And if

<<it enters your mind

<<that not

<<they know,

<<when

<<he says [it]

<<to them,

<<what

<<does it matter?

<<Rather,

<<what —

<<that they know?

<<Why

<<does he need

<<to say [it]

<<to them?!

<<To establish

<<for him

<<gratitude

<<to Moshe.

Rabbi Yitzchak said:

<<anyone

<<who speaks [ill]

<<after

<<the dead

<<is as if

<<he speaks

<<after

<<the stone.

<<Some say:

<<that not

<<they know;

<<and some say:

<<that they know

<<and not

<<does it matter

<<to them.

Is that so?!

<<But surely

<<Rav Pappa said:

<<one [man]

<<told

<<a thing

<<after

<<Mar Shmuel,

<<and fell

<<a reed

<<from the roof

<<and split

<<the membrane

<<of his brain!

Is different

<<a young scholar

<<of the Rabbis,

<<for the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<demands

<<his honor.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said:

<<anyone

<<who speaks [ill]

<<after

<<the bier

<<of

<<Torah scholars

<<falls

<<into Gehinnom,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And those who turn aside

<<to their crooked ways,

<<will lead them away

<<Hashem

<<with the workers of

<<iniquity;

<<peace

<<upon

<<Israel.”

<<Even

<<at a time

<<that there is peace

<<upon

<<Israel,

<<“will lead them away

<<Hashem

<<with the workers of

<<iniquity.”

Taught

<<the school

<<of Rabbi Yishmael:

<<if

<<you saw

<<a Torah scholar

<<who transgressed

<<a sin

<<at night,

<<do not

<<think [ill]

<<of him

<<by day,

<<perhaps

<<he did

<<repentance.

<<“Perhaps”

<<does it enter your mind?

<<Rather,

<<certainly

<<he did

<<repentance.

<<And this applies

<<to matters

<<that concern his own body;

<<but

<<in money matters,

<<not until

<<he returns [it]

<<to its owner.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said:

<<in twenty

<<and four

<<places

<<the court

<<excommunicates

<<for

<<the honor of

<<the teacher,

<<and all of them

<<we learned

<<in our Mishnah.

<<Rabbi Elazar said to him:

<<where?

<<He said to him:

<<when [you search],

<<you will find.

He went out

<<and examined

<<and found

<<three:

<<one who disparages

<<the washing of

<<hands,

<<and one who speaks [ill]

<<after

<<the bier

<<of

<<Torah scholars,

<<and one who is haughty

<<in his mind

<<toward

<<On High.

“One who speaks [ill]

<<after

<<the bier

<<of

<<Torah scholars” —

<<what

<<is it?

<<As we learned:

<<he

<<would

<<say:

<<they do not

<<give [the sotah water] to drink

<<neither

<<to the convert

<<nor

<<to the freed slavewoman.

<<And the Sages

<<say:

<<they give to drink.

<<And they said

<<to him:

<<an incident

<<with Karkemis,

<<a maidservant

<<freed

<<in Jerusalem,

<<and gave her to drink

<<Shemaya

<<and Avtalyon!

<<And he said

<<to them:

<<a likeness [of themselves]

<<they gave to drink.

<<And they excommunicated him,

<<and he died

<<in his excommunication,

<<and stoned

<<the court

<<his coffin.

“And one who disparages

<<the washing of

<<hands” —

<<what

<<is it?

<<As we learned:

<<Rabbi Yehuda said:

<<Heaven forbid

<<that Akavya ben Mahalalel

<<was excommunicated,

<<for not

<<is the Temple Courtyard

<<closed

<<upon

<<any

<<man

<<in Israel

<<in wisdom

<<and in purity

<<and in fear of

<<sin

<<like Akavya ben Mahalalel!

<<Rather,

<<whom

<<did they excommunicate?

<<Elazar ben Chanoch,

<<who cast doubt

<<on the washing of

<<hands.

<<And when he died,

<<sent

<<the court

<<and placed

<<a stone

<<large

<<upon

<<his coffin,

<<to teach you

<<that anyone

<<who is excommunicated

<<and dies

<<in his excommunication,

<<the court

<<stones

<<his coffin.

“One who is haughty

<<in his mind

<<toward

<<On High” —

<<what

<<is it?

<<As we learned:

<<sent

<<to him

<<Shimon ben Shetach,

<<to Choni

<<the Circle-Drawer:

<<required

<<are you

<<to be excommunicated,

<<and were it not that

<<Choni

<<you are,

<<I would decree

<<upon you

<<excommunication.

<<But

<<what

<<can I do,

<<for you

<<act like a pampered child

<<before

<<the Omnipresent

<<and He does

<<for you

<<your will,

<<like a son

<<who acts like a pampered child

<<before

<<his father

<<and he does

<<for him

<<his will.

<<And about you

<<the verse

<<says:

<<“Will rejoice

<<your father

<<and your mother,

<<and will exult

<<she who bore you.”

And further

<<is there none?

<<But surely

<<there is

<<that which teaches

<<Rav Yosef:

<<Todos,

<<a man of

<<Rome,

<<accustomed

<<the people of

<<Rome

<<to feed them

<<kids

<<roasted whole, helmeted,

<<on the nights of

<<Pesach.

<<Sent

<<to him

<<Shimon ben Shetach:

<<were it not that

<<Todos

<<you are,

<<I would decree

<<upon you

<<excommunication,

<<for you

<<feed

<<Israel

<<sacred offerings

<<outside [the Temple].

“In our Mishnah”

<<we are saying,

<<and this one

<<a baraisa

<<is.

And in our Mishnah

<<is there none?

<<But surely

<<there is

<<this,

<<as we learned:

<<if he cut it

<<into rings

<<and put

<<sand

<<between

<<ring

<<and ring,

<<Rabbi Eliezer

<<declares pure,

<<and the Sages

<<declare impure.

<<And this is

<<the oven

<<of

<<Achnai.

What is

<<“Achnai”?

<<Rav Yehuda said in the name of Shmuel:

<<it teaches

<<that they surrounded it

<<with halachos

<<like a snake,

<<this one,

<<and declared it impure.

And it is taught:

<<that

<<day

<<they brought

<<all

<<the pure items

<<that had declared pure

<<Rabbi Eliezer

<<and burned them

<<before him,

<<and in the end

<<they “blessed” him.

Even

<<so,

<<excommunication

<<in our Mishnah

<<not

<<did we learn!

<<Rather,

<<“in twenty

<<and four

<<places” —

<<where

<<do you find

<<it?

<<Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi

<<compares

<<a matter

<<to a matter,

<<and Rabbi Elazar

<<does not

<<compare

<<a matter

<<to a matter.

“The bearers of

<<the bier

<<and their replacements.”

<<The Rabbis taught:

<<they do not

<<take out

<<the dead

<<near

<<to the Shema;

<<and if

<<they began,

<<they do not

<<interrupt.

<<Is that so?!

<<But surely

<<Rav Yosef —

<<they took him out

<<near

<<to the Shema!

<<A person

<<important

<<is different.

“Those before

<<the bier

<<and those after

<<the bier.”

<<The Rabbis taught:

<<those engaged

<<in eulogy,

<<at a time

<<that the dead

<<lies

<<before them,

<<slip out

<<one

<<by one

<<and recite.

<<If not

<<is the dead

<<lying

<<before them,

<<they

<<sit

<<and recite,

<<and he [the mourner]

<<sits

<<and is silent.

<<They

<<stand

<<and pray,

<<and he

<<stands

<<and justifies

<<upon himself

<<the judgment,

<<and says:

<<“Master of the worlds,

<<much

<<have I sinned

<<before You,

<<and not

<<have You exacted

<<from me

<<one

<<of

<<a thousand.

<<May it be [Your] will

<<before You,

<<Hashem

<<our God,

<<that You fence

<<our breaches

<<and the breaches of

<<all

<<Your people,

<<the House of Israel,

<<in mercy.”

Abaye said:

<<not

<<is it fitting

<<for him,

<<for a person,

<<to say

<<thus,

<<for Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said,

<<and so

<<it was taught

<<in the name

<<of Rabbi Yosei:

<<forever

<<let not

<<open

<<a person

<<his mouth

<<to the Satan.

And Rav Yosef said:

<<what

<<is its verse?

<<As it is stated:

<<“Almost

<<like Sodom

<<we were,”

<<what

<<did answer

<<them

<<the prophet?

<<“Hear

<<the word of

<<Hashem,

<<rulers of

<<Sodom.”

“They buried

<<the dead

<<and returned,”

<<etc.

<<If

<<they are able

<<to begin

<<and to finish

<<all of it,

<<yes;

<<but

<<one section

<<or

<<one verse,

<<no.

<<And contrast them:

<<they buried

<<the dead

<<and returned;

<<if

<<they are able

<<to begin

<<and to finish

<<even

<<one section

<<or

<<one verse, [they begin]!

Thus

<<too

<<it is saying:

<<if

<<they are able

<<to begin

<<and to finish

<<even

<<one section

<<or

<<even

<<one verse

<<before

<<they reach

<<the row,

<<they should begin;

<<and if

<<not,

<<they should not

<<begin.