(ד) אֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֧י תַּעֲשׂ֛וּ וְאֶת־חֻקֹּתַ֥י תִּשְׁמְר֖וּ לָלֶ֣כֶת בָּהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יי אֱלֹקֵיכֶֽם׃ (ה) וּשְׁמַרְתֶּ֤ם אֶת־חֻקֹּתַי֙ וְאֶת־מִשְׁפָּטַ֔י אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַעֲשֶׂ֥ה אֹתָ֛ם הָאָדָ֖ם וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֑ם אֲנִ֖י יי׃ {ס}
(4) My rules alone shall you observe, and faithfully follow My laws: I, the LORD, am your God. (5) You shall keep My laws and My rules, by the pursuit of which human beings shall live: I am the LORD.
(ב) וחי בהם. לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, שֶׁאִם תֹּאמַר בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה וַהֲלֹא סוֹפוֹ הוּא מֵת (שם):
(2) וחי בהם means, THAT HE SHALL LIVE THROUGH THEM in the world to come (eternal life). For if you say it means that he shall live in this world, is it not a fact that in the end he must die!
וְתִטְרוּן יַת קְיָמַי וְיַת סִדְרֵי דִינַי דְאִין יַעֲבֵיד יַתְהוֹן אֵינָשָׁא וְיֵיחֵי בְּהוֹן בְּחַיֵי עַלְמָא וְחוּלְקֵיהּ עִם צַדִיקַיָא אֲנָא יְיָ
And you shall keep My statutes, and the order of My judgments, which if a man do he shall live in them, in the life of eternity, and his portion shall be with the just: I am the Lord.
ולא והתניא היה רבי מאיר אומר מנין שאפילו עובד כוכבים ועוסק בתורה שהוא ככהן גדול תלמוד לומר (ויקרא יח, ה) אשר יעשה אותם האדם וחי בהם כהנים לוים וישראלים לא נאמר אלא האדם הא למדת שאפילו עובד כוכבים ועוסק בתורה הרי הוא ככהן גדול אלא לומר לך שאין מקבלין עליהם שכר כמצווה ועושה אלא כמי שאינו מצווה ועושה דאמר ר' חנינא גדול המצווה ועושה יותר משאינו מצווה ועושה
The Gemara asks: And are they not rewarded for fulfilling those mitzvot? But isn’t it taught in a baraita that Rabbi Meir would say: From where is it derived that even a gentile who engages in Torah study is considered like a High Priest? The verse states: “You shall therefore keep My statutes and My ordinances, which if a person do, and shall live by them” (Leviticus 18:5). It is not stated: Priests, Levites, and Israelites, but rather the general term “person.” From here you learn that even a gentile who engages in the study of Torah is like a High Priest. Rather, the verse serves to tell you that they do not receive as great a reward for their fulfillment as one who is commanded and performs a mitzva. Rather, they receive a lesser reward, like that of one who is not commanded and still performs a mitzva. As Rabbi Ḥanina says: Greater is one who is commanded to do a mitzva and performs it than one who is not commanded and performs it.
מיתיבי לא ישא ויתן אדם עם המינין ואין מתרפאין מהן אפילו לחיי שעה מעשה בבן דמא בן אחותו של ר' ישמעאל שהכישו נחש ובא יעקב איש כפר סכניא לרפאותו ולא הניחו ר' ישמעאל וא"ל ר' ישמעאל אחי הנח לו וארפא ממנו ואני אביא מקרא מן התורה שהוא מותר ולא הספיק לגמור את הדבר עד שיצתה נשמתו ומת קרא עליו ר' ישמעאל אשריך בן דמא שגופך טהור ויצתה נשמתך בטהרה ולא עברת על דברי חביריך שהיו אומרים (קהלת י, ח) ופורץ גדר ישכנו נחש שאני מינות דמשכא דאתי למימשך בתרייהו אמר מר לא עברת על דברי חביריך שהיו אומרים ופורץ גדר ישכנו נחש איהו נמי חויא טרקיה חויא דרבנן דלית ליה אסותא כלל ומאי ה"ל למימר (ויקרא יח, ה) וחי בהם ולא שימות בהם
The Gemara raises an objection from a baraita: A person may not engage in dealings with heretics, and one may not be treated by them even in a case where it is clear that without medical attention one will experience only temporal life. There was an incident involving ben Dama, son of Rabbi Yishmael’s sister, in which a snake bit him. And following the attack, Ya’akov of the village of Sekhanya came to treat him, but Rabbi Yishmael did not let him do so. And ben Dama said to him: Rabbi Yishmael, my brother, let him treat me, and I will be healed by him. And I will cite a verse from the Torah to prove that accepting medical treatment from a heretic is permitted in this situation. But ben Dama did not manage to complete the statement before his soul departed from his body and he died. Rabbi Yishmael recited with regard to him: Fortunate are you, ben Dama, as your body is pure and your soul departed in purity, and you did not transgress the statement of your colleagues, who would state the verse: “And who breaks through a fence, a snake shall bite him” (Ecclesiastes 10:8). Heresy is different, as it is enticing. In other words, it is prohibited to accept medical treatment from a heretic, as one might come to be drawn after his heresy.
The Master said above: You did not transgress the statement of your colleagues, who would state the verse: “And who breaks through a fence, a snake shall bite him.” But ben Dama was also bitten by a snake. The snake mentioned in the curse of the Sages is different, as it has no remedy whatsoever. And what would ben Dama have said? The verse: “You shall therefore keep My statutes, and My ordinances, which if a man do, he shall live by them” (Leviticus 18:5). This teaches that one should live by God’s mitzvot, and not that he should die by them.
מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶלְעָזָר בֶּן דָּמָא שֶׁנְּשָׁכוֹ נָחָשׁ וּבָא יַעֲקֹב אִישׁ כְּפַר סָמָא לְרַפּוֹתוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ. נֵימָא לָךְ בְּשֵׁם יֵשׁוּ בֶּן פַנְדֵּרָא. אָמַר לוֹ רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל. אֵי אַתָּה רַשַּׁאי בֶּן דָּמָא. אָמַר לוֹ. אֲנִי אָבִיא רְאַייָה שֶׁיְּרַפְּאֵינִי. לֹא הִסְפִּיק לְהָבִיא רְאָייָה עַד שֶׁמֵּת. אָמַר לוֹ רִבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל. אַשְׁרֶיךָ בֶּן דָּמָה. שֶׁיָּצָאתָ בְשָׁלוֹם מִן הָעוֹלָם וְלֹא פָרַצְתָּ גְדֵירָן שֶׁלַּחֲכָמִים. לְקַייֵם מַה שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וּפוֹרֵץ גָּדֵ֖ר יִשְּׁכֶ֥נּוּ נָחָֽשׁ. וְלֹא נָחָשׁ נְשָׁכוֹ. אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹּא יִשְׁכֶּנּוּ לְעָתִד לָבוֹא. וּמַה הֲוָה לֵיהּ לְמֵימַר. אֲשֶׁ֨ר יַֽעֲשֶׂ֥ה אוֹתָם הָֽאָדָ֖ם וָחַ֣י בָּהֶ֑ם
It happened that Eleazar ben Dama was bitten by a snake and Jacob from Kefar-Sama came to heal him (,and told him, I shall speak to you) in the name of Jesus ben Pandera. Rebbi Ismael said to him, Ben Dama you are not allowed. He told him, I shall bring a proof that he can heal me. He could not bring proof before he died. Rebbi Ismael said to him, you are blessed, ben Dama, that you left this world in peace and did not tear down the fences of the Sages, (to confirm) as it is written, he who tears down a fence will be bitten by a snake. But did not a snake bite him? But that it will not bite him in the Future World. What could he have said? Which a person should do and live by them.
וְלָמָּה נִתְּנָה הַתּוֹרָה בַּמִּדְבָּר. לוֹמַר, מָה הַמִּדְבָּר מֻפְקָר לְכָל בְּנֵי אָדָם, אַף דִּבְרֵי תוֹרָה מֻפְקָרִין לְכָל מִי שֶׁיִּרְצֶה לִלְמֹד. שֶׁלֹּא יְהֵא אָדָם אוֹמֵר, אֲנִי בֶּן תּוֹרָה וְתוֹרָה נְתוּנָה לִי וְלַאֲבוֹתַי וְאַתָּה וַאֲבוֹתֶיךָ לֹא הֱיִיתֶם בְּנֵי תוֹרָה אֶלָּא אֲבוֹתֶיךָ גֵּרִים הָיוּ, לְכָךְ כְּתִיב: מוֹרָשָׁה קְהִלַּת יַעֲקֹב (דברים לג, ד), לְכָל מִי שֶׁמִּתְקַהֵל בְּיַעֲקֹב. אֲפִלּוּ הַגֵּרִים שֶׁעוֹסְקִין בַּתּוֹרָה, שְׁקוּלִים הֵם כְּכֹהֵן גָּדוֹל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֲשֶׁר יַעֲשֶׂה אֹתָם הָאָדָם וָחַי בָּהֶם אֲנִי ה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם (ויקרא יח, ה), כֹּהֵן וְלֵוִי וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא נֶאֱמַר אֶלָּא אָדָם. לְפִיכָךְ תּוֹרָה אַחַת וּמִשְׁפָּט אֶחָד יִהְיֶה וְגוֹ' (במדבר טו, טו). רְאֵה מַה כְּתִיב בִּבְנֵי יִתְרוֹ, וּמִשְׁפְּחוֹת סוֹפְרִים ישְׁבֵי יַעְבֵּץ תִּרְעָתִים שִׁמְעָתִים שׂוּכָתִים (דה״א ב, נה). תִּרְעָתִים, שֶׁהָיוּ יוֹשְׁבִים בְּלִשְׁכַּת הַגָּזִית. שִׁמְעָתִים, שֶׁהָיוּ כָּל יִשְׂרָאֵל שׁוֹמְעִים הֲלָכָה מִפִּיהֶם. שׂוּכָתִים, שֶׁנִּסְתּוֹכְכוּ בְּרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ. וּמִי הֵם, הֵמָּה הַקִּינִים הַבָּאִים מֵחַמַּת אֲבִי בֵית רֵכָב (דה״א ב, נה), מִבְּנֵי קֵנִי חוֹתֵן מֹשֶׁה. וּשְׁמַעְיָה וְאַבְטַלְיוֹן בְּנֵי בָנָיו שֶׁל סִיסְרָא הָיוּ וְלִמְּדוּ תוֹרָה בָּרַבִּים כְּאַנְשֵׁי כְנֶסֶת הַגְּדוֹלָה. כָּל כָּךְ לָמָּה. שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה נִתְּנָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. לְפִיכָךְ כְּתִיב: אֶת הַדְּבָרִים הָאֵלֶּה דִּבֶּר ה' אֶל כָּל קְהַלְכֶם (דברים ה, יט).
Why was the law given in the desert? To teach us that just as the desert is free to all men, so the words of the law are free to all who desire to learn them. Also, lest a man should say: “I am a student of the law that was given to me and my ancestors, while you and your ancestors are not students of the law; your ancestors were strangers”; hence it is written: An inheritance of the congregation of Jacob (Deut. 33:4). This tells us that the law was an inheritance for all who associate themselves with Jacob. Even outsiders who devote themselves to the law are equal to the high priest, as it is said: Which if a man do, he shall live by them: I am the Lord (Lev. 18:5). It does not refer to priest or Levite or Israelite but merely to man. Thus, One law and one ordinance shall be both for you and for the stranger that sojourneth with you (Num. 15:16). Observe what is written concerning the sons of Jethro: And the families of the scribes that dwelt at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Succathites (I Chron. 2:55). The name Tirathites (understood as derived from Aramaic tar’a, “gate”) indicates that they sat at the gate to the inner chamber of the Temple; Shimeathites (which includes the letters of the word shema, “hear”) implies that all the Israelites heard the law from their lips; and Succathites (which includes the word sukkah, “covered by”) suggests that they were enveloped by the Holy Spirit. Who were these? They were Kenites who came from The father of the house of Rechab (ibid.). The father-in-law of Moses was a Kenite, and Shemaiah and Abtalion and the descendants of Sisera were also Kenites. They studied the law in public like the men of the Great Synagogue. Why was that? Because the law was given to all Israel. Therefore it is written: These words that the Lord spoke unto all your assembly (Deut. 5:19).