Daf Yomi - Kesuvos 111 - Highlights

Living in Eretz Yisroel

The Gemora cites a braisa: A person should always live in Eretz Yisroel, even if it is in a city which has a majority of idolaters living there. A person should not live outside of Eretz Yisroel, even if it is a city which has a majority of Jews living there. For one who lives in Eretz Yisroel is regarded as one who has a God, and one who lives outside of Eretz Yisroel is regarded as one who does not have a God.

The Gemora asks: How can it be that one who lives outside of Eretz Yisroel is regarded as one who does not have a God?

Rather, the Gemora says: One who lives outside of Eretz Yisroel is regarded as if he worships idols. (110b)

Oath not to Ascend to Eretz Yisroel
Rabbi Zeira desired to leave Bavel and ascend to Eretz Yisroel. He avoided Rav Yehudah (for he was concerned that Rav Yehudah would decree that he may not leave Bavel for Eretz Yisroel), as Rav Yehudah interpreted the verse, they shall be brought to Babylonia and they shall remain there, to mean that one is forbidden to leave Bavel to ascend to Eretz Yisroel. One who does so has transgressed a positive commandment. Rabbi Zeira, however, interpreted the verse to be referring to the vessels of the Beis Hamikdosh, which the prophet foretold would remain in exile for a while.

Rav Yehudah cites other Scriptural verses which teach us that we are bound by an oath not to ascend to Eretz Yisroel as a group by force, or even as individuals.

Rabbi Zeira says that those verses are needed for the teachings of Rabbi Yosi the son of Rabbi Chanina. For Rabbi Yosi the son of Rabbi Chanina said: What was the purpose of these three oaths? One is that the Jewish people shall not go up to Eretz Yisroel all together in a wall of force; the second is that the Holy One, Blessed be He, adjured the Jewish people that they shall not rebel against the nations of the world; and the third is that the Holy One, Blessed be He, adjured the idolaters that they shall not oppress the Jewish people too much.

Rav Yehudah says that it is derived from the redundancy in the verse that there is also an oath against individuals from immigrating to Eretz Yisroel.

Rabbi Zeira says that the redundancies appearing in the verses are needed for the teachings of Rabbi Levi. For Rabbi Levi said: What was the purpose of these six oaths? Three oaths have already been mentioned above. One is that the prophets should not reveal when the Final Redemption will occur; the second is that the Jewish people should not cause a delay in the coming of the Final Redemption (through their sins); and the third is that they should not reveal the secret (intercalation; the fixing of the calendar or the reason behind the commandments of the Torah) to idolaters.

Rabbi Elozar expounds the verse: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to the Jewish people, “If you will keep the adjuration (and not force the Redemption), it will be well and good for you, but if not, I will permit your flesh to be a prey like that of the gazelles and the hinds of the field.” (110b – 111a)

Greatness of Eretz Yisroel
Rabbi Elozar says: One who lives in Eretz Yisroel lives without sin (their sins are forgiven).

Rav Anan says: Whoever is buried in Eretz Yisroel is regarded as if he were buried under the Altar (it serves as an atonement for his sins).

It was common practice for Ula to ascend to Eretz Yisroel. He died outside of Eretz Yisroel. When Rabbi Elozar heard this, he exclaimed, “You, Ula, shall you die upon a contaminated land?” He was told that Ula will be buried in Eretz Yisroel. Rabbi Elozar said, “There is no comparison between Eretz Yisroel absorbing someone while he is alive than absorbing someone after he dies.”

A certain man whose brother died childless and the sister-in-law resided in Bei Chozaah (in Bavel). He came to Rabbi Chanina and asked him whether it was proper for him to descend there to perform the mitzvah of yibum. Rabbi Chanina replied, “His brother married a Cuthean woman (since they lived outside of Eretz Yisroel) and died; blessed be the Omnipresent Who killed him! Should this one go and follow him?” (111a)

Greatness of Bavel
Rav Yehudah says in the name of Shmuel: Just as one is prohibited to go from Eretz Yisroel to Bavel (since he will no longer be obligated to observe certain mitzvos), so too it is prohibited to go from Bavel to any other country (because of the Torah study that took place in Bavel).

Rabbah and Rav Yosef both said: The worthy persons of Bavel are absorbed by Eretz Yisroel, and the worthy ones of other countries are absorbed by Bavel.

The Gemora asks: In what respect is this referring to? If you will suggest that it is in respect of purity of descent (that such persons may marry into any pure families of Eretz Yisroel and Bavel), surely that cannot be the case. For didn’t the master say: All countries are like dough (a mix of many ingredients; a metaphor for a mixture of unblemished people and other with tainted lineage) in comparison to Eretz Yisroel and Eretz Yisroel is like dough in comparison to Bavel (it emerges that Bavel is completely pure, even more than Eretz Yisroel)?

The Gemora answers: They are referring to burial (the worthy people that die in Bavel are buried in Eretz Yisroel and the worthy people from faraway lands are buried in Bavel).

Rav Yehudah said: One who lives in Bavel is regarded as if he were living in Eretz Yisroel.

Abaye said: One who lives in Bavel will not experience the sufferings before the arrival of Mashiach. (111a)

Resurrection
Rabbi Elozar said: Those that are buried outside of Eretz Yisroel will not be resurrected.

Rabbi Avahu said: Even a Canaanite maidservant who resides in Eretz Yisroel is guaranteed to have a share in the World to come.

Rabbi Yirmiyah bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: Anyone who walks four amos in Eretz Yisroel is guaranteed to have a share in the World to come.

The Gemora asks on Rabbi Elozar: Is it possible to say that the righteous people who are buried outside of Eretz Yisroel will not be resurrected?

Rabbi Ila answers: Their bones will roll to Eretz Yisroel, and only then will they be resurrected.

Rabbi Abba Sala the Great asked: Why do the righteous have to suffer in this manner?

Abaye answers: They will stand on their feet and travel through tunnels in the ground until Eretz Yisroel; there, they will emerge from the ground. (111a)

Burial in Eretz Yisroel
Karna said: Yaakov, although he knew that he was completely righteous, and if he would be buried outside of Eretz Yisroel, he would still be resurrected, he was, nevertheless concerned that he would be unworthy (see Maharsha) of walking through the tunnels.

Rabbi Chanina said similarly: Yosef, although he knew that he was completely righteous, and if he would be buried outside of Eretz Yisroel, he would still be resurrected, he was, nevertheless concerned that he would be unworthy (see Maharsha) of walking through the tunnels and that is why he troubled his brother to carry his body four hundred parsaos.

The brothers of Rabbah (wanting him to come to Ererz Yisroel) sent him the following message: Yaakov, although he knew that he was completely righteous, and if he would be buried outside of Eretz Yisroel etc. Ilfa added to this the following incident. A man was once troubled on account of his inability to marry a certain woman who lived outside of Eretz Yisroel. He wanted to go down to her, but as soon as he heard this (regarding Yaakov), he decided to stay in Eretz Yisroel and remain unmarried until the day of his death. Although you (Rabbah) are a great scholar, you know that a man who studies on his own cannot be compared with a man who studies from his teacher. Perhaps you might think that there is no teacher good enough for you here, we may inform you that you will have one, and he is Rabbi Yochanan. If you decide not to come up, we advise you of the following three things: Do not sit too long, for long sitting can result in hemorrhoids; do not stand for a long time, because that is harmful to the heart; and do not walk too much, because excessive walking may be harmful to the eyes. Rather, you should spend one third of your time sitting, one third standing and one third walking. Standing with support is better than sitting without support. (111a – 111b)

Ignorant of Torah
Rabbi Elozar said: People who are ignorant of Torah knowledge will not be resurrected.

The Gemora cites a braisa which corroborates Rabbi Elozar’s statement.

Rabbi Yochanan disagreed: The braisa is referring to people who are lax in their observance of Torah which leads them to stray after idols.

Rabbi Elozar replied by citing another verse and expounding: One who uses the light of Torah, the light of Torah will revive him; those that do not use the light of Torah, the light of Torah will not revive them.

Rabbi Elozar saw that Rabbi Yochanan was disturbed by his ruling. He therefore said: There is a remedy for them. If they marry off their daughter to a Torah scholar, or engages in business on behalf of a Torah scholar, or he gives pleasure to Torah scholars from his property, the Torah considers it as if he is clinging to the Divine Presence. (111b)

There will be a Time…
Rav Chiya bar Yosef said: The righteous will arise in Yerushalayim.

He stated further: The righteous will be resurrected in their clothes.

He also said: There will be a time when the land of Eretz Yisroel will produce (ready-made) baked cakes and fine woolen garments.

The Gemora cites a braisa: There will be a time that a stalk of wheat will grow straight up similar to a palm tree until it is of the same height as the tree. It will not be any trouble to harvest this wheat, for Hashem will cause the wind to blow and fine flour will fall from it. People will go to their fields and gather a palmful of flour and that will be sufficient to support his entire household.

There will be a time that wheat will be as large as two kidneys of a huge ox. This should not come as a surprise, for a fox lived inside a large turnip; they weighed the turnip and it contained sixty litrin.

There will be a time that every grapevine in Eretz Yisroel will require the entire city to pick its grapes.

There will be a time that every nonfruit tree in Eretz Yisroel will produce fruit to load up two donkeys. These grapes will produce tasty red wine that will be intoxicating and it will provide pleasure for both young and old men. (111b)

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