Talmud do Rodzaju 18:34

Rebbi Hoshaia said¹⁶In G: asked. This paragraph interrupts the discussion of the Mishnah and turns to explaining the verse Is.60:7 quoted earlier., why do we not explain it according to everybody, as Rav Huna said in the name of Rav: They weighed for me my (sheqels) [wages]¹⁷Sach.11:12. The quote is wrong in L (in parentheses), correct in G [in brackets]. In v. 13 the pieces of silver are declared to be “the Eternal’s treasure;” this explains the identification as saints., thirty pieces of silver. These are the thirty commandments which the descendants of Noah will take upon themselves in the future¹⁸“In the future”, i. e, in the time of the Messiah. Gen. rabba98(14) as opinion of R. Joḥanan. In the Babli, Ḥulin92a, in one opinion 30 commandments which the Gentiles already took upon themselves, of which they keep only three; one of them being not to allow homosexual marriages.. But the rabbis say, there are the 30 just persons which the world never will be lacking¹⁹Gen. rabba35(2) in the name of R. Simeon ben Ioḥai. In the Babli, Ḥulin92a, in another opinion the 30 just Gentiles on whose merit the Gentile world exists. The Jewish world exists for the Babli on the merit of 36 just men (Sukkah45b, Sanhedrin97b)., as Rebbi Naḥman said in the name of Rebbi Mana, the world cannot be with less than 30 just men like our father Abraham. What is the reason? Abraham will certainly be²⁰Gen. 18:18., the numerical value of יהיה is 30²¹5+10+5+10=30.. Sometimes the majority are in Babylonia and the minority in the Land of Israel; sometimes the majority are in the Land of Israel and the minority in Babylonia. It is a good sign for the world if most of them are in the Land²²Gen. rabba98(14) as opinion of Rav.. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Julianus in the name of Rebbi Hoshaia: In the future the descendants of Noah will take all commandments upon themselves. What is the reason? Then I shall transform Gentiles’ purified lips²³Zeph.3:9. The verse ends: They all are invoking the Eternal’s Name, to serve Him with united shoulder, implying that the Gentiles will accept the Jewish style of worship. Babli Berakhot57b, in the name of R. Simeon ben Ioḥai.. But at the end they will renege on it. What is the reason? Let us break their chains, and throw from us their ropes²⁴Ps. 2:3; cf. Babli 3b.! That is the commandment of phylacteries²⁵Midrash Psalms2(8). The chains are the straps of the phylactery on the arm.; that is the commandment of ṣiṣit²⁶These are the “ropes”, Tosaphot Avodah zarah3b s. v. ומניחין..

They [all] introduced [the same] thirteen alterations:¹⁶For a comparison of these variants with the Heb. text, cf. on Sof. I, 8. ‘God created in the beginning’; ‘I shall make a man in image and likeness’; ‘And He finished on the sixth [day] and rested on the seventh [day]’; ‘Male and female He created him’; ‘Come let Me go down’; ‘And Sarah laughed among her relatives, saying’; ‘For in their anger they slew oxen and in their self-will they digged up a stall’; ‘And Moses took his wife and his children and set them upon a carrier of men’; ‘Now the time that the children of Israel dwelt in the land of Canaan and in the land of Egypt was four hundred and thirty years’; ‘I have not taken one desirable thing from them’; ‘And the [beast] with small legs’; ‘Which the Lord thy God hath allotted unto all the peoples to give light under the whole heaven’; ‘And they offer sacrifices to the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven which I commanded should not be served’.

Rebbi Yehudah¹⁷This paragraph is found also in the Babli (27a) and in both Mekhiltot (to Ex. 17:21). The second paragraph which connects the derivation to the previous association with sacrifices, and hence, with prayer, is found only in the Yerushalmi. learned from words of the Torah, since Rebbi Ismael stated: (Ex. 17:21) “The sun was hot and it melted,” four hours into the day. You say four hours or should it be six hours? When it says (Gen. 18:1): “In the heat of the day”, that means at six hours. Therefore, how can I interpret: “The sun was hot and it melted,” four hours into the day¹⁸Here and in the next paragraph, one supposes, as in most Talmudic derivations, that the vocabulary of the Torah is uniquely fixed and that different expressions must have different meanings. [The only Bible translation that can be clearly dated to Tannaïtic times, the fragments of Aquilas’s Greek translation from the school of Rebbis Eliezer and Joshua, systematically has one-on-one correspondence between Hebrew and Greek words.]! You derive it from (Ex. 17:21): “In the morning,” (Num. 28:4) “in the morning.” Since the first “morning” meant “four hours”, “morning” mentioned there also means “four hours.” At four hours the sun is warm and the shadow is cool. At six hours both sun and shadow are hot. Rebbi Tanḥuma said (Gen. 18:1): “In the heat of the day”, at an hour when there is no shadow for any creature.

Rebbi Eleazar said, παρά βασιλέως ‘ο νόμος ʼάγραφος²³²“For the king the law is unwritten.”. Usually in the world a king of flesh and blood decides a decision. If he desires it, he keeps it. If he²³³Translated following G and A. In the text: “if they want”. desires it, others keep it. But the Holy One, praise to Him, is not so but if He decides a decision He keeps it first. What is the reason? They have to keep My watch, I am the Eternal²³⁴Lev. 22:9., I am He Who keeps the commandments of the Torah first. Rebbi Simon said, it is written, before white hairs you have to stand, and honor the presence of an elderly person, and to fear your God, I am the Eternal²³⁵Lev. 19:32.. I am He Who first stood before an elderly person²³⁶Gen. 18:2.. Rebbi Simon said, it is written²³⁷Deut. 4:8, misquoted.: for who is a great people which has just laws and ordinances, etc. <For who is this great people that has God close to it²³⁸Deut. 4:7, text of G. A only quotes the first words of the verse, but clearly this indicates v. 7, not v. 8. Since in the ms. the start of v. 7 is grafted on the text of v. 8 it is reasonable to assume that the original quote is v. 7..> Rebbi Ḥama ben Rebbi Ḥanina and Rebbi Hoshaia. One said, is there a people like this people? Usually in the world a person who knows that he will stand in trial dresses in black, wears black headdress, and lets his beard grow, since he does not know how his trial will end. But Israel are not so, but they wear white, wear white headdress, cut their beard, eat, and drink, and are happy²³⁹On New Year’s Day.. They know that the Holy One, praise to Him, will perform wonders for them. But the other one said, is there a people like this people? Usually in the world if the ruler says, the trial is today, but the robber²⁴⁰Greek ληστής. says, tomorrow is the trial, whom does one listen to, not the ruler? But the Holy One, praise to Him, is not like this. If the Court said, today is New Year’s Day, the Holy One, praise to Him, says to the angels of service, put up the dais, [summon defenders²⁴¹Greek συνήγορος., summon accusers²⁴²Greek κατήγωρ. A instead reads ספיקטורין which probably is shortened from ספקלטורין, Semitic plural of Latin speculator “examiner.”, for My children said that today is New Year’s Day.]²⁴³Corrector’s addition, confirmed by G. If the Court took counsel to transfer it to the next day, the Holy One, praise to Him, says to the angels of service, remove the dais, remove the defenders, remove the accusers, for My children took counsel to transfer to tomorrow. What is the reason? Certainly, it is a rule for Israel, a law of the God of Jacob²⁴⁴Ps. 81:5.. If it is not a rule for Israel, so to speak²⁴⁵The customary expression to excuse anthropomorphisms. Babli 8b. it is not a law for the God of Jacob. Rebbi Crispus in the name of Rebbi Joḥanan: In the past, the festive times of the Eternal, from then and onwards which You shall declare²⁴⁶Lev. 23:2. While the holidays are declared to be “the Eternal’s holidays”,
since they depend on calendar dates, the actual dates are fixed not by God but by the calendar authorities. Cf. Shevi`it10:2 Notes 53–54.. Rebbi Ila said, if you declare them they are My festive times, otherwise they are not My festive times. Rebbi Simon said, it is written, great things You did, You, Eternal my God, Your wonders and intentions regarding us²⁴⁷Ps. 40:6.. In the past, great things You did; from then onwards, Your wonders and intentions regarding us²⁴⁸This passage is explained in A: “From the creation of the world up to Moses did the Holy One, praise to Him, compute the motions of the stars, and New Moons, and turning points (Note 161). When Moses was appointed, He handed over to him the secret of the calendar as it is said, this month is for you the head of months. Up to this time it was Mine, from now on it is delivered to you.” The following parables have to be explained as exploring the meaning of this handing over the sacred calendar to human interpretation.. Rebbi <Joshua ben>²⁴⁹Added from G and A. This attribution is most likely correct even though the Yerushalmi, in contrast to the Babli, does not in general follow a chronological sequence of the quotes. R. Joshua ben Levi, great authority of the first generation of Amoraim, can precede the second generation authority R. Yose ben Ḥanina better than the third generation preacher (but not halakhic authority) R. Levi. Levi said, a parable of a king who had a watch; when his son came of age, he handed it to him. Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina said, a parable of a king who had a watch-box; when his son came of age, he handed it to him. Rebbi Aḥa said, a parable of a king who had a ring; when his son came of age, he handed it to him. Rebbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said, a parable of a carpenter who had carpenter’s tools; when his son came of age, he handed them to him. Rebbi Isaac said, a parable of a king who had treasures; when his son came of age, he handed them to him. But the rabbis say, a parable of a healer who had a box of medicines; when his son came of age, he handed it to him.

“The sons shall go begging.” Some Tannaïm state, “shall support themselves.⁷⁴In Baba batra, the Escurial ms. has a third reading יסחרו “shall go around.”” He who says “shall support themselves”, “make yourselves comfortable under the tree.⁷⁵Gen. 18:4. The text reads וְהִשָּׁעֲנוּ תַּחַת הָעֵץ.” He who says, “go begging”, “may his children wander about begging, asking out of their ruins.⁷⁶Ps.109:10.”

Rebbi Meïr, when he saw even a vulgar old man, rose before him. He said, not for nothing did he live so long. Rebbi Ḥanina slapped a person who did not rise before him and said, do you want to do away with the Torah? Rebbi Simon said, The Holy One, praise to Him, said (Lev. 19:32): “Before a white head you shall rise, give respect to an Elder, and fear your God, I am the Eternal.” I am the one who first observed standing before an Elder⁵¹Gen. 18:2..

How does one honour his teacher? When they are both walking along the way, he must place himself at his¹²The teacher’s. left hand and not at his right. If three [were walking together] and a Sage or a teacher was among them, the teacher is to be in the middle, the more important of the other two on his right and the less important on his left. We find it so in connection with the three angels who came to Abraham our father, viz. Gabriel, Michael and Raphael. Gabriel came to overthrow Sodom and Gomorrah, Raphael came to heal Abraham¹³Of the effects of his circumcision. and Michael came to announce to Sarah [that she would have a son]. Michael was in the middle, Gabriel on his right and Raphael on his left.¹⁴Cf. Yoma 37a (Sonc. ed., p. 172). When Abraham our father saw the Ministering Angels, the Divine Presence appeared and stood over him. He said to them, ‘Sires, wait until I take leave of the Divine Presence, which is greater than you’, as it is stated, And he said: My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight, pass not away, I pray thee, from thy servant.¹⁵Gen. 18, 3. Abraham addressed the chief of them and consequently the word lord does not signify God. Others interpret that he spoke to God, praying Him to wait until he had attended to his guests. They therefore cite here ibid. XVII, 22, And He left off talking with him, and God went up from Abraham.
When Abraham our father had taken leave of the Divine Presence, he came, bowed to them and led them beneath the tree, as it is stated, Let now a little water be fetched, and wash your feet,¹⁶ibid. XVIII, 4. and afterwards [it is written], And I will fetch a morsel of bread.¹⁷ibid. 5. But [when the angels came] to Lot, what did he say? And tarry all night, and wash your feet.¹⁸ibid. XIX, 2. Abraham had mistaken the angels for Arabs, who worship the dust of their feet and, being anxious not to introduce idolatry in any form into his house, he asked them to wash their feet first. Lot, however, who had no such anxiety, offered them a night’s lodging before asking them to wash their feet. Others, who give the interpretation which follows in the text, maintain that Lot also was anxious that they should first wash their feet, a custom he had learnt from Abraham; but the reason that he told them to stay the night before washing was to deceive the people of Sodom. Others say: Lot spoke to them [in this manner] only as a clever device. He said [to himself], ‘If [the men of Sodom] find them with their faces, hands and feet already washed, the result will be that they will kill me, my wife and my daughters.¹⁹For not reporting their arrival earlier. Let them, therefore, find them with the dust still on their feet, and they will think that they have only just arrived’.

BARAITHA. If you desire to learn, do not say of what you do not understand, ‘I understand it’. If you are asked a question about something in which you are not well versed do not be ashamed to say, ‘I do not know’. If you are taught something and you do not understand it, be not ashamed to say, ‘I do not understand it’.
GEMARA. Whence do we learn this? [From David], for it is written, I will also speak of Thy testimonies before kings, and will not be ashamed²⁴Ps. 119, 46.—that is, [to inquire] of Mephibosheth²⁵On Mephibosheth as David’s teacher, cf. Ber. 4a (Sonc. ed., p. 11). how to act, whether to declare it forbidden or permissible.
BARAITHA.²⁶Ned. 62a (Sonc. ed., p. 197). Do good deeds for the sake of their Maker.²⁷i.e. God Who desires them to be done. Or, ‘for the sake of doing them’; cf. Aboth I, 3 (Sonc. ed., pp. 2f.). Do not make them a crown wherewith to adorn yourself, or an axe wherewith to cut. Accustom yourself to take upon yourself the precepts of the Torah [even] at the cost of suffering.
GEMARA. [‘Do not make them a crown’, etc.,] lest you receive your share [of the World to Come] in this world; for he who glorifies himself with the crown of the Torah has no share in the World to Come.²⁸cf. Ned. loc. cit. (Sonc. ed., p. 196): ‘Whoever puts the crown of the Torah to [profane] use is uprooted from the world’. [‘Nor an axe wherewith to cut.’] Do not withhold corn²⁹Figuratively used of the Torah. The comparison is based on Prov. 11, 26. Cf. Sanh. 91b-92a (Sonc. ed., pp. 614f.). from others; for [53b] even the embryos [in their mothers’ wombs] curse him who withholds corn from others. Here³⁰In this Gemara. [only if he is asked to teach] without payment [is he under the curse], but there³¹In the passage quoted from Sanh. even if he is offered payment [and refuses to teach].
[‘Accustom yourself to take upon yourself the precepts’, etc.] It has been taught:³²Sanh. 111a (Sonc. ed., p. 762). Whoever maintains himself by words of Torah, the Torah does not become intimate with him. There³³In the passage from Sanh. it speaks of self-pleasure and here³⁴In this Gemara. Pursue the study of the Torah even at the cost of sleep. of sleep.
BARAITHA. Do not resent an insult to you. A good record and a blameless adolescence [inspire] security and truth.
GEMARA. [‘Do not resent an insult to you.’] How is this meant? [Do not boast,] ‘So-and-so did such-and-such to me and I have not retaliated’. What is meant by ‘a good record’? Do 1 ot [give cause] to be included in the number of the dissolute, lest people say, ‘How many dissolute persons there are here, including you among them!’ ‘And a blameless adolescence.’ But this has already been taught in the preceding chapter!³⁵In III, 12. There it speaks of his actual doing evil and here [of not giving cause for suspicion] against him. ‘[Inspire] security.’ Some say [that this means]: One should have a sense of security so that the Torah becomes rolled³⁶So that he studies Torah with a carefree mind. H reads nikleleth, ‘contained’. up in his heart. Others [explain]: Inspire confidence in those who ask of you. The latter interpretation conforms to the wording of the Baraitha, ‘and truth’, which implies: Do not falsify confidence [which is placed in you].
BARAITHA.³⁷Cf. Aboth III, 16 (Sonc. ed., III, 12, p. 35). Be submissive to a superior, patient under oppression, of cheerful appearance and keep away from sin.
GEMARA. ‘Be submissive to a superior’: that is, to the ruling power. ‘Patient under oppression’: that is, forced labour as happened with R. Eleazar b. Ḥarson.³⁸Cf. Yoma 35b (Sonc. ed., p. 164). When conscripted by the authorities for forced labour, R. Eleazar paid them a large sum of money for his release so that he could continue his study of the Torah. ‘Be of cheerful appearance’: can one [always] keep his appearance cheerful? [Yes]; for when R. Dimi came he said: The man who [by smiling] shows his teeth white [to his fellow] is better than he who gives him milk to drink.³⁹Cf. Keth. 111b (Sonc. ed., p. 723) where the saying is attributed to R. Joḥanan. What is to be derived from this statement? As illustrated by the experience of R. Beroḳa.⁴⁰Cf. Ta‘an. 22a (Sonc. ed., p. 110). Two men passed by R. Beroḳa when Elijah appeared and exclaimed that these men had a share in the World to Come. On inquiring of them what their occupation was, they told the Rabbi, ‘We are jesters, and when we see men depressed we cheer them up’. ‘Keep away from sin’: so that all can speak about you and you have no need to clear yourself of suspicion.
BARAITHA. Refrain from committing a light sin lest it lead you to one that is grievous. Be mindful of a small precept that it may lead you to one that is important.
GEMARA. It has been learnt:⁴¹Aboth IV, 2 (Sonc. ed., p. 44). Ben ‘Azzai said: Run to do a slight precept and flee from transgression. There [it speaks of fleeing from sin] of one’s free will; here [of fleeing] even when under compulsion. [The proof of this is that the Baraitha] teaches, ‘Refrain, etc.’⁴²The Heb. verb means ‘tremble, shake’ and in the niph‘al ‘move backward’; hence, fleeing under compulsion.
BARAITHA. If you desire to gain the love of your friend,⁴³This is the reading of H in agreement with DER I. busy yourself with his welfare. If you desire to keep away from sin consider where it eventually leads. Attach yourself lovingly to the precepts. Be proud and happy to speak diligently and sing of its details.⁴⁴So GRA, who reads פרטיה.
GEMARA. ‘If you desire to gain the love’, etc. As it is written, But thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.⁴⁵Lev. 19, 18. Because you love your neighbour as yourself he is like yourself. ‘If you desire to keep away from sin consider where it eventually leads.’ As it is written, The wise man, his eyes are in his head.⁴⁶Eccl. 2, 14. But the eyes of a fool are in the ends of the earth;⁴⁷Prov. 17, 24. he regards only what is before him and ignores the consequences. ‘Attach yourself lovingly to the precepts’, by respecting those who fulfil the precepts. ‘Be proud’, etc., by inquiring into the reason of a precept.
BARAITHA. If He has bestowed upon you a small bounty, let it be in your eyes as great and you need to give thanks that He cared⁴⁸Reading the root ספן instead of ספר. for you and bestowed bounty upon you.
GEMARA. ‘If He has bestowed’, etc. Whence do we learn this? For it is written, And thou shalt eat and be satisfied, and bless the Lord thy God for the good land which He hath given thee.⁴⁹Deut. 8, 10. And whence do we know that one is obliged [to bless God] although he has not eaten to satisfaction? For it is written, Give the people that they may eat,⁵⁰2 Kings 4, 43. and it is written, And they did eat, and left thereof, according to the word of the Lord,⁵¹ibid. 44. There were twenty loaves with which to feed 100 men, and therefore insufficient to satisfy them; yet they blessed God. The words according to the word of the Lord, on this interpretation, refer back to the passage in Deut., and bless the Lord thy God. [which means] blessing [God]. An objection was raised against this: [It is stated,] He restored the border of Israel … according to the word of the Lord, the God of Israel, which He spoke by the hand of His servant Jonah, the son of Amittai!⁵²ibid. XIV, 25. Here the phrase according to the word of the Lord occurs without reference to thanking God for food. There, too, it was a case of thanksgiving.⁵³For victory and regaining the former territories of Israel. Come and hear: [It is stated,] According to the word of the Lord, which He spoke to Elijah!⁵⁴ibid. X, 17, where again there is no reference to thanking God. There, too, say that [the word of the Lord] implies: Blessed be He Who has fulfilled His promise [to inflict punishment upon the house of Ahab]. Come and hear: [It is stated,] According unto the saying of the Lord, which He spoke by the hand of His servant Aḥijah the Shilonite!⁵⁵1 Kings 15, 29. And if you think it is as you said [that the phrase means thanking God, how will you explain this verse?] There^55a(55a) In the verses cited in the various objections. it is written by the hand of, here⁵⁶In the verses quoted as proof from 2 Kings 4, 43f. it is without any qualification.⁵⁷i.e. without the addition by the hand of, etc.
BARAITHA. If you have done much good let it be in your eyes as little. Say, ‘Not with what belongs to me have I done good’, but ‘with what has been granted to me’.
GEMARA. [We learn this] from David; for it is written, Who am I, O Lord God, and what is my house?⁵⁸2 Sam. 7, 18. and it states, And what can David say more unto Thee?⁵⁹ibid. 20. and it states, And this was yet a small thing in Thine eyes, O Lord God.⁶⁰ibid. 19. What [is the force of] the additional verses which are cited? Should you say: There because He said to him, And I will make thee a great name, like unto the name of the great ones that are in the earth,⁶¹ibid. 9. [David] exclaimed, Who am I?⁶²Although David was a pious man, he felt himself to be unworthy of God’s promise. This would be a support for the statement of the Baraitha. then come and hear: [What is the force of] And what can David say more unto Thee? Should you reply [that it means,] What else can I pray for? then come and hear: He said, And this was yet a small thing in Thine eyes, O Lord God, that is, it is a small thing for Thee but for me it is a very great thing. [It is stated,] But Thou hast spoken also of Thy servant’s house for a great while to come.⁶³ibid. 19. The word also is intended to add something: [David said,] ‘Not only didst Thou praise me, but also of my seed hast Thou declared, And thy house and thy kingdom shall be made sure for ever before thee.⁶⁴ibid. 16.
But Thou hast spoken also of Thy servant’s house for a great while to come: this⁶⁵Reading with H זה (this) for לא (not). means ‘in the days to come’.⁶⁶The Heb. for a great while to come is lit. ‘from afar’, here equated with the hereafter. As the word is interpreted here to refer to the hereafter, it follows that there is another meaning of the word without reference to the hereafter. Whence do we know this? [It is stated,] I will fetch my knowledge from afar⁶⁷Job 36, 3, where the phrase from afar cannot mean the hereafter but the distant past.— to what [does this refer]? To what has happened from the beginning. Raba said: Infer from this that one who knows when the Messiah will come is here speaking of his times:⁶⁸Cf. H’s note ad loc. Hence the verse from Job refers to the hereafter. and this is also how David used [the word]. And what Isaiah⁶⁹The Text reads ‘Jeremiah’ in error for ‘Isaiah’. said must be included in the reckoning of the years,⁷⁰In alluding to the Messianic era Isaiah speaks of it as coming within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and this makes the date of that era more definite. This would be contrary to the indefiniteness conveyed by the days to come. Hence the phrase within a year, etc., must not be taken literally but understood to denote ‘a time in the future’. as it is written, Within a year, according to the years of a hireling, and all the glory of Ḳedar shall fail; and the residue of the number of the archers, the mighty men of the children of Ḳedar, shall be diminished; for the Lord, the God of Israel, hath spoken it.⁷¹Isa. 21, 16f.
BARAITHA. If men have done you much evil let it be little in your eyes. Say, ‘Only a small part of the punishment due to me have I received; I have deserved more’.
GEMARA. Whence do we learn this? From Abraham⁷²Who acknowledged that God dealt with him with more consideration than he deserved. Cf. Gen. 18, 27, who am but dust and ashes. Another possible translation is: ‘The reward from the Maker is greater [than I merit]’. [who exclaimed,] ‘The reward is greater than the labourer [merits]’.
BARAITHA. If you have done a little evil let it be great in your eyes. Say, ‘Woe to me that I have sinned, that a stumbling-block should have chanced to me!’
GEMARA. Whence do we learn this? From the Gibeonites.⁷³Cf. Josh. 9. Raba objected, ‘Must we, then, learn this from the Gibeonites as otherwise we would not know it?’⁷⁴If it were not for the Gibeonites, would such an ethical teaching be unknown from Hebraic sources? R. Aḥa said to him, ‘And why should we not learn it from them? Were they not merged in Israel?’ It is written, And made as if they hath been ambassadors;⁷⁵Josh. 9, 4; the Heb. verb is wayyiẓṭayyaru. and it is also written, This is our bread we took hot for our provision,⁷⁶ibid. 12; the Heb. verb is hiẓṭayyadnu. [which means] they took provisions with them and said, ‘This is the food which we provided for ourselves in our country; behold,⁷⁷Reading הרי for V וקרי. it has become mouldy⁷⁸Heb. niẓṭayyar. because of the length of the journey’. When they had spoken to Israel and the latter knew [the true facts], what is the meaning of [the Gibeonites’ words to Joshua], And now, behold, we are in thy hand?⁷⁹ibid. 25. [Because it is written,] And Joshua made peace with them,⁸⁰ibid. 15. Since Joshua had already made peace with them, why should they have said this to him? and it is written, And the men took of their provision,⁸¹ibid. 14. The men are the Israelites, who believed the story told to them. the Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘You gluttons, sons of gluttons, who love gluttony, your fathers also acted likewise [when they declared,] We remember the fish.⁸²Num. 11, 5. All food finds its way to the mouth, but My mouth⁸³lit. ‘His mouth’, i.e. God’s command. you do not remember, [as it is stated,] And asked not counsel at the mouth of the Lord,⁸⁴Josh. 9, 14. [Who warned you] in the words, Lest thou make a covenant with the inhabitants of the land, and they go astray after their gods, and do sacrifice unto their gods, and they call thee and thou eat of their sacrifice.⁸⁵Ex. 34, 15.
Also Joshua was punished on this account. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘Because [the Gibeonites] entreated you [saying], And now, behold, we are in thy hand; as it seemeth good and right unto thee to do unto us, do,⁸⁶Josh. 9, 25. I will bring forth a son from you who will implore Israel in the same manner,⁸⁷Reading sidra with H. [saying,] As for me, behold I am in your hand; do with me as is good and right in your eyes.⁸⁸Jer. 26, 14. The allusion is to Jeremiah’s plea to the princes and people on being arrested for prophesying the destruction of the Temple. Jeremiah was descended from Rahab.⁸⁹Cf. Meg. 14b (Sonc. ed., p. 86) where it is stated that Joshua married Rahab, and Jeremiah was one of their descendants.

All the names [signifying God] mentioned in connection with Abraham are sacred, except one which is secular, viz. where it is stated, And he said: My Lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight.^30a(30a) ibid. XVIII, 3. My lord was addressed to the leader of the three angels. Others say that it is sacred.³¹My Lord was addressed to God. In And it came to pass, when God caused me to wander³²ibid. XX, 13. the name is secular.³³So GRA. By ‘God’ is meant princes or rulers who were the cause of Abraham’s wanderings. R. Ḥanina the brother³⁴[He reads ‘nephew’ in agreement with Shebu. 33b (Sonc. ed., p. 205). The correct form of the name is Ḥananiah, Bacher, Ag. d. Tannaiten, I, p. 385.] of R. Joshua maintains that it is sacred [since the verse means] that, had it not been for God,³⁵Who protected him. they³⁶The wicked rulers. would long ago have caused me to wander.³⁷The verse will accordingly bear the following interpretation: And it came to pass, when they (the wicked men) caused me to wander, God of my father’s house was with me (to help me). [For various interpretations of the verse, cf. Midrash Rabbah, Genesis, LII, §11 (Sonc. ed., I, p. 457).]

All nouns in the Torah [signifying God] that are mentioned in connection with Abraham are sacred except the first.²³The verse, And he said: My lord, if now I have found favour in thy sight (Gen. 18, 3), because my lord was addressed to the leader of the three angels R. Ḥanina the son of R. Joshua’s brother holds that it is sacred.²⁴In his opinion my Lord was addressed to God.

A person should never leave [the company of his teacher or even] his fellow unless he had previously obtained his consent. All can learn such good manners from the All-present, Who said, as it were, to Abraham, ‘I am now leaving’, as it is stated, And the Lord went His way,¹God notified Abraham that He was departing. as soon as He had left off speaking to Abraham; and Abraham returned unto his place.²Gen. 18, 33. The translation follows the emended text of GRA. V’s reading is: ‘Who said to Abraham, “Abraham, has he any further need of Me?” He said before Him, “Lord of the Universe, no” ’.

Rebbi Huna bar Aḥa¹⁵¹He is not otherwise known. in the name of Rebbi Alexandros: Come and see the power of those who keep the Commandments because all “lookings down” in the Torah¹⁵²Gen. 18:16, 19:28 (Sodom), 26:8 (Abimelekh and Rebekka), Ex. 14:24 (Egyptians on the Sea). This refers only to hiph‘il of שקף. are curses but this one is in the language of blessing. Rebbi Yose ben Ḥanina said, not only that but it is written¹⁵³Starting words of the next paragraph guaranteeing instant response. (Deut. 26:16) “this day,” the condition of every day.

Bar Ḳappara said: Great is peace, for we find that the Torah modified a statement in order to maintain peace between Abraham and Sarah. It is stated, And Sarah laughed within herself, saying … my lord being old;²⁹Gen. 18, 12. but in the sequel³⁰When God repeated this to Abraham. it is written, I who am old.³¹ibid. 13. God concealed from Abraham that Sarah called him ‘an old man’.

Thirteen things they changed for King Ptolemy. They wrote for him, “God created the beginning³⁷⁶Gen. 1:1; change not found in LXX..” “I shall make man in stature and form³⁷⁷Gen. 1:26; change not found in LXX..” “Male and his openings He created them³⁷⁸Gen. 1:27; change not found in LXX..” “He finished on the Sixth and rested on the Seventh³⁷⁹Gen. 2:2; change found in LXX.” “Now I shall descend³⁸⁰Gen. 11:7; change found in LXX..” “Sarah laughed in her surroundings, saying.³⁸¹Gen. 18:12; LXX: “in herself”.” “For in their rage they slew a bull and in their will uprooted a trough³⁸²Gen. 49:6; change not found in LXX..” “Moses took his wife and his sons and let them ride on people-carriers³⁸³Ex. 4:20. LXX: “beast of burden”..” “The dwelling of the Children of Israel, which they dwelled in Egypt and other lands, was 430 years.³⁸⁴Ex. 12:40. LXX: “In the land of Egypt and the land of Canaan.”” And the hare³⁸⁵Lev. 11:6 (in LXX 11:5). LXX: “rough-foot”, a designation of the hare., “and the young of foot.” King Ptolemy’s mother was called “hare³⁸⁶The dynasty of the Ptolemies was called the Lagides, after an ancestor Lagos “hare”.”. “Not one precious thing I took from them³⁸⁷Num. 16:15; change found in LXX.” “Which the Eternal, your God, distributed them to give light to all peoples under all the heavens.³⁸⁸Deut. 4:19; change not found in LXX.” “Which I did not command peoples to worship them.³⁸⁹Deut. 17:3; change not found in LXX.
The comparisons with the LXX text was done on the basis of Rahlfs’s edition; the history of the text between the time of the Jewish translation in Alexandria and its adaptation by Christian editors in the Roman Empire is unknown. The same list is in the Babli 9a.”

BARAITHA.¹Keth. 16b-17a (Sonc. ed., pp. 92ff.). How does one dance²The meaning here is to recite the praises of a bride. before the bride? Beth Shammai said: The bride as she is; and Beth Hillel said: Beautiful and graceful bride!³Whether she possessed the qualifications or not. Beth Shammai said to Beth Hillel: Even if she is lame or blind? But it is written, Keep thee far from a false matter!⁴Ex. 23, 7; and there must be no departure from the truth even for a bride. Beth Hillel replied: If one has made a bad purchase, should one esteem it in his eyes or depreciate it? Surely one should esteem it in his eyes. Therefore Beth Hillel said: Always should the disposition of a man be pleasant towards his fellow-creatures.
GEMARA. But how can Beth Hillel [say of a bride] that she is beautiful when in fact she is not? [Beth Hillel can reply that in the circumstances people will understand it as] beautiful in her deeds and graceful in her person because we do not presume [to attribute to a person] what is unbecoming. And [what can] Beth Shammai [reply to this]? They can say: Is it written, ‘Keep far from a falsehood’? [It is written, From a false] matter,⁵lit. ‘word’. even if it be inexplicit.⁶It is therefore wrong to make a statement and expect people to take it in a different sense. And [what can] Beth Hillel [reply to this]? They can say: When the All-present declared, Keep thee far from a false matter, it is in connection with what follows, And the innocent and righteous slay thou not;⁷i.e. the context is giving false evidence which will lead to an innocent person being condemned to death. but where it is a case of preserving life⁸Creating a deeper love between husband and wife. it is in order [to depart from the strict truth]. Should the question be raised: Why do Beth Hillel in their refutation cite the example of ‘a bad purchase’, let them refute Beth Shammai from the Torah! For it has been taught:⁹Yeb. 65b (Sonc. ed., pp. 437f.); B.M. 87a (Sonc. ed., p. 502, n. 4). Great is peace, seeing that for its sake the Holy One, blessed be He, modified a statement. At first it is written, My lord being old,¹⁰Gen. 18, 12. and afterwards, I … who am old.¹¹ibid. 13. When Sarah was told by the angel that she would have a son she laughed to herself and exclaimed, My lord being old; but when God repeated what she had said to Abraham, not to hurt his feelings He changed the word to I … who am old. [Beth Hillel] can reply: There is no question [that what we say] is correct according to the Torah, but it is also correct by the standard of human beings; reverse it.¹²The text should read kelappë ’alyah, lit. ‘towards the tail’, i.e. reverse it, and the word which follows is an explanatory gloss (Jastrow s.v. ’alyah). The meaning is, To meet the question raised, it would be best in the Baraitha first to cite the passage from Genesis and then the example of ‘a bad purchase’.
[It was quoted above:] And the innocent and righteous slay thou not. Since you mention the innocent [may not be slain], obviously the righteous [may not]!¹³The term innocent has a negative connotation, viz. one who keeps away from evil; but the term righteous has both a negative and positive connotation, viz. one who keeps away from evil and does good. [It denotes] ‘innocent because of witnesses’ and ‘righteous because of disciples’.¹⁴These are forensic terms. I. Where two witnesses testify against a man that he had committed an offence but disagree on the details, the accused is discharged. E.g., two witnesses testify that they saw him worshipping idols; one says that he worshipped the sun and the other that it was the moon. Because the witnesses are in disagreement on details, the man is acquitted. He is technically termed naḳi me‘edim, ‘innocent (or, freed) because of [the disagreement of] witnesses’. II. In the criminal court young scholars sat in rows in front of the judges. When the trial ended and before the verdict was delivered, any one of these scholars could, if he knew anything in favour of the accused, come forward and speak for him, and if the judges accepted his statement they discharged the accused. He was then termed ẓaddiḳ min hattalmidim, ‘righteous (i.e. acquitted) because of the disciples’. If the disciple wished to testify against the accused, he was not permitted to do so. That would be a case of rasha‘ min hattalmidim, ‘condemned because of the disciples’, which was not allowed. Cf. Sanh. 33b-34a (Sonc. ed., p. 212) and Rashi ad loc. From this we learn [the ruling]: Do not put to death ‘the innocent because of witnesses’ and ‘the condemned because of disciples’. [Do you think,] ‘Condemned because of disciples’? Say, because of one of the disciples.¹⁵This refusal to listen to disciples’ statements against the accused holds good only when one disciple came forward. This procedure is based on Num. 35, 30; cf. Sanh. loc. cit.
Raba expounded: What is the meaning of what is written, For the Lord is righteous, He loveth righteousness; the upright shall behold His face?¹⁶Ps. 11, 7. If so, [the verse should read,] ‘He loveth the righteous’!¹⁷Since He is described as righteous, that is the wording which might have been expected. But [it is to be understood] as Raba interpreted it:¹⁸Cf. ‘Erub 19a (Sonc. ed., pp. 129f.). Abraham¹⁹So the text must be emended. V reads ‘from forty’. comes and brings [redemption to the wicked who are under sentence to suffer in Gehinnom, in agreement with] Resh Laḳish [who said: The fire of Gehinnom has no power over the transgressors in Israel,] or it may be deduced by an argument from minor to major [from the golden altar], as it is stated, Every one that is written unto life in Jerusalem.²⁰Isa. 4, 3. The text is obviously corrupt and is conjecturally reconstructed from the Talmud. Abraham, in freeing the sinners of Israel from Gehinnom, performs an act of righteousness which merits him the love of God, Who is righteous, especially as He has written unto [eternal] life every one in Jerusalem (i.e. the whole people of Israel).

Say little and do a lot. How so? This teaches us that the righteous say little and do a lot, but the wicked say a lot and don’t do anything at all. And how do we know that the righteous say little and do a lot? For this is what we find with Abraham our forefather, who said to the angels, “Have a piece of bread with me today,” as it says (Genesis 18:5), “I will get a piece of bread, and you can dine to your heart’s content.” But then after that, look at what Abraham did for the angels who serve God! He went and prepared three bulls and nine measures of fine flour for them! And how do we know that he prepared nine measures of fine flour? Because it says (Genesis 18:6), “Abraham hurried into the tent, to Sarah, and said: Hurry! Three measures of fine flour! The word three refers to the first three [measures], the word fine brings it to six, and the word flour makes nine. And how do we know that he prepared three bulls for them? Because it says (Genesis 18:7), “Abraham ran to the cattle [and selected a good, tender calf].” Cattle is one [bull]. Calf is two. Tender is three. (And some say that good was four.) “Then he gave it to the boy, who hurried to prepare it.” That is, he gave it to Ishmael, in order to train him in performing the mitzvot.
Even the Holy Blessed One said little and did a lot, as it says (Genesis 15:13–14), “[God] said to Abram: Know well that your offspring will be strangers in a land not their own, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. But I will judge the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall go out with great wealth.” God spoke of this judgment with only the two letters dalet and nun, which spell the word dan (judge). But when the time came to pay back the enemies of Israel, God used seventy-two letters to do it, as it says (Deuteronomy 4:34), “Or has any god attempted to come and take one nation out from another, with great acts, signs, and wonders, and with awesome power?” From this you learn that when the enemies of Israel were made to pay for what they had done, they paid with seventy-two letters.
And how do we know that the wicked say a lot and don’t do anything at all? For this is what we find with Ephron, who said to Abraham (Genesis 23:15), “A piece of land worth four hundred pieces of silver; [what is that between you and me?]” [as if he was willing to give away the land for free]. But in the end, when Abraham went to give him the payment, it says, “Abraham understood Ephron, and paid him the money” [and he simply accepted it].

Say little and do a lot. How so? This teaches us that the righteous say little and do a lot, but the wicked say a lot and don’t do anything at all. And how do we know that the righteous say little and do a lot? For this is what we find with Abraham our forefather, who said to the angels, “Have a piece of bread with me today,” as it says (Genesis 18:5), “I will get a piece of bread, and you can dine to your heart’s content.” But then after that, look at what Abraham did for the angels who serve God! He went and prepared three bulls and nine measures of fine flour for them! And how do we know that he prepared nine measures of fine flour? Because it says (Genesis 18:6), “Abraham hurried into the tent, to Sarah, and said: Hurry! Three measures of fine flour! The word three refers to the first three [measures], the word fine brings it to six, and the word flour makes nine. And how do we know that he prepared three bulls for them? Because it says (Genesis 18:7), “Abraham ran to the cattle [and selected a good, tender calf].” Cattle is one [bull]. Calf is two. Tender is three. (And some say that good was four.) “Then he gave it to the boy, who hurried to prepare it.” That is, he gave it to Ishmael, in order to train him in performing the mitzvot.
Even the Holy Blessed One said little and did a lot, as it says (Genesis 15:13–14), “[God] said to Abram: Know well that your offspring will be strangers in a land not their own, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. But I will judge the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall go out with great wealth.” God spoke of this judgment with only the two letters dalet and nun, which spell the word dan (judge). But when the time came to pay back the enemies of Israel, God used seventy-two letters to do it, as it says (Deuteronomy 4:34), “Or has any god attempted to come and take one nation out from another, with great acts, signs, and wonders, and with awesome power?” From this you learn that when the enemies of Israel were made to pay for what they had done, they paid with seventy-two letters.
And how do we know that the wicked say a lot and don’t do anything at all? For this is what we find with Ephron, who said to Abraham (Genesis 23:15), “A piece of land worth four hundred pieces of silver; [what is that between you and me?]” [as if he was willing to give away the land for free]. But in the end, when Abraham went to give him the payment, it says, “Abraham understood Ephron, and paid him the money” [and he simply accepted it].

Say little and do a lot. How so? This teaches us that the righteous say little and do a lot, but the wicked say a lot and don’t do anything at all. And how do we know that the righteous say little and do a lot? For this is what we find with Abraham our forefather, who said to the angels, “Have a piece of bread with me today,” as it says (Genesis 18:5), “I will get a piece of bread, and you can dine to your heart’s content.” But then after that, look at what Abraham did for the angels who serve God! He went and prepared three bulls and nine measures of fine flour for them! And how do we know that he prepared nine measures of fine flour? Because it says (Genesis 18:6), “Abraham hurried into the tent, to Sarah, and said: Hurry! Three measures of fine flour! The word three refers to the first three [measures], the word fine brings it to six, and the word flour makes nine. And how do we know that he prepared three bulls for them? Because it says (Genesis 18:7), “Abraham ran to the cattle [and selected a good, tender calf].” Cattle is one [bull]. Calf is two. Tender is three. (And some say that good was four.) “Then he gave it to the boy, who hurried to prepare it.” That is, he gave it to Ishmael, in order to train him in performing the mitzvot.
Even the Holy Blessed One said little and did a lot, as it says (Genesis 15:13–14), “[God] said to Abram: Know well that your offspring will be strangers in a land not their own, and they shall be enslaved and oppressed for four hundred years. But I will judge the nation that they serve, and afterward they shall go out with great wealth.” God spoke of this judgment with only the two letters dalet and nun, which spell the word dan (judge). But when the time came to pay back the enemies of Israel, God used seventy-two letters to do it, as it says (Deuteronomy 4:34), “Or has any god attempted to come and take one nation out from another, with great acts, signs, and wonders, and with awesome power?” From this you learn that when the enemies of Israel were made to pay for what they had done, they paid with seventy-two letters.
And how do we know that the wicked say a lot and don’t do anything at all? For this is what we find with Ephron, who said to Abraham (Genesis 23:15), “A piece of land worth four hundred pieces of silver; [what is that between you and me?]” [as if he was willing to give away the land for free]. But in the end, when Abraham went to give him the payment, it says, “Abraham understood Ephron, and paid him the money” [and he simply accepted it].

There were ten generations from Noah to Avraham. And why was it necessary to bring all those people into the world? But this is to teach us that all those generations continued to anger God, and there was not one among them who walked in the ways of the Holy Blessed One until Abraham our forefather came along, and he walked in the ways of the Holy Blessed One, as it says (Genesis 26:5), “Because Abraham heeded My call [and kept My charge, My commandments, My rules, and My Torahs.]” (But there is only one Torah! How could he have kept Torahs, plural?) This teaches that the Holy Blessed One planted two inner voices in Abraham, like two wise men, who helped him understand, advised him, and taught him wisdom all night long, as it says (Psalms 16:7), “I will bless the Eternal who has advised me. Even at night, the voices inside of me [lit., my kidneys] have admonished me.” Moreover, Abraham our forefather would always give charity first, and only after would he execute justice, as it says (Genesis 18:19), “For I have singled him out, in order that he command [his children and his household after him, and they will keep the way of the Eternal, doing charity (lit., righteousness), and justice].” Whenever two parties to a conflict would come before Abraham our forefather seeking justice, and one would say about the other: He owes me money, Abraham our forefather would take his own money and give it to the claimant. Then he would say to them: Make your cases before me. So they would argue their cases. When he found that it was actually the first one who owed the money, he would say: Take the money in your hand, and give it to your fellow. And if no one owed money, he would say: Split (what you have), and go in peace. But King David did not do it like this. Rather, he executed justice first, and only afterward gave charity, as its says (II Samuel 8:15), “And David would execute justice and charity [lit., righteousness] for all of his people.” Whenever two parties to a dispute came before King David, and one would say: This one owes me money, he would say to them: Make your cases. So they would argue their cases. Then, when one was found to be liable to the other, [David] would take out his own money and give it to him. If no one owed money, he would say to them: (Split what you have and) go in peace.

Ten words in the Torah are marked with dots. They are as follows: 1. “The Eternal will judge between me and you” (Genesis 16:5). There is a dot above the letter yod in the term, “and you.” This teaches that Sarah did not say this to Abraham, but to Hagar. Some say that it means she was speaking about those who caused the fighting “between me and you.” 2. “They said to him, Where is Sarah?” (Genesis 18:9). There are dots above the letters aleph, yod, and vav in the term, “to him,” to indicate that they already knew where she was, but they nevertheless inquired about her. 3. (There is a dot on the verse,) “When she lay down and when she arose” (Genesis 19:33). There is a dot above the letter vav in the term, “When she arose” the first time it is used [with regard to Lot’s older daughter]. This teaches that he was not aware of what happened until the (younger daughter) arose. 4. “And Esau ran to greet him, and he hugged him, fell on his neck, and kissed him” (Genesis 33:4). The term for, “and kissed him,” has dots above every letter, to teach that he did not kiss him sincerely. Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar would say: It means that this kiss was sincere, but every other one he gave Jacob was not. 5. “His brothers went to shepherd their father’s flocks in Shechem” (Genesis 37:12). There are dots on the word just before “flocks.” This teaches that they did not actually go to shepherd the flocks, but to eat and drink (and indulge their temptations). 6. “All the Levites who were recorded, whom Moses and Aaron recorded” (Numbers 3:39). There are dots above Aaron’s name. Why? To teach that Aaron himself was not counted in this record. 7. “On a long journey” (Numbers 9:10). There is a dot above the letter hei in the word “long.” This teaches that this does not really mean a long journey, but any exiting the boundaries of the outer court of the Temple. 8. “We caused destruction all the way up to Nophach, which reaches into Medeba” (Numbers 21:30). There is a dot above the letter reish in the word “which.” Why? To teach that they destroyed the idolaters but not the countries themselves (whereas the practice of idolaters was to destroy entire countries). 9. “A tenth, a tenth for each” (Numbers 29:15). [This verse delineates the meal offering that accompanies the burnt offering] on the first day of the Sukkot festival. There is a dot above the letter vav in the [first occurrence of the] word “tenth.” Why? To teach that there is only one-tenth [measure] for each. 10. “The hidden things are for the Eternal our God, and the revealed things are for us and our children forever” (Deuteronomy 29:30). There are dots above the words “for us and our children,” and above the letter ayin in the word “forever.” Why? For this is what Ezra said: If Elijah comes and says to me: Why did you write it this way? I will say to him: I have already put dots above these words [to indicate I was not certain it was correct]. But if he says to me: You wrote it correctly, then I will remove the dots.
There are eleven instances in the Torah where the Hebrew word for “she,” היא, is written as הוא (which means “he” or “it”) but vocalized to mean “she.” The first is: “The King of Bela, he is [i.e., “she is”] Tzur” (Genesis 14:1). The second: “He himself said to me, ‘She is my sister,’ and SHE also said, ‘He is my brother’” (Genesis 20:5). The third: “As she was being brought out, SHE sent a message to her father-in-law, saying” (Genesis 38:25). The fourth: “If one of your animals of which it is [i.e., “she is”] used for food dies” (Leviticus 11:39). The fifth: “And it [i.e., “and she”] has turned the hair white” (Leviticus 13:10). The sixth: “If the priest sees it…and it [i.e., “and she”] has faded” (Leviticus 13:21). [The seventh: “It (i.e., “she”) shall be a Sabbath of complete rest for you” (Leviticus 16:31). The eighth: “And SHE sees his nakedness” (Leviticus 20:17). The ninth: “SHE has disgraced her father” (Leviticus 21:9). The tenth: “And SHE has kept secret, and defiled herself (and she was not caught)” (Numbers 5:13). The eleventh: “A spirit of jealousy has passed over him, and he is jealous of his wife…but SHE has not defiled herself” (Numbers 5:14).

The Divine Presence descended to the world ten times. Once in the Garden of Eden, as it says (Genesis 3:8), “They heard the sound of the Eternal God moving in the garden,” and it [also] says (Song of Songs 6:2), “My beloved has gone down to his garden.” Once in the generation of the Tower of Babel, as it says (Genesis 11:5), “And the Eternal went down to see the city and the tower.” Once in Sodom, as it says (Genesis 18:21), “I will go down and I will see about the cries that have come up to Me.” Once in Egypt, as it says (Exodus 3:8), “I have come down to save them from the hands of the Egyptians.” Once at the sea, as it says (Psalms 18:10), “And He bent the heavens and came down.” Once at Sinai, as it says (Exodus 19:20), “And the Eternal came down upon Mount Sinai” before all the people. Once in the Temple, as it says (Ezekiel 44:2), “And the Eternal said to me, this gate must be kept closed and is never to be opened…because the Eternal, the God of Israel, has come through it.” And once in a pillar of cloud, as it says (Numbers 11:25), “And the Eternal came down in a cloud.” And once more in the future, in the days of Gog and Magog, as its says (Zechariah 14:4), “He will set his feet down, on that day, upon the Mount of Olives.”

The wise person does not speak before one who is greater than him in wisdom.
From whom do we learn this? From Moses, as it says (Exodus 4:30), “Aaron repeated all the words that the Eternal had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs in the sight of the people.” And who was the appropriate person to say all these things, Moses or Aaron? One would assume Moses, for Moses had heard them from the mouth of the Almighty, whereas Aaron had heard them just from Moses! However, Moses said to himself: Can I speak in place of my older brother while he is standing right there? Therefore, he told Aaron to speak, as it says (Exodus 4:30), “Aaron repeated all the words that the Eternal had spoken to Moses.”
And he does not interrupt his fellow.
This is Aaron [as it says (Leviticus 10:19), “Then Aaron spoke…see, this day they brought their sin offering and their burnt offering.” But] he was quiet until Moses had finished speaking, and he did not tell Moses to cut his words short. Only afterward did he say to Moses, “See, this day they brought their sin offering and their burnt offering,” but we are in mourning [and cannot eat of the offerings]. And some say that Aaron pulled Moses aside and said to him, “Moses my brother, tithes are the least important of the offerings, and it is still forbidden for a mourner to eat them. A sin offering is the most important of the offerings, so all the more so is it forbidden for a mourner to eat it! Immediately, Moses admitted that [Aaron] was right, as it says (Leviticus 10:20), “And when Moses heard this, it was good in his eyes.” (And in the eyes of the Almighty.)
We learn also from the fact that Moses became angry with Elazar and Itamar, Aaron’s sons. From this, they say that when a person [makes a celebration] for his students, he turns his attention to the greatest of them. But when he becomes angry with them, he directs his anger to the lowliest among them, as it says (Leviticus 10:16), “And he became angry with Elazar and Itamar.” This shows that he was actually angry with Aaron as well.
Aaron was older than Moses, but the Eternal is greater than Aaron! So why didn’t the Eternal speak to Aaron? Because he did not have his sons stand guard. Because if he had put Elazar and Itamar on guard, then he could have kept Nadav and Avihu from sinning.
We learn also from Abraham our forefather, who prayed for the men of Sodom. The Holy Blessed One said to him (Genesis 28:26), “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will save the whole place for their sake.” But the One who spoke and brought the world into being already knew full well that if there were even three or five righteous people in Sodom, it would have been saved. Yet the Holy Blessed One waited until Abraham finished talking, and only afterward replied, as it says (Genesis 18:33), “When the Eternal had finished speaking to Abraham, He departed…” (as if the Eternal had said to Abraham, see, now I am released, as it says [at the end of the verse]), “…and Abraham returned to his place.”

The wise person does not speak before one who is greater than him in wisdom.
From whom do we learn this? From Moses, as it says (Exodus 4:30), “Aaron repeated all the words that the Eternal had spoken to Moses, and he performed the signs in the sight of the people.” And who was the appropriate person to say all these things, Moses or Aaron? One would assume Moses, for Moses had heard them from the mouth of the Almighty, whereas Aaron had heard them just from Moses! However, Moses said to himself: Can I speak in place of my older brother while he is standing right there? Therefore, he told Aaron to speak, as it says (Exodus 4:30), “Aaron repeated all the words that the Eternal had spoken to Moses.”
And he does not interrupt his fellow.
This is Aaron [as it says (Leviticus 10:19), “Then Aaron spoke…see, this day they brought their sin offering and their burnt offering.” But] he was quiet until Moses had finished speaking, and he did not tell Moses to cut his words short. Only afterward did he say to Moses, “See, this day they brought their sin offering and their burnt offering,” but we are in mourning [and cannot eat of the offerings]. And some say that Aaron pulled Moses aside and said to him, “Moses my brother, tithes are the least important of the offerings, and it is still forbidden for a mourner to eat them. A sin offering is the most important of the offerings, so all the more so is it forbidden for a mourner to eat it! Immediately, Moses admitted that [Aaron] was right, as it says (Leviticus 10:20), “And when Moses heard this, it was good in his eyes.” (And in the eyes of the Almighty.)
We learn also from the fact that Moses became angry with Elazar and Itamar, Aaron’s sons. From this, they say that when a person [makes a celebration] for his students, he turns his attention to the greatest of them. But when he becomes angry with them, he directs his anger to the lowliest among them, as it says (Leviticus 10:16), “And he became angry with Elazar and Itamar.” This shows that he was actually angry with Aaron as well.
Aaron was older than Moses, but the Eternal is greater than Aaron! So why didn’t the Eternal speak to Aaron? Because he did not have his sons stand guard. Because if he had put Elazar and Itamar on guard, then he could have kept Nadav and Avihu from sinning.
We learn also from Abraham our forefather, who prayed for the men of Sodom. The Holy Blessed One said to him (Genesis 28:26), “If I find fifty righteous people in Sodom, I will save the whole place for their sake.” But the One who spoke and brought the world into being already knew full well that if there were even three or five righteous people in Sodom, it would have been saved. Yet the Holy Blessed One waited until Abraham finished talking, and only afterward replied, as it says (Genesis 18:33), “When the Eternal had finished speaking to Abraham, He departed…” (as if the Eternal had said to Abraham, see, now I am released, as it says [at the end of the verse]), “…and Abraham returned to his place.”