"Blessed be the Lord, for His mercy has been wondrous to me in the city of Metzor. This is Rome. Love the Lord, all His faithful ones, the Lord preserves the faithful. These are those who respond "Amen" with faith.
One says "Blessed be He who revives the dead," and they still have not come, yet they believe in me that I revive the dead. One says "Blessed be He who redeems Israel," and they still have not been redeemed except for an hour, and they returned and were subjugated. And they believe that I am destined to redeem them. Be faithful, for the Lord preserves the faithful.
Rabbi Acha bar Ada said: "And you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him who serves God and him who does not serve Him" (Malachi 3:18). A person should not make his Torah a spade to dig with or a crown to adorn himself with. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: "Between him who serves and him who does not serve" - it is not similar to one who repeats his chapter a hundred times to the one who repeats it a hundred and one times. As it is written, "Be strong and let your heart take courage, all who wait for the Lord."...