Pesachim 118b — the Talmud in English

Rather, I, the minister of fire,

will descend and cool

the furnace

from within

)in order to save them,

and I will heat

the furnace

from outside

in order to burn those who throw them into the furnace,

and I will perform a miracle within a miracle!

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Descend!

At that moment Gabriel began and said: “But the truth of the Lord is forever,”

for He has fulfilled His promise that He promised me: that I would merit to save some of the descendants of Abraham.

Rabbi Natan says: “But the truth of the Lord is forever”—the fish of the sea said it,

as [in the statement of] Rav Huna.

For Rav Huna said: The Israelites of that generation were of little faith,

and as Rabba bar Mari expounded: What

is the explanation of this

that is written:

“And they rebelled against Him by the sea, at the Sea of Reeds”—this teaches that the Israelites rebelled at that moment,

when the sea was split for them and they passed through it,

and they said: Just as we are ascending from one side

of the sea,

so the Egyptians are ascending from the other side

of the sea, and pursuing us!

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the minister of the sea: Spit them out,

the Egyptians

onto the dry land!

The minister

of the sea

said before Him: Master of the universe! Is there a slave to whom his master gives a gift,

food for the fish,

and then takes it back from him?

He

the Holy One, blessed be He,

said to him: I will give you

in their place

one and a half times their number,

one and a half times as many as them.

The

minister of the sea

said to Him: Master of the universe!

And is there

a slave who makes a claim against his master?

And who will guarantee me that You will indeed fulfill Your promise?

The

Holy One, blessed be He,

said to him: The Kishon Brook shall be My guarantor!

In the war of Sisera, as follows.

Immediately, he spit them out onto the dry land.

And the Israelites came and saw them, as it is stated:

“And Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the shore of the sea,”

and it follows that they saw them when they were on the shore of the sea.

And we raise the question:

What is

“one and a half times their number”?

And we answer:

For concerning Pharaoh it is written:

“six hundred chosen chariots,” whereas concerning Sisera it is written:

“nine hundred iron chariots.”

When Sisera came, [

he came upon them with iron-clad warriors

warriors dressed in iron armor.

The Holy One, blessed be He, brought stars out against them from their courses, as it is written: ]

“From heaven the stars fought.”

Once the stars of heaven descended upon them,

immediately, when the stars of heaven descended upon them,

they heated those iron-clad warriors

they heated them,

and they descended to cool themselves off and wash themselves

they descended to cool off and bathe

in the Kishon Brook.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the Kishon Brook: Go and fulfill your guarantee

that you gave to the minister of the sea.

Immediately, the Kishon Brook swept them away and cast them into the sea.

As it is stated:

“The Kishon Brook swept them away, the ancient brook.”

What is “the ancient brook”?

A brook that became a guarantor from ancient times!

At that moment, the fish of the sea began and said: “But the truth of the Lord is forever.”

For He repaid us our gift—the army of Pharaoh—from which to sustain ourselves.

Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: What

is the explanation of this

that is written:

“Who sets the barren woman of the house”?

The Assembly of Israel said [

the elders and important ones among Israel ]

before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe! Your sons have made me

the less important one, because of their many sins in exile,

like this rat, which dwells in the foundations of houses,

in the holes and cracks of a house. That is, they humbled me. And so it follows from what is written, “the mother of children,” that the mother cries out against the children because they made her the barren woman of the house.

Rava expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written:

“I love, for the Lord hears

the voice of my supplications,”

the Assembly of Israel said: Master of the universe! When am I beloved before You [

“I love” has the meaning of “You love me” ],

when You hear the voice of my supplications.

“I am poor, and He saves me”—the Assembly of Israel said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, even though I am poor in mitzvot,

nevertheless

I am Yours,

I am Yours,

and

therefore,

it is fitting to save me

more than all the nations, for Israel designated You alone.

Rav Kahana said: When Rabbi Ishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, fell ill, Rabbi sent to him: Tell us two or three things that you said to us in the name of your father.

He sent to him: Thus my father said: What is the meaning of that which is written:

“Praise the Lord, all nations,

praise Him, all peoples, for His kindness has prevailed over us.”

And seemingly there is a difficulty:

The nations of the world—what is their role?

Why do they need to praise and laud for the kindnesses performed for us? We need to praise and laud for this, and not they!

Rather,

this is what it says: “Praise the Lord, all nations”—for the mighty acts and wonders that He performed with them!

for you saw what He did for us, and

all the more so we,

who need to praise,

for His kindness has prevailed over us.

And furthermore,

Rabbi Ishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, sent to him in the name of his father:

In the future Egypt will bring a gift to the Messiah.

He thought

the Messiah that he

would not accept from them.

That is, he should not accept a gift from Egypt.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the Messiah: Accept from them,

for

they provided lodging for My sons in Egypt.

Immediately

“Nobles shall come [

gifts ]

from Egypt” [

Psalms 68 ].

The kingdom of

the kingdom of

Cush raised a kal va-chomer within itself: If these,

the Egyptians,

who enslaved them, are treated thus,

for the Messiah accepted a gift from them,

I, who did not enslave them, all the more so

that he will accept a gift from me.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Accept from them!

Immediately

“Cush will hasten his hands to God.”

The kingdom [

Rome ]

the wicked [kingdom] raised a kal va-chomer within itself: If these, who are not

they

their brothers

of Israel,

are treated thus,

for he accepted a gift from them,

we, who are their brothers

of Israel [for Rome is from the offspring of Esau]

all the more so,

that he will accept a gift from us.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Gabriel: Rebuke the beast of the reed,

the assembly of mighty ones,”

rebuke the beast,

the wicked nation of Rome, so that he will not accept a gift from them,

and acquire for Yourself an assembly,

the assembly of Israel.

Alternatively: “Rebuke the beast of the reed”—the one that dwells among the reeds

in the forest, that is, the boar,

as it is written:

“The boar from the forest gnaws at it, and what moves in the field feeds on it.”

And the boar is an allegory for Edom [Rome].

Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Yohanan said: “

“Rebuke the beast of the reed,”

rebuke the beast whose every deed is written with a single pen.

Since it is written “reed,” and not “reeds,” it implies one pen: they are all of one voice to harm Israel, so that if an Israelite comes before them for judgment, they all declare him liable.

And the continuation of the verse, “Rebuke the beast of the reed,

the assembly of mighty ones among the calves of the peoples”—for they slaughtered mighty ones

such as Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues [Maharsha],

like calves that have no owners.

For “among the calves of the peoples” means calves belonging to the entire world, that is, ownerless.

And further there in the continuation of the verse:

“He makes himself humble with pieces of silver.” “

“Makes himself humble” is from the expression “loosening the palm of the hand,”

for they stretch out a hand to receive money

a bribe from Israel in order to do their will,

and

in the end

they do not fulfill the will of the owners,

for they do not keep their word despite having taken a bribe.

And further there:

“He scattered the peoples; they desire battles”—what caused Israel to be scattered among the nations of the world?

Battles,

wars

that they desired.

В эпоху Первого Храма, если бы Цидкиягу не восстал против Навуходоносора, изгнания вообще не произошло бы. Тем более это относится ко времени Второго Храма: если бы мятежники из Израиля прислушались к Рабби Йоханану бен Закаю и мудрецам того поколения и заключили мир с Титом, они не были бы изгнаны. Но они желали сражений, а не мира

For in the First Temple, had Zedekiah not rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar, they would not have been exiled at all. And especially in the Second Temple, had the violent ones of Israel listened to Rabbi Yohanan ben Zakkai and to the Sages of that generation, and made peace with Titus, they would not have been exiled. But they desired battles and not peace [Maharsha]. Another explanation: The closeness to which they desired to draw near the nations caused them to be exiled.

And furthermore he sent to him

Rabbi Ishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, to Rabbi in the name of his father:

There were three hundred and sixty-five markets

there were

in the great city of Rome.

And in each and every one there were three hundred and sixty-five towers

towers.

And in each and every tower there were three hundred and sixty-five steps

steps.

And each and every step contained enough to feed the entire world.

Rabbi Shimon, son of Rabbi, said to Rabbi.

And some say: Rabbi Ishmael, son of Rabbi Yosei, said to Rabbi: These—for whom

for whom?

He said to him:

For you, for your colleague, and for your colleague’s colleague,

for the colleagues of your colleagues. That is, all this wealth is reserved for Torah scholars.

As it is stated:

“Its commerce and its profits shall be holy to the Lord.

It shall not be stored up, nor hoarded, for it shall be for those who sit before the Lord, etc.”

What

is the explanation of that which is written

“It shall not be stored up”?

Rav Yosef taught: This is a storehouse

of wine, grain, and oil.

“Nor hoarded”—this is a treasury

of silver and gold hidden and stored with strength and security.

What

is the explanation of that which is written

“For it shall be for those who sit before the Lord”?