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Today's Mishnah Yomi

Sotah 1:8 - 1:9

The Mishnah Yomi for Thursday, May 9, 2024 is Sotah 1:8 - 1:9

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Mishnah 1

Mishnayos Sotah Perek 1 Mishnah 8

סוטה פרק א׳ משנה ח׳

8
The mishna provides additional examples of people who were treated by Heaven commensurate with their actions. Samson followed his eyes, therefore he was punished measure for measure, as the Philistines gouged out his eyes, as it is stated: “And the Philistines laid hold on him, and put out his eyes” (Judges 16:21). Absalom was excessively proud of his hair, and therefore he was hanged by his hair. And furthermore, because he engaged in sexual intercourse with ten of his father’s concubines (see II Samuel 15:16 and 16:22), therefore ten spears [loneviyyot] were put, i.e., thrust, into him, as it is stated: “And ten young men that bore Joab’s armor compassed about and smote Absalom, and slew him” (II Samuel 18:15). And because he stole three times, committing three thefts of people’s hearts: The heart of his father, as he tricked him by saying that he was going to sacrifice offerings; the heart of the court, as he tricked them into following him; and the heart of the Jewish people, as it is stated: “So Absalom stole the hearts of the men of Israel” (II Samuel 15:6), therefore three spears were embedded into his heart, as it is stated: “Then said Joab: I may not tarry like this with you. And he took three spears in his hand, and thrust them through the heart of Absalom, while he was yet alive” (II Samuel 18:14).
שִׁמְשׁוֹן הָלַךְ אַחַר עֵינָיו, לְפִיכָךְ נִקְּרוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים אֶת עֵינָיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שופטים טז) וַיֹּאחֲזוּהוּ פְלִשְׁתִּים וַיְנַקְּרוּ אֶת עֵינָיו. אַבְשָׁלוֹם נִתְגָּאָה בִשְׂעָרוֹ, לְפִיכָךְ נִתְלָה בִשְׂעָרוֹ. וּלְפִי שֶׁבָּא עַל עֶשֶׂר פִּילַגְשֵׁי אָבִיו, לְפִיכָךְ נִתְּנוּ בוֹ עֶשֶׂר לוֹנְבִיּוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמואל ב יח) וַיָּסֹבּוּ עֲשָׂרָה אֲנָשִׁים נֹשְׂאֵי כְּלֵי יוֹאָב. וּלְפִי שֶׁגָּנַב שְׁלשָׁה לְבָבוֹת, לֵב אָבִיו, וְלֵב בֵּית דִּין, וְלֵב יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם טו) וַיְגַנֵּב אַבְשָׁלוֹם אֶת לֵב אַנְשֵׁי יִשְׂרָאֵל, לְפִיכָךְ נִתְקְעוּ בוֹ שְׁלשָׁה שְׁבָטִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שם יח) וַיִּקַּח שְׁלשָׁה שְׁבָטִים בְּכַפּוֹ וַיִּתְקָעֵם בְּלֵב אַבְשָׁלוֹם:
ח׳

לונביאות – spears.

לב אביו – Absalom said to his father (i.e., King David): “Write for me that two people that I will choose from all of Israel will go with me.” He wrote for him. He would show his father’s signature to two [people] and they follow him. [He then shows it to] two others and they follow him until he gathered two hundred men. All of them are heads of the Sanhedrins. For he stole the heart of his father, the heart of the Jewish court and the heart of all Israel, as it is written (II Samuel 15:6): “Thus Absalom won away the hearts of the men of Israel.”

לונביאות. חניתות:

לב אביו. אמר לו אבשלום לאביו, כתוב לי שילכו עמי שנים איש שאבחר מכל ישראל, כתב לו. והיה מראה חותמו של אביו לשנים, והולכים אחריו, לשנים אחרים והולכים אחריו, עד שכינס מאתים איש, כולן ראשי סנהדראות. הרי שגנב לב אביו ולב ב״ד. ולב כל ישראל, דכתיב ויגנוב אבשלום את לב אנשי ישראל:

Mishnah 2

Mishnayos Sotah Perek 1 Mishnah 9

סוטה פרק א׳ משנה ט׳

9
The mishna continues: And the same is so with regard to the reward of good deeds; a person is rewarded measure for measure. Miriam waited for the baby Moses for one hour at the shore of the Nile, as it is stated: “And his sister stood afar off, to know what would be done to him” (Exodus 2:4). Therefore the Jewish people delayed their travels in the desert for seven days to wait for her when she was smitten with leprosy, as it is stated: “And Miriam was confined outside of the camp seven days; and the people journeyed not until Miriam was brought in again” (Numbers 12:15). Joseph merited to bury his father, resulting in a display of great honor to his father, and there was none among his brothers greater than he in importance, for he was viceroy of Egypt, as it is stated: “And Joseph went up to bury his father; and with him went up all the servants of Pharaoh, the Elders of his house, and all the Elders of the land of Egypt, and all the house of Joseph, and his brethren, and his father’s house; only their little ones, and their flocks, and their herds, they left in the land of Goshen. And there went up with him both chariots and horsemen; and it was a very great company” (Genesis 50:7–9). Who, to us, had a greater burial than Joseph, as it was none other than Moses who involved himself in transporting his coffin. Moses merited to be the only person involved in the transportation of Joseph’s bones to be buried in Eretz Yisrael, and there was none among the Jewish people greater than he, as it is stated: “And Moses took the bones of Joseph with him” (Exodus 13:19). Who had a greater burial than Moses, as no one involved himself in his burial other than the Omnipresent Himself, as it is stated: “And He buried him in the valley in the land of Moab over against Beth Peor; and no man knows of his sepulcher unto this day” (Deuteronomy 34:6). The mishna comments: Not only with regard to Moses did the Sages say that God takes part in his burial, but also with regard to all the righteous individuals, as it is stated: “Your righteousness shall go before you and the glory of the Lord shall gather you in” (Isaiah 58:8).
וְכֵן לְעִנְיַן הַטּוֹבָה. מִרְיָם הִמְתִּינָה לְמשֶׁה שָׁעָה אַחַת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ב) וַתֵּתַצַּב אֲחֹתוֹ מֵרָחֹק, לְפִיכָךְ נִתְעַכְּבוּ לָהּ יִשְׂרָאֵל שִׁבְעָה יָמִים בַּמִּדְבָּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יב) וְהָעָם לֹא נָסַע עַד הֵאָסֵף מִרְיָם. יוֹסֵף זָכָה לִקְבֹּר אֶת אָבִיו, וְאֵין בְּאֶחָיו גָּדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית נ) וַיַּעַל יוֹסֵף לִקְבֹּר אֶת אָבִיו, וַיַּעַל עִמּוֹ גַּם רֶכֶב גַּם פָּרָשִׁים. מִי לָנוּ גָדוֹל מִיּוֹסֵף, שֶׁלֹּא נִתְעַסֵּק בּוֹ אֶלָּא משֶׁה. משֶׁה זָכָה בְעַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף, וְאֵין בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל גָּדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג) וַיִּקַּח משֶׁה אֶת עַצְמוֹת יוֹסֵף עִמּוֹ. מִי גָדוֹל מִמּשֶׁה, שֶׁלֹּא נִתְעַסֵּק בּוֹ אֶלָּא הַמָּקוֹם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים לד) וַיִּקְבֹּר אֹתוֹ בַגַּיְא. לֹא עַל משֶׁה בִלְבַד אָמְרוּ, אֶלָּא עַל כָּל הַצַּדִּיקִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ישעיה נח) וְהָלַךְ לְפָנֶיךָ צִדְקֶךָ כְּבוֹד ה' יַאַסְפֶךָ:
ט׳

וכן לענין הטובה – we give a man a reward of the nature of the good that he did. But, however, more than what he did he is recompensed, for a good measure is greater in payments than the measure of retribution.

וכן לענין הטובה. נותנים לו לאדם שכר מעין הטובה שעשה. ומיהו יותר ממה שעשה משתלם דמדה טובה מרובה בתשלומין ממדת פורענות:

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