Todos aquellos sujetos a kareth (corte), que han recibido franjas, son absueltos de su kareth [si se han arrepentido], está escrito (Deuteronomio 25: 3): "... y tu hermano se humille ante tus ojos" —Una vez que se ha degradado, es como tu hermano. Estas son las palabras de R. Chanania b. Gamliel R. Chanina b. Gamliel dijo: Ahora, si alguien que comete una transgresión (kareth) le quita su alma, entonces quien realiza una mitzvá, ¡cuánto más (se deduce) que su alma será "concedida" a él! [Algunos entienden que esto se refiere a los sujetos a Kareth, que fueron heridos, a saber: "... entonces uno que acepta su juicio y hace una mitzvá al ser herido, cuánto más (se sigue) que su alma será" concedido "a él y será absuelto de Kareth!" Porque "su medida de recompensa es mayor que su medida de castigo". Y otros lo entienden como una declaración independiente para informarnos de la recompensa por mitvoth, a fortiori, del castigo por las transgresiones.] R. Shimon dice: Se deriva de su lugar [es decir, de la responsabilidad de Kareth, que estamos tratando , que si uno se sienta y no transgrede, recibe una recompensa como si hubiera hecho una mitzvá], que está escrito [con respecto a las relaciones ilícitas], (Levítico 18:29): "Y las almas que lo hagan serán cortadas off "y (Ibid. 5):" ... y él (que observa los estatutos contra las relaciones ilícitas) vivirá en ellos "[seguido de (6):" Un hombre, un hombre, a todos los parientes de su carne no acercarse para descubrir la desnudez "], por lo que se deduce que si uno se sienta y no transgrede [al" descubrir la desnudez "], recibe la recompensa como si hubiera hecho una mitzvá. [La escritura dice: "y él vivirá en ellos"—tal como kareth está indicado para alguien que transgredió. Esto, solo donde la transgresión "se presentó" y conquistó su inclinación al mal y se resistió, como Yosef Hatzaddik (con la esposa de Potifar) y similares.] R. Shimon b. Rebbi dice (Deuteronomio 12:23): "Solo fortalécete para no comer la sangre, porque la sangre es el alma ... para que sea buena para ti y para tus hijos después de ti, etc.": Ahora si la sangre, de que el alma de un hombre retrocede, aún así, si se abstiene, recibe recompensa— luego el robo y las relaciones ilícitas, por las cuales el alma de un hombre desea, ¡cuánto más lo que hace uno que se abstiene de ellos merece una recompensa para sí mismo, sus generaciones y las generaciones de sus generaciones hasta el final de todas las generaciones!
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.
