Yevamot 157

תריסר ירחי שתא ולא דרכיה למספדיה

the twelve months of the [first] year<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of mourning. A year is regarded as the maximum period for mourning after the dead. Cf. M.K. 21b. ');">¹</span> and it would be unusual to arrange for his mourning now. As to the nethinim,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Pl. of nathin. V. Glos. ');">²</span>

נתינים ניקרינהו ונפייסינהו (שמואל ב כא, ב) ויקרא המלך לגבעונים ויאמר אליהם מה אעשה לכם ובמה אכפר וברכו את נחלת ה' ויאמרו לו הגבעונים אין לנו כסף וזהב עם שאול ועם ביתו ואין לנו איש וגו' יותן לנו שבעה אנשים מבניו והוקענום לה' וגו' מיפייס ולא פייסינהו

however, let them be summoned and we shall pacify them. Immediately<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' V. BaH. ');">³</span> the king called the Gibeonites, and said unto them&nbsp;… 'What shall I do for you? and wherewith should I make atonement, that ye may bless the inheritance of the Lord'? And the Gibeonites said to him: 'It is no matter of silver or gold between us and Saul, or his house,' neither is it for us [to put] any man etc.&nbsp;… Let seven men of his sons be delivered unto us and we will hang them up unto the Lord etc.'<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Sam. XXI, 2-4, 6. ');">⁴</span>

אמר שלשה סימנים יש באומה זו הרחמנים והביישנין וגומלי חסדים רחמנים דכתיב (דברים יג, יח) ונתן לך רחמים ורחמך והרבך ביישנין דכתיב (שמות כ, כ) בעבור תהיה יראתו על פניכם גומלי חסדים דכתיב (בראשית יח, יט) למען אשר יצוה את בניו ואת ביתו וגו' כל שיש בו שלשה סימנים הללו ראוי להדבק באומה זו

He tried to pacify them but they would not be pacified. Thereupon he said to them: This nation<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Israel. ');">⁵</span> is distinguished by three characteristics: They are merciful, bashful and benevolent. 'Merciful', for is is written, And shew thee mercy, and have compassion upon thee, and multiply thee.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XIII, 18. ');">⁶</span>

(שמואל ב כא, ח) ויקח המלך את שני בני רצפה בת איה אשר ילדה לשאול את ארמוני ואת מפיבושת ואת חמשת בני מיכל בת שאול אשר ילדה לעדריאל בן ברזילי המחולתי מאי שנא הני אמר רב הונא העבירום לפני ארון כל שארון קולטו למיתה כל שאין ארון קולטו לחיים

'Bashful', for it is written, That His fear may be before you.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XX, 17. ');">⁷</span> 'Benevolent', for it is written, That he may command his children and his household etc.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To be benevolent, [H] lit. 'to practise charity' (E.V. righteousness) Gen. XVIII. 19. ');">⁸</span>

מתיב רב חנא בר קטינא (שמואל ב כא, ז) ויחמול המלך על מפיבושת בן יהונתן בן שאול שלא העבירו

Only he who cultivates these three characteristics is fit to join this nation.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Israel. As the Gibeonites displayed a spirit of revenge and vindictiveness they were excluded from, and forbidden even to enter, the assembly of Israel. ');">⁹</span> But the king took the two sons of Rizpah the daughter of Aiah, whom she bore into Saul, Armoni and Mephibosheth; and the five sons of Michal the daughter of Saul, whom she bore to Adriel the son of Barzillai the Meholathite.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Sam. XXI, 8. ');">¹⁰</span>

וכי משוא פנים יש בדבר אלא שהעבירו וקלטו ובקש עליו רחמים ופלטו ואכתי משוא פנים יש בדבר אלא שבקש רחמים שלא יקלטנו הארון

Why just these? — R. Huna replied: They<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' All the surviving descendants of Saul. ');">¹¹</span> were made to pass before the Holy Ark. He whom the Ark retained [was condemned] to death and he whom the Ark did not retain was saved alive.

והא כתיב (דברים כד, טז) לא יומתו אבות על בנים וגו' אמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יוחנן מוטב שתעקר אות אחת מן התורה ואל יתחלל שם שמים בפרהסיא

R. Hana b. Kattina raised an objection: But the king spared Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan the son of Saul!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 7. Had the selection been made by the Ark, what need was there for David to spare him? ');">¹²</span> — He did not allow him to pass.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' To avoid the risk of being retained. ');">¹³</span>

(שמואל ב כא, י) ותקח רצפה בת איה את השק ותטהו לה אל הצור מתחלת קציר עד נתך מים עליהם מן השמים ולא נתנה עוף השמים לנוח עליהם יומם וחית השדה לילה והא כתיב (דברים כא, כג) לא תלין נבלתו על העץ

Was there favouritism then! — In fact he did let him pass and it retained him, but he invoked on his behalf divine mercy and it released him. But here, too, favouritism is involved!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' If he who was retained was released another would have to die in his place! ');">¹⁴</span> — The fact, however, is that he invoked divine mercy that the Ark should not retain him. But, surely, it is written, The fathers shall not be pit to death for the children etc.!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Neither shall the children be put to death for the fathers (Deut. XXIV, 16). Why then were Saul's descendants made to suffer for the sin of Saul? ');">¹⁵</span>

אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יהוצדק מוטב שתעקר אות אחת מן התורה ויתקדש שם שמים בפרהסיא שהיו עוברים ושבים אומרים מה טיבן של אלו הללו בני מלכים הם ומה עשו פשטו ידיהם בגרים גרורים אמרו אין לך אומה שראויה להדבק בה כזו ומה בני מלכים כך בני הדיוטות על אחת כמה וכמה ומה גרים גרורים כך ישראל על אחת כמה וכמה

— R. Hiyya b. Abba replied in the name of R. Johanan: It is better that a letter be rooted out of the Torah than that the Divine name shall be publicly profaned.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Which would have been the case had the crime against the Gibeonites been allowed to go unpunished. ');">¹⁶</span> And Rizpah the daughter of Aiah took sackcloth, and spread it for her upon the rock, from the beginning of harvest until water was poured upon them from heaven; and she suffered neither the birds of the air to rest on then by day, nor the beast of the field by night.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Sam. XXI, 10. ');">¹⁷</span>

מיד נתוספו על ישראל מאה וחמשים אלף שנאמר (מלכים א ה, כט) ויהי לשלמה שבעים אלף נושא סבל ושמנים אלף חוצב בהר ודלמא ישראל הוו לא סלקא דעתך דכתיב (מלכים א ט, כב) ומבני ישראל לא נתן שלמה עבד

But, surely, it is written, His body shall not remain all night upon the tree!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXI, 23. ');">¹⁸</span> — R. Johanan replied in the name of R. Simeon b. Jehozadak: It is proper that a letter be rooted out of the Torah so that thereby the heavenly name shall be publicly hallowed. For passers-by were enquiring, 'What kind of men are these?' — 'These are royal princes' — 'And what have they done?' — 'They laid their hands upon unattached<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' [H] lit., 'dragged in'; proselytes who have not been admitted into the congregation, [or, 'self-made proselytes', a class of converts who Judaize in mass under the impulsion of fear. V. Moore, G. F. Judaism I, 337]. ');">¹⁹</span>

ודלמא דוגזר בעלמא אלא מהכא (דברי הימים ב ב, טז) ויספר שלמה כל האנשים הגרים אשר בארץ ישראל [וגו'] וימצאו מאה וחמשים אלף [וגו'] ויעש מהם שבעים אלף (נושא) סבל ושמונים אלף חוצב בהר

strangers' — Then they exclaimed: 'There is no nation in existence which one ought to join as much as this one. If [the punishment of] royal princes was so great. how much more that of common people; and if such [was the justice done for] unattached proselytes, how much more so for Israelites A hundred and fifty thousand men immediately joined Israel; as it is said, And Solomon had threescore and ten thousand that bore burdens, and fourscore thousand that were hewers in the mountain.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I Kings V, 29. ');">²⁰</span>

ונתינים דוד גזר עליהם משה גזר עליהם דכתיב (דברים כט, י) מחוטב עציך עד שואב מימיך משה גזר לההוא דרא דוד גזר לכולי דרא

Might not these have been Israelites? — This cannot be assumed, for it is written, But of the children of Israel did Solomon make no bondservants.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. IX. 22. ');">²¹</span> But that<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The labour spoken of in I Kings V, 29. ');">²²</span>

ואכתי יהושע גזר עלייהו דכתיב (יהושע ט, כז) ויתנם יהושע ביום ההוא חוטבי עצים ושואבי מים לעדה ולמזבח ה' יהושע גזר בזמן שבית המקדש קיים דוד גזר בזמן שאין בית המקדש קיים

might have represented mere public service!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Not the labour of slaves. [H] perhaps a corruption of the Persian [H] 'day labourer'. Cf. Golds. a.l. and Jast. s.v. [H]. ');">²³</span> — [The deduction,] however, [is made] from the following: And Solomon numbered all the strangers that were in the Land of Israel, etc. And they were found a hundred and fifty thousand etc. And he set threescore and ten thousand of them to bear burdens, and fourscore thousand to be hewers in the mountains.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' II Chron. II, 16f. ');">²⁴</span> Was it David, however, who issued the decree of prohibition against the nethinim? Moses, surely, issued that decree, for it is written, from the hewer of thy wood to the drawer of thy water!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XXIX, 10. Since these were specially singled out they obviously did not form a part of the congregation of Israel, while their services were exactly those which were peculiar to the nethinim or the Gibeonites. ');">²⁵</span> — Moses issued a decree against that generation only<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Of his own time. ');">²⁶</span> while David issued a decree against all generations. But Joshua, in fact, issued the decree against them, for it is written, And Joshua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the congregation, and for the altar of the Lord!<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Josh. IX, 27. ');">²⁷</span> — Joshua made his decree for the period during which the Sanctuary was in existence<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' As it was specifically stated, For the altar (ibid.). ');">²⁸</span> while David made his decree for the time during which the Sanctuary was not in existence.