see Mishna Shabbat 16:1) so that people would not become engrossed in reading them and fail to attend the public lecture that the Sages would give. This prohibition expired in the afternoon, by which time the lecture would be finished. This is proven from the fact that Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi did not have enough time in the afternoon to finish studying Lamentations. however, one may study its midrash and expound the verses. If it is necessary for a matter to be checked, one may take it and check it.15One may take the scroll to reexamine the verse.
Shmuel said: Any shard of earthenware,16A shard that broke from a vessel before Shabbat is not muktze because it may be used to cover another small vessel. any reed. Rabbi Ze’eira said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel: The stopper of a barrel and the shards of [a broken barrel], it is permitted to handle them on Shabbat. But if one cast them into the garbage dump, it is prohibited to handle them.
Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Tanḥum of Basra in the name of Rabbi Yirmeya: Even one who was wicked but repented, the Holy One blessed be He accepts him, as it is stated: “But one trusting in the Lord, kindness surrounds him” (Psalms 32:10).