Horayos 10b

הוריות י׳ ע״ב

Horayot 10b

Learn Horayos 10b step by step: Aramaic beside English, every question, answer and proof colour-coded.

Open Horayos 10b in Gemara Clarity

Topic

Leadership as service, the אשר/אשרי teachings, the 'one path' of צדיקים and פושעים, לוט's intent, and the value of acts done לשמה and שלא לשמה

Overview

The amud opens by finishing a story: a position of leadership is really a job of serving the people. Next, רבן יוחנן בן זכאי reads אשר in 'אשר נשיא יחטא' as אשרי: happy is the generation whose king admits even an accidental sin. When רבא בריה דרבה challenges this, the גמרא answers that only here the פסוק changed its usual wording. The same wordplay leads to two readings of a פסוק in קהלת about צדיקים and רשעים in this world, followed by a story where רבא blesses two students who learned and also became wealthy. Then רבי יוחנן, ריש לקיש and the גמרא search for the right example of 'one path' where צדיקים walk and פושעים stumble, and they settle on לוט and his daughters. A long discussion then proves that לוט meant to sin and was not helpless. More teachings about לוט and about intention follow: עולא compares תמר and זמרי, and רב נחמן בר יצחק teaches that an עבירה לשמה is equal to a מצוה שלא לשמה, using יעל as his proof. רב adds that one should do מצוות even שלא לשמה, proving it from בלק, whose offerings earned him רות as a descendant. The amud ends as רבי יוחנן begins to show that ה׳ rewards even modest speech, and that proof continues on the next amud.

Opening lines

The steps (34)

1. ConclusionLeadership is servitude, not power
2. StatementHappy is the generation whose king brings an offering
3. StatementWhy that generation is happy: two קל וחומר arguments
4. ChallengeChallenge: other verses also say אשר
5. ResolutionAnswer: the verse changed its usual wording
6. StatementThe righteous suffer here, the wicked prosper here
7. Challengeרבא asks why צדיקים should have to suffer
8. Statementרבא's own reading of the פסוק
9. Statementרבא blesses two students who learned and became wealthy
10. Statementרבי יוחנן's משל of two people eating the פסח
11. Challengeריש לקיש: the overeater still did the מצוה
12. Statementריש לקיש's משל of the wife and the sister
13. RejectionThe wife-and-sister example does not fit
14. StatementThe better example: לוט and his daughters
15. ChallengeMaybe לוט also meant well?
16. Resolutionרבי יוחנן: the whole פסוק about לוט speaks of sin
17. ProofEach word in לוט's פסוק hints at immorality
18. ChallengeBut לוט was helpless
19. ResolutionThe dot shows לוט knew when she got up
20. ChallengeBut what could לוט have done?
21. ResolutionHe should not have drunk the next night
22. Statementרבה reads a פסוק in משלי as describing לוט
23. Statementלוט separated for desire and his shame is taught everywhere
24. Statementתמר and זמרי: the same kind of act with opposite results
25. StatementA sin for Heaven's sake is greater than a מצוה done for the wrong reason
26. ChallengeBut רב says to do מצוות even for the wrong reasons
27. ResolutionChange 'greater than' to 'equal to'
28. Statementסיסרא's seven acts with יעל
29. ChallengeDidn't יעל enjoy the sin?
30. ResolutionThe 'good' of the wicked is bad to the righteous
31. Statementרב's rule and the proof from בלק's offerings
32. Proofרות descends from בלק
33. QuestionIs there reward even for refined speech?
34. ResponseThe proof begins: how the תורה treats מואב