הקדמה
בְּנֵי רַבִּי חִיָּיא נְפוּק לְקִרְיָיתָא. אִייַּקַּר לְהוּ תַּלְמוּדַיְיהוּ. הֲווֹ קָא מִצַּעֲרִי לְאִדְּכוֹרֵיהּ.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ חַד לְחַבְרֵיהּ: יָדַע אֲבוּן בְּהַאי צַעֲרָא?
אֲמַר לֵיהּ אִידַּךְ: מְנָא יָדַע? וְהָא כְּתִיב: ״יִכְבְּדוּ בָנָיו וְלֹא יֵדָע״.
אֲמַר לֵיהּ אִידַּךְ: וְלָא יָדַע? וְהָא כְּתִיב: ״אַךְ בְּשָׂרוֹ עָלָיו יִכְאָב וְנַפְשׁוֹ עָלָיו תֶּאֱבָל״.
וְאָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: קָשָׁה רִמָּה לַמֵּת כְּמַחַט בַּבָּשָׂר הַחַי!
אָמְרִי: בְּצַעֲרָא דִידְהוּ — יָדְעִי, בְּצַעֲרָא דְאַחֲרִינָא — לָא יָדְעִי.
וְלָא?
וְהָתַנְיָא:
Prologue
The Gemara relates a story on this topic: The sons of Rabbi Ḥiyya went out to the villages to oversee the laborers. They forgot what they had learned and were struggling to recall it.
One of them said to the other: Does our deceased father know of our anguish?
The other said to him: From where would he know? Isn’t it written: “His sons are honored yet he shall not know it, they come to sorrow and he shall not understand them” (Job 14:21)? The dead do not know.
The other said back to him: And do the dead truly not know? Isn’t it written: “Only in his flesh does he feel pain, in his soul does he mourn” (Job 14:22)?
Based on this verse Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Gnawing maggots are as excruciating to the dead as the stab of a needle to the flesh of the living. The dead must have the capacity to feel and know.
In order to reconcile this contradiction they said: They know of their own pain but do not know of the pain of others.
The Gemara challenges this: And is it so that the dead do not know of the pain of others?
Wasn’t it taught in a baraita: .....
פרק א
מַעֲשֶׂה בְּחָסִיד אֶחָד שֶׁנָּתַן דִּינָר לְעָנִי בְּעֶרֶב רֹאשׁ הַשָּׁנָה בִּשְׁנֵי בַצּוֹרֶת,
וְהִקְנִיטַתּוּ אִשְׁתּוֹ,
וְהָלַךְ וְלָן בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת.
וְשָׁמַע שְׁתֵּי רוּחוֹת שֶׁמְסַפְּרוֹת זוֹ לָזוֹ.
אָמְרָה חֲדָא לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, בּוֹאִי וְנָשׁוּט בָּעוֹלָם, וְנִשְׁמַע מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד מַה פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּא לָעוֹלָם?
אָמְרָה לָהּ חֲבֶרְתָּהּ: אֵינִי יְכוֹלָה, שֶׁאֲנִי קְבוּרָה בְּמַחְצֶלֶת שֶׁל קָנִים. אֶלָּא לְכִי אַתְּ, וּמַה שֶּׁאַתְּ שׁוֹמַעַת אִמְרִי לִי.
הָלְכָה הִיא וְשָׁטָה וּבָאָה.
וְאָמְרָה לָהּ חֲבֶרְתָּהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, מַה שָּׁמַעְתְּ מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד?
אָמְרָה לָהּ: שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁכָּל הַזּוֹרֵעַ בִּרְבִיעָה רִאשׁוֹנָה בָּרָד מַלְקֶה אוֹתוֹ.
הָלַךְ הוּא וְזָרַע בִּרְבִיעָה שְׁנִיָּה.
שֶׁל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ לָקָה, שֶׁלּוֹ — לֹא לָקָה.
פרק ב
לַשָּׁנָה הָאַחֶרֶת הָלַךְ וְלָן בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת, וְשָׁמַע אוֹתָן שְׁתֵּי רוּחוֹת שֶׁמְסַפְּרוֹת זוֹ עִם זוֹ.
אָמְרָה חֲדָא לַחֲבֶרְתָּהּ: בּוֹאִי וְנָשׁוּט בָּעוֹלָם וְנִשְׁמַע מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד מַה פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּא לָעוֹלָם.
אָמְרָה לָהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, לֹא כָּךְ אָמַרְתִּי לָךְ, אֵינִי יְכוֹלָה שֶׁאֲנִי קְבוּרָה בְּמַחְצֶלֶת שֶׁל קָנִים?! אֶלָּא לְכִי אַתְּ, וּמַה שֶּׁאַתְּ שׁוֹמַעַת בּוֹאִי וְאִמְרִי לִי.
הָלְכָה וְשָׁטָה וּבָאָה.
וְאָמְרָה לָהּ חֲבֶרְתָּהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, מַה שָּׁמַעְתְּ מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד?
אָמְרָה לָהּ: שָׁמַעְתִּי שֶׁכָּל הַזּוֹרֵעַ בִּרְבִיעָה שְׁנִיָּה שִׁדָּפוֹן מַלְקֶה אוֹתוֹ.
הָלַךְ וְזָרַע בִּרְבִיעָה רִאשׁוֹנָה,
שֶׁל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ נִשְׁדַּף וְשֶׁלּוֹ לֹא נִשְׁדַּף.
פרק ג
אָמְרָה לוֹ אִשְׁתּוֹ: מִפְּנֵי מָה אֶשְׁתָּקַד שֶׁל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ לָקָה וְשֶׁלְּךָ לֹא לָקָה, וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁל כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ נִשְׁדַּף וְשֶׁלְּךָ לֹא נִשְׁדַּף?
סָח לָהּ כָּל הַדְּבָרִים הַלָּלוּ.
אָמְרוּ: לֹא הָיוּ יָמִים מוּעָטִים עַד שֶׁנָּפְלָה קְטָטָה בֵּין אִשְׁתּוֹ שֶׁל אוֹתוֹ חָסִיד וּבֵין אִמָּהּ שֶׁל אוֹתָהּ רִיבָה.
אָמְרָה לָהּ: לְכִי וְאַרְאֵךְ בִּתֵּךְ שֶׁהִיא קְבוּרָה בְּמַחְצֶלֶת שֶׁל קָנִים.
לַשָּׁנָה הָאַחֶרֶת הָלַךְ וְלָן בְּבֵית הַקְּבָרוֹת וְשָׁמַע אוֹתָן רוּחוֹת שֶׁמְסַפְּרוֹת זוֹ עִם זוֹ.
אָמְרָה לָהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, בּוֹאִי וְנָשׁוּט בָּעוֹלָם וְנִשְׁמַע מֵאֲחוֹרֵי הַפַּרְגּוֹד מַה פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּא לָעוֹלָם.
אָמְרָה לָהּ: חֲבֶרְתִּי, הֲנִיחִינִי, דְּבָרִים שֶׁבֵּינִי לְבֵינֵךְ כְּבָר נִשְׁמְעוּ בֵּין הַחַיִּים.
Act One
There was an incident involving a pious man who gave a poor man a dinar on the eve of Rosh HaShana during drought years,
and his wife mocked him for giving so large a sum at so difficult a time?
And in order to escape her incessant mockery, he went and slept in the cemetery.
That night in his dream (Ritva, HaKotev, Maharsha), he heard two spirits conversing with each other.
One said to the other: My friend, let us roam the world and hear from behind the heavenly curtain [pargod], which separates the Divine Presence from the world, what calamity will befall the world.
The other spirit said to her: I cannot go with you, as I am buried in a mat of reeds, but you go, and tell me what you hear.
She went, and roamed, and came back.
The other spirit said: My friend, what did you hear from behind the heavenly curtain?
She replied: I heard that anyone who sows during the first rainy season of this year, hail will fall and strike his crops.
Hearing this, the pious man went and sowed his seeds during the second rainy season.
Ultimately, the crops of the entire world were stricken by hail and his crops were not stricken.
Act Two
The following year, on the eve of Rosh HaShana, the same pious man went and slept in the cemetery at his own initiative, and again he heard the two spirits conversing with each other.
One said to the other: Let us roam the world and hear from behind the heavenly curtain what calamity will befall the world.
She said to her: My friend, have I not already told you that I cannot, as I am buried in a mat of reeds? Rather, you go, and tell me what you hear.
She went, and roamed, and returned.
The other spirit said to her: My friend, what did you hear from behind the curtain?
She said to her: I heard that those who sow during the second rainy season blight will strike his crops.
That pious man went and sowed during the first rainy season.
Since everyone else sowed during the second rainy season, ultimately, the crops of the entire world were blighted and his crops were not blighted.
Act Three
The pious man’s wife said to him: Why is it that last year, the crops of the entire world were stricken and yours were not stricken, and now this year, the crops of the entire world were blighted and yours were not blighted?
He related to her the entire story.
They said: It was not even a few days later that a quarrel fell between the pious man’s wife and the mother of the young woman who was buried there.
The pious man’s wife said to her scornfully: Go and I will show you your daughter, and you will see that she is buried in a mat of reeds.
The following year, he again went and slept in the cemetery, and heard the same spirits conversing with each other.
One said to the other: My friend, let us roam the world and hear from behind the heavenly curtain what calamity will befall the world.
She said to her: My friend, leave me alone, as words that we have privately exchanged between us have already been heard among the living.
סוף דבר
אַלְמָא יָדְעִי.
דִּילְמָא אִינִישׁ אַחֲרִינָא שָׁכֵיב, וְאָזֵיל וְאָמַר לְהוּ.
תָּא שְׁמַע:
דִּזְעֵירִי הֲוָה מַפְקֵיד זוּזֵי גַּבֵּי אוּשְׁפִּיזְכָתֵיהּ.
עַד דְּאָתֵי וְאָזֵיל לְבֵי רַב, שְׁכִיבָה.
אֲזַל בָּתְרַהּ לַחֲצַר מָוֶת,
אֲמַר לַהּ: זוּזֵי הֵיכָא?
אֲמַרָה לֵיהּ: זִיל שַׁקְלִינְהוּ מִתּוּתֵי צִנּוֹרָא דְּדָשָׁא בְּדוּךְ פְּלָן, וְאֵימָא לַהּ לְאִימָּא, תְּשַׁדַּר לִי מַסְרְקַאי וְגוּבְתַּאי דְּכוּחְלָא בַּהֲדֵי פְּלָנִיתָא דְּאָתְיָא לִמְחַר.
אַלְמָא יָדְעִי!
דִּלְמָא דּוּמָה קָדֵים וּמַכְרֵיז לְהוּ.
Epilogue
Apparently, the dead know what transpires in this world.
The Gemara responds: This is no proof; perhaps another person, who heard about the conversation of the spirits secondhand, died and he went and told them that they had been overheard.
With regard to the deceased’s knowledge of what transpires, come and hear a proof, as it is told:
Ze’iri would deposit his dinars with his innkeeper.
While he was going and coming to and from the school of Rav, she died, and he did not know where she had put the money.
So he went after her to her grave in the cemetery and said to her: Where are the dinars?
She replied: Go and get them from beneath the hinge of the door in such and such a place, and tell my mother that she should send me my comb and a tube of eyeshadow with such and such a woman who will die and come here tomorrow.
Apparently, the dead know what transpires in this world.
The Gemara rejects this proof: Perhaps the angel Duma, who oversees the dead, comes beforehand and announces to them that a particular individual will arrive the next day, but they themselves do not know.