Chapter Five

Perek 5

פֶּרֶק ה

Visible layers

Hebrew

יז כָּל מַחֲלוֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְשֵׁם
שָׁמַיִם, סוֹפָהּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם,1
וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ לְשֵׁם שָׁמַיִם, אֵין
סוֹפָהּ לְהִתְקַיֵּם. אֵיזוֹ הִיא
מַחֲלוֹקֶת שֶׁהִיא לְשֵׁם
שָׁמַיִם, זוֹ מַחֲלוֹקֶת הִלֵּל
וְשַׁמַּאי. וְשֶׁאֵינָהּ לְשֵׁם
שָׁמַיִם, זוֹ מַחֲלוֹקֶת קֹרַח
וְכָל עֲדָתוֹ.

Sephardi

17 Kol machloket shehi l'shem
shamayim, sofah l'hitkayem,1
v'she'einah l'shem shamayim, ein
sofah l'hitkayem. Eizo hi
machloket shehi l'shem
shamayim, zo machloket Hillel
v'Shammai. V'she'einah l'shem
shamayim, zo machloket Korach
vechol adato.

English

in heaven—will have a lasting and meaningful outcome.1 But any argument that is for personal reasons, and not for the sake of God in heaven, will not have a lasting and meaningful outcome. What is an example of an argument that was for the sake of God in heaven? The argument between Hillel and Shammai, who argued regarding laws, yet their arguments were not personal; they cared only to uncover the true Jewish Law. What is an example of an argument that was not for the sake of God in heaven? The argument of Korach and his entire group with Moses, whose argument was based on a desire to rebel against authority.

Hebrew

יח כָּל הַמְזַכֶּה אֶת הָרַבִּים,2
אֵין חֵטְא בָּא עַל יָדוֹ, וְכָל
הַמַּחֲטִיא אֶת הָרַבִּים, אֵין
מַסְפִּיקִין בְּיָדוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת
תְּשׁוּבָה.3 מֹשֶׁה זָכָה וְזִכָּה
אֶת הָרַבִּים, זְכוּת הָרַבִּים
תָּלוּי בּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: צִדְקַת
יְיָ עָשָׂה, וּמִשְׁפָּטָיו עִם
יִשְׂרָאֵל. יָרָבְעָם בֶּן נְבָט
חָטָא וְהֶחֱטִיא אֶת הָרַבִּים,

Sephardi

18 Kol hamzakeh et harabim,2
ein chet ba al yado, vechol
hamachati et harabim, ein
maspikim b'yado la'asot
teshuvah.3 Moshe zachah v'zikah
et harabim, zechut harabim
taluy bo, shene'emar: tzidkat
Adonai asah, umishpatav im
Yisrael. Yarov'am ben N'vat
chata v'hechti et harabim,

English

18 Anyone who tries to cause many people to gain merit,2 God will ensure that no sin will come through him. But anyone who tries to cause many people to sin will not be given an opportunity to repent easily.3 Moses is an example of the first type; he had many merits himself, and he caused many other people to have merits by teaching them Torah and guiding them. In addition, because he caused their merits, the merit of the many people is credited to him, as it says in the Torah: Moses fulfilled the righteous commandments of God, and fulfilled His laws with the Children of Israel. Yeravam ben Nevat is an example of the second type; he sinned himself and caused many people to sin by convincing them to worship idols. Because

Hebrew

חֵטְא הָרַבִּים תָּלוּי בּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר:
עַל חַטֹּאות יָרָבְעָם אֲשֶׁר חָטָא,
וַאֲשֶׁר הֶחֱטִיא אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל.

Sephardi

chet harabim taluy bo, shene'emar:
al chatot Yarov'am asher chata,
va'asher hechti et Yisrael.

English

he caused their sins, the sins of the many people are credited to him, as it says in Kings: Yeravam was punished for the sins that he did and for the sins that he caused the Children of Israel to do.

Hebrew

יט כָּל מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ בּוֹ שְׁלשָׁה
דְּבָרִים הַלָּלוּ,4 הוּא מִתַּלְמִידָיו
שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ, וּשְׁלשָׁה
דְּבָרִים אֲחֵרִים, הוּא מִתַּלְמִידָיו
שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע. תַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל
אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ: עַיִן טוֹבָה, וְרוּחַ
נְמוּכָה, וְנֶפֶשׁ שְׁפָלָה. תַּלְמִידָיו
שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע: עַיִן רָעָה,
וְרוּחַ גְּבוֹהָה, וְנֶפֶשׁ רְחָבָה. מַה
בֵּין תַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ
לְתַלְמִידָיו שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע,
תַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל אַבְרָהָם אָבִינוּ
אוֹכְלִין בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְנוֹחֲלִין
הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לְהַנְחִיל
אֹהֲבַי יֵשׁ, וְאוֹצְרוֹתֵיהֶם אֲמַלֵּא.
אֲבָל תַּלְמִידָיו שֶׁל בִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע
יוֹרְשִׁין גֵּיהִנֹּם וְיוֹרְדִין לִבְאֵר
שַׁחַת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְאַתָּה אֱלֹהִים

Sephardi

19 Kol mi sheyesh bo sheloshah
d'varim hallalu,4 hu mitalmidav
shel Avraham avinu, ush'loshah
d'varim acherim, hu mitalmidav
shel Bil'am harasha. Talmidav shel
Avraham avinu: ayin tovah, v'ruach
n'muchah, v'nefesh sh'felah. Talmidav
shel Bil'am harasha: ayin ra'ah,
v'ruach g'vohah, v'nefesh r'chavah. Mah
bein talmidav shel Avraham avinu
l'talmidav shel Bil'am harasha,
talmidav shel Avraham avinu
ochlim ba-olam hazeh, v'nochalim
ha-olam haba, shene'emar: l'hanchil
ohavai yesh, v'otzroteihem amale.
Aval talmidav shel Bil'am harasha
yorshim geihinom v'yordim liv'er
shachat, shene'emar: ve'atah Elohim

English

19 Whoever has the following three traits4 behaves as a student of Abraham our forefather, and whoever has three other traits behaves as a student of the wicked Bilaam. The students of Abraham our forefather have: a good and generous eye—they are not jealous and are happy for another's success, a humble spirit, and a modest soul—they avoid unnecessary luxuries. The students of the wicked Bilaam have: a bad and unsatisfied eye—they are jealous of others and are not satisfied with what they have, an arrogant spirit, and a greedy soul. What is the difference between the students of Abraham our forefather and the students of the wicked Bilaam? The students of Abraham our forefather will eat and enjoy the benefits of their good traits in this world, and they will inherit the greatest part of their reward in the World to Come. As it says in Proverbs: God said: I will cause those who love Me to inherit the World to Come, and I will also fill up their storage places in this world. But the wicked Bilaam's students will inherit Gehinom and go down into a pit of destruction, as it says in Psalms: And You, God, will bring them down

Commentary

1 How is it possible for both sides of a Torah argument to stand, if the Jewish law only follows one opinion? The answer is that if both sides are arguing for the sake of Torah—to understand the Divine will, and not to merely prove themselves right—then one side will eventually be accepted by a clear majority and become the accepted opinion. The minority opinion-holders will then review their understanding of the matter and learn to accept the majority opinion. When this occurs, it is proof that the argument was "for the sake of heaven."

2 The gates of repentance are always open. The mishnah does not say that someone who causes others to sin cannot repent; rather, it says that he is not given an opportunity to do so. Usually, God helps people repent. For someone who causes others to sin, however, God does not provide such help. Yet even such a person, if he tries hard enough, can repent.

3 The mishnah uses the present tense of מְזַכֶּה rather than past tense זִכָּה because even someone who has not yet succeeded in influencing people to do good deeds, since he is trying, God promises that he won't come to sin.

4 The mishnah says that someone who possesses bad character traits and feelings, even if he does not act on them, is a student of Bilaam until he works to improve them.