Talmud zu Amos 4:13

“Nor the Creation to two.” Rebbi Abba in the name of Rav Jehudah: This is Rebbi Aqiba’s, but following Rebbi Ismael one investigates what happened. Since Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi was sitting and explaining that originally the world was water in water; this implies that practice follows Rebbi Ismael. Rebbi Jehudah bar Pazi was preaching⁹The original meaning of דרש “to investigate” has been changed into the later Amoraic-Medieval “to preach” and the interpretation of the Mishnah changed accordingly.: Originally the world was water in water. What is the reason? God’s wind was hovering over the water¹⁰Gen. 1:2.. Then He turned it into snow, He throws his ice like small breads¹¹Ps. 147:17.. Then He turned it into land, for He will tell the snow, be land¹²Job 37:6.. And the land stands on water, to Him Who spreads the earth over the water¹³Ps. 136:6. Babli 12b.. And the water stands on mountains, on mountains shall the water stand¹⁴Ps. 104:6.. And the mountains stand on wind, behold the Maker of mountains and Creator of wind¹⁵Am. 4:13.. And the wind depends on storm, the wind storm executes His word¹⁶Ps. 148:3. And the Holy One, praise to Him, turned storm into a kind of amulet and hung it on His arm, as it is said, and below eternal arms¹⁷Deut. 33:27..

Rebbi Ḥanina the son of Rebbi Abbahu said, Rebbi Meïr’s reason is that “shaping” is written for them as for humans⁴⁰In the Babli, 22b, this is attributed to Rav Jehudah in the name of Samuel.. “The Eternal God shaped man as dust from the earth.⁴¹Gen. 2:7.” Rebbi Immi asked, because “shaping” is written for them as for animals, “the Eternal God shaped from the earth all animals of the field and the birds of the sky⁴²Gen. 2:19. The masoretic text is slightly different from the text quoted.”? But is it not written “for behold the Shaper of mountains and Creator of wind⁴³Am. 4: 13. The same question is asked in the Babli, 23a.”? Then, if she has a miscarriage in the shape of a mountain, she should be impure because of birth! There is a difference, for shaping is not written for them in the Creation story. Rebbi Yasa in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Because they look forward as humans do. Abba bar bar Ḥana said in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: Because they walk forward as humans do⁴⁴In the Babli, 23a, Rabba bar bar Ḥana in the name of R. Joḥanan gives the explanation attributed here to R. Yasa.. Rebbi Abun bar Ḥiyya objected: Did we not state, “if his eyeball is round like that of a human,” is that not a defect⁴⁵Mishnah Bekhorot 6:8. A firstling whose eyes look human is not acceptable as sacrifice.? Rebbi Yose said, did we not state, look forward; did we not state, walk⁴⁶R. Joḥanan only spoke about functions, not about looks. (But human eyes are forward looking as eyes of predators; the eyes of kosher animals are sideways looking eyes of prey. In the Babli, 23a, Abbai restricts the rule of R. Meïr about birds to owls who have forward-looking quasi-human eyes.)? What about it⁴⁷Which features make animal eyes a bodily defect by being like human eyes?? Human eyeballs are round, animal eyeballs are elongated. Rebbi Yose ben Rebbi Abun said, human eyes have more white than black, animal eyes have more black than white.

BARAITHA.¹For the Baraithoth in this chap. cf. DEZ I. R. Judah [the Prince] said: The way of the disciples of the wise is to be meek and lowly of spirit.
GEMARA. Whence is this derived? For it is written, Seek ye the Lord, all ye humble of the earth, that have executed His ordinance; seek righteousness, seek humility. It may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.²Zeph. 2, 3. When our holy Rabbi³i.e. R. Judah the Prince. Cf. Ḥag. 4b (Sonc. ed., p. 17) where this is attributed to R. Ammi. came to this verse, he cried out and wept [because it stated,] Seek righteousness, seek humility, and perhaps!⁴Even then salvation is only problematical, the text stating it may be, etc. Woe to the creatures who think that death is a place of refuge and declare, ‘How many iniquities we are able to guard ourselves against!’⁵Since when we die we are safe from punishment. R. Isaac b. Parnak said: All man’s sins are engraven in his bones and all his merits are inscribed on his right hand, so that you shall not say that their sins are recorded and their merits are not. Whence [is this learnt]? As it is stated, The Lord is thy keeper, the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.⁶Ps. 121, 5, shade, meaning divine protection, in reward for a person’s merits; cf. ibid. XCI, 1.
R. Joshua b. Levi said: It is necessary for a man to take these words to heart, and then he will repent of his own accord. Come and see what is written, For, lo, He that formeth the mountains, and createth the wind, and declareth unto man what is his thought [siḥo].⁷Amos 4, 13. In the hour of his death man is reminded even of his least important talk [siḥah]. How is this? When a man is about to die, three Ministering Angels come to him:⁸Cf. ‘A.Z. 20b (Sonc. ed., p. 105). one is the Angel of Death, the second is a scribe and the third the angel who has been given authority over him who says to him, ‘Arise, your appointed time has come’. He replies, ‘I will not come; my appointed time has not yet arrived’. Thereupon the scribe sits down and calculates his days and years. Immediately the human being opens his eyes and, seeing the Angel of Death, trembles and falls upon his face. The Sages said: The Angel of Death extends in length from one end of the world to the other; from the sole of his foot to the top of his head he is [covered] all over with eyes; his clothing is of fire, his feet are of fire, and on the fiery sword in his hand hangs a drop of gall. From this [drop of gall] man dies, from it [the corpse] decomposes, from it his face becomes sallow, and he does not die until he beholds the Holy One, blessed be He; as it is stated, For man shall not see Me and live,⁹Ex. 33, 20. [meaning,] in their lifetime they do not see Me, but at their death they do see Me, as it is stated, All they that go down to the dust shall kneel before Him.¹⁰Ps. 22, 30. Forthwith man testifies against himself all that he had done in this world. His mouth testifies and the Holy One, blessed be He, seals [his testimony], as it is stated, By Myself have I sworn, the word is gone forth from My mouth in righteousness, and shall not come back.¹¹Isa. 45, 23. Therefore it is necessary that a man should reflect upon his latter end, as we have learnt: R. Leviṭas, a man of Jabneh, said: Be exceedingly lowly of spirit, since the hope of man is but the worm.¹²Aboth IV, 4 (Sonc. ed., p. 45). Hence our Rabbis taught: [The way of the disciples of the wise is to be] meek and lowly of spirit.