As they proceeded R. Abba said: ‘What is the meaning of the verse: “They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters to hew out to them cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold the water” (Jer. 2, 13)? This’, he said, ‘refers to one who is false to the sign of the holy impress. And how is he false to it? By letting it enter into an alien domain, which is called “broken cisterns”. For so the idolatrous peoples are called,
For the perennially flowing Stream waters all the Garden and replenishes every place, as we have already pointed out, until it comes to that place in the Garden which is called “the fountain of living waters”, whence are sustained all creatures above and below.
But all the sides of the Left Side are not watered from that Stream of running water because they are of the side of the other peoples, and they are called “broken cisterns”. Hence he who is false to the holy impress cleaves to the “broken cisterns which do not hold the waters,, because they do not enter into them, whereas he that is able to guard it is granted to drink of the waters of that stream in the world to come, and causes that supernal Well to be filled so as to pour forth blessings to higher and lower; happy is he in this world and the next: of him it is written, “And thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not,, (Isa. 58, 11).
Woe to him who is false to the holy impress, for he is false to the most high Name, nay more, he causes blessing to be withheld from that Well, and we apply to him the words, “he hath brought up an evil name on a virgin of Israel” (Deut. 22, 19); for so R. Simeon has expounded, that one who brings a false charge against his first wife and brings an evil name upon her is like one who casts aspersions on high.
but not a woman who is married again; she, however, inherits the blessing of Boaz and Ruth.’ They came to a field where they saw a number of trees, and sat down beneath them. R. Abba said: ‘Here is clear air for expositions of the Torah; let us stay here.’
עַד דַּהֲווֹ אָזְלֵי, אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, מַאי דִּכְתִּיב, (ירמיהו ב׳:י״ג) אוֹתִי עָזְבוּ מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים לַחְצוֹב לָהֶם בֹּארוֹת וְגוֹ'. אוֹתִי עָזְבוּ, דָּא הוּא מַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בְּאָת רְשִׁימָא קַדִּישָׁא. וּבְמָּה מְשַׁקֵּר בֵּיהּ. דְּעָיִיל לֵיהּ בִּרְשׁוּתָא אַחֲרָא, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (מלאכי ב׳:י״א) וּבָעַל בַּת אֵל נֵכָר, דְּאִקְרֵי (ירמיהו ב׳:י״ג) בּוֹרוֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים. דְּהָא עַמִּין עוֹבְדֵי עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת אִקְרוּ בּוֹרוֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים.
As they proceeded R. Abba said: ‘What is the meaning of the verse: “They have forsaken me the fountain of living waters to hew out to them cisterns, broken cisterns that cannot hold the water” (Jer. 2, 13)? This’, he said, ‘refers to one who is false to the sign of the holy impress. And how is he false to it? By letting it enter into an alien domain, which is called “broken cisterns”. For so the idolatrous peoples are called,
וּדְיִשְׂרָאֵל, אִקְרֵי בְּאֵר מְקוֹר מַיִם חַיִּים, דָּא רְשׁוּתָא קַדִּישָׁא, מְהֵימְנוּתָא קַדִּישָׁא. וְאִקְרֵי בְּאֵר מַבּוּעֵי דְּמַיִין צְלִילָן, נָפְקִין וְנַזְלִין מִנָהּ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (שיר השירים ד׳:ט״ו) וְנוֹזְלִים מִן לְבָנוֹן. (משלי ה׳:ט״ו) וְנוֹזְלִים מִתּוֹךְ בְּאֵרֶךָ. וּכְתִיב (שיר השירים ד׳:ט״ו) מַעְיַן גַּנִּים בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים. סִטְרָא אַחֲרָא אִקְרֵי בּוֹרוֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים. אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָכִילוּ הַמָּיִם. (ס"א מהו, אלא ההוא וכו').
but Israel’s God is called “a fountain of living waters”.
תָּא חֲזֵי, נַהֲרָא דְּנָגִיד וְנָפִיק, אַשְׁקֵי לְכָל גִּינְתָּא, (ס"א ורוי לכל גינתא) וְרַוֵּי לְכָל אֲתָר וַאֲתָר, כְּמָה דְּאוֹקִימְנָא, עַד דְּמָלֵּי (נ"א דמטי) לְהַהוּא אֲתָר בְּגִנְתָּא, דְּאִקְרֵי בְּאֵר מַיִם חַיִּים. וּמִתַּמָּן אִתְּזָנוּ עִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין, (נ"א עלמין תתאין) כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (בראשית ב׳:י׳) וּמִשָּׁם יִפָּרֵד.
For the perennially flowing Stream waters all the Garden and replenishes every place, as we have already pointed out, until it comes to that place in the Garden which is called “the fountain of living waters”, whence are sustained all creatures above and below.
וְכָל אִינּוּן סִטְרִין דִּסְטָר שְׂמָאלָא, לָא מִשְׁתַּקְיָין מֵהַהוּא נְבִיעוּ דְּמַיִין נְבִיעִין, בְּגִין דְּאִינּוּן מִסִּטְרָא דִּשְׁאַר עַמִּין, וְאִקְרוּ בּוֹרוֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים. וּמַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בִּשְׁמָא (נ"א ברשימא) קַדִּישָׁא בְּהַהוּא סִטְרָא, אִתְדְּבַק בְּבוֹרוֹת נִשְׁבָּרִים אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָכִילוּ הַמָּיִם, וְלָא עַיְילֵי לְתַמָּן. וְהַהוּא דְּזָכֵי לְנַטְרָא לֵיהּ, זָכֵי לְאִתְשַׁקְיָיא מֵהַהוּא נְבִיעוּ דְּנַחֲלָא (בעלמא דין) בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, וְזָכֵי דְּאִתְמְלֵּי הַהוּא בְּאֵר עִלָּאָה, לְנַגְדָּא בִּרְכָאן לְעֵילָּא וְתַתָּא. זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ בְּעָלְמָא דֵּין, וּבְעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי, עַל דָּא כְּתִיב, (ישעיהו נ״ח:י״א) וְהָיִיתָ כְּגַן רָוֶה וּכְמוֹצָא מַיִם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יְכַזְּבוּ מֵימָיו.
But all the sides of the Left Side are not watered from that Stream of running water because they are of the side of the other peoples, and they are called “broken cisterns”. Hence he who is false to the holy impress cleaves to the “broken cisterns which do not hold the waters,, because they do not enter into them, whereas he that is able to guard it is granted to drink of the waters of that stream in the world to come, and causes that supernal Well to be filled so as to pour forth blessings to higher and lower; happy is he in this world and the next: of him it is written, “And thou shalt be like a watered garden and like a spring of water whose waters fail not,, (Isa. 58, 11).
וַוי לְמַאן דִּמְשַׁקֵּר בִּרְשִׁימָא קַדִּישָׁא, דְּהָא מְשַׁקֵּר בִּשְׁמָא עִלָּאָה. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא דְּגָרִים לְהַאי בְּאֵר דְּלָא אִתְבָּרְכָא, וְקָרֵינָן עָלֵיהּ (דברים כ״ב:י״ט) כִּי הוֹצִיא שֵׁם רָע עַל בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל. בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל דַּיְיקָא. וְאוֹקְמֵיהּ רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בְּאַתְרֵיהּ, מַאן דְּשַׁוֵּי תִּסְקוֹפֵי מִלִּין עַל אִנְתְּתֵיהּ קַדְמִיתָא, וְאַפִּיק עֲלָהּ שׁוּם בִּישׁ, כְּמָה דְּאַפִּיק לְעֵילָּא, דִּכְתִּיב כִּי הוֹצִיא שֵׁם רָע עַל בְּתוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל סְתָם.
Woe to him who is false to the holy impress, for he is false to the most high Name, nay more, he causes blessing to be withheld from that Well, and we apply to him the words, “he hath brought up an evil name on a virgin of Israel” (Deut. 22, 19); for so R. Simeon has expounded, that one who brings a false charge against his first wife and brings an evil name upon her is like one who casts aspersions on high.
וְאַזְלָא הָא, כִּי הָא דְּאָמַר רִבִּי חִיָּיא אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסִי, בְּתוּלָה יָרְתָא שֶׁבַע בְּרָכוֹת, דְּאִתְבָּרְכָא בְּשֶׁבַע, בְּגִין דִּבְתּוּלַת יִשְׂרָאֵל יָרְתָא שֶׁבַע בִּרְכָן, וְעַל דָּא אִתְקְרֵי בַּת שֶׁבַע.
This, again, is in conformity with what R. Hiya said in the name of R. Jose, that a virgin inherits seven blessings
וְאִנְתְּתָא אַחֲרָא, מַאן בִּרְכָאן דִּילָהּ. בִּרְכָתָא דְּבֹעַז וְרוּת, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (רות ד׳:י״א) וַיֹּאמְרוּ כָּל הָעָם אֲשֶׁר בַּשַּׁעַר וְהַזְּקֵנִים עֵדִים יִתֵּן יְיָ' אֶת וְגוֹ', דְּוַדַּאי בְּתוּלָה בְּז' אִתְבָּרְכָא, וְלָא אִתְּתָא אַחֲרָא בְּרָזָא דָּא. כֵּיוָן דְּמָטוּ בַּחֲקָל חַד, חָמוּ אִילָנִין, יָתְבוּ תְּחוֹתַיְיהוּ. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, הָא צָחוּתָא דְּמִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. נְתִיב.
but not a woman who is married again; she, however, inherits the blessing of Boaz and Ruth.’ They came to a field where they saw a number of trees, and sat down beneath them. R. Abba said: ‘Here is clear air for expositions of the Torah; let us stay here.’