Sanhedrin 103A

בגלל מנשה, דלא עבד תשובה.

“on account of Manasseh” means because he did not repent, and the people followed in his footsteps.

אמר רבי יוחנן: כל האומר מנשה אין לו חלק לעולם הבא מרפה ידיהן של בעלי תשובה. דתני תנא קמיה דרבי יוחנן: מנשה עשה תשובה (לשלשים) [שלשים] ושלש שנים, דכתיב: ״בן שתים עשרה שנה מנשה במלכו וחמשים וחמש שנה מלך בירושלים ויעש (הרע) [אשרה] וכו׳ כאשר עשה אחאב מלך ישראל״. כמה מלך אחאב? עשרין ותרתין שנין. מנשה כמה מלך? חמשים וחמש. דל מינייהו עשרים ותרתין, פשו להו תלתין ותלת.

R' Yoḥanan says: Anyone who says that Manasseh has no share in the World-to-Come discourages penitents, as Manasseh repented and according to them is nevertheless excluded from the World-to-Come. As the tanna taught a baraita before R' Yoḥanan: Manasseh repented for 33 years, as it is written: “Manasseh was 12 years old when he began to reign, and he reigned 55 years in Jerusalem…And he did that which was evil…And he made an ashera, as did Ahab king of Israel” (II Kings 21:1–3). How many years did Ahab reign? He reigned 22 years. How many years did Manasseh reign? He reigned 55 years. Deduct from them the 22 years during which he performed evil like Ahab, and 33 years remain for him to have repented.

אמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי: מאי דכתיב ״וישמע אליו ויחתר לו״? ״ויעתר לו״ מיבעי ליה! מלמד שעשה לו הקדוש ברוך הוא כמין מחתרת ברקיע, כדי לקבלו בתשובה, מפני מדת הדין.

R' Yoḥanan says in the name of R' Shimon ben Yoḥai: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And he prayed to Him; and He made an opening for him” (II Chronicles 33:13)? Instead: And He received his entreaty, should have been written. Rather, this teaches that God crafted for him a type of opening in Heaven in order to accept him in repentance. It was necessary for Manasseh to enter the World-to-Come in a clandestine manner, due to the attribute of justice that sought to prevent his entry by claiming that his sentence was irreversible.

ואמר רבי יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי: מאי דכתיב ״בראשית ממלכת יהויקים בן יאשיהו״, וכתיב ״בראשית ממלכת צדקיה״? וכי עד האידנא לא הוו מלכי?

§ And R' Yoḥanan says in the name of R' Shimon ben Yoḥai: What is the meaning of that which is written: “In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, son of Josiah” (Jeremiah 26:1), and it is written: “In the beginning of the reign of Zedekiah” (Jeremiah 28:1). But is it so that until now there were no kings? Why did the prophet use the term “in the beginning” exclusively with regard to these two kings, as opposed to: During the 1st year of his reign, or a similar formulation?