89 In Berakot 34b two views are cited; according to one, those who repent are considered superior to those who have never sinned, while the other view maintains the opposite case. As to the high esteem in which innocent youths are held, comp. Pesahim 113a. On the study of the Torah under God’s guidance, comp. note 194.
90 Perek Gan ‘Eden, which is extant in many recensions: Yalkut I, 20 (from a poor text of Yalkut published by Jellinek in BHM II, 52–53, under the wrong title Seder Gan ‘Eden); Baraita di-Shemuel 25 (text in manuscript by Rachlin, Bar Levoi, New York, 1906, pp. 82–84); Mahzor Vitry 735. Aggadat Shir and Targum Eccl., and probably also Zohar (comp. notes 79 and 81), seem to have made use of this description of paradise. Most of the legends relating to paradise and hell are attributed to R. Joshua b. Levi, who, according to a well-known tradition, already mentioned in the Talmud (Ketubot 77b), was permitted to enter paradise during his life-time. Hence the description of paradise begins: “R. Joshua b. Levi said: There are eighty myriads of trees in every corner of paradise, etc.” In Baraita di-Shemuel, after this description of paradise, there follows in a second chapter another description of the seven divisions of the pious in paradise (comp. note 97). The entire tractate is headed Masseket Gan ‘Eden. It is, however, quite obvious from the contents that the two descriptions are of different origin. That a description of hell followed the one of paradise is quite probable, and the designation of the latter as Perek Gan ‘Eden clearly points to this direction; but the description of hell found in our text of Baraita diShemuel 30–32 (published in BHM I, 147–149), from another source, has been artificially attached to that of paradise. One of the descriptions is purely legendary, while the other is midrashic-haggadic; they therefore must be of different origin.
91 These seven divisions are obviously identical with those previously described. There are many other descriptions of these divisions; comp. note 97. Concerning the proselyte Obadiah, comp. vol. IV, pp. 240–241.
92 The views of the ancient authorities differ on the question whether the “generation of the wilderness” have a portion in the life to come (=paradise); comp. note 177 on vol. III, p. 79.
93 The sentence וכל...מאבשלום is to be placed after הוא שם; hence the translation in the text.
94 Read שבשמים instead of שמנים, and comp. Konen 28. On Chileab comp. Vol. II, p. 260 and vol. IV, p. 118. On Menasseh
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