Bava Batra 8B

פדיון שבוים מצוה רבה היא.

that redeeming captives is a great mitzva.

אמר ליה רבא לרבה בר מרי: מנא הא מילתא דאמור רבנן דפדיון שבוים מצוה רבה היא? אמר ליה, דכתיב: ״והיה כי יאמרו אליך אנה נצא, ואמרת אליהם כה אמר ה׳, אשר למות ⁠– למות, ואשר לחרב ⁠– לחרב, ואשר לרעב ⁠– לרעב, ואשר לשבי ⁠– לשבי״. ואמר רבי יוחנן: כל המאוחר בפסוק זה קשה מחבירו.

Rava said to Rabba bar Mari: Concerning this matter that the rabbis stated, that redeeming captives is a great mitzva, from where is it derived? Rabba bar Mari said to him: As it is written: “And it should come to pass, when they say to you: To where should we depart? Then you should tell them: So says YHWH: Such as are for death, to death; and such as are for the sword, to the sword; and such as are for famine, to famine; and such as are for captivity, to captivity” (Jeremiah 15:2). And R' Yoḥanan says: Whichever punishment is written later in this verse is more severe than the one before it.

חרב קשה ממות ⁠– אי בעית אימא קרא, ואי בעית אימא סברא. אי בעית אימא סברא ⁠– האי קא מינוול, והאי לא קא מינוול. ואיבעית אימא קרא ⁠– ״יקר בעיני ה׳ המותה לחסידיו״.

R' Yoḥanan explains: The sword is worse than death. If you wish, say that this is learned from a verse; if you wish, say instead that it is derived by way of logical reasoning. If you wish, say that this is derived by way of logical reasoning: This punishment, i.e., death by sword, mutilates the body, but that punishment, i.e., natural death, does not mutilate it. And if you wish, say that the fact that the sword is worse than death is learned from a verse: “Precious in the sight of YHWH is the death of His pious ones” (Psalms 116:15).

רעב קשה מחרב ⁠– איבעית אימא סברא: האי קא מצטער, והאי לא קא מצטער. איבעית אימא קרא: ״טובים היו חללי חרב מחללי רעב״. שבי [קשה מכולם] ⁠– דכולהו איתנהו ביה.

Famine is worse than the sword. If you wish, say that this is derived by way of logical reasoning: This one, who dies of famine, suffers greatly before departing from this world, but that one, who dies by the sword, does not suffer. If you wish, say instead that the fact that famine is worse than the sword is learned from a verse: “More fortunate were the victims of the sword than the victims of famine” (Lamentations 4:9). And captivity is worse than all of them, as it includes all of them, i.e., famine, the sword, and death.