אשה היתה בוררת חטים לאור של בית השואבה.
It was so bright that a woman would be able to sort wheat by the light of the Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water.
Study Sukkah folio 53A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
אשה היתה בוררת חטים לאור של בית השואבה.
It was so bright that a woman would be able to sort wheat by the light of the Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water.
חסידים ואנשי מעשה כו׳. תנו רבנן, יש מהן אומרים: אשרי ילדותנו שלא ביישה את זקנותנו — אלו חסידים ואנשי מעשה. ויש מהן אומרים: אשרי זקנותנו שכפרה את ילדותנו — אלו בעלי תשובה. אלו ואלו אומרים: אשרי מי שלא חטא, ומי שחטא — ישוב וימחול לו.
§ The Mishnah continues: The pious and the men of action would dance before the people who attended the celebration. A baraita states in the Tosefta that some of them would say in their song praising God: Happy is our youth, as we did not sin then, that did not embarrass our old age. These are the pious and the men of action, who spent all their lives engaged in Torah and mitzvot. And some would say: Happy is our old age, that atoned for our youth when we sinned. These are the penitents. Both these and those say: Happy is he who did not sin; and he who sinned should repent and God will absolve him.
תניא: אמרו עליו על הלל הזקן, כשהיה שמח בשמחת בית השואבה, אמר כן: אם אני כאן — הכל כאן, ואם איני כאן — מי כאן. הוא היה אומר כן: מקום שאני אוהב — שם רגלי מוליכות אותי. אם תבא אל ביתי — אני אבא אל ביתך, אם אתה לא תבא אל ביתי — אני לא אבא אל ביתך, שנאמר: ״בכל המקום אשר אזכיר את שמי אבא אליך וברכתיך״.
It is taught in the Tosefta: They said about Hillel the Elder that when he was rejoicing at the Celebration of the Place of the Drawing of the Water he said this: If I am here, everyone is here; and if I am not here, who is here? In other words, one must consider himself as the one upon whom it is incumbent to fulfill obligations, and he must not rely on others to do so. He would also say this: To the place that I love, there my feet take me, and therefore, I come to the Temple. And God says: If you come to My house, I will come to your house; if you do not come to My house, I will not come to your house, as it is stated: “In every place that I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come to you and bless you” (Exodus 20:21).
Text data via Sefaria: William Davidson Edition - English and William Davidson Edition - Vocalized Aramaic, CC-BY-NC; edition provenance: Koren. Display terminology has been modernized for readability.