All those liable to kareth (cutting-off), who have received stripes, are absolved of their kareth [if they have repented], it being written (Deuteronomy 25:3): "…and your brother be demeaned before your eyes" — Once he has been demeaned, he is as your brother. These are the words of R. Chanania b. Gamliel. R. Chanina b. Gamliel said: Now if one who commits one (kareth) transgression has his soul taken from him, then one who performs one mitzvah, how much more so (does it follow) that his soul will be "granted" unto him! [Some understand this as referring to those liable to kareth, who were smitten, viz.: "…then one who accepts his judgment and does a mitzvah in being smitten, how much more so (does it follow) that his soul will be "granted" unto him and he will be absolved of kareth!" For "His measure for reward is greater than His measure for punishment." And others understand it as an independent statement to apprise us of the reward for mitvoth, a fortiori, from the punishment for transgressions.] R. Shimon says: It is derived from its place [i.e., from kareth liability, that we are dealing with, that if one sits and does not transgress, he receives reward as if he had done a mitzvah], it being written [in respect to illicit relations], (Leviticus 18:29): "And the souls who do it shall be cut off," and (Ibid. 5): "…and he (who observes the statutes against illicit relations) shall live in them" [followed by (6): "A man, a man, to all the kin of his flesh shall not draw near to uncover nakedness"], whereby it is derived that if one sits and does not transgress [by "uncovering nakedness"], he receives reward as if he had done a mitzvah. [Scripture states: "and he shall live in them" — just as kareth is indicated for one who transgressed. This, only where the transgression "presented itself" and he conquered his evil inclination and resisted it, as Yosef Hatzaddik (with the wife of Potiphar) and the like.] R. Shimon b. Rebbi says (Deuteronomy 12:23): "Only strengthen yourself not to eat the blood, for the blood is the soul … so that it shall be good for you and for your children after you, etc.": Now if blood, from which a man's soul recoils, still, if he abstains from it, he receives reward — then theft and illicit relations, for which a man's soul lusts, how much more so does one who abstains from them merit reward for himself, his generations, and his generations' generations to the end of all generations!
Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
נפטרו מידי כריתתן – if they did returned in repentance.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Introduction
The final two mishnayoth of Makkoth are in essence the final two mishnayoth of a long tractate, which at one time included both Sanhedrin and Makkoth, a total of 14 chapters. As is typical of the Mishnah, long tractates are completed with words of “aggadah”, sermonic material, not usually of a legal nature. Both of these mishnayoth teach how great will be the reward of those who fulfill the commandments and deal with some weighty theological issues.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
העושה מצוה אחת על אחת כמה וכמה – there are those who interpret this – that it is speaking of all those who are liable for extirpation who were flogged, for whomever accepted upon himself the judgement and performed a Mitzvah when he was flogged, all the more so that his soul will be saved for him and that he will be exempt from extirpation, for he has one good measure [in his favor] over and above the measure for retribution. And there are those who interpret that this is for itself – to inform the giving of reward [for the performance] of the commandments, all the more so, from the punishment for transgressions.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
All who have incurred [the penalty of] kareth, on being flogged are exempt from their punishment of kareth, for it says, “[He may be given up to forty lashes, but not more] ... lest your brother shall be dishonored before your eyes” (Deut. 25;3) once he has been lashed he is [considered] “your brother”, the words of Rabbi Hananiah ben Gamaliel. The punishment of kareth, being cut off from one’s people, while not enforced by a court of law, was considered to be a very serious punishment, one with dire consequences. The Rabbis taught that by receiving lashes one is expiated from the punishment of kareth. This is learned from the verse in Deuteronomy which calls the person being lashed “your brother”. After he has been lashed his punishment of kareth is erased and he returns to his full status as a member of Israel.
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Bartenura on Mishnah Makkot
ממקומו הוא למד – from those liable for extirpation, that we speak about them we learn that he who sits and does not commit a sin, we credit him for a reward as one who performs a Mitzvah (see Mishnah Avot, Chapter 2, Mishnah 2), as it is written concerning the laws of incest (Leviticus 18:29): “such persons shall be cut off [from their people].” And it states (Leviticus 18:5): “[You shall keep My laws and My rules,] by the pursuit of which man shall live: [I am the LORD].” And near it (verse 6): “None of you shall come near anyone of his own flesh [to uncover nakedness: I am the LORD].” Behold that a person who sits and does not uncover the nakedness [of one of his forbidden relations], the Written Torah calls him that he has performed a Mitzvah, and it is written concerning him (verse 5), “of which a man shall live.” In the same manner that [the Torah] punishes with extirpation for someone who commits a transgression, and this specifically regarding one who has the opportunity to sin and he conquers his [negative] impulse and doesn’t do it, is like Joseph the Righteous and others like him.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Rabbi Hananiah ben Gamaliel said: “Just as one who transgresses one transgression forfeits his life, how much more does one who performs one commandment have his life granted him.” All throughout our tractate and tractate Sanhedrin we have been learning about punishments, including such serious punishments as lashings, kareth and execution. Rabbi Hananiah ben Gamaliel finds hope in the seriousness of these punishments. If a person can be so harshly punished for merely one sin, all the more great will be the reward for one who fulfills even one commandment.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Rabbi Shimon says: “You can learn this from its own passage; as it says: “[All who do any of those abhorrent things] such persons shall be cut off from their people” (Lev. 18:29), and it says: “You shall keep my statutes and my ordinances which if a man do, he shall live by them” (Lev. 18:5), which means that one who desists from transgressing is granted reward like one who performs a precept. Rabbi Shimon claims that an even greater principle can be learned from a verse dealing with kareth itself. The end of chapter 18 in Leviticus states that one who does one of these sins will be punished by kareth, i.e. cut off from his people. The beginning of the chapter states that if one performs the commandments he will live through them. In other words, the end of the chapter discusses those who transgress and the beginning of the chapter mentions those who perform the commandments. Rabbi Shimon concludes that these are flip sides to the same coin. By merely not transgressing a person is considered as if he had actively performed a commandment and will receive his just reward.
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English Explanation of Mishnah Makkot
Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi says: Behold [the Torah] says, “But makes sure that you do not partake of the blood; for the blood is the life, and you must not consume the life with the flesh…[that it may go well with you and with your descendents to come..” (Deut. 12:23-25”-- now, if in the case of blood which a person’s soul loathes, anyone who refrains from it receives reward, how much more so in regard to robbery and sexual sin for which a person’s soul craves and longs shall one who refrains from them acquire merit for himself and for generations and generations to come, to the end of all generations! Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi continues to discuss how great the reward is for performing the commandments. Deuteronomy states that one who refrains from eating the blood of an animal will merit reward, as will all of his descendents. Rabbi Shimon bar Rabbi points out that if a person receives such a great reward for refraining from doing something that he wouldn’t want to do anyway, since most people are disgusted by blood, how much greater will be his reward for refraining from stealing and transgressing sexually, sins which most people crave. In other words, rewards are based on resistance to evil temptations. The greater the temptation the greater the reward for resistance.
