Daf 51b (דַּף נ״א ע״ב)

Rabbi Yehudah said to him (אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי יְהוּדָה): And in that house did you know beforehand that another man had been harmed there? (וּבְהַהוּא בֵּיתָא יַדְעַת מִן קַדְמַת דְּנָא, דְּאִתְנְזַק בֵּיהּ בַּר נָשׁ אָחֳרָא). He said to him (אָמַר לֵיהּ): I know, for some days ago a man was harmed there (יְדַעְנָא, דְּהָא מִכַּמָּה יוֹמִין אִתְנְזַק בֵּיהּ חַד בַּר נָשׁ), and they said he was sick, and some of them said it was the spirit of the house (וַהֲווּ אַמְרֵי דְּמַרְעָא הֲוָה, וּמִנַּיְיהוּ אַמְרֵי דְּרוּחָא דְּבֵיתָא). And afterwards many men entered it and were not harmed (וּלְבָתַר עָאלוּ בֵּיהּ כַּמָה בְּנֵי נָשָׁא, וְלָא אִתְנְזִיקוּ). They said: This is what the Friends said — woe to those who transgress their words (אָמְרוּ, הַיְינוּ דְּאַמְרֵי חַבְרַיָּיא, וַוי לְאִינוּן דְּעַבְרִין עַל מִלַּיְיהוּ).

Rabbi Yehudah opened and said (פָּתַח רִבִּי יְהוּדָה וְאָמַר): “Woe to him who builds his house without righteousness” (Jeremiah 22) (הוֹי בּוֹנֶה בֵיתוֹ בְּלֹא צֶדֶק). For in every place where righteousness is found, all the spirits and all the destroyers of the world flee from it and are not found before it (דְּהָא בְּכָל אֲתַר דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּיהּ צֶדֶק, כָּל רוּחִין וְכָל מַזִּיקֵי עָלְמָא עַרְקֵי מִנֵּיהּ, וְלָא מִשְׁתַּכְּחֵי קַמֵּיהּ). And with all this, one who comes first and takes the place holds it (וְעִם כָּל דָּא, מַאן דְּאַקְדִים וְנָטִיל אֲתַר, אָחִיד בֵּיהּ).

Rabbi Ḥizkiyah said (אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה): If so, does the holy Name remain like a defiled spirit? (אִי הָכִי שָׁקִיל שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא כְּרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא). He said to him (אָמַר לֵיהּ): Not so (לָאו הָכִי), for the holy Name does not dwell in a place of defilement (אֶלָּא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא לָא שַׁרְיָא בַּאֲתַר מִסְאֲבָא). And because of this, if the holy Name took the place beforehand, all the spirits and destroyers of the world cannot be seen in it, all the more so to approach it (וּבְגִין כַּךְ, אִי שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא נָטִיל אֲתַר מִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא, כָּל רוּחִין וְכָל מַזִּיקִין דְּעָלְמָא לָא יַכְלִין לְאִתְחֲזָאָה בֵּיהּ, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן לְקָרְבָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ). If a defiled spirit preceded, it took the place (אִי רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא קָדִים, נָטִיל אֲתַר). The holy Name does not dwell in it, for that is not His place (שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא לָא שַׁרְיָא בֵּיהּ, דְּהָא לָאו אַתְרֵיהּ). And when the plague of leprosy came down, it purified the place and expelled the defiled spirit from its place (וְכַד הֲוָה נָחִית נֶגַע צָרַעַת, הֲוָה מַדְכֵּי אַתְרָא, וְאַפִּיק לְרוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא מֵאַתְרֵיהּ). And afterwards they demolished the house, its stones and its beams and all (וּלְבָתַר מְנַתְּצֵי בֵּיתָא, אֲבָנִין וְאָעִין וְכֹלָּא). And they rebuilt it as before, in a holy aspect, in righteousness, so that it would be remembered with the holy Name and holiness dwell upon it (וּבָנֵי לָהּ כְּמִלְּקַדְּמִין, בִּסְטָר קַדִּישָׁא בְּצֶדֶק, דְּדָכִיר לֵיהּ לִשְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא, וְלִשְׁרֵי עָלֵיהּ קְדוּשָּׁה). And with all this, with other dust, and distance the house from its place, from the original foundation by two handbreadths (וְעִם כָּל דָּא בְּעַפְרָא אָחֳרָא, וְיַרְחִיק בֵּיתָא מֵאַתְרֵיהּ, מִיְּסוֹדָא קַדְמָאָה תְּרֵי טְפָחִים).

Now that it is not seen, and the one who accuses with that defiled spirit has not descended to remove it from its place, what is its remedy? (הַשְׁתָּא דְּלָא אִתְחֲזֵי, וְלָא נָחִית מַאן דִּמְקַטְרֵג בֵּיהּ בְּהַהוּא רוּחַ מִסְאֲבָא, לְאַפָּקָא לֵיהּ מֵאַתְרֵיהּ, מַאי תָּקַנְתֵּיהּ). If he is able to go out from that house, it is good (אִי יָכִיל לְנָפְקָא מֵהַאי בֵּיתָא, שַׁפִּיר). And if not, he should build it as before, with other stones and beams and everything (וְאִי לָאו, יִבְנֶה לֵיהּ כְּמִלְּקַדְּמִין, בַּאֲבָנִין אָחֳרָנִין, וְאָעִין וְכֹלָּא). And he should remove and distance it from the original place, and build it upon the holy Name (וְיַפִּיק וְיַרְחִיק לֵיהּ מֵאֲתַר קַדְמָאָה, וְיִבְנֵי לֵיהּ עַל שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא). And with all this, that spirit does not leave from the first place, because holiness does not dwell in a place of defilement (וְעִם כָּל דָּא, לָא נָפִיק הַהוּא רוּחָא מִן אֲתַר קַדְמָאָה, בְּגִין דִּקְדוּשָּׁה לָא שַׁרְיָא עַל אֲתַר מִסְאֲבָא).

Rabbi Yitzḥak said (אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק): Why should he trouble himself so much? At this time it is written: “That which is crooked cannot be made straight…” (Ecclesiastes 1) (לָמָּה לֵיהּ לְאַטְרְחָא כּוּלֵי הַאי, בְּזִמְנָא דָּא כְּתִיב מְעֻוָּות לֹא יוּכַל לִתְקוֹן וְגוֹ׳). From the day that the Temple was destroyed, healing was not found in the world (מִיּוֹמָא דְּאִתְחָרַב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא, לָא אִשְׁתְּכַח אַסוּותָא בְּעָלְמָא). And because of this, a man must be careful, so that he may be guarded (בְּגִינֵי כַּךְ, בָּעֵי בַּר נָשׁ לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא, כִּי הֵיכִי דְּלִהֱוִי נָטִיר).

They said: Let us go with this man and see (אַמְרֵי נְזִיל בַּהֲדֵי הַאי בַּר נָשׁ וְנֶחֱמֵי). Rabbi Yitzḥak said (אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק): It is forbidden to us (אָסִיר לָן). If he were going to a great man who fears sin, like Na‘aman to Elisha, let us go after him (אִי הֲוָה אָזִיל לְגַבֵּי גַּבְרָא רַבָּא דָּחִיל חַטָּאָה, כְּגוֹן נַעֲמָן לְגַבֵּי אֱלִישָׁע, נֵזִיל אֲבַתְרֵיהּ). But now that he goes to those far from the world, far from Orayta, despised of all, it is forbidden to us to appear before them (הַשְׁתָּא דְּאִיהוּ אָזִיל לְגַבֵּי רְחִיקֵי עָלְמָא, רְחִיקֵי אוֹרַיְיתָא, גַּעֲלֵי מִכֹּלָּא, אָסִיר לָן לְאִתְחֲזָאָה קָמַיְיהוּ). Blessed is the Merciful One who saved us from them (בְּרִיךְ רַחֲמָנָא דִּי שֵׁזִיב לָן מִנַּיְיהוּ). And as for this man, he is forbidden (וְהַאי בַּר נָשׁ אָסִיר לֵיהּ).

Rabbi Yehudah said (אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה): But behold we have learned: all may be healed, except from Asherah wood and so forth (וְהָא תָּנֵינָן בַּכֹּל מִתְרַפְּאִין, חוּץ מֵעֲצֵי אֲשֵׁרָה וְכוּ׳). He said to him (אָמַר לֵיהּ): And this is idolatry (וְדָא עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה אִיהוּ). And not only this, but behold it is written: “There shall not be found among you one who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire…” (Deuteronomy 18) (וְלָא עוֹד, אֶלָּא דְּהָא כְּתִיב לֹא יִמָּצֵא בְךָ מַעֲבִיר בְּנוֹ וּבִתּוֹ בָּאֵשׁ וְגוֹ׳). They went on their way (אַזְלוּ לְאָרְחַיְיהוּ).

That man went to that cave, he and his son, and he placed him in the cave (אָזַל הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ לְהַהִיא מְעַרְתָּא, הוּא וּבְרֵיהּ, שָׁרֵי לֵיהּ בִּמְעַרְתָּא). While his father went out to tie up his donkey, a flame of fire went out and struck him on the head and killed him (עַד דְּנָפַק אֲבוֹי לְקַטְרָא לַחֲמָרֵיהּ, נָפַק קִיטוּרָא דְּאֶשָּׁא, וּמָחָא לֵיהּ בְּרֵישָׁא, וְקַטְלֵיהּ). Meanwhile his father entered and found him dead (אַדְּהָכִי עָאל אֲבוֹי, וְאַשְׁכְּחֵיהּ מִית). He took him and his donkey and went away (נָטַל לֵיהּ וְלַחֲמָרֵיהּ, וְאָזַל לֵיהּ). And on the next day he found Rabbi Yitzḥak, and Rabbi Yehudah, and Rabbi Ḥizkiyah, who were going (וְאַשְׁכַּח לְהוּ לְבָתַר יוֹמָא חַד, לְרִבִּי יִצְחָק, וּלְרִבִּי יְהוּדָה, וְרִבִּי חִזְקִיָּה, דַּהֲווֹ אַזְלֵי). He wept before them and told them the story (בָּכָה קָמַיְיהוּ, וְסָח לוֹן עוֹבָדָא).

Rabbi Yitzḥak said (אָמַר רִבִּי יִצְחָק): Have I not told you many times that it is forbidden to go there? (וְלָא זִמְנִין סַגִּיאִין אֲמֵינָא לָךְ, דְּאָסִיר לְמֵיהַךְ תַּמָּן). Blessed is the Merciful One (בְּרִיךְ רַחֲמָנָא), “for all His works are truth, and His ways justice” (Daniel 4) (דִּי כָל מַעֲבָדוֹהִי קְשׁוֹט, וְאֹרְחָתֵיהּ דִּין). Blessed are the Righteous, who walk in the way of truth, in this world and in the world to come (זַכָּאִין אִינּוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא, דְּאַזְלִין בְּאֹרַח קְשׁוֹט, בְּעָלְמָא דֵּין, וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי). And concerning them it is written: “And the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn” (Proverbs 4) (וְעָלַיְיהוּ כְּתִיב, וְאֹרַח צַדִּיקִים כְּאוֹר נֹגַהּ וְגוֹ׳).