Sanhedrin 106a (קו.) — the Talmud in English

What is this reed like? It stands

always

in a place of water,

and its stalk renews itself

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

and its roots are numerous. Even if

the

entire

set of

winds in the world comes and blows against it,

they do not move it from its place,

rather, since the reed is soft,

it moves back and forth

and sways from side to side

with them

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

Once the winds have become still

and ceased blowing, the

reed returns and stands in its place.

But the wicked Balaam blessed them with a cedar.

For he said: “Like cedars beside water.”

What is a cedar like? It

does not stand in a place of water

757 , 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,

since it is a strong and hard tree. But

once a southern wind blows against it,

which is a harsh wind,

it immediately uproots it and overturns it.

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

Moreover, the reed merited that a quill be taken from it, with which Torah scrolls, Prophets, and Writings are written . “And he saw the Kenite, and he uttered his parable and said: ‘Firm is your dwelling place, and you have set your nest in a rock.’”

“And he saw the Kenite, and he uttered his parable and said: ‘Firm is your dwelling place, and you have set your nest in a rock.’”

Balaam said to Jethro: Kenite,

surely

you were not with us in that counsel

when Pharaoh decreed that the males be cast into the Nile?

Who seated you among the mighty of the world

[for your descendants are destined to sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone]? What merit did you possess for this?

And this is what Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said that Rabbi Simai said: Three participated 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 sought to kill him,

fled

to Midian,

merited that his descendants’ descendants 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 Sucathites; these were the Kenites who came from Hammath, the father of the house of Rechab.” And it is written: “And the descendants of the Kenite, Moses’ father-in-law, went up from the city of palms.”

“And he uttered his parable and said: Alas, who can live after God has appointed him?”

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, redeems His children,

and repays them their recompense in the future, if that nation should entertain the thought of preventing it.

For

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

in order to prevent them from doing so? Surely no person would perform such a dangerous act!

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

“Kittim” refers to a place called

Libon Aspar . [“Ships” refers to large ships.]

“And they shall afflict Assyria, and they shall afflict Eber.”

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

as far as Assyria—

killing they shall kill

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

from that point onward—

subjugating they shall subjugate

[they will not kill them; rather, they 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 will advise you what this people shall do to your people.”

This is difficult: Balaam advised Balak what he should do to his people, to Israel [as stated below]. If so, he should have said, “what

your people shall do to this people”

rather than the reverse!

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: He was like a person who curses himself—

and ascribes his curse to others.

That is, Balaam did not wish to ascribe this degradation to Balak, who had to seek advice by which Israel would be caused to stumble. Rather, he reversed his words and ascribed the degradation to Israel, saying that they required advice by which the Moabites would stumble, so that the hand of Moab would not prevail over Israel .

He said to him

Balaam to Balak:

“The God of these people”

[of Israel]—

“hates licentiousness,”

and they

the people of Israel

crave linen garments!

Come, and I will give you counsel

how to cause them to stumble:

Make stalls for them

[a type of tent],

and seat harlots inside them,

and seat

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

to the Israelites

linen garments.

Make stalls for them from Mount Snow to Beth-Jeshimoth, and seat harlots inside them;

an

old woman

[an elderly woman] would sit

outside, and a young woman inside.

And when Israel would eat, drink, rejoice, and go out to stroll in the marketplace, the old woman would say to him: Do

you seek

to purchase

linen garments?

When the Israelite asked the price of the garment, the

old woman would tell him its full price

[its true price],

and the young woman would tell him a lower price.

And they would do this

two or three times.

Afterward she would say to him,

the young woman:

“You are

with me

like a member of the household; choose whatever you wish for yourself,”

as much as you desire.

And a wineskin

[a flask]

of Ammonite wine was placed with her. And

at that time

the wine of gentiles was not yet forbidden

to Israel.

She said to him: “Would you like 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: “Submit to me”

[submit 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 we are forbidden to worship idolatry!”

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

You need not worship it.

Are you being asked for anything other than Peor?

[I am asking nothing of you except that you defecate before it], for that was the worship of this idolatry: one would defecate before it.

And he did not know that its worship

of this idol consisted

of that,

and therefore did as she said.

The young woman then added and said:

“Moreover, I will 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.”

The verse is expounded as follows: “They separated themselves to shame”—they departed from their path and followed shamefulness. “And became abominations through their love”—because of their love of licentiousness they became abominable, as they denied the Holy One, blessed be He.

It is written concerning that incident:

“Israel settled at Shittim

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

Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua disagreed about this.

Rabbi Eliezer says:

Indeed,

Shittim was the name

of the place.

Rabbi Yehoshua says:

The place was called this because

they occupied themselves with foolish matters.

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

Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua disagreed about this.

Rabbi Eliezer says: They encountered them naked .

[This is the meaning of “they invited them,” an expression of encountering and confronting: they came upon them with their bodies] .

Rabbi Yehoshua says:

“They invited them” means

they all became

[all Israel]

men who had experienced a seminal emission.

Since Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua disagreed in expounding the word “Shittim,” the Gemara cites that they also disagreed concerning the interpretation of the word “Rephidim.”

What is the meaning of “Rephidim”?

Rabbi Eliezer says:

Indeed,

Rephidim was the name

of that place.

Rabbi Yehoshua says:

The place was called Rephidim because

they weakened

themselves regarding

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

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

Rabbi Yohanan said: Every place where “and he settled” is stated—

it is only an expression of distress

as it is stated:

“And Israel settled at Shittim, and the people began to commit licentiousness with the

daughters of Moab.”

“And Jacob settled in the land of his father’s sojourns, 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 settled in the land of Egypt,”

and afterward a matter of distress is stated:

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

Likewise:

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

and afterward a matter of distress is stated:

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

It is written concerning the war against Midian:

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

What was Balaam seeking there

[what was he doing there] ?

Rabbi Yohanan said: He went to collect

from Balak and Midian

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

through his counsel [who died in the plague] .

Rav Zutra bar Tuvya said that Rav said: This is what people say: A camel went to seek horns, and the ears that it had were cut off from it

[the camel went to seek horns for itself. Not only did it fail to receive what it sought; even the ears it had were cut off from it].

So too Balaam went to seek payment, and not only did he receive no payment, but he was killed.

It is written in the Book of Joshua:

“And they killed Balaam son of Beor, the diviner

with the sword.”

This is difficult: Was he indeed a

diviner

? Was he not

a prophet!

Rabbi Yohanan said:

Indeed,

at first

he was a

prophet.

But ultimately,

after he set his sights on cursing Israel, his prophecy was taken from him, and

he became a diviner .

Rav Pappa said: This is what people say: I was the wife of nobles and rulers, but now I am with sailors’ rope-pullers

[she was the wife of nobles and rulers, but she committed adultery with sailors’ rope-pullers] .