1. Hebrew Bible, Exodus, 6.6, 15.16, 34.6-34.7 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 40| 6.6. "לָכֵן אֱמֹר לִבְנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲנִי יְהוָה וְהוֹצֵאתִי אֶתְכֶם מִתַּחַת סִבְלֹת מִצְרַיִם וְהִצַּלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם מֵעֲבֹדָתָם וְגָאַלְתִּי אֶתְכֶם בִּזְרוֹעַ נְטוּיָה וּבִשְׁפָטִים גְּדֹלִים׃", 15.16. "תִּפֹּל עֲלֵיהֶם אֵימָתָה וָפַחַד בִּגְדֹל זְרוֹעֲךָ יִדְּמוּ כָּאָבֶן עַד־יַעֲבֹר עַמְּךָ יְהוָה עַד־יַעֲבֹר עַם־זוּ קָנִיתָ׃", 34.6. "וַיַּעֲבֹר יְהוָה עַל־פָּנָיו וַיִּקְרָא יְהוָה יְהוָה אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אֶרֶךְ אַפַּיִם וְרַב־חֶסֶד וֶאֱמֶת", 34.7. "נֹצֵר חֶסֶד לָאֲלָפִים נֹשֵׂא עָוֺן וָפֶשַׁע וְחַטָּאָה וְנַקֵּה לֹא יְנַקֶּה פֹּקֵד עֲוֺן אָבוֹת עַל־בָּנִים וְעַל־בְּנֵי בָנִים עַל־שִׁלֵּשִׁים וְעַל־רִבֵּעִים׃", | 6.6. "Wherefore say unto the children of Israel: I am the LORD, and I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians, and I will deliver you from their bondage, and I will redeem you with an outstretched arm, and with great judgments;", 15.16. "Terror and dread falleth upon them; By the greatness of Thine arm they are as still as a stone; Till Thy people pass over, O LORD, Till the people pass over that Thou hast gotten.", 34.6. "And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed: ‘The LORD, the LORD, God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth;", 34.7. "keeping mercy unto the thousandth generation, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin; and that will by no means clear the guilty; visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the children’s children, unto the third and unto the fourth generation.’", |
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2. Hebrew Bible, Genesis, 1.21-1.22, 8.1 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 116, 125| 1.21. "וַיִּבְרָא אֱלֹהִים אֶת־הַתַּנִּינִם הַגְּדֹלִים וְאֵת כָּל־נֶפֶשׁ הַחַיָּה הָרֹמֶשֶׂת אֲשֶׁר שָׁרְצוּ הַמַּיִם לְמִינֵהֶם וְאֵת כָּל־עוֹף כָּנָף לְמִינֵהוּ וַיַּרְא אֱלֹהִים כִּי־טוֹב׃", 1.22. "וַיְבָרֶךְ אֹתָם אֱלֹהִים לֵאמֹר פְּרוּ וּרְבוּ וּמִלְאוּ אֶת־הַמַּיִם בַּיַּמִּים וְהָעוֹף יִרֶב בָּאָרֶץ׃", 8.1. "וַיָּחֶל עוֹד שִׁבְעַת יָמִים אֲחֵרִים וַיֹּסֶף שַׁלַּח אֶת־הַיּוֹנָה מִן־הַתֵּבָה׃", 8.1. "וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת־נֹחַ וְאֵת כָּל־הַחַיָּה וְאֶת־כָּל־הַבְּהֵמָה אֲשֶׁר אִתּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה וַיַּעֲבֵר אֱלֹהִים רוּחַ עַל־הָאָרֶץ וַיָּשֹׁכּוּ הַמָּיִם׃", | 1.21. "And God created the great sea-monsters, and every living creature that creepeth, wherewith the waters swarmed, after its kind, and every winged fowl after its kind; and God saw that it was good.", 1.22. "And God blessed them, saying: ‘Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.’", 8.1. "And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and all the cattle that were with him in the ark; and God made a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters assuaged;", |
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3. Hebrew Bible, Job, 9.8, 9.13, 41.15-41.16 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 40, 116; Sneed (2022), Taming the Beast: A Reception History of Behemoth and Leviathan, 36| 9.8. "נֹטֶה שָׁמַיִם לְבַדּוֹ וְדוֹרֵךְ עַל־בָּמֳתֵי יָם׃", 9.13. "אֱלוֹהַּ לֹא־יָשִׁיב אַפּוֹ תחתו [תַּחְתָּיו] שָׁחֲחוּ עֹזְרֵי רָהַב׃", 41.15. "מַפְּלֵי בְשָׂרוֹ דָבֵקוּ יָצוּק עָלָיו בַּל־יִמּוֹט׃", 41.16. "לִבּוֹ יָצוּק כְּמוֹ־אָבֶן וְיָצוּק כְּפֶלַח תַּחְתִּית׃", | 9.8. "Who alone stretcheth out the heavens, And treadeth upon the waves of the sea.", 9.13. "God will not withdraw His anger; The helpers of Rahab did stoop under Him.", 41.15. "The flakes of his flesh are joined together; they are firm upon him; they cannot be moved.", 41.16. "His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, firm as the nether millstone.", |
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4. Hebrew Bible, Micah, 7.19 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 125| 7.19. "יָשׁוּב יְרַחֲמֵנוּ יִכְבֹּשׁ עֲוֺנֹתֵינוּ וְתַשְׁלִיךְ בִּמְצֻלוֹת יָם כָּל־חַטֹּאותָם׃", | 7.19. "He will again have compassion upon us; He will subdue our iniquities; And Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea.", |
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5. Hebrew Bible, Psalms, 24.1-24.2, 33.7, 89.10, 89.26, 93.1, 93.3, 136.5-136.9, 144.7 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Feldman (2006), Judaism and Hellenism Reconsidered, 48; Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 40, 116, 118; Sneed (2022), Taming the Beast: A Reception History of Behemoth and Leviathan, 53| 24.1. "לְדָוִד מִזְמוֹר לַיהוָה הָאָרֶץ וּמְלוֹאָהּ תֵּבֵל וְיֹשְׁבֵי בָהּ׃", 24.1. "מִי הוּא זֶה מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד יְהוָה צְבָאוֹת הוּא מֶלֶךְ הַכָּבוֹד סֶלָה׃", 24.2. "כִּי־הוּא עַל־יַמִּים יְסָדָהּ וְעַל־נְהָרוֹת יְכוֹנְנֶהָ׃", 33.7. "כֹּנֵס כַּנֵּד מֵי הַיָּם נֹתֵן בְּאֹצָרוֹת תְּהוֹמוֹת׃", 89.26. "וְשַׂמְתִּי בַיָּם יָדוֹ וּבַנְּהָרוֹת יְמִינוֹ׃", 93.1. "יְהוָה מָלָךְ גֵּאוּת לָבֵשׁ לָבֵשׁ יְהוָה עֹז הִתְאַזָּר אַף־תִּכּוֹן תֵּבֵל בַּל־תִּמּוֹט׃", 93.3. "נָשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת יְהוָה נָשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת קוֹלָם יִשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת דָּכְיָם׃", 136.5. "לְעֹשֵׂה הַשָּׁמַיִם בִּתְבוּנָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ׃", 136.6. "לְרֹקַע הָאָרֶץ עַל־הַמָּיִם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ׃", 136.7. "לְעֹשֵׂה אוֹרִים גְּדֹלִים כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ׃", 136.8. "אֶת־הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לְמֶמְשֶׁלֶת בַּיּוֹם כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ׃", 136.9. "אֶת־הַיָּרֵחַ וְכוֹכָבִים לְמֶמְשְׁלוֹת בַּלָּיְלָה כִּי לְעוֹלָם חַסְדּוֹ׃", 144.7. "שְׁלַח יָדֶיךָ מִמָּרוֹם פְּצֵנִי וְהַצִּילֵנִי מִמַּיִם רַבִּים מִיַּד בְּנֵי נֵכָר׃", | 24.1. "A Psalm of David. The earth is the LORD’S, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein.", 24.2. "For He hath founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods.", 33.7. "He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap; He layeth up the deeps in storehouses.", 89.10. "Thou rulest the proud swelling of the sea; When the waves thereof arise, Thou stillest them.", 89.26. "I will set his hand also on the sea, And his right hand on the rivers.", 93.1. "The LORD reigneth; He is clothed in majesty; The LORD is clothed, He hath girded Himself with strength; Yea, the world is established, that it cannot be moved.", 93.3. "The floods have lifted up, O LORD, The floods have lifted up their voice; The floods lift up their roaring.", 136.5. "To Him that by understanding made the heavens, for His mercy endureth for ever.", 136.6. "To Him that spread forth the earth above the waters, For His mercy endureth for ever.", 136.7. "To Him that made great lights, For His mercy endureth for ever;", 136.8. "The sun to rule by day, For His mercy endureth for ever;", 136.9. "The moon and stars to rule by night, For His mercy endureth for ever.", 144.7. "Stretch forth Thy hands from on high; Rescue me, and deliver me out of many waters, Out of the hand of strangers;", |
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6. Hebrew Bible, Lamentations, 2.3 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 40| 2.3. "גָּדַע בָּחֳרִי אַף כֹּל קֶרֶן יִשְׂרָאֵל הֵשִׁיב אָחוֹר יְמִינוֹ מִפְּנֵי אוֹיֵב וַיִּבְעַר בְּיַעֲקֹב כְּאֵשׁ לֶהָבָה אָכְלָה סָבִיב׃", | 2.3. "He hath cut off in fierce anger All the horn of Israel; He hath drawn back His right hand From before the enemy; And He hath burned in Jacob like a flaming fire, Which devoureth round about.", |
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| 7. Homer, Odyssey, 17.381-17.386, 18.136-18.137 (8th cent. BCE - 7th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish, babylonian epic, parallels with homer Found in books: Feldman (2006), Judaism and Hellenism Reconsidered, 48 |
8. Hebrew Bible, Isaiah, 50.3 (8th cent. BCE - 5th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 40| 50.3. "אַלְבִּישׁ שָׁמַיִם קַדְרוּת וְשַׂק אָשִׂים כְּסוּתָם׃", | 50.3. "I clothe the heavens with blackness, And I make sackcloth their covering.", |
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9. Homer, Iliad, 14.201, 14.214-14.223, 18.483-18.485 (8th cent. BCE - 7th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish, babylonian epic, parallels with homer Found in books: Feldman (2006), Judaism and Hellenism Reconsidered, 48 | 14.201. / For I am faring to visit the limits of the all-nurturing earth, and Oceanus, from whom the gods are sprung, and mother Tethys, even them that lovingly nursed and cherished me in their halls, when they had taken me from Rhea, what time Zeus, whose voice is borne afar, thrust Cronos down to dwell beneath earth and the unresting sea. 14.214. / ever should I be called dear by them and worthy of reverence. To her again spake in answer laughter-loving Aphrodite:It may not be that I should say thee nay, nor were it seemly; for thou sleepest in the arms of mightiest Zeus. She spake, and loosed from her bosom the broidered zone, 14.215. / curiously-wrought, wherein are fashioned all manner of allurements; therein is love, therein desire, therein dalliance—beguilement that steals the wits even of the wise. This she laid in her hands, and spake, and addressed her:Take now and lay in thy bosom this zone, 14.216. / curiously-wrought, wherein are fashioned all manner of allurements; therein is love, therein desire, therein dalliance—beguilement that steals the wits even of the wise. This she laid in her hands, and spake, and addressed her:Take now and lay in thy bosom this zone, 14.217. / curiously-wrought, wherein are fashioned all manner of allurements; therein is love, therein desire, therein dalliance—beguilement that steals the wits even of the wise. This she laid in her hands, and spake, and addressed her:Take now and lay in thy bosom this zone, 14.218. / curiously-wrought, wherein are fashioned all manner of allurements; therein is love, therein desire, therein dalliance—beguilement that steals the wits even of the wise. This she laid in her hands, and spake, and addressed her:Take now and lay in thy bosom this zone, 14.219. / curiously-wrought, wherein are fashioned all manner of allurements; therein is love, therein desire, therein dalliance—beguilement that steals the wits even of the wise. This she laid in her hands, and spake, and addressed her:Take now and lay in thy bosom this zone, 14.220. / curiously-wrought, wherein all things are fashioned; I tell thee thou shalt not return with that unaccomplished, whatsoever in thy heart thou desirest. So spake she, and ox-eyed, queenly Hera smiled, and smiling laid the zone in her bosom.She then went to her house, the daughter of Zeus, Aphrodite, 14.221. / curiously-wrought, wherein all things are fashioned; I tell thee thou shalt not return with that unaccomplished, whatsoever in thy heart thou desirest. So spake she, and ox-eyed, queenly Hera smiled, and smiling laid the zone in her bosom.She then went to her house, the daughter of Zeus, Aphrodite, 14.222. / curiously-wrought, wherein all things are fashioned; I tell thee thou shalt not return with that unaccomplished, whatsoever in thy heart thou desirest. So spake she, and ox-eyed, queenly Hera smiled, and smiling laid the zone in her bosom.She then went to her house, the daughter of Zeus, Aphrodite, 14.223. / curiously-wrought, wherein all things are fashioned; I tell thee thou shalt not return with that unaccomplished, whatsoever in thy heart thou desirest. So spake she, and ox-eyed, queenly Hera smiled, and smiling laid the zone in her bosom.She then went to her house, the daughter of Zeus, Aphrodite, 18.483. / threefold and glittering, and therefrom made fast a silver baldric. Five were the layers of the shield itself; and on it he wrought many curious devices with cunning skill.Therein he wrought the earth, therein the heavens therein the sea, and the unwearied sun, and the moon at the full, 18.484. / threefold and glittering, and therefrom made fast a silver baldric. Five were the layers of the shield itself; and on it he wrought many curious devices with cunning skill.Therein he wrought the earth, therein the heavens therein the sea, and the unwearied sun, and the moon at the full, 18.485. / and therein all the constellations wherewith heaven is crowned—the Pleiades, and the Hyades and the mighty Orion, and the Bear, that men call also the Wain, that circleth ever in her place, and watcheth Orion, and alone hath no part in the baths of Ocean. |
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| 10. Aristophanes, The Women Celebrating The Thesmophoria, 1.1-1.10, 4.20-4.120, 4.129-4.130 (5th cent. BCE - 4th cent. BCE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 40, 116, 118 |
| 11. Anon., Mekhilta Derabbi Yishmael, None (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 118 |
12. Anon., Genesis Rabba, 5.2-5.4, 12.15, 16.5, 33.3 (2nd cent. CE - 5th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 116, 125; Herman, Rubenstein (2018), The Aggada of the Bavli and Its Cultural World. 12| 5.2. אֶל מָקוֹם אֶחָד, רַבִּי יוּדָן בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי וְרַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יוּדָן בֶּן רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אוֹמֵר, כָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ מַיִם בְּמַיִם, וְאַתָּה אוֹמֵר אֶל מָקוֹם אֶחָד, אֶתְמְהָא. מָשָׁל לְעֶשֶׂר נוֹדוֹת נְפוּחוֹת מֻנָּחוֹת בִּטְרַקְלִין, נִצְרַךְ הַמֶּלֶךְ לִמְקוֹמָן, מָה הוּא עוֹשֶׂה לָהֶן, מַתִּירָן וּמוֹצִיא אֶת רוּחָן וּמְסַלְּקָן בְּזָוִית אֶחָד. כָּךְ דָּרַךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל מֵי בְרֵאשִׁית וְסִלְּקָן בְּיָם אוֹקְיָנוֹס, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (איוב יב, טו): הֵן יַעְצֹר בַּמַּיִם וְיִבָשׁוּ וגו' (איוב ט, ח): וְדוֹרֵךְ עַל בָּמֳתֵי יָם. 5.3. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי, הַמַּיִם הָיוּ אוֹמְרִים אֵלּוּ לְאֵלּוּ נֵלֵךְ וְנַעֲשֶׂה קִלּוּסִין לְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים צג, ג): נָשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת ה' נָשְׂאוּ נְהָרוֹת קוֹלָם וגו'. רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּם דֶּרֶךְ הַיָּם. רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כַּהֲנָא אָמַר לְדוּכְתָּא פְּלוֹנִית וּלְזָוִית פְּלוֹנִיתָא, גַּלְגַּלָּא פְּלָנִיתָא. רַב הוּנָא אָמַר לְהָדָךְ יַמָּא לְהָדָךְ יַמָּא. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּר חֲנִינָא אָמַר לְדוּכְסָאִים לְדוּכְסָאִים. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר קְלָטָן הַיָּם, הֵיךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (איוב לח, טז): הֲבָאתָ עַד נִבְכֵי יָם, עַד קִלּוּטִין דְּיַמָּא. רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי דּוֹכִים קַבְּלוּנוּ, מְדֻכָנִים אָנוּ קַבְּלוּנוּ. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה, הַמַּיִם הָיוּ עוֹלִים הָרִים וְיוֹרְדִים תְּהוֹמוֹת עַד שֶׁהִגִּיעוּ לְאוֹקְיָנוֹס, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים קד, ח): יַעֲלוּ הָרִים יֵרְדוּ וגו', אֵיזֶה מָקוֹם יִסַּדְתָּ לָהֶם, זֶה אוֹקְיָנוֹס. דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי אַבָּהוּ אוֹקְיָנוֹס גָּבֹהַּ מִכָּל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ, וְכָל הָעוֹלָם כֻּלּוֹ מֵימָיו הֵם שׁוֹתִים. 5.4. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי, יֵשׁ מִן הַדַּרְשָׁנִים שֶׁהֵם דּוֹרְשִׁין, כְּגוֹן בֶּן עַזַּאי וּבֶן זוֹמָא, נַעֲשָׂה קוֹלוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְטַטְרוֹן לְמשֶׁה, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמַר לוֹ (דברים לב, מט): עֲלֵה אֶל הַר הָעֲבָרִים, נַעֲשָׂה קוֹלוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מְטַטְרוֹן עַל הַמָּיִם, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהילים כ״ט:ג׳): קוֹל ה' עַל הַמָּיִם. אָמַר רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה, לֹא פֵּרְשׁוּ הַמַּיִם הַתַּחְתּוֹנִים מִן הָעֶלְיוֹנִים אֶלָּא בִּבְכִיָּה, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (איוב כח, יא): מִבְּכִי נְהָרוֹת חִבֵּשׁ. רַבִּי תַּנְחוּם מַיְיתֵי לָהּ מִן הָכָא (ירמיה י, יב): עֹשֶׂה אֶרֶץ בְּכֹחוֹ וגו' לְקוֹל תִּתּוֹ הֲמוֹן מַיִם וגו', וְאֵין לְקוֹל אֶלָּא בֶּכִי, הֵיךְ מַה דְּאַתְּ אָמַר (ירמיה לא, יד): קוֹל בְּרָמָה נִשְׁמָע. 12.15. ה' אֱלֹהִים, לְמֶלֶךְ שֶׁהָיוּ לוֹ כּוֹסוֹת רֵיקִים, אָמַר הַמֶּלֶךְ אִם אֲנִי נוֹתֵן לְתוֹכָן חַמִּין, הֵם מִתְבַּקְּעִין. צוֹנֵן, הֵם מַקְרִיסִין, וּמֶה עָשָׂה הַמֶּלֶךְ עֵרַב חֲמִין בְּצוֹנֵן וְנָתַן בָּהֶם וְעָמָדוּ. כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אִם בּוֹרֵא אֲנִי אֶת הָעוֹלָם בְּמִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים, הֲוֵי חֶטְיָיה סַגִּיאִין. בְּמִדַּת הַדִּין, הָאֵיךְ הָעוֹלָם יָכוֹל לַעֲמֹד. אֶלָּא הֲרֵי אֲנִי בּוֹרֵא אוֹתוֹ בְּמִדַּת הַדִּין וּבְמִדַּת הָרַחֲמִים, וְהַלְּוַאי יַעֲמֹד. 16.5. וַיִּקַּח ה' אֱלֹהִים אֶת הָאָדָם וגו' (בראשית ב, טו), רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר עִלָּה אוֹתוֹ, הֵיךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (ישעיה יד, ב): וּלְקָחוּם עַמִּים וֶהֱבִיאוּם וגו'. רַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אָמַר פִּתָּה אוֹתוֹ, הֵיךְ מָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (הושע יד, ג): קְחוּ עִמָּכֶם דְּבָרִים וְשׁוּבוּ אֶל ה' וגו'. וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ, רַבִּי יוּדָן וְרַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה. רַבִּי יוּדָן אָמַר הִנִּיחַ לוֹ וְהֵגֵן עָלָיו וְעִדְּנוֹ מִכָּל אִילָנֵי גַּן עֵדֶן. רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה אָמַר לְהַנִּיחוֹ וּלְהָגֵן עָלָיו וּלְעַדְּנוֹ מִכָּל אִילָנֵי גַּן עֵדֶן. וַיַּנִּחֵהוּ, נָתַן לוֹ מִצְוַת שַׁבָּת, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמַר (שמות כ, יא): וַיָּנַח בַּיּוֹם הַשְּׁבִיעִי. לְעָבְדָהּ, (שמות כ, ט): שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים תַּעֲבֹד. וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ, (דברים ה, יב): שָׁמוֹר אֶת יוֹם הַשַּׁבָּת לְקַדְּשׁוֹ. דָּבָר אַחֵר לְעָבְדָהּ וּלְשָׁמְרָהּ, אֵלּוּ הַקָּרְבָּנוֹת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ג, יב): תַּעַבְדוּן אֶת הָאֱלֹהִים, וּכְתִיב (במדבר כח, ב): תִּשְׁמְרוּ לְהַקְרִיב לִי בְּמוֹעֲדוֹ. 33.3. טוֹב ה' לַכֹּל וְרַחֲמָיו עַל כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו (תהלים קמה, ט), אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי טוֹב ה' לַכֹּל, עַל הַכֹּל, שֶׁהוּא מַעֲשָׂיו. אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל טוֹב ה' לַכֹּל וְרַחֲמָיו עַל הַכֹּל שֶׁהֵן מִדּוֹתָיו הוּא מְרַחֵם. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דְּסִכְנִין בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר טוֹב ה' לַכֹּל, וּמֵרַחֲמָיו הוּא נוֹתֵן לִבְרִיּוֹתָיו. רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא וְרַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר אָבִין בְּשֵׁם רַב אַחָא לְמָחָר שְׁנַת בַּצֹּרֶת בָּאָה וְהַבְּרִיּוֹת מְרַחֲמִין אֵלּוּ עַל אֵלּוּ, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִתְמַלֵּא עֲלֵיהֶן רַחֲמִים. בְּיוֹמֵי דְּרַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא הָיוּ צְרִיכִין יִשְׂרָאֵל לְתַעֲנִית, אָתוֹן לְגַבֵּיהּ אָמְרִין לֵיהּ רַבִּי גְּזָר תַּעֲנִיתָא, גָּזַר תַּעֲנִיתָא יוֹם קַדְמָאי יוֹם ב' יוֹם ג' וְלָא נְחַת מִטְרָא, עָאל וְדָרַשׁ לְהוֹן אֲמַר לְהוֹן בָּנַי הִתְמַלְּאוּ רַחֲמִים אֵלּוּ עַל אֵלּוּ וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִתְמַלֵּא עֲלֵיכֶם רַחֲמִים. עַד שֶׁהֵן מְחַלְּקִין צְדָקָה לַעֲנִיֵּיהֶם רָאוּ אָדָם אֶחָד נוֹתֵן מָעוֹת לִגְרוּשָׁתוֹ, אָתוֹן לְגַבֵּיהּ וַאֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ, רַבִּי מָה אֲנַן יָתְבִין הָכָא וַעֲבֵרְתָּא הָכָא. אֲמַר לָהֶן מָה רְאִיתֶם, אָמְרוּ לוֹ רָאִינוּ אָדָם פְּלוֹנִי נוֹתֵן מָעוֹת לִגְרוּשָׁתוֹ, שְׁלַח בַּתְרֵיהוֹן וְאַיְיתִינוֹן לְגוֹ צִבּוּרָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ מָה הִיא לָךְ זוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ גְּרוּשָׁתִי הִיא. אָמַר לוֹ מִפְּנֵי מָה נָתַתָּ לָהּ מָעוֹת, אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי רָאִיתִי אוֹתָהּ בְּצָרָה וְהִתְמַלֵּאתִי עָלֶיהָ רַחֲמִים. בְּאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה הִגְבִּיהַּ רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא פָּנָיו כְּלַפֵּי מַעְלָה וְאָמַר רִבּוֹן כָּל הָעוֹלָמִים מָה אִם זֶה שֶׁאֵין לָהּ עָלָיו מְזוֹנוֹת רָאָה אוֹתָהּ בְּצָרָה וְנִתְמַלֵּא עָלֶיהָ רַחֲמִים, אַתָּה שֶׁכָּתוּב בְּךָ (תהלים קמה, ח): חַנּוּן וְרַחוּם, וְאָנוּ בְּנֵי יְדִידֶיךָ בְּנֵי אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה שֶׁתִּתְמַלֵּא עָלֵינוּ רַחֲמִים, מִיָּד יָרְדוּ גְּשָׁמִים וְנִתְרַוָּה הָעוֹלָם. רַבֵּנוּ הֲוָה יָתֵיב לָעֵי בְּאוֹרַיְתָא קַמֵּי כְּנִשְׁתָּא דְּבַבְלָאי בְּצִפּוֹרִין, עֲבַר חַד עֵגֶל קוֹדָמוֹי, אָזֵל לְמִתְנְכָסָה וְשָׁרֵי גָּעֵי כְּמֵימַר שֵׁיזִבְנִי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ וּמָה אֲנִי יָכוֹל לְמֶעְבַּד לָךְ לְכָךְ נוֹצַרְתָּ, וְחָשַׁשׁ רַבִּי אֶת שִׁנָּיו שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר אָבִין כָּל אוֹתָן שְׁלשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה שָׁנָה שֶׁהָיָה חוֹשֵׁשׁ רַבִּי אֶת שִׁנָּיו, לֹא הִפִּילָה עֻבָּרָה בְּאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְלֹא נִצְטַעֲרוּ הַיּוֹלְדוֹת, בָּתַר יוֹמִין עֲבַר חַד שֶׁרֶץ קַמֵּי בְּרַתֵּיהּ וּבְעָא לְמִקְטְלָא, אֲמַר לָהּ בְּרַתִּי שַׁבְקֵיהּ, דִּכְתִיב: וְרַחֲמָיו עַל כָּל מַעֲשָׂיו. רַבֵּנוּ הֲוָה עִנְוָתָן סַגֵּי, וַהֲוָה אֲמַר כָּל מַה דְּיֹאמַר לִי בַּר נַשׁ אֲנָא עָבֵיד חוּץ מִמַּה שֶּׁעָשׂוּ בְּנֵי בְתֵירָא לִזְקֵנִי, שֶׁיָּרְדוּ מִגְדֻלָּתָן וְהֶעֱלוּ אוֹתוֹ, וְאִין סָלֵיק רַב הוּנָא רֵישׁ גָּלוּתָא לְהָכָא, אֲנָא קָאֵים לִי מִן קֳדָמוֹהִי, לָמָּה דְּהוּא מִן יְהוּדָה וַאֲנָא מִן בִּנְיָמִין, וְהוּא מִן דִּכְרַיָא דִּיהוּדָה וַאֲנָא מִן נֻקְבְתָא. אֲמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי חִיָּא רַבָּה וַהֲרֵי הוּא עוֹמֵד בַּחוּץ, נִתְכַּרְכְּמוּ פָּנָיו שֶׁל רַבִּי וְכֵיוָן שֶׁרָאָה שֶׁנִּתְכַּרְכְּמוּ פָּנָיו אָמַר לוֹ אֲרוֹנוֹ הוּא, אֲמַר לֵיהּ פּוֹק חֲזֵי מַאן בָּעֵי לָךְ לְבָרָא, נָפַק וְלָא אַשְׁכַּח בַּר נָשׁ, וְיָדַע דְּהוּא נָזוּף וְאֵין נְזִיפָה פְּחוּתָה מִשְּׁלשִׁים יוֹם. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר רַבִּי אָבִין כָּל אוֹתָן שְׁלשִׁים יוֹם שֶׁהָיָה רַבִּי חִיָּא רַבָּה נָזוּף מֵרַבֵּנוּ, אַלֵּיף לְרַב בַּר אֲחָתֵיהּ כָּל כְּלָלֵי דְאוֹרַיְתָא, וְאִלֵּין אִינוּן כְּלָלַיָיא דְאוֹרַיְתָא הִלְכְתָא דְּבַבְלָאֵי. לְסוֹף תְּלָתִין יוֹמִין אָתָא אֵלִיָּהוּ זָכוּר לַטּוֹב בִּדְמוּתֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי חִיָּא רַבָּה אֵצֶל רַבֵּנוּ וִיְהַב יְדֵיהּ עַל שִׁנֵּיהּ וְאִתְּסֵי, כֵּיוָן דְּאָתָא רַבִּי חִיָּא רַבָּה לְגַבֵּי רַבֵּנוּ אֲמַר לֵיהּ מָה עֲבַדְתְּ בְּשִׁנָּךְ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ מִן עוֹנָתָא דִּיהַבְתְּ יְדָךְ עִלּוֹהִי אִתְנְשֵׁימַת, אֲמַר לֵיהּ לֵית אֲנָא הֲוָה יָדַע מָה הוּא. כֵּיוָן דְּשָׁמַע כֵּן שָׁרֵי נָהֵיג בֵּיהּ יְקָרָא, וְקָרַב תַּלְמִידִים וּמְעַיֵּיל לֵיהּ מִלְּגַאו. אָמַר רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן רַבִּי יוֹסֵי וְלִפְנִים מִמֶּנִּי, אָמַר לֵיהּ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם לֹא יֵעָשֶׂה כֵן בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל. רַבֵּנוּ הֲוָה מְתַנֵּי שִׁבְחֵיהּ דְּרַבִּי חִיָּא רַבָּה קַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן רַבִּי יוֹסֵי, אָמַר לֵיהּ אָדָם גָּדוֹל, אָדָם קָדוֹשׁ. חַד זְמַן חֲמִיתֵיהּ בֵּי בָנֵי וְלָא אִתְכְּנַע מִנֵּיהּ, אֲמַר לֵיהּ הַהוּא תַּלְמִידָךְ דַּהֲוַת מִשְׁתַּבַּח בֵּיהּ חֲמִיתֵּיהּ בֵּי בָנֵי וְלָא אִתְכְּנַע מִנָּאי. אֲמַר לֵיהּ וְלָמָּה לָא אִתְכְּנָעַת מִנֵּיהּ, אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי חִיָּא מִסְתַּכֵּל הָיִיתִי בְּאַגָּדַת תְּהִלִּים, כֵּיוָן דְּשָׁמַע כֵּן מְסַר לֵיהּ תְּרֵין תַּלְמִידוֹי וַהֲווֹ עָיְילִין עִמֵּיהּ לַאֲשׁוּנָה, דְּלָא יִשְׁהֵי וְתִזְעַר נַפְשֵׁיהּ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, טוֹב ה' לַכֹּל וגו', וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת נֹחַ וגו', אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמֵנִי אוֹי לָהֶם לָרְשָׁעִים שֶׁהֵם הוֹפְכִים מִדַּת רַחֲמִים לְמִדַּת הַדִין, בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ה', מִדַּת רַחֲמִים, (שמות לד, ו): ה' ה' אֵל רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן, וּכְתִיב (בראשית ו, ה): וַיַּרְא ה' כִּי רַבָּה רָעַת הָאָדָם בָּאָרֶץ, (בראשית ו, ו): וַיִּנָּחֶם ה' כִּי עָשָׂה אֶת הָאָדָם (בראשית ו, ז): וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶמְחֶה וגו', אַשְׁרֵיהֶם הַצַּדִּיקִים שֶׁהֵן הוֹפְכִים מִדַּת הַדִּין לְמִדַּת רַחֲמִים. בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֱלֹהִים הוּא מִדַּת הַדִּין (שמות כב, כז): אֱלֹהִים לֹא תְקַלֵּל, (שמות כב, ח): עַד הָאֱלֹהִים יָבֹא דְּבַר שְׁנֵיהֶם, וּכְתִיב (שמות ב, כד): וַיִּשְׁמַע אֱלֹהִים אֶת נַאֲקָתָם וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת בְּרִיתוֹ וגו' (בראשית ל, כב): וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת רָחֵל וגו', וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת נֹחַ, מַה זְּכִירָה נִזְכַּר לוֹ שֶׁזָּן וּפִרְנֵס אוֹתָם כָּל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ בַּתֵּבָה, וַיִּזְכֹּר אֱלֹהִים אֶת נֹחַ, וְהַדִּין נוֹתֵן מִזְּכוּת הַטְּהוֹרִים שֶׁהִכְנִיס עִמּוֹ בַּתֵּבָה. רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר אוֹמֵר לְשֵׁם קָרְבָּנוֹ נִקְרָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ח, כא): וַיָּרַח ה' אֶת רֵיחַ הַנִּיחֹחַ. רַבִּי יוֹסֵי בַּר חֲנִינָא לְשֵׁם נַחַת הַתֵּבָה נִקְרָא, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ח, ד): וַתָּנַח הַתֵּבָה בַּחֹדֶשׁ הַשְּׁבִיעִי וגו'. רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר (בראשית ח, כב): לֹא יִשְׁבֹּתוּ, מִכְּלַל שֶׁשָּׁבָתוּ. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן לֹא שִׁמְשׁוּ מַזָּלוֹת כָּל שְׁנֵים עָשָׂר חֹדֶשׁ, אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן שִׁמְשׁוּ אֶלָּא שֶׁלֹא הָיָה רִשּׁוּמָן נִכָּר. | 33.3. " b God is good to all and His mercies are upon all of His works (Psalms 145:9): /b Rabbi Levi said, \"'God is good to all,' upon all, that He is their maker.\" Rabbi Shmuel said, \"'God is good to all and His mercies' - upon all that are His traits, He has mercy.” Rabbi Yehoshua of Sakhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi, \"'God is good to all' and His merciful ones He give to His creatures.\" Rabbi Tanchuma and Rabbi Abba bar Avin [said] in the name of Rav Acha, “Tomorrow a famine will arrive and the creatures will have mercy, these upon those, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will be filled with mercy on them.” In the days of Rabbi Tanchuma, Israel required a fast (to bring about rain). They came to [Rabbi Tanchuma and] said to him, “Rabbi, decree a fast.” [So] he decreed a fast on the first day, on the second day, on the third day and rain did not fall. He got up and expounded to them. He said to them, \"My children, have mercy, these upon those, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will be filled with mercy on you.\" While they were still distributing charity to the poor, they saw a man giving money to his ex-wife. They came to [Rabbi Tanchuma] and said to him, \"Rabbi, how are we sitting here [while] there is a sin here.\" He said [back] to them, \"What did you see?\" They said to him, \"We saw Mr. x give money to his ex-wife.\" They sent for them and they brought them in front of the community. [Rabbi Tanchuma] said to him, \"What is she to you?\" He said [back] to him, \"She is my ex-wife.\" He said to him, \"Why did you give her money?\" He said to him, \"Rabbi, I saw her in distress and I was filled with mercy on her.\" At that time, Rabbi Tanchuma lifted his head towards above and said, \"Master over the worlds, just like this one that does not have an obligation to sustain [her] saw her in distress and he was filled with mercy for her, all the more so, You, that it is written about You, 'Compassionate and Merciful' and we are the children of Your friends, Avraham, Yitschak and Yaakov, will You be filled with mercy on us.\" Immediately, rains fell and the world was irrigated. Our rabbi (Yehuda Hanassi) was sitting, involved in Torah in front of the synagogue of the Babylonian [Jews] in Tzippori [when] a calf passed in front of him [and] was going to be slaughtered and started to yell out as if to say, \"Save me.\" He said to it, \"And what can I do for you? That is what you were created for.\" [As a result, Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi] had toothaches for thirteen years. Rabbi Yoss bar Avin said, \"[During] those entire thirteen years that [he] had toothaches, no pregt woman had a miscarriage in the Land of Israel and no birthing mother had pain. After some time, a crawling animal passed in front of his daughter and she wanted to kill it. He said to her, \"My daughter, let it go, as it is written, \"and His mercies are upon all of his works.\" Our rabbi had great modesty and said, \"I will do anything that people tell me except what the sons of Batira did to my forefather - that they came down from their greatness (office) and brought him up; and [even] if Rabbi Huna, the Exilarch, came here, I would get up in front of him. Why? As he is from [the tribe of] Yehuda and I am from Binyamin, and he is from the males of Yehuda and I am from the females.\" Rabbi Chiya the Great said to him, \"And behold, he is [waiting] outside.\" [Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi]'s face changed colors. And when he saw that his face changed colors, [Rabbi Chiya] said to him, \"It is [Rabbi Huna]'s coffin.\" He said [back] to [Rabbi Chiya], \"Go out and see who needs you outside.\" He went out and did not find a person and he knew that he was excommunicated - and there is no excommunication less than thirty days. Rabbi Yossi bar Avin said, \"[During] the entire thirty days that Rabbi Chiya the Great was excommunicated from our rabbi, he taught Rav, the son of his sister, the principles of the Torah.\" And what are the principles of the Torah? They are the laws of the Babylonians. At the end of thirty days, Eliyahu - may he be remembered for good - came in the likeness of Rabbi Chiya the Great to our rabbi and put his hand on his teeth and he became healed. When Rabbi Chiya the Great came to our rabbi, he said to him, \"What did you do to your teeth?\" He said [back] to him, \"From the time that you put your hand on them, they became better. He said, \"I do not know what this is.\" When he heard this, he began to treat him with respect and he brought close the students and brought up [Rabbi Chiya] to the top. Rabbi Yishmael bar Yose said, \"And [should he] come closer than I?\" He said [back] to him, \"God forbid, such should not be done in Israel.\" Our rabbi was teaching the praises of Rabbi Chiya the Great in front of Rabbi Yishmael bar Yose - he said, \"He is a great man, he is a holy man.\" One time, [Rabbi Yishmael bar Yose] saw [Rabbi Chiya] in the bathhouse and [the latter] did not humble himself before him. He said to [Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi], \"Is this your student that you have been praising? I saw him in the bathhouse and he did not humble himself before me.\" He said to him, \"Why did you not humble yourself before him?\" Rabbi Chiya said [back], I was looking at the homilies (aggadot) of Psalms.\" Once [Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi] heard this, he gave him two students to go with him to the dark places, that he not get confounded and lose himself. Another explanation: \"God is good to all, etc.\" \"And God remembered Noach, etc.\" - Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said, \"Woe to the evildoers who switch the [Divine] trait of mercy to the [Divine] trait of [strict] justice. In every place that it states 'the Lord,' it is the trait of mercy: 'The Lord, the Lord, merciful and compassionate God' (Exodus 34:6). And [yet] it is written (Genesis 6:5-6), 'And the Lord saw that the evil of man on the earth was very great[...] And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and the Lord said, \"I will erase, etc.\"' Happy are the righteous who switch the trait of [Divine] justice to the [divine] trait of mercy. In every place that it states ' i Elohim /i ,' it is the trait of mercy: 'Judges ( i Elohim /i ) you shall not curse' (Exodus 22:27); 'to the judges ( i elohim /i ) the matter of both of them will come' (Exodus 22:8). And [yet] it is written (Exodus 2:24), 'And God heard their cries and God remembered His covet'; '(Genesis 30:22), 'And God remembered Rachel'; 'And God remembered Noach.' And what memory did He remember for him? That he fed and sustained them all of the twelve months in the ark.\" \"And God remembered Noach\" - and justice requires it, from the merit of the pure ones that he brought with him into the ark. Rabbi Eliezer says, \"[Noach] was named corresponding to his sacrifice, as it states, 'And the Lord smelled the pleasant ( i nichoach /i ) fragrance.'\" Rabbi Yose bar Chaninah [says], \"He was named corresponding to the resting of the ark, as it states, 'And the ark rested ( i tanach /i ) on the seventh month, etc.'\" Rabbi Yehoshua says, \"'Will not cease' (Genesis 8:22) implies that they ceased.\"", |
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13. Babylonian Talmud, Bava Batra, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 26, 118| 74b. בר אמוראי לאתויה ורגש ובעי לשמטיה לאטמיה ושדא זיקא דחלא ונחת נפק בת קלא אמר לן מאי אית לכו בהדי קרטליתא דדביתהו דר"ח בן דוסא דעתידה דשדיא תכלתא בה לצדיקי לעלמא דאתי,רב יהודה הינדוא משתעי זימנא חדא הוה אזלינן בספינתא וחזינן ההוא אבן טבא דהוה הדיר לה תנינא נחית בר אמוראי לאתויה אתא תנינא קא בעי למבלע לה לספינתא אתא פישקנצא פסקיה לרישיה אתהפיכו מיא והוו דמא אתא תנינא חבריה שקליה ותליה ליה וחיה הדר אתא קא בעי בלעא לספינתא הדר אתא ציפרא פסקיה לרישיה שקלוה לההיא אבן טבא שדיוה לספינתא הוה הני ציפרי מליחי בהדן אותבינהו עלייהו שקלוה ופרחו להו בהדה,תנו רבנן מעשה ברבי אליעזר ורבי יהושע שהיו באין בספינה והיה ר"א ישן ור' יהושע נעור נזדעזע ר' יהושע וננער ר"א אמר לו מה זה יהושע מפני מה נזדעזעת אמר לו מאור גדול ראיתי בים אמר לו שמא עיניו של לויתן ראית דכתיב (איוב מא, י) עיניו כעפעפי שחר,אמר רב אשי אמר לי הונא בר נתן זימנא חדא הוה קא אזלינן במדברא והואי אטמא דבשרא בהדן פתחנא ונקרינא ואנחנא אעשבי אדמייתינן ציבי חלם אטמא וטוינן כי הדרן לבתר תריסר ירחי שתא חזינהו להנהו גומרי דהוו קא מלחשי כי אתאי לקמיה דאמימר אמר לי ההוא עישבא סמתרי הוה הנהו גומרי דריתמא הוו,(בראשית א, כא) ויברא אלהים את התנינים הגדולים הכא תרגימו ארזילי דימא ר' יוחנן אמר זה לויתן נחש בריח ולויתן נחש עקלתון שנאמר (ישעיהו כז, א) ביום ההוא יפקוד ה' בחרבו הקשה וגו':,(סימן כל שעה ירדן): אמר רב יהודה אמר רב כל מה שברא הקב"ה בעולמו זכר ונקבה בראם אף לויתן נחש בריח ולויתן נחש עקלתון זכר ונקבה בראם ואלמלי נזקקין זה לזה מחריבין כל העולם כולו מה עשה הקב"ה סירס את הזכר והרג הנקבה ומלחה לצדיקים לעתיד לבא שנאמר (ישעיהו כז, א) והרג את התנין אשר בים,ואף בהמות בהררי אלף זכר ונקבה בראם ואלמלי נזקקין זה לזה מחריבין כל העולם כולו מה עשה הקב"ה סירס הזכר וצינן הנקבה ושמרה לצדיקים לעתיד לבא שנאמר (איוב מ, טז) הנה נא כחו במתניו זה זכר ואונו בשרירי בטנו זו נקבה,התם נמי ליסרסיה לזכר וליצננה לנקבה דגים פריצי וליעביד איפכא איבעית אימא נקבה מליחא מעלי איבעית אימא כיון דכתיב (תהלים קד, כו) לויתן זה יצרת לשחק בו בהדי נקבה לאו אורח ארעא הכא נמי לימלחה לנקבה כוורא מליחא מעלי בשרא מליחא לא מעלי,ואמר רב יהודה אמר רב בשעה שביקש הקב"ה לבראות את העולם אמר לו לשר של ים פתח פיך ובלע כל מימות שבעולם אמר לפניו רבש"ע די שאעמוד בשלי מיד בעט בו והרגו שנאמר (איוב כו, יב) בכחו רגע הים ובתבונתו מחץ רהב,אמר ר' יצחק ש"מ שרו של ים רהב שמו ואלמלא מים מכסין אותו אין כל בריה יכולה לעמוד בריחו שנאמר (ישעיהו יא, ט) לא ירעו ולא ישחיתו בכל הר קדשי וגו' כמים לים מכסים אל תקרי לים מכסים אלא לשרה של ים מכסים,ואמר רב יהודה אמר רב ירדן יוצא ממערת פמייס תניא נמי הכי ירדן יוצא ממערת פמייס ומהלך בימה של סיבכי ובימה של טבריא ומתגלגל ויורד לים הגדול ומתגלגל ויורד עד שמגיע לפיו של לויתן שנאמר (איוב מ, כג) יבטח כי יגיח ירדן אל פיהו מתקיף לה רבא בר עולא האי בבהמות בהררי אלף כתיב אלא אמר רבא בר עולא אימתי בהמות בהררי אלף בטוחות בזמן שמגיח ירדן בפיו של לויתן,(סימן ימים גבריאל רעב) כי אתא רב דימי א"ר יוחנן מאי דכתיב (תהלים כד, ב) כי הוא על ימים יסדה ועל נהרות יכוננה אלו שבעה ימים וארבעה נהרות שמקיפין את ארץ ישראל ואלו הן שבעה ימים ימה של טבריא וימה של סדום וימה של חילת וימה של חילתא וימה של סיבכי וים אספמיא וים הגדול ואלו הן ארבעה נהרות ירדן וירמוך וקירומיון ופיגה,כי אתא רב דימי א"ר יונתן עתיד גבריאל לעשות | 74b. i.e., b a diver [ i bar amoraei /i ] /b went into the water b to bring /b up this chest, b and /b the fish b became angry and sought to sever his thigh, but /b the diver b threw /b upon it b a flask of vinegar and they descended /b and swam away. b A Divine Voice emerged /b and b said to us: What /b right b do you have to /b touch b the crate of the wife of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Dosa, as she is destined to insert sky-blue /b wool b in it to /b be used in the ritual fringes of b the righteous in the World-to-Come? /b , b Rav Yehuda from India relates: Once we were traveling in a ship and we saw a certain precious stone that was encircled by a snake. A diver descended to bring it /b up, and the b snake came and sought to swallow the ship. A raven came /b and b cut off its head, /b and b the water turned into blood /b due to the enormousness of the snake. b Another snake came, took /b the precious stone, b and hung it /b on the dead snake, b and it recovered. It returned /b and again b sought to swallow the ship, /b and yet again b a bird came and cut off its head, took that precious stone, /b and b threw it onto the ship. We had with us these salted birds; we placed /b the stone b on them, /b and b they took /b the stone b and flew away with it. /b ,§ Apropos the stories of large sea creatures, the Gemara discusses the large sea creatures mentioned in the Bible. b The Sages taught: /b There was b an incident involving Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua, who were traveling on a ship, and Rabbi Eliezer was sleeping and Rabbi Yehoshua was awake. Rabbi Yehoshua trembled, and Rabbi Eliezer awoke. /b Rabbi Eliezer b said to him: What is this, Yehoshua; for what /b reason b did you tremble? /b Rabbi Yehoshua b said to him: I saw a great light in the sea. /b Rabbi Eliezer b said to him: Perhaps you saw the eyes of the leviathan, as it is written: “And his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning” /b (Job 41:10)., b Rav Ashi said: Huna bar Natan said to me: Once we were traveling in the desert, and we had a thigh of meat with us. We cut open /b the thigh b and tore /b off the sciatic nerve and the forbidden fat b and put it on the grass. By /b the time b that we brought wood, the thigh had repaired /b itself, b and we roasted it. When we returned /b to that place b after twelve months /b of b the year /b had passed, b we saw that those coals were still glowing. When I came before Ameimar, he said to me: That grass was a drug of life [ i samterei /i ], /b while b those coals were of broom. /b ,The verse states: b “And God created the great sea monsters” /b (Genesis 1:21). b Here, /b in Babylonia, b they interpreted /b this as a reference to the b sea oryx. Rabbi Yoḥa says: This is leviathan the slant serpent, and leviathan the tortuous serpent, as it is stated: “In that day the Lord with His sore /b and great and strong b sword /b will punish leviathan the slant serpent, and leviathan the tortuous serpent” (Isaiah 27:1).,§ The Gemara provides b a mnemonic /b for the following statements of Rav Yehuda citing Rav: b Everything; time; Jordan. Rav Yehuda says /b that b Rav says: Everything that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created in His world, He created male and female. Even leviathan the slant serpent and leviathan the tortuous serpent He created male and female. And if they would have coupled /b and produced offspring, they would have b destroyed the entire world. What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? He castrated the male and killed the female, and salted /b the female to preserve it for the banquet b for the righteous in the future. As it is stated: “And He will slay the serpent that is in the sea” /b (Isaiah 27:1)., b And He created even the beasts on the thousand hills /b (see Psalms 50:10) b male and female. And /b they were so enormous that b if they would have coupled /b and produced offspring, b they would have destroyed the entire world. What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? He castrated the male and cooled /b the sexual desire of b the female and preserved it for the righteous in the future. As it is stated /b about the beasts: b “Lo now, his strength is in his loins” /b (Job 40:16); b this /b is referring to the b male. /b The continuation of the verse: b “And his force is in the stays of his body”; this /b is the b female, /b alluding to the idea that they did not use their genitals for the purpose of procreation.,The Gemara asks: b There too, /b with regard to the leviathan, b let Him castrate the male and cool the female; /b why was it necessary to kill the female? The Gemara answers: b Fish are unrestrained, /b and therefore even if the female was cooled, the female would still procreate. The Gemara suggests: b And let Him do the opposite, /b and kill and preserve the male leviathan. The Gemara responds: b If you wish, say /b that the b salted female is better; if you wish, say /b instead b that /b since b it is written: “There is leviathan, whom You have formed to sport with” /b (Psalms 104:26), the male must be left alive for sport, because it is b not proper conduct /b to sport b with a female. /b The Gemara asks: b Here too, /b with regard to the beasts, b let Him /b preserve the b female in salt, /b instead of cooling it. The Gemara answers: b Salted fish is good, /b but b salted meat is not good. /b , b And Rav Yehuda says /b that b Rav says: At the time when the Holy One, Blessed be He, sought to create the world, He said to the minister of the sea: Open your mouth and swallow all the waters of the world, /b so that there will be room for land. The minister of the sea b said before Him: Master of the Universe, /b it is b enough that I will stay within my own /b waters. God b immediately struck him and killed him; as it is stated: “He stirs up the sea with His power, and by His understanding He smites through Rahab” /b (Job 26:12)., b Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Conclude from here /b that b the name of the minister of the sea is Rahab, and were it not for waters /b of the sea that b cover him, no creature could withstand his smell, /b as his corpse emits a terrible stench. b As it is stated: “They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain; /b for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, b as the waters cover the sea” /b (Isaiah 11:9). b Do not read /b this phrase as b “cover the sea”; rather /b read it as: b Cover the minister of the sea, /b i.e., the term sea is referring to the minister of the sea, not to the sea itself., b And Rav Yehuda says /b that b Rav says: The Jordan issues forth from the cave of Pamyas. That is also taught /b in a i baraita /i : b The Jordan issues forth from the cave of Pamyas, and travels in the Sea of Sivkhi, /b i.e., the Hula Lake, b and in the Sea of Tiberias, /b the Sea of Galilee, b and rolls down to the Great Sea, and rolls down until it reaches the mouth of the leviathan. As it is stated: “He is confident, though the Jordan rush forth to his mouth” /b (Job 40:23). b Rava bar Ulla strongly objects to this /b explanation of the verse, stating: But b this /b verse b is written about the beasts on the thousand hills. Rather, Rava bar Ulla said /b that this is the meaning of the verse: b When are the beasts on the thousand hills confident? When the Jordan rushes forth into the mouth of the leviathan. /b ,§ The Gemara provides b a mnemonic /b for the upcoming statements of Rav Dimi: b Seas; Gabriel; hungry. When Rav Dimi came /b from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia, he said that b Rabbi Yoḥa said: What /b is the meaning of that b which is written: “For He has founded it upon the seas, and established it upon the floods” /b (Psalms 24:2)? b These are /b the b seven seas and four rivers that surround Eretz Yisrael. And these are /b the b seven seas: The Sea of Tiberias, the Sea of Sodom, /b i.e., the Dead Sea, b the Sea of Ḥeilat, the Sea of Ḥeilata, the Sea of Sivkhi, the Sea of Aspamya, and the Great Sea, /b i.e., the Mediterranean. b And these are the four rivers: The Jordan, the Jarmuth, and the Keiromyon, and the Piga, /b which are the rivers of Damascus., b When Rav Dimi came /b from Eretz Yisrael to Babylonia he said that b Rabbi Yonatan says: In the future, Gabriel will perform /b |
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14. Babylonian Talmud, Berachot, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 125| 7a. א"ר יוחנן משום ר' יוסי מנין שהקב"ה מתפלל שנאמר (ישעיהו נו, ז) והביאותים אל הר קדשי ושמחתים בבית תפלתי תפלתם לא נאמר אלא תפלתי מכאן שהקב"ה מתפלל.,מאי מצלי,אמר רב זוטרא בר טוביה אמר רב יה"ר מלפני שיכבשו רחמי את כעסי ויגולו רחמי על מדותי ואתנהג עם בני במדת רחמים ואכנס להם לפנים משורת הדין.,תניא א"ר ישמעאל בן אלישע פעם אחת נכנסתי להקטיר קטורת לפני ולפנים וראיתי אכתריאל יה ה' צבאות שהוא יושב על כסא רם ונשא ואמר לי ישמעאל בני ברכני אמרתי לו יה"ר מלפניך שיכבשו רחמיך את כעסך ויגולו רחמיך על מדותיך ותתנהג עם בניך במדת הרחמים ותכנס להם לפנים משורת הדין ונענע לי בראשו וקמ"ל שלא תהא ברכת הדיוט קלה בעיניך,וא"ר יוחנן משום ר' יוסי מנין שאין מרצין לו לאדם בשעת כעסו דכתיב (שמות לג, יד) פני ילכו והנחותי לך אמר לו הקב"ה למשה המתן לי עד שיעברו פנים של זעם ואניח לך,ומי איכא רתחא קמיה דקודשא בריך הוא,אין דתניא (תהלים ז, יב) ואל זועם בכל יום,וכמה זעמו רגע וכמה רגע אחד מחמשת רבוא ושמונת אלפים ושמנה מאות ושמנים ושמנה בשעה וזו היא רגע ואין כל בריה יכולה לכוין אותה שעה חוץ מבלעם הרשע דכתיב ביה (במדבר כד, טז) ויודע דעת עליון,השתא דעת בהמתו לא הוה ידע דעת עליון הוה ידע,אלא מלמד שהיה יודע לכוין אותה שעה שהקב"ה כועס בה,והיינו דאמר להו נביא לישראל (מיכה ו, ה) עמי זכר נא מה יעץ בלק מלך מואב וגו' מאי (מיכה ו, ה) למען דעת צדקות ה',א"ר אלעזר אמר להם הקב"ה לישראל דעו כמה צדקות עשיתי עמכם שלא כעסתי בימי בלעם הרשע שאלמלי כעסתי לא נשתייר משונאיהם של ישראל שריד ופליט,והיינו דקא"ל בלעם לבלק (במדבר כג, ח) מה אקב לא קבה אל ומה אזעם לא זעם ה' מלמד שכל אותן הימים לא זעם.,וכמה זעמו רגע וכמה רגע א"ר אבין ואיתימא רבי אבינא רגע כמימריה.,ומנא לן דרגע רתח שנא' (תהלים ל, ו) כי רגע באפו חיים ברצונו ואב"א מהכא (ישעיהו כו, כ) חבי כמעט רגע עד יעבור זעם,ואימת רתח אמר אביי בהנך תלת שעי קמייתא כי חיורא כרבלתא דתרנגולא וקאי אחד כרעא,כל שעתא ושעתא נמי קאי הכי,כל שעתא אית ביה שורייקי סומקי בההיא שעתא לית ביה שורייקי סומקי.,ההוא צדוקי דהוה בשבבותיה דר' יהושע בן לוי הוה קא מצער ליה טובא בקראי יומא חד שקל תרנגולא ואוקמיה בין כרעי' דערסא ועיין ביה סבר כי מטא ההיא שעתא אלטייה כי מטא ההיא שעתא ניים אמר ש"מ לאו אורח ארעא למעבד הכי (תהלים קמה, ט) ורחמיו על כל מעשיו כתיב,וכתיב (משלי יז, כו) גם ענוש לצדיק לא טוב,תנא משמיה דר' מאיר בשעה שהחמה זורחת וכל מלכי מזרח ומערב מניחים כתריהם בראשיהם ומשתחוים לחמה מיד כועס הקב"ה:,וא"ר יוחנן משום רבי יוסי טובה מרדות אחת בלבו של אדם יותר מכמה מלקיות שנא' (הושע ב, ט) ורדפה את מאהביה וגו' ואמרה אלכה ואשובה אל אישי הראשון כי טוב לי אז מעתה וריש לקיש אמר יותר ממאה מלקיות שנאמר (משלי יז, י) תחת גערה במבין מהכות כסיל מאה:,וא"ר יוחנן משום ר' יוסי שלשה דברים בקש משה מלפני הקב"ה ונתן לו בקש שתשרה שכינה על ישראל ונתן לו שנאמר (שמות לג, טז) הלוא בלכתך עמנו,בקש שלא תשרה שכינה על עובדי כוכבים ונתן לו שנאמר (שמות לג, טז) ונפלינו אני ועמך,בקש להודיעו דרכיו של הקב"ה ונתן לו שנא' (שמות לג, יג) הודיעני נא את דרכיך אמר לפניו רבש"ע מפני מה יש צדיק וטוב לו ויש צדיק ורע לו יש רשע וטוב לו ויש רשע ורע לו אמר לו משה צדיק וטוב לו צדיק בן צדיק צדיק ורע לו צדיק בן רשע רשע וטוב לו רשע בן צדיק רשע ורע לו רשע בן רשע:,אמר מר צדיק וטוב לו צדיק בן צדיק צדיק ורע לו צדיק בן רשע איני והא כתיב (שמות לד, ז) פקד עון אבות על בנים וכתיב (דברים כד, טז) ובנים לא יומתו על אבות ורמינן קראי אהדדי,ומשנינן לא קשיא הא כשאוחזין מעשה אבותיהם בידיהם הא כשאין אוחזין מעשה אבותיהם בידיהם,אלא הכי קא"ל צדיק וטוב לו צדיק גמור צדיק ורע לו צדיק שאינו גמור רשע וטוב לו רשע שאינו גמור רשע ורע לו רשע גמור,ופליגא דר' מאיר דא"ר מאיר שתים נתנו לו ואחת לא נתנו לו שנא' (שמות לג, יט) וחנתי את אשר אחון אע"פ שאינו הגון ורחמתי את אשר ארחם אע"פ שאינו הגון,(שמות לג, כ) ויאמר לא תוכל לראות את פני תנא משמיה דר' יהושע בן קרחה כך א"ל הקב"ה למשה כשרציתי לא רצית עכשיו שאתה רוצה איני רוצה,ופליגא דר' שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יונתן דא"ר שמואל בר נחמני א"ר יונתן בשכר שלש זכה לשלש,בשכר (שמות ג, ו) ויסתר משה פניו זכה לקלסתר פנים בשכר כי ירא זכה (שמות לד, ל) לוייראו מגשת אליו בשכר מהביט זכה (במדבר יב, ח) לותמונת ה' יביט:,(שמות לג, כג)והסירתי את כפי וראית את אחרי אמר רב חנא בר ביזנא א"ר שמעון חסידא מלמד שהראה הקב"ה למשה קשר של תפילין:,וא"ר יוחנן משום ר' יוסי כל דבור ודבור שיצא מפי הקב"ה לטובה אפי' על תנאי לא חזר בו,מנא לן ממשה רבינו שנא' (דברים ט, יד) הרף ממני ואשמידם וגו' ואעשה אותך לגוי עצום אע"ג דבעא משה רחמי עלה דמלתא ובטלה אפ"ה אוקמה בזרעיה שנא' (דברי הימים א כג, טו) בני משה גרשום ואליעזר ויהיו בני אליעזר רחביה הראש וגו' ובני רחביה רבו למעלה וגו',ותני רב יוסף למעלה מששים רבוא אתיא רביה רביה כתיב הכא רבו למעלה וכתיב התם (שמות א, ז) ובני ישראל פרו וישרצו וירבו: | 7a. Along the same lines, b Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: From where /b is it derived b that the Holy One, Blessed be He, prays? As it is stated: “I will bring them to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in the house of My prayer” /b (Isaiah 56:7). The verse b does not say /b the house of b their prayer, but rather, “ /b the house of b My prayer”; from here /b we see b that the Holy One, Blessed be He, prays. /b ,The Gemara asks: b What does /b God b pray? /b , b Rav Zutra bar Tovia said /b that b Rav said: /b br God says: b May it be My will that My mercy will overcome My anger /b towards Israel for their transgressions, br b and may My mercy prevail over My /b other b attributes /b through which Israel is punished, br b and may I conduct /b myself b toward My children, /b Israel, b with the attribute of mercy, /b br b and may I enter before them beyond the letter of the law. /b ,Similarly, b it was taught /b in a i baraita /i that b Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, /b the High Priest, said: b Once, /b on Yom Kippur, b I entered the innermost sanctum, /b the Holy of Holies, b to offer incense, and /b in a vision b I saw Akatriel Ya, the Lord of Hosts, /b one of the names of God expressing His ultimate authority, b seated upon a high and exalted throne /b (see Isaiah 6). br b And He said to me: Yishmael, My son, bless Me. /b br b I said to Him /b the prayer that God prays: b “May it be Your will that Your mercy overcome Your anger, /b br b and may Your mercy prevail over Your /b other b attributes, /b br b and may You act toward Your children with the attribute of mercy, /b br b and may You enter before them beyond the letter of the law.” /b br The Holy One, Blessed be He, b nodded His head /b and accepted the blessing. This event b teaches us that you should not take the blessing of an ordinary person lightly. /b If God asked for and accepted a man’s blessing, all the more so that a man must value the blessing of another man., b And Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: From where /b is it derived b that one must not placate a person while /b he is in the throes of b his anger, /b rather he should mollify him after he has calmed down? b As it is written, /b when following the sin of the Golden Calf, Moses requested that the Divine Presence rest upon Israel as it had previously, God said to him: b “My face will go, and I will give you rest” /b (Exodus 33:14). Rabbi Yoḥa explained: b The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to /b Moses: b Wait until My face of wrath will pass and I will grant your /b request. One must wait for a person’s anger to pass as well.,The Gemara asks: b And is there anger before the Holy One, Blessed be He? /b Can we speak of God using terms like anger?,The Gemara answers: b Yes, as it was taught /b in a i baraita /i , God becomes angry, as it is stated: “God vindicates the righteous, b God is furious every day” /b (Psalms 7:12)., b How much /b time does b His anger /b last? God’s anger lasts b a moment. And how /b long b is a moment? One fifty-eight thousand, eight hundred and eighty-eighth of an hour, that is a moment. /b The Gemara adds: b And no creature can /b precisely b determine that moment /b when God becomes angry, b except for Balaam the wicked, about whom it is written: “He who knows the knowledge of the Most High” /b (Numbers 24:16).,This should not be understood to mean that Balaam was a full-fledged prophet. b Now, /b clearly, Balaam b did not know the mind of his animal; and he did know the mind of the Most High? /b If he could not understand the rebuke of his donkey, he was certainly unable to understand the mind of the Most High., b Rather, this /b verse from Numbers b teaches that /b Balaam b was able to /b precisely b determine the hour that the Holy One, Blessed be He, is angry. /b At that moment, Balaam would utter his curse and, through God’s anger, it would be fulfilled., b And that is what the prophet said to Israel: “My nation, remember what Balak king of Moab advised, /b and how Balaam, son of Beor, responded; from Shittim to Gilgal, so that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord” (Micah 6:5). b What is /b meant by the statement: b “So that you may know the righteous acts of the Lord”? /b , b Rabbi Elazar said /b that b the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Israel: Know how many acts of kindness I performed on your behalf, that I did not become angry during the days of Balaam the wicked, for had I become angry, there would have been no remt or survivor remaining among the enemies of Israel, /b a euphemism for Israel itself. Instead, God restrained His anger and Balaam’s curse went unfulfilled., b And that is what Balaam said to Balak: “How can I curse whom God has not cursed? And how can I condemn whom God has not condemned?” /b (Numbers 23:8). This verse b teaches that all those days, /b God b was not angry. /b , b And how /b long b does His anger /b last? God’s anger lasts b a moment. And how /b long b is a moment? Rabbi Avin, and some say Rabbi Avina, said: /b A moment lasts as long as it takes b to say it [ i rega /i ] /b ., b From where do we /b derive that God b is /b only b angry for a moment? As it is stated: “His anger is but for a moment, His favor, for a lifetime” /b (Psalms 30:6). b And if you wish, say /b instead, b from here, /b as it is stated: b “Hide yourself for a brief moment, until the anger passes” /b (Isaiah 26:20), meaning that God’s anger passes in a mere moment.,The Gemara asks: b When is /b the Holy One, Blessed be He, b angry? Abaye said: /b God’s anger is revealed through animals. b During the first three hours /b of the day, b when the sun whitens the crest of the rooster and it stands on one leg. /b When it appears that its life has left him and he suddenly turns white, that is when God is angry.,The Gemara asks: The rooster b also stands that way every hour. /b What kind of sign is this?,The Gemara answers: The difference is that b every /b other b hour /b when the rooster stands in that way, b there are red streaks /b in his crest. But b when /b God is angry, b there are no red streaks /b in his crest.,The Gemara relates: b A certain heretic who was in Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi’s neighborhood would upset him /b by incessantly challenging the legitimacy of b verses. One day, /b Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi b took a rooster and placed it between the legs of the bed /b upon which he sat b and looked at it. He thought: When the moment /b of God’s anger b arrives, I will curse him /b and be rid of him. b When the moment /b of God’s anger b arrived, /b Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi b slept. /b When he woke up, b he said /b to himself: b Conclude from /b the fact that I nodded off b that it is not proper conduct to do so, /b to curse people, even if they are wicked. b “His mercy is over all His creations” /b (Psalms 145:9) b is written /b even with regard to sinners.,Moreover, it is inappropriate to cause the punishment of another, as b it is written: “Punishment, even for the righteous, is not good” /b (Proverbs 17:26), even for a righteous person, it is improper to punish another.,Explaining the cause of God’s anger, b it is taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: When the sun rises and the kings of the East and the West place their crowns on their heads and bow down to the sun, the Holy One, Blessed be He, immediately grows angry. /b Since this occurs in the early hours every day, God becomes angry at His world at that moment every day., b And Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: A single regret /b or pang of guilt b in one’s heart is preferable to many lashes /b administered by others that cause only physical pain, b as it is stated: “And she chases her lovers, /b but she does not overtake them; she seeks them, but she will not find them; b and she will say ‘I will go and return to my first husband; for it was better for me then than now’” /b (Hosea 2:9). Remorse is more effective than any externally imposed punishment listed in the verses that follow (Hosea 2:11–19). b And Reish Lakish said /b that in the Bible, it seems that such remorse is b preferable to one hundred lashes, as it is stated: “A rebuke enters deeper into a man of understanding than a hundred lashes to a fool” /b (Proverbs 17:10)., b And Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Yosei /b regarding Moses’ request that the Divine Presence rest upon Israel as it once had: Moses b requested three things from the Holy One, Blessed be He, /b at that time, b all of which were granted him. He requested that the Divine Presence rest upon Israel /b and not leave, b and He granted /b it b to him, as it is stated: /b “For how can it be known that I have found grace in Your sight, I and Your people? b Is it not in that You go with us, /b so that we are distinguished, I and Your people, from all the people that are on the face of the earth?” (Exodus 33:16). The request: Is it not in that You go with us, refers to the resting of the Divine Presence upon Israel.,Moses b requested that the Divine Presence not rest upon the nations of the world, and He granted /b it b to him, as it is stated: “So that we are distinguished, I and Your people, /b from all the people on the face of the earth” (Exodus 33:16).,Lastly, Moses b requested that the ways /b in which b God /b conducts the b world be revealed to him, and He granted /b it b to him, as it is stated: “Show me Your ways /b and I will know You” (Exodus 33:13). br Moses b said before /b God: b Master of the Universe. Why is it that /b the b righteous prosper, the righteous suffer, /b the b wicked prosper, /b the b wicked suffer? /b br God b said to him: Moses, the righteous /b person b who prospers is a righteous /b person, b the son of a righteous /b person, who is rewarded for the actions of his ancestors. b The righteous /b person b who suffers is a righteous /b person, b the son of a wicked /b person, who is punished for the transgressions of his ancestors. b The wicked /b person b who prospers is a wicked /b person, b the son of a righteous /b person, who is rewarded for the actions of his ancestors. b The wicked /b person b who suffers is a wicked person, the son of a wicked person, /b who is punished for the transgressions of his ancestors.,The Gemara expands upon these righteous and wicked individuals: b The Master said: The righteous /b person b who prospers is a righteous /b person, b the son of a righteous /b person. b The righteous /b person b who suffers is a righteous /b person, b the son of a wicked /b person. The Gemara asks: b Is it so /b that one is always punished for his ancestors’ transgressions? b Isn’t it written: “He visits iniquity of the fathers upon the children, /b and upon the children’s children, unto the third and fourth generations” (Exodus 34:7). b And it is written /b elsewhere: “Fathers shall not die for their children, b and children shall not be put to death for the fathers; /b every man shall die for his own transgression” (Deuteronomy 24:16). b And /b the Gemara b raises a contradiction between the two verses. /b ,The Gemara b resolves /b the contradiction: b This is not difficult. This /b verse from Exodus, which states that God punishes descendants for the transgressions of their ancestors, refers to a case b where they adopt the actions of their ancestors as their own. While this /b verse from Deuteronomy, which states that descendants are not punished for the actions of their ancestors, refers to a case b where they do not adopt the actions of their ancestors as their own, /b as it is stated: “I visit iniquity of the fathers upon the children, and upon the third and fourth generations of my enemies” (Exodus 20:5).,A righteous person is clearly not punished for the transgressions of his ancestors. b Rather, /b it must be that God b said to /b Moses b as follows: /b br b The righteous /b person b who prospers is /b a b completely righteous /b person whose actions are entirely good and whose reward is entirely good both in this world and in the World-to-Come. br b The righteous /b person b who suffers is /b one who is b not a completely righteous /b person. Because he does have some transgressions, he is punished in this world so that he will receive a complete reward in the World-to-Come. br b The wicked /b person b who prospers is /b one who is b not a completely wicked /b person. God rewards him in this world for the good deeds that he performed, so that he will receive a complete punishment in the World-to-Come. br Finally, b the wicked /b person b who suffers is /b a b completely wicked /b person. Since he performed absolutely no mitzvot and deserves no reward, he receives only punishment both in this world and in the World-to-Come (Maharsha).,Rabbi Yoḥa’s opinion, that God granted Moses all three of his requests, b disagrees with /b that of b Rabbi Meir, /b as b Rabbi Meir said: Two /b of Moses’ requests b were granted to him, and one was not granted to him. /b God granted him that the Divine Presence would rest upon Israel and not leave, and that the Divine Presence would not rest upon the nations of the world, but God did not reveal to Moses the ways in which He conducts the world. b As it is said: “And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious” /b (Exodus 33:19); in His mercy, God bestows His grace upon every person, b even though he is not worthy. /b Similarly, God says: b “And I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy,” even though he is not worthy. /b According to Rabbi Meir, the way in which God conducts the world and bestows grace and mercy was not revealed even to Moses.,The Gemara continues to cite the Sages’ explanation of verses that require clarification on the same topic. With regard to God’s statement to Moses, b “And He said: ‘You cannot see My face, /b for man shall not see Me and live’” (Exodus 33:20), b it was taught in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa that the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to /b Moses b as follows: When I wanted /b to show you My glory at the burning bush, b you did not want /b to see it, as it is stated: “And Moses concealed his face, fearing to gaze upon God” (Exodus 3:6). But b now that you want /b to see My glory, as you said: “Show me Your glory,” b I do not want /b to show it to you. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa interprets Moses’ initial refusal to look upon God’s glory negatively, as he rebuffed God’s desire to be close to him.,This b disagrees with /b that which b Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said /b that b Rabbi Yonatan /b said, as b Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said /b that b Rabbi Yonatan said: /b Specifically b as a reward for three /b acts of humility in averting his glance at the burning bush, Moses b was privileged /b to experience b three /b great revelations:,Because “Moses b concealed his face, /b fearing to gaze upon God” (Exodus 3:6), b he was privileged to /b have his b countece [ i kelaster /i ] /b glow. br Because b he “feared,” he was privileged that “they feared to approach him” /b (Exodus 34:30). br Because he did not b “gaze,” he was privileged to “behold the likeness of the Lord” /b (Numbers 12:8).,What did Moses see? It is said: b “And I will remove My hand, and you will see My back, /b but My face you will not see” (Exodus 33:23). b Rav Ḥana bar Bizna said in the name of Rabbi Shimon Ḥasida, /b the expression: “And you will see My back,” should be understood as follows: b This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, /b Who, as mentioned above, wears phylacteries, b showed him the knot of the phylacteries /b of His head, which is worn on the back of the head.,On this subject, b Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: Every statement /b to a person or to a nation b that emerged from the mouth of the Holy One, Blessed be He, /b with a promise b of good, even if it was conditional, He did not renege /b on it. Ultimately, every promise made by God will be fulfilled., b From where do we /b derive that all of God’s promises are fulfilled? We know this b from Moses our teacher, /b as God promised and b said: “Leave Me alone; I will destroy them /b and blot out their name from under heaven; b and I will make from you a nation mightier /b and greater than they” (Deuteronomy 9:14). b Even though /b Moses b prayed /b to have the decree repealed, b and /b it b was nullified, the promise was fulfilled /b and Moses’ b descendants /b became a nation mightier and greater than the 600,000 Israelites in the desert. b As it is stated /b with regard to the Levites: b “The sons of Moses: Gershom and Eliezer…and the sons of Eliezer were Reḥaviya the chief. /b And Eliezer had no other sons; b and the sons of Reḥaviya were very many” /b (I Chronicles 23:15–17)., b And Rav Yosef taught /b in a i baraita /i : b “Many” /b means more b than 600,000. /b This is learned through a verbal analogy between the words b many /b and b many. It is written here /b with regard to Reḥaviya’s sons: b “Were very many.” And it is written there /b with regard to the Israelites in Egypt: b “And the children of Israel became numerous and multiplied and were very many, /b and waxed exceeding mighty; and the land was filled with them” (Exodus 1:7). Just as when the children of Israel were in Egypt, very many meant that there were 600,000 of them, so too the descendants of Reḥaviya were 600,000. |
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15. Anon., Numbers Rabba, 18.23 (4th cent. CE - 9th cent. CE) Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 118| 18.23. וּמַטֵּה אַהֲרֹן (במדבר יז, כא), יֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים הוּא הַמַּטֶּה שֶׁהָיָה בְּיַד יְהוּדָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית לח, יח): וּמַטְךָ אֲשֶׁר בְּיָדֶךָ. וְיֵשׁ אוֹמְרִים הוּא הַמַּטֶּה שֶׁהָיָה בְּיַד משֶׁה וּמֵעַצְמוֹ פָּרַח, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יז, כג): וְהִנֵּה פָּרַח מַטֵּה אַהֲרֹן. וְאִית דְּאָמְרֵי נָטַל משֶׁה קוֹרָה אַחַת וַחֲתָכָהּ לִשְׁנֵים עָשָׂר נְסָרִים, וְאוֹמֵר לָהֶם כֻּלְּכֶם מִקּוֹרָה אַחַת טְלוּ מַקֶּלְכֶם, וְעַל מֶה עָשָׂה (משלי כ, ג): כָּבוֹד לָאִישׁ שֶׁבֶת מֵרִיב וְכָל אֱוִיל יִתְגַלָּע, שֶׁלֹא יֹאמְרוּ מַקְלוֹ הָיָה לַח וְהִפְרִיחַ. וְגָזַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עַל הַמַּקֵּל וְנִמְצָא עָלָיו שֵׁם הַמְפֹרָשׁ שֶׁהָיָה בַּצִּיץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר יז, כג): וַיֹּצֵא פֶרַח וַיָּצֵץ צִיץ, וְהִפְרִיחַ בּוֹ בַּלַּיְלָה, וְעָשָׂה פֶּרִי (במדבר יז, כג): וַיִּגְמֹל שְׁקֵדִים, גָּמַל לְכָל מִי שֶׁהָיָה שׁוֹקֵד עַל שִׁבְטוֹ שֶׁל לֵוִי, וְלָמָּה שְׁקֵדִים וְלֹא רִמּוֹנִים וְלֹא אֱגוֹזִים, לְפִי שֶׁנִּמְשְׁלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּהֶם, וְאוֹתוֹ הַמַּטֶּה הָיָה בְּיַד כָּל מֶלֶךְ וּמֶלֶךְ עַד שֶׁחָרַב בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ וְנִגְנַז, וְאוֹתוֹ הַמַּטֶּה עָתִיד לִהְיוֹת בְּיַד מֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ בִּמְהֵרָה בְיָמֵינוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים קי, כ): מַטֵּה עֻזְּךָ יִשְׁלַח ה' מִצִּיּוֹן רְדֵה בְּקֶרֶב אֹיְבֶיךָ: | |
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| 16. Near Eastern Texts, Atrahasis, 1.43-1.45 Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish, babylonian epic, parallels with homer Found in books: Feldman (2006), Judaism and Hellenism Reconsidered, 48 |
| 18. Zoroastrian Literature, Yašt, 19 Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Herman, Rubenstein (2018), The Aggada of the Bavli and Its Cultural World. 14 |
| 19. Ancient Near Eastern Sources, Cat, 5.1.1-5.1.5 Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Sneed (2022), Taming the Beast: A Reception History of Behemoth and Leviathan, 46 |
| 20. Ancient Near Eastern Sources, Cta, 5.1.1-5.1.5 Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Sneed (2022), Taming the Beast: A Reception History of Behemoth and Leviathan, 46 |
| 21. Ancient Near Eastern Texts, Enuma Elish, 4.35-4.140 Tagged with subjects: •nan Found in books: Sneed (2022), Taming the Beast: A Reception History of Behemoth and Leviathan, 35 |
| 23. Hebrew Bible, Nehemiah 2, 1.1 Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish, babylonian epic, parallels with hesiod’s theogony Found in books: Feldman (2006), Judaism and Hellenism Reconsidered, 49 |
| 24. Anon., Tanhuma, None Tagged with subjects: •enuma elish Found in books: Fishbane (2003), Biblical Myth and Rabbinic Mythmaking, 118 |
