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Today, it is a delight to share selections from Chapter 2 of the book “Hebraic Literature: Translations from the Talmud, Midrash and Kabbala,” by Maurice H. Harris, which presents excerpts from the Talmud that focus on love and reverence for God and God’s Love for Hiers children. Berachoth 5b “Abba Benjamin used to say, ‘There are two things about which I have all my life been much concerned: that my prayer should be offered in front of my bed, and that the position of my bed should be from north to south.” Berachoth 28b “‘There are two ways before me, one leading into Paradise, the other into Hell.’ When Yochanan, the son of Zachai, was sick unto death, his disciples came to visit him; and when he saw them, he wept, upon which his disciples exclaimed, ‘Light of Israel! Pillar of the right! Mighty Hammer! why weep thou?’ He replied, ‘If I were going to be led into the presence of a King, who is but flesh and blood, today here and tomorrow in the grave, whose anger with me could not last forever, whose sentence against me, were it even unto death, could not endure forever, and whom perhaps I might pacify with words […], yet for all that should I weep; but now that I am about to enter the presence of the King of kings, the Holy One-blessed be He forever and ever! Whose anger would be everlasting, whose sentence of death or imprisonment admits of no reprieve, and who is not to be pacified with words […], and in whose presence there are two roads before me, one leading into Paradise and the other into Hell, and should I not weep?’ Then prayed they him, and said, ‘Rabbi, give us thy farewell blessing;’ and he said unto them, ‘Oh that the fear of God may be as much upon you as the fear of man.’” Berachoth 59a “When the Holy One, blessed be He! Remembers that His children are in trouble among the nations of the world, He drops two tears into the great ocean, the noise of which startles the world from one end to the other, and causes the earth to quake.” […]Chaggigah 15a “‘Every one has two portions, one in paradise and an other in hell.’ Acheer asked Rabbi Meyer, ‘What is the meaning this that is written, “God also has set the one over against the other?”’ Rabbi Meyer replied, ‘There is nothing which God has created of which He has not also created the opposite. He who created mountains and hills created also seas and rivers.’ But said Acheer to Rabbi Meyer, ‘Thy master, Rabbi Akiva, did not say so, but spoke in this way: He created the righteous and also the wicked; He created paradise and hell: every man has two portions, one portion in paradise, and the other in hell. The righteous, who has personal merit, carries both his own portion of good and that of his wicked neighbor away with him to paradise; the wicked, who is guilty and condemned, carries both his own portion of evil and also that of his righteous neighbor away with him to hell.’ When Rav Mesharshia asked what Scripture guarantee there was for this, this was the reply: ‘With regard to the righteous, it is written, (They shall rejoice in their portion, therefore in their land (beyond the grave) they shall possess the double.) […]”
