AND THE THING WHICH HE DID WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD; AND HE SLEW HIM ALSO. R. Hiya discoursed here on the text: In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, this or that, etc. (Eccl. 11, 6). ‘It behoves a man’, he said, ‘to be well on his guard against sin, and to be heedful in his actions before the Holy One, blessed be He; for numerous messengers and chieftains roam about the world, spying out the works of the sons of man, to which they bear witness, and all of which are recorded in a book.
Now of all the sins which defile a man, that which defiles him the most, both in this world and in the world to come, is the sin of spilling one’s seed (semen). A man guilty of this sin will not enter within the Heavenly Curtain, and will not behold the presence of the Ancient of Days. So we learn from the recurrence of the word “evil” here and in the verse: “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness; evil shall not sojourn with thee” (Ps. 5, 5).
It was on account of this sin, too, that the prophet said to the people, “your hands are full of blood” (Is. 1, 15). Happy the portion of him who fears his Master, and is on his guard against the evil habit, keeping himself pure so as to persevere in the fear of his Master.
Observe, then, the admonition saying: “In the morning sow thy seed.” This alludes to the period when a man is in his prime and in the flower of youth, when he sets out to bring forth offspring from the woman destined for him.
Then is the proper time for rearing children, as it says: “As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of one’s youth” (Ps. 127, 4), as the father can then teach them the ways of the Holy One and so gain reward in the world to come, as it is written: “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be put to shame, when they speak with their enemies in the gate” (Ibid. 5), i.e. in the next world when the accusers bring their indictment against him, since there is no greater reward in the next world than that of the man who has trained his children in the fear of their Master and in the ways of the Torah.
So it is written of Abraham: “For I have known him, that he will command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice” (Gen. 18, 19); and it was that merit which bestood him against all the accusers in the other world.
7
וּבְגִין כָּךְ בַּבֹּקֶר זְרַע אֶת זַרְעֶךָ, וְלָעֶרֶב אַל תַּנַּח יָדֶךָ, אֲפִילּוּ בְּיוֹמֵי דְזִקְנָה, דְּאִיהוּ זִמְנָא דְסִיב בַר נָשׁ (לא יימא כבר אשתדלית ודי לי או כבר אשתדלית ולא יכילנא והשתא דאנא סיב לית אנא בעי ועם כל דא) מַה כְּתִיב אַל תַּנַּח יָדֶךָ לָא יִשְׁבּוֹק מִלְּאוֹלָדָא בְּהַאי עַלְמָא. מַאי טַעְמָא, בְּגִין דְּלָא תֵדַע אֵיזֶה יִכְשַׁר הַזֶּה אוֹ זֶה לִפְנֵי הָאֱלהִים. בְּגִין דִּיקוּמוּן בְּגִינֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא.
Further: “and in the evening withhold not thy hand”, that is to say, from begetting children even in old age, “for thou knowest not which shall prosper”, that is which shall stand up in thy defence in the other world;
and in regard to this it is written: “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord” (Ps. 127, 3), where the phrase “heritage of the Lord” is an allusion to the “bundle of souls” in the world to come, and the passage indicates that it is children that make a man worthy of entering that heritage of the Lord. Hence happy is the man who is blessed with them and who trains them in the ways of the Torah.
וַיֵּרַע בְּעֵינֵי יְיָ אֲשֶׁר עָשָׂה וַיָּמֶת גַּם אֹתוֹ. רִבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח, (קהלת י״א:ו׳) בַּבֹּקֶר זְרַע אֶת זַרְעֲךָ וְלָעֶרֶב אַל תַּנַּח יָדְךָ וְגו'. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה אִתְחֲזֵי לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא מֵחוֹבוֹי, וּלְאִזְדַּהֲרָא בְּעוֹבָדוֹי קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. בְּגִין דְּכַמָּה שְׁלִיחָן וְכַמָּה מְמַנָּן אִינוּן בְּעַלְמָא, דְּאִינוּן אָזְלִין וְשָׁיְיטָן, וְחָמָאן עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא, וְסָהֲדִין עֲלוֹי (ז"ח עלייהו) וְכֹלָּא בְּסִפְרָא כְתִיבִין.
AND THE THING WHICH HE DID WAS EVIL IN THE SIGHT OF THE LORD; AND HE SLEW HIM ALSO. R. Hiya discoursed here on the text: In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not which shall prosper, this or that, etc. (Eccl. 11, 6). ‘It behoves a man’, he said, ‘to be well on his guard against sin, and to be heedful in his actions before the Holy One, blessed be He; for numerous messengers and chieftains roam about the world, spying out the works of the sons of man, to which they bear witness, and all of which are recorded in a book.
וְתָּא חֲזֵי, בְּכָל אִינוּן חוֹבִין דְּאִסְתָּאַב בְּהוּ בַר נָשׁ בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, דָּא אִיהוּ חוֹבָא דְּאִסְתָּאַב בֵּיהּ בַר נָשׁ יַתִּיר בְּהַאי עַלְמָא וּבְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי. מַאן דְּאוֹשִׁיד זַרְעֵיהּ בְּרֵיקַנְיָא, וְאַפִּיק זַרְעָא לְמַגָּנָא בִּידָא אוֹ בְּרַגְלָא וְאִסְתָּאַב בֵּיהּ. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (תהילים ה׳:ה׳) כִּי לֹא אֵל חָפֵץ רֶשַׁע אָתָּה לא יְגוּרְךָ רָע.
Now of all the sins which defile a man, that which defiles him the most, both in this world and in the world to come, is the sin of spilling one’s seed (semen). A man guilty of this sin will not enter within the Heavenly Curtain, and will not behold the presence of the Ancient of Days. So we learn from the recurrence of the word “evil” here and in the verse: “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness; evil shall not sojourn with thee” (Ps. 5, 5).
בְּגִין דָא לָא עָאל לְפַרְגּוֹדָא, וְלָא חָמֵי סְבָר אַפֵּי עַתִּיק יוֹמִין, כְּמָה דְּתָנִינָן כְּתִיב הָכָא לא יְגוּרְךָ רָע, וּכְתִיב וַיְהִי עֵר בְּכוֹר יְהוּדָה רַע בְּעֵינֵי יְיָ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב, (ישעיהו א׳:ט״ו-ט״ז) יְדֵיכֶם דָּמִים מָלֵאוּ. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ דְּדָחִיל לְמָארֵיהּ וִיהֵא נְטִיר מֵאוֹרַח בִּישָׁא, וְיַדְכֵּי גַרְמֵיהּ לְאִשְׁתַּדָּלָא בִּדְחִילוּ דְמָארֵיהּ.
It was on account of this sin, too, that the prophet said to the people, “your hands are full of blood” (Is. 1, 15). Happy the portion of him who fears his Master, and is on his guard against the evil habit, keeping himself pure so as to persevere in the fear of his Master.
תָּא חֲזֵי, בַּבֹּקֶר זְרַע אֶת זַרְעֶךָ, הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ. בַּבֹּקֶר, דָּא הוּא בְּזִמְנָא דְּבַר נָשׁ אִתְקַיֵּים בְּחֵילֵיהּ וִיהֵא בְּעוּלֵימוֹ, כְּדֵין אִשְׁתַּדַּל לְאוֹלָדָא בְּנִין בְּאִיתְּתָא דְּחַזְיָא לֵיהּ, דִּכְתִיב בַּבֹּקֶר זְרַע אֶת זַרְעֶךָ.
Observe, then, the admonition saying: “In the morning sow thy seed.” This alludes to the period when a man is in his prime and in the flower of youth, when he sets out to bring forth offspring from the woman destined for him.
דְּהָא כְּדֵין זִמְנָא אִיהוּ כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (תהילים קכ״ז:ד׳) כְּחִצִּים בְּיַד גִּבּוֹר כֵּן בְּנִי הַנְּעוּרִים. בְּגִין דְּיָכִיל לְמֵילַף לְהוּ אָרְחוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וִיהֵא לֵיהּ אַגְרָא טָבָא לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי. דִּכְתִיב אַשְׁרֵי הַגֶּבֶר אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּא אֶת אַשְׁפָּתוֹ מֵהֶם לא יֵבשׁוּ כִּי יְדַבְּרוּ אֶת אוֹיְבִים בַּשָּׁעַר. לא יֵבוֹשׁוּ בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא, בְּזִמְנָא דְמָארֵיהוֹן דְּדִינָא יֵיתוּן לְקַטְרְגָא עֲלוֹי. דְּלֵית לָךְ אַגְרָא טָבָא בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא, כְּהַהוּא דְאוֹלִיף לֵיהּ לִבְרֵיהּ דְּחִילוּ דְמָרֵיהּ בְּאָרְחוֹי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא.
Then is the proper time for rearing children, as it says: “As arrows in the hand of a mighty man, so are the children of one’s youth” (Ps. 127, 4), as the father can then teach them the ways of the Holy One and so gain reward in the world to come, as it is written: “Happy is the man that hath his quiver full of them; they shall not be put to shame, when they speak with their enemies in the gate” (Ibid. 5), i.e. in the next world when the accusers bring their indictment against him, since there is no greater reward in the next world than that of the man who has trained his children in the fear of their Master and in the ways of the Torah.
תָּא חֲזֵי מַה אָמַר בְּאַבְרָהָם, דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית י״ח:י״ט) כִּי יְדַעְתִּיו לְמַעַן אֲשֶׁר יְצַוֶּה אֶת בָּנָיו וְאֶת בֵּיתוֹ אַחֲרָיו וְשָׁמְרוּ דֶּרֶךְ יְיָ לַעֲשׂוֹת צְדָקָה וּמִשְׁפָּט. וְעַל דָּא הַהוּא זְכוּ קָיְימָא לֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא לְגַבֵּי כָּל מָארֵיהוֹן דְּדִינָא.
So it is written of Abraham: “For I have known him, that he will command his children and his household after him, that they may keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice” (Gen. 18, 19); and it was that merit which bestood him against all the accusers in the other world.
וּבְגִין כָּךְ בַּבֹּקֶר זְרַע אֶת זַרְעֶךָ, וְלָעֶרֶב אַל תַּנַּח יָדֶךָ, אֲפִילּוּ בְּיוֹמֵי דְזִקְנָה, דְּאִיהוּ זִמְנָא דְסִיב בַר נָשׁ (לא יימא כבר אשתדלית ודי לי או כבר אשתדלית ולא יכילנא והשתא דאנא סיב לית אנא בעי ועם כל דא) מַה כְּתִיב אַל תַּנַּח יָדֶךָ לָא יִשְׁבּוֹק מִלְּאוֹלָדָא בְּהַאי עַלְמָא. מַאי טַעְמָא, בְּגִין דְּלָא תֵדַע אֵיזֶה יִכְשַׁר הַזֶּה אוֹ זֶה לִפְנֵי הָאֱלהִים. בְּגִין דִּיקוּמוּן בְּגִינֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא.
Further: “and in the evening withhold not thy hand”, that is to say, from begetting children even in old age, “for thou knowest not which shall prosper”, that is which shall stand up in thy defence in the other world;
וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב (תהילים קכ״ז:ג׳) הִנֵּה נַחֲלַת יְיָ בָּנִים, דָּא צְרוֹרָא דְנִשְׁמָתָא סִטְרָא דְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי, וּלְהַאי נַחֲלָה מַאן זָכֵי לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְאַעָלָא בְּהַהוּא נַחֲלַת יְיָ, בָּנִים. אִינוּן בְּנִין זָכָאן לֵיהּ לְנַחֲלַת יְיָ, וְעַל דָּא זַכָּאָה הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ דְּזָכֵי לוֹן דְּיוֹלִיף לוֹן אָרְחוֹי דְאוֹרַיְיתָא כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר:
and in regard to this it is written: “Lo, children are a heritage of the Lord” (Ps. 127, 3), where the phrase “heritage of the Lord” is an allusion to the “bundle of souls” in the world to come, and the passage indicates that it is children that make a man worthy of entering that heritage of the Lord. Hence happy is the man who is blessed with them and who trains them in the ways of the Torah.