Sanhedrin 39b — the Talmud in English

He said to him: From your own,

your prophet, Balaam,

testified against us

[he testified against us]

, as it is written

“And among the nations He does not reckon,”

“He does not reckon Israel among the nations,”

and if so, every place where “nations” is stated does not include Israel at all.

Rabbi Elazar raised a contradiction,

he posed a contradiction between the verses: on the one hand,

it is written

Psalms 145:9

“The Lord is good to all,” and

on the other hand,

it is written

Lamentations 3:25

“The Lord is good to those who hope in Him”?

And he answered:

This may be compared to a person who has an orchard: when he waters it, he waters all of it.

Since he exerts himself only with one exertion for all of them. But

when he hoes,

and exerts himself for each one separately,

he hoes only the finest among them.

So too, the Holy One, blessed is He: when He sustains the entire world by His utterance, He sustains everyone.

But when He comes to protect them from punishment and to pay reward, He pays only those who hope in Him.

We learned in the Mishna:

“Therefore, each and every person

must say: For my sake the world was created… Yet was it not already stated, ‘When the wicked perish there is joy’”:

The Gemara explains when “when the wicked perish there is joy” was stated: Behold, in the account of Ahab’s death it is stated,

“And the sound of rejoicing passed through the camp”

(I Kings 22:36). It is implied that “the rejoicing,” that known rejoicing, was stated elsewhere.

And where was it stated?

Rav Aḥa bar Ḥanina said:

It is stated in Proverbs 11:10,

“When the wicked perish there is joy.” When Ahab son of Omri perished, there was joy.

And

And the Gemara asks:

Does

he rejoice?

Does the Holy One, blessed is He, rejoice at the downfall of the wicked?

But is it not written

in II Chronicles 20:21,

“When they went out before the vanguard, saying: ‘Give thanks to the Lord, for His kindness is forever,’” and Rabbi Yonatan said: Why was “for He is good” not said in this thanksgiving? Because the Holy One, blessed is He, does not rejoice at the downfall of the wicked.

For Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said that Rabbi Yonatan said: What is the meaning of that which is written

in Exodus 14:20, when Israel stood at the sea,

“And the one did not come near the other all night”?

At that time the ministering angels wished to recite song before the Holy One, blessed is He.

The Holy One, blessed is He, said to them: The works of My hands are drowning in the sea, and you are reciting song before Me?!

Is it implied from all the above that the Holy One, blessed is He, does not rejoice at the downfall of the wicked?

Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina said: He Himself does not rejoice, but He causes others to rejoice.

This is also precise, as it is written

(Deuteronomy 28:63), “And it shall be, just as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good and to multiply you, so

shall

the Lord rejoice over you to destroy you and annihilate you.”

And it is not written “He shall rejoice”; conclude from it.

So too here, at Ahab’s death, although the Holy One, blessed is He, Himself does not rejoice, nevertheless others rejoiced.

Along the way, the Gemara explains additional verses in that same account:

“And they washed the chariot at the pool of Samaria, and the dogs licked up his blood

and the prostitutes washed themselves

as the word of the Lord that He had spoken”.

Rabbi Elazar said:

to bring to completion two visions: one of Micaiah and one of Elijah.

it means to cleanse two visions: one of Micaiah and one of Elijah.

That is, those prophecies that were said concerning Ahab were washed and illuminated.

Concerning Micaiah it is written

(there), verse 28,

“If you return in peace, the Lord has not spoken through me”; concerning Elijah it is written

(there), 21:19,

“In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth.”

Rava said: Actual prostitutes.

Ahab was a cold-tempered man

72 , and Jezebel made for him two forms of prostitutes in his chariot, so that he would see

them and become heated.

And after he died, the figures of prostitutes were seen washing themselves in his blood.

“And a man drew his bow innocently and struck him”; Rabbi Elazar said: In accordance with his innocence.

“And a man drew his bow innocently and struck him.” Rabbi Elazar said: He shot without knowing whom he would hit.

Rava said: To complete

[to complete]

the two visions, one of Micaiah and one of Elijah.

A mnemonic: KARA and ZAKHA in EDOM

It is written

(there), 18:3,

“And Ahab called Obadiah, who was over the household; and Obadiah greatly feared the Lord.”

What is the verse saying?

Rav Yitzḥak said: He said to him,

Ahab to Obadiah,

, concerning Jacob it is written

Genesis 30:27,

“I have divined, and the Lord has blessed me because of you”; concerning Joseph it is written

(there), 39:5,

“And the Lord blessed the house of the Egyptian because of Joseph”;

but

the house of that man

namely, Ahab’s house,

was not being blessed. Perhaps you do not fear God?

A Divine voice went forth and said: “But Obadiah greatly feared the Lord”; however, Ahab’s household is not destined for blessing.

Rav Abba said: What is stated concerning Obadiah is greater than what is stated concerning Abraham .

for concerning Abraham “greatly” is not written, whereas concerning Obadiah “greatly” is written.

“And he struck

For he was a convert, and the Divine Presence rests only upon those of distinguished lineage among the Jewish people?

Because he hid one hundred prophets in a cave.

As it is stated

“When Jezebel was killing the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and hid them, fifty men in a cave,” and so on.

“And when Jezebel cut off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took one hundred prophets and concealed fifty men in a cave,” and so on.

Why specifically fifty men?

Why did he not hide them all in one cave?

Rav Elazar said: He learned this from Jacob, as it is stated

[Genesis 32:9],

“The remaining camp shall escape.”

Rabbi Abbahu said: Because a cave cannot contain more than fifty people.

[Obadiah 1:1]

“The vision of Obadiah; so said the Lord God concerning Edom,” and so on.

Why specifically

did

Obadiah prophesy concerning Edom

rather than the other prophets?

Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: “Let Obadiah, who lived among two wicked people and did not learn from their deeds, come and prophesy against the wicked Esau, who lived among two righteous people and did not learn from their deeds.”

Ephraim Makshaya, the student of Rabbi Meir, said in the name of Rabbi Meir: Obadiah was an Edomite convert, and this is the meaning of the popular saying: “From the forest itself comes the handle for the ax that cuts it down.”

People say that the handle of the ax that cuts down the forest is made from the forest itself. Likewise, Obadiah, who was an Edomite, prophesied against Edom .

]In the same vein, it is stated [II Samuel 8:2]:

“And he struck

Moab and measured them with a line, making them lie down on the ground”; Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: This is what people say: From the forest itself, the handle for the axe that cuts it should be made.

When Rav Dimi came, he said: The thigh putrefies from within itself.

David too, who came from Moab, struck them.

“And he took

“And he took

the king of Moab

his firstborn son who was to reign in his place, and offered him as a burnt offering upon the wall,”

Rav and Shmuel

disagreed in explaining this verse:

One said: For the sake of Heaven.

And one said: For the sake of idolatry.

Granted, according to the one who says that it was for the sake of Heaven, this is what is written

there,

“And there was great wrath against Israel.”

But according to the one who says that it was for the sake of idolatry, why was there wrath?

As in the statement of Joshua ben Levi.

For Rabbi Joshua ben Levi raised a contradiction;

he posed a contradiction between the verses: on the one hand,

it is written

(Ezekiel 11:12),

“And according to the practices of the nations that are around you, you did not act,” and

on the other hand,

it is written

(there), 5:7,

“And according to the practices of the nations that are around you

you acted”?

Like the well-ordered among them

you did not act; like the corrupt among them you acted.

That is, the children of Israel too were accustomed to offering sacrifices to idolatry; therefore, when the king of Moab offered his son to idolatry, that same sin was recalled against them, and there was wrath against Israel.

The continuation of the verse brought above:

“And they withdrew from him and returned to the land.”

The Gemara explains:

Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: At that time the wicked of Israel descended to the lowest level.

In connection with the Gemara’s exposition above concerning Obadiah, concerning whom “greatly” is written, the following statement was brought:

“And the girl was exceedingly beautiful.”

“The young woman was exceedingly beautiful.”

Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa said: She had still not reached half of Sarah’s beauty, for “exceedingly” is written, and not “very beautiful” altogether.

“For she was very beautiful.”

We shall return to you, chapter One Who Judges Monetary Cases.

After the judges intimidate the witnesses, and the witnesses stand by their statements, they begin to examine them through derisha and chakira. For it is a positive mitzva to demand of the witnesses and investigate them, to increase their questioning, to scrutinize them, and to move them from one matter to another during the questioning, so that they will be silent or retract their statements if there is a flaw in their testimony, as it is stated [Deuteronomy 13:15]: “And you shall inquire, and investigate, and ask thoroughly.” [Maimonides, Laws of Testimony 1:4].