עֲמַל הַכְּסִילִים תְּיַגְּעֶנּוּ, זֶה תַּלְמִיד שֶׁעוֹמֵד בְּמִשְׁנָתוֹ. אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַע לָלֶכֶת אֶל עִיר, לֹא הָיָה לוֹ לֵילֵךְ לְרַבּוֹ שֶׁיַּחֲזִיר לוֹ תַּלְמוּדוֹ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, עֲמַל הַכְּסִילִים תְּיַגְּעֶנּוּ, זֶה יִפְתָּח. אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַע לָלֶכֶת אֶל עִיר, לֹא הָיָה לוֹ לֵילֵךְ אֵצֶל פִּנְחָס וְיָפֵר לוֹ נִדְרוֹ, אֶלָּא אָמַר יִפְתָּח אֲנִי רֹאשׁ וְקָצִין לְיִשְׂרָאֵל אֵלֵךְ אֵצֶל פִּנְחָס, וּפִנְחָס אָמַר אֲנִי כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל בֶּן כֹּהֵן גָּדוֹל וְאֵלֵךְ אֵצֶל עַם הָאָרֶץ, מִבֵּינֵי תְּרֵייה סָפַת הַהִיא עֲלוּבְתָּא, וְתַרְוֵיהוֹן אִתְחַיְּיבוּן עַל דְּמַהּ, יִפְתָּח נִשּׁוֹל אֵבָר אֵבָר וְנִקְבַּר, דִּכְתִיב (שופטים יב, ז): וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּעָרֵי גִלְעָד, וּבְכַמָּה מְקוֹמוֹת נִקְבַּר דְּאַתְּ אָמַר וַיִּקָּבֵר בְּעָרֵי גִלְעָד, אֶלָּא מְלַמֵּד שֶׁהָיָה נִשּׁוֹל אֵבָר אֵבָר וְנִקְבַּר בִּמְקוֹמוֹ. פִּנְחָס מַה הִפְסִיד, נִסְתַּלְּקָה מִמֶּנּוּ רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ מָאתַיִם שָׁנָה, דִּכְתִיב (דברי הימים א ט, כ): וּפִינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר נָגִיד עֲלֵיהֶם אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן, אֶלָּא נָגִיד הָיָה עֲלֵיהֶם לְפָנִים ה' עִמּוֹ.
“The toil of the fools will exhaust him, as he will not know to go to a city” (Ecclesiastes 10:15). “The toil of the fools will exhaust him” – this is a student who stagnates in his study; “as he will not know to go to a city” – should he not have gone to his teacher to restore his learning to him? Another matter: “The toil of the fools will exhaust him” – this is Yiftaḥ; “as he will not know to go to a city” – should he not have gone to Pinḥas so he would annul his vow for him? However, Yiftaḥ said: ‘I am the chief and commander of Israel; shall I go to Pinḥas?’ Pinḥas said: ‘I am a High Priest, son of a High Priest; shall I go to an ignoramus?’ Between the two of them that unfortunate one was lost, and the two of them are liable for her blood. Yiftaḥ’s limbs were severed one after another and buried, as it is written: “He was buried in the cities of Gilad” (Judges 12:7). In how many places was he buried that you say: “He was buried in the cities of Gilad”? Rather, it teaches that his limbs were severed one after another, and each one was buried in its place. What did Pinḥas lose? The Divine Spirit left him for two hundred years, as it is not written, “he was chief over them,” but it is written: “Pinḥas ben Elazar had been chief over them; in the past the Lord was with him” (I Chronicles 9:20).