Halakhah sobre Daniel 2:57

Strange as that thesis may appear, it serves, in this writer's opinion, to explain two difficult aggadic statements³²Another source, Midrash Tanḥuma, Parashat Ki Tissa, sec. 36, cites Daniel 2:22 and Psalms 139:12 as establishing that there is no darkness in heaven and proceeds to discuss how Moses, during the forty days in which God transmitted the Torah to him, could tell when it was day and when it was night. Teshuvot Rav Pe‘alim, II, Sod Yesharim, no. 4, cites that discussion in support of his position that the day is determined on the basis of twenty-four hour periods. See, however, the sources cited supra, note 16, who maintain that the references of such nature are to Jerusalem time. Moreover, that discussion may be understood metaphorically whereas the two aggadic statements discussed herein have halakhic ramifications. that have long been a source of puzzlement. Scripture records that in the war against Gibeon undertaken by Joshua the sun stood still in the sky in order to enable the conquest to become complete: "And the sun stood still and the moon stayed until the nation avenged itself of the enemies … and the sun stayed in the middle of the sky and did not hasten to go down for a whole day" (Joshua 10:13). Based upon differing interpretations of that verse, the Gemara, Avodah Zarah 25a, records a dispute with regard to whether that "day," i.e., the hours of daylight, was twenty-four, thirty-six or forty-eight hours in duration. In Avodah Zarah 25a there is no hint that the entire time period described together with the normal period of darkness counted for other than a single calendar day. However, Pirkei de-Rabbi Eli'ezer, chapter 52, adopts the view that the sun shone for thirty-six hours and reports that the battle occurred on Friday "and Joshua saw the anguish of Israel lest they desecrate the Sabbath … and each [of the luminaries] remained stationary for thirty-six hours until the conclusion of the Sabbath."

And they, may their memory be blessed, also said (Shevuot 35a) that any letter that serves as a prefix before the name is permitted to erase, for example the lamed (to) from, "to God." But what serves as a suffix after the name - such as the khaf (your) of "your God" or the mem (your - plural) of "your God," and similar to them - are not erased, since the name [of God] consecrates them. And one who writes [only] El from the word Elohim [that he planned to write], or Yah from yod, hay - vav, hay cannot have it erased because these are names [of God] on their own. But one who writes shad from Shaddai or tsav from Tsevaot - behold, it can be erased. And the rest of the appellations that are used to praise God - for example, Merciful, Graceful, Great, Powerful, Awesome and similar to them - behold, they are like the rest of the holy writings (Biblical texts), which are permitted to erase for the sake of any thing. And [also] that which they, may their memory be blessed, said (Shabbat 115a) that that which all holy writings (Biblical texts) and their commentaries are included in this prohibition, is from the words of the scribes (rabbinic) - that it is forbidden to destroy them or to burn them. And all of this that we have said is when it is written by a [proper] Israelite, but we burn - and it is a commandment to burn - everything that is written by an Israelite heretic, so as not to leave a name for (remembrance of) the heretics and all of their deeds, whereas we put away that which was written by a gentile (Mishneh Torah, Laws of Foundations of the Torah 6:8). And [also] that which they said (Shevuot 35b) that all of the names with Avraham in the matter of the angels that came to him are holy, and those stated with Lot are profane, except for "Behold now Your servant has found favor in Your eyes" (Genesis 19:19); all the names stated with the mountain of Binyamin (Judges 19-21) are holy, but from all those stated with Micah (Judges 17-18), some are profane and some are holy - el is profane, Yah is holy, except for one El which is holy, and that is "all the days that the house of God was in Shiloh" (Judges 18:31); all that are stated with Navot (I Kings 21) are holy; every Shomo that is stated in the Song of Songs is holy - and it is like the rest of the appellations - except for "a thousand to you, Shlomo" (Song of Songs 8:12); and all kings stated in Daniel are profane except for one, "You are the King, the King of the kings" (Daniel 2:37) - and behold it is like the other appellations. [These] and the rest of its details are found in Tractate Shevuot.