Siman - Yoma Daf 23
- כל תלמיד חכם שאינו נוקם ונוטר
Rebbe Yochanan said in the name of Rebbe Shimon ben Yehotzadak, כל תלמיד חכם שאינו נוקם ונוטר כנחש אינו תלמיד חכם – Any talmid chochom who does not take revenge or bear a grudge like a snake, is not a true talmid chochom. The Gemara objects to this, based on the prohibitions of לא תקום ולא תטר – Do not take revenge or bear a grudge, and initially answers that these prohibitions only apply to monetary matters. This too is challenged, based on a Baraisa that teaches, הנעלבין ואינן עולבין – Those who suffer insults but do not insult in response, שומעין חרפתן ואינן משיבין – who hear disgrace but do not reply, עושין מאהבה ושמחין ביסורין – who perform Hashem’s will out of love and are happy even in suffering, regarding them the passuk states, "ואהביו כצאת השמש בגבורתו" – And they who love Him, referring to Hashem, shall be as the sun going forth in its might. How then can Rebbe Shimon ben Yehotzadak insist a talmid chochom take revenge? The Gemara answers, לעולם דנקיט ליה בליביה – Actually, he means that a talmid chochom should keep the matter in his mind. Rashi explains that if someone else comes to avenge his honor, the talmid chochom should be silent and not object.
- Murder in the Beis HaMikdash
The Mishnah brought an incident where one Kohen shoved another Kohen, while racing up the ramp to merit doing the terumas hadeshen. The Gemara here brings a Baraisa that taught that there was another incident, when one Kohen was ahead on the ramp, another Kohen נטל סכין ותקע בלבו – took a knife and drove it into his colleague’s heart and killed him. Rebbe Tzadok stood on the steps of one of the halls of the Temple and cried out rebuke to the people, bringing them to tears. The father of the slain boy came and found his son still writhing on the floor, and said, הרי הוא כפרתכם – Behold he is your atonement. My son is still writhing and therefore the knife did not become tamei. This comes to teach you, שקשה עליהם טהרת כלים יותר משפיכות דמים – they regarded the taharah of keilim more seriously than murder, as it is written, וגם דם נקי שפך מנשה הרבה מאד עד אשר מלא את ירושלים פה לפה – Menashe also shed very much innocent blood, until he filled Yerushalayim from end to end with it.
- הוצאת הדשן
The Gemara brings a machlokes regarding הוצאת הדשן - removal of the ash from the mizbayach. It was taught in a Baraisa, ופשט...ולבש בגדים אחרים והוציא את הדשן – He shall remove his garments (that he wore for separating the ash) and don other garments, and he shall remove the ash. One might have thought the Kohen can wear bigdei chol when removing the ash, therefore the Torah teaches, ופשט את בגדיו ולבש בגדים אחרים – He shall remove his garments and don other garments. By repeating the word “garments” we can derive a hekesh that just as the garments worn for the terumas hadeshen are bigdei kodesh so too are the garments worn for removal of the ash. The word "אחרים" – “other,” implies they should be פחותין מהן – inferior quality to the ones worn from the terumas hadeshen. Rebbe Eliezer says אחרים והוציא – The word “other” is immediately followed by the words “and he shall remove,” which refers to the Kohen who performs the task. לימד על הכהנים בעלי מומין שכשרין להוציא הדשן – This teaches that even blemished Kohanim (אחרים) are qualified to remove the ash.
