## Kiddushin Daf 40b

###### Kiddushin 40b:1
[Kiddushin 40b:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:1)

יִרְאֶה אָדָם עַצְמוֹ כְּאִילּוּ חֶצְיוֹ חַיָּיב וְחֶצְיוֹ זַכַּאי. עָשָׂה מִצְוָה אַחַת – אַשְׁרָיו, שֶׁהִכְרִיעַ עַצְמוֹ לְכַף זְכוּת, עָבַר עֲבֵירָה אַחַת – אוֹי לוֹ, שֶׁהִכְרִיעַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ לְכַף חוֹבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְחוֹטֶא אֶחָד יְאַבֵּד טוֹבָה הַרְבֵּה״ – בִּשְׁבִיל חֵטְא יְחִידִי שֶׁחָטָא אוֹבֵד מִמֶּנּוּ טוֹבוֹת הַרְבֵּה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**a person should view himself as though he were** exactly **half-liable and half-meritorious.** In other words he should act as though the plates of his scale are balanced, so that if **he performs one mitzva he is fortunate, as he tilts his** balance **to the scale of merit.** If **he transgresses one prohibition, woe to him, as he tilts his** balance **to the scale of liability, as it is stated: “But one sin destroys much good”** (Ecclesiastes 9:18), which means that **due to one sin that** a person **transgresses he squanders much good.**


###### Kiddushin 40b:2
[Kiddushin 40b:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:2)

רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר: לְפִי שֶׁהָעוֹלָם נִידּוֹן אַחַר רוּבּוֹ, וְהַיָּחִיד נִידּוֹן אַחַר רוּבּוֹ, עָשָׂה מִצְוָה אַחַת – אַשְׁרָיו, שֶׁהִכְרִיעַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ וְאֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם לְכַף זְכוּת, עָבַר עֲבֵירָה אַחַת – אוֹי לוֹ, שֶׁהִכְרִיעַ אֶת עַצְמוֹ וְאֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם לְכַף חוֹבָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְחוֹטֵא אֶחָד כּוּ׳״ – בִּשְׁבִיל חֵטְא יְחִידִי שֶׁעָשָׂה זֶה אָבַד מִמֶּנּוּ וּמִכׇּל הָעוֹלָם טוֹבָה הַרְבֵּה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Shimon, says: Since the world is judged by its majority,** i.e., depending on whether people have performed a majority of mitzvot or a majority of sins, **and an individual is** likewise **judged by his majority,** each person must consider that if **he performs one mitzva he is praiseworthy, as he tilts** the balance of **himself and the entire world to the scale of merit.** Conversely, if **he transgresses one prohibition, woe to him, as he tilts** the balance **for himself and the entire world to the scale of liability, as it is stated: “But one sin** destroys much good,” i.e., **due to one sin that this** individual **commits, he squanders much goodness from himself and from the entire world.**


###### Kiddushin 40b:3
[Kiddushin 40b:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:3)

רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחַי אוֹמֵר: אֲפִילּוּ צַדִּיק גָּמוּר כׇּל יָמָיו וּמָרַד בָּאַחֲרוֹנָה – אִיבֵּד אֶת הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״צִדְקַת הַצַּדִּיק לֹא תַצִּילֶנּוּ בְּיוֹם פִּשְׁעוֹ״. וַאֲפִילּוּ רָשָׁע גָּמוּר כׇּל יָמָיו וְעָשָׂה תְּשׁוּבָה בָּאַחֲרוֹנָה – אֵין מַזְכִּירִים לוֹ שׁוּב רִשְׁעוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְרִשְׁעַת הָרָשָׁע לֹא יִכָּשֶׁל בָּהּ בְּיוֹם שׁוּבוֹ מֵרִשְׁעוֹ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai says: Even** if one was **completely righteous all his life and he rebelled** by sinning **at the end** of his life, **he loses** his **early** merit, **as it is stated: “The righteousness of the righteous shall not deliver him on the day of his transgression”** (Ezekiel 33:12). **And** similarly, **even** if one was **completely wicked all his life and repented in the end, he is no longer reminded of his wickedness, as it is stated** in the continuation of the verse: **“And as for the wickedness of the wicked, he shall not stumble over it on the day that he turns from his wickedness.”**


###### Kiddushin 40b:4
[Kiddushin 40b:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:4)

וְנִיהְוֵי כְּמֶחֱצָה עֲוֹנוֹת וּמֶחֱצָה זְכִיּוֹת? אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: בְּתוֹהֶא עַל הָרִאשׁוֹנוֹת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **But** an individual who performed mitzvot all of his life and then sins **should** at least **be like** one whose acts have been **half sins and half merits,** i.e., each should be of equal weight. Why, then, is he pronounced guilty? **Reish Lakish said:** This is not referring to an individual who has merely sinned but **to** one who **regrets all** the **initial** mitzvot he performed in the past. In this case the mitzvot he performed are not taken into account.


###### Kiddushin 40b:5
[Kiddushin 40b:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:5)

**מַתְנִי׳** כֹּל שֶׁיֶּשְׁנוֹ בַּמִּקְרָא וּבַמִּשְׁנָה וּבְדֶרֶךְ אֶרֶץ – לֹא בִּמְהֵרָה הוּא חוֹטֵא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהַחוּט הַמְשֻׁלָּשׁ לֹא בִמְהֵרָה יִנָּתֵק״. וְכֹל שֶׁאֵינוֹ לֹא בַּמִּקְרָא וְלֹא בַּמִּשְׁנָה וְלֹא בְּדֶרֶךְ אֶרֶץ – אֵינוֹ מִן הַיִּישּׁוּב.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**MISHNA:** **Anyone who is engaged in** the study of **Bible, and in** the study of **Mishna, and in** the **desired mode of behavior,** i.e., he performs labor and generally acts in an appropriate manner, **will not be quick to sin, as it is stated: “And a threefold cord is not quickly broken”** (Ecclesiastes 4:12). One who is involved in all three of these activities will not sin easily. **And anyone who does not engage in** the study of **Bible, nor** the study of **Mishna, nor** the **desired mode of behavior, is not part of society,** i.e., he is not considered a civilized person at all.


###### Kiddushin 40b:6
[Kiddushin 40b:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:6)

**גְּמָ׳** אָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּרַבִּי צָדוֹק: לְמָה צַדִּיקִים נִמְשָׁלִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה – לְאִילָן שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ עוֹמֵד בִּמְקוֹם טׇהֳרָה, וְנוֹפוֹ נוֹטֶה לִמְקוֹם טוּמְאָה. נִקְצַץ נוֹפוֹ – כּוּלּוֹ עוֹמֵד בִּמְקוֹם טׇהֳרָה. כָּךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵבִיא יִסּוּרִים עַל צַדִּיקִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּירְשׁוּ הָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהָיָה רֵאשִׁיתְךָ מִצְעָר וְאַחֲרִיתְךָ יִשְׂגֶּה מְאֹד״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**GEMARA:** **Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Tzadok, says: To what are the righteous in this world compared? To a tree that is standing entirely in a pure place and its branches hang over an impure place.** If **its branches are cut, it will stand entirely in a pure place. So too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, brings afflictions upon the righteous in this world** to cleanse them of their few sins. He makes them suffer **so that they will inherit the World-to-Come** entirely, **as it is stated: “And your beginning was in pain, your end shall greatly increase”** (Job 8:7).


###### Kiddushin 40b:7
[Kiddushin 40b:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:7)

וּלְמָה רְשָׁעִים דּוֹמִים בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה – לְאִילָן שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ עוֹמֵד בִּמְקוֹם טוּמְאָה וְנוֹפוֹ נוֹטֶה לִמְקוֹם טׇהֳרָה. נִקְצַץ נוֹפוֹ – כּוּלּוֹ עוֹמֵד בִּמְקוֹם טוּמְאָה. כָּךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְשַׁפֵּיעַ לָהֶן טוֹבָה לָרְשָׁעִים בְּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה כְּדֵי לְטוֹרְדָן וּלְהוֹרִישָׁן לְמַדְרֵיגָה הַתַּחְתּוֹנָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״יֵשׁ דֶּרֶךְ יָשָׁר לִפְנֵי אִישׁ וְאַחֲרִיתָהּ דַּרְכֵי מָוֶת״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And to what are the wicked in this world compared? To a tree that stands entirely in an impure place and whose branches hang over a pure place.** If **its branches are cut off, it stands entirely in an impure place. So too, the Holy One, Blessed be He, bestows good upon the wicked in this world** for the few mitzvot they have performed, **in order to expel them and banish them to the lowest level** of Gehenna in the future, **as it is stated: “There is a way which seems right to a man, but its end are the ways of death”** (Proverbs 14:12).


###### Kiddushin 40b:8
[Kiddushin 40b:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:8)

וּכְבָר הָיָה רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן וּזְקֵנִים מְסוּבִּין בַּעֲלִיַּת בֵּית נַתְּזָה בְּלוֹד. נִשְׁאֲלָה שְׁאֵילָה זוֹ בִּפְנֵיהֶם: תַּלְמוּד גָּדוֹל אוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה גָּדוֹל? נַעֲנָה רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן וְאָמַר: מַעֲשֶׂה גָּדוֹל. נַעֲנָה רַבִּי עֲקִיבָא וְאָמַר: תַּלְמוּד גָּדוֹל. נַעֲנוּ כּוּלָּם וְאָמְרוּ: תַּלְמוּד גָּדוֹל, שֶׁהַתַּלְמוּד מֵבִיא לִידֵי מַעֲשֶׂה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
In connection to the mishna’s statement about the importance of Torah study, the Gemara relates the following incident: **And** there **already was** an incident in which **Rabbi Tarfon and the Elders were reclining in the loft of the house of Nit’za in Lod,** when **this question was asked of them:** Is **study greater or is action greater? Rabbi Tarfon answered and said: Action is greater. Rabbi Akiva answered and said: Study is greater. Everyone answered and said: Study is greater,** but not as an independent value; rather, it is greater **as study leads to action.**


###### Kiddushin 40b:9
[Kiddushin 40b:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:9)

תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יוֹסֵי אוֹמֵר: גָּדוֹל תַּלְמוּד שֶׁקָּדַם לְחַלָּה אַרְבָּעִים שָׁנָה, לִתְרוּמוֹת וּלְמַעַשְׂרוֹת חֲמִשִּׁים וְאַרְבַּע, לִשְׁמִיטִּים שִׁשִּׁים וְאַחַת, לְיוֹבְלוֹת מֵאָה וְשָׁלֹשׁ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**It is taught** in a *baraita* that **Rabbi Yosei says:** Torah **study is greater, as it preceded** the mitzva of separating ***ḥalla*** by **forty years.** The Torah was given to the Jewish people soon after they left Egypt, whereas the mitzva of separating *ḥalla* came into effect only after they entered Eretz Yisrael. And it preceded the mitzva of ***terumot* and tithes** by **fifty-four** years, as the Jews become obligated in these mitzvot only fourteen years after they entered Eretz Yisrael, once they had conquered and divided the land. Furthermore, the Torah preceded the observance of **Sabbatical** Years by **sixty-one** years, as they began to count the seven-year cycle only once they had divided the land. Finally, it preceded the **Jubilee** Years by **103** years, as the fifty-year count to the first Jubilee Year began only after they had divided Eretz Yisrael.


###### Kiddushin 40b:10
[Kiddushin 40b:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:10)

מֵאָה וְשָׁלֹשׁ? מֵאָה וְאַרְבַּע הָוְיָין! קָסָבַר: יוֹבֵל מִתְּחִילָּתוֹ הוּא מְשַׁמֵּט.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: Why does the *baraita* state **103** years? **It was** actually **104** years. If one adds fifty to the fifty-four years that passed before the Jews began fulfilling the mitzvot dependent on the land, one arrives at a total of 104. The Gemara answers: This *tanna* **maintains** that **the Jubilee** Year **releases** slaves and returns fields to their original owners **from** the **start** of the year. Therefore, 103 years passed before the mitzva of the Jubilee Year took effect.


###### Kiddushin 40b:11
[Kiddushin 40b:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:11)

וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁהַלִּימּוּד קוֹדֵם לְמַעֲשֶׂה כָּךְ דִּינוֹ קוֹדֵם לְמַעֲשֶׂה, כִּדְרַב הַמְנוּנָא. דְּאָמַר רַב הַמְנוּנָא: אֵין תְּחִילַּת דִּינוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם אֶלָּא עַל דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״פּוֹטֵר מַיִם רֵאשִׁית מָדוֹן״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And just as study** comes **before action,** i.e., the mitzva of Torah study takes precedence over other mitzvot, **so too,** the **judgment** concerning Torah study **precedes** the judgment for **an action** of the performance of a mitzva. This is **in accordance with** the statement of **Rav Hamnuna, as Rav Hamnuna says: The beginning of a person’s judgment is only concerning matters of Torah, as it is stated: “The beginning of judgment is as one lets out water”** (Proverbs 17:14). This is understood to refer to the sin of neglecting Torah, as the Torah is compared to water, which brings life to the world.


###### Kiddushin 40b:12
[Kiddushin 40b:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:12)

וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁדִּינוֹ קוֹדֵם לְמַעֲשֶׂה כָּךְ שְׂכָרוֹ קוֹדֵם לְמַעֲשֶׂה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיִּתֵּן לָהֶם אַרְצוֹת גּוֹיִם וַעֲמַל לְאֻמִּים יִירָשׁוּ. בַּעֲבוּר יִשְׁמְרוּ חֻקָּיו וְתוֹרֹתָיו יִנְצֹרוּ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And just as** the **judgment** concerning Torah study **precedes** the judgment for **an action** of the performance of a mitzva, **so too does** the **reward** for Torah study **precede** the reward for **an action** of the performance of a mitzva, **as it is stated: “And He gave them the lands of nations, and they took the labor of peoples in possession, that they might observe His statutes and protect His laws”** (Psalms 105:44–45). The first reward is for observing the statutes, and as explained on 37a, this is a reference to Torah study.


###### Kiddushin 40b:13
[Kiddushin 40b:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:13)

כֹּל שֶׁאֵינוֹ לֹא בַּמִּקְרָא וְלֹא בַּמִּשְׁנָה. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן: וּפָסוּל לְעֵדוּת. תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: הָאוֹכֵל בַּשּׁוּק הֲרֵי זֶה דּוֹמֶה לְכֶלֶב. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים פָּסוּל לְעֵדוּת. אָמַר רַבִּי אִידִי בַּר אָבִין: הֲלָכָה כְּיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The mishna teaches that **anyone who does not engage in** the study of **Bible, nor** the study of **Mishna,** nor the desired mode of behavior, is not part of society. **Rabbi Yoḥanan says: And he is disqualified from bearing witness,** as this individual cannot be trusted. **The Sages taught: One who eats in the marketplace is comparable to a dog,** as he disrespects himself through his lack of embarrassment over eating in public. **And some say he is** even **disqualified from bearing witness. Rabbi Idi bar Avin said:** The ***halakha*** is **in accordance with** the opinion cited in the name of: **Some say.**


###### Kiddushin 40b:14
[Kiddushin 40b:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Kiddushin/r/40b:14)

דָּרַשׁ בַּר קַפָּרָא: רַגְזָן

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
Similarly, **bar Kappara taught: An angry person**