הוּא הָיָה אוֹמֵר, אֵין בּוּר יְרֵא חֵטְא, וְלֹא עַם הָאָרֶץ חָסִיד, וְלֹא הַבַּיְשָׁן לָמֵד, וְלֹא הַקַּפְּדָן מְלַמֵּד, וְלֹא כָל הַמַּרְבֶּה בִסְחוֹרָה מַחְכִּים. וּבְמָקוֹם שֶׁאֵין אֲנָשִׁים, הִשְׁתַּדֵּל לִהְיוֹת אִישׁ:
Zwykł mawiać: „Grzech nie będzie się bał grzechu”. [„Wiertło” to ten, kto jest „pusty” ze wszystkiego (Targum z Rodzaju 47:19 „A ziemia nie będzie pusta” to „A ziemia nie będzie pogrzebana”). Jest on pusty nawet z przedsiębiorczości i jest gorszy niż „ignoramus”], a ignorant nie może być świętym, [ale mając wprawę w interesach, może obawiać się grzechu], a ten, kto jest zawstydzony, nie nauczy się. [Wstydząc się prosić, aby go nie wyśmiewano, pozostanie ze swoimi wątpliwościami na zawsze], a pedant nie będzie nauczał. [Ten, kto jest „pedantyczny” (nie przychodzący) ze swoimi uczniami, kiedy go o to proszą, nie będzie uczył poprawnie. Musi być „otwarty” z nimi w (nauczaniu) halachy], a wszyscy, którzy (nadmiernie) zajmują się handlem, nie będą mądrzy, [tj. Powtórzonego Prawa 30:13: „I nie jest za morzami”—Tory nie można znaleźć u tych, którzy przekraczają morza (w handlu). (Eruvin 55a)], aw miejscu, gdzie nie ma ludzi [zasiadających na czele i podejmujących decyzje halachiczne], staraj się być mężczyzną.
Shev Shmat'ta
(Bet) In [Parashat] Haazinu (Deut. 32:46-47) it states, “He said to them, ‘Take to heart all the words that I am testifying to you this day […] that they may keep and do all the words of this Torah. For this is not a trifling thing for you, but it is your life.’” And this is that they should not say that they are not able “to keep and do all of the words of this Torah” – in the way that it is stated in Job 10:7, “It is Your knowledge that I am not guilty”; and as it is stated in the first chapter of Bava Batra, “You have created the righteous, You have created the evil”; but their goodness is not in their hands, but rather only that which has been decreed from His heights of holiness, to provide goodness to the good one. Hence it states, “For this is not a trifling thing for you,” – the understanding of [“not… for you”] is from yourselves, with the aspect of a cistern that is not from itself but is instead filled from others. Rather in this matter, you have the aspect of a well which emanates from itself when you keep the commandments of God. That is why it states, “but it is your life,” with the oppositional expression (“but”) – and its understanding is, but rather it is your life and it is in your hands, from yourselves. And so the essence of the creation was that you should ‘all be living today.’ And this is the intention of the statement of the [Sages], may their memory be blessed, “A boor (which can also be read as cistern) does not fear sin” (Avot 2:5). As the fear of Heaven is not decreed upon the drop [that will form the fetus], like other virtues that have the aspect of a cistern; as it has the aspect of a well [instead]. And this is why we say about the Torah and the service [to God], “As they are our lives” – the understanding of which is that they are our actual lives. And this is also the intention of their statement, may their memory be blessed, “The wicked are called dead even during their lives” (Berakhot 18b). As it is for one man in a thousand that the whole world was created, as company for this [one man]. And everything was created for the righteous. As Rambam writes, “Were it not for the group of crazies that travel in wildernesses, etc. [the world would not be settled for the righteous].” According to this, the evil person has no independent life – his life is only the life of the righteous one – and hence, he is called dead.
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