Berakhot 32a — the Talmud in English

As it is written in Micah’s prophecy [Micah 4:6], “On that day, says the Lord, I will gather the limping one, and I will assemble the banished one,

and the one whom I harmed”

—

that I caused to act wickedly, by creating in them the evil inclination.

Rabbi Hama, son of Rabbi Hanina, said: Had it not been for these three verses

below,

the feet of the enemies of Israel would have collapsed

in judgment [this refers to Israel, and it uses the expression “sagi nahor,” literally “abundant light,” as a euphemism], for they would have had no defense at all. But now that these verses have been written, we have an opening of the mouth in judgment, for they testify that the Holy One, blessed be He, is able to repair our evil inclination and remove the evil from us.

And these are the three verses:

One—

as it is written, “and the one whom I harmed,”

and I created in them the evil inclination; it follows that we are not guilty for our sins, but rather it, as it were, caused this.

And one—

as it is written [Jeremiah 18:6],

“

Behold, like clay in the hand of the potter, so are you in My hand, House of Israel,”

and it follows that even after He gave us choice and the power to subdue the inclination, our inclination is still delivered into His hand.

And one—

as it is written [Ezekiel 36:26],

“

And I will remove

the heart of stone from your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh,”

and it follows that it is in His power to nullify our evil inclination, for He promises us that He will do so in the future.

Rav Pappa said:

There is a clearer source for this, that it is in His power to nullify our evil inclination and place within us a good inclination,

from here: as it is written [Ezekiel 36:27],

“

And I will place My spirit within you, and I will cause you to walk in My statutes.”

And Rabbi Elazar said: Moses spoke harshly against Heaven, as it is stated [Numbers 11:2],

“

And Moses prayed to the Lord” ,

Do not read “to the Lord,” but rather “against the Lord,”

for in the school of Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov they read alefs as ayins, and “ayins”

they read

as “alefs.”

Those of the school of Rabbi Yannai said: From here

it is proved that Moses spoke harshly against Heaven, as it is stated [Deuteronomy 1:1], “These are the words that Moses spoke, etc.,

and Di Zahav.”

What is “Di Zahav”?

Those of the school of Rabbi Yannai said: Moses said this before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, because of the silver and gold that You lavished upon Israel

in the spoils of Egypt and the spoils of the sea,

until they said, “Enough,” [that is, “Di Zahav,”

“enough gold”],

it caused

them

to make the calf

with that same gold.

And this is what

those of the school of Rabbi Yannai said: A lion does not roar

[rejoices, goes wild, and causes damage]

from a basket of straw, but rather from a basket of meat;

and it is a proverb, meaning that a person does not sin because of hardship, but because of abundance and prosperity.

Rabbi Oshaya said: A parable

additional, what is the matter comparable to?—

To a person who had a lean cow with well-developed limbs, and he fed it

food suitable for it,

vetch,

and it grew fat,

and it began kicking him. He said to it

its owner:

Who caused you to kick me?—

Is it not

rather

because of the

vetch that I fed you!

And so too it occurred with Israel: because of the great abundance that He lavished upon them, they came to sin.

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: A parable

what is the matter comparable to?—

To a certain man who had a son; he bathed him,

the father bathed the son,

and anointed him, fed him, gave him drink, and hung a pouch

with money

around

his neck, and seated him at the entrance of prostitutes. What could that son do so as not to sin!?

And so too it occurred with Israel: because of the great amount of silver and gold given to them, they came to trial and sinned.

Rav Aha, son of Rav Huna, said in the name of Rav Sheshet: This is what people say: “Fill his belly, and he will produce evil things”

[filling the belly is a type of evil sin, for it causes sin]—and the source of this is from what

is stated [Hosea 13:6],

“

According to their pasture, so they were filled; they were filled, and their heart became exalted; therefore they forgot Me.”

Rav Nahman said:

The source that an increase of wealth causes sin is

from here:

as it is stated [Deuteronomy 8:14],

“And your heart will become exalted, and you will forget the Lord.”

And the Rabbis say

that the source of this is

from here:

as it is stated [Deuteronomy 31:20],

“And he will eat and be satisfied and grow fat, and he will turn

to other gods and serve them, and provoke Me and violate My covenant.”

And if you wish, say from here:

as it is stated [Deuteronomy 32:15],

“And Jeshurun grew fat and kicked.”

Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: From where do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, returned and acknowledged that he was right

to Moses

concerning his claim about the gold that He had increased for them?

As it is stated [Hosea 2:10],

“And the silver that I increased for them, and they made into a Baal.”

It is stated [Exodus 32:7],

“And the Lord spoke to Moses: Go, descend,

and the Lord said to Moses, Go, descend

because your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have corrupted themselves,” and the Gemara clarifies:

What is “Go, descend”?

Rabbi Elazar said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Moses, descend from your greatness!

For

did I give you greatness for any reason other than for Israel,

so that you would teach them Torah and mitzvot,

and now

that

Israel has sinned, what do I need you for!?

Immediately Moses’ strength weakened, and he had no strength to speak

in defense of Israel,

and

however,

once He said

to him, the Holy One, blessed be He [Deuteronomy 9:14],

“Release Me, and I will destroy them,”

and thereby hinted to Moses that if he would not allow Him to destroy them, but would pray for them, He would forgive them.

And when Moses heard this,

Moses said:

Behold,

this matter depends on me,

therefore

he immediately stood and strengthened himself in prayer and requested mercy.

A parable

what is the matter comparable to?—

To a flesh-and-blood king who became angry with his son and was striking him a great blow. And the king’s beloved

was

sitting before him, and was afraid to say anything to him

and request mercy from him for the son. But once the king wanted the beloved to appease him to have mercy on his son,

the king said

to his son:

Had it not been for this beloved of mine who is sitting before me, I would have killed you!

And when the beloved heard this hint,

he said:

Behold,

this matter depends on me; he immediately stood and rescued him.

It is stated further in the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses [Exodus 32:10]:

“And now, leave Me, and My anger will flare against them and I will destroy them, and I will make you into a great nation.”

Rabbi Abbahu said: Had the verse not been written,

this would be a matter that

could not be said,

for the expression “Leave Me”

teaches that

as it were,

Moses seized the Holy One, blessed be He, like a person who seizes his fellow by his garment

and does not release him,

and

Moses

said

before Him: Master of the Universe,

I will not release You until You pardon and forgive them

Israel. It is stated further in the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: [there, verse 11]

“And I will make you into a great nation”—

Rabbi Elazar said: Moses said before the Holy

One, blessed be He,

and replied:

Master of the Universe, if a throne with three legs

[Israel, who rely upon the merit of the three patriarchs],

cannot stand before You at the time of Your anger, then a throne with one leg—

the people that You wish to make from me—

all the more so

will it not stand before You at the time of Your anger, for it will have only my merits.

And furthermore, if I consent to this, I have shame before my fathers.

For

now they will say: See the leader whom

the Holy One, blessed be He,

placed over them;

when the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to destroy them, he agreed to it, and

he sought greatness for himself and did not request mercy for them.

It is stated further there [verse 11]:

“And Moses entreated the

face of the Lord

his God”—

Rabbi Elazar said:

The fact that Scripture used the expression “and he entreated” rather than “and he prayed”

teaches that Moses stood in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He, until he caused Him to become gracious

[he implored the Holy One, blessed be He].

And Rava said: “And he entreated” is from the language of profanation and annulment, and it teaches that Moses stood in prayer

until

as it were,

he annulled for Him

the Holy One, blessed be He, His

vow

that He had vowed and said, “I will destroy them.”

And the source for expounding it in this manner is: It is written here “and he entreated,” and it is written there in the passage of vows [Numbers 30:3], “He shall not profane his word,” and the Master said:

vow,

for He had vowed and said, “I will destroy them.”

only

he,

the one who made the vow,

cannot annul

his vow,

but others

can annul it for him

[that is, the release of a vow by a sage].

And Shmuel said: “And he entreated” is from the language of “hollow”;

it teaches that Moses handed

Moses

himself over to death for them!

And he made the continuation of his life dependent upon their survival,

as it is stated [Exodus 32:32],

“And if not, erase me now from Your book.”

«Стал умолять» происходит от слова «осквернил».

teaching that Moses consigned

himself

to death for their sake!

He made the continuation of his life dependent on their survival,

as it is stated [Exodus 32:32],

[Шмот 32:32]:

Rava said in the name of Rav Yitzhak: “And he entreated” is from the language of causing to take effect;

it teaches that he caused [he caused it to take effect] upon them the attribute of the mercy! And the Rabbis say: “And he entreated” is an expression of the profane; it teaches that Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, it is profane

for You to do such a thing—

to destroy Israel!

teaching that he caused

[caused it to take effect]

We also learned concerning the verse

“And Moses entreated the face of the Lord”—

it was taught: Rabbi Eliezer the Great says “And he entreated” is from the language of “ahilu” [and this will be explained shortly],

it teaches that Moses stood in prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He, until he was seized by “ahilu.”

What is “ahilu”?—

Rabbi Elazar said: A fire of

the bones.

What is “a fire of the bones”?—

Abaye said: a fever of the bones. Moses further said in his prayer [there, verse 13], “Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself etc.”

The Gemara asks:

What is

“You swore to them

by Yourself”?—

Rabbi Elazar said: Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe! Had You sworn to them by heaven and earth, I would have said: Just as heaven and earth

can be

nullified,

so Your oath

could be

nullified.

But

now that You swore to them by Your great Name

[as it is stated concerning the binding of Isaac, “By Myself I have sworn”], behold,

just as Your great Name lives and exists forever and for all eternity,

so Your oath exists forever and for all eternity.

by Yourself”? —

Rabbi Elazar said: Moses said before the Almighty: Master of the Universe! Were You to have sworn to them by heaven and earth, I would have said: Just as heaven and earth

It is stated at the end of the verse:

“And You said to them, I will increase your descendants like the stars of heaven, and all this land that I said

I will give to your descendants, and they will inherit it forever.”

The Gemara asks:

This “that I said”—

“that You said” should have been written,

for Moses is the one saying to the Holy One, blessed be He, that He had promised the patriarchs to give it to their descendants.

Rabbi Elazar said: Until here

[until “like the stars of heaven”]

are the words of

the

student [Moses], and from here onward [the end of the verse] they are already

the words of the Master

[the Holy One, blessed be He], who said to him: So I will do according to your words, and I will not destroy them; and all the land that I said to the patriarchs I will give to their descendants, and they will inherit it forever.

The Gemara asks:

This expression, “of which I said” —

it should have said, “of which You said,”

since it was Moses who was telling the Almighty that He had promised the Patriarchs that He would give the land to their offspring.

Rabbi Elazar said: Until here

[until “like the stars of the heavens”]

are the words of

the

student

[Moses],

and from here onward

[the end of the verse] they are already

the words of the Master

[the Almighty], who said to him: Yes, I will do as you say and will not destroy them; and all the land that I said to the Patriarchs I will give to their offspring, and they will inherit it forever.

And Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: These and those are the words of

the

student,

and also the end of the verse is the word of Moses.

Rather, Moses said thus before the Holy One, blessed is He: Master of the world, these are the words

that

You said to me

at the bush:

Go

and

say to them, to Israel, in My name, "

and you shall say to them: I shall bring you up to a land flowing with milk and honey," and

I went and said to them

the words

in Your name; now,

if You do not forgive them

—what shall I say to them!?

And the intent of the verse, “which I said,” is that after I said a matter in Your name, how can it be that it will not be fulfilled.

Just as Moses prayed after the sin of the calf, so too he prayed after the episode of the spies, and there we find that Moses said to God: If You put the people to death, the nations will say, “Because the Lord lacked the ability to bring this people to the land that He swore to them, He slaughtered them in the wilderness.”

The Gemara discusses: Why was it written [Numbers 14:16]

“Because of the inability of the Lord”

in the feminine expression? But “the Lord was not

able

” ought to have been written .

Rabbi Elazar said:

This expression was written to teach that thus

Moses said before the Holy One, blessed is He: Master of the world, now the nations of the world will say:

so to speak,

the strength

of the Holy One, blessed is He,

has weakened like a female, and He is unable to save

His people from our hands.

The Holy One, blessed is He, said to Moses: But the nations have already seen

the

miracles and mighty deeds that I performed for them

for Israel

at the sea,

so how will they say that I lack the power to save them?!

Moses said before Him

:

Master of the world! The nations still have

the

ability to say: Against

one

king

[Pharaoh]

He is able

to

stand.

But

against thirty-one kings

[who ruled at that time in the land of Canaan]

He is unable to stand

and dispossess them, and they will claim that for this reason You did not bring them into the land.

Rabbi Yohanan said: From where is it established that the Holy One, blessed is He, returned and acknowledged Moses’ argument? —

As it is stated

[there, verse 20]:

“And the Lord said: I have forgiven, according to your word.”

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: What is the meaning of “according to your word”? —

The nations of the world are destined to say so,

according to your words [that indeed we thought that “against thirty-one kings He is unable to stand”].

Fortunate is the student whose teacher acknowledges his words!

And the Gemara explains the continuation of the verse there [verse 21]:

“But as I live” —

Rava said in the name of Rabbi Yitzhak: This teaches that the Holy One, blessed is He, said to Moses: Moses, you have given Me life

before the nations

through your words!

Rabbi Simlai expounded: A person should always first set forth the praise of the Holy One, blessed is He, and afterward pray

for his needs.

From where do we know

the source for this order? —

From Moses.

For it is written

[Deuteronomy 3:23]:

“And I entreated the Lord at that time,” and it is written

before this,

“Lord God, You have begun to show Your servant Your greatness and Your mighty hand, for who is a god in heaven and on earth who can perform deeds like Your deeds and like Your mighty acts.”

Thus Moses first set forth the praises of the Holy One, blessed is He, and only afterward asked for himself,

and

his request is brought in verse 25:

it is written afterward, “Please let me cross over and see the good land

that is beyond the Jordan, this good mountain and the Lebanon.” [

The mnemonic is: Maasim Tzedaka, Korban Kohen, Taanit

Manal Barzel —

the statements concerning these matters will be brought below].