Chasidut for Sanhedrin 197:23
רבי עקיבא אומר
But R. Johanan interprets: 'him that is far off' — that is [and has been] far from sin; 'him that is near' — that was near to sin, but is now far off. R. Hiyya b. Abba also said in R. Johanan's name: All the prophets prophesied only in respect of him who marries his daughter to a scholar, or engages in business on behalf of a scholar,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [I.e., assigns him a share in his business as sleeping partner.] ');"><sup>22</sup></span> or benefits a scholar with his possessions; but as for scholars themselves, — 'the eye hath not seen, O God, beside thee etc.' What does 'the eye hath not seen' refer to? — R. Joshua b. Levi said: To the wine that has been kept [maturing] with its grapes since the six days of Creation. Resh Lakish said: To Eden, which no eye has ever seen; and should you demur, Where then did Adam live? in the Garden. And should you object, The Garden and Eden are one: therefore Scripture teaches, And a river issued from Eden to water the garden.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gen. II, 10. ');"><sup>23</sup></span> AND HE WHO MAINTAINS THAT THE TORAH WAS NOT DIVINELY REVEALED. Our Rabbis taught: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that soul shall utterly be cut off:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. XV, 31. ');"><sup>24</sup></span> this refers to him who maintains that the Torah is not from Heaven. Another rendering: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, refers to an epikoros. Another rendering: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord, refers to one who gives an interpretation of the Torah<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Or, 'who acts insolently against the Torah', the phrase ohbp vkdn being similar to the English 'bare-faced'. This, and epikoros, are discussed further on.] ');"><sup>25</sup></span> [not according to the <i>halachah</i>]. And hath broken his commandment: this means one who abolishes the covenant of flesh.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., who neglects the precept of circumcision. Weiss, Dor. II. p. 8 states that the Rabbinic teachings in praise of circumcision and their emphasis on the penalty of its neglect were directed against the Christians, who substituted baptism for it; v. also n. 5 for another interpretation. ');"><sup>26</sup></span> That soul shall utterly be cut off [hikkareth tikkareth]: 'hikkareth' [to be cut off] implies in this world; 'tikkareth' [it shall be cut off], in the next.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. supra 90b. ');"><sup>27</sup></span> Hence R. Eliezer of Modi'im taught: He who defiles the sacred food, despises the festivals,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The reference is to the intermediate days of Passover and Tabernacles, called [H], the week-days of the festival. ');"><sup>28</sup></span> abolishes the covenant of our father Abraham,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Graetz. Gesch., IV, p. 73, n. 1. suggests that this refers to epiplasm, I.e., drawing a skin over the circumcision so as to hide it. This was resorted to by the Judeo-Christians in order to evade the Fiscus Judaicus, I.e., the Temple Tax which Vespasian converted into a per capita tax for the upkeep of Jupiter's Temple. The galling nature of such conversion, added to the fact that it singled out the Jews as definitely not being full citizens of the Roman Empire with all the privileges and exemptions appertaining thereto, and the severity with which Domitian, a later emperor, applied it, combined to induce a number of these semi-Jews to deny their Judaism altogether and to hide the marks of their circumcision. ');"><sup>29</sup></span> gives an interpretation of the Torah not according to the <i>halachah</i>, and publicly shames his neighbour, even if he hath learning and good deeds to his credit, hath no portion in the future world.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Aboth III, 15. ');"><sup>30</sup></span> Another [Baraitha] taught: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord — this refers to him who maintains that the Torah is not from Heaven. And even if he asserts that the whole Torah is from Heaven, excepting a particular verse, which [he maintains] was not uttered by God but by Moses himself, he is included in 'because he hath despised the word of the Lord.' And even if he admits that the whole Torah is from Heaven, excepting a single point, a particular ad majus deduction or a certain <i>gezerah shawah</i>, — he is still included in 'because he hath despised the word of the Lord'. It has been taught: R. Meir used to say: He who studies the Torah but does not teach it is alluded to in 'he hath despised the word of the Lord'. R. Nathan said: [it refers to] whoever pays no heed to the Mishnah.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Rabbi's compilation was held in such high esteem that to disregard it was considered a sin. ');"><sup>31</sup></span> R. Nehorai said: Whosoever can engage in the study of the Torah but fails to do so. R. Ishmael said: This refers to heathens. How is this implied? — Even as the school of Ishmael taught: Because he hath despised the word of the Lord — this applies to one who despises the words spoken to Moses at Sinai, viz., I am the Lord thy God … Thou shalt have no other gods before me.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XX, 2f. ');"><sup>32</sup></span> R. Joshua b. Karha said: Whosoever studies the Torah and does not revise it is likened unto one who sows without reaping. R. Joshua said: He who studies the Torah and then forgets it is like a woman who bears [a child] and buries [it.] R. Akiba said:
Kedushat Levi
In trying to explain this verse we are stymied by the fact that the word: לשם does not precede the words: לתהלה ולתפארת.
This apparent anomaly is explained with the help of the statement in the Talmud Sanhedrin 99 that repentant sinners occupy a spiritual plateau that is higher than that of the natural born righteous people, who have never sinned. It is explained additionally by a statement in the Talmud Yuma 86 that the effect of repentance is so great that erstwhile sins may be converted retroactively into being accounted as meritorious deeds.
G’d’s servants may be divided into two distinct categories. One category has a mental image of G’d and what He stands for in front of him at all times, whereas the second category arouses itself from time to time in order to summon up such an image of G’d’s Majesty, which in turn impresses upon him the duty to serve Him as befits a king. This latter type of individual does not present the Creator with a list of personal requests, however. He is content to be able to serve his Master the King of Kings, in fact he regards it as a privilege. This latter type of individual requests only that he be able to continue to serve the Lord, and while so engaged he shuts out any thoughts pertaining to his daily routine, pursuit of a livelihood, etc. He places his entire person at the service of the Lord. It is this type of individual that the psalmist in psalms 102,1 speaks of when he commences with the words: תפלה לעני כי יעטוף, “a prayer of the lowly man when he is faint, etc.” When such a person, notwithstanding the fact that he has urgent duties to attend to, duties that do not allow him the luxury of putting them on hold, offers his entire being in the service of the Lord, this is something that causes G’d to experience a great deal of pleasurable satisfaction. He reacts by saying: “look at this human being, who, although guilty of numerous sins in the past, has pulled himself together in order to serve Me;” he deserves that even his prior sins be converted to merits,” as it was the recognition of the futility of his former sinful lifestyle that eventually caused him to become a penitent. Someone raised in a devout family, who had accepted his family’s devoutness as something that did not need to be questioned, could not have entertained the kind of thoughts that went through the mind of the repentant sinner before he decided to turn over an entirely new leaf.
When G’d looks down on the Jewish people and compares them to the gentile nations, and He sees how none of them serve Him, He naturally glorifies in the Jewish people, considering the rest of mankind a bunch of fools by comparison.
Kedushat Levi
This is the deeper meaning of the Mishnah in Avot 2,1 where Rabbi Yehudah hanassi described what is a successful course for man to follow in life as being to provide “glory,” תפארת for His maker. The second part of Rabbi Yehudah’s statement that man’s actions should also “confer glory on האדם, “the person having performed these deeds,” our author views as meaning that man should appreciate that his “glory” consists in being able to do what no angel can do, i.e. serve the Lord and provide Him with pleasure due to his having had to overcome obstacles in his desire to serve his Maker. This is the “glory” G’d had bestowed on man. If you were to say that Rabbi Yehudah ascribes this “glory” as emanating from “man,” i.e. מן האדם, what Rabbi Yehudah meant by the word מן, “from,” is “that it originates from,” i.e. man’s glory originates in the very fact that he is “man,” equipped with choices so that making the right choice results in joy in heaven as well as on earth.