Commentary for Avodah Zarah 8:5
א"ר אלעזר אמר להן הקב"ה לישראל עמי ראו כמה צדקות עשיתי עמכם שלא כעסתי עליכם כל אותן הימים שאם כעסתי עליכם לא נשתייר מעובדי כוכבים משונאיהם של ישראל שריד ופליט והיינו דקאמר ליה בלעם לבלק (במדבר כג, ח) מה אקב לא קבה אל ומה אזעם לא זעם ה'
My people, see how many righteous acts I did for you, in that I did not get angry with you all those days, for had I become angry, none would have remained or been spared of Israel’s enemies. This is what Bilaam said to Balak, “How can I curse, seeing that God has not cursed, and how can I be wrathful, seeing that the Lord has not been wrathful” (Numbers 23:8)?
Daf Shevui to Avodah Zarah
This statement is here because it again connects with the Bilaam and with God’s wrath. Note that “Israel’s enemies” is a euphemism. The statement should read “none would have remained in Israel.” But the copyist did not even want to write such a terrible statement.
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