Yeshu as a Student who Strayed
Still stuck on Sunday’s daf, Sanhedrin 103, here are two more variants. The second is a censored text; and, the censored text works with another censored text on today’s daf, Sanhedrin 107.
First, on 103, there was a dispute between the Sages as to the nature of of Menashe’s sin:
״וְגַם דָּם נָקִי שָׁפַךְ מְנַשֶּׁה הַרְבֵּה מְאֹד עַד אֲשֶׁר מִלֵּא אֶת יְרוּשָׁלִַים פֶּה לָפֶה לְבַד מֵחַטָּאתוֹ אֲשֶׁר הֶחֱטִיא אֶת יְהוּדָה לַעֲשׂוֹת הָרַע בְּעֵינֵי ה׳״. הָכָא תַּרְגִּימוּ: שֶׁהָרַג יְשַׁעְיָה. בְּמַעְרְבָא אָמְרִי: שֶׁעָשָׂה צֶלֶם מַשּׂאוֹי אֶלֶף בְּנֵי אָדָם, וּבְכׇל יוֹם וָיוֹם הוֹרֵג (אֶת) כּוּלָּם. כְּמַאן אָזְלָא הָא דְּאָמַר רַבָּה בַּר בַּר חָנָה: שְׁקוּלָה נְשָׁמָה שֶׁל צַדִּיק אֶחָד כְּנֶגֶד כׇּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ? כְּמַאן דְּאָמַר יְשַׁעְיָה הָרַג.
It is stated: “And Manasseh shed a great deal of innocent blood, until he filled Jerusalem from one end to another [peh lafeh], beside his sin that he made Judea sin, to do evil in the eyes of the Lord” (II Kings 21:16). Here, in Babylonia, they interpret the verse to mean that he killed the prophet Isaiah (see Yevamot 49b). In the West, Eretz Yisrael, they say that Manasseh crafted an idol so large that it was a burden requiring one thousand people to carry it, and each and every day he would require them to carry it, which would kill all of them. The Gemara asks: In accordance with whose opinion is that which Rabba bar bar Ḥana says: The soul of one righteous person is equal in value to the entire world? It is in accordance with the opinion of the one who says: He killed Isaiah.
The “problem” is that Rabba bar bar Chana was one of the nechutei. He studied under Rabbi Yochanan, and transmitted many of his teachings in Bavel. As such, if there is a dispute between “here” / Bavel and “West” / Israel, we’d expect him to align with Israel. Yet, here he aligns with Bavel.
Of course, he started in Bavel, traveled from Israel and was unsuccessful, traveled back to Bavel, and arrived and established himself in Bavel. So it is not so strange to align with a Babylonian position.
Still, a somewhat common scribal error is substitution of Rabba bar bar Chana for someone of similar name, including the more solidly Babylonian Rabba bar Rav Huna. This is sparse here — see that Yad HaRav Herzog has it.
This is likely an error in Yad HaRav Herzog. We can add that this is mere alignment, not even agreement. That is, whichever “Rabba” spoke didn’t speak particularly about Yeshaya. Rather, he was expressing the concept in general of one tzaddik equaling many common Jews. That does not mean that you need to apply that concept in every case, including understanding Menashe’s sin!
Secondly, and this seems to be an error exclusive to Vilna Shas (and thus Artscroll following them), with even earlier printings have it:
דָּבָר אַחֵר: ״לֹא תְאֻנֶּה אֵלֶיךָ רָעָה״ – שֶׁלֹּא יְבַעֲתוּךָ חֲלוֹמוֹת רָעִים וְהִרְהוּרִים רָעִים. ״וְנֶגַע לֹא יִקְרַב בְּאׇהֳלֶךָ״ – שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא לְךָ בֵּן אוֹ תַּלְמִיד שֶׁמַּקְדִּיחַ תַּבְשִׁילוֹ בָּרַבִּים, כְּגוֹן יֵשׁוּ הַנּוֹצְרִי.
Alternatively, the phrase “no evil shall befall you” means that you will be frightened neither by bad dreams nor by evil thoughts. “Nor shall any plague come near your tent” means that you will not have a child or student who overcooks his food in public, i.e., sins in public and causes others to sin, such as in the well-known case of Jesus the Nazarene.
The last phrase of כְּגוֹן… is missing.
The same idea is expressed in Berachot 17:
״אֵין פֶּרֶץ״ — שֶׁלֹּא תְּהֵא סִיעָתֵנוּ כְּסִיעָתוֹ שֶׁל דָּוִד שֶׁיָּצָא מִמֶּנּוּ אֲחִיתוֹפֶל. ״וְאֵין יוֹצֵאת״ — שֶׁלֹּא תְּהֵא סִיעָתֵנוּ כְּסִיעָתוֹ שֶׁל שָׁאוּל שֶׁיָּצָא מִמֶּנּוּ דּוֹאֵג הָאֲדוֹמִי. ״וְאֵין צְוָחָה״ — שֶׁלֹּא תְּהֵא סִיעָתֵנוּ כְּסִיעָתוֹ שֶׁל אֱלִישָׁע שֶׁיָּצָא מִמֶּנּוּ גֵּחֲזִי. ״בִּרְחוֹבוֹתֵינוּ״ — שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא לָנוּ בֵּן אוֹ תַּלְמִיד שֶׁמַּקְדִּיחַ תַּבְשִׁילוֹ בָּרַבִּים, כְּגוֹן יֵשׁוּ הַנּוֹצְרִי.
“There is no breach”; that our faction of Sages should not be like the faction of David, from which Ahitophel emerged, who caused a breach in the kingdom of David.
“And no going forth”; that our faction should not be like the faction of Saul, from which Doeg the Edomite emerged, who set forth on an evil path.
“And no outcry”; that our faction should not be like the faction of Elisha, from which Geihazi emerged.
“In our open places”; that we should not have a child or student who overcooks his food in public, i.e., who sins in public and causes others to sin, as in the well-known case of Jesus the Nazarene.
and again, Vilna almost uniquely filters it out. Though Florence 7 and Munich 95 aligns with this censorship, having it but then it being scratched out.
Thus — and I am looking at Berachot here, here is Florence:
and here is Munich 95:
Even Soncino left in HaNotzri but omitted Yeshu.
Back in Sanhedrin, somehow this escaped censorship.
Ben Yehoyada on Sanhedrin also talks about Elisha, overlooking Jesus, perhaps because he didn’t encounter the actual text.
The idea of Jesus being a student who went off the derech and caused others to sin after him occurs on today’s daf, Sanhedrin 107b:
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: לְעוֹלָם תְּהֵא שְׂמֹאל דּוֹחָה וְיָמִין מְקָרֶבֶת, לֹא כֶּאֱלִישָׁע שֶׁדְּחָפוֹ לְגֵחֲזִי בִּשְׁתֵּי יָדַיִם, וְלֹא כִּיהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה שֶׁדְּחָפוֹ לְיֵשׁוּ הַנּוֹצְרִי בִּשְׁתֵּי יָדַיִם.
The Sages taught: Always have the left hand drive sinners away and the right draw them near, so that the sinner will not totally despair of atonement. This is unlike Elisha, who pushed away Gehazi with his two hands and caused him to lose his share in the World-to-Come, and unlike Yehoshua ben Peraḥya, who pushed away Jesus the Nazarene with his two hands.
…
יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה מַאי הִיא? כִּדְקַטְלִינְהוּ יַנַּאי מַלְכָּא לְרַבָּנַן, אֲזַל יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן פְּרַחְיָה וְיֵשׁוּ לַאֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִיָּא שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם. כִּי הֲוָה שְׁלָמָא, שְׁלַח לֵיהּ שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן שָׁטַח: מִינִּי יְרוּשָׁלַיִם עִיר הַקֹּדֶשׁ לִיכִי אָלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִיָּה שֶׁל מִצְרַיִם, אֲחוֹתִי: בַּעֲלִי שָׁרוּי בְּתוֹכֵךְ וְאָנֹכִי יוֹשֶׁבֶת שׁוֹמֵמָה.
§ What is the incident involving Yehoshua ben Peraḥya? The Gemara relates: When King Yannai was killing the Sages, Yehoshua ben Peraḥya and Jesus, his student, went to Alexandria of Egypt. When there was peace between King Yannai and the Sages, Shimon ben Shataḥ sent a message to Yehoshua ben Peraḥya: From me, Jerusalem, the holy city, to you, Alexandria of Egypt: My sister, my husband is located among you and I sit desolate. The head of the Sages of Israel is out of the country and Jerusalem requires his return.
קָם, אֲתָא, וְאִתְרְמִי לֵיהּ הָהוּא אוּשְׁפִּיזָא. עֲבַדוּ לֵיהּ יְקָרָא טוּבָא. אֲמַר: כַּמָּה יָפָה אַכְסַנְיָא זוֹ! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: רַבִּי, עֵינֶיהָ טְרוּטוֹת. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: רָשָׁע! בְּכָךְ אַתָּה עוֹסֵק? אַפֵּיק אַרְבַּע מְאָה שִׁיפּוּרֵי וְשַׁמְּתֵיהּ.
Yehoshua ben Peraḥya understood the message, arose, came, and happened to arrive at a certain inn on the way to Jerusalem. They treated him with great honor. Yehoshua ben Peraḥya said: How beautiful is this inn. Jesus, his student, said to him: But my teacher, the eyes of the innkeeper’s wife are narrow [terutot]. Yehoshua ben Peraḥya said to him: Wicked one! Do you involve yourself with regard to that matter, the appearance of a married woman? He produced four hundred shofarot and ostracized him.
אֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ כַּמָּה זִימְנִין, אֲמַר לֵיהּ: קַבְּלָן! לָא הָוֵי קָא מַשְׁגַּח בֵּיהּ. יוֹמָא חַד הֲוָה קָא קָרֵי קְרִיאַת שְׁמַע, אֲתָא לְקַמֵּיהּ. סָבַר לְקַבּוֹלֵי, אַחְוִי לֵיהּ בִּידֵיהּ. הוּא סָבַר: מִידְחָא דָּחֵי לִי. אֲזַל זְקַף לְבֵינְתָּא וְהִשְׁתַּחֲוָה לָהּ. אֲמַר לֵיהּ: הֲדַר בָּךְ! אֲמַר לֵיהּ: כָּךְ מְקוּבְּלַנִי מִמְּךָ: כָּל הַחוֹטֵא וּמַחְטִיא אֶת הָרַבִּים אֵין מַסְפִּיקִין בְּיָדוֹ לַעֲשׂוֹת תְּשׁוּבָה. וְאָמַר מָר: יֵשׁוּ כִּישֵּׁף וְהֵסִית וְהִדִּיחַ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Jesus came before Yehoshua ben Peraḥya several times and said to him: Accept our, i.e., my, repentance. Yehoshua ben Peraḥya took no notice of him. One day Yehoshua ben Peraḥya was reciting Shema and Jesus came before him with the same request. Yehoshua ben Peraḥya intended to accept his request, and signaled him with his hand to wait until he completed his prayer. Jesus did not understand the signal and thought: He is driving me away. He went and stood a brick upright to serve as an idol and he bowed to it. Yehoshua ben Peraḥya then said to Jesus: Repent. Jesus said to him: This is the tradition that I received from you: Whoever sins and causes the masses to sin is not given the opportunity to repent. And the Master says: Jesus performed sorcery, incited Jews to engage in idolatry, and led Israel astray. Had Yehoshua ben Peraḥya not caused him to despair of atonement, he would not have taken the path of evil.
When so much text has been censored out in Vilna, it becomes apparent, because of the giant gap left on the bottom of the page, compared with other pages:
Compare also with full page Venice:
