Yesterday, we reviewed a mishnah from Sanhedrin 90a in which most tannaitic rabbis were on record as believing that Manasseh, a wicked and idolatrous Israelite king, did not receive a portion in the World to Come. But one rabbi in the mishnah demurred: Rabbi Yehuda argued that Manasseh repented and ultimately secured a place in the next world.

In the Gemara on yesterday’s daf, Rav Ashi had a dream that taught him Manasseh was not only penitent but also a master of halakhah. Today’s daf continues the rehabilitation of Manasseh, with this important explanation for the rabbis’ thinking:

Rabbi Yohanan says: Anyone who says that Manasseh has no share in the World to Come discourages penitents …

What we teach about Manasseh, says Rabbi Yohanan, has an important impact on those who hear it: Teaching he had no part in the World to Come may discourage others from repenting. This is followed by a beraita that claims Manasseh not only repented, he in fact spent 33 years repenting! Then Rabbi Yohanan describes the effect of that repenting, in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai:

Why is it written (2 Chronicles 33:13): “And he prayed to Him; and He made an opening for him”? It should instead say, “He received his entreaty”! This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, made a type of tunnel to heaven in order to accept his repentance, because otherwise the attribute of justice would have prevented it.

Manasseh repented — indeed, may have repented quite a lot — but strict justice would have prevented his entry into the World to Come. God had to authorize it. Indeed, God built the tunnel that allowed Manasseh’s repentance to be heard and to bring Manasseh to the next world. The Jerusalem Talmud’s version suggests the tunnel was dug right under the divine throne.

In his commentary on the Torah, Brit Shalom, Rabbi Pinchas ben Rabbi Pilta connects this midrash to another midrash about Amalek and Yitro. Biblically, Amalek was the grandson of Esau and the primogenitor of a brutal people who became savage enemies of the Israelites — so much so that God commanded the Israelites to wipe them out. Yitro was a Midianite priest whose daughter married Moses and who later joined Moses as he led the Israelites through the wilderness. According to the midrash, both Amalek and Yitro advised Pharaoh when the Israelites were slaves in Egypt — a seemingly unforgivable act. Afterward, the midrash recounts, Yitro repented, but Amalek did not. After Amalek attacked Israel, Moses said, “For there is a hand on the throne of God. God will be at war with Amalek throughout the ages.” (Exodus 17:16) Rabbi Pinchas connects these two stories through the image of God’s throne mentioned in the story of Amalek and the above story about Manasseh: “Many places say that the right hand of God is extended to receive penitents … God expects the wicked to repent and if they don’t, He locks the door of repentance before them …”

In other words, even Amalek — whose name is synonymous with evil — were given the chance to repent. However, Amalek did not choose repentance so God, rather than extending a hand to accept him, left a divine hand, as it were, on the divine throne, precluding any later chance of repentance. The same site of God’s secret acceptance of Manasseh is the site of Amalek’s final judgement. In the end, it is not the severity of the misdeed that precludes repentance, but the choice the sinner makes. Amalek, who gave Pharaoh advice to act wickedly, summarily rejected any opportunity for repentance when his nation later attacked the Israelites. Manasseh, who promoted idol worship among the Israelites, even bringing it into the Temple courtyard, repented of his deeds and was accepted by God.

Read all of Sanhedrin 103 on Sefaria.

This piece originally appeared in a My Jewish Learning Daf Yomi email newsletter sent on March 30, 2025. If you are interested in receiving the newsletter, sign up here.