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Text Excerpt
הוי אומר: מדה טובה מרובה ממדת פורענות. במדה טובה כתיב: ״ויצו שחקים ממעל ודלתי שמים פתח וימטר עליהם מן לאכל״, ובמידת פורענות הוא אומר: ״וארבת השמים נפתחו״.
You must say that the attribute of reward is greater than the attribute of punishment, as with regard to the attribute of reward it is written: “He commanded the clouds from above, and opened the doors of heaven, and rained upon them manna to eat” (Psalms 78:23–24). And with regard to the attribute of punishment at the time of the Flood the verse says: “And the windows of the heavens were opened” (Genesis 7:11). To mete out punishment, God opened only windows, which are considerably smaller openings than doors, indicating that the attribute of reward is greater.
במידת פורענות כתיב: ״ויצאו וראו בפגרי האנשים הפשעים בי כי תולעתם לא תמות ואשם לא תכבה והיו דראון לכל בשר״. והלא אדם מושיט אצבעו באור בעולם הזה – מיד נכוה! אלא, כשם שנותן הקדוש ברוך הוא כח ברשעים לקבל פורענותם, כך נותן הקדוש ברוך הוא כח בצדיקים לקבל טובתן.
With regard to the attribute of punishment it is written: “And they should go forth, and look upon the carcasses of the men who have rebelled against Me; for their worm should not die, neither should their fire be quenched; and they should be an abhorrence to all flesh” (Isaiah 66:24). The Talmud asks: Is it not so that when a person extends his finger into the fire in this world, he is immediately burned? How, then, can one withstand the fire of Gehenna, which is never extinguished? Rather, just as God provides strength to the wicked to receive their punishment, so too, God provides strength to the righteous to receive their reward, His handful.
רבי עקיבא אומר: אף הקורא בספרים החיצונים וכו׳. תנא: בספרי מינים. רב יוסף אמר: בספר בן סירא נמי אסור למיקרי. אמר ליה אביי: מאי טעמא? אילימא משום דכתב [ביה]: לא תינטוש גילדנא מאודניה, דלא ליזיל משכיה לחבלא, אלא צלי יתיה בנורא ואיכול ביה תרתין גריצים.
§ The Mishnah teaches that R' Akiva says: Also one who reads external literature has no share in the World-to-Come. A baraita states: This is a reference to reading books of heretics. Rav Yosef says: It is also prohibited to read the book of ben Sira, due to its problematic content. Abaye said to Rav Yosef: What is the reason that it is prohibited to read the book of ben Sira? If we say that it is prohibited due to the fact that ben Sira wrote in it: Do not flay the skin of the fish from its ear, so that its skin does not go to ruin, but roast it on the fire and eat with it two loaves of bread, and you believe it to be nonsense, that is not a sufficient reason.