Kiddushin 40b — Talmud de Babylone

▶ 📖 Mishna a person should view himself as though he were exactly half-liable and half-meritorious. In other words he should act as…

a person should view himself as though he were exactly half-liable and half-meritorious. In other words he should act as though the plates of his scale are balanced, so that if he performs one mitzva he is fortunate, as he tilts his balance to the scale of merit. If he transgresses one prohibition, woe to him, as he tilts his balance to the scale of liability, as it is stated: “But one sin destroys much good” (Ecclesiastes 9:18), which means that due to one sin that a person transgresses he squanders much good. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, says: Since the world is judged by its majority, i.e., depending on whether people have performed a majority of mitzvot or a majority of sins, and an individual is likewise judged by his majority, each person must consider that if he performs one mitzva he is praiseworthy, as he tilts the balance of himself and the entire world to the scale of merit. Conversely, if he transgresses one prohibition, woe to him, as he tilts the balance for himself and the entire world to the scale of liability, as it is stated: “But one sin destroys much good,” i.e., due to one sin that this individual commits, he squanders much goodness from himself and from the entire world. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: Even if one was completely righteous all his life and he rebelled by sinning at the end of his life, he loses his early merit, as it is stated: “The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him on the day of his transgression” (Ezekiel 33:12). And similarly, even if one was completely wicked all his life and repented in the end, he is no longer reminded of his wickedness, as it is stated in the continuation of the verse: “And as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not stumble over it on the day that he turns from his wickedness.” The Gemara asks: But an individual who performed mitzvot all of his life and then sins should at least be like one whose acts have been half sins and half merits, i.e., each should be of equal weight. Why, then, is he pronounced guilty? Reish Lakish said: This is not referring to an individual who has merely sinned but to one who regrets all the initial mitzvot he performed in the past. In this case the mitzvot he performed are not taken into account. Anyone who is engaged in the study of Bible, and in the study of Mishna, and in the desired mode of behavior, i.e., he performs labor and generally acts in an appropriate manner, will not be quick to sin, as it is stated: “And a threefold cord is not quickly broken” (Ecclesiastes 4:12). One who is involved in all three of these activities will not sin easily. And anyone who does not engage in the study of Bible, nor the study of Mishna, nor the desired mode of behavior, is not part of society, i.e., he is not considered a civilized person at all.

▶ 💬 Guemara Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Tzadok, says: To what are the righteous in this world compared? To a tree that is standing en…

Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Tzadok, says: To what are the righteous in this world compared? To a tree that is standing entirely in a pure place and its branches hang over an impure place. If its branches are cut, it will stand entirely in a pure place. So too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, brings afflictions upon the righteous in this world to cleanse them of their few sins. He makes them suffer so that they will inherit the World-to-Come entirely, as it is stated: “And your beginning was in pain, your end shall greatly increase” (Job 8:7). And to what are the wicked in this world compared? To a tree that stands entirely in an impure place and whose branches hang over a pure place. If its branches are cut off, it stands entirely in an impure place. So too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, bestows good upon the wicked in this world for the few mitzvot they have performed, in order to expel them and banish them to the lowest level of Gehenna in the future, as it is stated: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end are the ways of death” (Proverbs 14:12). In connection to the mishna’s statement about the importance of Torah study, the Gemara relates the following incident: And there already was an incident in which Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were reclining in the loft of the house of Nit’za in Lod, when this question was asked of them: Is study greater or is action greater? Rabbi Tarfon answered and said: Action is greater. Rabbi Akiva answered and said: Study is greater. Everyone answered and said: Study is greater, but not as an independent value; rather, it is greater as study leads to action. It is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei says: Torah study is greater, as it preceded the mitzva of separating ḥalla by forty years. The Torah was given to the Jewish people soon after they left Egypt, whereas the mitzva of separating ḥalla came into effect only after they entered Eretz Yisrael. And it preceded the mitzva of terumot and tithes by fifty-four years, as the Jews become obligated in these mitzvot only fourteen years after they entered Eretz Yisrael, once they had conquered and divided the land. Furthermore, the Torah preceded the observance of Sabbatical Years by sixty-one years, as they began to count the seven-year cycle only once they had divided the land. Finally, it preceded the Jubilee Years by 103 years, as the fifty-year count to the first Jubilee Year began only after they had divided Eretz Yisrael. The Gemara asks: Why does the baraita state 103 years? It was actually 104 years. If one adds fifty to the fifty-four years that passed before the Jews began fulfilling the mitzvot dependent on the land, one arrives at a total of 104. The Gemara answers: This tanna maintains that the Jubilee Year releases slaves and returns fields to their original owners from the start of the year. Therefore, 103 years passed before the mitzva of the Jubilee Year took effect. And just as study comes before action, i.e., the mitzva of Torah study takes precedence over other mitzvot, so too, the judgment concerning Torah study precedes the judgment for an action of the performance of a mitzva. This is in accordance with the statement of Rav Hamnuna, as Rav Hamnuna says: The beginning of a person’s judgment is only concerning matters of Torah, as it is stated: “The beginning of judgment is as one lets out water” (Proverbs 17:14). This is understood to refer to the sin of neglecting Torah, as the Torah is compared to water, which brings life to the world. And just as the judgment concerning Torah study precedes the judgment for an action of the performance of a mitzva, so too does the reward for Torah study precede the reward for an action of the performance of a mitzva, as it is stated: “And He gave them the lands of nations, and they took the labor of peoples in possession, that they might observe His statutes and protect His laws” (Psalms 105:44–45). The first reward is for observing the statutes, and as explained on 37a, this is a reference to Torah study. § The mishna teaches that anyone who does not engage in the study of Bible, nor the study of Mishna, nor the desired mode of behavior, is not part of society. Rabbi Yoḥanan says: And he is disqualified from bearing witness, as this individual cannot be trusted. The Sages taught: One who eats in the marketplace is comparable to a dog, as he disrespects himself through his lack of embarrassment over eating in public. And some say he is even disqualified from bearing witness. Rabbi Idi bar Avin said: The halakha is in accordance with the opinion cited in the name of: Some say. Similarly, bar Kappara taught: An angry person

▶ 🇫🇷 Résumé en français Rabbi Elazar, fils de Rabbi Tsadok, dit : À quoi les justes sont-ils comparés dans ce monde ? À un arbre qui se tient en…

Rabbi Elazar, fils de Rabbi Tsadok, dit : À quoi les justes sont-ils comparés dans ce monde ? À un arbre qui se tient entièrement dans un lieu pur, et dont les branches pendent vers un lieu impur. Si ses branches sont coupées, il se tiendra entièrement dans un lieu pur. De même, le Saint, béni soit-Il, fait venir des afflictions sur les justes dans ce monde pour les purifier de leurs quelques péchés. Il les fait souffrir afin qu’ils héritent du Monde-à-Venir entièrement, comme il est dit : « Et ton commencement était dans la douleur, ta fin s’accroîtra grandement » (Job 8:7). Et à quoi les méchants sont-ils comparés dans ce monde ? À un arbre qui se tient entièrement dans un lieu impur, et dont les branches pendent vers un lieu pur. Si ses branches sont coupées, il se tient entièrement dans un lieu impur. De même, le Saint, béni soit-Il, accorde le bien aux méchants dans ce monde pour les quelques mitsvot qu’ils ont accomplies, afin de les expulser et de les bannir au niveau le plus bas de la Géhenne dans le futur, comme il est dit : « Il y a une voie qui semble droite à un homme, mais sa fin est la voie de la mort » (Proverbes 14:12). En lien avec la déclaration de la mishna sur l’importance de l’étude de la Torah, la Guemara rapporte l’incident suivant : Et il y eut déjà un incident où Rabbi Tarfon et les Anciens étaient allongés dans le grenier de la maison de Nit’za à Lod, lorsque cette question leur fut posée : L’étude est-elle plus grande ou l’action est-elle plus grande ? Rabbi Tarfon répondit et dit : L’action est plus grande. Rabbi Akiva répondit et dit : L’étude est plus grande. Tous répondirent et dirent : L’étude est plus grande, mais non comme une valeur indépendante ; plutôt, elle est plus grande car l’étude mène à l’action. Il est enseigné dans une baraita que Rabbi Yoseï dit : L’étude de la Torah est plus grande, car elle a précédé la mitsva de séparer la ḥalla de quarante ans. La Torah fut donnée au peuple juif peu après leur sortie d’Égypte, tandis que la mitsva de séparer la ḥalla n’entra en vigueur qu’après leur entrée en Eretz Israël. Et elle a précédé la mitsva des terumot et des dîmes de cinquante-quatre ans, car les Juifs ne devinrent obligés à ces mitsvot que quatorze ans après leur entrée en Eretz Israël, une fois qu’ils eurent conquis et divisé le pays. De plus, la Torah a précédé l’observance des années sabbatiques de soixante et un ans, car ils ne commencèrent à compter le cycle de sept ans qu’une fois le pays divisé. Enfin, elle a précédé les années de jubilé de 103 ans, car le compte de cinquante ans jusqu’à la première année de jubilé ne commença qu’après qu’ils eurent divisé Eretz Israël. La Guemara demande : Pourquoi la baraita dit-elle 103 ans ? C’était en réalité 104 ans. Si l’on ajoute cinquante aux cinquante-quatre ans qui s’écoulèrent avant que les Juifs ne commencent à accomplir les mitsvot dépendantes de la terre, on arrive à un total de 104. La Guemara répond : Ce tanna maintient que le jubilé libère les esclaves et rend les champs à leurs propriétaires originels dès le début de l’année. Par conséquent, 103 ans s’écoulèrent avant que la mitsva de l’année de jubilé ne prenne effet. Et de même que l’étude vient avant l’action, c’est-à-dire que la mitsva de l’étude de la Torah a préséance sur les autres mitsvot, de même, le jugement concernant l’étude de la Torah précède le jugement pour une action de l’accomplissement d’une mitsva. Ceci est conforme à la déclaration de Rav Hamnuna, car Rav Hamnuna dit : Le début du jugement d’une personne ne concerne que les questions de Torah, comme il est dit : « Le commencement du jugement est comme celui qui laisse échapper de l’eau » (Proverbes 17:14). Ceci est compris comme se référant au péché de négliger la Torah, car la Torah est comparée à l’eau, qui apporte la vie au monde. Et de même que le jugement concernant l’étude de la Torah précède le jugement pour une action de l’accomplissement d’une mitsva, de même, la récompense pour l’étude de la Torah précède la récompense pour une action de l’accomplissement d’une mitsva, comme il est dit : « Et il leur donna les terres des nations, et ils prirent possession du travail des peuples, afin qu’ils observent ses statuts et gardent ses lois » (Psaumes 105:44–45). La première récompense est pour l’observation des statuts, et comme expliqué en 37a, ceci est une référence à l’étude de la Torah. § La mishna enseigne que quiconque ne s’engage pas dans l’étude de la Bible, ni dans l’étude de la Mishna, ni dans le mode de comportement désiré, ne fait pas partie de la société. Rabbi Yoḥanan dit : Et il est disqualifié pour témoigner, car cet individu ne peut être digne de confiance. Les Sages ont enseigné : Celui qui mange sur la place publique est comparable à un chien, car il se manque de respect à lui-même par son manque de honte à manger en public. Et certains disent qu’il est même disqualifié pour témoigner. Rabbi Idi bar Avin dit : La halakha est conforme à l’opinion citée au nom de : Certains disent. De même, bar Kappara a enseigné : Une personne en colère

📜 Kiddushin — 40b

📋 Références bibliques — Kiddushin 40b

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