AND THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE LAND, BESIDE THE FIRST FAMINE, ETC. R. Judah discoursed here on the verse: The Lord trieth the righteous; but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth (Ps. 11, 5). ‘How goodly’, he said, ‘are the acts of the Holy One, blessed be He, all based upon justice and truth, as it says: “The Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are justice; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deut. 32, 4).
For He did not punish Adam, the first man, until He had given him precepts to keep him in the right path and save him from defilement; and not until he was unmindful and transgressed the command of his Master was he punished.
Even then God did not exact the full penalty from him, but was long-suffering with him and permitted him to survive for one day-to wit, a thousand years-save seventy years which Adam presented of his allotted time to King David, who had none of his own.
In like manner, the Almighty does not mete out punishment to a man in strict accordance with the evil deeds to which he is addicted, or else the world could not endure. God is thus long-suffering with the righteous, and even more so with the wicked. He is forbearing with the wicked in order that they may change in their ways in complete repentance and so establish themselves in this world and in the world to come, as Scripture says: “Have I any pleasure, saith the Lord God, in the death of the wicked, and not rather that he should return from his way and live” (Ezek. 18, 23), i.e. that he may live in this world and in the world to come. The Almighty is also forbearing with the wicked for the sake of the goodly seed which may spring from them for the benefit of the world, as there issued from Terah that goodly scion, Abraham, who was a blessing for the world.
But with the righteous God is strict, as He knows that they will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left, and therefore He puts them to the test; not for His own sake, since He knows the firmness of their faith, but so as to glorify them the more.
It was for this purpose that God-as we read-“proved (nissah) Abraham” (Gen. 22, 1), or, as we may also translate, “He raised his banner aloft throughout the world” [for the term nissah (he proved) implies the lifting of an ensign, as it is written: “Lift up an ensign (nes) over the peoples” (Is. 62, 10).
The text continues: “The Lord trieth the righteous” (Ps. 11, 5). For what reason? Said R. Simeon: ‘Because when God finds delight in the righteous, He brings upon them sufferings, as it is written: “Yet it pleased the Lord to crush him by disease” (Is. 53, 10), as explained elsewhere. God finds delight in the soul but not in the body, as the soul resembles the supernal soul, whereas the body is not worthy to be allied to the supernal essences, although the image of the body is part of the supernal symbolism.
Observe that when God takes delight in the soul of a man, He afflicts the body in order that the soul may gain full freedom. For so long as the soul is together with the body it cannot exercise its full powers, but only when the body is broken and crushed. Again, “He trieth the righteous”, so as to make them firm like “a tried stone”, the “costly corner-stone” mentioned by the prophet (Is. 28, 16).
“But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.” So we would naturally translate; but this is hardly admissible, and it is more probable that the verse alludes to that grade whence all souls derive their existence, and tells us that “that grade hateth the soul of the wicked man”, not wanting it at all, neither in this world nor in the world to come.
When God created Adam He gave him a precept for his well-being and endowed him with wisdom through which he rose to the higher grades of contemplation. But when Adam turned his thoughts to the lower world, he let himself be enticed by the evil tempter and clung to him, so that all that he had observed of the glory of his Master vanished from his mind.
After him Noah at first was a man righteous and devout; but afterwards he also went downwards, and seeing the wine-wine a day old, not yet refined-“he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and he was uncovered within his tent” (Gen. 9, 21).
Then came Abraham, who contemplated the wisdom and glory of his Master. In his time “there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there” (Ibid. 12, 10), but subsequently he “went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South” (Ibid. 13, 1). That is, he ascended again to his own former grade, so that he came out unscathed as he went in.
Then came Isaac, of whom it is written: “And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine, etc.” He went into Gerar and afterwards ascended again from thence unscathed. Thus God proves the righteous in order to glorify them in this world and in the world to come.
(בראשית כ״ו:א׳) וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ מִלְּבַד הָרָעָב הָרִאשׁוֹן וְגו'. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (תהילים י״א:ה׳) יְיָ צַדִּיק יִבְחָן וְרָשָׁע וְאוֹהֵב (ר"ת נחש) חָמָס שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ. כַּמָּה עוֹבָדוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִתְתַּקְנָן, וְכָל מַה דְּאִיהוּ עָבִיד כֹּלָּא עַל דִּינָא וּקְשׁוֹט, כְּמָה דִכְתִיב, (דברים לכ) הַצּוּר תָּמִים פָּעֳלוֹ כִּי כָל דְּרָכָיו מִשְׁפָּט אֵל אֱמוּנָה וְאֵין עָוֶל צַדִּיק וְיָשָׁר הוּא.
AND THERE WAS A FAMINE IN THE LAND, BESIDE THE FIRST FAMINE, ETC. R. Judah discoursed here on the verse: The Lord trieth the righteous; but the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth (Ps. 11, 5). ‘How goodly’, he said, ‘are the acts of the Holy One, blessed be He, all based upon justice and truth, as it says: “The Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are justice; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and right is he” (Deut. 32, 4).
תָּא חֲזֵי, לָא דָן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאָדָם קַדְמָאָה עַד דְּפָּקִּיד לֵיה לְתוֹעַלְתֵּיהּ, דְּלָא יִסְטֵי לִבֵּיהּ וּרְעוּתֵיהּ לְאֹרַח אָחֳרָא בְּגִין דְּלָא יִסְתָּאַב. וְאִיהוּ לָא אִסְתַּמַּר, וְעֲבַר עַל פִּקּוּדֵי דְמָארֵיהּ וּלְבָתַר כֵּן דָּן לֵיהּ דִּינָא.
For He did not punish Adam, the first man, until He had given him precepts to keep him in the right path and save him from defilement; and not until he was unmindful and transgressed the command of his Master was he punished.
וְעִם כָּל דָּא, לָא דָן לֵיהּ כְּדְקָא חָזֵי לֵיהּ, וְאוֹרִיךְ עִמֵּיהּ רוּגְזֵיהּ וְאִתְקְיַּים יוֹמָא חַד דְּאִיהוּ אֶלֶף שְׁנִין, בַּר אִינוּן שִׁבְעִים שָׁנִים דְּמָסַר לֵיהּ לְדָוִד מַלְכָּא דְּלָא הֲוָה לֵיהּ מִגַּרְמֵיהּ כְּלוּם.
Even then God did not exact the full penalty from him, but was long-suffering with him and permitted him to survive for one day-to wit, a thousand years-save seventy years which Adam presented of his allotted time to King David, who had none of his own.
כְּגַוְונָא דָא, לָא דָן לֵיהּ לְבַּר נָשׁ כְּעוֹבָדוֹי בִּישִׁין דְּאִיהוּ עָבִיד תָּדִיר, דְּאִי הָכִי לָא יָכִיל עַלְמָא לְאִתְקַיְימָא, אֶלָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָרִיךְ רוּגְזֵיהּ עִם צַדִּיקַיָא, וְעִם רַשִּׁיעַיָא יַתִּיר מִצַּדִּיקַיָא. עִם רַשִּׁיעַיָא בְּגִין דִּיתוּבוּן בִּתְיוּבְתָּא שְׁלֵימָתָא, דְּיִתְקַיְימוּן בְּהַאי עַלְמָא וּבְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי. כְּמָה דִכְתִיב, (יחזקאל ל״ג:י״א) חַי אָנִי נְאֻם יְיָ וְגו' אִם אֶחְפֹּץ וְגו' כִּי אִם בְּשׁוּב רָשָׁע מִדַּרְכּוֹ וְחָיָה. וְחָיָה בְּעַלְמָא דֵין, וְחָיָה בְּעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי, וְעַל דָּא אוֹרִיךְ רוּגְזֵיהּ לוֹן תָּדִיר. אוֹ בְּגִין דְּיִפּוּק מִנְּהוֹן גִּזְעָא טָבָא בְּעַלְמָא כְּמָה דְאַפִּיק אַבְרָהָם מִתֶּרַח דְּאִיהוּ גִּזְעָא טָבָא, וְשָׁרָשָׁא וְחוּלָקָא טָבָא לְעַלְמָא.
In like manner, the Almighty does not mete out punishment to a man in strict accordance with the evil deeds to which he is addicted, or else the world could not endure. God is thus long-suffering with the righteous, and even more so with the wicked. He is forbearing with the wicked in order that they may change in their ways in complete repentance and so establish themselves in this world and in the world to come, as Scripture says: “Have I any pleasure, saith the Lord God, in the death of the wicked, and not rather that he should return from his way and live” (Ezek. 18, 23), i.e. that he may live in this world and in the world to come. The Almighty is also forbearing with the wicked for the sake of the goodly seed which may spring from them for the benefit of the world, as there issued from Terah that goodly scion, Abraham, who was a blessing for the world.
אֲבָל קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מְדַקְדֵּק עִם צַדִּיקַיָא תָּדִיר, בְּכָל עוֹבָדִין דְּאִינוּן עָבְדִין. בְּגִין דְּיָדַע דְּלָא יִסְטוּן לְיָמִינָא וּשְׂמָאלָא, וּבְגִין כָּךְ אַבְחִין לוֹן. לָאו בְּגִינֵיהּ, דְּהָא אִיהוּ יָדַע יִצְרָא וְתוּקְפָא דִמְהֵימְנוּתָא דִלְהוֹן, אֶלָּא בְּגִין לַאֲרָמָא רִישֵׁיהוֹן בְּגִינַיְיהוּ.
But with the righteous God is strict, as He knows that they will turn aside neither to the right nor to the left, and therefore He puts them to the test; not for His own sake, since He knows the firmness of their faith, but so as to glorify them the more.
כְּגַוְונָא דָא, עֲבַד לֵיהּ לְאַבְרָהָם, דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית כ״ב:א׳) וְהָאֱלהִים נִסָּה אֶת אַבְרָהָם. מַאי נִסָּה, הֲרָמַת נֵס. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (ישעיהו ס״ב:י׳) הָרִימוּ נֵס, (ירמיהו ד׳:ו׳) שְׂאוּ נֵס, אָרִים דִּגְלָא דִּילֵיהּ בְּכָל עַלְמָא, וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּהָא אִתְּמָר, בְּגִין דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָרִים דִּגְלָא דְאַבְרָהָם בְּעֵינֵיהוֹן דְּכֹלָּא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב נִסָּה אֶת אַבְרָהָם, אוּף הָכִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּגִין לַאֲרָמָא דִגְלָא דְצַדִּיקַיָא אִיהוּ בָּחִין לוֹן, לַאֲרָמָא רֵישַׁיְיהוּ בְּכָל עַלְמָא.
It was for this purpose that God-as we read-“proved (nissah) Abraham” (Gen. 22, 1), or, as we may also translate, “He raised his banner aloft throughout the world” [for the term nissah (he proved) implies the lifting of an ensign, as it is written: “Lift up an ensign (nes) over the peoples” (Is. 62, 10).
(תהילים י״א:ה׳) צַדִּיק יִבְחָן, מַאי טַעְמָא, אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בְּגִין דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כַּד אִתְרָעֵי בְּהוּ בְּצַדִּיקַיָא, מַה כְּתִיב, (ישעיהו נ״ג:י׳) וַיְיָ חָפֵץ דַּכְּאוֹ הֶחלִי. וְאוּקְמוּהָ. אֲבָל בְּגִין דִּרְעוּתָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לָא אִתְרָעֵי אֶלָּא בְּנִשְׁמָתָא, אֲבָל בְּגוּפָא לָא, דְּהָא נִשְׁמָתָא אִיהִי דַמְיָא לְנִשְׁמָתָא דִלְעֵילָא, וְגוּפָא לָאו אִיהוּ חָזֵי לְאִתְאַחֲדָא לְעֵילָא, וְאַף עַל גַּב דְּדִיוּקְנָא דְגוּפָא בְּרָזָא עִלָּאָה אִיהוּ.
The text continues: “The Lord trieth the righteous” (Ps. 11, 5). For what reason? Said R. Simeon: ‘Because when God finds delight in the righteous, He brings upon them sufferings, as it is written: “Yet it pleased the Lord to crush him by disease” (Is. 53, 10), as explained elsewhere. God finds delight in the soul but not in the body, as the soul resembles the supernal soul, whereas the body is not worthy to be allied to the supernal essences, although the image of the body is part of the supernal symbolism.
וְתָּא חֲזֵי, בְּזִמְנָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בְּנִשְׁמָתֵיהּ דְּבַּר נָשׁ, לְאִתְהַנָּאָה (נ"א לאתנהרא) בָהּ, מָחֵי לְגוּפָא בְּגִין דְּתִשְׁלוֹט נִשְׁמָתָא. דְּהָא בְּעוֹד דְּנִשְׁמָתָא עִם גּוּפָא, נִשְׁמָתָא לָא יָכְלָא לְשַׁלְטָאָה. דְּכַד אִתְרַע (נ"א אתבר) גּוּפָא, נִשְׁמָתָא שָׁלְטָא. צַדִּיק יִבְחָן, מַאי צַדִּיק יִבְחָן, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ישעיהו כ״ח:ט״ז) אֶבֶן בֹּחַן, הָכִי נָמֵי צַדִּיק יִבְחָן, אַתְקִיף לֵיהּ. כְּהַאי אֶבֶן בֹּחַן, דְּהִיא (ישעיהו כ״ח:ט״ז) פִּנַּת יִקְרַת, הָכִי נָמֵי צַדִּיק יִבְחָן.
Observe that when God takes delight in the soul of a man, He afflicts the body in order that the soul may gain full freedom. For so long as the soul is together with the body it cannot exercise its full powers, but only when the body is broken and crushed. Again, “He trieth the righteous”, so as to make them firm like “a tried stone”, the “costly corner-stone” mentioned by the prophet (Is. 28, 16).
וְרָשָׁע וְאוֹהֵב חָמָס שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ. מַאי שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ, סַלְּקָא דַּעְתָּךְ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוֵי דְּנַפְשׁוֹ שָׂנְאָה לְהַהוּא רָשָׁע. אֶלָּא הַהוּא דַרְגָא דְּכָל נִשְׁמָתִין תַּלְיָין בֵּיהּ, שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ דְּהַהוּא רָשָׁע, דְּלָא בָּעְיָא לָהּ כְּלַל. לָא בָּעְיָא לָהּ לָא בְּעַלְמָא דֵין וְלָא בְּעָלְמָא דְאָתֵי. וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב, (תהילים י״א:ה׳) וְרָשָׁע וְאוֹהֵב חָמָס שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ, וַדַּאי. דָבָר אַחֵר שָׂנְאָה נַפְשׁוֹ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (עמוס ו׳:ח׳) נִשְׁבַּע אֲדֹנָי יהִֹוִה בְּנַפְשׁוֹ, וּבְגִין כָּךְ צַדִּיק יִבְחָן.
“But the wicked and him that loveth violence his soul hateth.” So we would naturally translate; but this is hardly admissible, and it is more probable that the verse alludes to that grade whence all souls derive their existence, and tells us that “that grade hateth the soul of the wicked man”, not wanting it at all, neither in this world nor in the world to come.
תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּד בָּרָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאָדָם, פַּקִּיד לֵיהּ לְאוֹטָבָא לֵיהּ, יָהַב לֵיהּ חָכְמְתָא, אִסְתַּלַּק בְּדַרְגּוֹי לְעֵילָא. כַּד נָחַת לְתַתָּא, חָמָא תִּיאוּבְתָּא דְיֵצֶר הָרָע וְאִתְדָּבַּק בֵּיהּ, וְאִנְשֵׁי כָּל מַה דְּאִסְתַּלַּק (ס"א דאסתכל), בִּיקָרָא עִלָּאָה דְמָרֵיהּ.
When God created Adam He gave him a precept for his well-being and endowed him with wisdom through which he rose to the higher grades of contemplation. But when Adam turned his thoughts to the lower world, he let himself be enticed by the evil tempter and clung to him, so that all that he had observed of the glory of his Master vanished from his mind.
אֲתָא נֹחַ, בְּקַדְמִיתָא כְּתִיב, (בראשית ו׳:ט׳) נֹחַ אִישׁ צַדִּיק תָּמִים הָיָה, וּלְבָתַר נָחַת לְתַתָּא, וְחָמָא חַמְרָא תַּקִּיף, דְּלָא צָלֵיל, מֵחַד יוֹמָא, וְאִשְׁתֵּי מִנֵּיהּ, וְאִשְׁתַּכַּר וְאִתְגְּלִי, כְּמָה דִכְתִיב, (בראשית ט׳:כ״א) וַיֵּשְׁתְּ מִן הַיַּיִן וַיִּשְׁכָּר וַיִּתְגָּל בְּתוֹךְ אָהֳלה.
After him Noah at first was a man righteous and devout; but afterwards he also went downwards, and seeing the wine-wine a day old, not yet refined-“he drank of the wine, and was drunken, and he was uncovered within his tent” (Gen. 9, 21).
אֲתָא אַבְרָהָם, אִסְתַּלַּק בְּחָכְמְתָא, וְאִסְתַּכַּל בִּיקָרָא דְמָארֵיהּ, לְבָתַר (בראשית י״ב:י׳) וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ וַיֵּרֶד אַבְרָם ימִצְרָיְמָה לָגוּר שָׁם כִּי כָבֵד הָרָעָב בָּאָרֶץ וְגו'. לְבָתַר מַה כְּתִיב, (בראשית י״ג:א׳) וַיַּעַל אַבְרָם מִמִצְרַיִם הוּא וְאִשְׁתּוֹ וְכָל אֲשֶׁר לוֹ וְלוֹט עִמּוֹ הַנֶּגְבָּה, וְאִסְתַּלַּק לְדַרְגֵּיהּ קַדְמָאָה דְּהֲוָה בֵּיהּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא, וְעָאל בִּשְׁלָם וְנָפַק בִּשְׁלָם.
Then came Abraham, who contemplated the wisdom and glory of his Master. In his time “there was a famine in the land; and Abram went down into Egypt to sojourn there” (Ibid. 12, 10), but subsequently he “went up out of Egypt, he and his wife and all that he had, and Lot with him, into the South” (Ibid. 13, 1). That is, he ascended again to his own former grade, so that he came out unscathed as he went in.
אֲתָא יִצְחָק, מַה כְּתִיב, (בראשית כ״ו:א׳) וַיְהִי רָעָב בָּאָרֶץ מִלְּבַד הָרָעָב הָרִאשׁוֹן וְגו'. וְאֲזַל יִצְחָק וְאִסְתַּלַּק מִתַּמָּן לְבָתַר בִּשְׁלָם. וְכֻלְּהוּ צַדִּיקַיָיא, כֻּלְּהוּ בָּחִין לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, בְּגִין לַאֲרָמָא רֵישַׁיְיהוּ בְּעַלְמָא דֵין וּבְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי.
Then came Isaac, of whom it is written: “And there was a famine in the land, beside the first famine, etc.” He went into Gerar and afterwards ascended again from thence unscathed. Thus God proves the righteous in order to glorify them in this world and in the world to come.