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Tiresias: The Ancient Mediterranean Religions Source Database



746
Anon., Sifre Deuteronomy, 310-311


nan(Devarim 32:7) "Remember the days of yore": Remember what I did with the first generations: what I did with the men of the generation of the flood; what I did with the men of the generation of


nan(Devarim 32:8) :When the Most High caused nations to inherit": Before the advent of our father Abraham, the L-rd judged the world with severity: The men of the flood sinned — He flooded them like sparks on the face of the waters. The men of the tower of Bavel sinned — He scattered them from one end of the world to the other. The men of Sodom sinned — He swept them away with fire and brimstone. But when our father Abraham came to the world, afflictions materialized (


Intertexts (texts cited often on the same page as the searched text):

3 results
1. Hebrew Bible, Deuteronomy, 32.1-32.18, 32.20-32.21, 32.26, 32.28-32.31, 32.35-32.42 (9th cent. BCE - 3rd cent. BCE)

32.1. יִמְצָאֵהוּ בְּאֶרֶץ מִדְבָּר וּבְתֹהוּ יְלֵל יְשִׁמֹן יְסֹבְבֶנְהוּ יְבוֹנְנֵהוּ יִצְּרֶנְהוּ כְּאִישׁוֹן עֵינוֹ׃ 32.1. הַאֲזִינוּ הַשָּׁמַיִם וַאֲדַבֵּרָה וְתִשְׁמַע הָאָרֶץ אִמְרֵי־פִי׃ 32.2. וַיֹּאמֶר אַסְתִּירָה פָנַי מֵהֶם אֶרְאֶה מָה אַחֲרִיתָם כִּי דוֹר תַּהְפֻּכֹת הֵמָּה בָּנִים לֹא־אֵמֻן בָּם׃ 32.2. יַעֲרֹף כַּמָּטָר לִקְחִי תִּזַּל כַּטַּל אִמְרָתִי כִּשְׂעִירִם עֲלֵי־דֶשֶׁא וְכִרְבִיבִים עֲלֵי־עֵשֶׂב׃ 32.3. אֵיכָה יִרְדֹּף אֶחָד אֶלֶף וּשְׁנַיִם יָנִיסוּ רְבָבָה אִם־לֹא כִּי־צוּרָם מְכָרָם וַיהוָה הִסְגִּירָם׃ 32.3. כִּי שֵׁם יְהוָה אֶקְרָא הָבוּ גֹדֶל לֵאלֹהֵינוּ׃ 32.4. כִּי־אֶשָּׂא אֶל־שָׁמַיִם יָדִי וְאָמַרְתִּי חַי אָנֹכִי לְעֹלָם׃ 32.4. הַצּוּר תָּמִים פָּעֳלוֹ כִּי כָל־דְּרָכָיו מִשְׁפָּט אֵל אֱמוּנָה וְאֵין עָוֶל צַדִּיק וְיָשָׁר הוּא׃ 32.5. וּמֻת בָּהָר אֲשֶׁר אַתָּה עֹלֶה שָׁמָּה וְהֵאָסֵף אֶל־עַמֶּיךָ כַּאֲשֶׁר־מֵת אַהֲרֹן אָחִיךָ בְּהֹר הָהָר וַיֵּאָסֶף אֶל־עַמָּיו׃ 32.5. שִׁחֵת לוֹ לֹא בָּנָיו מוּמָם דּוֹר עִקֵּשׁ וּפְתַלְתֹּל׃ 32.6. הֲ־לַיְהוָה תִּגְמְלוּ־זֹאת עַם נָבָל וְלֹא חָכָם הֲלוֹא־הוּא אָבִיךָ קָּנֶךָ הוּא עָשְׂךָ וַיְכֹנְנֶךָ׃ 32.7. זְכֹר יְמוֹת עוֹלָם בִּינוּ שְׁנוֹת דּוֹר־וָדוֹר שְׁאַל אָבִיךָ וְיַגֵּדְךָ זְקֵנֶיךָ וְיֹאמְרוּ לָךְ׃ 32.8. בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם בְּהַפְרִידוֹ בְּנֵי אָדָם יַצֵּב גְּבֻלֹת עַמִּים לְמִסְפַּר בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל׃ 32.9. כִּי חֵלֶק יְהֹוָה עַמּוֹ יַעֲקֹב חֶבֶל נַחֲלָתוֹ׃ 32.11. כְּנֶשֶׁר יָעִיר קִנּוֹ עַל־גּוֹזָלָיו יְרַחֵף יִפְרֹשׂ כְּנָפָיו יִקָּחֵהוּ יִשָּׂאֵהוּ עַל־אֶבְרָתוֹ׃ 32.12. יְהוָה בָּדָד יַנְחֶנּוּ וְאֵין עִמּוֹ אֵל נֵכָר׃ 32.13. יַרְכִּבֵהוּ עַל־במותי [בָּמֳתֵי] אָרֶץ וַיֹּאכַל תְּנוּבֹת שָׂדָי וַיֵּנִקֵהוּ דְבַשׁ מִסֶּלַע וְשֶׁמֶן מֵחַלְמִישׁ צוּר׃ 32.14. חֶמְאַת בָּקָר וַחֲלֵב צֹאן עִם־חֵלֶב כָּרִים וְאֵילִים בְּנֵי־בָשָׁן וְעַתּוּדִים עִם־חֵלֶב כִּלְיוֹת חִטָּה וְדַם־עֵנָב תִּשְׁתֶּה־חָמֶר׃ 32.15. וַיִּשְׁמַן יְשֻׁרוּן וַיִּבְעָט שָׁמַנְתָּ עָבִיתָ כָּשִׂיתָ וַיִּטֹּשׁ אֱלוֹהַ עָשָׂהוּ וַיְנַבֵּל צוּר יְשֻׁעָתוֹ׃ 32.16. יַקְנִאֻהוּ בְּזָרִים בְּתוֹעֵבֹת יַכְעִיסֻהוּ׃ 32.17. יִזְבְּחוּ לַשֵּׁדִים לֹא אֱלֹהַ אֱלֹהִים לֹא יְדָעוּם חֲדָשִׁים מִקָּרֹב בָּאוּ לֹא שְׂעָרוּם אֲבֹתֵיכֶם׃ 32.18. צוּר יְלָדְךָ תֶּשִׁי וַתִּשְׁכַּח אֵל מְחֹלְלֶךָ׃ 32.21. הֵם קִנְאוּנִי בְלֹא־אֵל כִּעֲסוּנִי בְּהַבְלֵיהֶם וַאֲנִי אַקְנִיאֵם בְּלֹא־עָם בְּגוֹי נָבָל אַכְעִיסֵם׃ 32.26. אָמַרְתִּי אַפְאֵיהֶם אַשְׁבִּיתָה מֵאֱנוֹשׁ זִכְרָם׃ 32.28. כִּי־גוֹי אֹבַד עֵצוֹת הֵמָּה וְאֵין בָּהֶם תְּבוּנָה׃ 32.29. לוּ חָכְמוּ יַשְׂכִּילוּ זֹאת יָבִינוּ לְאַחֲרִיתָם׃ 32.31. כִּי לֹא כְצוּרֵנוּ צוּרָם וְאֹיְבֵינוּ פְּלִילִים׃ 32.35. לִי נָקָם וְשִׁלֵּם לְעֵת תָּמוּט רַגְלָם כִּי קָרוֹב יוֹם אֵידָם וְחָשׁ עֲתִדֹת לָמוֹ׃ 32.36. כִּי־יָדִין יְהוָה עַמּוֹ וְעַל־עֲבָדָיו יִתְנֶחָם כִּי יִרְאֶה כִּי־אָזְלַת יָד וְאֶפֶס עָצוּר וְעָזוּב׃ 32.37. וְאָמַר אֵי אֱלֹהֵימוֹ צוּר חָסָיוּ בוֹ׃ 32.38. אֲשֶׁר חֵלֶב זְבָחֵימוֹ יֹאכֵלוּ יִשְׁתּוּ יֵין נְסִיכָם יָקוּמוּ וְיַעְזְרֻכֶם יְהִי עֲלֵיכֶם סִתְרָה׃ 32.39. רְאוּ עַתָּה כִּי אֲנִי אֲנִי הוּא וְאֵין אֱלֹהִים עִמָּדִי אֲנִי אָמִית וַאֲחַיֶּה מָחַצְתִּי וַאֲנִי אֶרְפָּא וְאֵין מִיָּדִי מַצִּיל׃ 32.41. אִם־שַׁנּוֹתִי בְּרַק חַרְבִּי וְתֹאחֵז בְּמִשְׁפָּט יָדִי אָשִׁיב נָקָם לְצָרָי וְלִמְשַׂנְאַי אֲשַׁלֵּם׃ 32.42. אַשְׁכִּיר חִצַּי מִדָּם וְחַרְבִּי תֹּאכַל בָּשָׂר מִדַּם חָלָל וְשִׁבְיָה מֵרֹאשׁ פַּרְעוֹת אוֹיֵב׃ 32.1. Give ear, ye heavens, and I will speak; And let the earth hear the words of my mouth." 32.2. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, My speech shall distil as the dew; As the small rain upon the tender grass, And as the showers upon the herb." 32.3. For I will proclaim the name of the LORD; Ascribe ye greatness unto our God." 32.4. The Rock, His work is perfect; For all His ways are justice; A God of faithfulness and without iniquity, Just and right is He. ." 32.5. Is corruption His? No; His children’s is the blemish; A generation crooked and perverse." 32.6. Do ye thus requite the LORD, O foolish people and unwise? Is not He thy father that hath gotten thee? Hath He not made thee, and established thee?" 32.7. Remember the days of old, Consider the years of many generations; Ask thy father, and he will declare unto thee, Thine elders, and they will tell thee." 32.8. When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel." 32.9. For the portion of the LORD is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance." 32.10. He found him in a desert land, and in the waste, a howling wilderness; He compassed him about, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye." 32.11. As an eagle that stirreth up her nest, Hovereth over her young, Spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, Beareth them on her pinions—" 32.12. The LORD alone did lead him, And there was no strange god with Him." 32.13. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, And he did eat the fruitage of the field; And He made him to suck honey out of the crag, And oil out of the flinty rock;" 32.14. Curd of kine, and milk of sheep, With fat of lambs, And rams of the breed of Bashan, and he-goats, With the kidney-fat of wheat; And of the blood of the grape thou drankest foaming wine." 32.15. But Jeshurun waxed fat, and kicked— Thou didst wax fat, thou didst grow thick, thou didst become gross— And he forsook God who made him, And contemned the Rock of his salvation." 32.16. They roused Him to jealousy with strange gods, With abominations did they provoke Him." 32.17. They sacrificed unto demons, no-gods, Gods that they knew not, New gods that came up of late, Which your fathers dreaded not." 32.18. of the Rock that begot thee thou wast unmindful, And didst forget God that bore thee. ." 32.20. And He said: ‘I will hide My face from them, I will see what their end shall be; For they are a very froward generation, Children in whom is no faithfulness." 32.21. They have roused Me to jealousy with a no-god; They have provoked Me with their vanities; And I will rouse them to jealousy with a no-people; I will provoke them with a vile nation." 32.26. I thought I would make an end of them, I would make their memory cease from among men;" 32.28. For they are a nation void of counsel, And there is no understanding in them." 32.29. If they were wise, they would understand this, They would discern their latter end." 32.30. How should one chase a thousand, And two put ten thousand to flight, Except their Rock had given them over And the LORD had delivered them up?" 32.31. For their rock is not as our Rock, Even our enemies themselves being judges." 32.35. Vengeance is Mine, and recompense, Against the time when their foot shall slip; For the day of their calamity is at hand, And the things that are to come upon them shall make haste." 32.36. For the LORD will judge His people, And repent Himself for His servants; When He seeth that their stay is gone, And there is none remaining, shut up or left at large." 32.37. And it is said: Where are their gods, The rock in whom they trusted;" 32.38. Who did eat the fat of their sacrifices, and drank the wine of their drink-offering? Let him rise up and help you, Let him be your protection." 32.39. See now that I, even I, am He, And there is no god with Me; I kill, and I make alive; I have wounded, and I heal; And there is none that can deliver out of My hand." 32.40. For I lift up My hand to heaven, And say: As I live for ever," 32.41. If I whet My glittering sword, And My hand take hold on judgment; I will render vengeance to Mine adversaries, And will recompense them that hate Me." 32.42. I will make Mine arrows drunk with blood, And My sword shall devour flesh; With the blood of the slain and the captives, From the long-haired heads of the enemy.’"
2. Anon., Sifre Deuteronomy, 307, 313-315, 317, 320-323, 327-329, 331-333, 335-336, 306 (2nd cent. CE - 4th cent. CE)

3. Babylonian Talmud, Sanhedrin, None (3rd cent. CE - 6th cent. CE)

102b. דאיתפח הדר קא דריש אמרי לא קבילת עלך דלא דרשת בהו אמר אינהו מי הדרו בהו דאנא אהדר בי,רב אשי אוקי אשלשה מלכים אמר למחר נפתח בחברין אתא מנשה איתחזי ליה בחלמיה אמר חברך וחבירי דאבוך קרית לן,מהיכא בעית למישרא המוציא אמר ליה לא ידענא א"ל מהיכא דבעית למישרא המוציא לא גמירת וחברך קרית לן א"ל אגמריה לי ולמחר דרישנא ליה משמך בפירקא א"ל מהיכא דקרים בישולא,א"ל מאחר דחכימתו כולי האי מאי טעמא קא פלחיתו לעבודת כוכבים א"ל אי הות התם הות נקיטנא בשיפולי גלימא ורהטת אבתראי למחר אמר להו לרבנן נפתח ברבוותא,אחאב אח לשמים אב לעבודת כוכבים אח לשמים דכתיב (משלי יז, יז) אח לצרה יולד אב לעבודת כוכבים דכתיב (תהלים קג, יג) כרחם אב על בנים,(מלכים א טז, לא) ויהי הנקל לכתו בחטאת ירבעם בן נבט אמר ר' יוחנן קלות שעשה אחאב כחמורות שעשה ירבעם ומפני מה תלה הכתוב בירבעם מפני שהוא היה תחילה לקלקלה (הושע יב, יב) גם מזבחותם כגלים על תלמי שדי א"ר יוחנן אין לך כל תלם ותלם בא"י שלא העמיד עליו אחאב עבודת כוכבים והשתחוה לו,ומנא לן דלא אתי לעלמא דאתי דכתיב (מלכים א כא, כא) והכרתי לאחאב משתין בקיר ועצור ועזוב בישראל עצור בעוה"ז ועזוב לעוה"ב,א"ר יוחנן מפני מה זכה עמרי למלכות מפני שהוסיף כרך אחד בארץ ישראל שנאמר (מלכים א טז, כד) ויקן את ההר שמרון מאת שמר בככרים כסף ויבן את ההר ויקרא [את] שם העיר אשר בנה על שם שמר אדני ההר שמרון,א"ר יוחנן מפני מה זכה אחאב למלכות כ"ב שנה,מפני שכיבד את התורה שניתנה בכ"ב אותיות שנאמר (מלכים א כ, ב) וישלח מלאכים אל אחאב מלך ישראל העירה ויאמר לו כה אמר בן הדד כספך וזהבך לי הוא ונשיך ובניך הטובים לי הם כי אם כעת מחר אשלח את עבדי אליך וחפשו את ביתך ואת בתי עבדיך והיה כל מחמד עיניך ישימו בידם ולקחו ויאמר למלאכי בן הדד אמרו לאדוני המלך כל אשר שלחת (לעבדך) [אל עבדך] בראשונה אעשה והדבר הזה לא אוכל לעשות,מאי מחמד עיניך לאו ס"ת,דילמא עבודת כוכבים לא ס"ד דכתיב (מלכים א כ, ח) ויאמרו אליו כל הזקנים וכל העם (לא תאבה ולא תשמע) ודילמא סבי דבהתא הוו מי לא כתיב (שמואל ב יז, ד) ויישר הדבר בעיני אבשלום (והזקנים) [ובעיני כל זקני ישראל] ואמר רב יוסף סבי דבהתא,התם לא כתיב וכל העם הכא כתיב וכל העם דאי אפשר דלא הוו בהון צדיקי וכתיב (מלכים א יט, יח) והשארתי בישראל שבעת אלפים כל הברכים אשר לא כרעו לבעל וכל הפה אשר לא נשק לו,אמר ר"נ אחאב שקול היה שנאמר (מלכים א כב, כ) ויאמר ה' מי יפתה את אחאב ויעל ויפול ברמות גלעד ויאמר זה בכה וזה אומר בכה מתקיף לה רב יוסף מאן דכתב ביה (מלכים א כא, כה) רק לא היה כאחאב אשר התמכר לעשות הרע בעיני ה' אשר הסתה אותו איזבל אשתו ותנינא בכל יום היתה שוקלת שקלי זהב לעבודת כוכבים ואת אמרת שקול היה אלא אחאב וותרן בממונו היה ומתוך שההנה תלמידי חכמים מנכסיו כיפרו לו מחצה,(מלכים א כב, כא) ויצא הרוח ויעמד לפני ה' ויאמר אני אפתנו ויאמר ה' אליו במה ויאמר אצא והייתי רוח שקר בפי כל נביאיו ויאמר תפתה וגם תוכל צא ועשה כן מאי רוח א"ר יוחנן רוחו של נבות היזרעאלי,מאי צא אמר רבינא צא ממחיצתי שכן כתיב (תהלים קא, ז) דובר שקרים לא יכון לנגד עיני אמר רב פפא היינו דאמרי אינשי דפרע קיניה מחריב ביתיה,(מלכים א טז, לג) ויעש אחאב את האשרה ויוסף אחאב לעשות להכעיס את ה' אלהי ישראל מכל מלכי ישראל אשר היו לפניו א"ר יוחנן שכתב על דלתות שמרון אחאב כפר באלהי ישראל לפיכך אין לו חלק באלהי ישראל,(דברי הימים ב כב, ט) ויבקש את אחזיהו וילכדהו והוא מתחבא בשמרון א"ר לוי שהיה קודר אזכרות וכותב עבודת כוכבים תחתיהן,מנשה שנשה יה ד"א מנשה שהנשי את ישראל לאביהם שבשמים ומנלן דלא אתי לעלמא דאתי דכתיב (דברי הימים ב לג, א) בן שתים עשרה שנה מנשה במלכו וחמשים וחמש שנה מלך בירושלים (מלכים ב כא, ג) ויעש (הרע) [אשרה] (בעיני ה') כאשר עשה אחאב מלך ישראל מה אחאב אין לו חלק לעוה"ב אף מנשה אין לו חלק לעוה"ב:,רבי יהודה אומר מנשה יש לו חלק לעוה"ב שנאמר (דברי הימים ב לג, יג) ויתפלל מנשה אל ה' ויעתר לו וכו': א"ר יוחנן ושניהם מקרא אחד דרשו שנאמר (ירמיהו טו, ד) ונתתים לזעוה לכל ממלכות הארץ בגלל מנשה בן יחזקיהו מר סבר בגלל מנשה שעשה תשובה ואינהו לא עבוד ומר סבר 102b. bhe recovered, he then lecturedon that topic. His students bsaid to him: Did you not undertake that you will not lecture about them?Rabbi Abbahu bsaid: Did they repent, that I will reconsiderand refrain from condemning them?,One day bRav Ashi endedhis lecture just before reaching the matter bof the three kings. He saidto his students: bTomorrow we will beginthe lecture bwith our colleaguesthe three kings, who, although they were sinners, were Torah scholars like us. bManasseh,king of Judea, bcame and appeared to him in his dream.Manasseh bsaidto him angrily: bYou called us your colleague and the colleagues of your father?How dare you characterize yourself as our equal?,Manasseh said to him: I will ask you, bfrom where are you required to begincutting a loaf of bread when reciting the blessing: bWho brings forthbread from the earth? Rav Ashi bsaid to him: I do not know.Manasseh bsaid to him:Even this, bfrom where you are required to begincutting a loaf of bread when reciting the blessing: bWho brings forthbread from the earth, byou did not learn, andyet byou call us your colleague?Rav Ashi bsaid toManasseh: bTeach methis ihalakha band tomorrow I will lectureand cite bit in your name duringmy public blecturedelivered on the Festival. Manasseh bsaid to him:One cuts the loaf bfrom where it crustsas a result of bbaking. /b,Rav Ashi bsaid to him: Since you were so wise, what is the reason you engaged in idol worship?Manasseh bsaid to him: Had you been thereat that time, byou would have takenand lifted bthe hem of your cloak and run after medue to the fierce desire to engage in idol worship and due to the fact that it was a common faith. bThe next dayRav Ashi bsaid to the Sagesas a prelude to his lecture: bWe will begin withthe treatment of bour teachers,those kings who were greater than us in Torah knowledge but whose sins caused them to lose their share in the World-to-Come.,§ The Gemara proceeds to discuss the second king enumerated in the mishna, Ahab. bAhab [ iAḥav /i],although he was ba brother [ iaḥ /i] to Heaven,he was ba father [ iav /i] for idol worship.He was ba brother to Heaven, as it is written: “And a brother is born for adversity”(Proverbs 17:17), and in desperate times, he turned to Heaven. He was ba father for idolatry.This is the highest level of attachment, bas it is written: “As a father has compassion for his children”(Psalms 103:13).,With regard to Ahab, it is written: b“And it came to pass, the most minor of his transgressions was his walking in the sins of Jeroboam, son of Nebat”(I Kings 16:31). bRabbi Yoḥa says: The minorsins bthat Ahab performedwere bon par with the majorsins bthat Jeroboam performed,as the transgressions committed by Ahab were much more serious than those committed by Jeroboam. bAnd for whatreason bdid the verse attributethe sins of all the kings of Israel bto Jeroboam,even though the sins of Ahab were more substantial? It is bdue tothe fact bthat he was first toengage in biniquity.With regard to the verse: b“Their altars shall also be like droppings in the furrows of the field”(Hosea 12:12), bRabbi Yoḥa says: You do not have even one furrow in Eretz Yisrael upon which Ahab did not placean object of bidol worship and bow to it. /b,The Gemara asks: bAnd from where do wederive bthatAhab bdoes not enter into the World-to-Come?The Gemara answers: It is derived bas it is written: “And I will excise from Ahab every man, and him that is shut up and him that is abandoned in Israel”(I Kings 21:21). b“Him that is shut up”indicates he will be excised bin this world,while b“and him that is abandoned”indicates he will be excised bin the World-to-Come. /b, bRabbi Yoḥa says: For whatvirtue bwas Omri,king of Israel, who was Ahab’s father, bprivilegedto ascend btothe bmonarchy?It is bdue tothe fact bthat he added one city in Eretz Yisrael, as it is stated: “And he bought the hill of Samaria from Shemer for two talents of silver, and built on the hill, and called the name of the city that he built after Shemer, the owner of the hill, Samaria”(I Kings 16:24)., bRabbi Yoḥa says: For whatvirtue bwas Ahab privilegedto ascend btothe bmonarchyand rule for btwenty-two years? /b,It is bdue tothe fact bthat he respected the Torah, which was given with twenty-two letters, as it is stated: “And he sent messengers to Ahab, king of Israel, into the city, and said to him: So says Ben-Hadad: Your silver and your gold are mine; your wives and also your good children, are mine.And the king of Israel answered and said: It is according to your saying, my lord, O king: I am yours, and all that I have. And the messengers came again, and said: So speaks Ben-Hadad, saying: I sent to you, saying: You shall deliver me your silver, and your gold, and your wives, and your children. bYet I will send my servants to you tomorrow about this time, and they shall search your house, and the houses of your servants, and it shall be, that they shall put in their hand all the delight of your eyes and take it…And he said to the messengers of Ben-Hadad, tell my lord the king: All that you did send for to your servant at the first I will do; but this thing I may not do”(I Kings 20:2–6, 9).,The Gemara asks: bWhatis b“the delight of your eyes”that Ahab refused to give Ben-Hadad after agreeing to give him his wives and his gold? bIs it not a Torah scroll?Ahab treated the Torah with deference.,The Gemara suggests: bPerhapsthe delight of his eyes was an object of bidol worship.The Gemara answers: That could bnot enter your mind, as it is writtenthat Ahab consulted the Sages with regard to this matter: b“And all the elders and all the people said to him: Do not consent and heed not”(I Kings 20:8). The elders in this verse are presumably the Sages. The Gemara continues: bBut perhaps they were wicked elders,who worshipped idols. bIsn’t it written: “And the saying pleased Absalom well and all the elders of Israel”(II Samuel 17:4), band Rav Yosef says:The elders of Israel mentioned in that verse were bwicked elders.Perhaps the elders of Israel with whom Ahab consulted were also wicked.,The Gemara rejects this: bThere,with regard to Absalom bit is not written: “And all the people,”whereas bhere,with regard to Ahab, bit is written: “And all the people.” As it is impossible that there were not among them righteouspeople, if the righteous people agreed, apparently, “the delight of your eyes” was sacred. bAnd it is written: “And I will leave seven thousand in Israel; all the knees that have not bent to the Baal, and every mouth that has not kissed it”(I Kings 19:18), indicating that there were righteous people among them., bRav Naḥman says: Ahab was balancedin terms of the mitzvot and transgressions that he performed, bas it is stated: “And the Lord said, who shall entice Ahab that he may ascend and fall at Ramoth Gilead? And this one said in this manner, and that one said in that manner”(I Kings 22:20), indicating that it is unclear whether or not he was a full-fledged transgressor. bRav Yosef objects to thisstatement: This is the person babout whomthe prophet bwrote: “But there was none like Ahab who devoted himself to do evil in the eyes of the Lord, whom Jezebel his wife had incited”(I Kings 21:25). bAnd we learnin a ibaraita /i: bEvery day she would weigh gold shekelsequal to Ahab’s weight bfor idol worship. And you say he was balanced? Rather, Ahab was generous with his moneyand did not scrimp, band since healso bbenefited Torah scholars with his property,the heavenly court bexpiated halfhis sins bfor him.The result was a balance between mitzvot and transgressions.,With regard to God’s search for a volunteer to entice Ahab, it is written: b“And there came forth a spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will entice him. And the Lord said to him: With what? And he said: I will go out, and I will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all his prophets. And He said: You shall entice him, and also prevail; go out, and do so”(I Kings 22:21–22). The Gemara asks: bWhat spiritwas that? bRabbi Yoḥa says:It was bthe spirit of Naboth the Jezreelite,who sought to take revenge against Ahab.,The Gemara asks: bWhatis the meaning of the term b“go out”that God instructed the spirit? bRavina saysthat it means: bGo out fromwithin bmy partitionand do not return, bas so it is written: “He that speaks falsehoods shall not be established before My eyes”(Psalms 101:7). The spirit that volunteered to lie may no longer be before God. bRav Pappa saysthat bthisis in accordance with the adage bthat people say: One who avengesdue to bhis zealotry destroys hisown bhouse.The spirit of Naboth that sought revenge was expelled from before God.,With regard to the verse: b“And Ahab made the iashera /i; and Ahab did more to provoke the Lord, God of Israel, to anger than all the kings of Israel that were before him”(I Kings 16:33), bRabbi Yoḥa says:It means bthat he wrote on the doors of Samaria: Ahab denies theexistence of the bGod of Israel, therefore he has no share in the God of Israel. /b,With regard to the verse: b“And he sought Ahaziah, and they apprehended him, for he was hiding in Samaria”(II Chronicles 22:9), bRabbi Levi says:What would he do in hiding? bHe would excise mentionsof God’s name in Torah scrolls band writethe name of an object of bidol worship in their stead. /b,The Gemara proceeds to discuss the third king enumerated in the mishna. He was called bManasseh [ iMenashe /i] because he forgot God [ inasha yah /i]. Alternatively,he was called bManasseh since he caused thekingdom of bIsrael to forget [ ihinshi /i] their Father Who is in Heaven. And from where do wederive bthatManasseh bdoes not enter into the World-to-Come?The Gemara answers: It is derived bas it is written: “Manasseh was twelve years old when he began to reign, and he reigned fifty-five years in Jerusalem… /bAnd he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord… bAnd he made an iashera /i, as did Ahab king of Israel”(II Kings 21:1–3). bJust as Ahab has no share in the World-to-Come, so too, Manasseh has no share in the World-to-Come. /b,§ The mishna teaches that bRabbi Yehuda says: Manasseh has a share in the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “And he prayed to him and He was entreated of him,and heard his supplication and brought him back to Jerusalem unto his kingdom” (II Chronicles 33:13). bRabbi Yoḥa says: And both of them,Rabbi Yehuda and the Rabbis, who disagree with regard to whether Manasseh has a share in the World-to-Come, binterpreted oneand the same bverse, as it is stated: “And I will make them into a horror for all the kingdoms of the earth, on account of Manasseh, son of Hezekiah”(Jeremiah 15:4). One bSage,Rabbi Yehuda, bholdsthat b“on account of Manasseh”means that the Jewish people will be judged harshly, basultimately, one as wicked as Manasseh brepented, and they did not doso. bAndone bSage,the Rabbis, bholdsthat


Subjects of this text:

subject book bibliographic info
hermeneutic Avery-Peck, Chilton, and Scott Green, A Legacy of Learning: Essays in Honor of Jacob Neusner (2014) 143
herr, m. Fonrobert and Jaffee, The Cambridge Companion to the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature Cambridge Companions to Religion (2007) 298
muhammad Avery-Peck, Chilton, and Scott Green, A Legacy of Learning: Essays in Honor of Jacob Neusner (2014) 143
new testament Avery-Peck, Chilton, and Scott Green, A Legacy of Learning: Essays in Honor of Jacob Neusner (2014) 143
performed traditions Avery-Peck, Chilton, and Scott Green, A Legacy of Learning: Essays in Honor of Jacob Neusner (2014) 143
rabbinic literature Avery-Peck, Chilton, and Scott Green, A Legacy of Learning: Essays in Honor of Jacob Neusner (2014) 143
rabbinization Fonrobert and Jaffee, The Cambridge Companion to the Talmud and Rabbinic Literature Cambridge Companions to Religion (2007) 298
tannaitic midrashim' Avery-Peck, Chilton, and Scott Green, A Legacy of Learning: Essays in Honor of Jacob Neusner (2014) 143