Musar for Rosh Hashanah 35:7
כדרב שמואל בר אמי דאמר רב שמואל בר אמי ואמרי לה אמר רב שמואל בר נחמני אמר רב יונתן מנין לגזר דין שיש עמו שבועה שאינו נקרע שנאמר (שמואל א ג, יד) [ו] לכן נשבעתי לבית עלי אם יתכפר עון בית עלי בזבח ובמנחה
For R'Samuel B'Ammi (or, as some say R'Samuel B'Nahmani) said in the name of R'Jonathan: How do we know that a final sentence accompanied by an oath is never rescinded? Because it says, Therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Sam. III, 14. vcr');"><sup>7</sup></span> Raba said: With sacrifice and offering it cannot be expiated, but it can be expiated with Torah.
Shemirat HaLashon
[Torah study is] greater than all the sacrifices, for thus have Chazal expounded (Rosh Hashanah 18a): “(I Samuel 3:14): ‘The iniquity of Eli’s house will not be purged with sacrifice or offering forever.’ Rava said: ‘It cannot be purged with sacrifice or offering, but it can be purged with words of Torah.’” And thus does Scripture state (Vayikra 7:37): “This is the Torah for burnt-offering, meal-offering, and sin-offering, etc.” And they have said (Menachoth 110a): “If one occupies himself with Torah, it is as if he sacrificed a burnt-offering, as if he sacrificed a meal-offering, as if he sacrificed a sin-offering, as if he sacrificed peace-offerings.” And this is the language of the holy Zohar, Parshath Shelach 159a: “
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy