הלכה על איוב 4:26

And if you think and “your heart carries you away”¹³⁴Job 15:12. to say, what need is there for the resurrection of the dead since the souls are already on the level of the heavenly hosts, assembled in awesome view of Ha-Shem the King of the hosts,¹³⁵There’s a untranslatable play of words here on tzeva’ot (armies – as in “the heavenly hosts”) and tzov’ot be-mar’ot (“assembled in view of”), an allusion to the mar’ot tzov’ot(“the mirrors of the assembled women”) at the Tent of Meeting in Ex 38:8. those of the completely righteous who served Him lovingly with sincere hearts in this world? Is it proper for the Holy One Blessed be He to perform this miracle upon them, to make them live again after they died? Wouldn’t it be better to remain in their honored and pure place in the upper palace in heaven than to return to their body to dwell in a “house of clay,”¹³⁶An allusion to Job 4:19. even if these dwellings were precious, “trimmed to give shape to a palace,”¹³⁷Ps 144;12. brilliant with precious stones, as I mentioned above?

“For line by line” (Isa. 28:10), the Holy One, blessed be He, may His name and His fame be blessed, recompenses measure for measure,¹Nedarim 32a. both reward for good and punishment for evil. How so? A man sins because of monetary matters, or because of his honor, or physical pleasures, woe to the sinner, for they (heavenly powers) will punish him for the sin that he commits. Similarly, if he merits and remains unconcerned with the pleasures of his body, wealth, or honor, they (heavenly powers) reward him with the very matter which he foregoes. For the king Solomon did not ask for his own perfection either in matters of wealth or ambition, but only in wisdom and understanding, to do his Creator’s will,²I Kings 3:11. and the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him both, even that for which he did not ask. Behold, everyone who does the will of the Creator and is unconcerned with personal advancement, profit or ambition, at that time when he is able to engage in his own advancement, the Holy One, blessed be He, provides for him.³Erubin 54b. Go and learn from Moses our teacher to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Now therefore let Me alone, that My wrath may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them and I will make of thee a great nation” (Exod. 32:10). But Moses showed no interest except to rescue Israel, therefore was fulfilled “but the sons of Rehabiah were very many” (I Chron. 23:17) and exceeded the 600,000 souls.⁴Berakoth 7a. Therefore they established first the blessings “Favorest … with knowledge” and “Cause us to return,” and “Forgive us,” which reflect the will of the Holy One, blessed be He. It is written in Psalms, “but as for Me when they were sick My clothing was sack cloth” etc…. (Ps. 35:13) all are commanded to join in the grief of another,⁵Taanith 11a. to be troubled in his distress and to pray for him, as it is written, “far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you” (I Sam. 12:23). It is written, “Behold, He putteth no trust in his servants” (Job 4:11). Moses said, “all the difficult matters let them bring to me” (Deut. 1:17). He was punished for this in that he did not know how to answer the daughters of Zelophehad.⁶Sanhedrin 8a. Samuel also said, “I am the seer,” (I Sam. 9:19) and he was punished when he annointed David as king, not knowing which one he was of the seven sons of Jesse.⁷Sifre, Deuteronomy 1:17. And so let a man not pride himself because people praise him, for if they do praise him, of what benefit is it to man who is here today and tomorrow in the grave, today alive and tomorrow a worm.⁸Berakoth 28b. Of all the virtues humility is the most praiseworthy,⁹J. T. Shabbath 1:3. and so he says, “Now the man Moses was very meek” (Num. 12:3). Let a man not bear himself haughtily, or with a bare head for the Divine Glory is above his head, therefore he should go bent that His fear be upon him. Everyone who goes with a proud carriage, is regarded as robbing the Lord, rebuffing Him, and showing no reverence.¹⁰Berakoth 43b. Neither let him walk with arrogance because of the fear of the Divine Glory which is opposite him. Take a lesson from those who guard a king of flesh and blood or one of his chamberlains, he does not raise his eyes because of fear of the king or the chamberlain who is before him; all the more we who stand before the Divine Glory which is constantly before us, should not lift up our eyes. Rather (let) this be the custom, (let one) lower the eyelids to the extent that he does not see what is coming against the orb of his eyes, in French, brunelsh.¹¹The French term prunelle means pupil of the eye or eyeball. Meekness instills favor and reverence when a man lowers his eyes and bearing and does not go with a bare head because of reverence for the Shekhina.¹²Kiddushin 31a. Therefore let him always regard (remember) his Creator as being before him.

If you withstood a great test still do not be confident of yourself until the day of death,¹Aboth 2:5. to say, “Since I did not sin in this great matter, I will no longer sin.” Because the evil inclination today is not the same as yesterday, therefore perhaps in the very same matter (test) tomorrow you will be unable to endure. Behold David did not sin with Abigail²Megillah 14b. but he sinned with Bathsheba, David did not sin with his pursuers who sought to kill him³Berakoth 62b. and did not raise his hand upon the annointed of God and did not give permission to Avishai to strike him,⁴He allowed no one to strike Saul. but in the end he did sin with Uriah, who sought his (David’s) wellbeing.⁵Shabbath 56a. But if you say, “I can believe in myself since I was rescued from a great transgression,” then you hold yourself more righteous than those on high. Not only that, but you regard yourself and your wisdom superior to Him who created you, for it is said, “Behold, He putteth no trust in His holy ones” (Job 15:15), “And His angels He chargeth with folly” (Job 4:18). If the Holy One, blessed be He, who knows what the future will be, does not trust His angels and His holy ones, you, with your thoughts changing from good to evil all the more that you should not be confident in yourself, and thus it is said, “Happy is the man that feareth always” (Prov. 28:14) that he not sin. “Lamed,” signifies “Your heart, fill it with understanding,”⁶The lamed is used as an acrostic. The “l,” “m” and “d” serve as the first letters for each of the three words that comprise the passage. to know the fear of the Lord, and it is written, “ Teach me good discernment and knowledge … teach me Thy statutes” (Ps. 119:66-68).

To not mistreat any Israelite with words: To not mistreat any Israelite with words, meaning to say that one not say to an Israelite words that hurt him or cause him pain and he doesn't have the strength to be helped by them. And in explanation, they, may their memory be blessed, said (Baba Metzia 58b), "How is it? If he was a penitent, he should not say to him, 'Remember your previous deeds.' If ailments are coming upon him, he should not say to him in the way that Job's friends spoke (Job 4:6), 'Is not your reverence, your confidence, etc.' If one saw donkey drivers seeking [feed], he should not say, 'Go to x,' when he knows that he does not have any. And do not to say to a trader, 'How much is this item?,' when he does not wish to buy it." And about this it is stated (Leviticus 25:17), "A person should not mistreat his countryman."