Study Sanhedrin folio 99B with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
זמר בכל יום, זמר בכל יום. אמר רב יצחק בר אבודימי: מאי קרא? שנאמר: ״נפש עמל עמלה לו כי אכף עליו פיהו״. הוא עמל במקום זה, ותורתו עומלת לו במקום אחר.
Sing every day, sing every day, i.e., review your studies like a song that one sings over and over. Rav Yitzḥak bar Avudimi says: From what verse is this derived? It is as it is stated: “The hunger of the laborer labors for him; for his mouth presses upon him” (Proverbs 16:26), i.e., he exhausts his mouth through constant review and study. He labors in Torah in this place, this world, and his Torah labors for him in another place, the World-to-Come.
אמר רבי אלעזר: כל אדם לעמל נברא, שנאמר ״כי אדם לעמל יולד״. איני יודע אם לעמל פה נברא אם לעמל מלאכה נברא. כשהוא אומר ״כי אכף עליו פיהו״, הוי אומר לעמל פה נברא. ועדיין איני יודע אם לעמל תורה אם לעמל שיחה. כשהוא אומר ״לא ימוש ספר התורה הזה מפיך״, הוי אומר לעמל תורה נברא. והיינו דאמר רבא: כולהו גופי דרופתקי נינהו. טוביה לדזכי דהוי דרופתקי דאורייתא.
R' Elazar says: Every man was created for labor, as it is stated: “Man is born for toil” (Job 5:7). Based on this verse, I do not know whether he was created for toil of the mouth, speech, or whether he was created for the toil of labor. When the verse states: “For his mouth presses upon him” (Proverbs 16:26), you must say that he was created for toil of the mouth. And still I do not know with regard to the toil of the mouth whether it is for the toil of Torah or for the toil of conversation. When the verse states: “This Torah scroll should not depart from your mouth” (Joshua 1:8), you must say that he was created for the toil of Torah. And that is the meaning of what Rava said: All bodies are like receptacles to store items until use. Happy is one who is privileged, who is a receptacle for Torah.
״נאף אשה חסר לב״. אמר ריש לקיש: זה הלומד תורה לפרקים, שנאמר ״כי נעים כי תשמרם בבטנך יכנו יחדו על שפתיך״.
The verse states: “He who commits adultery with a woman lacks understanding” (Proverbs 6:32). Reish Lakish says: This is a reference to one who studies Torah intermittently, who is like an adulterer, who sins with the other woman intermittently, as it is stated about words of Torah: “For it is a pleasant thing if you keep them within your belly; let them be established on your lips” (Proverbs 22:18) and keep the Torah always available.