- The story of שבנא and חזקיה (קשר רשעים אינו מן המנין)
The Gemara relates that שבנא, the supervisor in חזקיה’s palace, would lecture before one hundred thirty thousand students, more than Chizkiyah’s audience of one hundred ten thousand. When סנחריב laid siege on Yerushalayim, Shevna shot an arrow with an attached note to the enemy, which said, “Shevna and his party agree to surrender peacefully, but Chizkiyah and his party do not.” Chizkiyah was afraid that perhaps Hashem sides with the majority, and he should surrender with them. The Navi told him: לא תאמרון קשר לכל אשר יאמר העם הזה קשר – do not say, “an alliance,” about all of whom this nation says, “an alliance.” Meaning, it is a קשר רשעים – an alliance of wicked men, וקשר רשעים אינו מן המנין – and an alliance of רשעים is not counted towards the majority. Shevna went to prepare himself a burial place among the kings’ graves, and the Gemara relates and interprets the Navi’s rebuke and harsh prophecy of punishment against Shevna. When Shevna left the city to surrender, Gavriel shut the gate before his party, leaving Shevna alone outside. When the enemy questioned him, he said they deserted him. They responded, “You are mocking us,” bored holes in his heels, hung him from their horses’ tails, and dragged him over thorns.
- Torah is מתשת כחו של אדם
The passuk says: הפלא עצה הגדיל תושיה – He has shown wonderful counsel, vast wisdom. The word "תושיה" refers to Torah, and Rebbe Chanan explains: מפני שהיא מתשת כחו של אדם – because it weakens a man’s strength. Alternatively: שניתנה בחשאי מפני השטן – because it was given in secrecy, because of the שטן. Alternatively: דברים של תוהו שהעולם משותת עליהם – it is merely words, on which the world is founded. Ulla says: מחשבה מועלת אפילו לדברי תורה – anxious thought about one’s livelihood is effective to cause one to forget even words of Torah, as the passuk says: מפר מחשבות ערומים ולא תעשינה ידיהם תושיה – He abolishes the thoughts of the clever, and their hands will not accomplish results (i.e., He gives them sustenance, removing their anxiety and allowing them to accomplish in Torah). Rabbah said: אם עסוקין לשמה אינה מועלת – if they are involved in [learning Torah] for its own sake, [such anxiety] is not effective to cause them to forget Torah, because the passuk says: רבות מחשבות בלב איש ועצת ה' היא תקום – many are the thoughts in a man’s heart, but only Hashem’s counsel will endure, meaning: עצה שיש בה דבר ה' היא תקום לעולם – counsel (Torah) that has in it the word of Hashem (i.e., learned לשמה) will endure.
- Disqualification of those who accept charity from gentiles, or suspected of עריות
Rav Nachman said: אוכלי דבר אחר פסולין לעדות – those who consume “something else,” i.e., those who accept charity from gentiles, are disqualified from giving testimony. Rashi explains that he is causing a חילול השם for financial purposes. He is only disqualified if he accepted the money publicly, and he could have supported himself by receiving the money privately. But if this was impossible, חיותיה הוא – it is necessary for his livelihood, and he remains eligible. Rav Nachman said: החשוד על העריות כשר לעדות – someone who is suspected of having forbidden relations is still eligible for testimony (Rashi explains that he did not sin for financial gain). Rav Sheishess protested: עני מרי – Answer, my master: ארבעין בכתפיה וכשר – forty lashes administered on his shoulder, yet he is still eligible to testify?! [Rashi explains that malkus is given where the appropriate punishment cannot be, e.g., if there was no התראה.] Rava says that Rav Nachman concedes this person cannot testify about a woman’s marital status, since he is not trustworthy for this subject. This is only where he testifies that her marriage ended (e.g., her husband divorced her or died), but he may testify that she became married.