Commentary for Shabbat 63:4

ר' ינאי בדיק ועבר ר' ינאי לטעמיה דאמר לעולם אל יעמוד אדם במקום סכנה לומר שעושין לו נס שמא אין עושים לו נס ואם עושין לו נס מנכין לו מזכיותיו אמר רבי חנין מאי קראה (בראשית לב, יא) קטנתי מכל החסדים ומכל האמת רבי זירא ביומא דשותא לא נפיק לביני דיקלא

And when are men examined? — Said Resh Lakish: When they pass over a bridge.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' That involves danger, and then they are liable to be punished for their misdeeds, ');">⁶</span> A bridge and nothing else? — Say, that which is similar to a bridge. Rab would not cross a bridge where a heathen was sitting; said he, Lest judgment be visited upon him, and I be seized together with him. Samuel would cross a bridge only when a heathen was upon it, saying, Satan has no power over two nations [simultaneously]. R. Jannai examined [the bridge] and then crossed over. R. Jannai [acted] upon his views, for he said, A man should never stand in a place of danger and say that a miracle will be wrought for him, lest it is not. And if a miracle is wrought for him, it is deducted from his merits.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' The miracle is a reward for some of his merits, and so he has now less to his credit. ');">⁷</span>

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