Daf 189a (דַּף קפ״ט ע״א)

You, friends (אַתּוּן חַבְרַיָּיא), who did not serve Rabbi Shma‘yah the pious (דְּלָא שְׁמַשְׁתּוּן לְרִבִּי שְׁמַעְיָה חֲסִידָא), say that in the five species of grain there is no portion to the Sitra achra (אַמְרִין דִּבְחֲמֵשֶׁת זִינֵי דָּגָן, לָא אִית חוּלָקָא לִסְטַר אַחֲרָא). But it is not so (וְלָאו הָכִי). For everything that is absorbed in the earth, the Sitra achra has a portion in it (דְּהָא כָּל מַה דְּאִתְבְּלֵי בְּאַרְעָא, לִסְטַר אַחֲרָא אִית בֵּיהּ חוּלָקָא). And what portion does it have? (וּמַאן חוּלָקָא אִית לֵיהּ). The chaff which the wind drives away (מוֹץ דְּתִדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ). As it is written: “Not so the wicked, but they are like chaff which the wind drives away” (Psalms 1) (דִּכְתִיב לֹא כֵן הָרְשָׁעִים כִּי אִם כַּמוֹץ אֲשֶׁר תִּדְּפֶנּוּ רוּחַ). And this is the spirit of holiness (וְדָא הוּא רוּחָא דִּקְדוּשָּׁא). And it is written: “For the spirit passes over him, and he is no more…” (Psalms 103) (וּכְתִיב כִּי רוּחַ עָבְרָה בּוֹ וְאֵינֶנּוּ וְגוֹ׳). Because the holy spirit scatters it to all sides of the world, so it is not found (בְּגִין דְּרוּחַ קֻדְשָׁא מְפַזֵּר לֵיהּ בְּכָל סִטְרִין דְּעָלְמָא, דְּלָא יִשְׁתְּכַח). This is in the feminine (דָּא בְּנוּקְבָּא). What is in the masculine? (דְּכוּרָא מַאי הוּא).

Straw (תֶּבֶן). And chaff and straw go together (וּמוֹץ וְתֶבֶן כַּחֲדָא אַזְלִין). And because of this they are exempt from tithes (וְעַל דָּא פָּטוּר מִמַּעֲשֵׂר). For there is in them no portion of holiness (דְּלֵית בְּהוּ חוּלָקָא בִּקְדוּשָׁה). The five kinds of grain are in purity, without straw and chaff (ה׳, דָּגָן בְּנַקְיוּ בְּלָא תֶּבֶן וּמוֹץ). The letter ḥet, male and female, is chaff and straw (חֵ״ט דְּכַר וְנוּקְבָּא, מוֹץ וְתֶבֶן). The letter hei is the purity of grain (ה׳: בְּנַקְיוּ דְּדָגָן). And because of this, the completeness of the tree is wheat (וְעַל דָּא שְׁלִימוּ דְּאִילָנָא חִטָּה אִיהוּ). And the tree with which Adam HaRishon sinned was wheat (וְאִילָנָא דְּחָטָא בֵּיהּ אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן חִטָּה הֲוָה).

For all is in the mystery and in the word wheat (דְּכֹלָּא אִיהוּ בְּרָזָא, וּבְמִלָּה דְּחִטָּה). Some say: in holiness, the letter hei is the purity of grain without straw and chaff, and therefore the completeness of the tree is wheat, and all is in the mystery of wheat (ס״א בִּקְדוּשָּׁה ה׳ נַקְיוּ דָּגָן בְּלָא תֶּבֶן וּמוֹץ, וְעַל דָּא שְׁלִימוּ דְּאִילָנָא חִטָּה אִיהוּ, וְכֹלָּא אִיהוּ בְּרָזָא דְּחִטָּה). Rabbi El'azar marveled (תָּוָוה רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר), and the friends marveled (וְתַוְּוהוּ חַבְרַיָּיא). Rabbi El'azar said (אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר): surely it is so (וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא).

The Yenuka (child) said (אָמַר הַהוּא יַנּוּקָא): surely it is so (הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי). The verse with which we began (קְרָא דְּשָׁרֵינָן בֵּיהּ): behold, barley was the first to come into the world (דְּהָא שְׂעוֹרָה אַקְדִּים לְמֵיתֵי לְעָלְמָא). And it is prepared as food for the beast, simply (וְאִיהוּ מְתַתְקָּן לְמֵיכְלָא דִּבְעִירָא סְתָם). It is the mystery of the thousand mountains which grow every day, and she eats them (אִיהוּ רָזָא דְּאֶלֶף הָרִים, דְּמְגַדְּלִין בְּכָל יוֹמָא, וְהִיא אָכְלָה לוֹן). And it is called the bread of terumah, food of that terumah (וְאִקְרֵי לֶחֶם תְּרוּמָה, מֵיכְלָא דְּהַהוּא תְּרוּמָה). Some say: shortened (ס״א וְאִתְקְצַר). And it was offered by night (וְאִתְקְרִיב בְּלֵילְיָא). For it is written: “And when the sun is set, he shall be clean, and afterward he shall eat of the holy things, because it is his bread” (Leviticus 22) (דְּהָא כְּתִיב וּבָא הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְטָהֵר וְאַחַר יֹאכַל מִן הַקֳּדָשִׁים כִּי לַחְמוֹ הוּא). “Of the holy things” - this is terumah (מִן הַקֳּדָשִׁים דָּא תְּרוּמָה). “Of the holy things” but not holy things themselves (מִן הַקֳּדָשִׁים, וְלָא קֳדָשִׁים). For “holy” simply is not called terumah (דְּהָא קֹדֶשׁ סְתָם לָא אִקְרֵי תְּרוּמָה).

For we learned: holiness is stricter than terumah (דְּחוֹמֶר בַּקֹּדֶשׁ מִבַּתְרוּמָה תְּנָן). The Holy Land was in the domain of Kudsha Berikh Hu (אַרְעָא קַדִישָׁא בִּרְשׁוּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוַת), and no other domain entered there (וּרְשׁוּ אַחֲרָא לָא עָאל תַּמָּן). How was the land tested - if it stands in faithfulness and is not joined with another domain? (הֵיךְ אִבְדִּיקַת אַרְעָא, אִי קַיְימַת בִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא, וְלָא אִתְחַבְּרַת בִּרְשׁוּ אַחֲרָא). By the offering of this terumah of barley, in the likeness of the mystery of the Sotah (בִּקְרִיבוּ דִּתְרוּמָה דָּא דִּשְׂעוֹרִים, כְּגַוְונָא דְּרָזָא דְּסוֹטָה).

Rabbi Abba said (אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָא): surely, the sharpening of the sword is toward you (וַדַּאי שִׁנָּנָא דְּחַרְבָּא לְגַבָּךְ). The Yenuka (child) said (אָמַר הַהוּא יַנּוּקָא): surely I am protected with shield and armor, to guard against it (וַדַּאי אִתָקַפְנָא בְּמָגֵן וְצִינָא לְאַגָּנָא מִנֵּיהּ). Rabbi Abba said (אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָא): the holy land has no other domain, and none enters there (אַרְעָא קַדִישָׁא לֵית בָּהּ רְשׁוּ אַחֲרָא, וְלָא עָאל תַּמָּן). From where then are chaff and straw? (מוֹץ וְתֶבֶן מִמַּאן הֲווֹ).

The Yenuka (child) opened and said (פָּתַח הַהוּא יַנּוּקָא וְאָמַר): “And Elohim created man in His image…” (Bereshit 1) (וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם בְּצַלְמוֹ וְגוֹ׳). And it is written: “And Elohim said to them: be fruitful and multiply” (Bereshit 1) (וּכְתִיב וַיֹּאמֶר לָהֶם אֱלֹהִים פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ). And if the serpent had not come upon Chavah, would he not have produced offspring in the world? (וְכִי אִי לָאו דְּאָתָא נָחָשׁ עַל חַוָּה, לָא יַעְבִיד תּוֹלָדִין לְעָלְמָא). Or if Yisrael had not sinned with the deed of the calf, would they not have produced offspring? (אוֹ אִי לָא חָאבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּעוֹבָדָא דְּעֶגְלָא, לָא יַעַבְדּוּן תּוֹלָדִין).

Rather, surely, if the serpent had not come upon Chavah, Adam would have produced offspring immediately (אֶלָּא וַדַּאי, אִי לָא יֵיתֵי נָחָשׁ עַל חַוָּה, תּוֹלָדִין יַעְבִיד אָדָם מִיָּד וַדַּאי). For the decree was issued immediately at creation, as it is written: “Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth” (Bereshit 1) (דְּהָא גְּזֵרָה אִתְגְּזַר מִיָּד דְּאִתְבְּרֵי, דִּכְתִיב פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת הָאָרֶץ). And those offspring would all have been in purity, without defilement at all (וְאִינּוּן תּוֹלָדִין יֵהוֹן כֻּלְּהוֹן בִּנְקִיוּ בְּלָא זוּהֲמָא כְּלַל). So too, the holy land, into which no other domain entered (אוּף הָכִי אַרְעָא קַדִישָׁא, דְּהָא לָא עָאל בָּהּ רְשׁוּ אַחֲרָא), nevertheless has chaff and straw (אִית בָּהּ מוֹץ וְתֶבֶן). But not from that side (דְּלָאו מֵהַהוּא סְטָר). Outside the holy land, that chaff and straw are from the Sitra achra (וּלְבַר מֵאַרְעָא, הַהוּא מוֹץ וְתֶבֶן דִּסְטָר אַחֲרָא הֲוִי), which follows after holiness like a monkey after man (דְּאַזְלָא בָּתַר קְדוּשָּׁה, כְּקוֹף בָּתַר בְּנֵי נָשָׁא).

Rabbi El'azar and the friends came and kissed him (אָתוּ רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְחַבְרַיָּיא וּנְשָׁקוּהוּ). He said to him (אָמַר לֵיהּ): it seems to me that we have gained by the weapons of war, bread of the table (דָּאמֵי לִי, דְּרַוַוחְנָא בְּמָאנֵי קְרָבָא, נָהֲמָא דְּפָתוֹרָא). Rabbi El'azar said (אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר): surely it is so, for all the weapons of war are in your hand, and they succeed in your hand (ודָאי הָכִי הוּא, דְּהָא כָּל זִינֵי קְרָבָא בִּידָךְ אִינּוּן, וּמַצְלִחָן בִּידָךְ). They came and kissed him as before (אָתוּ וּנְשָׁקוּהוּ כְּמִלְּקַדְּמִין).

He opened and said (פָּתַח אִיהוּ וְאָמַר): “And in the vine were three branches…” (Bereshit 40) (וּבַגֶּפֶן שְׁלֹשָׁה שָׂרִיגִים וְגוֹ׳). Until here is the vision of the word (עַד הָכָא חֶזְיוֹנָא דְּמִלָּה). For from here onward, it was his vision, as it is written: “And the cup of Pharaoh was in my hand” (Bereshit 40) (דְּהָא מִכָּאן וּלְהָלְאָה חֶזְיוֹנָא דִּילֵיהּ הֲוָה, דִּכְתִיב וְכוֹס פַּרְעֹה בְּיָדִי). But the vision of the word was for the sake of Yosef, to give him tidings, so that Yosef would hear and know (אֲבָל חֶזְיוֹנָא דְּמִלָּה, בְּגִינֵיהּ דְּיוֹסֵף הֲוָה וּלְבַשְּׂרָא לֵיהּ, דְּיִשְׁמַע יוֹסֵף וְיִנְדַּע).

We have learned (תָּנֵינָן): there are seven firmaments (שִׁבְעָה רְקִיעִין אִינּוּן), and they are seven heichalot (וְאִינּוּן הֵיכָלִין). Six there are (וְשִׁית אִינּוּן), and five there are (וַחֲמֵשׁ אִינּוּן), and all come forth from the wine of the supernal Ancient One (וְכֻלְּהוּ נַפְקֵי מִגּוֹ יַיִן עַתִּיקָא עִלָּאָה). That wine, Ya‘aqov drew from afar (הַהוּא יַיִן מָשִׁיךְ לֵיהּ יַעֲקֹב מֵרָחִיק), and he squeezed it from the grapes of that vine (וְסָחִיט לֵיהּ מֵעֲנָבִים דְּהַהוּא גֶּפֶן). Then Ya‘aqov drew that wine which appeared to him, and rejoiced and drank (כְּדֵין, יַעֲקֹב אַמְשִׁיךְ לֵיהּ הַהוּא יַיִן דְּקָא אִתְחֲזֵי לֵיהּ, וְחַדִּי וְשָׁתָה).

This is what is written: “And he brought him wine, and he drank” (Bereshit 27) (הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, וַיָּבֵא לוֹ יַיִן וַיֵּשְׁתְּ). Here the upper and lower were included together (הָכָא אִתְכְּלִיל עֵילָּא וְתַתָּא). And because of this the word was drawn afar, and it was extended in a drawing of two directions, and this is “for him” (וְעַל דָּא אַרְחִיק מִלָּה, וּמָשִׁיךְ לָהּ בִּמְשִׁיכוּ דִּתְרֵי תְּנוּעֵי, וְהַיְינוּ לוֹ). For him below, for him above (לֵיהּ לְתַתָּא, לֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא). Grasped in two sides (בְּתְּרֵין סִטְרִין אָחִיד).