Kommentar zu Ijow 2:10
וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלֶ֗יהָ כְּדַבֵּ֞ר אַחַ֤ת הַנְּבָלוֹת֙ תְּדַבֵּ֔רִי גַּ֣ם אֶת־הַטּ֗וֹב נְקַבֵּל֙ מֵאֵ֣ת הָאֱלֹהִ֔ים וְאֶת־הָרָ֖ע לֹ֣א נְקַבֵּ֑ל בְּכָל־זֹ֛את לֹא־חָטָ֥א אִיּ֖וֹב בִּשְׂפָתָֽיו׃ (פ)
Da sprach er zu ihr: Du redest wie eine Niederträchtige! Das Gute wollen wir von Gott annehmen, aber das Böse wollten wir nicht annehmen? Bei all dem sündigte also Ijow nicht mit seinen Lippen.
Rashi on Job
also Is it not enough that He created us? Should we also accept the good, but not accept the evil? This is a wonder.
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Malbim on Job
Job rebukes her for this but does not bless God again; nor does he curse Him.9Malbim elaborates, adding that his wife taunted him: 'Look, when you blessed God the first time and thereby showed that you are faithful with Him, He went on to afflict your body too. So if now you bless him again, He will surely go on to afflict your soul until you die, for there is nothing else left by which He can strike you. And so, since you still maintain your sincerity, why are you silent this time and do not bless over the bad. Bless God now too, and die!'' He asks rhetorically: Besides, can we receive good from God without receiving bad?. At first sight, this appears to be a noble reply and this is how most commentators interpret it. But closer examination shows that in his mind Job was already turning to heresy. This follows from his use of the word 'besides'. Job believed that in reality good is always touched with bad. Furthermore, from what he subsequently says in the debate, it is clear that he thought that the bad in the world outweighs the good. Consequently, he does not believe God can grant only good. Whoever wants good must also accept an amount of bad. For example, a person, who consumes large quantities of wine and rich foods because he likes their taste, must not complain that it makes him drunk or gives him indigestion. Just the opposite, in exchange for the pleasure it gives him, one who enjoys the taste of wine and good food must be prepared to endure the inevitable and greater discomfort that follows their consumption. The hangover and upset stomach are the price that must be paid for enjoying the food and drink. Likewise, if we want to receive good from God, namely existence and life, we must of necessity also accept bad; a bad that is greater than the good. So great in fact, that it can be argued that overall what we get in our short lives is principally and mainly bad with just a little good thrown in. When he comes into existence, man is burdened with a host of troubles, worries and uncertainties that crowd his short span. This is the essence of his patrimony. Thus, Job reveals that in his mind he was already leaning towards the heresy that God's creation of man was to his detriment, for the bad outweighs the good in the world 4The Talmud relates:
For two and a half years, the academies of Shammai and Hillel were in dispute. The former asserting that it were better for man not to have been created than to have been created; the latter maintaining that it is better for man to have been created than not to have been created. They finally took a vote and decided that it were better for man not to have been created than to have been created. But now that he has been created, let him investigate his past deeds; or, as others say, let him examine his future actions (TB Eruvin 13b). To criticize God's motives and to impute that He created man for his own harm is a root from which springs gall and wormwood (Deuteronomy 29:18), and this is the foundation of all the bitter things that he subsequently expounds in the debate. But since at this point, even though this idea was already in his mind, he only hints at it by his use of the word 'besides', the book relates that despite everything, Job did not sin with his lips. For he had not yet actually uttered it. Hence, the Talmudic Sages said that though Job did not sin with his lips, he did sin in his heart (TB Baba Batra 16a).
For two and a half years, the academies of Shammai and Hillel were in dispute. The former asserting that it were better for man not to have been created than to have been created; the latter maintaining that it is better for man to have been created than not to have been created. They finally took a vote and decided that it were better for man not to have been created than to have been created. But now that he has been created, let him investigate his past deeds; or, as others say, let him examine his future actions (TB Eruvin 13b). To criticize God's motives and to impute that He created man for his own harm is a root from which springs gall and wormwood (Deuteronomy 29:18), and this is the foundation of all the bitter things that he subsequently expounds in the debate. But since at this point, even though this idea was already in his mind, he only hints at it by his use of the word 'besides', the book relates that despite everything, Job did not sin with his lips. For he had not yet actually uttered it. Hence, the Talmudic Sages said that though Job did not sin with his lips, he did sin in his heart (TB Baba Batra 16a).
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Rashi on Job
with his lips but in his heart he did sin.
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