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

Because

when they reached the lodging place on the way,

Moshe Rabbeinu

Moshe Rabbeinu

with

the arrangements concerning the

lodging place first

and did not immediately circumcise his son.

As it is stated [

Exodus 4:24] “

And it came to pass on the way”—

at the lodging place,

and the Lord encountered him and sought to kill him.”

Thus, it is evident that the obligation of death was on account of Moshe’s involvement with the lodging place.

Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: It was not Moshe Rabbeinu whom Satan sought to kill, but that infant.

As it is stated [

Exodus 4:25] “

For you are a bridegroom of blood to me.”

Go out and see who is called

here

“bridegroom.”

Moshe Rabbeinu is surely not appropriately called “bridegroom” by his wife, Tzipporah—and therefore

you must say: It is the infant.

Rabbi Yehuda bar Bizna expounded: When Moshe Rabbeinu became negligent regarding the circumcision, there came

two destructive angels, who were called

“Af”

and

“Ḥeima,”

and they swallowed him

Moshe

and left nothing of him but his feet.

Immediately, “

And Tzipporah took a flint and cut off the foreskin of her son.”

And

immediately, “

and He released him.”

At that moment, Moshe Rabbeinu sought to kill them,

these two destructive angels.

As it is stated [

Psalms 37] “

Desist from anger and abandon wrath.”

And some say: The angel of

the angel

“Ḥeima”

indeed

killed him.

As it is stated [

Isaiah 27] “

Wrath”—

I have no more!”

And we challenge this:

But it is written [

Deuteronomy 9, where Moshe said much later], “

For I was terrified before the anger and the wrath!”

This indicates that the angel of Ḥeima still existed!

And we answer:

There were two

names of angels called

“Ḥeima.”

They were.

One killed Moshe, and the other remained.

And if you wish,

another answer may be offered:

The corps

the forces

of

the angel

“Ḥeima”

remained, and Moshe feared them, but the angel himself was killed by Moshe.

It was taught in a baraita: Rabbi says: Great is

the mitzva of

circumcision—

for you have no one who was as occupied with mitzvot as Avraham our forefather, and

nevertheless

he was not called

Avraham our forefather

“whole”

except on account of

the

circumcision,

when he was circumcised.

As it is stated [

Genesis 17], when the Almighty commanded him regarding circumcision: “

Walk before Me and be whole.”

And it is written

afterward: “

And I will establish My covenant between Me and you.”

Alternatively: Great is circumcision—

for it is equivalent to all the mitzvot of the Torah!

As it is stated [

Exodus 34]: “

For according to these words

I have established a covenant with you and with Israel.”

Alternatively: Great is circumcision—

for were it not for circumcision, heaven and earth would not have endured.

As it is stated [

Jeremiah 33]: “

If not for My covenant, day and night,

I would not have established the statutes of heaven and earth.”

And this disagrees with

this exposition of

Rabbi Elazar.

For Rabbi Elazar said: Great is Torah—

for were it not for Torah, heaven and earth would not have endured.

As it is stated: “

If not for My covenant, day and night, I would not have established the statutes of heaven and earth.”

And it continues.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: When the Almighty said to Avraham our forefather, “

Walk before Me and be whole”—

a trembling seized

Avraham

.

He said,

Avraham, upon hearing the word of the Lord addressed to him, “Be whole”:

Perhaps there is some repulsive defect in me

in my character traits!?

Once

He continued and

said to him,

the Almighty, “

And I will establish My covenant between Me and you,”

and through this you will be whole,

his mind was put at ease. [

Genesis 15] “

And He took him outside”—

Avraham said before Him:

Avraham

My Master of the Universe!

I have consulted my astrological destiny

in the stars,

and

I see that

I am not destined to father a son!

The Almighty said to him:

the Almighty:

Leave your astrology! There is no astrological destiny for Israel!

That is, they can change their destiny through their good deeds and through their prayers.

Rabbi Yitzhak said: Anyone who makes himself whole,

who truly and wholeheartedly places his trust only in the Almighty and not in any other factor—

the Almighty makes him whole.

He completely fulfills his needs.

As it is stated [

II Samuel 22]: “

With the pious man—

You will act piously. With the wholehearted man—

You will act wholeheartedly.”

You will act wholeheartedly.

Rabbi Hoshaya said: Anyone who makes himself whole—

the hour

when people rise to greatness

stands him in good stead,

enabling him to attain greatness.

As it is stated [

Genesis 17]: “

Walk before Me and be whole.”

And it is written

afterward: “

And you shall become the father of a multitude of nations.”

Rabbi says: Anyone who practices divination,

concerning the future through any form of divination—

may divination come upon him!

Divinations and sorceries pursue him, for he is harmed by every such matter [Ran].

As it is stated [

Numbers 23]: “

For there is no divination in Jacob.”

For one who practices divination—may divination come upon him!

And we challenge this:

But

the word “not” in the verse “For there is no divination in Jacob”

is written with the letters lamed-alef,

and it is not written with the letters lamed-vav, as you expounded it: “For divination is upon Jacob”!

And we answer: This is not an exposition of “may divination come upon him,”

but rather, it is a matter of measure for measure.

Anyone who practices divination is harmed by his divinations.

Ahava, the son of Rabbi Zeira, taught: Anyone who does not practice divination—

they bring him into a partition that even the ministering angels cannot enter.

As it is stated: “

For there is no divination in Jacob, nor is there any sorcery in Israel—

at this time it shall be said to Jacob and Israel: What has God wrought!”

That is, because the Children of Israel do not practice divination or sorcery, they merit entering beyond the partition to which the ministering angels are permitted access.

Therefore, the ministering angels will come and ask the Children of Israel who enter beyond this partition, asking them: “What has God wrought?” What did you see there that we were not privileged to see?!

The Gemara now presents three reasons for the punishment of the exile in Egypt, with which Avraham our forefather was punished.

Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Why was Avraham our forefather punished, and why were his descendants enslaved in Egypt for two hundred and ten years?

1.

Because he imposed forced labor

the use of them for warfare

upon Torah scholars

when he took them out to wage war against the kings, in order to save Lot, whom they had captured.

As it is stated [

Genesis 14]: “

And he armed himself,”

Avraham hurried to take

his disciples, those born in his household.”

Even though this was a war commanded for the sake of saving lives, and the war lasted only one night, all of Avraham’s descendants were punished with the Egyptian enslavement.

2.

And Shmuel said: Because he exceeded,

because he went too far in asking

regarding the attributes

beyond the proper measure,

of the Almighty.

He asked the Almighty how His promise to give the Land of Israel to his descendants would be fulfilled, and was not satisfied with the Lord’s statement concerning the promise.

As it is stated

after Avraham our forefather received the promise of the Land: [

Genesis 15] “How shall I know that I shall inherit it?!”

That is, he sought to know this in a more tangible manner than the promise that the Almighty had given him.

Therefore, the Almighty answered him: “Know with certainty that your offspring shall be strangers in a land that is not theirs!”

3.

And Rabbi Yohanan said:

because

he kept

Avraham

people from entering under the wings of the Divine Presence.

Avraham could have kept the captives whom he had taken from the kings under his authority, but instead he agreed to the request of the king of Sodom and released them.

As it is stated [

Genesis 14, in the request of the king of Sodom]: “

Give me the people, and take the property for yourself.”

Avraham agreed to this, even though by doing so he kept them from entering under the wings of the Divine Presence. “

And he armed his disciples, those born in his household”—

Rav said: This teaches that he imbued them

he hurried them

with Torah.

And Shmuel said:

“He armed” is an expression related to “yellow” [and in the language of the Sages, “yellow” refers to a color resembling gold]. The verse teaches

that he imbued them with

a great deal of

gold

so that they would go out to wage war with him against the kings. “

Three hundred and eighteen”—

Rabbi Ami bar Abba said:

The verse teaches that

Eliezer,

whose name has this numerical value, was equivalent

to them all.

Some say: It was Eliezer

alone who went out with Avraham. The number mentioned in the Torah is an allusion to Eliezer,

for its numerical value

the calculation of the name Eliezer through gematria

is this.

And Rabbi Ami bar Abba said: Avraham recognized his Creator at the age of three!

As it is stated [

Genesis 26]: “

Because Avraham obeyed My voice.”

Its numerical value,

the calculation of the gematria of the word “eikev,” is

one hundred and seventy-two [172],

that is, for the number of years represented by “eikev,” Avraham obeyed the voice of the Almighty.

Since Avraham died at the age of one hundred seventy-five, it follows that he recognized his Creator at the age of three [3 = 175 − 172].

And Rabbi Ami bar Abba said: