The Mishnah on TB Yoma 37a mentions three righteous people we remember good, Queen Helene, her son Munbaz, and Nicanor. “King Munbaz would contribute the funds required to make the handles of all the Yom Kippur vessels of gold. Queen Helene, his mother, fashioned a decorative gold chandelier above the entrance of the Sanctuary. She also fashioned a golden tablet [tavla] on which the Torah portion relating to sota was written. The tablet could be utilized to copy this Torah portion, so that a Torah scroll need not be taken out for that purpose. With regard to Nicanor, miracles were performed to his doors, the doors in the gate of the Temple named for him, the Gate of Nicanor. And the people would mention all of those whose contributions were listed favorably.” (Sefaria.org translation)
Queen Helene and her son
Munbaz II from the kingdom of Adiabene[1]
became converts to Judaism in about 30 CE through the influence of Ananias, a
Jewish merchant. They visited Judea often and built palaces in the northern
part of the Jerusalem. When a famine struck Judea, Queen Helene sent food to
relieve the stricken Judeans. She also sent troops to fight the Romans during
the first rebellion. She died in Adiabene but her remains and those of her
firstborn son Izates were transferred to Jerusalem by Munboz II, and interred
in the mausoleum she had built in the north of the city, known today as “the Tombs
of the Kings.”[2] There is a street named after her in downtown
Jerusalem. Nicanor donated to copper doors to the Temple. If you curious about
the miracle concerning them see the top of TB Yoma 38a.
The Mishnah on today’s daf
TB Yoma 38 gives three more examples of people who were ultimately remember for
good and one who isn’t remembered favorably. The three who are remembered
favorably are the House of Garmu who knew how to make the shewbread, the House
of Avtinas who knew how to make the incense, the ketoret, and Hugras ben Levi who knew how to make beautiful music
in the Temple courtyard. The Mishnah concludes: “And the scribe ben Kamtzar
did not want to teach a special act of writing. He was expert at
writing all four letters of a four-letter name simultaneously. About the
first ones, who were mentioned favorably, it is stated: “The memory of
the righteous shall be for a blessing” (Proverbs 10:7); and about these who were
concerned only for themselves it is stated: “But the name of the wicked
shall rot” (Proverbs 10:7).”
(Sefaria.org translation)
The Gemara discusses the
difference between the righteous and the wicked. “Rabbi Elazar said: A righteous person
is praised for his own actions, and a wicked person is cursed not
only for his own actions but also for the actions of his wicked counterpart.
A righteous person is praised for his actions, as it is written: “The
memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing”; righteous is written in
the singular. A wicked person is also cursed for the actions of his
wicked counterpart, as it is written: “But the name of the wicked shall
rot”; wicked is written in the plural. Once one wicked person is mentioned,
his wicked counterparts are cursed as well… Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi
Yoḥanan said: Once most of a person’s years have passed and he did not sin,
he will never sin, as it is stated: “He will keep the feet of His pious ones”
(I Samuel 2:9). Once a
person has established himself as righteous, God will keep him from failing
thereafter. In the school of Rabbi Sheila they say: Once the opportunity to perform
a sinful act presents itself to a person a first time and a second,
and he does not sin, he will never sin, as it is stated: “He will keep the feet
of His pious ones” (I
Samuel 2:9). Once he has refrained from sin several times, he has
established himself as pious and God will protect him thereafter.” (Sefaia.org translation)
What was true for those
people mentioned in yesterday’s and today’s dappim,
remains true for us. How we live our lives will determine whether we shall be
remembered for good or not. Yesterday
during Shavuot services we recited Yizkor
prayers in memory of our beloved departed. One of the English readings we read
ends “May we live unselfishly, in truth and love and peace, so that we will be
remembered as a blessing, as we lovingly remember, this day, those who live on
in our hearts.” (Siddur Sim Shalom for Shabbat and Festivals, page 189) The choice
is ours. How are you be remembered?
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