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Today’s Daf – Bekhorot 2 / Sep. 20th, 2026 / ט׳ בתשרי תשפ״ז
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This month’s learning is sponsored by Adam, Carolyn, Michal, Josh, Benny, Izzy, Gali, Shim, Zoe, Zachy and Yehuda in loving memory of Fred Hochstadter, Ephraim ben Kayla veBaruch on his 18th yahrzeit on ח׳ אלול. “We continue to be inspired by his dedication to daily learning, from the Daf and beyond, to its surrounding philosophical, historical and legal nuances. We miss him greatly and can only strive to emulate his wise, kind and elegant ways.”
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Today’s shiur is dedicated for a refuah shleima to Rav Adin Steinsaltz, HaRav Adin ben Rivka Leah.
The gemara explains verses in Kohelet that describe the deterioration of the body as one gets older as well as what happens to the body and soul after death. various stories involving conversations and something arguments are brought that connect with the ideas discussed. Where does the soul of the righteous, evil and average people go after death. Do the bodies of righteous people decompose?
This month’s learning is sponsored by Adam, Carolyn, Michal, Josh, Benny, Izzy, Gali, Shim, Zoe, Zachy and Yehuda in loving memory of Fred Hochstadter, Ephraim ben Kayla veBaruch on his 18th yahrzeit on ח׳ אלול. “We continue to be inspired by his dedication to daily learning, from the Daf and beyond, to its surrounding philosophical, historical and legal nuances. We miss him greatly and can only strive to emulate his wise, kind and elegant ways.”
וְשֶׁל בֵּית הַכִּסֵּא — רָעוֹת. שֶׁל סַם וְשֶׁל שְׂחוֹק וְשֶׁל פֵּירוֹת — יָפוֹת.
and from pain in the bathroom are bad for the eyes. Tears that come from medicinal drugs, and from laughter, and from sharp produce are good for the eyes.
״בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיָּזוּעוּ שׁוֹמְרֵי הַבַּיִת וְהִתְעַוְּתוּ וְגוֹ׳״. ״בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיָּזוּעוּ שׁוֹמְרֵי הַבַּיִת״ — אֵלּוּ הַכְּסָלִים וְהַצְּלָעוֹת. ״וְהִתְעַוְּתוּ אַנְשֵׁי הֶחָיִל״ — אֵלּוּ שׁוֹקַיִם. ״וּבָטְלוּ הַטּוֹחֲנוֹת״ — אֵלּוּ שִׁינַּיִם. ״וְחָשְׁכוּ הָרוֹאוֹת בַּאֲרוּבּוֹת״ — אֵלּוּ עֵינַיִם.
The Gemara continues to interpret verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse states: “On the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out the windows shall be dimmed” (Ecclesiastes 12:3). “On the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble”; this is referring to the flanks and ribs that surround and protect a person’s internal organs. “And the strong men shall bow themselves”; these are the thighs, which support a person’s strength. “And the grinders cease”; these are the teeth, which decay and fall out. “And those that look out the windows shall be dimmed”; these are the eyes, which become dimmer.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ קֵיסָר לְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן חֲנַנְיָה: מַאי טַעְמָא לָא אָתֵית לְבֵי אֲבִידָן? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: טוּר תְּלַג סַחְרָנוֹהִי גְּלִידִין. כַּלְבוֹהִי לָא נָבְחִין. טָחֲנוֹהִי לָא טָחֲנִין. בֵּי רַב אָמְרִי: אַדְּלָא אַבֵּידְנָא, בָּחֵישְׁנָא.
The Gemara relates: The Roman emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: What is the reason you did not come to the House of Avidan? This was a place in which dialogues and debates were conducted. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya said to him enigmatically: The snowy mountain is surrounded with ice, meaning that his hair had turned white; his dogs do not bark, meaning that his voice could no longer be heard; his grinders have ceased grinding, meaning that his teeth had fallen out. In the school of Rav they say that he added: I am searching for that which I have not lost, because an old man walks bent over and appears to be searching for something.
תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר קִיסְמָא אוֹמֵר: טָבָא תְּרֵי מִתְּלָת. וַוי לַהּ לַחֲדָא דְּאָזְלָא וְלָא אָתְיָא. מַאי הִיא? אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: יַנְקוּתָא. כִּי אֲתָא רַב דִּימִי אָמַר: יַנְקוּתָא — כְּלִילָא דְּוַורְדָּא, סָבוּתָא — כְּלִילָא דְחִילְפָא. תָּנָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר: דּוֹק בְּכַכֵּי וְתַשְׁכַּח בְּנִיגְרֵי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַנִּשְׂבַּע לֶחֶם וַנִּהְיֶה טוֹבִים וְרָעָה לֹא רָאִינוּ״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ שְׁמוּאֵל לְרַב יְהוּדָה: שִׁינָּנָא, שְׁרֵי שַׂקָּיךָ וְעַיֵּיל לַחְמָךְ. עַד אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין — מֵיכְלָא מְעַלֵּי, מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ — מִשְׁתְּיָא מְעַלֵּי.
It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei bar Kisma says: The two feet of one’s youth are better than the three of old age, when one walks with a cane. Woe to the one who goes and does not come back. What is this referring to? Rav Ḥisda said: Youth. Similarly, when Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said: Youth is a crown of roses; old age is a crown of thorns. The Sage taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: Grind food with your teeth and you will find in your feet the strength to carry your body, as it is stated: “For we were sated with our bread and were well, and saw no evil” (Jeremiah 44:17). Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda: Large-toothed one; untie your sack, that is, your mouth, and insert your food. Until the age of forty years, food is beneficial; from here and on, drinking is beneficial.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ הָהוּא גּוֹזָאָה לְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קׇרְחָה: מֵהָכָא לְקַרְחִינָא כַּמָּה הָוֵי? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: כְּמֵהָכָא לְגוֹזַנְיָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: בַּרְחָא קַרְחָא בְּאַרְבְּעָה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: עִיקְרָא שְׁלִיפָא בִּתְמָנְיָא.
Having quoted some aphorisms of the Sages, the Gemara relates the following conversation: A certain eunuch who was an apostate said the following to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa as a provocation: How far is it from here to Karḥina? The provocateur’s intention was to hint to the fact that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa was bald [kere’aḥ]. He said to him: It is the same as the distance from here to the mountains of Gozen, hinting at the eunuch’s castration, which in Aramaic is goza (Rav Ya’akov Emden). The apostate said to him: A bald buck is sold for four dinar. He said to him: A castrated goat [ikkara shelifa] is sold for eight.
חַזְיֵיהּ דְּלָא סָיֵים מְסָאנֵיהּ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: דְּעַל סוּס — מֶלֶךְ, דְּעַל חֲמוֹר — בֶּן חוֹרִין, וּדְמַנְעָלֵי בְּרִיגְלוֹהִי — בַּר אִינִישׁ. דְּלָא הָא וְלָא הָא — דַּחֲפִיר וּקְבִיר טָב מִינֵּיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: גּוֹזָא גּוֹזָא, תְּלָת אֲמַרְתְּ לִי, תְּלָת שָׁמְעַתְּ: הַדְרַת פָּנִים — זָקָן, שִׂמְחַת לֵב — אִשָּׁה, ״נַחֲלַת ה׳ — בָּנִים״. בָּרוּךְ הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁמְּנָעֲךָ מִכּוּלָּם. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: קָרְחָא מְצַוֵּי?! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: עִיקְרָא שְׁלִיפָא תּוֹכֵחָה!
The apostate saw that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa was not wearing shoes. He said to him: One who rides on a horse is a king. One who rides on a donkey is a free man. And one who wears shoes is at least a human being. One who does neither this nor that, someone who is buried in the earth is better than him. He said to him: Eunuch, eunuch, you said to me three things, and now hear three things: The glory of a face is the beard, the joy of the heart is a wife, and “the portion of the Lord is children” (Psalms 127:3); blessed is the Omnipresent who has denied you all of them, for a eunuch does not have a beard, a wife or children. He said to him: Does a bald man quarrel? He said to him: Does a castrated male goat speak words of rebuke?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי לְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן חֲלַפְתָּא: מִפְּנֵי מָה לֹא הִקְבַּלְנוּ פָּנֶיךָ בָּרֶגֶל, כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהִקְבִּילוּ אֲבוֹתַי לַאֲבוֹתֶיךָ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: סְלָעִים נַעֲשׂוּ גְּבוֹהִים, קְרוֹבִים נַעֲשׂוּ רְחוֹקִים, מִשְׁתַּיִם נַעֲשׂוּ שָׁלֹשׁ, מֵשִׂים שָׁלוֹם בַּבַּיִת בָּטַל.
The Gemara again addresses old age: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta: For what reason did we not greet you during the Festival the way that my fathers greeted your fathers? This was a polite way of asking Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta why he had not come to visit Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. He said to him: Because I have grown old, and the rocks on the road have become tall, and destinations that are near have become far away, and my two feet have been made into three with the addition of a cane, and that which brings peace to the house, namely, the sexual drive which motivates a couple to make peace, is no more.
״וְסֻגְּרוּ דְלָתַיִם בַּשּׁוּק וְגוֹ׳״ — אֵלּוּ נְקָבָיו שֶׁל אָדָם. ״בִּשְׁפַל קוֹל הַטַּחֲנָה״ — בִּשְׁבִיל קוּרְקְבָן שֶׁאֵינוֹ טוֹחֵן. ״וְיָקוּם לְקוֹל הַצִּפּוֹר״ — שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ צִפּוֹר מְנַעַרְתּוֹ מִשְּׁנָתוֹ. ״וְיִשַּׁחוּ כׇּל בְּנוֹת הַשִּׁיר״ — שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ קוֹל שָׁרִים וְשָׁרוֹת דּוֹמוֹת עָלָיו כְּשִׂיחָה.
The Gemara continues to expound the verses of the final chapter of Ecclesiastes. The verse states: “And the doors shall be shut in the marketplace when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall start up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low” (Ecclesiastes 12:4). The Sages expounded: “And the doors shall be shut in the marketplace”; these are a person’s orifices, which cease to function normally. The interpretation continues: “When the sound of the grinding is low”; because the stomach is not grinding and digesting one’s food. “And one shall start up at the voice of a bird”; because one is unable to sleep deeply such that even a bird will wake him from his sleep. “And all the daughters of music shall be brought low”; this means that even the voices of male and female singers will seem to him like mere conversation, and he will no longer derive pleasure from song.
וְאַף בַּרְזִילַּי הַגִּלְעָדִי אָמַר לְדָוִד: ״בֶּן שְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם הַאֵדַע בֵּין טוֹב לְרָע״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁדַּעְתָּן שֶׁל זְקֵנִים מִשְׁתַּנּוֹת. ״אִם יִטְעַם עַבְדְּךָ אֶת אֲשֶׁר אוֹכַל וְאֶת אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁתֶּה״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁשִּׂפְתוֹתֵיהֶן שֶׁל זְקֵנִים מִתְרַפְּטוֹת. ״אִם אֶשְׁמַע עוֹד בְּקוֹל שָׁרִים וְשָׁרוֹת״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁאׇזְנֵיהֶם שֶׁל זְקֵנִים מִתְכַּבְּדוֹת.
And even Barzilai the Gileadite said to David: “Today I am eighty years old, can I discern between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women?” (II Samuel 19:36). The Gemara explains: “Can I discern between good and bad”; from here we derive that the minds of the elderly change and they no longer discern properly. “Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink”; from here we derive that the lips of the elderly crack and wither. “Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women”; from here we derive that the ears of the elderly become heavy.
אָמַר רַב: בַּרְזִילַּי הַגִּלְעָדִי שַׁקָּרָא הֲוָה. דְּהַהִיא אַמְּתָא דַּהֲוַאי בֵּי רַבִּי בַּת תִּשְׁעִין וְתַרְתֵּין שְׁנִין, וַהֲוָת טָעֲמָא קִידְרָא. רָבָא אָמַר: בַּרְזִילַּי הַגִּלְעָדִי שָׁטוּף בְּזִמָּה הֲוָה, וְכׇל הַשָּׁטוּף בְּזִמָּה — זִקְנָה קוֹפֶצֶת עָלָיו. תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁמַּזְקִינִין — חָכְמָה נִתּוֹסֶפֶת בָּהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בִּישִׁישִׁים חׇכְמָה וְאוֹרֶךְ יָמִים תְּבוּנָה״. וְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁמַּזְקִינִין — טִפְּשׁוּת נִתּוֹסֶפֶת בָּהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מֵסִיר שָׂפָה לְנֶאֱמָנִים וְטַעַם זְקֵנִים יִקָּח״.
Rav said: Barzilai the Gileadite was a liar and he merely wanted to avoid joining David upon his return to Jerusalem, for an eighty-year old man is not usually this debilitated. For there was a particular maidservant in the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi who was ninety-two years old, and she would taste the food that was cooking in the pots. Rava said: Barzilai was speaking the truth, but Barzilai the Gileadite was steeped in promiscuity, and anyone who is steeped in promiscuity is overtaken by old age before his time. It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, says: As Torah scholars grow older, wisdom is increased in them, as it is stated: “With aged men is wisdom; and length of days brings understanding” (Job 12:12). And as ignoramuses grow older, foolishness is increased in them, as it is stated: “He removes the speech of men of trust and takes away the understanding of the aged” (Job 12:20).
״גַּם מִגָּבוֹהַּ יִירָאוּ״ — שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ גַּבְשׁוּשִׁית קְטַנָּה דּוֹמָה עָלָיו כְּהָרֵי הָרִים. ״וְחַתְחַתִּים בַּדֶּרֶךְ״ — בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמְּהַלֵּךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ תְּוָהִים. ״וְיָנֵאץ הַשָּׁקֵד״ — זוֹ קְלִיבוֹסֶת. ״וְיִסְתַּבֵּל הֶחָגָב״ — אֵלּוּ עֲגָבוֹת. ״וְתָפֵר הָאֲבִיּוֹנָה״ — זוֹ חֶמְדָּה.
The Gemara continues interpreting verses from Ecclesiastes. The verse states: “Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high and terrors shall be on the road, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall drag itself along, and the caper berry shall fail, for a person goes to his eternal home, and the mourners circle the marketplace” (Ecclesiastes 12:5). The Gemara explains: “Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high”; this means that even a small knoll on the road seems to him, the elderly, like the highest of mountains. “And terrors shall be on the road”; this means that while he is walking on the road he will have terrors, i.e., he will fear falling or otherwise suffering injury. “And the almond tree shall blossom”; this is the hip bone that protrudes from the skin of an elderly person. “And the grasshopper [ḥagav] shall drag itself along [yistabbel]”; by replacing the letter ḥet of ḥagav with an ayin, this can be understood as referring to the buttocks [agavot] which become heavy [sevel]. “And the caper berry shall fail”; this is sexual desire that ceases.
רַב כָּהֲנָא הֲוָה פָּסֵיק סִידְרָא קַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב. כִּי מְטָא לְהַאי קְרָא, נְגֵיד וְאִתְּנַח. אֲמַר, שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ בְּטֵל לֵיהּ חֶמְדֵּיהּ דְּרַב. אָמַר רַב כָּהֲנָא, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי הוּא אָמַר וַיֶּהִי״ — זוֹ אִשָּׁה. ״הוּא צִוָּה וַיַּעֲמוֹד״ — אֵלּוּ בָּנִים. תָּנָא: אִשָּׁה חֵמֶת מָלֵא צוֹאָה, וּפִיהָ מָלֵא דָּם — וְהַכֹּל רָצִין אַחֲרֶיהָ.
The Gemara relates that Rav Kahana was reading biblical verses before Rav. When he got to this verse, Rav sighed. Rav Kahana said: We can derive from this that Rav’s desire has ceased. Rav Kahana also said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For He spoke and it was, He commanded and it stood” (Psalms 33:9)? He understands this to mean that God created man with desires that push him to do things he would not do if he acted purely on the judgment of his intellect, and Rav Kahana therefore interprets the verse in the following manner: “For He spoke and it was”; this is a woman that a man marries. “He commanded and it stood”; these are the children who one works hard to raise. A tanna taught in a baraita: A woman is essentially a flask full of feces, a reference to the digestive system, and her mouth is full of blood, a euphemistic reference to menstruation, yet men are not deterred and they all run after her with desire.
״כִּי הוֹלֵךְ הָאָדָם אֶל בֵּית עוֹלָמוֹ״, אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכׇּל צַדִּיק וְצַדִּיק נוֹתְנִין לוֹ מָדוֹר לְפִי כְּבוֹדוֹ. מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁנִּכְנָס הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו לָעִיר, כְּשֶׁהֵן נִכְנָסִין — כּוּלָּן בְּשַׁעַר אֶחָד נִכְנָסִין, כְּשֶׁהֵן לָנִין — כׇּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד נוֹתְנִין לוֹ מָדוֹר לְפִי כְּבוֹדוֹ.
The Gemara interprets the continuation of the verse cited above: “For a person goes to his eternal home” (Ecclesiastes 12:5). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This teaches that each and every righteous person is given a dwelling place in the World-to-Come in accordance with his honor. The Gemara offers a parable in which a king enters a city along with his servants. When they enter, they all enter through a single gate; however, when they sleep, each one is given a dwelling place in accordance with his honor. So too, although everyone dies, not everyone receives the same reward in the World-to-Come.
וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי הַיַּלְדוּת וְהַשַּׁחֲרוּת הָבֶל״ — דְּבָרִים שֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה בְּיַלְדוּתוֹ מַשְׁחִירִים פָּנָיו לְעֵת זִקְנָתוֹ.
And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For childhood and youth [shaḥarut] are vanity” (Ecclesiastes 11:10)? Sinful things that a person does in his youth darken [mashḥirim] his face with shame as he grows old (Rabbi Yoshiya Pinto).
וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: קָשָׁה רִימָּה לַמֵּת כְּמַחַט בַּבָּשָׂר הַחַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אַךְ בְּשָׂרוֹ עָלָיו יִכְאָב״. אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: נַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מִתְאַבֶּלֶת עָלָיו כׇּל שִׁבְעָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְנַפְשׁוֹ עָלָיו תֶּאֱבָל״, וּכְתִיב: ״וַיַּעַשׂ לְאָבִיו אֵבֶל שִׁבְעַת יָמִים״.
And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The maggots that eat the flesh of the deceased are as painful to the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living, as it says with regard to the dead: “But his flesh is in pain for him, and his soul mourns over him” (Job 14:22). Rav Ḥisda said: A person’s soul mourns for him during all seven days of mourning following his death, as it is stated: And his soul mourns over him,” and it is also written: “And he mourned his father seven days” (Genesis 50:10).
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: מֵת שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מְנַחֲמִין — הוֹלְכִין עֲשָׂרָה בְּנֵי אָדָם וְיוֹשְׁבִין בִּמְקוֹמוֹ. הָהוּא דִּשְׁכֵיב בְּשִׁבָבוּתֵיהּ דְּרַב יְהוּדָה, לֹא הָיוּ לוֹ מְנַחֲמִין,
Rav Yehuda said: In the case of a deceased person who has no comforters, i.e., he has nobody to mourn for him, ten people should go and sit in his place and accept condolences. The Gemara relates the story of a certain person who died in Rav Yehuda’s neighborhood and who did not have any comforters, i.e., mourners;
כׇּל יוֹמָא הֲוָה דָּבַר רַב יְהוּדָה בֵּי עַשְׂרָה, וְיָתְבִי בְּדוּכְתֵּיהּ. לְאַחַר שִׁבְעָה יָמִים אִיתְחֲזִי לֵיהּ בְּחֶילְמֵיהּ דְּרַב יְהוּדָה, וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ: תָּנוּחַ דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁהִנַּחְתָּ אֶת דַּעְתִּי.
every day of the seven-day mourning period, Rav Yehuda would take ten people and they would sit in his place, in the house of the deceased. After seven days had passed the deceased appeared to Rav Yehuda in his dream and said to him: Put your mind to rest, for you have put my mind to rest.
אָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: כׇּל שֶׁאוֹמְרִים בִּפְנֵי הַמֵּת, יוֹדֵעַ, עַד שֶׁיִּסָּתֵם הַגּוֹלֵל. פְּלִיגִי בַּהּ רַבִּי חִיָּיא וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בְּרַבִּי. חַד אָמַר: עַד שֶׁיִּסָּתֵם הַגּוֹלֵל, וְחַד אָמַר: עַד שֶׁיִּתְעַכֵּל הַבָּשָׂר.
Rabbi Abbahu said: Everything people say before the deceased, he knows, until the tomb is sealed with the top-stone. Rabbi Ḥiyya and Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, disagreed with regard to the meaning of this statement. One of them said that the deceased is aware until the tomb is sealed with the top-stone, which is referring to the covering of the grave (Tosafot). And one of them said that it is until the flesh decomposes.
מַאן דְּאָמַר עַד שֶׁיִּתְעַכֵּל הַבָּשָׂר, דִּכְתִיב: ״אַךְ בְּשָׂרוֹ עָלָיו יִכְאָב וְנַפְשׁוֹ עָלָיו תֶּאֱבָל״. מַאן דְּאָמַר עַד שֶׁיִּסָּתֵם הַגּוֹלֵל, דִּכְתִיב: ״וְיָשׁוֹב הֶעָפָר עַל הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה וְגוֹ׳״.
The one who said that it is until the flesh decomposes can support his position based on that which is written in the following verse: “But his flesh grieves for him, and his soul mourns over him” (Job 14:22). This indicates that the deceased is aware of the pain of his flesh in the grave. The one who said that the deceased is aware only until the tomb is sealed with the top-stone can support his view based on that which is written in a different verse: “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This indicates that when the body returns to the earth, the spirit also returns to its place and is no longer aware of what is happening to the body.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ״ — תְּנָהּ לוֹ כְּמוֹ שֶׁנְּתָנָהּ לְךָ, בְּטׇהֳרָה — אַף אַתָּה בְּטָהֳרָה. מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם שֶׁחָלַק בִּגְדֵי מַלְכוּת לַעֲבָדָיו. פִּקְחִין שֶׁבָּהֶן, קִיפְּלוּם וְהִנִּיחוּם בְּקוּפְסָא. טִפְּשִׁים שֶׁבָּהֶן, הָלְכוּ וְעָשׂוּ בָּהֶן מְלָאכָה. לְיָמִים בִּיקֵּשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת כֵּלָיו, פִּקְחִין שֶׁבָּהֶן הֶחֱזִירוּם לוֹ כְּשֶׁהֵן מְגוֹהָצִין, טִפְּשִׁין שֶׁבָּהֶן הֶחֱזִירוּם לוֹ כְּשֶׁהֵן מְלוּכְלָכִין. שָׂמֵחַ הַמֶּלֶךְ לִקְרַאת פִּקְחִין, וְכָעַס לִקְרַאת טִפְּשִׁין.
The Sages taught with regard to the verse: “And the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7) that the words: Who gave it, mean: As it was given. In other words, give it to Him as He gave it to you; just as He gave it to you in purity, you too should return it to God in purity. The Gemara cites a parable of a king of flesh and blood who distributed royal garments to his servants. The wise ones folded them and placed them in a box [kufsa] to protect them, whereas the foolish ones went and worked in them. After a period of time the king requested that his garments be returned to him. The wise ones returned them to him pressed, as they were when the servants received them, and the foolish ones returned them dirty. The king was happy to greet the wise ones and angry to greet the foolish ones.
עַל פִּקְחִין אָמַר: יִנָּתְנוּ כֵּלַי לָאוֹצָר, וְהֵם יֵלְכוּ לְבָתֵּיהֶם לְשָׁלוֹם. וְעַל טִפְּשִׁין אָמַר: כֵּלַי יִנָּתְנוּ לְכוֹבֵס, וְהֵן יֵחָבְשׁוּ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִים.
With regard to the wise ones he said: My garments shall be given back to the storehouse, and let them go to their homes in peace. And with regard to the foolish ones he said: My garments shall be given to the launderer, and they, the fools, will be locked up in prison as a punishment for degrading the king’s garments for their own purposes.
אַף הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, עַל גּוּפָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים אוֹמֵר: ״יָבֹא שָׁלוֹם יָנוּחוּ עַל מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם״, וְעַל נִשְׁמָתָן הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וְהָיְתָה נֶפֶשׁ אֲדוֹנִי צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים״. עַל גּוּפָן שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״אֵין שָׁלוֹם אָמַר ה׳ לָרְשָׁעִים״, וְעַל נִשְׁמָתָן הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וְאֵת נֶפֶשׁ אוֹיְבֶיךָ יְקַלְּעֶנָּה בְּתוֹךְ כַּף הַקָּלַע״.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, also acts in this way. With regard to the bodies of the righteous, which are likened to the royal garments that are well kept, it states: “He enters into peace, they rest on their beds each one that walks in his uprightness” (Isaiah 57:2). And with regard to their souls, it states: “And the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord your God” (I Samuel 25:29). And conversely, with regard to the bodies of the wicked, it states: “There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21), and with regard to their souls, it states: “And the souls of your enemies He shall sling out in the hollow of a sling” (I Samuel 25:29).
תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: נִשְׁמָתָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים גְּנוּזוֹת תַּחַת כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהָיְתָה נֶפֶשׁ אֲדֹנִי צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים״. וְשֶׁל רְשָׁעִים זוֹמְמוֹת וְהוֹלְכוֹת, [וּמַלְאָךְ אֶחָד עוֹמֵד בְּסוֹף הָעוֹלָם, וּמַלְאָךְ אַחֵר עוֹמֵד בְּסוֹף הָעוֹלָם, וּמְקַלְּעִין נִשְׁמָתָן זֶה לָזֶה,] שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאֵת נֶפֶשׁ אוֹיְבֶיךָ יְקַלְּעֶנָּה בְּתוֹךְ כַּף הַקָּלַע״.
It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: The souls of the righteous are stored beneath the Throne of Glory, as it is stated: “And the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life” (I Samuel 25:29). And the souls of the wicked are continuously tied up, and one angel stands at one end of the world and another angel stands at the other end of the world and they sling the souls of the wicked back and forth to one another, as it is stated: “And the souls of your enemies He shall sling out in the hollow of a sling” (I Samuel 25:29).
אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבָּה לְרַב נַחְמָן: שֶׁל בֵּינוֹנִים מַאי? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִיכּוֹ שָׁכֵיבְנָא, לָא אֲמַרִי לְכוּ הַאי מִילְּתָא, הָכִי אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: אֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ לְדוּמָה נִמְסָרִין. הַלָּלוּ, יֵשׁ לָהֶן מָנוֹחַ. הַלָּלוּ, אֵין לָהֶן מָנוֹחַ. אָמַר (לֵיהּ) רַב מָרִי: עֲתִידִי צַדִּיקֵי דְּהָווּ עַפְרָא, דִּכְתִיב: ״וְיָשׁוֹב הֶעָפָר עַל הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה״.
Rabba said to Rav Naḥman: What happens to the souls of middling people, who are neither righteous nor wicked? Rav Naḥman said to him: It is good that you asked me this question, for even if I were dead I would not have been able to tell you that. As Shmuel said as follows: These and those, the souls of the wicked and of the middling people, are handed over to Duma, the angel in charge of spirits. But these, the souls of the middling people, have rest, and these, the souls of the wicked, do not have rest. Rav Mari said: Even the bodies of the righteous will not be preserved and will become dust, as it is written: “And the dust returns to the earth as it was” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
הָנְהוּ קָפוֹלָאֵי דַּהֲווֹ קָפְלִי בְּאַרְעָא דְּרַב נַחְמָן. נְחַר בְּהוּ רַב אַחַאי בַּר יֹאשִׁיָּה. אֲתוֹ וַאֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ לְרַב נַחְמָן: נְחַר בַּן גַּבְרָא. אֲתָא וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ: מַאן נִיהוּ מָר? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אֲנָא אַחַאי בַּר יֹאשִׁיָּה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וְלָאו אָמַר רַב מָרִי: עֲתִידִי צַדִּיקֵי דְּהָווּ עַפְרָא? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וּמַנִּי מָרִי דְּלָא יָדַעְנָא לֵיהּ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וְהָא קְרָא כְּתִיב: ״וְיָשׁוֹב הֶעָפָר עַל הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה״!
The Gemara cites a related story: The diggers who were digging in Rav Naḥman’s land came upon a grave, and Rav Aḥai bar Yoshiya, who was buried there, rebuked them. They came and said to Rav Naḥman: A deceased person just rebuked us. Rav Naḥman came and said to the person buried there: Who is the Master, i.e., who are you? He said to him: I am Aḥai bar Yoshiya. Rav Naḥman said to him: How has your body been preserved? Didn’t Rav Mari say that the righteous will turn to dust? Rav Aḥai said to him: And who is Mari, whom I do not know? Why should I be concerned about what he says? Rav Naḥman said to him: Even without Rav Mari’s statement, there is an explicit verse which is written: “And the dust will return to the earth as it was” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: דְּאַקְרְיָיךְ קֹהֶלֶת, לָא אַקְרְיָיךְ מִשְׁלֵי, דִּכְתִיב: ״וּרְקַב עֲצָמוֹת קִנְאָה״. כָּל מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ קִנְאָה בְּלִבּוֹ — עַצְמוֹתָיו מַרְקִיבִים, כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לוֹ קִנְאָה בְּלִבּוֹ — אֵין עַצְמוֹתָיו מַרְקִיבִים.
Rav Aḥai said to him: Whoever taught you the book of Ecclesiastes did not teach you the book of Proverbs, for it is written in Proverbs: “A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is the rotting of the bones” (Proverbs 14:30). This means that anyone who has envy in his heart during his lifetime, his bones rot in the grave, and anyone who does not have envy in his heart, his bones do not rot.
גַּשְּׁשֵׁיהּ, חַזְיֵיהּ דְּאִית בֵּיהּ מְשָׁשָׁא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לֵיקוּם מָר לְגַוֵּויהּ דְּבֵיתָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: גַּלֵּית אַדַּעְתָּךְ דַּאֲפִילּוּ נְבִיאֵי לָא קְרֵית, דִּכְתִיב: ״וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי ה׳ בְּפִתְחִי אֶת קִבְרוֹתֵיכֶם״.
Rav Naḥman touched him and saw that he had substance. Rav Naḥman said to him: Let the Master arise and come into my house. Rav Aḥai said to him: You have revealed that you have not even studied Prophets, and it is not just the Writings of which you are ignorant, for it is written: “And you shall know that I am the Lord when I open up your graves and lift you up from your graves, My nation” (Ezekiel 37:13). As long as the dead have not been instructed to leave their graves, leaving of their own accord is prohibited.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ, וְהָכְתִיב: ״כִּי עָפָר אַתָּה וְאֶל עָפָר תָּשׁוּב״! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הָהוּא שָׁעָה אַחַת קוֹדֶם תְּחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים.
Rav Naḥman once again asked Rav Aḥai about the preservation of the flesh, and he said: But it is written: “For you are dust and you shall return to dust” (Genesis 3:19), so why has your body not turned into dust? He said to him: That verse applies to the righteous only one hour before the resurrection of the dead, so that they, too, may be created anew (Maharsha).
אֲמַר לֵיהּ הָהוּא מִינָא לְרַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: אָמְרִיתוּ נִשְׁמָתָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים גְּנוּזוֹת תַּחַת כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד. אוֹבָא טַמְיָא, הֵיכָא אַסְּקֵיהּ לִשְׁמוּאֵל בִּנְגִידָא? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הָתָם בְּתוֹךְ שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הֲוָה, דְּתַנְיָא: כׇּל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ גּוּפוֹ קַיָּים, וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ עוֹלָה וְיוֹרֶדֶת. לְאַחַר שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הַגּוּף בָּטֵל
A certain apostate once said to Rabbi Abbahu: You say that the souls of the righteous are stored beneath the Throne of Glory, but if so, how did the oracle woman raise up Samuel using necromancy if his soul was no longer in this world? Rabbi Abbahu said to him: There, it was within twelve months of his death, as it was taught in a baraita: For a full twelve months a deceased person’s body remains and his soul ascends and descends, such that it is sometimes in this world with its body. After twelve months, the body ceases to exist
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I never thought I’d be able to do Daf Yomi till I saw the video of Hadran’s Siyum HaShas. Now, 2 years later, I’m about to participate in Siyum Seder Mo’ed with my Hadran community. It has been an incredible privilege to learn with Rabbanit Michelle and to get to know so many caring, talented and knowledgeable women. I look forward with great anticipation and excitement to learning Seder Nashim.
Karmiel, Israel
I started learning daf in January, 2020, being inspired by watching the Siyyum Hashas in Binyanei Haumah. I wasn’t sure I would be able to keep up with the task. When I went to school, Gemara was not an option. Fast forward to March, 2022, and each day starts with the daf. The challenge is now learning the intricacies of delving into the actual learning. Hadran community, thank you!
Riverdale, NY, United States
After experiences over the years of asking to join gemara shiurim for men and either being refused by the maggid shiur or being the only women there, sometimes behind a mechitza, I found out about Hadran sometime during the tail end of Masechet Shabbat, I think. Life has been much better since then.
London, United Kingdom
Hearing and reading about the siyumim at the completion of the 13 th cycle Daf Yomi asked our shul rabbi about starting the Daf – he directed me to another shiur in town he thought would allow a woman to join, and so I did! Love seeing the sources for the Divrei Torah I’ve been hearing for the past decades of living an observant life and raising 5 children .
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States
Phoenix, AZ, United States
תמיד רציתי. למדתי גמרא בבית ספר בטורונטו קנדה. עליתי ארצה ולמדתי שזה לא מקובל. הופתעתי.
יצאתי לגימלאות לפני שנתיים וזה מאפשר את המחוייבות לדף יומי.
עבורי ההתמדה בלימוד מעגן אותי בקשר שלי ליהדות. אני תמיד מחפשת ותמיד. מוצאת מקור לקשר. ללימוד חדש ומחדש. קשר עם נשים לומדות מעמיק את החוויה ומשמעותית מאוד.
מיתר, ישראל
Ive been learning Gmara since 5th grade and always loved it. Have always wanted to do Daf Yomi and now with Michelle Farber’s online classes it made it much easier to do! Really enjoying the experience thank you!!
Neve Daniel, Israel
I was inspired to start learning after attending the 2020 siyum in Binyanei Hauma. It has been a great experience for me. It’s amazing to see the origins of stories I’ve heard and rituals I’ve participated in my whole life. Even when I don’t understand the daf itself, I believe that the commitment to learning every day is valuable and has multiple benefits. And there will be another daf tomorrow!
Jerusalem, Israel
Having never learned Talmud before, I started Daf Yomi in hopes of connecting to the Rabbinic tradition, sharing a daily idea on Instagram (@dafyomiadventures). With Hadran and Sefaria, I slowly gained confidence in my skills and understanding. Now, part of the Pardes Jewish Educators Program, I can’t wait to bring this love of learning with me as I continue to pass it on to my future students.
Pennsylvania, United States
Minnesota, United States
When the new cycle began, I thought, If not now, when? I’d just turned 72. I feel like a tourist on a tour bus passing astonishing scenery each day. Rabbanit Michelle is my beloved tour guide. When the cycle ends, I’ll be 80. I pray that I’ll have strength and mind to continue the journey to glimpse a little more. My grandchildren think having a daf-learning savta is cool!
Jerusalem, Israel
I began my journey two years ago at the beginning of this cycle of the daf yomi. It has been an incredible, challenging experience and has given me a new perspective of Torah Sh’baal Peh and the role it plays in our lives
Efrat, Israel
I began my journey with Rabbanit Michelle more than five years ago. My friend came up with a great idea for about 15 of us to learn the daf and one of us would summarize weekly what we learned.
It was fun but after 2-3 months people began to leave. I have continued. Since the cycle began Again I have joined the Teaneck women.. I find it most rewarding in so many ways. Thank you
New Jersey, United States
The first month I learned Daf Yomi by myself in secret, because I wasn’t sure how my husband would react, but after the siyyum on Masechet Brachot I discovered Hadran and now sometimes my husband listens to the daf with me. He and I also learn mishnayot together and are constantly finding connections between the different masechtot.
Silver Spring, Maryland, United States
Since I started in January of 2020, Daf Yomi has changed my life. It connects me to Jews all over the world, especially learned women. It makes cooking, gardening, and folding laundry into acts of Torah study. Daf Yomi enables me to participate in a conversation with and about our heritage that has been going on for more than 2000 years.
Skokie, IL, United States
I started learning when my brother sent me the news clip of the celebration of the last Daf Yomi cycle. I was so floored to see so many women celebrating that I wanted to be a part of it. It has been an enriching experience studying a text in a language I don’t speak, using background knowledge that I don’t have. It is stretching my learning in unexpected ways, bringing me joy and satisfaction.
Warwick, Rhode Island, United States
I started learning the daf during Covid. I’d always wanted to learn Talmud but that wasn’t an option for girls in the small town I grew up in and I struggled to help my younger kids with Hebrew homework let alone read a Hebrew text. I decided to start small by listening to the daf podcast on the way to work each morning. Then I joined the Long Island WhatsApp group. Now I go to the siyyums.
Long Island, United States
I heard about the syium in January 2020 & I was excited to start learning then the pandemic started. Learning Daf became something to focus on but also something stressful. As the world changed around me & my family I had to adjust my expectations for myself & the world. Daf Yomi & the Hadran podcast has been something I look forward to every day. It gives me a moment of centering & Judaism daily.
Denver, United States
I started learning daf yomi at the beginning of this cycle. As the pandemic evolved, it’s been so helpful to me to have this discipline every morning to listen to the daf podcast after I’ve read the daf; learning about the relationships between the rabbis and the ways they were constructing our Jewish religion after the destruction of the Temple. I’m grateful to be on this journey!
Teaneck NJ, United States
I started Daf during the pandemic. I listened to a number of podcasts by various Rebbeim until one day, I discovered Rabbanit Farbers podcast. Subsequently I joined the Hadran family in Eruvin. Not the easiest place to begin, Rabbanit Farber made it all understandable and fun. The online live group has bonded together and have really become a supportive, encouraging family.
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
וְשֶׁל בֵּית הַכִּסֵּא — רָעוֹת. שֶׁל סַם וְשֶׁל שְׂחוֹק וְשֶׁל פֵּירוֹת — יָפוֹת.
and from pain in the bathroom are bad for the eyes. Tears that come from medicinal drugs, and from laughter, and from sharp produce are good for the eyes.
״בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיָּזוּעוּ שׁוֹמְרֵי הַבַּיִת וְהִתְעַוְּתוּ וְגוֹ׳״. ״בַּיּוֹם שֶׁיָּזוּעוּ שׁוֹמְרֵי הַבַּיִת״ — אֵלּוּ הַכְּסָלִים וְהַצְּלָעוֹת. ״וְהִתְעַוְּתוּ אַנְשֵׁי הֶחָיִל״ — אֵלּוּ שׁוֹקַיִם. ״וּבָטְלוּ הַטּוֹחֲנוֹת״ — אֵלּוּ שִׁינַּיִם. ״וְחָשְׁכוּ הָרוֹאוֹת בַּאֲרוּבּוֹת״ — אֵלּוּ עֵינַיִם.
The Gemara continues to interpret verses from the Book of Ecclesiastes. The verse states: “On the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble, and the strong men shall bow themselves, and the grinders cease because they are few, and those that look out the windows shall be dimmed” (Ecclesiastes 12:3). “On the day when the keepers of the house shall tremble”; this is referring to the flanks and ribs that surround and protect a person’s internal organs. “And the strong men shall bow themselves”; these are the thighs, which support a person’s strength. “And the grinders cease”; these are the teeth, which decay and fall out. “And those that look out the windows shall be dimmed”; these are the eyes, which become dimmer.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ קֵיסָר לְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן חֲנַנְיָה: מַאי טַעְמָא לָא אָתֵית לְבֵי אֲבִידָן? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: טוּר תְּלַג סַחְרָנוֹהִי גְּלִידִין. כַּלְבוֹהִי לָא נָבְחִין. טָחֲנוֹהִי לָא טָחֲנִין. בֵּי רַב אָמְרִי: אַדְּלָא אַבֵּידְנָא, בָּחֵישְׁנָא.
The Gemara relates: The Roman emperor said to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya: What is the reason you did not come to the House of Avidan? This was a place in which dialogues and debates were conducted. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Ḥananya said to him enigmatically: The snowy mountain is surrounded with ice, meaning that his hair had turned white; his dogs do not bark, meaning that his voice could no longer be heard; his grinders have ceased grinding, meaning that his teeth had fallen out. In the school of Rav they say that he added: I am searching for that which I have not lost, because an old man walks bent over and appears to be searching for something.
תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר קִיסְמָא אוֹמֵר: טָבָא תְּרֵי מִתְּלָת. וַוי לַהּ לַחֲדָא דְּאָזְלָא וְלָא אָתְיָא. מַאי הִיא? אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: יַנְקוּתָא. כִּי אֲתָא רַב דִּימִי אָמַר: יַנְקוּתָא — כְּלִילָא דְּוַורְדָּא, סָבוּתָא — כְּלִילָא דְחִילְפָא. תָּנָא מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי מֵאִיר: דּוֹק בְּכַכֵּי וְתַשְׁכַּח בְּנִיגְרֵי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַנִּשְׂבַּע לֶחֶם וַנִּהְיֶה טוֹבִים וְרָעָה לֹא רָאִינוּ״. אֲמַר לֵיהּ שְׁמוּאֵל לְרַב יְהוּדָה: שִׁינָּנָא, שְׁרֵי שַׂקָּיךָ וְעַיֵּיל לַחְמָךְ. עַד אַרְבְּעִין שְׁנִין — מֵיכְלָא מְעַלֵּי, מִכָּאן וְאֵילָךְ — מִשְׁתְּיָא מְעַלֵּי.
It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei bar Kisma says: The two feet of one’s youth are better than the three of old age, when one walks with a cane. Woe to the one who goes and does not come back. What is this referring to? Rav Ḥisda said: Youth. Similarly, when Rav Dimi came from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said: Youth is a crown of roses; old age is a crown of thorns. The Sage taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: Grind food with your teeth and you will find in your feet the strength to carry your body, as it is stated: “For we were sated with our bread and were well, and saw no evil” (Jeremiah 44:17). Shmuel said to Rav Yehuda: Large-toothed one; untie your sack, that is, your mouth, and insert your food. Until the age of forty years, food is beneficial; from here and on, drinking is beneficial.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ הָהוּא גּוֹזָאָה לְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן קׇרְחָה: מֵהָכָא לְקַרְחִינָא כַּמָּה הָוֵי? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: כְּמֵהָכָא לְגוֹזַנְיָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: בַּרְחָא קַרְחָא בְּאַרְבְּעָה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: עִיקְרָא שְׁלִיפָא בִּתְמָנְיָא.
Having quoted some aphorisms of the Sages, the Gemara relates the following conversation: A certain eunuch who was an apostate said the following to Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa as a provocation: How far is it from here to Karḥina? The provocateur’s intention was to hint to the fact that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa was bald [kere’aḥ]. He said to him: It is the same as the distance from here to the mountains of Gozen, hinting at the eunuch’s castration, which in Aramaic is goza (Rav Ya’akov Emden). The apostate said to him: A bald buck is sold for four dinar. He said to him: A castrated goat [ikkara shelifa] is sold for eight.
חַזְיֵיהּ דְּלָא סָיֵים מְסָאנֵיהּ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: דְּעַל סוּס — מֶלֶךְ, דְּעַל חֲמוֹר — בֶּן חוֹרִין, וּדְמַנְעָלֵי בְּרִיגְלוֹהִי — בַּר אִינִישׁ. דְּלָא הָא וְלָא הָא — דַּחֲפִיר וּקְבִיר טָב מִינֵּיהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: גּוֹזָא גּוֹזָא, תְּלָת אֲמַרְתְּ לִי, תְּלָת שָׁמְעַתְּ: הַדְרַת פָּנִים — זָקָן, שִׂמְחַת לֵב — אִשָּׁה, ״נַחֲלַת ה׳ — בָּנִים״. בָּרוּךְ הַמָּקוֹם שֶׁמְּנָעֲךָ מִכּוּלָּם. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: קָרְחָא מְצַוֵּי?! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: עִיקְרָא שְׁלִיפָא תּוֹכֵחָה!
The apostate saw that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa was not wearing shoes. He said to him: One who rides on a horse is a king. One who rides on a donkey is a free man. And one who wears shoes is at least a human being. One who does neither this nor that, someone who is buried in the earth is better than him. He said to him: Eunuch, eunuch, you said to me three things, and now hear three things: The glory of a face is the beard, the joy of the heart is a wife, and “the portion of the Lord is children” (Psalms 127:3); blessed is the Omnipresent who has denied you all of them, for a eunuch does not have a beard, a wife or children. He said to him: Does a bald man quarrel? He said to him: Does a castrated male goat speak words of rebuke?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי לְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן חֲלַפְתָּא: מִפְּנֵי מָה לֹא הִקְבַּלְנוּ פָּנֶיךָ בָּרֶגֶל, כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁהִקְבִּילוּ אֲבוֹתַי לַאֲבוֹתֶיךָ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: סְלָעִים נַעֲשׂוּ גְּבוֹהִים, קְרוֹבִים נַעֲשׂוּ רְחוֹקִים, מִשְׁתַּיִם נַעֲשׂוּ שָׁלֹשׁ, מֵשִׂים שָׁלוֹם בַּבַּיִת בָּטַל.
The Gemara again addresses old age: Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi said to Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta: For what reason did we not greet you during the Festival the way that my fathers greeted your fathers? This was a polite way of asking Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta why he had not come to visit Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi. He said to him: Because I have grown old, and the rocks on the road have become tall, and destinations that are near have become far away, and my two feet have been made into three with the addition of a cane, and that which brings peace to the house, namely, the sexual drive which motivates a couple to make peace, is no more.
״וְסֻגְּרוּ דְלָתַיִם בַּשּׁוּק וְגוֹ׳״ — אֵלּוּ נְקָבָיו שֶׁל אָדָם. ״בִּשְׁפַל קוֹל הַטַּחֲנָה״ — בִּשְׁבִיל קוּרְקְבָן שֶׁאֵינוֹ טוֹחֵן. ״וְיָקוּם לְקוֹל הַצִּפּוֹר״ — שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ צִפּוֹר מְנַעַרְתּוֹ מִשְּׁנָתוֹ. ״וְיִשַּׁחוּ כׇּל בְּנוֹת הַשִּׁיר״ — שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ קוֹל שָׁרִים וְשָׁרוֹת דּוֹמוֹת עָלָיו כְּשִׂיחָה.
The Gemara continues to expound the verses of the final chapter of Ecclesiastes. The verse states: “And the doors shall be shut in the marketplace when the sound of the grinding is low, and one shall start up at the voice of a bird, and all the daughters of music shall be brought low” (Ecclesiastes 12:4). The Sages expounded: “And the doors shall be shut in the marketplace”; these are a person’s orifices, which cease to function normally. The interpretation continues: “When the sound of the grinding is low”; because the stomach is not grinding and digesting one’s food. “And one shall start up at the voice of a bird”; because one is unable to sleep deeply such that even a bird will wake him from his sleep. “And all the daughters of music shall be brought low”; this means that even the voices of male and female singers will seem to him like mere conversation, and he will no longer derive pleasure from song.
וְאַף בַּרְזִילַּי הַגִּלְעָדִי אָמַר לְדָוִד: ״בֶּן שְׁמֹנִים שָׁנָה אָנֹכִי הַיּוֹם הַאֵדַע בֵּין טוֹב לְרָע״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁדַּעְתָּן שֶׁל זְקֵנִים מִשְׁתַּנּוֹת. ״אִם יִטְעַם עַבְדְּךָ אֶת אֲשֶׁר אוֹכַל וְאֶת אֲשֶׁר אֶשְׁתֶּה״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁשִּׂפְתוֹתֵיהֶן שֶׁל זְקֵנִים מִתְרַפְּטוֹת. ״אִם אֶשְׁמַע עוֹד בְּקוֹל שָׁרִים וְשָׁרוֹת״ — מִכָּאן שֶׁאׇזְנֵיהֶם שֶׁל זְקֵנִים מִתְכַּבְּדוֹת.
And even Barzilai the Gileadite said to David: “Today I am eighty years old, can I discern between good and bad? Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink? Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women?” (II Samuel 19:36). The Gemara explains: “Can I discern between good and bad”; from here we derive that the minds of the elderly change and they no longer discern properly. “Can your servant taste what I eat or what I drink”; from here we derive that the lips of the elderly crack and wither. “Can I hear any more the voice of singing men and singing women”; from here we derive that the ears of the elderly become heavy.
אָמַר רַב: בַּרְזִילַּי הַגִּלְעָדִי שַׁקָּרָא הֲוָה. דְּהַהִיא אַמְּתָא דַּהֲוַאי בֵּי רַבִּי בַּת תִּשְׁעִין וְתַרְתֵּין שְׁנִין, וַהֲוָת טָעֲמָא קִידְרָא. רָבָא אָמַר: בַּרְזִילַּי הַגִּלְעָדִי שָׁטוּף בְּזִמָּה הֲוָה, וְכׇל הַשָּׁטוּף בְּזִמָּה — זִקְנָה קוֹפֶצֶת עָלָיו. תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: תַּלְמִידֵי חֲכָמִים כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁמַּזְקִינִין — חָכְמָה נִתּוֹסֶפֶת בָּהֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בִּישִׁישִׁים חׇכְמָה וְאוֹרֶךְ יָמִים תְּבוּנָה״. וְעַמֵּי הָאָרֶץ כׇּל זְמַן שֶׁמַּזְקִינִין — טִפְּשׁוּת נִתּוֹסֶפֶת בָּהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״מֵסִיר שָׂפָה לְנֶאֱמָנִים וְטַעַם זְקֵנִים יִקָּח״.
Rav said: Barzilai the Gileadite was a liar and he merely wanted to avoid joining David upon his return to Jerusalem, for an eighty-year old man is not usually this debilitated. For there was a particular maidservant in the house of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi who was ninety-two years old, and she would taste the food that was cooking in the pots. Rava said: Barzilai was speaking the truth, but Barzilai the Gileadite was steeped in promiscuity, and anyone who is steeped in promiscuity is overtaken by old age before his time. It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, says: As Torah scholars grow older, wisdom is increased in them, as it is stated: “With aged men is wisdom; and length of days brings understanding” (Job 12:12). And as ignoramuses grow older, foolishness is increased in them, as it is stated: “He removes the speech of men of trust and takes away the understanding of the aged” (Job 12:20).
״גַּם מִגָּבוֹהַּ יִירָאוּ״ — שֶׁאֲפִילּוּ גַּבְשׁוּשִׁית קְטַנָּה דּוֹמָה עָלָיו כְּהָרֵי הָרִים. ״וְחַתְחַתִּים בַּדֶּרֶךְ״ — בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁמְּהַלֵּךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ נַעֲשׂוּ לוֹ תְּוָהִים. ״וְיָנֵאץ הַשָּׁקֵד״ — זוֹ קְלִיבוֹסֶת. ״וְיִסְתַּבֵּל הֶחָגָב״ — אֵלּוּ עֲגָבוֹת. ״וְתָפֵר הָאֲבִיּוֹנָה״ — זוֹ חֶמְדָּה.
The Gemara continues interpreting verses from Ecclesiastes. The verse states: “Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high and terrors shall be on the road, and the almond tree shall blossom, and the grasshopper shall drag itself along, and the caper berry shall fail, for a person goes to his eternal home, and the mourners circle the marketplace” (Ecclesiastes 12:5). The Gemara explains: “Also when they shall be afraid of that which is high”; this means that even a small knoll on the road seems to him, the elderly, like the highest of mountains. “And terrors shall be on the road”; this means that while he is walking on the road he will have terrors, i.e., he will fear falling or otherwise suffering injury. “And the almond tree shall blossom”; this is the hip bone that protrudes from the skin of an elderly person. “And the grasshopper [ḥagav] shall drag itself along [yistabbel]”; by replacing the letter ḥet of ḥagav with an ayin, this can be understood as referring to the buttocks [agavot] which become heavy [sevel]. “And the caper berry shall fail”; this is sexual desire that ceases.
רַב כָּהֲנָא הֲוָה פָּסֵיק סִידְרָא קַמֵּיהּ דְּרַב. כִּי מְטָא לְהַאי קְרָא, נְגֵיד וְאִתְּנַח. אֲמַר, שְׁמַע מִינַּהּ בְּטֵל לֵיהּ חֶמְדֵּיהּ דְּרַב. אָמַר רַב כָּהֲנָא, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי הוּא אָמַר וַיֶּהִי״ — זוֹ אִשָּׁה. ״הוּא צִוָּה וַיַּעֲמוֹד״ — אֵלּוּ בָּנִים. תָּנָא: אִשָּׁה חֵמֶת מָלֵא צוֹאָה, וּפִיהָ מָלֵא דָּם — וְהַכֹּל רָצִין אַחֲרֶיהָ.
The Gemara relates that Rav Kahana was reading biblical verses before Rav. When he got to this verse, Rav sighed. Rav Kahana said: We can derive from this that Rav’s desire has ceased. Rav Kahana also said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For He spoke and it was, He commanded and it stood” (Psalms 33:9)? He understands this to mean that God created man with desires that push him to do things he would not do if he acted purely on the judgment of his intellect, and Rav Kahana therefore interprets the verse in the following manner: “For He spoke and it was”; this is a woman that a man marries. “He commanded and it stood”; these are the children who one works hard to raise. A tanna taught in a baraita: A woman is essentially a flask full of feces, a reference to the digestive system, and her mouth is full of blood, a euphemistic reference to menstruation, yet men are not deterred and they all run after her with desire.
״כִּי הוֹלֵךְ הָאָדָם אֶל בֵּית עוֹלָמוֹ״, אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: מְלַמֵּד שֶׁכׇּל צַדִּיק וְצַדִּיק נוֹתְנִין לוֹ מָדוֹר לְפִי כְּבוֹדוֹ. מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁנִּכְנָס הוּא וַעֲבָדָיו לָעִיר, כְּשֶׁהֵן נִכְנָסִין — כּוּלָּן בְּשַׁעַר אֶחָד נִכְנָסִין, כְּשֶׁהֵן לָנִין — כׇּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד נוֹתְנִין לוֹ מָדוֹר לְפִי כְּבוֹדוֹ.
The Gemara interprets the continuation of the verse cited above: “For a person goes to his eternal home” (Ecclesiastes 12:5). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This teaches that each and every righteous person is given a dwelling place in the World-to-Come in accordance with his honor. The Gemara offers a parable in which a king enters a city along with his servants. When they enter, they all enter through a single gate; however, when they sleep, each one is given a dwelling place in accordance with his honor. So too, although everyone dies, not everyone receives the same reward in the World-to-Come.
וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי הַיַּלְדוּת וְהַשַּׁחֲרוּת הָבֶל״ — דְּבָרִים שֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה בְּיַלְדוּתוֹ מַשְׁחִירִים פָּנָיו לְעֵת זִקְנָתוֹ.
And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For childhood and youth [shaḥarut] are vanity” (Ecclesiastes 11:10)? Sinful things that a person does in his youth darken [mashḥirim] his face with shame as he grows old (Rabbi Yoshiya Pinto).
וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: קָשָׁה רִימָּה לַמֵּת כְּמַחַט בַּבָּשָׂר הַחַי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אַךְ בְּשָׂרוֹ עָלָיו יִכְאָב״. אָמַר רַב חִסְדָּא: נַפְשׁוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם מִתְאַבֶּלֶת עָלָיו כׇּל שִׁבְעָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְנַפְשׁוֹ עָלָיו תֶּאֱבָל״, וּכְתִיב: ״וַיַּעַשׂ לְאָבִיו אֵבֶל שִׁבְעַת יָמִים״.
And Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The maggots that eat the flesh of the deceased are as painful to the dead as a needle in the flesh of the living, as it says with regard to the dead: “But his flesh is in pain for him, and his soul mourns over him” (Job 14:22). Rav Ḥisda said: A person’s soul mourns for him during all seven days of mourning following his death, as it is stated: And his soul mourns over him,” and it is also written: “And he mourned his father seven days” (Genesis 50:10).
אָמַר רַב יְהוּדָה: מֵת שֶׁאֵין לוֹ מְנַחֲמִין — הוֹלְכִין עֲשָׂרָה בְּנֵי אָדָם וְיוֹשְׁבִין בִּמְקוֹמוֹ. הָהוּא דִּשְׁכֵיב בְּשִׁבָבוּתֵיהּ דְּרַב יְהוּדָה, לֹא הָיוּ לוֹ מְנַחֲמִין,
Rav Yehuda said: In the case of a deceased person who has no comforters, i.e., he has nobody to mourn for him, ten people should go and sit in his place and accept condolences. The Gemara relates the story of a certain person who died in Rav Yehuda’s neighborhood and who did not have any comforters, i.e., mourners;
כׇּל יוֹמָא הֲוָה דָּבַר רַב יְהוּדָה בֵּי עַשְׂרָה, וְיָתְבִי בְּדוּכְתֵּיהּ. לְאַחַר שִׁבְעָה יָמִים אִיתְחֲזִי לֵיהּ בְּחֶילְמֵיהּ דְּרַב יְהוּדָה, וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ: תָּנוּחַ דַּעְתְּךָ שֶׁהִנַּחְתָּ אֶת דַּעְתִּי.
every day of the seven-day mourning period, Rav Yehuda would take ten people and they would sit in his place, in the house of the deceased. After seven days had passed the deceased appeared to Rav Yehuda in his dream and said to him: Put your mind to rest, for you have put my mind to rest.
אָמַר רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: כׇּל שֶׁאוֹמְרִים בִּפְנֵי הַמֵּת, יוֹדֵעַ, עַד שֶׁיִּסָּתֵם הַגּוֹלֵל. פְּלִיגִי בַּהּ רַבִּי חִיָּיא וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בְּרַבִּי. חַד אָמַר: עַד שֶׁיִּסָּתֵם הַגּוֹלֵל, וְחַד אָמַר: עַד שֶׁיִּתְעַכֵּל הַבָּשָׂר.
Rabbi Abbahu said: Everything people say before the deceased, he knows, until the tomb is sealed with the top-stone. Rabbi Ḥiyya and Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi, disagreed with regard to the meaning of this statement. One of them said that the deceased is aware until the tomb is sealed with the top-stone, which is referring to the covering of the grave (Tosafot). And one of them said that it is until the flesh decomposes.
מַאן דְּאָמַר עַד שֶׁיִּתְעַכֵּל הַבָּשָׂר, דִּכְתִיב: ״אַךְ בְּשָׂרוֹ עָלָיו יִכְאָב וְנַפְשׁוֹ עָלָיו תֶּאֱבָל״. מַאן דְּאָמַר עַד שֶׁיִּסָּתֵם הַגּוֹלֵל, דִּכְתִיב: ״וְיָשׁוֹב הֶעָפָר עַל הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה וְגוֹ׳״.
The one who said that it is until the flesh decomposes can support his position based on that which is written in the following verse: “But his flesh grieves for him, and his soul mourns over him” (Job 14:22). This indicates that the deceased is aware of the pain of his flesh in the grave. The one who said that the deceased is aware only until the tomb is sealed with the top-stone can support his view based on that which is written in a different verse: “And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7). This indicates that when the body returns to the earth, the spirit also returns to its place and is no longer aware of what is happening to the body.
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״וְהָרוּחַ תָּשׁוּב אֶל הָאֱלֹהִים אֲשֶׁר נְתָנָהּ״ — תְּנָהּ לוֹ כְּמוֹ שֶׁנְּתָנָהּ לְךָ, בְּטׇהֳרָה — אַף אַתָּה בְּטָהֳרָה. מָשָׁל לְמֶלֶךְ בָּשָׂר וָדָם שֶׁחָלַק בִּגְדֵי מַלְכוּת לַעֲבָדָיו. פִּקְחִין שֶׁבָּהֶן, קִיפְּלוּם וְהִנִּיחוּם בְּקוּפְסָא. טִפְּשִׁים שֶׁבָּהֶן, הָלְכוּ וְעָשׂוּ בָּהֶן מְלָאכָה. לְיָמִים בִּיקֵּשׁ הַמֶּלֶךְ אֶת כֵּלָיו, פִּקְחִין שֶׁבָּהֶן הֶחֱזִירוּם לוֹ כְּשֶׁהֵן מְגוֹהָצִין, טִפְּשִׁין שֶׁבָּהֶן הֶחֱזִירוּם לוֹ כְּשֶׁהֵן מְלוּכְלָכִין. שָׂמֵחַ הַמֶּלֶךְ לִקְרַאת פִּקְחִין, וְכָעַס לִקְרַאת טִפְּשִׁין.
The Sages taught with regard to the verse: “And the spirit returns to God who gave it” (Ecclesiastes 12:7) that the words: Who gave it, mean: As it was given. In other words, give it to Him as He gave it to you; just as He gave it to you in purity, you too should return it to God in purity. The Gemara cites a parable of a king of flesh and blood who distributed royal garments to his servants. The wise ones folded them and placed them in a box [kufsa] to protect them, whereas the foolish ones went and worked in them. After a period of time the king requested that his garments be returned to him. The wise ones returned them to him pressed, as they were when the servants received them, and the foolish ones returned them dirty. The king was happy to greet the wise ones and angry to greet the foolish ones.
עַל פִּקְחִין אָמַר: יִנָּתְנוּ כֵּלַי לָאוֹצָר, וְהֵם יֵלְכוּ לְבָתֵּיהֶם לְשָׁלוֹם. וְעַל טִפְּשִׁין אָמַר: כֵּלַי יִנָּתְנוּ לְכוֹבֵס, וְהֵן יֵחָבְשׁוּ בְּבֵית הָאֲסוּרִים.
With regard to the wise ones he said: My garments shall be given back to the storehouse, and let them go to their homes in peace. And with regard to the foolish ones he said: My garments shall be given to the launderer, and they, the fools, will be locked up in prison as a punishment for degrading the king’s garments for their own purposes.
אַף הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, עַל גּוּפָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים אוֹמֵר: ״יָבֹא שָׁלוֹם יָנוּחוּ עַל מִשְׁכְּבוֹתָם״, וְעַל נִשְׁמָתָן הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וְהָיְתָה נֶפֶשׁ אֲדוֹנִי צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים״. עַל גּוּפָן שֶׁל רְשָׁעִים הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״אֵין שָׁלוֹם אָמַר ה׳ לָרְשָׁעִים״, וְעַל נִשְׁמָתָן הוּא אוֹמֵר: ״וְאֵת נֶפֶשׁ אוֹיְבֶיךָ יְקַלְּעֶנָּה בְּתוֹךְ כַּף הַקָּלַע״.
The Holy One, Blessed be He, also acts in this way. With regard to the bodies of the righteous, which are likened to the royal garments that are well kept, it states: “He enters into peace, they rest on their beds each one that walks in his uprightness” (Isaiah 57:2). And with regard to their souls, it states: “And the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life with the Lord your God” (I Samuel 25:29). And conversely, with regard to the bodies of the wicked, it states: “There is no peace, says the Lord, for the wicked” (Isaiah 57:21), and with regard to their souls, it states: “And the souls of your enemies He shall sling out in the hollow of a sling” (I Samuel 25:29).
תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר: נִשְׁמָתָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים גְּנוּזוֹת תַּחַת כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהָיְתָה נֶפֶשׁ אֲדֹנִי צְרוּרָה בִּצְרוֹר הַחַיִּים״. וְשֶׁל רְשָׁעִים זוֹמְמוֹת וְהוֹלְכוֹת, [וּמַלְאָךְ אֶחָד עוֹמֵד בְּסוֹף הָעוֹלָם, וּמַלְאָךְ אַחֵר עוֹמֵד בְּסוֹף הָעוֹלָם, וּמְקַלְּעִין נִשְׁמָתָן זֶה לָזֶה,] שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְאֵת נֶפֶשׁ אוֹיְבֶיךָ יְקַלְּעֶנָּה בְּתוֹךְ כַּף הַקָּלַע״.
It was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Eliezer says: The souls of the righteous are stored beneath the Throne of Glory, as it is stated: “And the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life” (I Samuel 25:29). And the souls of the wicked are continuously tied up, and one angel stands at one end of the world and another angel stands at the other end of the world and they sling the souls of the wicked back and forth to one another, as it is stated: “And the souls of your enemies He shall sling out in the hollow of a sling” (I Samuel 25:29).
אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבָּה לְרַב נַחְמָן: שֶׁל בֵּינוֹנִים מַאי? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אִיכּוֹ שָׁכֵיבְנָא, לָא אֲמַרִי לְכוּ הַאי מִילְּתָא, הָכִי אָמַר שְׁמוּאֵל: אֵלּוּ וָאֵלּוּ לְדוּמָה נִמְסָרִין. הַלָּלוּ, יֵשׁ לָהֶן מָנוֹחַ. הַלָּלוּ, אֵין לָהֶן מָנוֹחַ. אָמַר (לֵיהּ) רַב מָרִי: עֲתִידִי צַדִּיקֵי דְּהָווּ עַפְרָא, דִּכְתִיב: ״וְיָשׁוֹב הֶעָפָר עַל הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה״.
Rabba said to Rav Naḥman: What happens to the souls of middling people, who are neither righteous nor wicked? Rav Naḥman said to him: It is good that you asked me this question, for even if I were dead I would not have been able to tell you that. As Shmuel said as follows: These and those, the souls of the wicked and of the middling people, are handed over to Duma, the angel in charge of spirits. But these, the souls of the middling people, have rest, and these, the souls of the wicked, do not have rest. Rav Mari said: Even the bodies of the righteous will not be preserved and will become dust, as it is written: “And the dust returns to the earth as it was” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
הָנְהוּ קָפוֹלָאֵי דַּהֲווֹ קָפְלִי בְּאַרְעָא דְּרַב נַחְמָן. נְחַר בְּהוּ רַב אַחַאי בַּר יֹאשִׁיָּה. אֲתוֹ וַאֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ לְרַב נַחְמָן: נְחַר בַּן גַּבְרָא. אֲתָא וַאֲמַר לֵיהּ: מַאן נִיהוּ מָר? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: אֲנָא אַחַאי בַּר יֹאשִׁיָּה. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וְלָאו אָמַר רַב מָרִי: עֲתִידִי צַדִּיקֵי דְּהָווּ עַפְרָא? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וּמַנִּי מָרִי דְּלָא יָדַעְנָא לֵיהּ? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: וְהָא קְרָא כְּתִיב: ״וְיָשׁוֹב הֶעָפָר עַל הָאָרֶץ כְּשֶׁהָיָה״!
The Gemara cites a related story: The diggers who were digging in Rav Naḥman’s land came upon a grave, and Rav Aḥai bar Yoshiya, who was buried there, rebuked them. They came and said to Rav Naḥman: A deceased person just rebuked us. Rav Naḥman came and said to the person buried there: Who is the Master, i.e., who are you? He said to him: I am Aḥai bar Yoshiya. Rav Naḥman said to him: How has your body been preserved? Didn’t Rav Mari say that the righteous will turn to dust? Rav Aḥai said to him: And who is Mari, whom I do not know? Why should I be concerned about what he says? Rav Naḥman said to him: Even without Rav Mari’s statement, there is an explicit verse which is written: “And the dust will return to the earth as it was” (Ecclesiastes 12:7).
אֲמַר לֵיהּ: דְּאַקְרְיָיךְ קֹהֶלֶת, לָא אַקְרְיָיךְ מִשְׁלֵי, דִּכְתִיב: ״וּרְקַב עֲצָמוֹת קִנְאָה״. כָּל מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ קִנְאָה בְּלִבּוֹ — עַצְמוֹתָיו מַרְקִיבִים, כֹּל שֶׁאֵין לוֹ קִנְאָה בְּלִבּוֹ — אֵין עַצְמוֹתָיו מַרְקִיבִים.
Rav Aḥai said to him: Whoever taught you the book of Ecclesiastes did not teach you the book of Proverbs, for it is written in Proverbs: “A tranquil heart is the life of the flesh, but envy is the rotting of the bones” (Proverbs 14:30). This means that anyone who has envy in his heart during his lifetime, his bones rot in the grave, and anyone who does not have envy in his heart, his bones do not rot.
גַּשְּׁשֵׁיהּ, חַזְיֵיהּ דְּאִית בֵּיהּ מְשָׁשָׁא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: לֵיקוּם מָר לְגַוֵּויהּ דְּבֵיתָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: גַּלֵּית אַדַּעְתָּךְ דַּאֲפִילּוּ נְבִיאֵי לָא קְרֵית, דִּכְתִיב: ״וִידַעְתֶּם כִּי אֲנִי ה׳ בְּפִתְחִי אֶת קִבְרוֹתֵיכֶם״.
Rav Naḥman touched him and saw that he had substance. Rav Naḥman said to him: Let the Master arise and come into my house. Rav Aḥai said to him: You have revealed that you have not even studied Prophets, and it is not just the Writings of which you are ignorant, for it is written: “And you shall know that I am the Lord when I open up your graves and lift you up from your graves, My nation” (Ezekiel 37:13). As long as the dead have not been instructed to leave their graves, leaving of their own accord is prohibited.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ, וְהָכְתִיב: ״כִּי עָפָר אַתָּה וְאֶל עָפָר תָּשׁוּב״! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הָהוּא שָׁעָה אַחַת קוֹדֶם תְּחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים.
Rav Naḥman once again asked Rav Aḥai about the preservation of the flesh, and he said: But it is written: “For you are dust and you shall return to dust” (Genesis 3:19), so why has your body not turned into dust? He said to him: That verse applies to the righteous only one hour before the resurrection of the dead, so that they, too, may be created anew (Maharsha).
אֲמַר לֵיהּ הָהוּא מִינָא לְרַבִּי אֲבָהוּ: אָמְרִיתוּ נִשְׁמָתָן שֶׁל צַדִּיקִים גְּנוּזוֹת תַּחַת כִּסֵּא הַכָּבוֹד. אוֹבָא טַמְיָא, הֵיכָא אַסְּקֵיהּ לִשְׁמוּאֵל בִּנְגִידָא? אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הָתָם בְּתוֹךְ שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הֲוָה, דְּתַנְיָא: כׇּל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ גּוּפוֹ קַיָּים, וְנִשְׁמָתוֹ עוֹלָה וְיוֹרֶדֶת. לְאַחַר שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ הַגּוּף בָּטֵל
A certain apostate once said to Rabbi Abbahu: You say that the souls of the righteous are stored beneath the Throne of Glory, but if so, how did the oracle woman raise up Samuel using necromancy if his soul was no longer in this world? Rabbi Abbahu said to him: There, it was within twelve months of his death, as it was taught in a baraita: For a full twelve months a deceased person’s body remains and his soul ascends and descends, such that it is sometimes in this world with its body. After twelve months, the body ceases to exist
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