D. Falk, 2002

1.          Rabbinic Thought

1.1.         Merit

1.1.1.           The Sinner’s Prayer. Yerushalmi Ta`anit 1.4, 64b

[In a time of drought] it was revealed to the Rabbis in a dream that a certain man in a certain village should pray that rain might come. So they sent and fetched him. They asked him what his trade was, and he replied that he was an ass-driver. Then they said, “Have you ever done any good deed in your life?” [Ass-drivers were not much esteemed.] He answered, “Once I hired an ass to a woman who began to weep on the road. I asked her why she wept, and she told me that her husband was in prison, and that she was going to the city to sell her chastity to obtain his ransom. When we came to the city, I sold my ass, and gave her the money I received, and I said to her, “Take this, free your husband, and do not sin.”” The Rabbis said to him, “Worthy indeed are you to pray for us and be answered.” And the man prayed, and the rain fell.

. . .

[In a time of drought] it was revealed to Abbahu in a dream that Pentekaka [i.e., the man of five sins] should pray for rain. Abbahu sent and fetched him. He asked him what his trade was. Pentekaka replied, “Five sins do I do daily: I hire out harlots, I deck the theatres; I take the harlots’ garments to the baths; I clap and dance before them; and I beat the drum for their orgies.” Abbahu said to him, “Habe you ever done one good deed?” He said, “Once I was decking out the theatre when a woman came and wept behind one of the pillars. When I asked her why she was weeping, she told me that her husband was in prison, and that she was going to sell her honour to obtain his ransom. So I sold me bed and coverlet, and gave her the price, and said, “Go redeem you husband, and sin not.”” Abbahu said to him, “Worthy are you to pray and to be answered.”

[modified from H. Montefiore, A Rabbinic Anthology (1938) 179-80]

1.1.2.           Merit of the Common Person. Bavli Ta`anit 21b

Once a plague broke out in Sura but it did not affect the locality in which Rab resided. People thought that this was on account of Rab’s great merit but in a dream it was made clear to them that this was far too small a matter to need Rab’s great merit, but that it was on account of the merit of a certain man who made it a practice to lend shovel and spade for burials.

 

Once a fire broke out in Derokereth but it did not spread to the locality where R. Huna resided. People thought that it was on account of the great merit of R. Huna, but in a dream it was made clear to them that this was far too small a matter to need R. Huna’s great merit, but that it was on account of a certain woman who [on the eve of Sabbaths] would heat her oven and permit her neighbours to make use of it.

[modified from Soncino Classics translation]

 

1.1.3.           The Jailer and the Jesters. Bavli Ta`anit 22a

R. Beroka Hoza’ah used to frequent the market at Be Lapat where Elijah often appeared to him. Once he asked [the prophet], is there any one in this market who has a share in the world to come? He replied, No. Meanwhile he caught sight of a man wearing black shoes and who had no thread of blue on the corners of his garment and he exclaimed, This man has a share in the world to come. He [R. Beroka] ran after him and asked him, What is your occupation? And the man replied: Go away and come back tomorrow. Next day he asked him again, What is your occupation? And he replied: I am a jailer and I keep the men and women separate and I place my bed between them so that they may not come to sin; when I see a Jewish girl upon whom the Gentiles cast their eyes I risk my life and save her. Once there was amongst us a betrothed girl upon whom the Gentiles cast their eyes. I therefore took lees of [red] wine and put them in her skirt and I told them that she was unclean. [R. Beroka further] asked the man, Why have you no fringes and why do you wear black shoes? He replied: That the Gentiles amongst whom I constantly move may not know that I am a Jew, so that when a harsh decree is made [against Jews] I inform the rabbis and they pray [to God] and the decree is annulled. He further asked him, When I asked you, What is your occupation, why did you say to me, Go away now and come back to-morrow? He answered, They had just issued a harsh decree and I said I would first go and acquaint the rabbis of it so that they might pray to God.

Whilst [they were thus conversing] two [men] passed by and [Elijah] remarked, These two have a share in the world to come. R. Beroka then approached and asked them, What is your occupation? They replied, We are jesters, when we see men depressed we cheer them up; furthermore when we see two people quarrelling we strive hard to make peace between them.

[modified from Soncino Classics translation]

1.1.4.           Fulfilling one command. Aboth d’R. Nathan 31.45b, 46a

“By ten sayings the world was created.” To teach you that the one who fulfills one command, or keeps one Sabbath, or preserves on human life, the Scripture regards as if he had preserved the whole world. And the one who commits one sin, desecrates one Sabbath, and destroys one human life, the Scripture regards as if he had destroyed the whole world . . .

[modified from H. Montefiore, A Rabbinic Anthology (1938) 181-2]

1.2.         Evil Inclination

1.2.1.           The Evil Inclination. Bavli Shabbat 105b

This is the device of the evil inclination: Today it says, “Do this”; tomorrow “Do that,” until at last it says, “Worship an idol,” and the man goes and does it.

[adapted from H. Montefiore, A Rabbinic Anthology, 295.]

 

1.2.2.           Torah as a Medicine. Bavli Kiddushin 30b

Our Rabbis taught: [The words of the Law are likened to a perfect medicine]. This may be compared to a man who struck his son a strong blow, and then put a plaster on his wound, saying to him, ‘My son! As long as this plaster is on your wound you can eat and drink at will, and bathe in hot or cold water, without fear. But if you remove it, it will break out into sores.’ Even so did the Holy One, blessed be He, speak unto Israel: ‘My children! I created the Evil Desire, but I [also] created the Torah, as its antidote; if you occupy yourselves with the Torah, you will not be delivered into his hand, for it is said: If you do well, will you not be exalted? But if you do not occupy yourselves with the Torah, you shall be delivered into its hand, for it is written, “sin crouches at the door.” Moreover, it [the Evil Inclination] is altogether preoccupied with you [to make you sin], for it is said, “and unto you shall be its desire.” Yet if you will, you can rule over it, for it is said, “and you shall rule over it.”

 

Our Rabbis taught: The Evil Desire is hard [to bear], since even his Creator called him evil, as it is written, for that the desire of man’s heart is evil from his youth. R. Isaac said: Man’s Evil Desire renews itself daily against him, as it is said, [every imagination of the thoughts of his heart] was only evil every day. And R. Simeon b. Levi said: Man’s Evil Desire gathers strength against him daily and seeks to slay him, for it is said: The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him; and were not the Holy One, blessed be He, to help him [man], he would not be able to prevail against him, for it is said: The Lord will not leave him in his hand.

[adapted from Soncino Classics translation]

1.2.3.           Little by Little. Numbers Rabba, Beha`aloteka 15.16

The Israelites say to God, “Lord of the world, you know how hard is the strength of the Evil Inclination.” God says, “Remove it a little in this world, and I will rid you of it altogether in the world to come.” [adapted from H. Montefiore, A Rabbinic Anthology, 295.]

1.2.4.           Seduction of R. Hiyya. Bavli Kiddushin 81b

Every time R. Hiyya b. Abba fell upon his face he used to say, ‘The Merciful save us from the Evil Inclination.’ One day his wife heard him. ‘Let us see,’ she reflected, ‘it is so many years that he has held aloof from me: why then should he pray thus?’ One day, while he was studying in his garden, she adorned herself and repeatedly walked up and down before him. ‘Who are you?’ he demanded. ‘I am Harutha [a famous prostitute], and have returned to-day,’ she replied. He desired her. Said she to him, ‘Bring me that pomegranate from the uppermost bough.’ He jumped up, went, and brought it to her. When he returned home, his wife was heating the oven; he went and sat in it. ‘What means this?’ she demanded. He told her what he had done. ‘It was I,’ she assured him; but he paid no heed to her until she gave him proof. ‘Nevertheless,’ said he, ‘my intention was evil.’ That righteous man [R. Hiyya b. Ashi] fasted all his life, until he died of it.

[adapted from Soncino Classics translation]

1.3.         Sin and Repentance

1.3.1.           Like a hole in your boat. Leviticus Rabbah 4:6

Even so is it with Israel: if [only one] of them sins, all of them feel it.

It is said, Shall one man sin, and you will be angry with all the congregation? (Num. 16:22).

R. Simeon b. Yohai taught: This may be compared to the case of men on a ship, one of whom took a drill and began boring a hole beneath his seat. His fellow travellers said to him: ‘What are you doing?’ He replied to them: ‘What does that matter to you, am I not boring under my own place?’ They said: ‘Because the water will come up and flood the ship for us all!’ Even so did Job say, And even if I did sin, my sin remains with me (Job 19:4), but his friends said, He adds rebellion to his sin, he extends it among us.’ (Job 34:37)

[adapted from Soncino Classics translation]

1.3.2.           God Forgets Israel’s sin. Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 27c

There is no forgetfulness with God, but, if one might venture to say so, for Israel’s sake he is made forgetful; “Who is a God like you that forgets iniquity and passes over the transgressions of the remnant of his inheritance” (Micah 7:18). So David says: “You have forgotten the iniquity of your people, you have covered all their sin.” (Psalm 85:3)

[adapted from H. Montefiore, A Rabbinic Anthology, 297]

1.3.3.           Righteousness and Sin. Yerushalmi Sanhedrin 27c

R. Simeon ben Yohai says it like this: “If a man has been completely righteous all his days and rebels at the end, he destroys it all, for it is said, “The righteousness of the righteous man will not save him in the day when he transgresses” (Ezekiel 33:12). If a man has been completely wicked all his days and repents at the end, God receives him, for it is said, “And as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not stumble by it in the day when he turns from his wickedness.””

1.4.         Kavvanah: Intention

1.4.1.           Bavli Berakhot 17a

It  matters not whether you do much or little, so long as your heart is directed to heaven.

1.4.2.           Leviticus Rabbah, Wayikra 3.5

A woman once brought a handful of meal as an offering. The priest despised it. He said, “What sort of offering is that? What is there in it for eating or for a sacrifice?” But in a dream it was said to the priest, “Despise her not; but reckon it as if she had offered herself as a sacrifice.

[This is based on a sort of pun. Leviticus 2:1 begins “Anyone, when they bring a meal offering as an offering . . .” The word “anyone” is the word for one’s soul, one’s self. The rabbis here read “anyone” as the object of the verb: “When one offers one’s self …”]

1.4.3.           Bavli Megillah 20a

R. Meir said: All depends upon the kavvanah of the heart.

1.4.4.           Bavli Rosh Hashanah 28b

Raba said: For doing a commandment, kavvanah is not required; for committing a sin, kavvanah is required.

1.4.5.           Bavli Horayot 10b

R. Johanan quoted Hosea 14:10, “The ways of the Lord are right, and the righteous shall walk in them, but transgressors shall fall therein,” and he said: So of two people who cook their paschal lamb, one eats it to fulfill the commandment, and one eats it out of gluttony.

1.4.6.           Tosefta Berakhot 3.6

He who prays must direct his heart.

1.5.         Lishmah: For its own sake

1.5.1.           Bavli Sukkah 49b

The Torah [that is practiced and studied] for its own sake is a law of love; the law [that is practiced and studied] not for its own sake is a law without love. The Torah which is studied in order to teach, is a law of love; the Torah which is not studied in otder to teach, is a law without love.

1.5.2.           Bavli Taanit 7a

R. Banna’ah used to say: If one studies the Torah for its own sake, it becomes to him an elixir of life; but if one studies the Torah not for its own sake, it becomes to him a deadly poison.

1.5.3.           Sifre Numbers, Beha`aloteka, 89, 25a

R. Dosetai b. R. Yannai said: Why did God not create warm springs in Jerusalem as He has done in Tiberias? So that one Israelite should not say to another, “Let us go up to Jerusalem. If we go up just for one warm bath only, it will be enough.” Then there would be a going up [to Jerusalem for the festivals] which would not  be “for its own sake.”

1.5.4.           Bavli Nedarim 62a

He who makes use of the crown of the Law is rooted out of the world. Do the words of the Law for the doing’s sake, and speak of them for their own sake. Make them not a crown with which to exalt thyself . . .

1.5.5.           Bavli Horayot 10b

R. Nahman b. Isaac said: Better is a sin which is done lishmahthan a commandment which is not done lishmah. [But the anonymous voice of the Talmud criticizes:] Say that they are equal, but not that the sin is superior!