Rosh Hashanah 34

Chapter 34

א למי שמשים עצמו כשירים
1 [What it means is], for him who makes himself a mere remnant.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., who is self-effacing.');"><sup>1</sup></span> R'Huna contrasted [two parts of the same verse]. It is written, The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and then it is written, and gracious in all his works.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. CXLV, 17.');"><sup>2</sup></span>
ב רב הונא רמי כתיב (תהלים קמה, יז) צדיק ה' בכל דרכיו וכתיב וחסיד בכל מעשיו בתחלה צדיק ולבסוף חסיד
2 [How is this]?<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' How can God be both righteous (i.e., just) and gracious at the same time?');"><sup>3</sup></span> - At first righteous and at the end gracious.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' When He sees that in strict justice the world cannot endure.');"><sup>4</sup></span> R'Eleazar [similarly] contrasted two texts.
ג רבי אלעזר רמי כתיב (תהלים סב, יג) ולך ה' חסד וכתיב כי אתה תשלם לאיש כמעשהו בתחלה כי אתה תשלם כמעשהו ולבסוף ולך ה' חסד
3 It is written, Also unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy, and then it is written, For thou renderest to every man according to his work.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. LXII, 13.');"><sup>5</sup></span> [How is this]? - At first, 'Thou renderest to every man according to his work', but at the end, 'unto thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy'. Ilfi (or, as some report, Ilfa) [similarly] contrasted two texts: It is written, abundant in goodness, and t is written, and in truth.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ex. XXXIV, 6.');"><sup>6</sup></span>
ד אילפי ואמרי לה אילפא רמי כתיב (שמות לד, ו) ורב חסד וכתיב ואמת בתחלה ואמת ולבסוף ורב חסד
4 [How is this]? - At first, 'truth', and at the end 'abundant in goodness'. And 'the Lord passed by before him and proclaimed [etc.].<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid.');"><sup>7</sup></span> R'Johanan said: Were it not written in the text, it would be impossible for us to say such a thing; this verse teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, drew his robe round Him like the reader<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'emissary'; the one appointed to lead the congregational prayers. It is usual for such a one to draw his robe over his head.');"><sup>8</sup></span>
ה ויעבור ה' על פניו ויקרא א"ר יוחנן אלמלא מקרא כתוב אי אפשר לאומרו מלמד שנתעטף הקב"ה כשליח צבור והראה לו למשה סדר תפלה אמר לו כל זמן שישראל חוטאין יעשו לפני כסדר הזה ואני מוחל להם
5 of a congregation and showed Moses the order of prayer. He said to him: Whenever Israel sin, let them carry out this service before Me,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., read from the Torah the passage containing the thirteen attributes.');"><sup>9</sup></span> and I will forgive them.'
ו ה' ה' אני הוא קודם שיחטא האדם ואני הוא לאחר שיחטא האדם ויעשה תשובה אל רחום וחנון
6 The Lord, the Lord': I am the Eternal<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'He'. The Divine name YHWH (E.V. 'the Lord') designates the divine attribute of mercy (Rashi) .');"><sup>10</sup></span> before a man sins and the same<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'He'. The Divine name YHWH (E.V. 'the Lord') designates the divine attribute of mercy (Rashi) .');"><sup>10</sup></span> after a man sins and repents.'
ז אמר רב יהודה ברית כרותה לי"ג מדות שאינן חוזרות ריקם שנאמר (שמות לד, י) הנה אנכי כורת ברית
7 A God merciful and gracious:' Rab Judah said: A covenant has been made with the thirteen attributes<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Enumerated in this verse. According to one reckoning, 'The Lord, the Lord' count as two, according to another reckoning only the second of these counts as an attribute, and the expressions 'keeping mercy' and 'unto the thousandth generation' count as two attributes. V. Tosaf., s.v. aka .');"><sup>11</sup></span> that they will not be turned away empty-handed,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e., that Israel will not be turned away empty-handed when they recite them.');"><sup>12</sup></span> as it says, Behold I make a covenant.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ibid. 10.');"><sup>13</sup></span>
ח אמר ר' יוחנן גדולה תשובה שמקרעת גזר דינו של אדם שנא' (ישעיהו ו, י) השמן לב העם הזה ואזניו הכבד ועיניו השע פן יראה בעיניו ובאזניו ישמע ולבבו יבין ושב ורפא לו
8 R'Johanan said: Great is the power of repentance that it rescinds<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'tears up'.');"><sup>14</sup></span> a man's final sentence, as it says , Make the heart of this people fat and make their ears heavy and shut their eyes, lest they seeing with their eyes and hearing with their ears and understanding with their heart return and be healed.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Isa. VI, 10.');"><sup>15</sup></span> Said R'Papa to Abaye: Perhaps this was before the final sentence? - He replied: It is written, 'and he be healed'.
ט א"ל רב פפא לאביי ודלמא לפני גזר דין א"ל ורפא לו כתיב איזהו דבר שצריך רפואה הוי אומר זה גזר דין
9 What is that which requires healing? You must say, the final sentence. An objection [against this view] was raised [from the following]: 'If one repents in the interval,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Between New Year and the Day of Atonement.');"><sup>16</sup></span>
י מיתיבי השב בינתים מוחלין לו לא שב בינתים אפילו הביא כל אילי נביות שבעולם אין מוחלין לו לא קשיא הא ביחיד הא בצבור
10 he is forgiven; if he does not repent in the interval, should he even offer [subsequently] all the rams of Nebayoth,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Cf. Isa. LX, 7.');"><sup>17</sup></span> he is not forgiven'! - There is no contradiction: the latter statement refers to an individual, th former to a community. A further objection was raised [from the following]: 'The eyes of the Lord thy God are upon it [the land of Israel],<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. XI, 12.');"><sup>18</sup></span>
יא מיתיבי (דברים יא, יב) עיני ה' אלהיך בה עתים לטובה עתים לרעה עתים לטובה כיצד הרי שהיו ישראל רשעים גמורין בראש השנה ופסקו להם גשמים מועטים לסוף חזרו בהן להוסיף עליהן אי אפשר שכבר נגזרה גזרה אלא הקב"ה מורידן בזמנן על הארץ הצריכה להן הכל לפי הארץ
11 sometimes for good, sometimes for evil. How sometimes for good? Suppose Israel were [in the class of] the thoroughly wicked at New Year,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' I.e. at New Year their evil deeds in the past clearly exceeded their good deeds.');"><sup>19</sup></span>
יב עתים לרעה כיצד הרי שהיו ישראל צדיקים גמורין בר"ה ופסקו עליהן גשמים מרובין לסוף חזרו בהן לפחות מהן אי אפשר שכבר נגזרה גזרה אלא הקב"ה מורידן שלא בזמנן על הארץ שאינה צריכה להן
12 and scanty rains were decreed for them, and afterwards they repented. [For God] to increase the supply of rain is impossible, because the decree has been issued. The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore sends down the rain in the proper season on the land that requires it,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g., gardens and orchards.');"><sup>20</sup></span>
יג לטובה מיהא ליקרעיה לגזר דינייהו ולוסיף להו שאני התם דאפשר בהכי
13 all according to the district. How sometimes for evil? Suppose Israel were [in the class of] the thoroughly virtuous on New Year, and abundant rains were decreed for them, but afterwards they backslided.
יד ת"ש (תהלים קז, כג) יורדי הים באניות עושי מלאכה במים רבים המה ראו מעשי ה' וגו' ויאמר ויעמד רוח סערה ותרומם גליו יחוגו וינועו כשכור וגו' ויצעקו אל ה' בצר להם וגו' יודו לה' חסדו וגו'
14 To diminish the rains is impossible, because the decree has been issued. The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore sends them down not in their proper season and on land that does not require them'.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' E.g. on barren land.');"><sup>21</sup></span> Now, [if the decree can be rescinded], for good at any rate, let the decree be rescinded and let the rains be increased? - There is a special reason there, namely, that this<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Sending the rain in the proper place and time.');"><sup>22</sup></span>
טו עשה להן סימניות כאכין ורקין שבתורה לומר לך צעקו קודם גזר דין נענין צעקו לאחר גזר דין אינן נענין
15 is sufficient. Come and hear [a further objection]: 'They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters, they saw the works of the Lord. For he commanded and raised the stormy wind which lifted up the waves thereof.
טז הני נמי כיחידין דמו
16 they reeled to and fro and staggered like a drunken man. They cried unto the Lord in their trouble. let them give thanks unto the Lord for his mercy<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Ps. CVII, 23-31.');"><sup>23</sup></span>
יז ת"ש שאלה בלוריא הגיורת את רבן גמליאל כתיב בתורתכם (דברים י, יז) אשר לא ישא פנים וכתיב (במדבר ו, כו) ישא ה' פניו אליך
17 etc. [The Psalmist] inserted here signs<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' In the Hebrew text an inverted nun is inserted before the verses 23-28 of this passage. lt er');"><sup>24</sup></span> having the same force as the 'buts' and 'onlys' of the Torah,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' It was a principle of R. Akiba that wherever the words (but) and (only) occur in the Pentateuch, they are meant to except something which is not explicitly mentioned in the text.');"><sup>25</sup></span> to indicate that if they cried before th final sentence they were answered, but if they cried after the final sentence they were not 'answered'! - These also are on the same footing as individuals.
יח נטפל לה רבי יוסי הכהן אמר לה אמשול לך משל למה הדבר דומה לאדם שנושה בחבירו מנה וקבע לו זמן בפני המלך ונשבע לו בחיי המלך הגיע זמן ולא פרעו בא לפייס את המלך ואמר לו עלבוני מחול לך לך ופייס את חבירך הכא נמי כאן בעבירות שבין אדם למקום כאן בעבירות שבין אדם לחבירו
18 Come and hear [again]: 'Bluria<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Valeria.');"><sup>26</sup></span> the proselyte put this question to Rabban Gamaliel: It is written in your Law, [she said], who lifteth not up the countenance,<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Deut. X, 17. E. V. 'who regardeth not persons', 'countenance' referring to man's. It is here, however, taken as referring to God's in the sense of 'who shows not favour', as in the passage next quoted.');"><sup>27</sup></span> and it is also written, The Lord shall lift up his countenance upon thee.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Num. VI, 26.');"><sup>28</sup></span>
יט עד שבא ר"ע ולימד
19 R'Jose the priest joined the conversation and said to her: I will give you a parabl which will illustrate the matter.<span class="x" onmousemove="('comment',' Lit., 'to what the thing is like'.');"><sup>29</sup></span> A man lent his neighbour a maneh and fixed a time for payment in the presence of the king, while the other swore to pay him by the life of the king. When the time arrived he did not pay him, and he went to excuse himself to the king. The king, however, said to him: The wrong done to me I excuse you, but go and obtain forgiveness from your neighbour. So here: one text speaks of offences committed by a man against God, the other of offences committed by a man against his fellow man. [This explanation was generally accepted] until R'Akiba came and taught
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