R. Hiya took as his text: “That which is hath been already and that which is to be”, etc. (Eccl. 3, 15). ‘This is explained by what we have learnt, that before God created this world He created others and destroyed them, until He consulted the Torah, and through it made the proper adjustments and became crowned. Thus all that was to be in this world was before Him fully prepared.
We have learnt, too, that all men of all generations stood before Him in their likenesses before they came into the world, and even all the souls of men were traced out before Him in the firmament in the similitude of their shape in this world. All, too, that they afterwards learnt in this world they already knew before they came into it. All this, however, applies only to the truly virtuous.
Those who did hot turn out virtuous in this world even there were far from the Holy One, blessed be He, being in the hollow of the abyss, whence they came down into the world before their time. And as they proved to be stiff-necked in this world, so, we have learnt, they were before they came into the world. They threw away the holy portion which was given them and went and defiled themselves with the hollow of the abyss and took their portion from thence and came down into the world before their time. If such a one deserves well afterwards and repents before his Master, he takes his own proper portion, namely, “that which hath been already”.
Now we may ask concerning the sons of Aaron, the like of whom were not in Israel, how they could perish from the world as they did. Where was their own merit, the merit of their father, the merit of Moses?
We have, however, learnt from the Sacred Lamp that God was indeed solicitous for their honour, and so their bodies were burnt within but their souls did not perish.1v. T. B. Sabbath, 113b, where the reverse is stated. Phineas, too, was already in existence who was to repair the damage; whence it is written, “that which is to be already was”.
We have learnt that all the truly virtuous before they come into the world are prepared above and called by their names. And R. Simeon ben Yohai from the first day of Creation was stationed before the Holy One, blessed be He, and God called him by his name, happy is his portion above and below!
פָּתַח רִבִּי חִיָּיא וְאָמַר, (קהלת ג׳:ט״ו) מַה שֶׁהָיָה כְּבָר הוּא (נקרא שמו ל"ג) וַאֲשֶׁר לִהְיוֹת וְגוֹ'. מַה שֶׁהָיָה כְבָר, הַיְינוּ דְּתָנֵינָן, עַד לָא בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הַאי עָלְמָא, הֲוָה בָּארֵי עָלְמִין וְחָרִיב לוֹן, עַד דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא סָלִיק בִּרְעוּתֵיהּ, לְמִבְרֵי הַאי עָלְמָא, וְאַמְלִיךְ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. כְּדֵין אִתְתָּקַּן הוּא בְּתִקּוּנוֹי, וְאִתְעַטָּר בְּעִטְרוֹי, וּבָרָא הַאי עָלְמָא. וְכָל מַאי דְּאִשְׁתְּכַח בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, הָא הֲוָה קַמֵּיהּ, (והא סליק מקמיה) וְאִתְתָּקַּן קַמֵּיהּ.
R. Hiya took as his text: “That which is hath been already and that which is to be”, etc. (Eccl. 3, 15). ‘This is explained by what we have learnt, that before God created this world He created others and destroyed them, until He consulted the Torah, and through it made the proper adjustments and became crowned. Thus all that was to be in this world was before Him fully prepared.
וְתָאנָא, כָּל אִינּוּן דַּבָּרֵי עָלְמָא, דְּאִשְׁתְּכָחוּ בְּכָל דָּרָא וְדָרָא, עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְעָלְמָא, הָא הֲווֹ קַיְימֵי קַמֵּיהּ בְּדִיּוּקְנֵיהוֹן. (והכי תאנא) אֲפִילּוּ כָּל אִינּוּן נִשְׁמָתִין דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא, עַד לָא יֶחתוּן לְעָלְמָא, כֻּלְּהוּ גְּלִיפִין קָמֵיהּ בִּרְקִיעָא, בְּהַהוּא דִּיּוּקְנָא מַמָּשׁ, דְּאִינּוּן בְּהַאי עָלְמָא. וְכָל מַה דְּאוֹלְפִין בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, כֹּלָּא יָדְעוּ עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְעָלְמָא. וְתָנֵינָא, הַאי בְּאִינּוּן זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט.
We have learnt, too, that all men of all generations stood before Him in their likenesses before they came into the world, and even all the souls of men were traced out before Him in the firmament in the similitude of their shape in this world. All, too, that they afterwards learnt in this world they already knew before they came into it. All this, however, applies only to the truly virtuous.
וְכָל אִינּוּן דְּלָא מִשְׁתַּכְּחִין זַכָּאִין בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, אֲפִילּוּ תַּמָּן, מִתְרַחֲקִין מִקַּמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְעָאלִין בְּנוּקְבָּא דִּתְהוֹמָא רַבָּא, וְדַחֲקִין שַׁעֲתָא, וְנַחְתִּין לְעָלְמָא. וְהַהִיא נִשְׁמְתָא דִּלְהוֹן, הָא אוֹלִיפְנָא, כְּמָה דְּאִינּוּן קְשֵׁי קְדָל בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, כַּךְ הֲווֹ עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְעָלְמָא. וְהַהוּא חוּלָקָא קַדִּישָׁא דְּיָהַב לוֹן רָמָאן לֵיהּ, וְאָזְלִין וְשָׁאטִין וְאַסְתַּאָבוּן, בְּהַהוּא נוּקְבָּא דִּתְהוֹמָא רַבָּא, וְנַטְלֵי חוּלָקֵיהוֹן מִתַּמָּן, וְדַחֲקִין שַׁעֲתָא וְנַחְתֵּי לְעָלְמָא. אִי זָכֵי לְבָתַר, וְתָב בְּתִיּוּבְתָּא קָמֵי מָארֵיהּ, הוּא נָטִיל הַהוּא חוּלָקָא דִּילֵיהּ מַמָּשׁ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, מַה שֶׁהָיָה כְּבָר (נקרא שמו) הוּא וַאֲשֶׁר לִהְיוֹת וְגוֹ' כְּבָר הָיָה.
Those who did hot turn out virtuous in this world even there were far from the Holy One, blessed be He, being in the hollow of the abyss, whence they came down into the world before their time. And as they proved to be stiff-necked in this world, so, we have learnt, they were before they came into the world. They threw away the holy portion which was given them and went and defiled themselves with the hollow of the abyss and took their portion from thence and came down into the world before their time. If such a one deserves well afterwards and repents before his Master, he takes his own proper portion, namely, “that which hath been already”.
תָּא חֲזֵי בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן לָא אִשְׁתְּכָחוּ בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּוָותַיְיהוּ, בַּר מֹשֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן, וְאִינּוּן אִקְרוּן (שמות כ״ד:ט׳) אֲצִילֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְעַל דְּטָעוּ קָמֵי מַלְכָּא קַדִּישָׁא, מִיתוּ. וְכִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּעָא לְאוֹבָדָא לוֹן, וְהָא תָּנֵינָן בְּרָזָא דְּמַתְנִיתִין, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָבֵד חֶסֶד בְּכֹלָּא, וַאֲפִילּוּ בְּרַשִׁיעֵי עָלְמָא לָא בָּעֵי לְאוֹבָדָא לוֹן. וְהָנֵי זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט סַלְּקָא דַּעְתָּךְ דְּאִינּוּן אִתְאֲבִידוּ מֵעָלְמָא, זְכוּתָא דִּלְהוֹן אָן הוּא. זְכוּתָא דְּאָבוּהוֹן אָן הוּא. זְכוּתָא דְּמֹשֶׁה הָכִי נָמֵי. וְאִינּוּן הֵיךְ אִתְאֲבִידוּ.
Now we may ask concerning the sons of Aaron, the like of whom were not in Israel, how they could perish from the world as they did. Where was their own merit, the merit of their father, the merit of Moses?
אֶלָּא הָכִי אוֹלִיפְנָא מִבּוּצִינָא קַדִּישָׁא, דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא חָס עַל יְקָרָא דִּלְהוֹן, וְאִתּוֹקַד גַּרְמֵיהוֹן לְגוֹ, וְנִשְׁמָתֵהוֹן לָא אִתְאֲבִידוּ, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא. וְתָּא חֲזֵי עַד לָא מִיתוּ בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן כְּתִיב, (שמות ו׳:כ״ה) וְאֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן לָקַח לוֹ וְגוֹ', אִקְרֵי שְׁמֵיהּ פִּנְחָס, דְּהֲוָה זַמִּין לְאִתְתָּקְנָא עֲקִימָא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב וַאֲשֶׁר לִהְיוֹת כְּבָר הָיָה.
We have, however, learnt from the Sacred Lamp that God was indeed solicitous for their honour, and so their bodies were burnt within but their souls did not perish.1v. T. B. Sabbath, 113b, where the reverse is stated. Phineas, too, was already in existence who was to repair the damage; whence it is written, “that which is to be already was”.
וְתָאנָא, כֻּלְּהוּ זַכָּאֵי קְשׁוֹט, עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְעָלְמָא, כֻּלְּהוּ אִתְתְּקָנוּ לְעֵילָּא, וְאִקְרוּן בִּשְׁמָהָן. וְרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן יוֹחָאי, מִן יוֹמָא דְּבָרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, הֲוָה אִזְדְּמַן קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְאִשְׁתְּכַח עִמֵּיהּ. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא קָרֵי לֵיהּ בִּשְׁמֵיהּ, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא וְתַתָּא, עָלֵיהּ כְּתִיב (משלי כ״ג:כ״ה) יִשְׂמַח אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ, אָבִיךָ: דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְאִמֶּךָ: דָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל.
We have learnt that all the truly virtuous before they come into the world are prepared above and called by their names. And R. Simeon ben Yohai from the first day of Creation was stationed before the Holy One, blessed be He, and God called him by his name, happy is his portion above and below!