Kabbalah Library

383. It is written, “You shall open wide your hand to your brother, to the needy and to the poor,” so that a person does not leave his poor and gives to another poor. There is Rabbi Yosi, your father-in-law, who is sick; let us go and do mercy with him. After we return, we will get into this again. And the whole time when we walk and return on this way, we will see the revival of the dead.”

384. Rabbi Elazar said, “Happy is my father, who is the leader of this generation, for in his days, the Creator wishes to correct His two seminaries and make them into a high and proper settlement, for there will not be such as this generation until the arrival of the Messiah King.

385. Because of eleven things, afflictions come to people: for idol-worship, for cursing the Creator, for incest, for theft, for slander, for false testimony, for a judge who corrupts the judgment, for perjury, for trespassing, for thinking bad thoughts, and for causing conflicts among people. And some say, for an evil eye.

386. How do we know that afflictions come because of idol-worship? Because it is written, “Moses saw that the people were wild,” since Aaron was wild. “For he was wild” means they were stricken with leprosy. It is written here, “for he was wild,” and it is written there, “The leprous person who has the disease shall wear torn clothes and let the hair of his head hang loose.” As it is leprosy there, it is leprosy here.

And how do we know about the curse of the Creator? It is written, “This day the Lord will deliver you into my hand,” the philistine who was cursing and swearing the Creator. It is written about the leper, “the priest shall close him.” As it is leprosy there, it is leprosy here.