Sotah, Eglah Arufa and the Societal Deterioration of the Trump Years

(9) The mishna further states: From the time when murderers proliferated, the ritual of the heifer whose neck is broken was nullified.

From the time when adulterers proliferated, the performance of the ritual of the bitter waters was nullified; they would not administer the bitter waters to the sota. And it was Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Zakkai who nullified it,

The mishna also taught that from the time when adulterers proliferated, the performance of the ritual of the bitter water of a sota was nullified. The Sages taught: It states: “And the man shall be cleared of transgression, and that woman shall bear her transgression” (Numbers 5:31), which indicates that when the man is clear of transgression the waters evaluate if his wife was unfaithful, but if the man is not clear of transgression the waters do not evaluate if his wife was unfaithful....

Rabbi Elazar says: The prophet said to the Jewish people: If you are particular about yourselves, the water evaluates your wives; but if not, the water does not evaluate your wives.

From the time when those who accept benefit from others proliferated, the laws became twisted and deeds became corrupted, and there was no comfort in the world. From the time when those who look at the faces of the litigants in judgment proliferated, the fulfillment of the verse: “You shall not fear the face of any man” (Deuteronomy 1:17), ceased, and the fulfillment of the verse: “You shall not respect faces in judgment” (Deuteronomy 1:17), halted, and they removed the yoke of Heaven from themselves, and placed upon themselves the yoke of flesh and blood.....

From when those who show their arrogance by drawing out spittle proliferated, the number of haughty people in general proliferated, and the number of students decreased, and the Torah needs to go around to seek those who study it. Furthermore, from the time when haughty people proliferated, the daughters of Israel began marrying haughty men, as our generation looks only at the face, i.e., the external aspects of a person,...

From the time when there was an increase in those who placed upon homeowners the obligation to designate the profits from merchandise for the upkeep of judges, bribery and corruption of judgment proliferated and good ceased. From the time when those judges and leaders who say: I accept your favor, and: I hold your favor, proliferated, the fulfillment of the verse: “Every man did that which was right in his eyes” (Judges 17:6), proliferated. Lowly ones were raised and lofty ones were lowered, and the monarchy is increasingly on the decline.

From the time when misers and those greedy for profit proliferated,- those proud of heart and who closed their hands from lending proliferated, and they transgressed that which is written in the Torah: “You shall not harden your heart, nor shut your hand from your needy brother…Guard yourself in case there is a base thought in your heart…and you do not give him” (Deuteronomy 15:7, 9).

From the time when women with “stretched-forth necks and wanton eyes” (Isaiah 3:16) proliferated, the bitter waters of a sota proliferated, as more people were suspected of committing adultery; but they eventually ceased when licentiousness became too widespread.

From the time when those who accept gifts proliferated, the days decreased and the years shortened, as it is written: “And he who hates gifts lives” (Proverbs 15:27).

From the time when those with boastful [zeḥuḥei] hearts proliferated, dispute proliferated in Israel. From the time when the students of Shammai and Hillel who did not serve their Rabbis sufficiently proliferated, dispute proliferated in Israel, and the Torah became like two Torahs.

(1) The writer says: I have composed this work not to teach people what they do not know but to remind them of what they already know and which is very familiar to them. For you will find in most of my words only things which most people already know and do not have any doubt about.

(2) But according to their familiarity and to the extent that their truth is evident to all, so too is their neglect very prevalent and forgetfulness of them very great. Therefore, the benefit to be gleaned from this book is not from a single reading, for it is possible that the reader will learn little that he did not already know. Rather the benefit derived [from this book] comes from review and diligent study. For [then] he will be reminded of these things which, by nature, people tend to forget and he will put to heart his duties which he hides from.

And Rabbi Ile’a bar Yeverekhya says: In the case of two Torah scholars who are walking along the way and there are no words of Torah between them, but they are conversing about other matters, they are deserving of being burned in fire. As it is stated with regard to Elijah and his disciple Elisha: “And it was as they walked along, talking, that behold, there appeared a chariot of fire and horses of fire, which parted them both asunder” (II Kings 2:11). The reason they were not burned by the chariot of fire is that there was speech exchanged between them, which presumably was words of Torah, but if there had been no speech, they would have been deserving of being burned by the chariot. And Rabbi Ile’a bar Yeverekhya says: If there are two Torah scholars who reside in the same city and they are not pleasant to each other with regard to halakha, but are constantly fighting, one of them will die and the other one will be exiled. As it is stated: “That the manslayer might flee there, who slays his neighbor without knowledge” (Deuteronomy 4:42), and “knowledge” means nothing other than Torah, as it is stated: “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” (Hosea 4:6).

.MISHNA: .... Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says that Rabbi Yehoshua testified: From the day the Temple was destroyed there is no day that does not include some form of curse... GEMARA:

(21) Before I depart—never to return— to the land of deepest gloom (the shadow of death); (22) A land even whose light is darkness, All gloom and disarray, Whose appearance is like thick darkness.”

§ The mishna states: Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua: From the day that the Temple was destroyed, there is no day that does not include some curse. Rava says: Each and every day is more cursed than the previous one, as it is stated in the chapter detailing the curses in the book of Deuteronomy: “In the morning you will say, would that it were evening, and in the evening you will say, would that it were morning” (Deuteronomy 28:67). It is unclear which morning the verse means. If we say that in the evening he will wish it would be the following morning, does he know what will be the outcome of the next morning, which would cause him to yearn for its arrival? Rather, it must mean the morning that has passed. But if everything is deteriorating, why does the world continue to exist? The Gemara answers: (By) (For) the sanctification (that is said in the) of the order and by the response: Let His great name be blessed, etc., which is recited after the study of aggada. As it is stated: “A land even whose light is darkness, all gloom and disarray, whose appearance is like thick darkness.”(Job 10:22). Therefore, it can be inferred if there are orders (of prayer and study), it shall appear from amidst the darkness.

The Redeemer shall come to Zion and to those of Jacob who repent from sin, says Adonoy. As for Me, this is My covenant with them, said Adonoy: My spirit which is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your children, nor from the mouth of your children’s children, said Adonoy— from now to eternity.

(3) And You, Holy One, are enthroned upon the praises of Israel.⁴God waits to hear the praises of Israel before He listens to the praises of the angels.—Etz Yosef God waits until the very last congregation of Jews has completed its prayers and then accepts the prayers of all Israel at one time.—Avudraham And [the angels] call one to another and say: Holy, holy, holy is Adonoy of Hosts:⁵According to the Targum interpretation, the thrice “holy” in the Kedushah does not indicate three ascending degrees of sanctification. Instead, it implies a declaration that He Who is holy in the loftiest regions of His heavenly abode is holy not only there but also on earth, the creation of His Almighty power; and that He was not only holy in the past, but that He is holy even now and will be holy throughout all the ages.—S.R. Hirsch the fullness of all the earth is His glory.”⁶Isaiah 6:3

(4) And they receive [sanction] one from another, and say, Holy in the highest heights of heaven, the abode of His Divine Presence; holy upon earth, the work of His mighty power; holy forever and to all eternity— is Adonoy of hosts; the whole earth is filled with the radiance of His glory.

(5) And a wind lifted me; and I heard behind me the sound of a great rushing; Blessed is the glory of Adonoy from His place.⁷Ezekiel 3:12. ⁸See note 00 on Page 00.

(6) And a wind lifted me and I heard behind me a sound of a great rushing of those who uttered praises and said, ‘Blessed is the glory of Adonoy from the place, the abode of His Divine Presence.

(7) Adonoy will reign forever and ever.⁹Exodus 15:18.

(8) Adonoy, His kingdom is established forever and to all eternity.

(9) Adonoy, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep this forever as the intention of the hearts of Your people, and direct their hearts to You.

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31)? This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, established a condition with the acts of Creation, and said: If the Jewish people accept My Torah at the revelation at Sinai, all is well, but if they do not accept it, I will return you to the primordial state of chaos and disorder.