xxviii

THE forehead of His skull is the acceptation of acceptations, whereunto is opposed the acceptation of Microprosopus, like as it is written, Exod. xxviii. 38: “And it shall be upon His forehead alway for acceptation,” &c.

Like as it is written, Job xxviii. 23: “God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof.”

“For this is the perfection of the Holy Name, concerning which it is written, Deut. xxviii. 10: ‘And all the people of the earth shall see that the name of Tetragrammaton hath been invoked over thee, and they shall be afraid of thee.’

“This is that very thing which is said, Job xxviii. 23: ‘God understandeth the way thereof,’ &c.; which (words) are spoken concerning Microprosopus.”

And that Father proceedeth from the Most Holy Ancient One, like as it is written, Job xxviii. 12: “And ChKMH, Chokmah, Wisdom, is found from AIN, Ain, the Negatively Existent One;” and therefore is He not known.

Also it is written, Job xxviii. 13: “Man knoweth not the price thereof, neither is it found in the land of the living.”

What is a Watcher? In the book of the dissertation that is explained from this passage, 1 Sam. xxviii. 16: “And is become thine enemy.”

This is like the teaching of R. Jacob b. Iddi who asked: It is written, "Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee whithersoever thou goest" (Gen. xxviii. 15), and then it is written, "Jacob was greatly afraid" (ibid, xxxii. 8)! But Jacob said, "Perhaps sin will cause [His protection to be withheld]." This is like the teaching:

The word berit "covenant" is mentioned in connection with salt and also with chastenings. With salt, as it is written, "Thou shalt not suffer the salt of the covenant of Thy God to be lacking" (Lev. ii. 13); and with chastenings, as it is written, "These are the words of the covenant" (Deut. xxviii. 69). As with the "covenant" mentioned in connection with salt, it is salt which sweetens meat, so with the "covenant" mentioned in connection with chastenings, they are chastenings which purge all the iniquities of man.

But whence is it that the Tefillin are a strength to Israel? As it is written, "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon thee, and they shall he afraid of thee" (Deut. xxviii. 10); and there is a teaching: R. Eliezer the Elder says : This refers to the Tefillin worn on the head.

R. Johanan also said in the name of R. Simeon b. Johai : It is permissible to contend with the wicked in this world; as it is said, "They that forsake the law praise the wicked, but such as keep the law contend with him" (Prov. xxviii, 4).

Perhaps it is different with a community? Nay, [derive the reason] from the following: "And Samuel said to Saul, Why hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up? And Saul answered, I am sore distressed ; for the Philistines make war against me, and God is departed from me, and answereth me no more, neither by prophets, nor by dreams; therefore I have called thee, that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do" (I Sam. xxviii. 15). Saul did not mention [having inquired through] the Urim and Tummim,

'Ulla said : Whoever reads the Shema' without Tefillin is as though he spoke false testimony against himself. R. Hiyya b. Abba said in the name of R. Johanan : It is as though he had offered a burnt-offering without a meal-offering (cf. Num. xxviii. 5) and a sacrifice without drink-offerings (ibid. v. 14).

The Doreshe Hamurot said, "And thy life shall hang in doubt before thee" (Deut. xxviii. 66) — this refers to one who hangs up his Tefillin !

Jacob instituted the evening Tefillah ; as it is said, "And he lighted [paga'] upon the place, and tarried there all night" (Gen. xxviii. 11) — "alighting" means prayer; as it is said, "Therefore pray not thou for this people, neither lift up cry nor prayer for them, neither make intercession [paga'] to Me" (Jer. vii. 16).

R. Hannina b. Pappa said : Whoever enjoys anything of this world without a benediction is as though he robbed the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Community of Israel ; as it is said, "Whoso robbeth his father or his mother and saith, It is no transgression, the same is the companion of a destroyer" (Prov. xxviii, 24) — "father" is none other than the Holy One, blessed be He ; as it is said, "Is not He thy father that hath gotten thee?" (Deut. xxxii. 6) ; and "mother" is none other than the Community of Israel ; as it is said, "Hear, my son, the instruction of thy father, and forsake not the teaching of thy mother" (Prov. i. 8).

R. Simeon b. Johai says : Is it possible for a man to plough at the time of ploughing, sow at seed-time, reap at harvest-time, thresh at the time of threshing, and winnow at the time of wind — what is to become of Torah? But when Israel perform the will of the All-present, their work is done by others; as it is said, "And strangers shall stand and feed your flocks," etc. (Is. Ixi. 5) ; and at the time when Israel perform not the will of the All-present, their work has to be done by themselves ; as it is said, "And thou shalt gather in thy corn." Not that alone, but the work of others will be done by them ; as it is said, "And thou shalt serve thine enemy" etc. (Deut. xxviii. 48).

Bar Hedja was an interpreter of dreams. When one paid him a fee, he interpreted [the dream] favourably ; but if no fee was given him, he interpreted it unfavourably. Abbai and Raba had a dream ; Abbai gave him a Zuz but Raba gave him nothing. They said to him : We were made to read in our dream the words "Thine ox shall be slain before thine eyes" (Deut. xxviii. 31). To Raba he said : Thy business will fail, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the grief of thy heart. To Abbai he said : Thy business will prosper, and thou wilt have no desire to eat because of the joy of thy heart.

We were made to read the words "Thou shalt carry much seed out into the field, and shalt gather little in for the locust will consume it" (Deut. xxviii. 38). To Abbai he gave an interpretation from the first half of the verse ; to Raba from the latter half.

We were made to read the words "Thou shalt have olive-trees throughout all thy borders, but thou shalt not anoint thyself with the oil, for thine olives shall drop off" (Deut. xxviii, 40). To Abbai he gave an interpretation from the first half of the verse ; to Raba from the latter half.

Who dreams that he lays the Tefillin may hope for greatness ; as it is said, "And all the peoples of the earth shall see that the name of the Lord is called upon thee, and they shall fear thee" (Deut. xxviii. 10); and there is a teaching : R. Eliezer the Great says : This refers to the Tefillin worn on the head. Who dreams that he is saying the Tefillah, it is a good omen for him ; but this applies only when he does not conclude it.

A certain disciple was following R. Ishmael b. R. Jose in the market-place of Zion. The latter noticed that he was afraid and said to him, "Thou art a sinner; for it is written, 'The sinners in Zion are afraid' (Is. xxxiii. 14)." He replied, "But it is written, 'Happy is the man that feareth always' (Prov. xxviii. 14)!" He said to him. "This is written in connection with words of Torah."

R. El'azar, when he came upon this passage, wept, "And Samuel said to Saul, Wherefore hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?" (1 Sam. xxviii. 15) And was then Samuel the righteous dismayed at the Judgment? How much more should we be! As for Samuel, what is that which is written? "And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods coming up" (1 Sam. xxviii. 13). The expression "coming up" shews that there were two persons. Samuel was one, and there was another, for Samuel went and brought Moses with him. He said to him, Peradventure, though God forbid, we are wanted for the Judgment; rise with me, for there is nothing that thou hast written in the Law, which I have not kept.

R. El'azar, when he came upon this passage, wept, "And Samuel said to Saul, Wherefore hast thou disquieted me, to bring me up?" (1 Sam. xxviii. 15) And was then Samuel the righteous dismayed at the Judgment? How much more should we be! As for Samuel, what is that which is written? "And the woman said unto Saul, I saw gods coming up" (1 Sam. xxviii. 13). The expression "coming up" shews that there were two persons. Samuel was one, and there was another, for Samuel went and brought Moses with him. He said to him, Peradventure, though God forbid, we are wanted for the Judgment; rise with me, for there is nothing that thou hast written in the Law, which I have not kept.

and the details afterwards in the Tabernacle of the Congregation. But R. Akiba said, General directions and details were alike given him on Sinai, and they were repeated in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, and given for the third time in the plains of Moab. And if thou dost imagine that the burnt-offering which Israel offered in the wilderness was the "continual burnt-offering," how should there be anything, which at the first did not need to be flayed and divided, but at the end did need to be flayed and divided? R. El'azar agrees, for there is a Baraitha, viz., In commenting on the passage, "continual burnt-offering, which was ordained in Mount Sinai" (Numb. xxviii. 6), R. El'azar says, Its ordinances were told in Mount Sinai, but it was not itself offered. R. Akiba says, It was offered and never ceased again. But how then am I to explain the passage, "Did ye bring unto me sacrifices and offerings in the wilderness forty years, O house of Israel?" (Amos v. 25) The explanation is that the tribe of Levi, which had not served idols, they offered them.

And whence do we get it that it is called heaven? As it is said, "Look down from thy holy habitation (Ma'on), from heaven" (Deut. xxvi. 15). Makhon is that in which are the treasures of snow and the treasures of hail, and the high dwelling-place of harmful dews, and the high dwelling-place of round drops, and the chamber of the whirlwind and of the storm, and the retreat of noisome vapour, and their doors are made of fire, as it is said, "The LORD shall open unto thee his good treasure" (Deut. xxviii. 12). But are not these in the firmament? Nay, they are in the earth, as it is written, "Praise the LORD from the earth, ye dragons and all deeps; fire and hail, snow and vapour; storm making the substance of the wind" (Ps. cxlviii. 7, 8). R. Jehudah said that Rab said, David besought the Merciful One for them, and He sent them down to the earth. He said before Him, O Lord of the world, "Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness; evil shall not sojourn with thee" (Ps. v. 5; E.V. 4) in thy dwelling. Righteous art thou, O Lord; evil shall not sojourn in thy dwelling. And whence do we get it that it is called heaven? Because it is written, "And hear thou in heaven, the habitation (Makhon) of thy dwelling" (1 Kings viii. 39, 43, 49).

Acher asked this question of R. Meir, after he had gone forth into evil courses. What is the meaning of the passage, "Gold and glass cannot equal it: neither shall the exchange thereof be vessels of fine gold" (Job xxviii. 17). He said to him, These are the words of the Law, which are difficult to buy as vessels of gold and vessels of pure gold, and are easily lost as vessels of glass. He said to him, R. Akiba thy teacher did not say so, but he explained it as meaning that as vessels of gold and vessels of glass, although they are broken, may be mended, so a disciple of the wise, although he have sinned, may be mended. He said to him, Do thou also turn thyself back. He said to him, I have already heard from behind the curtain, "'Return, O backsliding children' (Jer. iii. 14), except Acher."