Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Musar for Bava Batra 231:8

והא רבי יהושע בן לוי לא אזיל לבי טמיא אלא לבי מאן דשכיב בלא בני דכתיב (ירמיהו כב, י) בכו בכה להולך ואמר רב יהודה אמר רב להולך בלא בן זכר אלא רבי יהושע בן לוי הוא דאמר תלמיד

This is the bone of my tenth son.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' He carried with him a 'bone', which commentators understand to be a tooth, of his tenth dead son when going to comfort those who mourned the loss of a child. Now, if R. Johanan were of the opinion that Ps. LV, 20, has reference to a son, he would not have carried about that which stigmatised him as one who is not God-fearing. ');"><sup>13</sup></span> Thus it is proved that it was R. Johanan who said 'a disciple'. But since R. Johanan said, 'a disciple', R. Joshua b. Levi [must have] said 'a son'! [Is it not a fact,] however, that R. Joshua b. Levi did not go to a house of mourning unless it was the house of him who died without leaving any sons, for it is written, <i>But weep sore for him that goeth away</i>,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Jer. XXII, 10. ');"><sup>14</sup></span>

Shenei Luchot HaBerit

After all וימי חייהם הבל לפניך, "the days they sojourned on earth are as nothing before You!" Our sages have stated that "anyone who leaves behind him on this earth a son who is a Torah scholar may consider himself as though he were still alive." Even taking this fact into consideration, what good is it, since when we arrive in the World to Come and have to account for our conduct before You ימי חייהם הבל לפניך "the days of their lives are accounted as nothing?" In Psalms 36,7 man and beast are equated, i.e. אדם ובהמה; on the other hand Isaiah 63,16 states: כי אתה אבינו כי אברהם לא ידענו וישראל לא יכירנו, "You are our father for Abraham did not know us and Israel did not recognise us." The Talmud Shabbat 89b discusses this. It is well known that the word אדם is used when describing the spiritual aspect of man, whereas the exterior part of man is described as בשר אדם. Man is also called בהמה in the context of his body not being basically different from that of the other creatures in the animal world.
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