R. Eleazar went to see R. Jose, the son of R. Simeon, the son of Lakunia, his father-in-law. The latter, as soon as he saw him, spread out for him a carpet under a canopy, on which they sat down. He asked his son-in-law, ‘Did you happen to hear from your father the interpretation of the verse: The Lord hath done that which he devised, he hath performed his word that he commanded in the days of old (Lam. 2, 17)?’
He answered, ‘Our colleagues have interpreted it thus. They take the words bitza imratho (“He hath performed his word”) to mean “He rent his purple cloak”- that cloak which “he commanded from days of old”, that is, which He had appointed from the beginning of things. On the day the Temple was destroyed He rent that purple cloak which was His glory and ornament.’
Said R. Jose: ‘What of the words “the Lord hath done that which he (had already) devised”? Does a king devise evil against his sons before they sin?’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘Imagine a king who possessed a precious vase, and who, being constantly apprehensive lest it should be broken, had it ever under his eyes, and never lost sight of it for a moment. One day his son came and provoked him to anger, so that in his rage he took up the vase and broke it in pieces. In this way the Lord “hath done that which he had already devised”.
From the day when the Temple was built, the Holy One, blessed be He, used to contemplate it fondly, and every time He came to the sanctuary, He used to put on the purple cloak we have mentioned. But when Israel sinned, and provoked their King, the Temple was destroyed, and the mantle was rent.
5
בִּצַּע אִמְרָתוֹ וְגו' (האי אמרתו בקדמיתא יתבא בראש אמיר. והא אתעטרו עטרא לרישא ואילן נאה לפניו. ואיהי מימי קדם ודאי. וכדין עציבו קמיה בבתי בראי ודאי והן (ישעיהו ל״ג:ז׳) אראלם צעקו חוצה.
Only on that occasion did God mourn the destruction of the wicked,
but at any other time the Holy One, blessed be He, takes joy in nothing so much as in the destruction of the world’s sinners, and of those who have provoked Him to anger, as it is written, “And when the wicked perish there is joy” (Prov. 11, 10). So throughout the generations, whenever justice is executed on sinners, there is joy and thanksgiving before the Holy One, blessed be He.
But, you may say, is there not a dictum of the Rabbis that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rejoice when he executes judgement on sinners? The truth is that He does take joy in the destruction of the wicked, but only when He has been longsuffering with them and they have still remained unrepentant. But if He exacts punishment from them before that time, before the measure of their sins has been completed (cf. “For the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full”, Gen. 15, 16), then there is no joy before Him, but, on the contrary, He is grieved at their destruction.
Another difficulty here arises: if their time has not come, why should punishment be at all inflicted on them? But, indeed, they themselves are to blame for this. For the Holy One, blessed be He, never inflicts punishment on the wicked before the full time, except when they interfere with Israel in order to do them harm. It is then that He inflicts punishment upon them before the full time, and it is then that their destruction grieves Him. It was for this reason that He drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea, and destroyed the enemies of Israel in the days of Jehoshaphat, and inflicted punishment on others; they were all destroyed before the full time on account of Israel.
But if the time of respite expires without their showing any sign of repentance, then their destruction is a cause of joy and glory before Him. Nevertheless, it was not so with the destruction of the Temple; for on that occasion, although Israel had filled up the cup of provocation, there was no joy before Him, and since that time there has been no joy, neither above nor below.’
רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אֲזַל לְגַבֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקוֹנְיָא חָמוֹי. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא לֵיהּ אַתְקִין לֵיהּ תּוּפְסִיתָא (ס"א טופסיסא) דְּקוּמְרָא בְּמָטוּן דְּקוּלְפָא וִיתִיבוּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ חָמוֹי אֶפְשָׁר דְּשָׁמַעְתְּ מֵאָבוּךְ הַאי דִכְתִיב (איכה ב׳:י״ז) עָשָׂה יְיָ אֲשֶׁר זָמַם בִּצַּע אֶמְרָתוֹ אֲשֶׁר צִוָה מִימֵי קֶדֶם.
R. Eleazar went to see R. Jose, the son of R. Simeon, the son of Lakunia, his father-in-law. The latter, as soon as he saw him, spread out for him a carpet under a canopy, on which they sat down. He asked his son-in-law, ‘Did you happen to hear from your father the interpretation of the verse: The Lord hath done that which he devised, he hath performed his word that he commanded in the days of old (Lam. 2, 17)?’
אָמַר לֵיהּ הָא אוּקְמוּהָ חַבְרַיָא. בִּצַּע אֶמְרָתוֹ, דְּבָזַע פּוֹרְפִּירָא דִּילֵיהּ. אֲשֶׁר צִוָּה מִימֵי קֶדֶם, דְּהָא פּוֹרְפִּירָא פָּקִיד לָהּ מֵאִנּוּן יוֹמֵי קַדְמָאֵי עִלָּאֵי, וּבְיוֹמָא דְּאִתְחָרִיב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא בָּזַע לָהּ. בְּגִין דְּהַאי פּוֹרְפִּירָא אִיהִי יְקָרָא דִילֵיהּ וְתִיקוּנָא דִילֵיהּ וּבָזַע לֵיהּ.
He answered, ‘Our colleagues have interpreted it thus. They take the words bitza imratho (“He hath performed his word”) to mean “He rent his purple cloak”- that cloak which “he commanded from days of old”, that is, which He had appointed from the beginning of things. On the day the Temple was destroyed He rent that purple cloak which was His glory and ornament.’
אָמַר לֵיהּ עָשָׂה יְיָ אֲשֶׁר זָמַם. וְכִי מַלְכָּא חָשִׁיב (קודם) לְאַבְאָשָׁא לִבְנוֹי עַד לָא יֵיתוּן לְמֶחְטֵי. אָמַר לֵיהּ לְמַלְכָּא דְּהֲוָה לֵיהּ מָאן יְקָר, וּבְכָל יוֹמָא הֲוָה דָּחִיל עֲלֵיהּ דְּלָא יִתְבַּר וְהֲוָה מִסְתַּכֵּל בֵּיהּ וְתַקִּין בְּעֵינוֹי. לְיוֹמִין אֲתָא בְּרֵיהּ וְאַרְגִּיז לֵיהּ לְמַלְכָּא, נְטַל מַלְכָּא הַהוּא מָאן יְקָר וּתְבַר לֵיהּ. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב עָשָׂה יְיָ אֲשֶׁר זָמָם.
Said R. Jose: ‘What of the words “the Lord hath done that which he (had already) devised”? Does a king devise evil against his sons before they sin?’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘Imagine a king who possessed a precious vase, and who, being constantly apprehensive lest it should be broken, had it ever under his eyes, and never lost sight of it for a moment. One day his son came and provoked him to anger, so that in his rage he took up the vase and broke it in pieces. In this way the Lord “hath done that which he had already devised”.
תָּא חֲזֵי, מִן יוֹמָא דְּאִתְבְּנֵי בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא הֲוָה קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִסְתַּכֵּל בֵּיהּ וְחֲבִיב עֲלֵיהּ סַגֵּי וְהֲוָה דָּחִיל עֲלַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל דְּיֶחטוּן וִיחָרֵב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא. וְכֵן בְּכָל זִמְנָא דְּהֲוָה אָתֵי לְגַבֵּי בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא הֲוָה לָבִישׁ הַהוּא פּוֹרְפִּירָא. לְבָתַר דְּגָרְמוּ חוֹבִין וְאַרְגִּיזוּ קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא אִתְחָרַב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא וּבָזַע הַהוּא פּוֹרְפִּירָא (ד"א גריס הס ההוא פורפירא ואתחרב בי מקדשא) הַיְנוּ דִכְתִיב עָשָׂה יְיָ אֲשֶׁר זָמַם.
From the day when the Temple was built, the Holy One, blessed be He, used to contemplate it fondly, and every time He came to the sanctuary, He used to put on the purple cloak we have mentioned. But when Israel sinned, and provoked their King, the Temple was destroyed, and the mantle was rent.
בִּצַּע אִמְרָתוֹ וְגו' (האי אמרתו בקדמיתא יתבא בראש אמיר. והא אתעטרו עטרא לרישא ואילן נאה לפניו. ואיהי מימי קדם ודאי. וכדין עציבו קמיה בבתי בראי ודאי והן (ישעיהו ל״ג:ז׳) אראלם צעקו חוצה.
Only on that occasion did God mourn the destruction of the wicked,
(ישעיהו כ״ב:י״ב) ויקרא יי צבאות ביום ההוא וגו) הַיְינוּ בְּזִמְנָא דְּאִתְחָרִיב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא. אֲבָל בְּזִמְנָא אֳחָרָא לֵית חֶדְוָה קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כְּזִמְנָא דְּאִתְאֲבִידוּ חַיָּיבֵי עָלְמָא וְאִנּוּן דְּאַרְגִּיזוּ קַמֵּיהּ הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (משלי י״א:י׳) וּבַאֲבוֹד רְשָׁעִים רִנָּה. וְכֵן בְּכָל דָּרָא וְדָרָא דְּעָבִיד דִּינָא בְּחַיָּיבֵי עָלְמָא. חֶדְוָה וְתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא.
but at any other time the Holy One, blessed be He, takes joy in nothing so much as in the destruction of the world’s sinners, and of those who have provoked Him to anger, as it is written, “And when the wicked perish there is joy” (Prov. 11, 10). So throughout the generations, whenever justice is executed on sinners, there is joy and thanksgiving before the Holy One, blessed be He.
וְאִי תֵימָא הָא תָּנִינָן דְּלֵית חֶדְוָה קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כַּד אִיהוּ עָבִיד דִּינָא בְּחַיָּיבַיָא. אֶלָּא תָּא חֲזֵי, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאִתְעֲבִיד דִּינָא בְּחַיָּיבַיָא, חֶדְוָון וְתוּשְׁבְּחָן קַמֵּיהּ עַל דְּאִתְאֲבִידוּ מֵעָלְמָא. וְהָנֵּי מִילֵי כַּד מָטָא הַהוּא זִמְנָא (קיג ב, קכא ב) דְּאוֹרִיךְ לוֹן וְלָא תָאבָן לְגַבֵּיהּ מֵחוֹבַיְיהוּ. אֲבָל אִי אִתְעֲבִיד בְּהוּ דִּינָא עַד לָא מָטָא זִמְנַיְיהוּ, (ועד דלא אשתלים חובייהו, כמא דאת אמר, (בראשית ט״ו:ט״ז)) כִּי לא שָׁלֵם עֲוֹן הָאֱמוֹרִי עַד הֵנָּה, כְּדֵין לֵית חֶדְוָה קַמֵיהּ וּבָאִישׁ קַמֵּיהּ עַל דְּאִתְאֲבִידוּ.
But, you may say, is there not a dictum of the Rabbis that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rejoice when he executes judgement on sinners? The truth is that He does take joy in the destruction of the wicked, but only when He has been longsuffering with them and they have still remained unrepentant. But if He exacts punishment from them before that time, before the measure of their sins has been completed (cf. “For the iniquity of the Amorite is not yet full”, Gen. 15, 16), then there is no joy before Him, but, on the contrary, He is grieved at their destruction.
וְאִי תֵימָא אִיהוּ עַד לָא מָטוּ זִמְנַיְיהוּ אַמַּאי עָבִיד בְּהוּ דִּינָא. אֶלָּא אִנּוּן גָּרְמִין בִּישָׁא לְגַרְמַיְיהוּ. דְּהָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לָא עָבִיד בְּהוּ דִּינָא עַד לָא מָטָא זִמְנַיְיהוּ. אֶלָּא בְּגִין דְּמִשְׁתַּתְּפֵי בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לְאַבְאָשָׁא לוֹן. וּבְגִין כָּךְ עָבִיד בְּהוּ דִּינָא וְאוֹבִיד לוֹן מֵעָלְמָא בְּלָא זִמְנָא. וְדָא הוּא דְּאַבְאִישׁ קַמֵּיהּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ אַטְבַּע מִצְרָאֵי בְּיַמָּא. וְאוֹבִיד שַׂנְאֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל בִּימֵי יְהוֹשָׁפָט. וְכֵן כֻּלְהוּ. דְּהָא בְּגִינֵיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אִתְאֲבִידוּ בְּלָא זִמְנָא.
Another difficulty here arises: if their time has not come, why should punishment be at all inflicted on them? But, indeed, they themselves are to blame for this. For the Holy One, blessed be He, never inflicts punishment on the wicked before the full time, except when they interfere with Israel in order to do them harm. It is then that He inflicts punishment upon them before the full time, and it is then that their destruction grieves Him. It was for this reason that He drowned the Egyptians in the Red Sea, and destroyed the enemies of Israel in the days of Jehoshaphat, and inflicted punishment on others; they were all destroyed before the full time on account of Israel.
אֲבָל כַּד אִשְׁתְּלִים זִמְנָא דְּאוֹרִיךְ לוֹן וְלָא תָבוּ. כְּדֵין חֶדְוָה וְתוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא קַמֵּיהּ עַל דְּאִתְאֲבִידוּ מֵעָלְמָא. בַּר בְּזִמְנָא דְּאִתְחָרִיב בֵּי מַקְדְּשָׁא. דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִשְׁתְּלִים זִמְנָא דִּלְהוֹן דְּאַרְגִּיזוּ קַמֵּיהּ, לָא הֲוָה חֶדְוָה קַמֵּיהּ. וּמֵהַהוּא זִמְנָא לָא הֲוָה חֶדְוָה לְעֵילָא וְתַתָּא:
But if the time of respite expires without their showing any sign of repentance, then their destruction is a cause of joy and glory before Him. Nevertheless, it was not so with the destruction of the Temple; for on that occasion, although Israel had filled up the cup of provocation, there was no joy before Him, and since that time there has been no joy, neither above nor below.’