1the first 4 lines of the Hebrew text are not translated. The shadow returned as before and went to and fro in the house in the shape of a man. R. Abba fell on his face. R. Jose said: ‘I remember that I once saw R. Phineas b. Jair in this place standing in this spot and discoursing on the verse, “Phineas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest”, etc.
God at that time, he said, was debating how to give this covenant to Phineas, because it belonged of right to Moses, and it would be an insult to him to give it to anyone else unless he consented. God therefore commenced to speak with Moses, saying: Phineas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. Said Moses: Sovereign of the Universe, what of him? He replied: Thou didst risk thy life many times to save Israel from destruction, and now he has turned My wrath away from the children of Israel. Moses thereupon said: What wilt Thou of me? All is in Thy hand.
He replied: Nay, all is in thy hand. Tell him that it (the Shekinah) will abide in him. Moses replied: I am willing with all my heart that it should be with him. God then said: Declare aloud that thou deliverest it to him with all thy heart. Hence we read in the text, “Say, Behold I (viz. Moses) give unto him my covenant”, and not, “Say to him״. Yet think not that it was taken away from Moses: it was like a light from which another is kindled without loss to itself.’
The shade then came and sat down and kissed him. They heard a voice saying: Make way, make way for R. Phineas b. Jair, who is with you, as we have learnt: Any place in which a righteous man has given some new explanation of the Torah he visits when he is in the other world, especially when there are in it other righteous men discoursing on the Torah. So R. Phineas b. Jair came to revisit his place and found those righteous men repeating his own remark.
R. Abba gave a further exposition in the name of R. Phineas b. Jair of the text: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Eccl. 9, 10).
אַהְדָּר הַהוּא טוּלָא דְּמִלְקַדְּמִין, וְאַזְלָא גּוֹ בֵּיתָא, כְּמוֹ דִּיּוּקְנָא דְּבַּר נָשׁ. נָפַל עַל אַנְפּוֹי רִבִּי אַבָּא. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, אַדְכַּרְנָא דִּבְהַאי אַתְרָא חֲמֵינָא לֵיהּ לְרִבִּי פִּנְחָס בֶּן יָאִיר, יוֹמָא חַד הֲוָה קָאִים בְּהַאי דּוּכְתָּא, וַהֲוָה אָמַר הָכִי, (במדבר כ"ב) פִּינְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן, בְּאָת י' זְעֵירָא.
1the first 4 lines of the Hebrew text are not translated. The shadow returned as before and went to and fro in the house in the shape of a man. R. Abba fell on his face. R. Jose said: ‘I remember that I once saw R. Phineas b. Jair in this place standing in this spot and discoursing on the verse, “Phineas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest”, etc.
בְּגִין דִּתְרֵין אַלְפִין בֵּיתִין רְשִׁימִין, אַלְפָא בֵּיתָא דְּאַתְוָון רַבְרְבָן, וְאַלְפָא בֵּיתָא דְּאַתְוָון זְעִירָן. אַתְוָון רַבְרְבָן, אִינּוּן בְּעָלְמָא דְּאָתֵי. וְאַתְוָון זְעִירָן, אִינּוּן בְּעָלְמָא תַּתָּאָה. י' זְעֵירָא, בְּרִית קַיָּימָא קַדִּישָׁא. כֵּיוָן דְּקַנֵּי פִּנְחָס עַל בְּרִית דָּא, אִתּוֹסַף בֵּיהּ י' זְעֵירָא, רָזָא דִּבְרִית דָּא.
בְּהַהוּא שַׁעֲתָא, אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, מָה אַעְבִּיד עִם מֹשֶׁה, בְּרִית דָּא מִמֹּשֶׁה הֲוִי, וְכַלָּה דִּילֵיהּ הֲוִי. גְּנַאי הוּא לְמֵיהַב לֵיהּ לְאַחֲרָא, בְּלָא דַּעְתָּא וּרְעוּתָא דְּמֹשֶׁה, לָאו יָאוּת הוּא. שָׁארֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְאָמַר לְמֹשֶׁה, מֹשֶׁה, פִּנְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן הַכֹּהֵן. אָמַר לֵיהּ מֹשֶׁה, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם מַהוּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ, אַנְתְּ הוּא דְּמַסְרַת נַפְשָׁךְ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּלָא יִשְׁתֵּצוּן מִן עָלְמָא בְּכַמָּה זִמְנִין, וְאִיהוּ הֵשִׁיב אֶת חֲמָתִי מֵעַל בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְגוֹ'. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה מַה אַתְּ בָּעֵי מִנִּי, הָא כֹּלָּא דִּידָךְ.
God at that time, he said, was debating how to give this covenant to Phineas, because it belonged of right to Moses, and it would be an insult to him to give it to anyone else unless he consented. God therefore commenced to speak with Moses, saying: Phineas son of Eleazar son of Aaron the priest. Said Moses: Sovereign of the Universe, what of him? He replied: Thou didst risk thy life many times to save Israel from destruction, and now he has turned My wrath away from the children of Israel. Moses thereupon said: What wilt Thou of me? All is in Thy hand.
אָמַר לֵיהּ, הָא כֹּלָּא דִּידָךְ הִיא, אֵימָא לֵיהּ דְּתִשְׁרֵי בְּגַוִיהּ. אָמַר מֹשֶׁה, הָא בְּלִבָּא שְׁלִים תְּהֵא לְגַבֵּיהּ. אָמַר לֵיהּ אֵימָא אַנְתְּ בְּפוּמָךְ, וְאָרִים קַלָךְ, דְּאַנְתְּ מָסַר לֵיהּ בִּרְעוּתָא, בְּלִבָּא שְׁלִים. הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, לָכֵן אֱמוֹר, אַתְּ אֵימָא בִּרְעוּתָא, הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם. מֹשֶׁה הֲוָה אָמַר הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ וְגוֹ', דְּאִילּוּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, הֲוָה לֵיהּ לְמֵימַר לָכֵן אֱמוֹר לוֹ הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ אֶת בְּרִיתִי שָׁלוֹם, אֲבָל לָא כְּתִיב אֶלָּא לָכֵן אֱמוֹר. וְאִי תֵּימָא, דְּאִתְעַבְּרַת מִן מֹשֶׁה. לָא. אֶלָּא כְּבוּצִינָא דָּא דְּאַדְלִיקוּ מִינָהּ, דָּא יָהִיב וְאַהֲנֵי, וְדָא לָא אִתְגָּרַע מִנָּהּ.
He replied: Nay, all is in thy hand. Tell him that it (the Shekinah) will abide in him. Moses replied: I am willing with all my heart that it should be with him. God then said: Declare aloud that thou deliverest it to him with all thy heart. Hence we read in the text, “Say, Behold I (viz. Moses) give unto him my covenant”, and not, “Say to him״. Yet think not that it was taken away from Moses: it was like a light from which another is kindled without loss to itself.’
אָתָא הַהוּא טוּלָא, וְיָתִיב, וְנָשִׁיק לֵיהּ. שָׁמְעוּ חַד קָלָא דְּהֲוָה אָמַר, פְּנוּן אֲתָר, פְּנוּן אֲתָר לְרִבִּי פִּנְחָס בֶּן יָאִיר, דְּאִיהוּ גַּבַּיְיכוּ. דְּתָנֵינָן, דְּכָל אֲתָר דְּצַדִּיקָא אִתְחַדָּשׁ בֵּיהּ מִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, כַּד אִיהוּ בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא, פָּקִיד לְהַהוּא אֲתָר, וְאָתֵי לֵיהּ לְגַבֵּיהּ. וְכָּל שֶׁכֵּן כַּד שָׁרָאן בְּגַוִּויהּ צַדִּיקַיָּיא אָחֲרָנִין. לְחָדְתָּא בְּהַהוּא אֲתָר, דְּאַמְרִין מִלֵּי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא. כְּגַוְונָא דָּא דְּהֲוָה אָתֵי רִבִּי פִּנְחָס בֶּן יָאִיר לְמִפְקַּד לְאַתְרֵיהּ, וְאַשְׁכַּח אִלֵּין צַדִּיקַיָּיא מְחַדְתִּין מִלִּין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְאִתְחַדָּשׁ כְּמִלְּקַדְּמִין, הַהוּא מִלָּה דְרִבִּי פִּנְחָס בֵּן יָאִיר קַמֵּיהּ.
The shade then came and sat down and kissed him. They heard a voice saying: Make way, make way for R. Phineas b. Jair, who is with you, as we have learnt: Any place in which a righteous man has given some new explanation of the Torah he visits when he is in the other world, especially when there are in it other righteous men discoursing on the Torah. So R. Phineas b. Jair came to revisit his place and found those righteous men repeating his own remark.
אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, יָאוּת מִלָּה דְּרִבִּי פִּנְחָס בֶּן יָאִיר, דְּהָא לָא כְּתִיב לָכֵן הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן, אֶלָּא לָכֵן אֱמוֹר הִנְנִי נוֹתֵן לוֹ. וְכִי מִלָּה דָּא הֲוָה גְּנִיזָא מֵחַסִידָא דָּא תְּחוֹת יְדָךְ, וְלָא הֲוִית אָמַר. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקָנָא, דְּזָכֵינָא לְמֶהֱוִי בְּסִיַּעְתָּא דְּטוּלָא קַדִּישָׁא הָכָא.
R. Abba gave a further exposition in the name of R. Phineas b. Jair of the text: “Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might” (Eccl. 9, 10).