Talmud zu Bamidbar 21:8

MISHNAH: Similarly, the Eternal said to Moses, yourself make a poisonous snake and put it on a pole¹¹³Num. 21:8., etc. Does the snake kill or the snake make live? But in times when Israel look upwards and make their thought subservient to their Father in Heaven they were healed, otherwise they were rotting.

HALAKHAH: ¹¹⁴A somewhat extended version is Gen. rabba 31(8). Rebbi Yasa said, in four places it is said “make for yourself.” In three it is explicit, one is not explicit. Make yourself an ark of gopher wood¹¹⁵Gen. 6:14.. Make yourself two silver trumpets¹¹⁶Num. 10:2.. Make yourself flintstone knives¹¹⁷Jos. 5:2.. Make yourself a poisonous snake¹¹³Num. 21:8. He did not make explicit. Moses said, is its root not nḥš¹¹⁸The words for “brass” and “snake” both use the root nḥš whose meaning seems to be unrelated to both.? Therefore, Moses made a brass snake¹¹⁹Num. 21:9.. From there, Rebbi Meïr interpreted names¹²⁰Slightly differently Babli Yoma 83b.. There was a man called Kidor. Rebbi Meïr told them, guard yourselves from him, he is a bad person; for a generation of perverts they are¹²¹Deut. 32:20..

Rebbi Levi in the name of Rebbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina. It is not written, “and one bitten”, but and anyone bitten¹¹³Num. 21:8., even bitten by a dog, even bitten by a snake. But they do not compare. A dog bite, and he sees¹¹³Num. 21:8.; a snake bite, and he gazes^119,Num. 21:9.¹²²Gazing needs intent, seeing may be unintentional.. Rebbi Jehudah the circumcizer in the name of Rebbi Aḥa, A dog bite which is not of its kind, and he sees; a snake bite which is of its kind, and he gazes. But the rabbis say, A dog bite which does not make tremble, and he sees; a snake bite which makes tremble, and he gazes.