If

<<a Torah scholar

<<he is,

<<he does not

<<need to.

<<Abaye said:

<<even

<<a Torah scholar

<<needs

<<to say

<<one

<<verse

<<of mercy,

<<such as:

<<“In Your hand

<<I entrust

<<my spirit;

<<You have redeemed

<<me,

<<Hashem,

<<God of

<<truth.”

Rabbi Levi bar Chama said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish:

<<always

<<should incite

<<a person

<<the good inclination

<<against

<<the evil inclination,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Tremble

<<and do not

<<sin.”

<<If

<<it defeats it,

<<good;

<<and if

<<not,

<<let him engage

<<in Torah,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Speak

<<in your heart.”

<<If

<<it defeats it,

<<good;

<<and if

<<not,

<<let him recite

<<the Shema,

<<as it is stated:

<<“upon

<<your bed.”

<<If

<<it defeats it,

<<good;

<<and if

<<not,

<<let him remind

<<himself of

<<the day of

<<death,

<<as it is stated:

<<“and be still.

<<Selah.”

And Rabbi Levi bar Chama said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish:

<<what is

<<that which is written:

<<“And I will give

<<you

<<the tablets of

<<stone,

<<and the Torah

<<and the commandment

<<which

<<I have written

<<to teach them”?

<<“Tablets” —

<<these are

<<the Ten Commandments;

<<“Torah” —

<<this is

<<Scripture;

<<“and the commandment” —

<<this is

<<Mishnah;

<<“which

<<I have written” —

<<these are

<<the Prophets

<<and Writings;

<<“to teach them” —

<<this is

<<Talmud.

<<It teaches

<<that all of them

<<were given

<<to Moshe

<<from Sinai.

Rabbi Yitzchak said:

<<anyone

<<who recites

<<the Shema

<<upon

<<his bed

<<it is as if

<<he holds

<<a sword

<<of

<<two

<<edges

<<in his hand,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Exaltations of

<<God

<<in their throat,

<<and a sword

<<of two edges

<<in their hand.”

<<What

<<indicates it?

<<Mar Zutra said,

<<and some say

<<Rav Ashi:

<<from the beginning

<<of the passage,

<<as it is written:

<<“Let rejoice

<<the pious

<<in glory;

<<let them sing

<<upon

<<their beds,”

<<and it is written

<<after it:

<<“Exaltations of

<<God

<<in their throat,

<<and a sword

<<of two edges

<<in their hand.”

And Rabbi Yitzchak said:

<<anyone

<<who recites

<<the Shema

<<upon

<<his bed,

<<harmful spirits

<<keep away

<<from him,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And the sons of

<<reshef

<<soar

<<in flight.”

<<And there is no

<<“flight”

<<except

<<Torah,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Will you let fly

<<your eyes

<<at it,

<<and it is gone?”

<<And there is no

<<“reshef”

<<except

<<harmful spirits,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Wasted by

<<hunger,

<<and devoured by

<<reshef

<<and destruction

<<bitter.”

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said:

<<anyone

<<who engages

<<in Torah,

<<sufferings

<<keep away

<<from him,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And the sons of

<<reshef

<<soar

<<in flight.”

<<And there is no

<<“flight”

<<except

<<Torah,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Will you let fly

<<your eyes

<<at it,

<<and it is gone?”

<<And there is no

<<“reshef”

<<except

<<sufferings,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Wasted by

<<hunger,

<<and devoured by

<<reshef.”

Rabbi Yochanan said to him:

<<this —

<<even

<<schoolchildren

<<know

<<it,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And He said:

<<if

<<you will surely

<<listen

<<to the voice of

<<Hashem

<<your God,

<<and what is right

<<in His eyes

<<you will do,

<<and you will give ear

<<to His commandments

<<and keep

<<all

<<His statutes,

<<all

<<the illness

<<that

<<I placed

<<in Egypt

<<not

<<will I place

<<upon you,

<<for

<<I,

<<Hashem,

<<am your Healer.”

<<Rather:

<<anyone

<<for whom it is possible

<<for him

<<to engage

<<in Torah

<<and does not

<<engage,

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<brings

<<upon him

<<sufferings

<<ugly

<<that trouble

<<him,

<<as it is stated:

<<“I was mute

<<in silence;

<<I held my peace

<<from good,

<<and my pain

<<was stirred up.”

<<And there is no

<<“good”

<<except

<<Torah,

<<as it is stated:

<<“For

<<a teaching

<<good

<<I have given

<<you;

<<My Torah

<<do not

<<forsake.”

Rabbi Zeira said,

<<and some say

<<Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa:

<<come

<<and see

<<that not

<<like the attribute of

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<is the attribute of

<<flesh

<<and blood.

<<The attribute of

<<flesh

<<and blood:

<<a person

<<sells

<<an object

<<to his fellow —

<<the seller

<<is sad

<<and the buyer

<<glad;

<<but

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<is not

<<so:

<<He gave

<<them

<<the Torah,

<<to Israel,

<<and rejoiced,

<<as it is stated:

<<“For

<<a teaching

<<good

<<I have given

<<you;

<<My Torah

<<do not

<<forsake.”

Rava said,

<<and some say

<<Rav Chisda:

<<if

<<sees

<<a person

<<that sufferings

<<are coming

<<upon him,

<<let him examine

<<his deeds,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Let us search

<<our ways

<<and examine them,

<<and return

<<unto

<<Hashem.”

<<He examined

<<and did not

<<find —

<<let him attribute it

<<to neglect of

<<Torah,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Happy is

<<the man

<<whom

<<You chastise,

<<O Lord,

<<and from Your Torah

<<You teach him.”

And if

<<he attributed it

<<and did not

<<find,

<<it is certain

<<that sufferings

<<of

<<love

<<they are,

<<as it is stated:

<<“For

<<the one whom

<<loves

<<Hashem

<<He rebukes.”

Rava said in the name of Rav Sechora in the name of Rav Huna:

<<anyone

<<that the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<delights

<<in,

<<He crushes him

<<with sufferings,

<<as it is stated:

<<“And Hashem

<<desired

<<to crush him;

<<He made him ill.”

Could it be

<<even

<<if not

<<he accepted them

<<with love?

<<The verse states:

<<“If

<<it will make

<<a guilt-offering

<<his soul”:

<<just as

<<a guilt-offering

<<is with knowledge,

<<so too

<<sufferings

<<are with knowledge.

And if

<<he accepted them,

<<what

<<is his reward?

<<“He will see

<<offspring,

<<he will prolong

<<days.”

<<And not

<<only that,

<<but

<<his learning

<<endures

<<in his hand,

<<as it is stated:

<<“and the desire of

<<Hashem

<<in his hand

<<will prosper.”

They disagree

<<about it

<<Rabbi Yaakov bar Idi

<<and Rabbi Acha bar Chanina.

<<One

<<said:

<<these

<<are

<<sufferings

<<of

<<love:

<<any

<<that there is not

<<with them

<<neglect of

<<Torah,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Happy is

<<the man

<<whom

<<You chastise,

<<O Lord,

<<and from Your Torah

<<You teach him.”

And one

<<said:

<<these

<<are

<<sufferings

<<of

<<love:

<<any

<<that there is not

<<with them

<<neglect of

<<prayer,

<<as it is stated:

<<“Blessed is

<<God,

<<who

<<has not

<<removed

<<my prayer

<<and His kindness

<<from me.”

Said to them

<<Rabbi Abba son of Rabbi Chiya bar Abba:

<<thus

<<Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan:

<<these

<<and those

<<sufferings

<<of

<<love

<<are,

<<as it is stated:

<<“For

<<the one whom

<<loves

<<Hashem

<<He rebukes.”

Rather,

<<what

<<does the verse state:

<<“and from Your Torah

<<You teach him”?

<<Do not

<<read

<<“You teach him,”

<<but

<<“You teach us”:

<<a matter

<<this

<<from Your Torah

<<You teach us —

a kal

<<vachomer

<<from tooth

<<and eye:

<<just as

<<tooth

<<and eye,

<<which are

<<one

<<of the limbs

<<of

<<a person,

<<a slave

<<goes out

<<through them

<<to freedom,

<<sufferings,

<<which scour

<<the entire

<<body

<<of

<<a person,

<<all the more so.

And this is

<<the teaching of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish,

<<for Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said:

<<it is said

<<“covenant”

<<with salt,

<<and it is said

<<“covenant”

<<with sufferings.

<<It is said

<<“covenant”

<<with salt,

<<as it is written:

<<“And not

<<shall you omit

<<the salt of

<<the covenant”;

<<and it is said

<<“covenant”

<<with sufferings,

<<as it is written:

<<“These are

<<the words of

<<the covenant.”

<<Just as

<<“covenant”

<<stated

<<with salt —

<<salt

<<sweetens

<<the meat,

<<so too

<<“covenant”

<<stated

<<with sufferings —

<<sufferings

<<scour

<<all

<<the sins

<<of

<<a person.

It is taught:

<<Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai

<<says:

<<three

<<gifts

<<good

<<gave

<<the Holy One, Blessed be He,

<<to Israel,

<<and all of them

<<not

<<did He give them

<<except

<<by means of

<<sufferings.

<<These

<<are they:

<<Torah,

<<and the Land of Israel,

<<and the World to Come.

Torah —

<<from where?

<<As it is stated:

<<“Happy is

<<the man

<<whom

<<You chastise,

<<O Lord,

<<and from Your Torah

<<You teach him.”

The Land of Israel,

<<as it is written:

<<“For

<<as

<<chastens

<<a man

<<his son,

<<Hashem

<<your God

<<chastens you,”

<<and it is written

<<after it:

<<“For

<<Hashem

<<your God

<<brings you

<<to

<<a land

<<good.”

The World to Come,

<<as it is written:

<<“For

<<a lamp

<<is the commandment,

<<and the Torah

<<light,

<<and the way of

<<life

<<are the reproofs of

<<discipline.”

Taught

<<a Tanna

<<before

<<Rabbi Yochanan:

<<anyone

<<who engages

<<in Torah

<<and in acts of kindness