Talmud Bavli
Talmud Bavli

Musar for Bava Batra 30:9

א"ר יוחנן דורו של איוב שטוף בזמה היה שנאמר הן אתם כולכם חזיתם ולמה זה הבל תהבלו וכתיב (שיר השירים ז, א) שובי שובי השולמית שובי שובי ונחזה בך אימא בנבואה דכתיב (ישעיהו א, א) חזון ישעיהו בן אמוץ א"כ למה זה הבל תהבלו למה לי

All these Tannaim agree that Job was from Israel, except those who say [that he lived in the days of Jacob]. [This must be so,] for if you suppose that [they regarded him as] a heathen, [the question would arise,] after the death of Moses how could the Divine Presence rest upon a heathen,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' And all agree that Job was a prophet. ');"><sup>16</sup></span> seeing that a Master has said, Moses prayed that the Divine Presence should not rest on heathens, and God granted his request as it says, That we be separated, I and thy people, from all the people that are upon the face of the earth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXXIII, 16. This difficulty, however, would not arise if we suppose Job to have been in the days of Jacob. ');"><sup>17</sup></span>

Shenei Luchot HaBerit

This is alluded to in Numbers 23,23: כי לא נחש ביעקב קסם בישראל, כעת יאמר ליעקב ולישראל מה פעל השם. "For there is no augury in Jacob, no divining in Israel; Jacob is told at once, yea Israel, what G–d has accomplished." [the traditional translation of this verse bears no semblance to the author's interpretation, and is presented only to demonstrate how far the author departs from the plain meaning, פשט. Rashi brings a similar explanation. Ed.] As a first step in his rise to lofty spiritual regions, Jacob got rid of נחש and its powerful influence. Once he had attained the stature of ישראל, not even a vestige of such an influence i.e. קסם remained The word Kessem is the same as קיסם, a sliver, splinter, something very small and insignificant. Israel continues to ascend higher and higher until a time comes when the ministering angels say to Jacob turned Israel who has penetrated and surpassed their ranks: "What did G–d do?"
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