Halakhah for Eruvin 37:9

מה מזבח הזהב שאין עליו אלא כעובי דינר זהב עמד כמה שנים ולא שלטה בו האור פושעי ישראל שמליאין מצות כרמון שנאמר (שיר השירים ו, ז) כפלח הרמון רקתך ואמר ר"ש בן לקיש אל תיקרי רקתך אלא ריקתיך שאפי' ריקנין שבך מליאין מצות כרמון עאכ"ו

a contradiction would arise between two statements of Resh Lakish. For Resh Lakish stated: The fire of Gehenna has no power over the transgressors in Israel, as may be inferred a minori ad majus from the golden altar: If the golden altar [the layer] on which was only of the thickness of a denar lasted for many years and the fire had no power over it, how much more would that be the case with the transgressors in Israel who are as full of good deeds as a pomegranate [with seed], as it is said in Scripture: Thy temples are like a pomegranate,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cant. VI, 7. l,er');">²⁷</span> and R'Simeon B'Lakish remarked, 'Read not, "Thy temples"<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' lh,ehr ehr');">²⁸</span> but "Thy empty ones"<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' (from 'empty') .');">²⁹</span>

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