Daf Yomi - Chagigah 5 - Highlights

Rabbi Yosef cried when he came to the verse [Mishlei 13: 23]: There is one who succumbs without justice. He said: Is there anyone who leaves this world before his time? He answered: Yes! It is like the story told over by Rav Bibi ben Abaye, who was often visited by the Angel of Death. The Angel of Death told his agent to bring him the soul of Miriam the hair braider and instead, was brought the soul of Miriam, the caretaker of young children. The Angel of Death told his agent: I told you to bring me Miriam the hair braider. The agent replied: If so, I will return her. The Angel of Death said: Since you already brought her, then let her be included in the number.

Rav Bibi asked the Angel of Death: How were you able to take her?

The Angel replied: She was holding a poker in her hand and inserted it into the oven to clean it out. As she was removing the poker from the oven, she mistakenly placed it on top of her foot. She burnt herself, resulting in the fact that her mazal became weakened, thus allowing me to take her.

Rav Bibi asked the Angel: Do you have permission to do such things?

The Angel answered him: Yes I do, as it is written [Mishlei 13: 23]: There is one who succumbs without justice.

Rav Bibi objected: But doesn’t it also say [Koheles 1:4]: A generation goes and a generation comes, indicating that each generation has its set time before the new one replaces it?

The Angel replied: I let these souls roam along with me until their generation is completed and then I bring them to Dumah (the Angel appointed to watch the dead).

Rav Bibi asked him: What do you do with the person’s uncompleted years?

The Angel answered: If there is a young Torah scholar who is a tolerant person, I add those years to his life and they are a replacement for the deceased. (4b – 5a)

Rabbi Yochanan used to cry when he came to the following verse [Iyov 15:15]: Behold, He cannot have any faith even in His holy ones. He explained: If Hashem does not have faith in those that are holy, then whom will He have faith in?

The Gemora records an incident related to this. Rabbi Yochanan was once traveling on the road when he saw a person gathering figs. He would gather the unripe ones, while leaving the ripe ones.

Rabbi Yochanan inquired of him: Aren’t the ripe ones better?

He answered: I need these figs for my trip and the unripe ones will last; the ripe ones will spoil before the trip is completed.

Rabbi Yochanan exclaimed: This is the meaning of the verse: Behold, He cannot have any faith even in His holy ones (the young Torah scholars can be taken away before they surrender to sin).

The Gemora asks: There was a student who lived in Rabbi Alexandri’s neighborhood, who died very young. Rabbi Alexandri proclaimed: If he would have conducted himself in a more upright path, he could have lived longer. According to Rabbi Yochanan, perhaps he was virtuous and nevertheless died young?

The Gemora answers: It was known to Rabbi Alexandri that this student revolted against his teachers. (5a)

Rabbi Yochanan used to cry when he came to the following verse [Koheles 12:14]: For Hashem shall bring every action which man does into the judgment, even concerning every hidden matter. Is there a remedy for a servant whose master weighs his unintentional mistakes as well as his intentional ones?

The Gemora asks: What does the verse mean when it states: every hidden matter?

Rav answers: The verse is referring to one who kills a louse in front of his friend and his friend is disgusted by it. Shmuel said: It is referring to one who spits in front of his friend and his friend is disgusted by it.

The Gemora asks: What is the meaning of the conclusion of the verse, which states: whether good or bad (indicating that punishment will be administered for one who performs a good deed)?

They answered in Rabbi Yannai’s school: This is referring to one who gives charity to a poor man in public and causes him great embarrassment. It once happened with Rabbi Yannai that he witnessed a man giving charity to a poor man in public and rebuked him by saying that it would have been preferable for him not to have given him charity at all, thus avoiding embarrassing him.

They offered another answer in Rabbi Shila’s school: The verse is referring to a man who gives charity to a woman in a secluded place since this will result in people suspecting the woman of acting immorally.

Rava answers: The verse is referring to a husband who sends uncut meat (did not have the prohibited portions cut from it) to his wife on Erev Shabbos (she might forget to remove those portions in her haste to prepare for Shabbos). (5a)

The Gemora relates an incident: Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania was standing in the Caesar’s palace. A heretic who stood by signaled him with his hand that the Jewish people are a nation from whom God has turned away His face. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania signaled him with his hand that His hand is still stretched over us.

The Caesar asked Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania: Do you understand what the heretic signaled you with his hand?

He replied: Yes, he signaled me that the Jewish people are a nation from whom God has turned away His face and I responded by signaling him that His hand is still stretched over us.

They asked the heretic: What did you signal him with your hand? And he asked him: What did he show you?

He replied: I signaled him that the Jewish people are a nation from whom God has turned away His face.

They asked him: What did Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania reply?

He answered: I do not know.

They said: A man that does not understand what is being signaled to him, should he be signaling in front of the king? They removed the heretic and killed him.

When Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chanania was about to die, the rabbis asked him: What will become of us from the heretics?

He replied: It is written [Yirmiyah 49:7]: The counsel has vanished from the children, their wisdom has spoiled. The interpretation of this verse is as follows: When the counsel has vanished from the Jewish people, the wisdom of their adversaries will sour. (5b)

Rabbi Illa was once ascending the steps of the house of Rabbah bar Shila when he heard a young child reading the following verse [Amos 4:13]: For behold, He forms mountains, and creates winds; He recounts to a person what were his words. He exclaimed: Is there a remedy for a slave whose master tells him all of his words spoken?

The Gemora asks: What is meant by what were his words?

Rav answers: Even a superfluous conversation between a man and his own wife (prior to engaging in marital relations) is mentioned to him at the time of his death.

The Gemora asks from the following incident: Rav Kahana hid under the bed of Rav and heard while Rav was talking and joking with his wife and then engaged in marital relations with her. Rav Kahana said (from under the bed): It's as if Rav's mouth has not tasted food (his lightheadedness indicated that he was doing this for his own pleasure similar to a starving man eating). Rav said to him, Kahana, get out! It is not proper for you to be here!

It is evident from this incident that it is proper to engage in conversation and laugh with one’s wife before having relations.

The Gemora answers: Rav needed to appease her first and only then, it is not regarded as superfluous. (5b)

The Gemora cites a braisa: Hashem cries for three types of people every day: One who has the ability to study Torah, but does not; one who is unable to study Torah, but does; a community leader who acts haughtily toward his congregation. (5b)