Sanhedrin 106a — the Talmud in English

What does this reed possess? It stands

always

in the place of water, ![](pamud.bmp "

exact page location")

and its stalk renews itself

[for if it is cut down, its stalk grows anew],

and its roots are numerous, and even

if

all

the

winds in the world come and blow against it—

they do not move it from its place,

but because the reed is soft,

it goes and comes

and sways from side to side

with them

[with the winds], and it does not break.

Once the winds have become still

and stopped blowing, the

reed returns and stands in its place.

But the wicked Balaam blessed them with a cedar.

For he said: “Like cedars beside the waters.”

What is a cedar like? It

does not stand in the place of water

757, and its roots are few, and its stalk does not renew itself; even if all the winds in the world come and blow against it—

they do not move it from its place,

because it is a strong and hard tree. But

when a southern wind blows against it,

which is a harsh wind,

it immediately uproots it and throws it on its face.

For since it is not soft, it cannot bend with the wind; rather, it falls immediately.

And moreover, the reed merited to have a pen taken from it, with which to write scrolls of Torah, Prophets, and Writings . “He saw the Kenite, lifted his parable, and said: ‘Firm is your dwelling, and place your nest in the rock.’”

“He saw the Kenite and lifted his parable and said: ‘Firm is your dwelling, and place your nest in the rock.’”

Balaam said to Jethro: ‘Kenite,

did you not

belong to us in that counsel

when Pharaoh decreed to cast the males into the Nile?

Who seated you among the mighty ones of the world

[whose descendants are destined to sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone]? By what merit did you attain this?”

And this is what Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Simai: Three were in that counsel,

when Pharaoh wished to decree that the sons be cast into the Nile. And

these are they:

Balaam, Job, and Jethro.

Balaam, who advised

that this be done,

was killed

in the end. As it is stated: “And they killed Balaam son of Beor with the sword” .

Job, who remained silent ,

and said nothing,

was judged with afflictions.

And Jethro, who

protested against the matter , and Pharaoh wished to kill him,

fled

to Midian—

the sons of his sons merited to sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone. As it is stated: “And the families of scribes who dwelt at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Suchathites; these were the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.” And it is written: “And the sons of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms.”

“And he lifted his parable and said: Alas, who shall live when God appoints this?”

[Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Alas for one who gives himself life through the name of God ].

—that is, who makes himself into a deity. Alternatively: Woe to human beings who sustain and indulge themselves in this world and cast off the yoke of Torah from their necks. Yad Rama writes: Woe to one who gives himself life through the name of God—that is, who seeks honor and sustenance through the name of God, like Balaam, who desired to sustain himself through his prophecy. This is what we learned in Tractate Avot: “Do not make them a crown with which to glorify yourself.” Maharsha explained that this refers to one who saves himself through Divine Names. The same is written in the commentary of the Vilna Gaon [Yoreh De’ah 246:70]. Iyun Yaakov writes that this refers to people who support themselves through the names of the Holy One, blessed be He.

Rabbi Yohanan said: Woe to the nation that will be found at the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, makes redemption for His sons,

and repays them their recompense in the future, if it should enter the mind of that nation to hinder it.

For

who would place his garment between a lion and a lioness when they are mating with one another,

in order to hinder them from doing this?! Surely there is no person who would perform such a dangerous act!

“And ships from the coast of Kittim.” Rav said:

“Kittim” means a place whose name is

Libbon Aspir . [“Ships” means large ships.]

“And they shall afflict Assyria, and they shall afflict the region beyond.”

That is, those nations whom the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring in ships [of the Romans],

as far as Assyria—

killing they will kill

[they will kill all the nations as far as Assyria]. And the nations that are

from that point onward—

subjugating they will subjugate

[they will not kill them, but will subjugate them].

It is written that Balaam said to Balak before returning to his place:

“Behold, I am going to my people; come, I shall advise you what this people will do to your people.”

And one must wonder: Balaam advised Balak what he should do concerning his people, concerning Israel [as is brought below]; if so, he should have said, “what

your people will do to this people”

rather than what this people will do to your people!

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Like a person who curses himself—

and attaches his curse to others.

That is, Balaam did not wish to attach this degradation to Balak, who needed to seek counsel through which Israel would stumble. Rather, he reversed his words and attached the degradation to Israel, saying that they needed counsel through which the sons of Moab would stumble, so that the hand of Moab would not prevail over Israel .

He said to him

Balaam said to Balak:

“The God of these people”

[of the people of Israel]—

“hates sexual immorality,”

765, and they,

the people of Israel,

desire linen garments!”

Come, I shall give you counsel

how to make them stumble:

Make booths for them

[a type of tents],

and seat prostitutes in them,

and seat

an old woman outside and a young woman inside, and let them sell them

to Israel

linen garments.

Make booths for them from Mount Snow to Beth-Jeshimoth, and seat prostitutes in them;

a

old

[adult] woman would sit

outside, and a young woman inside.

And when Israel were eating, drinking, rejoicing, and going out to stroll in the marketplace, the old woman would say to him: Do

you wish

to buy

linen garments?

And when the Israelite asked the price of the garment, the

old woman told him the regular price

[its true price],

and the young woman told him less.

And so they would do this

two or three times.

And afterward she would say to him,

the young woman:

“Behold, you are

with me

like a member of the household; choose for yourself

whatever you wish.

And wine flasks

[skins]

of Ammonite wine were placed with her. And

at that time

the wine of gentiles was still not forbidden

to Israel.

She said to him: Do you wish to drink a cup of wine?

Once he drank

from the wine, the Israelite became drunk, and

the evil inclination burned within him

the evil inclination.

He said to her: Make yourself heard to me

[make yourself heard to me for intercourse].

She took her idol out from her bosom,

and

said to him: Worship this!

He said to her: But I am a Jew,

and it is forbidden for us to worship idolatry!

She said to him: What difference does it make to you?

You need not worship it.

Do they ask anything of you except Peor

[I am asking nothing of you except that you defecate before it]? For this was the worship of this idolatry: they would defecate before it.

And he did not know that its worship

of this idol

was through this,

and therefore he did as she said.

And afterward that young woman would add and say:

“Moreover, I shall not let you go—

until you deny the Torah of Moses your teacher.”

And the Israelite did as she said, and denied the Torah of Moses.

As it is stated: “They came to Baal Peor and separated themselves to shame, and became abominations through their love.”

And thus the verse is expounded: “They separated themselves to shame”—they departed from their path and went after shame. “And became abominations through their love”—because of their love of sexual immorality they became abominable, for they denied the Holy One, blessed be He.

It is written concerning that incident:

“Israel dwelt at Shittim

and the people began to commit sexual immorality with the daughters of Moab.”

Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua disagreed concerning the matter.

Rabbi Eliezer says:

Indeed,

Shittim was the name

of the place.

Rabbi Joshua says: The place was so called because

the place was named thus because of

their engaging in words of folly.

“And they invited the people to the sacrifices of their gods.”

Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua disagreed concerning the matter.

Rabbi Eliezer says: They encountered them while naked . [This is the meaning of “and they invited them,” an expression of encountering and striking against, for they encountered them with their bodies

].

Rabbi Joshua says: “And they invited them” means

that

they all became

[all Israel]

Since Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua disagreed in their exposition of the word “Shittim,” the Gemara brings that they also disagreed in the explanation of the word “Rephidim.”

What is the meaning of the expression “Rephidim”?

Rabbi Eliezer says:

Indeed,

Rephidim was the name

of that place.

Rabbi Joshua says: The place was called Rephidim because

of

their weakening

themselves from

words of Torah. As it is stated: “The fathers do not turn to the children because of weakening of hands.”

That is, the fathers did not turn to the children to benefit them, because of the weakening of the hands of Torah. The same applies here: because Israel weakened their hands from Torah, Amalek came upon them.

Rabbi Yohanan said: Wherever it is stated, “and he dwelt,” it

is only an expression of distress

as it is stated:

“And Israel dwelt at Shittim, and the people began to commit sexual immorality with

the daughters of Moab.”

“And Jacob dwelt in the land of his father’s sojournings, in the land of Canaan,”

and afterward a matter of distress is stated:

“And Joseph brought their evil report to their father.”

[And it is stated:]

“And Israel dwelt in the land of Egypt,”

and afterward a matter of distress is stated:

“And the days of Israel drew near to die.”

And likewise:

“And Judah and Israel dwelt securely, every man beneath his vine and beneath his fig tree,”

and afterward a matter of distress is stated:

“And the Lord raised up an adversary against Solomon: Hadad the Edomite; he was of the royal seed in Edom.”

It is written concerning the war against Midian:

“And they killed the kings of Midian upon their slain, and so on, and Balaam son of Beor they killed with the sword.”

What was Balaam seeking there

[what did Balaam do there] ?

Rabbi Yohanan said: He went to collect

from Balak and Midian

payment for the twenty-four thousand whom he caused to fall from Israel

through his counsel [who died in the plague] .

Rav Zutra bar Tuvya said in the name of Rav: This is what people say: The camel went to seek horns; the ears that it had were cut off from it

[the camel went to seek horns for itself. Not only did it not receive what it requested, but even the ears that it had were cut off from it].

So too Balaam went to seek payment, and not only did he not receive payment, but he was killed.

It is written in the Book of Joshua:

“And Balaam son of Beor, the diviner,

they killed with the sword.”

And one must wonder: Was he indeed

a diviner

? But surely

he was a prophet!

Rabbi Yohanan said:

Indeed,

at first he

was

a prophet.

But in the end,

after he set his eyes on cursing Israel, prophecy was taken from him;

he became a diviner .

Rav Pappa said: This is what people say: I was the wife of nobles and rulers; I became the wife of rope-pullers

[I was the wife of nobles and rulers, and I committed sexual immorality with those who pull the ropes of a ship] .