Shabbat 88b — the Talmud in English

He said to him

Rava:

we ![](pamud.bmp "

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because we proceeded with wholeheartedness

that we went with the Holy One, blessed is He, wholeheartedly, and relied upon Him not to impose upon us something that we are unable to withstand,

it is written concerning us

concerning us:

“The integrity of the upright guides them.”

But

those other people, who proceed with pretexts

who proceed with a pretext against us,

it is written concerning them: “And the perversity of the faithless plunders them”

it plunders them.

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

in the Song of Songs

“You have captured my heart [

you have brought me near ]

my sister, bride; you have captured my heart with one

of your eyes”—

the Divine Presence said to the congregation of Israel:

at first,

when you accepted the Torah upon yourselves, you captured my heart

with one of your eyes.

But

when you do,

when you fulfill it—you will capture my heart

with both your eyes.

For there are here acceptance and performance, which are two.

Ulla said: Disgraced

she is, that

bride

the

commits adultery within her wedding canopy.

So were Israel, who made the calf while they were still at Sinai.

Rav Mari, son of the daughter of Shmuel, said: What is the verse?

“While the king was at his table [

at his wedding canopy ]

my nard [

my perfume ]—

“gave its fragrance.”

It left its good fragrance for others.

Rav said: And nevertheless, affection for us still exists.

For although the verse speaks to our disgrace, it showed us an expression of affection.

For it is written, “gave”

its fragrance

and it did not write, “became foul.”

The Sages taught:

The

insulted, but they do not insult.

For others come against them insolently, but they do not [act thus] toward others.

The

hear their disgrace and do not respond.

The

act out of love

of the Holy One, blessed is He,

and rejoice in sufferings

of the insults that come upon them.

Concerning them the verse says: “And those who love Him—

are like the sun going forth in its might.”

like the light of the sun in the future, for it will then shine sevenfold, like the light of the seven days [Rashi, Judges 5:31]].

Rabbi Yoḥanan said: What is the meaning of that which is written

in Psalms

“The Lord gives the word; those who announce it are a great host,”

that is, to all the nations—

each and every utterance that went forth from the mouth of the Almighty was divided into seventy languages.

The school of Rabbi Yishmael taught:

it is written: “Is not My word like fire, says the Lord,

and like a hammer that shatters rock”—

just as this hammer divides

the rock by means of it

into many sparks, so too every utterance that went forth from the mouth of

the Holy One, blessed is He, was divided into seventy languages.

Rabbi Ḥananel bar Pappa said: What is the meaning of that which is written

in Proverbs

“Hear, for I will speak noble things”—

why were words of Torah compared to a nobleman,

a minister?

This is to tell you: Just as this nobleman has the power to kill and to give life, so too words of Torah have the power to kill and to give life.

This is what Rava said: For those who use the right hand with it

with Torah, who engage in it with all their strength for its own sake and make it primary, like a person who uses his right hand, which is primary—

it is a drug of life,

the Torah is a drug of life. But

for those who use the left hand with it,

who seek honor and wealth through it, and whose desire is to receive reward for fulfilling it, it is

a drug of death,

a drug of death. [See Ramban’s explanation in the portion of Aharei Mot 18:4, brought above, 63a]].

Alternatively: “noblemen”—

to every utterance that went forth from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed is He, they tie two crowns

like [crowns] for ministers, for the utterance had substance and was visible, as it is written, “they saw the voices.”

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: What is the meaning of that which is written

in the Song of Songs

“My beloved is a bundle of myrrh to me; he lodges between my breasts”—

the congregation of Israel said

before the Holy One, blessed is He:

Master of the Universe! Although my Beloved causes me distress and bitterness [

an expression of bitterness, Rashash ]

to me, my Beloved

after the calf, when He told them to remove their ornaments—

“He lodges between my breasts.”

For He immediately commanded that a Tabernacle be made for Him, to cause His Divine Presence to dwell there between the poles of the Ark, which appear like two protruding breasts in the curtain.

It is written there

“A cluster of henna—

my beloved is to me, in the vineyards of Ein Gedi”—

He to whom everything belongs atones for me for the sin of a kid

the calf, which is a type of animal like a kid [ another explanation: gedi is an expression for idolatry, as it is written, “who prepare a table for Fortune”],

which I gathered

which I collected

for myself,

for I desired many gods, as it is written, “These are your gods, Israel.”

And we raise an objection concerning it:

from where is it understood that this karmī is an expression of gathering,

an expression of gathering?

Mar Zutra, son of Rav Naḥman, said: As we learned

in tractate Kelim:

a launderer’s chair upon which they gather

they gather

the garments

the clothing; it is a long board perforated with many holes, and one places the incense [spices on coals] beneath it, and the garments absorb the fragrance of the spices through the holes, and that chair does not become impure with the impurity of a seat.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: What is the meaning of that which is written

there

“His cheeks are like beds of spices”—

every utterance that went forth from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed is He, filled the entire world with spices.

And since from the first utterance it became filled

the world—

the second utterance, where did it go,

did it enter?

The Holy One, blessed is He, brought forth the wind from His treasuries, and it carried away each first one in turn

the fragrance to the Garden of Eden. As it is stated:

“His lips are roses, dripping flowing myrrh”—

do not read shoshanim [roses], but sheshonim [that teach],

that is, the Torah, which drips myrrh [spices], “flowing,” for the Holy One, blessed is He, carried away each first one in turn.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: With every utterance that went forth from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed is He, the souls of Israel departed, as it is stated: “My soul went forth when he spoke.”

And since with the first utterance their souls departed, how did they receive the second utterance?

He brought down the dew with which He will in the future revive the dead, and revived them.

As it is stated

in Psalms

“You generously send rain, O God; Your inheritance, when it languished, You established.”

And this verse speaks of the giving of the Torah.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Every utterance

that went forth from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed is He, Israel retreated twelve mil

which is the measure of the camp of Israel, and those standing at the head of the camp, who were close to the utterance, retreated out of fear of the voice to the end of the camp.

And the ministering angels were leading them step by step

assisting them to retreat little by little, because they had weakened from fear, like a woman leading her small son step by step at the beginning of his walking.

As it is stated: “The angels of hosts move, they move”—

do not read yedudun

which implies that they themselves move

but yadedun

that they lead others.

And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When Moses ascended on high, the ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed is He: Master of the Universe! What is one born of a woman doing among us?

He said to them: He has come to receive the Torah!

They said before Him: The precious treasure, which was hidden away with You for nine hundred seventy-four generations before the world was created,

do You seek to give it to flesh and blood?!

And [they said]:

“What is man that You should remember him, and the son of man that You should attend to him? O Lord, our Master, how majestic is Your name throughout all

the earth, who places Your glory upon the heavens.”

The Holy One, blessed is He, said to Moses: Answer them! He said

Moses

before Him: I am afraid, lest they burn me with the breath of their mouths.

He said to him

the Holy One, blessed is He:

“Take hold of the Throne of My glory and answer them! As it is stated: ‘He grasps the face of the throne; He spreads His cloud over it,’ and Rabbi Naḥum said: This teaches that the Almighty spread some of the radiance of His Divine Presence [

an acrostic of parshaz ],

and His cloud over him.”

Moses said

Moses

before Him: Master of the Universe! The Torah that You are giving me—what is written in it?

“I am the Lord your God, Who brought you out from the land of Egypt.”

He said to them

to the angels:

Did you descend to Egypt?

Were you enslaved to Pharaoh?

And if so,

the Torah—

why should it be yours?

Again, what is written in it? “You shall have no other gods”

and are

you dwelling among nations who worship ![](pamud.bmp "

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idolatry?