Talmud su Salmi 55:78

One might think that one may pray all three⁴It will be explained later that the three daily prayers were either inherited from the patriarchs or they were fashioned after the Temple service. The verse in Daniel is not discussed in the order it is written, neither is the order of the verse preserved in the Tosephta (Berakhot 3:6) or in the Babli (31a), whose text is close to the Tosephta. The last remarks about moving one’s lips is neither in the Babli nor in the Tosephta. together - it is explained in Daniel (Dan. 6:11): “Three times a day he fell on his knees, etc.” One might think that one may pray in any direction one wants - the verse says “slits were open for him in the direction of Jerusalem.” One might think that he started after he went into captivity - the verse says “as was his wont from before that.” One might think that one may pray all three at any time he wishes - already David did explain (Ps. 55:18): “Morning, evening, and afternoon.” One might think that one may pray aloud - it was explained about Hannah (1Sam. 1:13): “Hannah was speaking to herself.” One might assume that he might simply think - the verse says “only her lips moved.” How is that? One whispers with one’s lips.

Rebbi Phineas gave on this subject two sermons, one in the name of Rebbi Zeïra, the other in the name of Rebbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai. Rebbi Phineas said in the name of Rebbi Zeïra, flesh and blood has a protector. If he bothers him too much, he will say: “There is X who will bother me.” But the Holy One, praise to Him, is not like that; He will receive you with all that you might bother him with. That is what is written (Ps. 55:23) “Throw on the Eternal your burden and He will provide for you!” Rebbi Phineas said in the name of Rebbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai, flesh and blood has a protector. Enemies come and grab him at the door of his protector’s courtyard. While he is crying and before someone could come out, the sword already passes over his neck and kills him. But the Holy One, praise to Him, saved Jehoshaphat from the sword of the Syrians as it is written (2Chr. 18:34): “Jehoshaphat cried, the Eternal helped him and God turned them away from him.” That shows that only the cutting off of the head was missing, but God deflected them from him.

²⁸⁷Num. rabba 14(1). Rebbi Ḥanania and Rebbi Joshua ben Levi: at the time when they voted and said that three kings and four private persons had no part in the Future World, there came a disembodied voice and said²⁸⁸Job 34:33., does it pay for you that you oppose, that you choose, not I, and what can you say²⁸⁹It is presumptuous for a human theologian to pretend to know God’s judgment.? They wanted to include Solomon with them²⁹⁰Babli 104b.. David came and bowed down before them, but some say that fire came out of the Holiest of Holies and flared around them. Hadar IIla was used to be answered when he prayed. From the time he voted with them he prayed but was not answered. The interpreters of hints say, all of them have part in the Future World. What is the reason? Mine is Gilead, mine is Manasse, Ephraim my main fortress, Jehudah is my scepter, Moab my washing trough, at Edom I shall throw my shoe²⁹¹Ps. 60:9–10, 108:9–10.. Mine is Gilead, that is Ahab, king of Israel, who fell at Ramot Gilead. Mine is Manasse, its plain meaning. Ephraim my main fortress, that is Jeroboam ben Nevat the Ephraimite. Jehudah is my scepter, that is Aḥitophel. Moab my washing trough, that is Geḥazi²⁹²Whose sin was connected with Naˋaman’s washing.. At Edom I shall throw my shoe, that is Doëg the Edomite. Israel said before the Holy One, praise to Him: Master of all Worlds, what can we do if David, King of Israel, cursed them? Men of blood and deceit shall not live to half of their days²⁹³Ps. 55:24. In the Babli, 69b, 106b, the verse is read as meaning that Doëg and Ahitophel did not live to age 35.! He told them, it is up to Me to make them friends one to the other. For me Peleshet is friendly; to me Peleshet makes friends²⁹⁴The root פלש in addition to “invade” can mean “to clear a path”.; it is up to Me to lead them to good deeds and to make them friends one to the other.

The rabbis of Caesarea say, why is a bull brought by 24? To make a procession on the occasion, under the heading, in God’s House we shall walk in excitement¹⁵³Ps. 55:15.. Since one explains, they shall arrange, two; the sons of Aaron, two; the priests, two; from here that a private person’s bull should be brought by six¹⁵⁴Since Lev. 1:7, to which this explanation refers, is written in the paragraph about private elevation offerings of cattle..

Whoever learns from his fellow a single chapter, a single rule, even a single verse or even a single small letter¹⁸The spelling of a word. Cf. the Gemara below. must treat him with honour; for so we find with David, king of Israel, who learnt from Ahitophel only two things,¹⁹For the two lessons, cf. Aboth, Sonc. ed., p. 81, n. 6. yet he treated him as his teacher and guide, as it is stated, But it was thou, a man mine equal, my companion, and my familiar friend.²⁰Ps. 55, 14. Now is there not an argument from minor to major? If David, king of Israel, who learnt from Ahitophel only two things called him his teacher and guide, how much more so must one who learns from his fellow-man a chapter, a rule, a verse, a word or even one letter treat him with honour! And ‘honour’ means nothing but Torah, as it is stated, The wise shall inherit honour;²¹Prov. 3, 35. [it is also stated,] The whole-hearted shall inherit good,²²ibid. XXVIII, 10. and good is nothing else than Torah, as it is stated For I give you good doctrine; forsake ye not my teaching.²³ibid. IV, 2.

³⁰⁶The text is copied in Num. rabba 9(29).“And because he stole three steals, his father’s opinion, the court’s opinion, and Israel’s opinion.” His father’s opinion, as it is written³⁰⁷2S. 15:7.: “It was after forty years.” David himself did not rule more than forty years, and here, it says so? But it is from the time that Israel demanded a king³⁰⁸Babli Temurah 14b; ascribed to R. Joshua. The source is Seder ‘Olam Chapter 14; cf. the extensive commentary in the author’s edition (Northvale NJ, 1998), p. 139.. “For your servant made a vow³⁰⁹2S. 15:8..” He said to him, what else do you want? He said to him, write me a tablet that two men should go with me. He said to him, tell me whom you want and I shall write. He said to him, write it to open and I shall take whom I want. He wrote it open. He went and added two people each until he had added 200 people. That is what is written³¹⁰2S.15:11., “with Absalom went 200 invited people from Jerusalem, going in their simplicity.” Invited, from David. Going in their simplicity, of Absalom. “They did not know anything,” of Aḥitophel’s counsel. Rebbi Huna in the name of Rebbi Aḥa: They all were presiding judges. Then they saw the things. They went to change sides. They said: Master of all universes: Let us fall in David’s hand and do not let fall David in our hands! For if we fall in David’s hand, he will have mercy on us. But if, Heaven forbid, David would fall in our hands, we would not have mercy on him. That is what David said³¹¹Ps. 55:19; cf. Midrash Tehillim55[4]., “He saved me in peace from my confidant, for the majority were with me!” “The court’s opinion”. “And Absalom said, who would make me the judge of the land.³¹²2S. 15:4.” “So Absalom would act.³¹³2S. 15:6.” “And Israel’s opinion.” Absalom insinuated himself with the men of Israel.³¹³2S. 15:6.”

‘For so we find with David, king of Israel, who learnt from Ahitophel only two things.’ What were they? Raba said: Can you not learn them from the verse itself? [It is written,] We took sweet counsel together:¹⁵³Ps. 55, 15. [Ahitophel] said to him, ‘David, why do you sit and occupy yourself alone with the study of the Torah? The words of the Torah can be preserved only in association with companions.¹⁵⁴i.e. taking counsel together. Just as counsel frustrates thoughts,¹⁵⁵Fellow-students in the course of discussion refute each other’s conclusions if wrongly arrived at. so [is thought frustrated] where there is no counsel’.¹⁵⁶One is often misled by his own false reasoning. And whence did he illustrate it? For it is written, Keep silence [hasketh], and hear, O Israel¹⁵⁷Deut. 27, 9. [which means,] Divide yourselves into groups¹⁵⁸The second syllable of הסכת is read as כת, ‘group’. [for the study of the Torah]. And what was the other thing [David] learnt [from him]? He said to him, ‘When you go to pray, run like a man running after a king’. And whence did he illustrate it? For it is written. After the Lord your God shall ye go.¹⁵⁹ibid. XIII, 5. E.V. walk. And whence do we know that David referred to these [two thoughts] and spoke in praise of them? For it is written, We took sweet counsel together, in the house of God we walked with the throng;¹⁶⁰Ps. 55, 15. The first clause is interpreted as studying Torah together with others, and in the second with the throng is understood as ‘in haste’. and it is written, I have more understanding than all my teachers;¹⁶¹ibid. CXIX, 99, which is given the meaning: I have gained understanding from all my teachers (Ahitophel included). and it is also written, I will run the way of Thy commandments.¹⁶²ibid. 32.