| 7b. א"ר יוחנן משום ר"ש בן יוחי מיום שברא הקב"ה את העולם לא היה אדם שקראו להקב"ה אדון עד שבא אברהם וקראו אדון שנאמר (בראשית טו, ב) ויאמר אדני (אלהים) במה אדע כי אירשנה.,אמר רב אף דניאל לא נענה אלא בשביל אברהם שנא' (דניאל ט, יז) ועתה שמע אלהינו אל תפלת עבדך ואל תחנוניו והאר פניך על מקדשך השמם למען אדני למענך מבעי ליה,אלא למען אברהם שקראך אדון:,וא"ר יוחנן משום ר"ש בן יוחי מנין שאין מרצין לו לאדם בשעת כעסו שנאמר (שמות לג, יד) פני ילכו והנחותי לך:,ואמר ר"י משום ר"ש בן יוחי מיום שברא הקב"ה את עולמו לא היה אדם שהודה להקב"ה עד שבאתה לאה והודתו שנאמר (בראשית כט, לה) הפעם אודה את ה':,ראובן א"ר אלעזר אמרה לאה ראו מה בין בני לבן חמי דאילו בן חמי אע"ג דמדעתיה זבניה לבכירותיה דכתיב (בראשית כה, לג) וימכר את בכרתו ליעקב חזו מה כתיב ביה (בראשית כז, מא) וישטם עשו את יעקב,וכתיב (בראשית כז, לו) ויאמר הכי קרא שמו יעקב ויעקבני זה פעמים וגו',ואילו בני אע"ג דעל כרחיה שקליה יוסף לבכירותיה מניה דכתיב (דברי הימים א ה, א) ובחללו יצועי אביו נתנה בכורתו לבני יוסף אפי' הכי לא אקנא ביה דכתיב (בראשית לז, כא) וישמע ראובן ויצילהו מידם:,רות מאי רות א"ר יוחנן שזכתה ויצא ממנה דוד שריוהו להקב"ה בשירות ותשבחות,מנא לן דשמא גרים אמר רבי אליעזר דאמר קרא (תהלים מו, ט) לכו חזו מפעלות ה' אשר שם שמות בארץ אל תקרי שמות אלא שמות:,וא"ר יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי קשה תרבות רעה בתוך ביתו של אדם יותר ממלחמת גוג ומגוג שנאמר (תהלים ג, א) מזמור לדוד בברחו מפני אבשלום בנו וכתיב בתריה (תהלים ג, ב) ה' מה רבו צרי רבים קמים עלי ואילו גבי מלחמת גוג ומגוג כתיב (תהלים ב, א) למה רגשו גוים ולאומים יהגו ריק ואילו מה רבו צרי לא כתיב:,מזמור לדוד בברחו מפני אבשלום בנו מזמור לדוד קינה לדוד מיבעי ליה,אמר ר' שמעון בן אבישלום משל למה הדבר דומה לאדם שיצא עליו שטר חוב קודם שפרעו היה עצב לאחר שפרעו שמח,אף כן דוד כיון שאמר לו הקב"ה (שמואל ב יב, יא) הנני מקים עליך רעה מביתך היה עצב אמר שמא עבד או ממזר הוא דלא חייס עלי כיון דחזא דאבשלום הוא שמח משום הכי אמר מזמור:,וא"ר יוחנן משום ר"ש בן יוחי מותר להתגרות ברשעים בעולם הזה שנאמר (משלי כח, ד) עוזבי תורה יהללו רשע ושומרי תורה יתגרו בם,תניא נמי הכי רבי דוסתאי בר' מתון אומר מותר להתגרות ברשעים בעוה"ז שנא' עוזבי תורה יהללו רשע וגו' ואם לחשך אדם לומר והא כתיב (תהלים לז, א) אל תתחר במרעים אל תקנא בעושי עולה אמור לו מי שלבו נוקפו אומר כן אלא אל תתחר במרעים להיות כמרעים אל תקנא בעושי עולה להיות כעושי עולה,ואומר (משלי כג, יז) אל יקנא לבך בחטאים כי אם ביראת ה' כל היום,איני והאמר ר' יצחק אם ראית רשע שהשעה משחקת לו אל תתגרה בו שנאמר (תהלים י, ה) יחילו דרכיו בכל עת ולא עוד אלא שזוכה בדין שנאמר (תהלים י, ה) מרום משפטיך מנגדו ולא עוד אלא שרואה בצריו שנאמר (תהלים י, ה) כל צורריו יפיח בהם,לא קשיא הא במילי דידיה הא במילי דשמיא,ואיבעית אימא הא והא במילי דשמיא ולא קשיא הא ברשע שהשעה משחקת לו הא ברשע שאין השעה משחקת לו,ואב"א הא והא ברשע שהשעה משחקת לו ולא קשיא הא בצדיק גמור הא בצדיק שאינו גמור דאמר רב הונא מאי דכתיב (חבקוק א, יג) למה תביט בוגדים תחריש בבלע רשע צדיק ממנו וכי רשע בולע צדיק והא כתיב (תהלים לז, לג) ה' לא יעזבנו בידו וכתיב (משלי יב, כא) לא יאונה לצדיק כל און אלא צדיק ממנו בולע צדיק גמור אינו בולע,ואב"א שעה משחקת לו שאני:,וא"ר יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי כל הקובע מקום לתפלתו אויביו נופלים תחתיו שנאמר (שמואל ב ז, י) ושמתי מקום לעמי לישראל ונטעתיו ושכן תחתיו ולא ירגז עוד ולא יוסיפו בני עולה לענותו כאשר בראשונה,רב הונא רמי כתיב לענותו וכתיב לכלותו,בתחלה לענותו ולבסוף לכלותו:,וא"ר יוחנן משום רבי שמעון בן יוחי גדולה שמושה של תורה יותר מלמודה שנא' (מלכים ב ג, יא) פה אלישע בן שפט אשר יצק מים על ידי אליהו למד לא נאמר אלא יצק מלמד שגדולה שמושה יותר מלמודה:,א"ל רבי יצחק לרב נחמן מ"ט לא אתי מר לבי כנישתא לצלויי אמר ליה לא יכילנא א"ל לכנפי למר עשרה וליצלי אמר ליה טריחא לי מלתא ולימא ליה מר לשלוחא דצבורא בעידנא דמצלי צבורא ליתי ולודעיה למר,א"ל מאי כולי האי א"ל דאמר ר' יוחנן משום ר"ש בן יוחי | 7b. Until now, the Gemara has cited statements made by Rabbi Yoḥa in the name of the itanna /i, Rabbi Yosei. Now, the Gemara begins to cite what bRabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: From the day that the Holy One, Blessed be He, created the world there was no person who called him “Lord” until Abraham came and called him Lord. As it is stated: “And he said, ‘My Lord, God, by what shall I know that I will inherit it?’”(Genesis 15:8).,The Gemara cites another statement extolling that virtue of Abraham is mentioned, as bRav said: Even Daniel’s prayers were only answered on account of Abraham, as it is stated: “And now listen, God, to the prayer of Your servant and to his supplication; and cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate Temple, for the sake of the Lord”(Daniel 9:17). The verse bshould have said:And cause Your face to shine upon Your desolate Temple, bfor Your sake,as Daniel was addressing the Lord., bRather,this verse contains an allusion that the prayer should be accepted bfor the sake of Abraham, who called You, Lord.Daniel utilized that name of God in order to evoke Abraham’s virtue and enhance his prayer., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: From whereis it derived bthat one must not placate a person whilethe person in the throes of bhis anger? As it is stated: “My face will go, and I will give you rest”(Exodus 33:14)., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: From the day the Holy One, Blessed be He, created the world, no one thanked the Holy One, Blessed be He, until Leah came and thanked Him, as it is stated:“And she became pregt and gave birth to a son, and she said, b‘This time I will give thanks to God,’and thus he was called Judah” (Genesis 29:35).,Tangential to the mention of Leah’s son, Judah, and the reason for his name, the Gemara explains the sources for other names, including bReuben. Rabbi Elazar said:Reuben’s name should be considered a prophecy by Leah, as bLeah said: See [ ire’u /i] the difference between my son [ ibeni /i] and the son of my father-in-law,Esau, son of Isaac. bEven thoughEsau bknowingly sold his birthrightto his brother Jacob, bas it is written: “And he sold his birthright to Jacob”(Genesis 25:33), nonetheless, bbehold what is writtenabout bhim: “And Esau hated Jacob”(Genesis 27:41).,Esau was not only angry over Isaac’s blessing, but he was angry about another matter as well, bas it is written: “And he said, ‘Is he not rightly named Jacob, for he has supplanted me twice?He took my birthright, and behold, now he has taken my blessing’” (Genesis 27:36). Despite having sold his birthright, he refused to relinquish it., bWhile my son,Reuben, beven though Joseph took his birthright from him by force, as it is written:“And the sons of Reuben the firstborn of Israel, for he was the firstborn; bbut, since he defiled his father’s bed, his birthright was given to the sons of Joseph,son of Israel” (I Chronicles 5:1). bNevertheless, he was not jealous of him, as it is writtenwhen Joseph’s brothers sought to kill him: b“And Reuben heard and he saved him from their hands,saying ‘Let us not take his life’” (Genesis 37:21).,Continuing on the topic of names, the Gemara asks: bWhat isthe meaning of the name bRuth? Rabbi Yoḥa said: That she had the privilege that David, who inundated the Holy One, Blessed be He, with songs and praises, would descend from her.The name Ruth [ iRut /i] is etymologically similar in Hebrew to the word inundate [ iriva /i].,Regarding the basic assumption that these homiletic interpretations of names are allusions to one’s future, the Gemara asks: bFrom where do wederive bthat the name affectsone’s life? bRabbi Eliezer saidthat bthe verse says: “Go, see the works of the Lord, who has made desolations [ ishamot /i] upon the earth”(Psalms 46:9). bDo not readthe word as ishamot /i, ratheras ishemot /i, names.The names given to people are, therefore, “the works of the Lord upon the earth.”, bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa saidother aggadic statements bin the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai:The existence of bwaywardchildren bin a person’s home is more troublesome than the war of Gog and Magog,the ultimate war, the climax of the travails of Messianic times. bAs it is stated: “A Psalm of David, when he fled from his son, Absalom”(Psalms 3:1). bAnd it is written thereafter: “Lord, how numerous are my enemies, many have risen against me”(Psalms 3:2). bWhile concerning the war of Gog and Magog,which is alluded to in the second chapter of Psalms, bit is written: “Why are the nations in an uproar? And why do the peoples speak for naught?The kings of the earth stand up and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord, and against His anointed…He that sits in heaven laughs, the Lord mocks them” (Psalms 2:1–4). bYetin this chapter describing the war of Gog and Magog b“how numerous are my enemies” is not written,as it is not as difficult as raising a wayward son like Absalom.,Regarding the opening phrase of the psalm, which serves as its title, the Gemara wonders: It is said: b“A Psalm of David, when fleeing his son, Absalom.” A Psalm of David? It should havesaid: bA lament of David. /b, bRabbi Shimon ben Avishalom said a parable: To what is this similar?It is similar bto a person about whom a promissory note was issuedstating that he must repay a debt to the lender. bBefore he repaid it,he bwas despondent,worried how he will manage to repay the debt. bAfter he repaid it, he was glad. /b, bSo toowas the case with bDavid. When the Holy One, Blessed be He, told him,through Natan the prophet, after the incident with Bathsheba, b“Behold, I will raise up evil against you from your house”(II Samuel 12:11), David bwas despondent. He said: Perhapsit will be ba slave or a imamzer /iwho will rise up in my house, a person of such lowly status, who bwill have no pity on me. But onceDavid bsaw that Absalom was the onethrough whom the prophecy was to be fulfilled, bhe rejoiced,as he was certain that Absalom would show him mercy. bThat is whyDavid bsaid a psalm,not a lament, thanking God for punishing him in the least severe manner possible., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: One is permitted to provoke the wicked in this world.Though the ways of the wicked prosper, one is still permitted to provoke them and need not fear (Maharsha), bas it is stated: “Those who abandon the Torah will praise wickedness, and the keepers of the Torah will fight them”(Proverbs 28:4)., bThatstatement bwas also taughtin a ibaraita,as bRabbi Dostai, son of Rabbi Matun, says: One is permitted to provoke the wicked in this world, as it is stated: “Those who abandon the Torah will praise wickedness,and the keepers of the Torah will fight them.” bAnd if someone whispered to you, saying,on the contrary, bisn’t italso bwritten: “Do not compete with evil-doers, and do not envy the unjust”(Psalms 37:1), meaning that one should avoid provoking the wicked, bsay to him:Only bone whose heart strikes himwith pangs of conscience over sins that he committed bsays this. Rather,the true meaning of the verse is: bDo not compete with evil-doers, to be like the evil-doers, and do not envy the unjust to be like the unjust. /b,The Gemara cites proof from another verse. bAnd it says: “One shall not envy the unjust, but be in fear of the Lord all the day”(Proverbs 23:17). In this context, to envy means to seek to emulate the unjust.,From these verses in Psalms and Proverbs, it would seem that one is encouraged to provoke the wicked. The Gemara asks: bIs this so? Didn’t Rabbi Yitzḥak say: If you see a wicked person upon whom the hour is smiling, do not provoke him.As long as he is enjoying good fortune, there is no point in confronting him. bAs it is stated: “His ways prosper at all times;Your judgments are far beyond him; as for his adversaries, he snorts at them” (Psalms 10:5). The verse teaches us that the ways of the wicked will always succeed. bAnd not only that, but he emerges victorious in judgment, as it is stated: “Your judgments are far beyond him,”meaning that even when he is brought to justice, it does not affect him. bAnd not only that, but he witnesses his enemies’downfall, bas it is stated: “As for all his adversaries, he snorts at them.” /b,To resolve this contradiction with regard to whether or not one may provoke the wicked, the Gemara offers several explanations: bThis is not difficult,as it can be understood that bthis,which says that one may not provoke the wicked, is referring bto hispersonal bmatters, while that,which says that it is a mitzva to confront them, is referring bto matters of Heaven. /b, bAnd if you wish, sayinstead bthat this,which says not to confront the wicked band that,which says to confront the wicked, are both referring bto matters of Heaven, and,nevertheless, bit is not difficult. This,which says that one may not provoke the wicked, is referring bto a wicked person upon whom the hour is smiling,who is enjoying good fortune. bWhile that,which says that it is a mitzva to confront them, is referring bto a wicked person upon whom the hour is not smiling. /b, bAnd if you wish, sayinstead bthat this,which says not to confront band that,which says to confront, are both referring bto a wicked person upon whom the hour is smiling,but the question of whether one is permitted to confront him depends on who is confronting him. bAndnevertheless, this is bnot difficult. This,which says that it is a mitzva to confront them, is referring bto a completely righteous person, while this,which says that one may not confront the wicked, is referring bto one who is not completely righteous, as Rav Huna said: What isthe meaning of bthat which is written: “Why do You look on those who deal treacherously and hold Your peace? When the wicked swallows the man more righteous than he?”(Habakkuk 1:13). This verse is difficult to understand. bDo the wicked swallow the righteous? Isn’t it written:“The wicked looks to the righteous and seeks to kill him; bthe Lord will not leave him in his hand,nor allow him to be condemned when he is judged” (Psalms 37:32–33), band it is written: “No mischief shall befall the righteous”(Proverbs 12:21)? bRather,in light of these verses, the verse: “The wicked swallows the man more righteous than he” means: bTheman who is bmore righteous than he,but not completely righteous, bhe swallows. The completely righteous he does not swallow. /b, bAnd if you wish, say:In general, the wicked cannot swallow the righteous, but bwhen the hour is smiling upon him, it is different.When the wicked are enjoying good fortune, even the righteous can be harmed ( iBirkat Hashem /i)., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai:Setting a fixed place for prayer is so important that bone who sets a fixed place for his prayer, his enemies fall beneath him, as it is said: “And I will appoint a place for My nation, Israel, and I will plant them, that they may dwell in their own place.”Through setting aside a place for prayer, they will merit to b“be disturbed no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them anymore, as in the beginning”(II Samuel 7:10).,This verse, cited by the Gemara, leads to an additional point. bRav Huna raised a contradiction:In the book of Samuel, in this verse it is written b: “To afflict them,”while in the parallel verse in I Chronicles (17:9) it is written b: “To destroy them.” /b,The Gemara resolves this contradiction: The enemies of Israel intend first bto afflict them, and, ultimately,to bdestroy thementirely., bAnd Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: Service of Torah is greater than its study,i.e., serving a Torah scholar and spending time in his company is greater than learning Torah from him. Torah study is one component of a Torah life, but one who serves a Torah scholar learns about every aspect of life from his actions. This is derived from the verse that speaks in praise of Elisha, bas it is stated: “Here is Elisha son of Shafat, who poured water over Elijah’s hands”(II Kings 3:11). The verse bdoes not saythat bhe learnedfrom Elijah, bratherthat bhe pouredwater, which bteachesthat bthe service of Torahrepresented by Elisha pouring water over Elijah’s hands bis greater than its study. /b,As a prelude to another of the statements by Rabbi Yoḥa in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, the Gemara relates the following incident. bRabbi Yitzḥak said to Rav Naḥman: Why did the Master not come to the synagogue to pray?Rav Naḥman bsaid to him: I wasweak and bunableto come. Rabbi Yitzḥak bsaid to him: Let the Master gather tenindividuals, a prayer quorum, at your home band pray.Rav Naḥman bsaid to him: It is difficult for meto impose upon the members of the community to come to my home to pray with me ( iSefer Mitzvot Gadol /i). Rabbi Yitzḥak suggested another option: bThe Master should tell the congregationto send a bmessenger when the congregation is praying to come and inform the Masterso you may pray at the same time.,Rav Naḥman saw that Rabbi Yitzḥak was struggling to find a way for him to engage in communal prayer. bHe asked: What isthe reason for ball thisfuss? Rabbi Yitzḥak bsaid to him: As Rabbi Yoḥa said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: /b |
