Sanhedrin 107a — the Talmud in English

And finally they called his colleague: “For we sweeten counsel together; in the house of God we walk with tumult.” And finally they called his student: “Even my ally, in whom I trusted, who ate my bread ![](pamud.bmp "

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has magnified his heel against me.”

“Who ate my bread”—he is one who studies my Torah, that is, a student.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: A person should always

not bring himself to the point of trial. For David, king of Israel, brought himself to the point of trial—

and failed.

He said before Him

before the Holy One, blessed be He:

“Master of the Universe! Why do they say

in prayer:

‘God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob,’ and do they not say: ‘God of David’?”

He said

the Holy One, blessed be He:

“They were tested by Me, but you were not tested by Me”

they were tested before Me and stood in the trial, whereas you were not tested before Me.

He said before Him: “Master of the Universe, examine me and test me! As it is stated: ‘Examine me, Hashem, and test me, etc.’”

He said: “I shall test you”

as you requested.

“And I shall do something with you”

and do something with you,

“which I did not make known to them”

I did not inform them that I would test them, nor with what I would test them,

“but I am informing you that I shall test you with a matter of sexual transgression.”

and I am informing you that I shall test you through a matter of sexual immorality.

Immediately—

“And it came to pass at evening that David arose from his bed, etc.,”

which implies that he had lain down during the day.

Rav Yehuda said: He turned the bed of night—

into his bed of day.

He would have intercourse during the day , so that he would be satisfied from intercourse and would not entertain thoughts about a woman all day.

And a halakha was hidden from him: There is a small limb in a person

it is the organ of intercourse. If a person

satisfies it—

it becomes

hungry.

For, on the contrary, its desire increases.

And

if he

starves it—

it becomes

satisfied,

for he no longer desires .

The continuation of the verse says:

“And he walked”

David

“upon the roof of the king’s house, and he saw a woman bathing from upon the roof. And the woman was very good in appearance.”

And this is what happened:

Bathsheba was washing her hair beneath a beehive

she washed her hair beneath a basket, so that they would not see her.

Satan came and appeared to him as a bird

he appeared to David as a bird.

He shot an arrow at it, and it struck the beehive

David threw a stone at the bird; the stone struck the beehive and broke it, and through this

she was revealed

and he saw her

Bathsheba was revealed, and David saw her.

Immediately: “And David sent and inquired about the woman, and he said: Is this not Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, wife of Uriah the Hittite? And David sent messengers and took her, and she came to him and he lay with her, and she was sanctifying herself from her impurity

for at that moment her impurity ceased, and he did not come upon her while she was menstruating.

And she returned to her house.”

And this is what is written: “You examined my heart, You visited me at night; You tested me and found no plan; my mouth did not pass over.”

“You examined my heart, You visited me at night”—this means that You tested me regarding a nighttime act, whether I could withstand the trial. “You tested me and found no”—You intended to test me, but You did not find me innocent.

He said: “Would that a muzzle had fallen into the mouth of one who hates me”

would that a bridle had been placed in the mouth of my enemy; he was saying this about himself,

“and he would not have said this matter”

through that bridle he would not have been able to say what he said: “Examine me, Hashem, and test me.”

Rava expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For the leader, of David: In Hashem I have taken refuge; how can you say to my soul, ‘Wander to your mountain, bird’?”

David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: “Master of the Universe, forgive me for that sin, so that they will not say: ‘The mountain among you”

your king

“was driven away by a bird’”

was driven away by a bird.

Rava expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written: “Against You alone have I sinned, and I have done what is evil in Your eyes, so that You are justified in Your word,

and You are entitled in Your judgment”?

David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: “It is revealed and known before You that, had I wished to subdue my inclination—

I would have subdued it”

it is revealed and known before You that, had I wished to overpower my inclination, I would have overpowered it!

“Rather, I said”

rather, I said to myself that I would not overpower my inclination, in order

“that they should not say”

that they should not say:

“A servant has defeated his master”

a servant defeated his master through his rebuke, for I said, “Examine me, Hashem, and test me,” and I stood in the trial.

Rava expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written: “For I am ready for lameness, and my pain is before me always”?

Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, was destined for David from the six days of Creation

and this is “For I am ready for lameness”: that rib was destined and ready for David.

But she came to him with pain

through a trial.

And likewise the school of Rabbi Yishmael taught: Bathsheba, daughter of Eliam, was destined for David, but he ate an unripe fruit .

That is, he advanced the time at which she was fit for him and had relations with her through a transgression, while she was still another man’s wife. This is like one who eats an unripe fruit, which has not yet ripened fully.

Rava expounded: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And when I was lame they rejoiced and gathered; the afflicted gathered against me

those with bodily defects

“and I did not know”

and I made myself as though I did not know

“they tore and were not silent”?

David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: “It is revealed and known before You that, if they were tearing my flesh—

my blood would not flow.”

And furthermore, when they are engaged in

study of

the four death penalties of the court,

they wish to remind me of that sin, and

they interrupt their study and say to me: “David, one who has intercourse with another man’s wife”—

what is his death penalty?”

I said to them:

indeed,

“One who has intercourse with another man’s wife is put to death by strangulation,”

but

“he has a share in the World to Come.”

For his death is his atonement.

But

you whiten my face, and

“one who whitens the face of his fellow in public”—

has no share in the World to Come.”

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: Even during David’s illness, he fulfilled eighteen conjugal obligations,

for his eighteen wives, so as not to cause them to remain abandoned .

As it is stated: “I am weary with my sighing, I make my bed swim

every night; with my tears I make my couch dissolve.”

That is, even during my sighing, I make my bed swim [the language of washing and loathing ] every night through marital intercourse. During my weeping, “I make my couch dissolve”; I make my couch loathsome through intercourse.

And Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: David sought to worship idolatry

as it is stated: “And David came to the summit where he would bow there to God.” And “summit” means nothing other than

idolatry, as it is stated: “And its head was of fine gold.”

“And behold, Hushai the Archite came toward him, with his garment torn and earth upon his head.” He said to him

Hushai

to David: “Would they say that a king such as you would worship idolatry?!”

He said to him

David: Is it preferable that they say that

“a king such as I”—

“his son killed him?”

For they would complain about the attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Name of Heaven would thereby be profaned in public!

“It is preferable that he worship idolatry,”

and I alone will profane the Name—

“and that the Name of Heaven not be profaned in public”

by the entire people.

He said

Hushai said to David: The Holy One, blessed be He, does not punish without cause.

“For what reason did you marry”

why did you marry

“a beautiful woman?”

For Absalom’s mother was Maacah, daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur; David captured her in war and had relations with her, and Absalom was born to him from her.

He said to him: “A beautiful woman”—

“the Merciful One permitted her”

the Torah permitted her.

He said to him

Hushai: But

“did you not expound”

do you not expound

“juxtapositions? For adjacent to it”

the passage of the beautiful woman

is “When a man has a stubborn and rebellious son”?

And they expound from the juxtaposition of the subjects:

“Anyone who marries a beautiful woman”—

“will have a stubborn and rebellious son.”

And therefore your son has risen against you to kill you.

Rabbi Dostai of Biri expounded: To what is David comparable—

to a Samaritan merchant,

who, when he sells to a purchaser, presses him to add another peruta to the price .

David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: “Who can discern errors,”

who can guard himself from inadvertent errors!

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed be He:

“I have forgiven you”

you are forgiven.

David said to Him:

“And from hidden sins cleanse me,”

cleanse me from the deliberate act that I committed in secret!

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

“I have forgiven you”

you are forgiven.

David said to Him:

“Also from presumptuous sins keep Your servant back,”

cleanse me also from transgressions that I committed deliberately and in public!

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

“I have forgiven you”

you are forgiven.

David said:

“Then shall they not rule over me, and I shall be innocent,” so that the Sages should not speak about me,

so that the Sages of the generations should not expound concerning my sin [“rule over me” is from the language of parable, that they should not speak about me; and “then shall I be innocent”—I shall be complete] ,

The Holy One, blessed be He, said:

“I have forgiven you.”

And this is the comparison to a Samaritan merchant: at first David asked for a little, and afterward he added and asked for more.

David said:

“And I shall be clean from great transgression”

809 , so that my disgrace should not be written ,

that You should erase that episode and the matter be forgotten forever,

And regarding this matter

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed be He:

“It is impossible”

to fulfill your request .

“And what of

the letter

yod that I removed from Sarai”

Abraham’s wife [at first her name was “Sarai,” and only afterward did the Holy One, blessed be He, change her name to “Sarah”],

“it stood and cried out for several years”

because it had been removed from the Torah,

“until Joshua came and I added it to him,”

that same letter,

“as it is stated: ‘And Moses called Hoshea son of

Nun Joshua,’ the entire passage”—

“all the more so”

that it is impossible to uproot it.

“And I shall be clean from great transgression.” He said before Him: “Master of the Universe, forgive me for that entire sin!”

He said

the Holy One, blessed be He, to him:

“Your son Solomon will in the future say in his wisdom: ‘Can a man take fire into his bosom and his garments not be burned? If a man walks upon coals and his feet are not scorched, so is one who comes upon his fellow’s wife; whoever touches her will not be clean.’”

He said to Him: “Is that man to be banished to such an extent”

that is, am I to be banished from the world, and will the sin not be forgiven me?

He said to him: “Accept suffering upon yourself”—

and the sin will be forgiven you.

He accepted upon himself

David accepted suffering.

Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: For six months David was afflicted with leprosy, the Divine Presence departed from him, and the Sanhedrin separated from him .

From where do we know that he was

afflicted with leprosy?

For it is written: “Purify me with hyssop and I shall be clean; wash me and I shall be whiter than snow.”

He required the purification of hyssop, as does one afflicted with leprosy.

The Divine Presence departed from him—

For it is written: “Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and sustain me with a willing spirit.”

It follows that the Divine Presence had departed from him, and he requested that the joy return to him; through this, the indwelling of the Divine Presence would return to him.

And the Sanhedrin separated from him—

For it is written: “Let those who fear You return to me, etc.”

It follows that they had separated from him.

His leprosy continued for

six months—

from where do we know this?

For it is written: “And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years,