Berakhot 32a (לב.) — the Talmud in English

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

and those whom I have harmed” —

that is, I caused them to do evil, by creating within them the evil inclination.

Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, said: Were it not for these three verses

below,

the legs of the enemies of Israel would have buckled

in judgment. [This refers to Israel, and the expression is stated euphemistically.] For they would have had no defense at all; but now that these verses have been written, we have an opening to plead our case in judgment, since they testify that the Almighty is able to rectify our inclination and remove the evil from us.

These are the three verses:

One —

as it is written, “and those whom I have harmed,”

and I created within them the evil inclination; consequently, we are not guilty of our sins, but rather He, so to speak, caused them.

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 free choice and the power to subdue the inclination, our inclination still remains in His hands.

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 He is able to nullify our evil inclination, since He promises us that He will do so in the future.

Rav Pappa said:

There is a clearer source that He is able to nullify our evil inclination and place within us a good inclination:

from here, as it is written [there, verse 27],

“And I will place My spirit within you, and I will cause you to follow My statutes

And Rabbi Elazar said: Moses uttered harsh words toward 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

are read as

alefs.

Those of the school of Rabbi Yannai said: From here

it is demonstrated that Moses uttered harsh words toward Heaven, as it is stated [Deuteronomy 1:1], “These are the words that Moses spoke, and so on,

‘and Di-Zahav.’”

What is the meaning of “and Di-Zahav”?

Those of the school of Rabbi Yannai said: Moses said the following before the Almighty: Master of the Universe, it was because of the silver and gold that You lavished upon Israel

during the spoils of Egypt and the spoils of the Sea,

until they said, “Enough,”

[that is the meaning of “Di-Zahav”],

that it caused

them

to make the Golden Calf

with that gold.

And this is the meaning of

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

[in joy, excitement, and causing damage]

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

— this is a metaphor indicating that a person does not sin because of deprivation, but because of abundance and prosperity.

Rabbi Oshaya said: There is another metaphor

as well. What is the matter comparable to?

To a person who had a lean but well-built cow; he fed it

food appropriate for it,

vetch,

and it grew fat,

and it began kicking him. Its owner said to it,

“

Who caused you to kick me?” —

Is it

anything other than

the

vetch that I fed you!

So too, what happened with Israel was that because of the great abundance that He bestowed upon them, they came to sin.

Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: The matter is comparable

to what?

To a certain man who had a son; the father bathed him,

the father bathed the son,

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

containing money

around

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

So too, what happened with Israel was that because of the great amount of silver and gold given to them, they came to a trial and sinned.

Rav Aḥa, son of Rav Huna, said in the name of Rav Sheshet: This is what people say: “Filling one’s belly is a form of evil sinfulness.”

[Filling one’s belly is of the category of evil sins, because it causes sin] — and the source for this is what

is stated [Hosea 13:6],

“As they grazed, they became satiated; they became satiated, and their heart grew haughty; therefore they forgot Me.”

Rav Naḥman said,

the source that an abundance of wealth causes sin is

from here:

as it is stated [Deuteronomy 8:14],

“And your heart will grow haughty, and you will forget the Lord.”

And the Sages say

that the source is

from here:

as it is stated [Deuteronomy 31:20],

“He will eat and be satiated and grow fat, and turn

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

And if you wish, say: From here:

as it is stated [there, 32:15],

“Jeshurun grew fat and kicked.”

Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: From where is it shown that the Almighty later acknowledged the validity of Moses’ claim

to Moses

concerning the gold that He had lavished upon them?

As it is stated [Hosea 2:10],

“And the silver that I gave them in abundance, and the gold they used for Baal.”

It is stated [Exodus 32:7],

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

for your people whom you brought up from the land of Egypt have acted corruptly.” And the Gemara clarifies:

What is the meaning of “Go, descend”?

Rabbi Elazar said: The Almighty 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

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

in defense of Israel,

and

yet

when He said

to him [Deuteronomy 9:14],

“Leave Me, and I will destroy them,”

He was hinting to Moses that if he would not allow Him to destroy them, but would pray on their behalf, He would forgive them.

When Moses heard this,

Moses said:

“This matter is dependent upon me,”

this matter is dependent upon me;

therefore

he immediately rose and strengthened himself in prayer and sought mercy.

A metaphor

What is the matter comparable to?

To a mortal king who became angry with his son and struck him a severe blow. The king’s beloved

was

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

or seek mercy from him for the son. But when the king wanted the beloved to appease him and ask him to have mercy on his son,

the king said

to his son:

“Were it not for this beloved of mine who is sitting before me, I would have killed you!”

When the beloved heard this hint,

he said:

“This matter is dependent upon me”;

he immediately rose and rescued him.

It is stated later in the Almighty’s words to Moses [Exodus 32:10]:

“Now leave Me, that My anger may burn against them and I may destroy them, and I will make you into a great nation.”

Rabbi Abbahu said: Were it not for a verse that is written,

this would be something that

could not be said,

for the expression “Leave Me”

teaches that

so to speak,

Moses seized the Almighty, 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 forgive and pardon them

for Israel.

It is stated further in the Almighty’s words to Moses [there, verse 11]:

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

Rabbi Elazar said: Moses said before the Almighty

Blessed is He

and replied:

“Master of the Universe, if a throne with three legs

[Israel, which relies upon the merit of the three Patriarchs]

cannot stand before You at the time of Your anger, how much more so a throne with one leg

— the nation that You wish to make from me —

certainly

will not stand before You at the time of Your anger, since it will possess only my merits.”

And furthermore, if

I were to agree to this,

I would have shame before my forefathers.

For

now they would say: “See the leader whom

the Almighty

appointed over them: when the Almighty wished to destroy them, he agreed,

and

sought greatness for himself, but did not seek mercy for them.”

It is stated further there [verse 11]:

“And Moses entreated

the Lord

his God” —

Rabbi Elazar said:

The fact that Scripture uses the expression “entreated” rather than “prayed”

teaches that Moses stood in prayer before the Almighty until he caused Him to become ill

[he pleaded insistently with the Almighty].

And Rava said: “Entreated” is an expression of desecration and annulment, and it teaches that Moses stood in prayer

until

so to speak,

he annulled

the Almighty’s

vow,

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

The source for expounding it in this manner is:

Here it is written

“entreated,”

and there it is written

in the section of vows [Numbers 30:3],

“He shall not profane his word,” and the Master said:

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: “Entreated” is an expression of “Ḥalal,”

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],

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

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

Rava said in the name of Rav Yitzḥak: “Entreated” is an expression of causing something to take effect,

teaching that he caused

[caused it to take effect]

upon them the attribute of

mercy!

And the Sages say: “Entreated” is an expression of the profane,

teaching that Moses said before the Almighty: Master of the Universe, it is profane

for You to do such a thing

— to destroy Israel!

We learned further concerning the verse

“And Moses entreated the Lord”:

It was taught in a beraita: Rabbi Eliezer the Great says: “Entreated” is an expression of “Aḥilu”

teaching that Moses stood in prayer before the Almighty until he was seized by “Aḥilu.”

What is “Aḥilu”? —

Rabbi Elazar said: A fire of

the bones.

What is “a fire of the bones”? —

Abaye said: A fever that reaches the bones.

Moses further said in his prayer [there, verse 13],

“Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants, to whom You swore by Yourself

and so on.”

The Gemara asks:

What is the meaning of

“to whom You swore

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

can

be nullified,

so too Your oath

could be

nullified.

But

now

that You swore to them by Your great Name

[as it is stated at the Binding of Isaac, “By Myself I have sworn”],

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

so too Your oath endures forever and for all eternity.

It is stated at the end of that verse:

“And You spoke to them: I will multiply your offspring like the stars of the heavens, and all this land of which I said

I will give to your offspring, 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 Naḥmani said: Both are the words of

the

disciple;

and the end of the verse, too, is Moses’ statement.

Rather, this is what Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, these are the words

that

You said to me

at the bush:

Go

and

tell the Children of 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 told them

the words in Your name,

these words

now;

if You do not forgive them

what shall I tell them!?

And the meaning of the verse, “that I said,” is that once I have said something in Your name, how can it be that it will not be fulfilled.

Just as Moses prayed after the sin of the Golden Calf, so too he prayed after the episode of the spies. There we find that Moses said to God: If You kill the people, the nations will say, “Because the Lord was unable to bring this people to the land that He swore to give them, He slaughtered them in the wilderness.”

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

“because of the Lord’s inability”

in the feminine form? Surely it should have written,

“the Lord was unable,”

in the masculine form .

Rabbi Elazar said:

This wording was written to teach that this is what

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

as it were,

the strength

of the Holy One, blessed be He

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

His people from our hands.

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

the

miracles and mighty acts 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 Universe! The nations still have

room

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 this is why You did not bring them into the Land.

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: From where is it derived that the Holy One, blessed be He, subsequently conceded to Moses? —

As it is stated

[there, verse 20],

“And the Lord said: I have forgiven in accordance with your word.”

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: What is the meaning of “in accordance with your word”? —

The nations are destined to say this,

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

Fortunate is the disciple whose teacher concedes to him!

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

“Nevertheless, as I live” —

Rava said that Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Moses, you have given Me life

before the nations

through your words!

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

for his needs.

From where do we derive

the source for this order? —

From Moses.

As it is written

[Deuteronomy 3:23],

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

before that,

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

Thus, Moses first set forth the praises of the Holy One, blessed be He, and only afterward asked on his own behalf;

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.”

Mnemonic: deeds, charity, offering, priest, fast;

iron lock —

the following will present teachings concerning these matters.