Daf 166a (דַּף קס״ו ע״א)

Rabbi Ḥiyya and Rabbi Abba (רַבִּי חִיָּיא וְרִבִּי אַבָּא), stayed in the inn of their host (שָׁרוּ בְּבֵי אוּשְׁפִּיזַיְיהוּ). They arose at midnight (קָמוּ בְּפַלְגוּת לֵילְיָא), to engage in Orayta (לְאִשְׁתַּדְּלָא בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא). The daughter of the innkeeper (בְּרַתֵיהּ דְּאוּשְׁפִיזָא), arose and lit for them a lamp (קָמַת וְאַנְהִירַת לוֹן שַׁרְגָּא), and afterward stood behind them to hear words of Orayta (וּלְבָתַר קַיְּימַת אֲבַתְרַיְיהוּ לְמִשְׁמַע מִלִּין דְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא).

Rabbi Yossi opened and said (פָּתַח רַבִּי יוֹסִי וְאָמַר): “For a commandment is a lamp and Torah is light, and the way of life is rebukes of instruction” (Proverbs 6) (כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה וְתוֹרָה אוֹר וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר). For a commandment is a lamp (כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה): whoever engages in this world in the commandments of the Orayta (כָּל מַאן דְּאִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, בְּאִינּוּן פִּקּוּדִין דְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא), is arranged before Him so that every commandment is a lamp (אִתְסָדַר קָמֵיהּ בְּכָל פִּקּוּדָא וּפִקּוּדָא חַד שַׁרְגָּא), to shine for him in that world (לְאַנְהָרָא לֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא).

And Torah is light (וְתוֹרָה אוֹר): whoever occupies himself with Orayta (מַאן דְּאִתְעַסָּק בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא), merits that supernal light (זָכֵי לְהַהוּא נְהוֹרָא עִלָּאָה), which lights the lamp from it (דְּאַדְלִיקַת שַׁרְגָּא מִנֵּיהּ). For the lamp without light is nothing (דְּהָא שַׁרְגָּא בְּלָא נְהוֹרָא לָא כְּלוּם). And light without a lamp likewise cannot shine (נְהוֹרָא בְּלָא שַׁרְגָּא, אוּף הָכִי לָא יָכִיל לְאַנְהָרָא). It is found that all requires one another (אִשְׁתְּכַח דְּכֹלָּא דָּא לְדָא אִצְטְרִיךְ). Action is required to prepare the lamp (אִצְטְרִיךְ עוֹבָדָא לְאַתְקְנָא שַׁרְגָּא), and one must study Orayta to light the lamp (וְאִצְטְרִיךְ לְמִלְעֵי בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא, לְאַנְהָרָא שַׁרְגָּא). Blessed is he who occupies himself with it, with light and with lamp (זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ מַאן דְּאִתְעַסָּק בָּהּ בִּנְהוֹרָא וּבְשַׁרְגָּא).

“And the way of life is rebukes of instruction” (וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר): a path of life, to enter thereby into the World to Come (אֹרַח חַיִּים לְאָעָלָא בֵּיהּ לְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי). These are the rebukes a person receives (אִינּוּן תּוֹכָחוֹת, דִּמְקַבֵּל בַּר נָשׁ), to turn himself aside from the evil way (לְאַעֲדָאָה גַּרְמֵיהּ מֵאֹרַח בִּישׁ), and to go in the good path (וּלְמֵיהַךְ בְּאָרְחָא טָבָא). Further, the way of life (תּוּ וְדֶרֶךְ חַיִּים)—these are the rebukes of instruction (אִינּוּן תּוֹכְחוֹת מוּסָר), which the Kudsha Berikh Hu brings upon a person (דְּאַיְיתֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ), to cleanse him from his sins through those rebukes (לְדַכְּאָה לֵיהּ מֵחוֹבוֹי בְּאִינּוּן תּוֹכָחוֹת).

Blessed is he who accepts them with the desire of the heart (זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ מַאן דְּקַבִּיל לְהוּ בִּרְעוּ דְּלִבָּא). Another matter: For a commandment is a lamp (דָּבָר אַחֵר כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה), The rectification of the lamp — this is the lamp, the luminary of David (תקונא דשרגא דָּא שַׁרְגָּא בּוּצִינָא דְּדָוִד), which is the commandment-lamp of the Oral Orayta (דְּאִיהוּ נִר מִצְוָה אוֹרַיְּיתָא דִּבְעַל פֶּה), which must be continually rectified (דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לְאִתְתָּקְנָא תָּדִיר). And it does not shine except through the Written Torah (וְאִיהִי לָא נַהֲרָא אֶלָּא מִגּוֹ תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב), for the Oral Torah has no light except through the Written Torah (דְּהָא אוֹרַיְּיתָא דִּבְעַל פֶּה לֵית לָהּ נְהִירוּ, אֶלָּא מִגּוֹ תּוֹרָה שֶׁבִּכְתָב), which is light to illuminate (דְּאִיהִי אוֹר לְאַנְהָרָא).

He looked behind him (אַשְׁגַּח אֲבַתְרֵיהּ), and saw the daughter of the innkeeper standing behind them (וְחָמָא בְּרָתֵיהּ דְּאוּשְׁפִּיזָא קַיְּימָא אֲבַתְרַיְיהוּ). He said: For a commandment is a lamp—what is a lamp? (אָמַר כִּי נֵר מִצְוָה, מַאי נֵר). This is the lamp, which is the commandment that women merit in (דָּא נֵר דְּאִיהִי מִצְוָה דְּנָשִׁין זַכְיָין בֵּיהּ), and it is the lamp of Shabbat (וְאִיהִי נִר דְּשַׁבָּת).

For although women do not merit in Orayta (דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּנָשִׁין לָא זָכָּאן בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא), yet the men merit in Orayta (הָא גּוּבְרִין זַכְיָין בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא), and illuminate this lamp (וְנָהֲרִין לְהַאי שַׁרְגָּא), in which women are rectified through this commandment (דְּנָשִׁין מְתַּתְקְנָן בְּהַאי מִצְוָה). Women, in the rectification of this lamp (נָשִׁין בְּתִקּוּנָא דְּהַאי נֵר). Men, in Orayta (גּוּבְרִין בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא), to illuminate this lamp (לְאַנְהָרָא לְהַאי נֵר), the rectification of the commandment which women were obligated in (תִּקּוּנָא דְּמִצְוָה דְּנָשִׁין אִתְחָיְיבוּ בְּהוּ).

That woman heard and wept (שַׁמְעָת הַהִיא אִתְּתָא וּבָכָאת). Meanwhile her father, who was there, arose (אַדְּהָכִי קָם אֲבוּהָ דְּאִתְּתָא, דַּהֲוָת תַּמָּן), and entered among them (וְעָאל בֵּינַיְיהוּ), and saw his daughter standing behind them and weeping (וְחָמָא בְּרָתֵיהּ קַיְּימַת אֲבַתְרַיְיהוּ וּבָכָאת). Her father asked her (שָׁאִיל לָהּ אֲבוּהָ). Rabbi Abba related to him the matter (סָחַת לֵיהּ [רבי אבא] עוֹבָדָא). The father of the woman also wept (שָׁאֲרִי אֲבוּהָ דְּאִתְּתָא אוּף אִיהוּ וּבָכָה).

Rabbi Yossi said to him (אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יוֹסִי): Perhaps your son-in-law, the husband of your daughter, did not merit in Orayta (דִּילְמָא חֲתָנָךְ בַּעְלָהּ דִּבְּרָתִיךְ, לָא זָכָה בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא). He said to him: Surely so it is (אָמַר לֵיהּ וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא), and for this indeed we weep, I and my daughter continually (וְעַל דָּא וַדַּאי בָּכִינָן, אֲנָא וּבְרָתִי תָּדִיר). For I saw him one day (וּבְגִין דַּחֲמֵינָא לֵיהּ יוֹמָא חַד), when he leapt down from a certain roof (דְּדָלִּיג מֵאִגְרָא דָּא), to hear the Kaddish with the congregation (לְמִשְׁמַע קַדִּישׁ בַּהֲדֵי צִבּוּרָא).

It entered my mind to give him my daughter (סָלִיק בִּרְעוּתָא דִּילִי, לְמֵיהַב לֵיהּ בְּרָתִי), and immediately when the congregation left the synagogue (וְתֵּכֶף דְּנַפְקוּ צִבּוּרָא מִבֵּי כְּנִישְׁתָּא), I gave him my daughter (יָהִיבְנָא לֵיהּ בְּרָתִי). For I said: In this leap that he came to hear the Kaddish (דַּאֲמֵינָא בְּדִלוּגָא דָּא דְּאָתָא לְמִשְׁמַע קַדִּישׁ), he must be a great man in Orayta (גַּבְרָא רַבָּא לִיהֲוֵי בְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא). And even though he was a youth (וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ רַבְיָא), I did not know of him before (וְלָא יְדַעְנָא בֵּיהּ מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא). But now he does not even know the blessing over food (וְהַשְׁתָּא אֲפִילּוּ בִּרְכַּת מְזוֹנָא לָא יָדַע), and I cannot speak with him among the Friends, who recite Keri’at Shema or the blessing over food (וְלָא יָכִילְנָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ לְמִלְעֵי בֵּין חַבְרַיָּיא, דְּיוֹלִיף קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, אוֹ בִּרְכַּת מְזוֹנָא).

He said to him (אָמַר לֵיהּ): I will transfer him to another (אַעְבָּר לֵיהּ בְּאַחֲרָא), or perhaps a son will be born from him, who will be a great man (אוֹ דִּלְמָא בְּרָא יוֹלִיד דְּלִהוֵי גַּבְרָא רַבָּא). Meanwhile, he came, leapt upon them, and sat before them (אַדְּהָכִי קָם אִיהוּ, וְדִלֵג עֲלַיְיהוּ וְיָתִיב לְקָמַיְיהוּ). Rabbi Yossi looked at him (אִסְתָּכַּל בֵּיהּ רַבִּי יוֹסִי), and said (אָמַר): Surely I see in this youth (וַדַּאי אֲנָא חֲמֵינָא בְּהַאי רַבְיָא), that the light of Orayta will go out into the world from him (דִּנְהוֹרָא דְּאוֹרַיְּיתָא יִפּוּק לְעָלְמָא מִנֵּיהּ), or a son will be established from him (אוֹ בְּרָא דְּיוֹקִים מִנֵּיהּ). That youth swore (חָיִּיךָ הַהוּא רַבְיָא), and said (וְאָמַר): My masters, let me say before you one word (רַבּוֹתַי אֵימָא קָמַיְיכוּ חַד מִלָּה).

He opened and said (פָּתַח וְאָמַר): “I am young in days and you are aged; therefore I was afraid and feared to declare my knowledge to you” (Job 32) (צָעִיר אֲנִי לְיָמִים וְאַתֶּם יְשִׁישִׁים עַל כֵּן זָחַלְתִּי וָאִירָא מֵחַוֹת דֵּעִי אֶתְכֶם). At this verse the pillars of the world were aroused (הַאי קְרָא אִתְּעָרוּ בֵּיהּ עַמּוּדֵי עָלְמָא). But Elihu, of whom it is written, “of the family of Ram” (אֲבָל אֱלִיהוּ דִּכְתִּיב בֵּיהּ מִמִשְׁפַּחַת רָם), was aroused, for he came from the seed of Abraham (אִתְעָרוֹ, דְּהָא מִזַּרְעָא דְּאַבְרָהָם קָאֲתָא), and rightly so (וְשַׁפִּיר). But Elihu was a priest (אֲבָל אֱלִיהוּ כַּהֲנָא הֲוָה), and from the seed of Yeḥezkel the prophet (וּמִזַּרְעָא דִּיְחֶזְקֵאל נְבִיאָה הֲוָה). For it is written here “the son of Barachel the Buzite” (Job 32) (כְּתִיב הָכָא בֶן בַּרַכְאֵל הַבּוּזִי), and it is written there: “Yeḥezkel son of Buzi the priest” (Ezekiel 1) (וּכְתִיב הָתָם יְחֶזְקֵאל בֶּן בּוּזִי הַכֹּהֵן).