Талмуд к Мишлей 5:18

Rebbi Jacob bar Abbai¹⁵¹An Israeli Amora of the last generation. His statement is placed here since it gives a different interpretation of the last verse quoted before. In the Babli (loc. cit.) this is also a statement of R. Samuel bar Naḥmani in the name of Rebbi Jonathan, i. e., of the first generations of Israeli Amoraïm. in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: (Eccl. 4:17) “Watch you feet when you go to God’s house”; watch yourself when you are called to God’s house¹⁵²I. e., when you die. that you should be pure and innocent. Rebbi Abba said: (Prov. 5:18) “Your fountain shall be blessed”, your being called to the grave shall be blessed. Rebbi Berekhiah said (Eccl. 3:1): “A time to be born and a time to die”, hail to the man whose hour of death is like the hour of his birth; just as at the hour of his birth he was innocent so at the hour of his death may he be innocent.

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.

Rebbi Aḥa the son of Rebbi Simeon³¹³As noted, read: R. Idi in the name of R. Simon (ben Laqish). in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: No man should stand at an elevated place and pray. What is the reason? Rebbi Abba the son of R. Pappai said: From the depth I call on You, Eternal!³¹⁵Ps. 130:1. Rebbi Ada bar Simeon in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan said: No man should pray when he has an urge to go to the bathroom. What is the reason? Israel, prepare yourself before Your God.³¹⁶Am. 4:12. Rebbi Alexandri said: Watch your feet when you go to God’s house³¹⁷Eccl. 4:17.; watch yourself from the drops that drip from between your feet. That means, for urine. But for defecation, if he can bear it, let him bear it. Rebbi Jacob bar Abiah in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: Watch your feet when you go to God’s house; watch yourself when you are called to God’s house that you should be pure and innocent. Rebbi Abba said: Your fountain shall be blessed³¹⁸Prov. 5:18., your being called to the grave shall be blessed. Rebbi Berekhiah said: A time to be born and a time to die³¹⁹Eccl. 3:2., hail to the man whose hour of death is like the hour of his birth; just as at the hour of his birth he was innocent so at the hour of his death may he be innocent.