Sotah, chapter nine, Mishnah 15 - the closing mishnah of Maseches Sotah. The mishnah first lists the things that were lost from the world when various Tannaim passed away, then turns to the future and to the hardships expected in the generations before the coming of Mashiach, and it ends with the famous statement of Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair, that each level of a person's devotion to Hashem leads to a level higher than it.
What ceased from the world when the Sages of the Mishnah passed away:
"Mishemes Rabbi Meir batlu moshlei meshalim" - there were no longer people whose ability to compose effective parables could match that of Rabbi Meir.
"Mishemes Ben Azzai batlu hashakdanim" - there were no longer those who toiled in Torah on such a high level.
"Mishemes Ben Zoma batlu hadarshanim" - there were no longer those who knew how to expound great derashos and to explain the words of the Torah in a meaningful way. There is the well known mishnah in Berachos, which we say in the Haggadah, that Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah could not establish his position that the Exodus from Egypt must be mentioned at night until Ben Zoma expounded it; and in other places in the Talmud as well, Ben Zoma is the one who delivers the effective derashos.
"Mishemes Rabbi Yehoshua paskah tovah min ha'olam" - goodness ceased from the world, and things were not as good as they had been.
"Mishemes Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel ba govai v'rabu tzaros" - swarms of locusts came, and troubles multiplied.
"Mishemes Rabbi Elazar ben Azaryah pasak ha'osher min hachachamim" - wealth was no longer found among the Sages.
"Mishemes Rabbi Akiva batel kevod haTorah" - the true honor of the Torah ceased, for Rabbi Akiva was able to derive halachos from every fine detail of the letters, from every tip of a letter, and to explain halachos on that basis, and this was a great honor for the Torah.
"Mishemes Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa batlu anshei ma'aseh" - there ceased from the world people who were capable of great and miraculous deeds, like Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa, who was able to do miraculous things.
"Mishemes Rabbi Yose Ketanta batlu chasidim" - there were no longer chasidim, people of stature. "V'lamah nikra shemo Ketanta? Shehayah ketanutan shel chasidim" - he was the smallest of them, the one who closed the line of chasidim.
"Mishemes Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai batel ziv hachochmah" - the radiance of wisdom ceased to exist.
"Mishemes Rabbi Eliezer haZaken batlah kevod haTorah" - this is a different sort of honor of the Torah from the one mentioned regarding Rabbi Akiva: until his day people would learn Torah only while standing, and after he passed away they grew weaker and could learn only while sitting. "U'meisah taharah u'prishus" - that level of spiritual purity was no longer found, nor that level of abstinence and distance from physical pleasure.
"Mishemes Rabbi Shmuel ben Pavi batel ziv hakehunah" - the radiance of the priesthood ceased. He was apparently a Kohen Gadol who was both a very great Sage and a wealthy man, and he supported many kohanim.
"Mishemes Rabbi batlah anavah v'yiras cheit" - with the passing of Rabbi Yehudah HaNasi, the author of the Mishnah (and this passage was edited after his time), true humility and fear of sin ceased.
From the time the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed:
Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair says: "Mishecharav Beis haMikdash boshu chaverim u'vnei chorin v'chafu rosham" - the "chaverim," the Torah scholars, were put to shame and were no longer held in honor, and so too the "bnei chorin," those of distinguished lineage; and their heads were covered, for they no longer had the strength to stand out as they once did. "V'nidaldelu anshei ma'aseh" - the strength of those who act on behalf of the Jewish people diminished. "V'gavru ba'alei zero'a u'va'alei lashon" - those whose whole strength lies in their arm took over, along with people who use their tongue, which is of course a negative thing.
"V'ein doresh v'ein mevakesh v'ein sho'el" - there is no one who works for the religious needs of our people. "V'al mi lanu l'hisha'en? Al Avinu shebaShamayim" - there is no one to rely on other than Him, and He is the only One to whom we can turn.
The words of Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol:
Rabbi Eliezer HaGadol says in Aramaic that from the day the Beis HaMikdash was destroyed, a decline set in at every level:
"Sharu chakimaya lemehevei k'safraya" - the Sages became like ordinary scribes, like those who teach Chumash to students.
"V'safraya k'chazana" - the scribes became like the chazanim, the level beneath them, those who took care of the affairs of the synagogue.
"V'chazana k'ama d'ar'a" - the chazanim became like the simple people, like the general public.
"V'ama d'ar'a azla v'daldelah" - and the simple people themselves went on diminishing.
"V'ein mevakesh" - there is no one to care for them and to plead for mercy, no one who truly seeks the mercy of the Holy One, blessed be He. "Al mi yesh l'hisha'en? Al Avinu shebaShamayim".
The footsteps of Mashiach:
From here the mishnah goes on to describe the period before the coming of Mashiach:
"Chutzpah yisgei" - insolence will increase.
"V'yoker ya'amir" - prices will climb, and there will be severe inflation.
"Hagefen titen piryah v'hayayin b'yoker" - the vines will produce, and there will be a significant amount of wine, and nevertheless wine will be expensive.
"Hamalchus teihafech l'minus" - the government will turn to heresy, denying faith in Hashem and in the Torah.
"V'ein tochachah" - there will be no one capable of offering rebuke.
"Beis va'ad yihyeh liznus" - the gathering places of the Sages will turn into places of immorality, and the Sages will not be able to teach Torah in them.
"HaGalil yecherav v'haGavlan yisham" - the region of the Galil will be destroyed, and another place, called Gavlan, will be desolate.
"V'anshei hagevul yesovevu me'ir l'ir v'lo yechonanu" - the people of the borders (the meaning of the expression is not clear) will wander from city to city, and no one will have mercy on them.
"V'chochmas sofrim tisrach" - the wisdom of the scribes will be treated with contempt.
"V'yirei cheit yima'asu" - even those who fear sin will be despised.
"V'ha'emes tehei ne'ederes" - truth will be absent from the world.
"Ne'arim p'nei zekeinim yalbinu" - the young will shame the elderly, to the point of making their faces turn white.
"Zekeinim ya'amdu mipnei ketanim" - the elderly will stand up before the young.
And here a verse from Michah is brought:
"Ben menabel av" - the son will disgrace his father.
"Bas kamah b'imah" - the daughter will rise up against her mother.
"Kallah bachamosah" - the daughter in law against her mother in law.
"Oyvei ish anshei beiso" - a person's own household members will be his enemies.
"P'nei hador kifnei hakelev" - the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog. Rabbi Solorzano would explain that this refers to leadership: a dog looks as though it is leading, but in fact it keeps turning around to see what its master wants - and that is how leadership will function, looking to see what the masses want instead of leading. "Haben eino misbayesh me'aviv" - a son will feel no shame before his father. "Al mi yesh lanu l'hisha'en?" - with all these difficulties, upon whom can we lean? "Al Avinu shebaShamayim".
The ladder of levels with which the tractate closes:
The mishnah concludes with words that are actually a beraisa, quoted in many places in the Talmud. The Ramchal's Mesillas Yesharim, a guide to spiritual growth, is built entirely on this formula. Rabbi Pinchas ben Yair says:
"Zerizus meviah lidei nekiyus" - alacrity in performing the mitzvos leads to cleanliness, that a person learns how to be truly clean of every kind of sin.
"Nekiyus meviah lidei taharah" - a different level of purity: purity of thought.
"Taharah meviah lidei prishus" - a person reaches the ability to separate himself from physical pleasure.
"Prishus meviah lidei kedushah" - a person becomes holy.
"Kedushah meviah lidei anavah" - a special level of humility.
"Anavah meviah lidei yiras cheit" - fear of sin.
"Yiras cheit meviah lidei chasidus" - doing things for Hashem out of love of Hashem alone.
"Chasidus meviah lidei ruach hakodesh" - the spirit and soul that come from Hashem.
"Ruach hakodesh meviah lidei techiyas hameisim" - the ability to revive the dead.
"Techiyas hameisim ba'ah al yedei Eliyahu zachur latov, amen" - the resurrection of the dead will come about through Eliyahu HaNavi, who will be sent ahead of time, before the end of days.
Thank you for joining us for Maseches Sotah. We look forward to learning the next tractate together with you, Maseches Gittin.