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A quote that sometimes appears on the internet is the following: "Everyone will be called to account for all the legitimate pleasures which he or she has failed to enjoy."

It is usually attributed simply to "The Talmud," which makes me suspicious since there is never a specific order or tractate mentioned. Is this a true quote, or is the attribution just made up?

Double AA
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Michael
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  • As mentioned in DoubleAA's answer below, this claim is commonly justified by the quote from the Jerusalem Talmud. The only problem is, the quote doesn't necessarily support that exact claim. See the comments below. – Fred Oct 25 '13 at 18:44
  • http://judaism.stackexchange.com/questions/18858/does-g-d-approve-or-merely-permit-human-consumption-of-meat/18873#comment46891_18873 – Menachem Oct 25 '13 at 20:54

1 Answers1

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The reference (presumably) is to Yerushalmi Kiddushin 4:12.

ר' חזקיה ר' כהן בשם רב עתיד אדם ליתן דין וחשבון על כל מה שראת עינו ולא אכל רבי לעזר חשש להדא שמועתא ומצמית ליה פריטין ואכיל בהון מכל מילה חדא בשתא
R Chizkiah R Cohn in the name of Rav: In the future one will be judged for all that his eyes saw and he didn't eat. R Lazer worried about this opinion and set aside money to eat from every kind once a year.

Double AA
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    Incidentally, the Korban HaEida and the P'nei Moshe (ad loc.) both provide two possible explanations of this: 1.) It is forbidden for someone to make himself suffer by refusing to enjoy something for which he has a desire. (This explanation does not encourage indulgence in general. It rather forbids asceticism to the point of suffering). 2.) It is forbidden for someone to bypass an opportunity to praise HaShem by making a b'racha (whether a birkas hanehenin or shehechiyanu) when the opportunity arises. – Fred Oct 25 '13 at 18:31
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    @Fred Yep. In regards 2, see also the Magen Avraham's Girsa in OC 225 – Double AA Oct 25 '13 at 18:32
  • Interesting! Judging from context, he does seem to interpret the Y'rushalmi as referring to missing an opportunity to say shehechiyanu. In fact, the context of the Y'rushalmi itself seems to support this approach. – Fred Oct 25 '13 at 18:37
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    IINM I've heard that Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch had said that when one dies he'll be asked whether he had seen the Swiss Alps. I assume that that was based on this Y'rushalmi. – msh210 Oct 27 '13 at 01:33
  • @msh210 This may fit with interpretation #2 above, since you can recite Oseh Ma'asei B'reishis upon seeing the Alps (Aruch HaShulchan 228:1). Observing wonders of Creation is of course also an avenue to fulfilling the commands to love and revere HaShem (Rambam, Hil. Y'sodei HaTorah 2:2). – Fred Oct 27 '13 at 03:42
  • @Fred Tashbetz Katan 320 says explicitly that it's about extra Berakhot. https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=19386&st=&pgnum=60 – Double AA Oct 28 '16 at 06:27
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    Related https://judaism.stackexchange.com/a/94594/759 cc @fred – Double AA Aug 09 '18 at 23:53
  • Magen Avraham's source is Matteh Moshe here 359 https://hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=40439&st=&pgnum=155 – Double AA Jan 13 '22 at 16:00
  • Slight variant as quoted in Raavad https://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=8785&st=&pgnum=139 – Double AA Jan 13 '22 at 16:08
  • Slight variant and commentary in Rashbatz https://www.sefaria.org/Magen_Avot.3.13.5 – Double AA Jan 13 '22 at 16:12