Musar for Sanhedrin 214:19

ר' נחמיה אומר אלו ואלו אין עומדין בדין שנאמר (תהלים א, ה) על כן לא יקומו

[So] 'The leprosy therefore of Naaman shall cleave unto thee, and unto thy seed for ever.' And <font>he went out from his presence a leper as white as snow</font>.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Kings V, 27. The uncensored edition continues: What of R. Joshua b. Perahjah? — When King Jannai slew our Rabbis, R. Joshua b. Perahjah (and Jesus) fled to Alexandria of Egypt. On the resumption of peace, Simeon b. Shetach sent to him: 'From me, (Jerusalem) the holy city, to thee, Alexandria of Egypt (my sister). My husband dwelleth within thee and I am desolate.' He arose, went, and found himself in a certain inn, where great honour was shewn him. 'How beautiful is this Acsania!' (The word denotes both inn and innkeeper. R. Joshua used it in the first sense; the answer assumes the second to be meant.) Thereupon (Jesus) observed, 'Rabbi, her eyes are narrow.' 'Wretch,' he rebuked him, 'dost thou thus engage thyself.' He sounded four hundred trumpets and excommunicated him. He (Jesus) came before him many times pleading, 'Receive me!' But he would pay no heed to him. One day he (R. Joshua) was reciting the Shema', when Jesus came before him. He intended to receive him and made a sign to him. He (Jesus) thinking that it was to repel him, went, put up a brick, and worshipped it. 'Repent,' said he (R. Joshua) to him. He replied, 'I have thus learned from thee: He who sins and causes others to sin is not afforded the means of repentance.' And a Master has said, 'Jesus the Nazarene practised magic and led Israel astray.' For a full discussion of this passage and attempted explanation of this anachronism making Jesus a contemporary of King Jannai (104-78 B.C.E.). v. Herford, op. cit. 51ff. [The tradition of an early Jesus was also known to Epiphanius. Whether he derived this tradition from the Talmud or from an independent source is a moot point hotly contested by Klausner and Guttmann; v. MGWJ. 1931, 250ff. and 1933, 38. In any case there does not appear to be sufficient data available to account for this tradition.] ');">¹⁷</span> And there were four leprous men at the entering in of the gate.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. VII, 3. ');">¹⁸</span> R. Johanan said: They were Gehazi and his three sons. It was taught, R. Simeon b. Eleazar said: Human nature,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [Heb. yezer, [H], v. Lazarus, Ethics, II, 106ff.] ');">¹⁹</span> a child and a woman — the left hand should repulse them, but the right hand bring them back.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' One must not attempt to subdue his desires altogether, which is unnatural, but to regulate them. In chiding a child and a woman, one must not be too severe, lest they be so disheartened as to be driven away far from repentance altogether. ');">²⁰</span> Our Rabbis taught: Elisha was ill on three occasions: once when he incited the bears against the children, once when he repulsed Gehazi with both hands, and the third [was the illness] of which he died; as it is written, Now Elisha was fallen sick of his sickness where of he died.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Kings XIII, 14. 'Was fallen sick' denotes one illness; 'of his sickness' another, and 'whereof he died' a third (Rashi). ');">²¹</span> Until Abraham there was no old age:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., old age did not mark a person. ');">²²</span> whoever saw Abraham said, 'This is Isaac;' and whoever saw Isaac said, 'This is Abraham.' Therefore Abraham prayed that there should be old age, as it is written, And Abraham was old, and well stricken in age.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gen. XXIV, 1. He is the first of whom this is said. ');">²³</span> Until Jacob there was no illness,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' One lived his allotted years in full health and then died suddenly. ');">²⁴</span> so he prayed and illness came into existence, as it is written, And one told Joseph, Behold, thy father is sick.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XLVIII, 1. V. preceding note. ');">²⁵</span> Until Elisha no sick man ever recovered, but Elisha came and prayed, and he recovered, as it is written, Now Elisha was fallen sick of sickness whereof he died.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' This shews that he had been sick on previous occasions too' but recovered. ');">²⁶</span> <b><i>MISHNAH</i></b>. THE GENERATION OF THE FLOOD HAS NO PORTION IN THE FUTURE WORLD, NOR WILL THEY STAND AT THE [LAST] JUDGMENT, AS IT IS WRITTEN, [AND THE LORD SAID,] MY SPIRIT WILL NOT ALWAYS ENTER INTO JUDGMENT WITH MAN:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Gen. VI, 3. ');">²⁷</span> THERE WILL BE NEITHER JUDGMENT NOR [MY] SPIRIT FOR THEM.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., they will neither be judged, nor be granted of my spirit to enable them to share in the world to come. ');">²⁸</span> THE GENERATION OF THE DISPERSION HAVE NO PORTION IN THE FUTURE WORLD, AS IT IS WRITTEN, SO THE LORD SCATTERED THEM ABROAD FROM THENCE UPON THE FACE OF ALL THE EARTH:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XI, 8. ');">²⁹</span> 'SO THE LORD SCATTERED THEM ABROAD', REFERS TO THIS WORLD, 'AND FROM THENCE DID THE LORD SCATTER THEM ABROAD',<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 9. ');">³⁰</span> TO THE WORLD TO COME. THE MEN OF SODOM HAVE NO PORTION IN THE FUTURE WORLD, AS IT IS WRITTEN, BUT THE MEN OF SODOM WERE WICKED AND SINNERS BEFORE THE LORD EXCEEDINGLY:<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. XIII, 13. ');">³¹</span> 'WICKED IN THIS WORLD, AND 'SINNERS' IN THE WORLD TO COME;<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., their claim to a portion therein will not be admitted. ');">³²</span> YET WILL THEY STAND AT JUDGMENT. R. NEHEMIAH SAID: NEITHER [THE GENERATION OF THE FLOOD NOR THE MEN OF SODOM] WILL STAND AT JUDGMENT, AS IT IS WRITTEN, THEREFORE

Pele Yoetz