“Son of

<<a man

<<living”:

<<is it that

<<everyone else

<<sons of

<<the dead

<<are they?

<<Rather:

<<“son of

<<a man

<<living” —

<<that even

<<in his death

<<he is called

<<living.

<<“Great in

<<deeds,

<<from Kavtze'el” —

<<that he increased

<<and gathered

<<workers

<<for the Torah.

<<“And he

<<struck

<<the two

<<lion-like men of

<<Moav” —

<<that not

<<did he leave

<<his like

<<neither

<<in the Temple

<<the first

<<nor

<<in the Temple

<<the second.

“And he

<<went down

<<and struck

<<the lion

<<in the midst of

<<the pit

<<on the day of

<<the snow” —

<<some say:

<<that he broke

<<blocks

<<of hail

<<and went down

<<and immersed.

<<Some say:

<<that he learned

<<the Sifra

<<of the house of

<<Rav

<<on a day

<<of winter.

“And the dead

<<do not

<<know

<<anything” —

<<these are

<<the wicked,

<<who in their lifetime

<<are called

<<“dead,”

<<as it is stated:

<<“And you,

<<slain one,

<<wicked one,

<<prince of

<<Israel.”

<<If you wish, say:

<<from here:

<<“By the mouth of

<<two

<<witnesses

<<or

<<by the mouth of

<<three

<<witnesses

<<shall be put to death

<<the dead one” —

<<alive

<<he is!

<<Rather,

<<the dead

<<from the outset.

The sons of

<<Rabbi Chiya

<<went out

<<to the villages.

<<Grew heavy

<<for them

<<their learning.

<<They were

<<in pain

<<to recall it.

<<Said to him

<<one

<<to his fellow:

<<does know

<<our father

<<about this

<<pain?

<<Said to him

<<the other:

<<from where

<<would he know?

<<But surely

<<it is written:

<<“Are honored

<<his sons,

<<and not

<<does he know.”

Said to him

<<the other:

<<and does he not

<<know?

<<But surely

<<it is written:

<<“But

<<his flesh

<<upon him

<<will pain,

<<and his soul

<<upon him

<<will mourn.”

<<And Rabbi Yitzchak said:

<<as painful is

<<a worm

<<to the dead

<<as a needle

<<in flesh

<<that is living!

They say:

<<in the pain

<<of their own

<<they know;

<<in the pain

<<of others

<<not

<<do they know.

And not?

<<But surely it is taught:

<<an incident

<<with a pious man,

<<one,

<<who gave

<<a dinar

<<to a poor man

<<on the eve of

<<Rosh Hashanah

<<in years of

<<drought,

<<and provoked him

<<his wife,

<<and he went

<<and spent the night

<<in the cemetery.

<<And he heard

<<two

<<spirits

<<that were conversing

<<one

<<with the other.

<<Said

<<one

<<to her fellow:

<<“My fellow,

<<come

<<and let us roam

<<in the world

<<and hear

<<from behind

<<the curtain

<<what

<<calamity

<<is coming

<<to the world.”

<<Said

<<to her

<<her fellow:

<<“I am not

<<able,

<<for I

<<am buried

<<in a mat

<<of

<<reeds.

<<Rather,

<<go

<<you,

<<and what

<<you

<<hear,

<<tell

<<me.”

<<Went

<<she

<<and roamed

<<and came back.

<<And said

<<to her

<<her fellow:

<<“My fellow,

<<what

<<did you hear

<<from behind

<<the curtain?”

<<She said

<<to her:

<<“I heard

<<that anyone

<<who sows

<<in the rainfall

<<first,

<<hail

<<strikes

<<it.”

<<Went

<<he

<<and sowed

<<in the rainfall

<<second.

<<That of

<<all

<<the world,

<<all of it,

<<was struck;

<<his

<<not

<<was struck.

In the year

<<following

<<he went

<<and spent the night

<<in the cemetery,

<<and heard

<<those

<<two

<<spirits

<<that were conversing

<<one

<<with

<<the other.

<<Said

<<one

<<to her fellow:

<<“Come

<<and let us roam

<<in the world

<<and hear

<<from behind

<<the curtain

<<what

<<calamity

<<is coming

<<to the world.”

<<She said

<<to her:

<<“My fellow,

<<did not

<<thus

<<I say

<<to you:

<<I am not

<<able,

<<for I

<<am buried

<<in a mat

<<of

<<reeds?!

<<Rather,

<<go

<<you,

<<and what

<<you

<<hear,

<<come

<<and tell

<<me.”

<<She went

<<and roamed

<<and came back.

<<And said

<<to her

<<her fellow:

<<“My fellow,

<<what

<<did you hear

<<from behind

<<the curtain?”

<<She said

<<to her:

<<“I heard

<<that anyone

<<who sows

<<in the rainfall

<<second,

<<blight

<<strikes

<<it.”

<<He went

<<and sowed

<<in the rainfall

<<first.

<<That of

<<all

<<the world,

<<all of it,

<<was blighted,

<<and his

<<not

<<was blighted.

Said

<<to him

<<his wife:

<<“Why

<<last year

<<that of

<<all

<<the world,

<<all of it,

<<was struck

<<and yours

<<not

<<was struck,

<<and now

<<that of

<<all

<<the world,

<<all of it,

<<was blighted

<<and yours

<<not

<<was blighted?”

<<He told

<<her

<<all

<<these things.

<<They said:

<<not

<<were there

<<days

<<few

<<until

<<there fell

<<a quarrel

<<between

<<the wife

<<of

<<that

<<pious man

<<and between

<<the mother

<<of

<<that

<<girl.

<<She said

<<to her:

<<“Go,

<<and I will show you

<<your daughter,

<<that she

<<is buried

<<in a mat

<<of

<<reeds.”

In the year

<<following

<<he went

<<and spent the night

<<in the cemetery,

<<and heard

<<those

<<spirits

<<that were conversing

<<one

<<with

<<the other.

<<She said

<<to her:

<<“My fellow,

<<come

<<and let us roam

<<in the world

<<and hear

<<from behind

<<the curtain

<<what

<<calamity

<<is coming

<<to the world.”

<<She said

<<to her:

<<“My fellow,

<<leave me be;

<<the words

<<that are between me

<<and you

<<have already

<<been heard

<<among

<<the living.”

<<Evidently,

<<they know.

Perhaps

<<a person

<<other

<<died,

<<and went

<<and told

<<them.

Come and hear:

<<for Ze'iri

<<was

<<depositing

<<zuz coins

<<with

<<his landlady.

<<While

<<he was coming

<<and going

<<to the house of

<<Rav,

<<she died.

<<He went

<<after her

<<to the courtyard of

<<death;

<<he said to her:

<<“The zuz coins —

<<where?”

<<She said to him:

<<“Go

<<take them

<<from under

<<the socket

<<of the door

<<in the place

<<so-and-so,

<<and say

<<to her,

<<to Mother,

<<that she should send

<<me

<<my comb

<<and my tube

<<of eye-paint

<<with

<<so-and-so

<<who is coming

<<tomorrow.”

<<Evidently,

<<they know!

Perhaps

<<Duma

<<goes ahead

<<and announces

<<to them.

Come and hear:

<<for the father

<<of Shmuel —

<<they were

<<depositing

<<with him

<<zuz coins

<<of orphans.

<<When

<<his soul came to rest,

<<not

<<was

<<Shmuel

<<with him.

<<They were

<<calling

<<him:

<<“Son of

<<one who ate

<<the zuz coins

<<of orphans.”

<<He went

<<after him

<<to the courtyard of

<<death.

<<He said to them:

<<“I want

<<Abba!”

<<They said to him:

<<“Abba —

<<many

<<there are

<<here.”

<<He said to them:

<<“I want

<<Abba

<<bar

<<Abba.”

<<They said to him:

<<“Abba

<<bar

<<Abba

<<too —

<<many

<<there are

<<here.”

<<He said to them:

<<“I want

<<Abba

<<bar

<<Abba,

<<the father

<<of Shmuel;

<<where is he?”

<<They said to him:

<<“He has gone up

<<to the yeshiva

<<of the firmament.”

<<Meanwhile

<<he saw

<<Levi

<<who was sitting

<<outside.

<<He said to him:

<<“Why

<<do you sit

<<outside?

<<What is the reason

<<not

<<have you gone up?”

<<He said to him:

<<“For they say

<<to me:

<<all

<<those

<<years

<<that not

<<you went up

<<to the yeshiva

<<of Rabbi Afes

<<and you weakened

<<his mind,

<<not

<<will we bring in

<<you

<<to the yeshiva

<<of the firmament.”

Meanwhile

<<came

<<his father.

<<He saw

<<that he was

<<crying

<<and laughing.

<<He said to him:

<<“What is the reason

<<you are crying?”

<<He said to him:

<<“Because soon

<<you are coming [here].”

<<“What is the reason

<<you laughed?”

<<“Because you are esteemed

<<in this

<<world

<<greatly.”

<<He said to him:

<<“If

<<I am esteemed,

<<let them bring in

<<Levi.”

<<And they brought in

<<Levi.

He said to him:

<<“The zuz coins

<<of the orphans —

<<where are they?”

<<He said to him:

<<“Go

<<take them

<<from the casing

<<of the millstones.

<<The upper ones

<<and the lower ones

<<are ours,

<<and the middle ones

<<are the orphans’.”

<<He said to him:

<<“What is the reason

<<did you do

<<so?”

<<He said to him:

<<“If

<<would steal

<<thieves,

<<they would steal

<<from ours;

<<if

<<would consume

<<the earth,

<<it would consume

<<from ours.”

<<Evidently,

<<they know!

<<Perhaps

<<is different

<<Shmuel:

<<since

<<he is esteemed,

<<they go ahead

<<and announce:

<<“Clear

<<a place.”

And even

<<Rabbi Yonasan

<<retracted

<<from it,

<<for Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonasan:

<<from where

<<that the dead

<<converse

<<this one

<<with

<<that one?

<<As it is stated:

<<“And said

<<Hashem

<<to him:

<<This is

<<the land

<<that

<<I swore

<<to Avraham,

<<to Yitzchak

<<and to Yaakov,

<<saying.”

<<What is

<<“saying”?

<<Said

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<to Moshe:

<<go,

<<say

<<to them,

<<to Avraham,

<<to Yitzchak

<<and to Yaakov:

<<the oath

<<that I swore

<<to you

<<already

<<I have fulfilled it

<<for your children.