OrthJBC - John - 9

9:1  And passing along, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach saw a man ivver (blind) from birth.

9:2  The talmidim of Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach asked him, "Rebbe, who committed averos, this man or the horim (parents) of him, that he was born ivver? [Yechezkel 18:20; Shemot 20:5; Iyov 21;19]

9:3  In reply, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, "Neither this man sinned nor the horim of him, but that the pe'ulot of Hashem may be manifested in him.

9:4  "It is necessary for us to work the pe'ulot of the One having sent me while it is Yom. Lailah comes when no one is able to work. [Yirmeyah 13:16]

9:5  "When I am in the Olam Hazeh, I am the Ohr HaOlam."

9:6  Having said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay out of the saliva and he anointed the the clay upon his eyes,

9:7  and said to him, "Go wash in the pool of Shiloach!" [Melachim Bais 5:10]. (The name means "sent.") He went therefore and washed and came seeing.[Yeshayah 35:5]

9:8  Therefore, the shakhenim (neighbors) and the ones seeing him who was formerly a kabtzan (beggar), came, saying, "Is this not the man who was sitting and begging?"

9:9  Some were saying, "This is the one!" Others were saying, "No, but it is a man like him." But the man was saying, "I am the one!"

9:10  Therefore, the people were saying to him, "How, then, were your eyes opened?"

9:11  In reply, the man said, "The one called Yehoshua took clay and anointed my eyes and said to me, "Go to Shiloach [Melachim Bais 5:10] and wash. Therefore, having gone, and having washed, I saw!"

9:12  And they said to him, "Where is that one?" The man says to them, "I do not have da'as of that." THE PERUSHUIM INVESTIGATE THE HEALING

9:13  The people lead the man to the Perushim, the man who had formerly been ivver (blind).

9:14  Now it was a Shabbos, during which time period Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach took the clay and opened his eyes.

9:15  Then again also the Perushim were asking him how his eyes were opened, and the man said to them, "The man placed clay on my eyes and I washed, and I see."

9:16  Therefore some of the Perushim were saying,"This man is not from Hashem, because he is not Shomer Shabbos." But others were saying, "How is a man who is a choteh (sinner) able to do such otot (miraculous signs)?" There was a makhaloket (division of dissension) among them.

9:17  Therefore, they say to the ivver (blind man) again, "What do you say about him, because he opened your eyes?" And the man said, "He is a Navi."

9:18  Therefore, those of Yehudah did not believe that the man had been ivver (blind) until they called the horim of the man whose eyes were opened.

9:19  And they asked the horim, saying, "Is this the ben of you, whom you say was born ivver? How, therefore, does he now have sight?"

9:20  In reply, therefore, his horim said, "We have da'as that this man is the ben of us and that he was born ivver,

9:21  "but how he sees now we do not have da'as nor do we have da'as of who opened his eyes. Interrogate him. He is of age. He will speak for himself."

9:22  His horim said these things, because they were fearing those of Yehudah, for already those of Yehudah had agreed that if any person made hoda'ah (confession) of him to be the Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach, that person would be put under cherem ban from the shul.

9:23  Therefore, his horim said, "He is of age. Interrogate him."

9:24  They called a second time, therefore, the man who had been ivver (blind) and said to him, "V'ten lo todah." ("Give glory to G-d") [Yehoshua 7:19] We have da'as that this man is a choteh (sinner). [Tehillim 68:35; Yehoshua 7:19]

9:25  In reply, therefore, he said, "If he is a choteh (sinner), of that I don't have da'as. Of one thing I have da'as, that though I was ivver, now I see.

9:26  They said, therefore, to him, "What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?"

9:27  The man answered them, "I told you already, and you do not listen. Why again do you want to hear? Surely not also you want to become his talmidim?"

9:28  And they reviled him and said, "You are a talmid of that man, but we are talmidim of Moshe Rabbeinu. [Bamidbar 12:2,8]

9:29  "We have da'as that Hashem has spoken to Moshe Rabbeinu, but this man, we do not have da'as from where he comes."

9:30  In reply, the man said to them, "Here is a real cheftza! That you do not have da'as from where he comes, and he opened my eyes!"

9:31  We have da'as that G-d does not listen to chote'im (sinners), but if anyone has chassidus and yirat shomayim and does the ratson (will) of him, this one G-d hears. [Tehillim 18:23-32; 34:15-16; 66:18; 145:19-20; 51:7(5); Mishle 15:8,29; Yeshayah 1:15; 59:1-2]

9:32  "Never vi-bahlt (since) the Bri'at HaOlam (the Creation of the World) it was heard that anyone opened the eyes of a ivver (blind man) having been born thus.

9:33  "If this man was not from Hashem, he would not be able to do anything."

9:34  They answered and said to him, "You were born totally in chatta'im (sins) and you teach us?" And they threw him out. [Tehillim 51:5(7)] SPIRITUAL BLINDNESS REGARDING REBBE, MELECH HAMOSHIACH

9:35  Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach heard that they threw him out, and, having found him, Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, "Do you have emunah (faith) in the Ben HaAdam?"

9:36  In reply, the man said, "And who is he, Adoni, that I have emunah in him [as Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach]?"

9:37  And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, "You have seen him, and the one speaking to you is he."

9:38  And the man said, "Ani ma'amin, Adoni." And he fell down prostrate before him.

9:39  And Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said, "For the sake of Mishpat, I came into the Olam Hazeh, that the ones who are ivver (blind) may see, and the ones seeing may become ivverim."

9:40  Some of the Perushim heard these things--the ones being with him--and they said to him, "Surely we are not ivverim, are we?"

9:41  Rebbe, Melech HaMoshiach said to them, "If you were ivrim (blind men), you would not have chet, but now vi-bahlt (since) you say `We see' the chet of you remains."