Chullin 142a

בְּעוֹמֵד וְאוֹמֵר ״זֶה וְזֶה אֲנִי נוֹטֵל״ סַגִּיא! הָנְהוּ פֵּירֵי חַדְתֵי הֲווֹ, דְּלֵוִי בַּר סִימוֹן גּוּפֵיהּ לָא הֲוָה קָנֵי לְהוּ, וְהָכִי קָאָמַר לֵיהּ: זִיל וּטְרוֹף אַקַּן, דְּלִיתְגַּבְהוּ וְנִיקְנִינְהוּ לֵוִי בַּר סִימוֹן, וַהֲדַר לַיקְנִינְהוּ נִיהֲלָךְ בְּסוּדָר.

because by standing on the eve of the Festival and saying: This bird and that bird I will take on the Festival, he would have effected sufficient preparation for their use on the Festival. The Gemara responds: These, the offspring and the eggs, were new produce, which Levi bar Simon himself had not yet acquired. And this is what Shmuel was saying to him: Go and bang on the nest so that the mothers will rise up, and Levi bar Simon will have then acquired the young in the nest, and consequently, he may then transfer ownership to you through acquisition by means of a cloth.

מַתְנִי׳ לֹא יִטּוֹל אָדָם אֵם עַל בָּנִים, אֲפִילּוּ לְטַהֵר אֶת הַמְצוֹרָע. וּמָה אִם מִצְוָה קַלָּה, שֶׁהִיא כְּאִיסָּר, אָמְרָה תּוֹרָה ״לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים״, קַל וָחוֹמֶר עַל מִצְוֹת חֲמוּרוֹת שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה.

MISHNA: A person may not take the mother bird with the offspring even if he takes the mother for use as part of the ritual to purify the leper. The mishna compares the reward for performing the mitzva of sending away the mother bird from the nest to the reward for performing other mitzvot: And if with regard to the sending away of the mother bird, which is a mitzva whose performance is simple, as it entails a loss of no more than an issar , i.e., the value of the mother bird, the Torah says: “That it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days” (Deuteronomy 22:7), it may be derived by a fortiori inference that the reward is no less for the fulfillment of the mitzvot in the Torah whose performance is demanding.

גְּמָ׳ תַּנְיָא, רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב אוֹמֵר: אֵין לְךָ כׇּל מִצְוָה וּמִצְוָה שֶׁבַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁמַּתַּן שְׂכָרָהּ בְּצִדָּהּ, שֶׁאֵין תְּחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים תְּלוּיָה בָּהּ. בְּכִבּוּד אָב וָאֵם כְּתִיב: ״לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיכֻן יָמֶיךָ וּלְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ״, בְּשִׁילּוּחַ הַקֵּן כְּתִיב: ״לְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ וְהַאֲרַכְתָּ יָמִים״.

GEMARA: The school of Rabbi Ya’akov taught that Rabbi Ya’akov says: There is not a single mitzva written in the Torah whose reward is stated alongside it, which is not dependent on a belief in the resurrection of the dead, i.e., the reward is actually bestowed in the World-to-Come, after the resurrection of the dead. How so? With regard to honoring one’s father and mother, it is written: “That your days may be long, and that it may go well with you” (Deuteronomy 5:16). With regard to the sending away of the mother bird from the nest, it is written: “That it may be well with you, and that you may prolong your days” (Deuteronomy 22:7).

הֲרֵי שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ אָבִיו: עֲלֵה לַבִּירָה וְהָבֵא לִי גּוֹזָלוֹת! וְעָלָה, וְשִׁלַּח אֶת הָאֵם וְלָקַח אֶת הַבָּנִים, וּבַחֲזָרָתוֹ נָפַל וָמֵת. הֵיכָן אֲרִיכוּת יָמָיו שֶׁל זֶה? וְהֵיכָן טוֹבָתוֹ שֶׁל זֶה? אֶלָּא ״לְמַעַן יַאֲרִיכוּן יָמֶיךָ״ – בְּעוֹלָם שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ אָרוֹךְ, ״וּלְמַעַן יִיטַב לָךְ״ – לְעוֹלָם שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ טוֹב.

Despite this, it occurred that there was one whose father said to him: Climb to the top of the building and bring me fledglings; and he climbed to the top of the building and sent away the mother bird and took the offspring, thereby simultaneously fulfilling the mitzva to send away the mother bird from the nest and the mitzva to honor one’s parents, but as he returned he fell and died. Where is the length of days of this one? And where is the goodness of the days of this one? Rather, the verse “that your days may be long” is referring to the world that is entirely long, and “that it may be well with you” means in the world where all is well.

וְדִלְמָא לָא הֲוָה הָכִי? רַבִּי יַעֲקֹב מַעֲשֶׂה חֲזָא! וְדִלְמָא מְהַרְהֵר בַּעֲבֵירָה הֲוָה? מַחְשָׁבָה רָעָה אֵין הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְצָרְפָהּ לְמַעֲשֶׂה.

The Gemara suggests: But perhaps this incident described by Rabbi Ya’akov never occurred. It is possible that everyone who performs these mitzvot is rewarded in this world, and the situation described by Rabbi Ya’akov never happened. The Gemara answers: Rabbi Ya’akov himself saw an incident of this kind. The Gemara suggests: But perhaps that man was contemplating sin at the time, and he was punished for his thoughts. The Gemara responds: There is a principle that the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not link a bad thought to an action, i.e., one is not punished for thoughts alone.

וְדִלְמָא מְהַרְהֵר בַּעֲבוֹדָה זָרָה הֲוָה, דִּכְתִיב: ״לְמַעַן תְּפֹשׂ אֶת בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּלִבָּם״, וְאָמַר רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב: זוֹ מַחְשֶׁבֶת עֲבוֹדָה זָרָה.

The Gemara objects: But perhaps the son was contemplating idol worship at the time, as it is written with regard to idol worship: “So I may take the house of Israel in their own heart” (Ezekiel 14:5), and Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov says: This is referring to punishment for the thought of performing idol worship.

הָכִי קָאָמַר: אִם אִיתָא דְּאִיכָּא שְׂכַר מִצְוֹת בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, תַּהֲנֵי לֵיהּ וְתַגֵּן עֲלֵיהּ דְּלָא לֵיתֵי לִידֵי הִרְהוּר וְלִיתַּזַּק, אֶלָּא שְׂכַר מִצְוֹת בְּהַאי עָלְמָא לֵיכָּא. וְהָאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: שְׁלוּחֵי מִצְוָה אֵינָן נִזּוֹקִים! בַּחֲזָרָתָם שָׁאנֵי.

The Gemara responds: This is what Rabbi Ya’akov was saying after witnessing the incident mentioned above: If it is so that there is reward for performance of mitzvot in this world, it should be effective for the son and protect him so that he not come to contemplate idol worship and be harmed. Rather, one must conclude that there is no reward for performance of mitzvot in this world. The Gemara asks: But didn’t Rabbi Elazar say: Those on the path to perform a mitzva are not susceptible to harm? How is it possible that this individual, who was sent by his father to perform a mitzva, could have died? The Gemara answers: When they return it is different, as after one has performed the mitzva, one is susceptible to harm.

וְהָאָמַר רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר: שְׁלוּחֵי מִצְוָה אֵינָן נִזּוֹקִים, לֹא בַּהֲלִיכָתָן וְלֹא בַּחֲזָרָתָן! סוּלָּם רָעוּעַ הֲוָה, וּמָקוֹם דְּקָבוּעַ הֶיזֵּקָא שָׁאנֵי, דִּכְתִיב: ״וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁמוּאֵל אֵיךְ אֵלֵךְ וְשָׁמַע שָׁאוּל וַהֲרָגָנִי״.

The Gemara asks: But didn’t Rabbi Elazar say: Those on the path to perform a mitzva are not susceptible to harm, neither when they are on their way to perform the mitzva nor when they are returning from performing the mitzva? The Gemara answers: In that case, it was a rickety ladder on which the son ascended and descended, and a place where danger is established is different, and even those on the path to perform a mitzva are susceptible to harm. This is apparent from the incident where the prophet Samuel traveled to anoint David as king in place of Saul, as it is written: “And Samuel said: How can I go? If Saul hears of it, he will kill me” (I Samuel 16:2). Although Samuel was on the path to perform a mitzva, he feared that harm would befall him from established dangers.

אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: אִלְמָלֵא דַּרְשֵׁיהּ אַחֵר לְהַאי קְרָא כְּרַבִּי יַעֲקֹב בַּר בְּרַתֵּיה – לָא חֲטָא. מַאי חֲזָא? אִיכָּא דְּאָמְרִי: כִּי הַאי מַעֲשֶׂה חֲזָא, וְאִיכָּא דְּאָמְרִי: לִישָּׁנָא דְּרַבִּי חוּצְפִּית הַמְתוּרְגְּמָן חֲזָא, דַּהֲוָה מוּטֶּלֶת בָּאַשְׁפָּה. אָמַר: פֶּה שֶׁהֵפִיק מַרְגָּלִיּוֹת יִלְחוֹךְ עָפָר?! וְהוּא לָא יָדַע ״לְמַעַן יִיטַב לְךָ״ – בְּעוֹלָם שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ טוֹב, ״וּלְמַעַן יַאֲרִיכוּן יָמֶיךָ״ – בְּעוֹלָם שֶׁכּוּלּוֹ אָרוֹךְ.

Rav Yosef said: Had Aḥer, literally Other, the appellation of the former Sage Elisha ben Avuya, interpreted homiletically this aforementioned verse: “That it may go well with you” (Deuteronomy 5:16), as referring to the World-to-Come, as did Rabbi Ya’akov, the son of his daughter, he would not have sinned. The Gemara asks: What did Aḥer see that led him to heresy? Some say that he saw an incident like this one witnessed by Rabbi Ya’akov, and some say that he saw the tongue of Rabbi Ḥutzpit the disseminator, which was cast in a garbage dump after he was executed by the government. Aḥer said: Will a mouth that produced pearls of wisdom lick the dust? But he did not know that the phrase “that it may be well with you” means in the world where all is well, and that the phrase “that your days may be long” is referring to the world that is entirely long.

הֲדַרַן עֲלָךְ שִׁילּוּחַ הַקֵּן, וּסְלִיקָא לַהּ מַסֶּכֶת חוּלִּין.