- What is an אפיקורוס ("מאי אהני לן רבנן")
The Mishnah on Daf 90a taught that an "אפיקורוס" has no share in עולם הבא. Beginning on the previous Daf, numerous definitions are discussed: (1) המבזה תלמיד חכם – one who disgraces a talmid chochom. (2) One who disgraces someone in a תלמיד חכם’s presence (but disgracing a תלמיד חכם himself may be the more severe "מגלה פנים בתורה" – acting brazenly towards the Torah). (3) Rav Yosef says it is those who say: מאי אהנו לן רבנן – How do the Rabbis benefit us? לדידהו קרו לדידהו תנו – They learn תורה שבכתב for themselves; they study תורה שבעל פה for themselves! Abaye objected that such people are מגלה פנים בתורה, since a passuk says the world’s existence depends on the Torah. (4) Reminding his Rebbi of something they learned, saying, “We said thus there,” instead of “Master said thus there.” (5) Saying, “How do the Rabbis benefit us? They never permitted a raven to us, nor prohibited a dove to us (i.e., they do not teach any novel rulings)!” (6) Using the expression "הני רבנן" – “those Rabbis.” (7) Asking a question in a presumptive manner (such as, “Megillas Esther does not require a mantle, does it?”). (8) Calling a teacher by his name.
- How צדיקים will be able to receive the vast reward of "מלא עומסו"
Rav Dimi said: עתיד הקדוש ברוך הוא ליתן לכל צדיק וצדיק מלא עומסו – Hashem is destined to give every צדיק reward as much as His “handful.” Abaye wondered how a person can receive Hashem’s handful of reward, since a passuk describes the entire world as being the span of Hashem’s hand!? Rav Dimi responded that Rava bar Mari taught that Hashem is destined to give every צדיק three hundred and ten worlds, based on the passuk "להנחיל אהבי יש" – to grant those who love me substance ("יש" has a gematria of 310). Thus, צדיקים will have ample space to receive Hashem’s immense reward.
Similarly, Rebbe Meir said: במדה שאדם מודד מודדין לו – in the measure with which a person measures, they measure reward for him. Rebbe Yehoshua objected, is it possible that if one gives his handful of charity to an עני, Hashem will give him His “handful” of reward in עולם הבא, since the whole world is the span of Hashem’s “hand”?! Rebbe Meir replied that the passuk says the corpses of Gog will continually burn, although fire immediately burns flesh, because Hashem will give רשעים the ability to receive their full punishment. Since מדה טובה מרובה ממדת פורענות – [Hashem’s] measure of beneficence is greater than [His] measure of punishment, Hashem will certainly enable צדיקים to receive their full reward.
- ספר בן סירא
In the Mishnah, Rebbe Akiva says one who reads "ספרים חיצונים" – external books has no share in עולם הבא. This means ספרי מינים – books of heretics. Rav Yosef says that ספר בן סירא is also forbidden to read (Rashi explains that it includes worthless material which causes ביטול תורה). Abaye asked him what was objectionable in it, and noted that several of its statements parallel Torah principles. For example, it says: לא תעיל דויא בלבך – do not allow sorrow in your heart, דגברי גיברין קטל דויא – because sorrow has killed great men. Shlomo said similarly, דאגה בלב איש ישחנה – if worry is in a man’s heart, let him suppress it, which Amoraim darshened as ישיחנה מדעתו – he should remove [the worry] from his mind, or ישיחנה לאחרים – he should tell it to others. The Gemara identifies objectionable statements in בן סירא, describing a thin-bearded man as very wise, a thick-bearded man as a fool, and a man with a part in his beard (who constantly strokes his beard) as exceedingly clever. Still, Rav Yosef says we can expound בן סירא’s good material, such as: אשה טובה מתנה טובה – a good wife is a good gift; בחיק ירא אלקים תנתן – she is given to the embrace of a G-d-fearing man.
