Sukkah, Daf Nun Gimmel, Part 1

 

Introduction

This week’s daf continues with the description of the Simchat Bet Hashoevah.

 

ולא היה חצר בירושלים. תנא: אשה היתה בוררת חטים לאור של בית השואבה.

 

And there was no courtyard in Jerusalem

A woman could sift wheat by the light of the Bet Hashoevah.

 

The light of the Bet Hashoevah was so great that a woman sitting in Jerusalem could sift her wheat with the light. Now that’s a lot of light!

 

חסידים ואנשי מעשה כו’. תנו רבנן: יש מהן אומרים אשרי ילדותנו שלא ביישה את זקנותנו – אלו חסידים ואנשי מעשה, ויש מהן אומרים אשרי זקנותנו שכפרה את ילדותנו – אלו בעלי תשובה. אלו ואלו אומרים אשרי מי שלא חטא, ומי שחטא ישוב וימחול לו.

 

Men of piety and men of good deeds, etc.

Our Rabbis have taught: Some of them, used to say: "Happy is our youth that has not disgraced our old age." These were the men of piety and good deeds.

Others used to say, "Happy is our old age which has atoned for our youth." These were the penitents.

Both said: "Happy is he who has not sinned, but let him who has sinned return and He will pardon him."

 

This baraita describes two groups. The men of piety and good deeds, who were righteous even when they were younger. And the penitents (Baalei Teshuvah) who had repented from their youthful sins. The baraita seems to place both on equal footing.

 

תניא, אמרו עליו על הלל הזקן כשהיה שמח בשמחת בית השואבה אמר כן: אם אני כאן – הכל כאן, ואם איני כאן – מי כאן.

הוא היה אומר כן: למקום שאני אוהב שם רגלי מוליכות אותי, אם תבא אל ביתי – אני אבא אל ביתך, אם אתה לא תבא אל ביתי – אני לא אבא אל ביתך, שנאמר +שמות כ+ בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבא אליך וברכתיך.

אף הוא ראה גלגולת אחת שצפה על פני המים, אמר לה: על דאטפת אטפוך, ומטיפיך יטופון.

 

It was taught: They said about Hillel the Elder that when he used to rejoice at the Simchat Bet Hashoevah, he used to say: If I am here, everyone is here; but if I am not here, who is here?

He also used to say: "To the place that I love, there my feet take me. If you will come into my House, I will come into your house. If you will not come to my House, I will not come to your house, as it is said, "In every place where I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you" (Exodus 20:21).

He once saw a skull floating upon the face of the water. He said to it: Because you drowned others, they have drowned you, and they that drowned you shall be drowned too.

 

This section contains three sayings of Hillel the Elder, the famous Hillel. Two of them seem to be connected to the Simchat Bet Hashoevah, and the third is from Mishnah Avot. The first two statements espouse a startling view of human beings as the literal image of God, a view which grants to human beings tremendous cosmic significance. If I am here, I, Hillel, created in the image of God, it is as if everyone, all of humanity and God, is here.

My feet, he says, are literally drawn to the Temple, which is "my house" not just God’s house, for I too am a God. This view of human significance in the world is drawn from the ambiguous parallel of the two halves of the verse in Exodus 20: In any place, I (the human being or God) mention my name (human or God), I (human or God) will come to you and bless you (human or God).

The third statement is from Avot 2:6. These were my comments on that mishnah:

This mishnah expresses Hillel s deep faith in the ultimate justice of the world. In the end everyone receives not only a punishment for their crimes, but the exact punishment that fits their crimes. The person who drowned others is not only punished by being killed as a murderer, but he receives the same type of death that he meted out to others.

Although this may seem to be a statement purely of faith, one not empirically observable, Maimonides points out that it is borne out by experience all of the time and in all places. People who do evil and introduce violence and corruption into society, fall eventually as victims to the very violence that they perpetuated.

 

אמר רבי יוחנן: רגלוהי דבר איניש אינון ערבין ביה, לאתר דמיתבעי תמן מובילין יתיה.

הנהו תרתי כושאי דהוו קיימי קמי שלמה, +מלכים א, ד, ג+ אליחרף ואחיה בני שישא, סופרים דשלמה הוו.

יומא חד חזייה למלאך המות דהוה קא עציב.

אמר ליה: אמאי עציבת?

אמר ליה: דקא בעו מינאי הני תרתי כושאי דיתבי הכא.

מסרינהו לשעירים שדרינהו למחוזא דלוז.

כי מטו למחוזא דלוז שכיבו.

למחר חזיא מלאך המות דהוה קבדח, אמר ליה: אמאי בדיחת?

אמר ליה: באתר דבעו מינאי תמן שדרתינהו.

מיד פתח שלמה ואמר: רגלוהי דבר איניש אינון ערבין ביה, לאתר דמיתבעי תמן מובילין יתיה.

 

R. Yohanan stated: A man’s feet are his guarantors; they lead him to the place where he is wanted. There were once two Cushites who attended on Solomon, and these were Elihoreph and Ahyah, the sons of Shisha, scribes, of Solomon (I Kings 4:3).

One day Solomon observed that the Angel of Death was distressed.

He asked him: Why are you distressed?

He responded: They have demanded from me the two Cushites who sit here.

[Solomon] gave them over to the demons and sent them to the district of Luz.

When they reached the district of Luz they died.

On the following day he observed that the Angel of Death was smiling.

He said to him: Why are you smiling?

He responded: To the place where they expected them from me, there did you send them!

Solomon immediately began to say: A man’s feet are his guarantors; they lead him to the place where he is wanted.

 

This fatalistic story is brought to illustrate R. Yohanan/Solomon’s saying, that a person ends up wherever they are supposed to be. I think the story is quite understandable there is no running away from death. Whether or not this quite proves that a person always ends up where they are supposed to be, I will leave up to you.