«Беженцы и Колониалисты» Экев 5784

“You will be blessed more than all peoples. There will be none who are sterile or barren among you or among your animals” (Deuteronomy 7:14).
Another matter, Rabbi Yonatan said: “There will be none who are sterile or barren” – from repentance. There was an incident involving Rabbi Yonatan, who was walking near the mountain of the Samaritans. He was riding a donkey and the animal driver was with him. A certain Samaritan joined them. When they reached Mount Gerizim, the Samaritan said to Rabbi Yonatan: ‘Rabbi, what is this? For this mountain is sacred.’ Rabbi Yonatan said to him: ‘Why is it sacred?’ The Samaritan said to him: ‘Because it was not stricken in the Flood waters.’ He said to him: ‘From where do you derive this?’ He said to him: ‘Is it not written as follows: “Son of man, say to it: You are a land that has not been purified, that has not been rained upon on the day of fury”’ (Ezekiel 22:24). Rabbi Yonatan said to him: ‘If so, the Holy One blessed be He should have told Noah to ascend (there) , and not to craft an ark.’ He said to [Rabbi Yonatan]: ‘He did so only to test [Noah].’ Rabbi Yonatan was silent. The animal driver said to [Rabbi Yonatan]: ‘Allow me to say one thing to him.’ He said to him: ‘Speak.’ The animal driver said to him: ‘Is this mountain not beneath the heavens?’ The Samaritan said to him: ‘Where else, beyond the heavens?’ He said to him: ‘Is it not written: “Fifteen cubits upward the water accumulated” (Genesis 7:20), “all the high mountains under the entire heavens were covered”?’ (Genesis 7:19). Rabbi Yonatan immediately dismounted the donkey and had [the driver] ride on it for four mil. He read this verse in his regard: “Any tongue that will rise against you in judgment will be condemned” (Isaiah 54:17). That is, “there will be none who are sterile or barren among you or among your animals.” What is “or among your animals [uvivhemtekha]”? Among your animal drivers [uvabehamin shelkha].

Samaritan is like a Gentile, as they disagreed: A Samaritan is like a Gentile, the words of Rebbi; Rabban Simeon ben Gamliel says, a Samaritan is like a Jew in all respects.

And one answers amen after a Jew who recites a blessing even if he did not hear the entire blessing, and one does not answer amen after a Samaritan [Kuti] who recites a blessing until he hears the whole blessing in its entirety, as perhaps the Kuti introduced an element inconsistent with the Jewish faith in that section of the blessing that he did not hear.

§ The Gemara returns to the disagreement cited earlier: The Master says that Rabbi Yoḥanan said to Reish Lakish: But is not all of Eretz Yisrael inspected for impurity? Since Reish Lakish’s response to this question is not mentioned, the Gemara clarifies: With regard to what do they disagree? One Sage, Reish Lakish, holds that the flood in the time of Noah descended upon Eretz Yisrael, and its residents perished. It is therefore necessary to inspect the place where the red heifer is burned to ascertain whether it is a gravesite. And one Sage, Rabbi Yoḥanan, holds that the flood did not descend upon Eretz Yisrael, and there is no reason to suspect there are lost graves there.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak says: And both of them, Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish, interpreted the same verse, stated by Ezekiel with regard to Eretz Yisrael, to derive their opinions. The verse states: “Son of man, say to her: You are a land that is not cleansed, nor rained upon in the day of indignation” (Ezekiel 22:24).

Rabbi Yoḥanan holds that the verse is asking a rhetorical question: Eretz Yisrael, are you not cleansed from the impurity imparted by corpses? Did the rains of the flood fall upon you on the day of indignation? And Reish Lakish holds that this verse should be read in accordance with its straightforward meaning, i.e., as a statement, not a question: You are a land that is not cleansed. Didn’t rains fall upon you on the day of indignation? Therefore, the bodies of all of those who perished in the flood are somewhere in the ground.

When Ezra came up (with) Zerubbabel, son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, || son of Jehozadak, they began to build the Temple of the Lord, as it is said, "Then rose up Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua, the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God" (Ezra 5:2). And the Samaritans came against them to fight (with) 180,000 (men). Were they Samaritans? Were they not Cutheans? But they were called Samaritans because of the city of Samaria. And further, they sought to kill Nehemiah, as it is said, "Come, let us meet together in one of the villages,… but they thought to do me mischief" (Neh. 6:2). Moreover, they made the work of the Lord to cease for two years ["Then ceased the work of the house of God, which is at Jerusalem]; and it ceased unto the second year of the reign of Darius, king of Persia" (Ezra 4:24).

What did Ezra, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, do? They gathered all the congregation to the Temple of the Lord, and they brought 800 priests, 800 children, and 800 scrolls of the Torah in their hands, and they blew (the trumpets), and the Levites sang songs and praises, and they excommunicated the Cutheans with the mystery of the Ineffable Name, and with the script such as was written upon the tables (of the Law), and by the ban of the heavenly Court of Justice, and by the ban of the earthly Court of Justice (decreeing) that no one of Israel should eat the bread of the Cutheans. Hence (the sages) said: Everyone who eats the bread of the Cutheans is as though he had eaten of the flesh of swine. Let no man make a proselyte in Israel from among the Cutheans. They have no || portion in the resurrection of the dead, as it is said, "Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God" (Ezra 4:3), neither in this world, nor in the world to come. So that they should have neither portion nor inheritance in Israel, as it is said, "But ye have no portion, nor right, nor memorial, in Jerusalem" (Neh. 2:20).

They sent the ban (letter) to the Israelites who were in Babylon. Moreover, they added an additional ban upon them, and King Cyrus ordained it as a perpetual ban upon them, (as it is said,) "And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there overthrow all kings and peoples that shall put forth their hand to alter the same, to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I, Darius, have made a decree; let it be done with all diligence" (Ezra 6:12).