Commentary for Shabbat 63:10

תניא רשב"ג אומר הלכות הקדש תרומות ומעשרות הן הן גופי תורה

when he has a headache, let him imagine that he is put in irons; when he takes to bed, let him imagine that he ascended the scaffold to be punished. For whoever ascends the scaffold to be punished, if he has great advocates he is saved, but if not he is not saved. And these are man's advocates: repentance and good deeds. And even if nine hundred and ninety-nine argue for his guilt, while one argues in his favour, he is saved, for it is said, If there be with him an angel, an advocate, one among a thousand, To shew unto man what is right for him; Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit, etc.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Job. XXXIII, 23f. ');">¹⁸</span> R. Eliezer the son of R. Jose the Galilean said: Even if nine hundred and ninety-nine parts of that angel are in his disfavour and one part is in his favour, be is saved, for it is said, 'an advocate, one part in a thousand'. Our Rabbis taught: For three sins women die in childbirth. R. Eleazar said: women die young.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' For these three sins. The variants involve but a change of vocalization in the Hebrew text. ');">¹⁹</span> R. Aha said, As a punishment for washing their children's napkins<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'excrement'. ');">²⁰</span> on the Sabbath. Others say, Because they call the holy ark a chest. It was taught, R. Ishmael b. Eleazar said: On account of two sins 'amme ha-arez<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Pl. of 'am ha-arez, q.v. Glos, ');">²¹</span> die: because they call the holy ark a chest, and because they call a synagogue beth-'am.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'house of the people'-a contemptuous designation. ');">²²</span> It was taught, R. Jose said: Three death scrutineers were created in woman; others state: Three causes<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. n. 2.. ');">²³</span> of death: <i>niddah</i>, <i>hallah</i>, and the kindling of the [Sabbath] lights. One agrees with R. Eleazar, and the other with the Rabbi's.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' 'Death scrutineers' connotes sins which scrutinize a woman when she is in danger, sc. at childbirth; thus this agrees with the Rabbis, 'Causes' implies avenues to premature death, thus agreeing with R. Eleazar's dictum, 'women die young'-The translation of the first follows Rashi. last.: breaches through which death enters, i.e., sins for which one is visited with death. ');">²⁴</span> It was taught, R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: The laws of hekdesh, terumoth<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. Glos. ');">²⁵</span> and tithes are indeed essential parts of the law,

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