The Rabbis taught:

<<One who sees

<<the houses of

<<Israel

<<in their settled state

<<says:

<<“Blessed is He

<<who establishes

<<the border of

<<the widow.”

<<In their ruin —

<<he says:

<<“Blessed is

<<the Judge of

<<truth.”

<<The houses of

<<the nations of

<<the world

<<in their settled state —

<<he says:

<<“The house of

<<the proud

<<will tear down

<<Hashem.”

<<In their ruin —

<<he says:

<<“God of

<<vengeance,

<<Hashem;

<<God of

<<vengeance,

<<appear!”

Ulla

<<and Rav Chisda

<<were

<<walking

<<on the road.

<<When

<<they reached

<<the entrance

<<of the house of

<<Rav Chana bar Chanilai,

<<groaned

<<Rav Chisda

<<and sighed.

<<Ulla said to him:

<<Why

<<are you sighing?

<<But didn't Rav say:

<<A sigh

<<breaks

<<half

<<the body

<<of

<<a person,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And you,

<<son of

<<man,

<<sigh

<<with the breaking of

<<loins,

<<etc.”

<<And Rabbi Yochanan

<<said:

<<Even

<<all

<<the body

<<of

<<a person,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And it will be,

<<when

<<they say

<<to you:

<<Over

<<what

<<are you

<<sighing?

<<and you shall say:

<<Over

<<the tidings,

<<for

<<it comes,

<<and will melt

<<every

<<heart,

<<etc.”

He said to him:

<<How

<<not

<<shall I sigh?

<<A house

<<that there were

<<in it

<<sixty

<<bakers

<<by day

<<and sixty

<<bakers

<<by night,

<<and they baked

<<for every

<<one

<<who needed;

<<and not

<<did he remove

<<his hand

<<from

<<the purse,

<<for he thought:

<<Perhaps

<<will come

<<a poor man,

<<a son of

<<good people,

<<and by the time he reaches

<<for him

<<into the purse,

<<he will be embarrassed.

<<And further,

<<there were

<<open

<<to it

<<four

<<doors

<<to the four

<<directions

<<of the world,

<<and everyone

<<who

<<would enter

<<hungry

<<would leave

<<when

<<sated.

<<And they would

<<throw

<<out [lit. for it]

<<wheat

<<and barley

<<in years of

<<drought

<<outside,

<<so that everyone

<<who

<<was embarrassed by

<<the matter

<<to take

<<by day

<<would come

<<and take

<<by night.

<<Now

<<it has fallen

<<into a heap of ruins,

<<and not

<<shall I sigh?

He said to him:

<<Thus

<<Rabbi Yochanan said:

<<From the day

<<that was destroyed

<<the Temple,

<<was decreed

<<a decree

<<upon

<<the houses

<<of

<<the righteous

<<that they be destroyed,

<<as it is stated:

<<“In my ears

<<[said] Hashem

<<of hosts:

<<Surely

<<houses

<<many

<<desolate

<<shall be,

<<great

<<and good,

<<without

<<inhabitant.”

<<And Rabbi Yochanan said:

<<Is destined

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<to restore them

<<to their settled state,

<<as it is stated:

<<“A song of

<<ascents

<<of David:

<<Those who trust

<<in Hashem

<<are like Mount

<<Zion.”

<<Just as

<<Mount

<<Zion —

<<is destined

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<to restore it

<<to its settled state,

<<so too

<<the houses

<<of

<<the righteous —

<<is destined

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<to restore them

<<to their settled state.

<<He saw him

<<that not

<<was settled

<<his mind.

<<He said to him:

<<It is enough

<<for a servant

<<that he be

<<like his master.

The Rabbis taught:

<<One who sees

<<the graves of

<<Israel

<<says:

<<“Blessed is He

<<who

<<formed

<<you

<<in judgment,

<<and fed

<<you

<<in judgment,

<<and sustained

<<you

<<in judgment,

<<and gathered

<<you

<<in judgment,

<<and is destined

<<to raise you up

<<in judgment.”

<<Mar son of Ravina

<<concluded

<<with it,

<<in the name

<<of Rav Nachman:

<<“And He knows

<<the number

<<of all of you,

<<and He

<<is destined

<<to revive you

<<and to sustain

<<you.

<<Blessed is He

<<who revives

<<the dead.”

<<The graves of

<<gentiles —

<<he says:

<<“Is ashamed

<<your mother,

<<etc.”

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said:

<<One who sees

<<his friend

<<after

<<thirty

<<days

<<says:

<<“Blessed is He

<<who has kept us alive,

<<and sustained us,

<<and brought us

<<to this time.”

<<After

<<twelve

<<months —

<<he says:

<<“Blessed is He

<<who revives

<<the dead.”

<<Rav said:

<<Not

<<is the dead

<<forgotten

<<from

<<the heart

<<except

<<after

<<twelve

<<months,

<<as it is stated:

<<“I am forgotten

<<like a dead man

<<from the heart;

<<I have become

<<like a vessel

<<that is lost.”

Rav Pappa

<<and Rav Huna son of Rav Yehoshua

<<were

<<walking

<<on the road.

<<They met

<<him,

<<Rav Chanina son of Rav Ika.

<<They said to him:

<<When

<<we saw you

<<we blessed

<<over you

<<two:

<<“Blessed is He

<<who

<<apportioned

<<of His wisdom

<<to those who fear Him”

<<and “Who has kept us alive.”

<<He said to them:

<<I

<<too,

<<since

<<I saw you,

<<I considered you

<<in my eyes [lit. upon me]

<<like sixty

<<myriads of

<<the house of

<<Israel,

<<and I blessed

<<over you

<<three:

<<those

<<two,

<<and “Blessed is

<<the Wise One of

<<the secrets.”

<<They said to him:

<<You are wise

<<so much!

<<They set

<<upon him

<<their eyes,

<<and he died.

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said:

<<One who sees

<<the spotted people [bahakanim]

<<says:

<<“Blessed is He

<<who makes different

<<the creatures.”

<<They raised an objection:

<<[If] he saw

<<the Kushi [very dark],

<<and the gichor [very red],

<<and the lavkan [very pale],

<<and the kipeach [tall and thin],

<<and the dwarf,

<<and the darnikos [covered in warts],

<<he says:

<<“Blessed is He

<<who makes different

<<the creatures.”

<<The amputee,

<<and the blind man,

<<and those flat of

<<the head,

<<and the lame,

<<and the one afflicted with

<<boils,

<<and the spotted people,

<<he says:

<<“Blessed is

<<the Judge of

<<truth”!

It is not difficult:

<<this

<<is from the womb of

<<his mother;

<<this

<<is after

<<he was born.

<<It is precise

<<also,

<<for it teaches [it]

<<similar

<<to the amputee.

<<Learn from it.

The Rabbis taught:

<<One who sees

<<an elephant,

<<a monkey,

<<and a kippof [ape],

<<says:

<<“Blessed is He

<<who makes different

<<the creatures.”

<<[If] he saw

<<creatures

<<that are good,

<<and trees

<<that are good,

<<he says:

<<“Blessed is He

<<who has such [lit. that thus]

<<for Himself

<<in His world.”

“Over

<<the zikin”:

<<What are

<<zikin?

<<Shmuel said:

<<A star

<<that has a tail [a comet].

<<And Shmuel said:

<<Are clear

<<to me

<<the paths

<<of the heavens

<<like the paths

<<of Nehardea,

<<except

<<for the star

<<that has a tail,

<<for not

<<do I know

<<what

<<it is.

<<And we have a tradition

<<that not

<<does it pass

<<Kesil [Orion],

<<and if

<<it passed

<<Kesil,

<<would be destroyed

<<the world.

<<But surely

<<we see

<<that it passes!

<<Its radiance

<<it is

<<that passes,

<<and it appears

<<as if passed

<<it itself.

<<Rav Huna son of Rav Yehoshua

<<said:

<<The Vilon [curtain of the sky]

<<it is

<<that is torn,

<<that is rolled up

<<and shows

<<the light

<<of the firmament.

<<Rav Ashi

<<said:

<<A star

<<it is

<<that is uprooted

<<from this

<<side

<<of Kesil,

<<and sees

<<it

<<its fellow

<<from that

<<side,

<<and is frightened,

<<and appears

<<as one

<<who passes.

Shmuel

<<raised a contradiction:

<<It is written:

<<“Who makes

<<Ash,

<<Kesil,

<<and Kimah,”

<<and it is written:

<<“Who makes

<<Kimah

<<and Kesil.”

<<This —

<<how [is it]?

<<Were it not for

<<the heat

<<of

<<Kesil,

<<not

<<would endure

<<the world

<<because of

<<the cold

<<of

<<Kimah;

<<and were it not for

<<the cold

<<of

<<Kimah,

<<not

<<would endure

<<the world

<<because of

<<the heat

<<of

<<Kesil.

And we have a tradition:

<<were it not for

<<the tail

<<of the Scorpion

<<that lies

<<in the river of

<<fire,

<<every

<<one

<<whom

<<would sting

<<him

<<a scorpion —

<<not

<<would he

<<live.

<<And this is

<<what said

<<to him

<<the Merciful One

<<to Iyov:

<<“Can you bind

<<the chains of

<<Kimah,

<<or

<<the cords of

<<Kesil

<<loosen?”

What is

<<“Kimah”?

<<Shmuel said:

<<About a hundred [kime'ah]

<<stars.

<<Some say:

<<they are gathered together,

<<and some say:

<<they are scattered.

What is

<<“Ash”?

<<Rav Yehuda said:

<<Yusa.

<<What is

<<“Yusa”?

<<Some say:

<<the tail of

<<the Ram;

<<and some say:

<<the head

<<of the Calf.

<<And it is reasonable

<<like the one

<<who says

<<the tail of

<<the Ram,

<<as it is written:

<<“And Ayish

<<over

<<her children

<<will you comfort?”

<<Evidently

<<it is missing [something]

<<and appears