AND JACOB DWELT IN THE LAND OF HIS FATHER’S SOJOURNINGS, IN THE LAND OF CANAAN. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: Many are the ills of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all (Ps. 34, 20). ‘Many, indeed’, he said, ‘are the adversaries with whom a human being has to contend from the day that God breathes into him a soul in this world. For as soon as he emerges into the light of day, the evil prompter is at hand in readiness to join him, according to our interpretation of the verse: “Sin coucheth at the door” (Gen. 4, 7).
In proof whereof note that the beasts from the day they are born are able to take care of themselves, and avoid fire and similar dangers, whereas man, on the other hand, seems to feel at first a natural propensity to throw himself into the fire, the reason being that the evil prompter dwells within him and from the beginning lures him into evil ways.
So Scripture says: “Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king, who knoweth not how to receive admonition any more” (Eccl. 4, 13). The “child” here signifies the good prompter, who is so called because he is, as it were, a youngster by the side of man, whom he does not join till he is at the age of thirteen years, as elsewhere affirmed.
He is better, then, than “an old and foolish king”, to wit, the evil prompter, who is called king and ruler over the sons of men, and who is assuredly old, since, as already said, so soon as a man is born and sees the light of day he attaches himself to him;
and he is foolish, not knowing how to receive admonition, since, as Solomon says of him also, “the fool walketh in darkness” (Ibid. 2, 14). Indeed, he comes from the very quarry of darkness, and light is for ever a stranger to him.’
R. Simeon said: ‘It has been laid down that the “poor child” here is the good prompter, the same as he who said of himself: “I have been young, and now am old” (Ps. 37, 25). He is called “poor child”, as he has no possession whatever of his own, and is called “youth” for the reason that he is constantly renewed in the same way as the moon; also he is wise, since wisdom dwells within him.
He is better than the “old king”, who is the evil prompter, as already said, since from his first emergence he has never rid himself of his impurity, and he is foolish in that all his steps are toward the evil ways, and he turns the sons of men from the right path, employing all kinds of pretexts to divert them from the good way to the evil.
And he hastens to join man on the very day he is born, in order that man may come to believe in him, and that when the good prompter arrives later he may be loth to believe him and think him a burden. Similarly our teachers have defined a “cunning wicked man” to be one who comes first to the judge and pleads his cause before his opponent arrives; as Scripture says: “He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just, etc.” (Prov. 18, 17).
In the same way the evil prompter is cunningly wicked, as we read: “And the serpent was more cunning, etc.” (Gen. 3, 1), and so he arrives first to take up his abode with man, and make his case plausible to him,. so that when his fellow, that is, the good prompter, arrives, he finds himself obnoxious to man, and is not able to raise his head, as though he were bowed down with a heavy burden, because of that cunningly wicked one who has got the start of him. Hence the words of Solomon: “the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard” (Eccl. 9, 16), because the other has anticipated him.
Hence for a judge to receive the pleadings of one litigant in the absence of the other is like acknowledging strange gods. But the way of the righteous judge is to wait till “his neighbour cometh and searcheth him out” (Prov. 18, 17). Similarly the righteous man is he who does not put credence in the evil prompter, but first waits for the arrival of the good prompter. For neglecting to do this the sons of man will stumble in the world to come.
The righteous man, on the other hand, endures in this world many trials for not believing in and not associating himself with the evil prompter, but the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers him from all ills, as it says: “Many are the ills of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Ps. 34, 20). For God finds delight in such a man and delivers him from all ills in this world and in the world to come. Happy is his portion!
See how many ills befell Jacob in his effort not to be drawn to the evil prompter, and to keep himself far from his portion; and for this he endured many afflictions and ills without respite.’ R. Hiya applied to Jacob the verse: I was not at ease, neither was I quiet, neither had I rest; but trouble came (Job. 3, 26). ‘How many ills and sufferings,’ he said, ‘one after another come upon the righteous in this world that they may merit the world to come.
Jacob was one of them, and could say of himself, “I was not at ease” in the house of Laban, from whom I could not escape; “neither was I quiet” on account of Esau, through the pain inflicted on me by his Chieftain, and later on through fear of himself; “neither had I rest” in the affair of Dinah and Shechem;
AND JACOB DWELT IN THE LAND OF HIS FATHER’S SOJOURNINGS, IN THE LAND OF CANAAN. R. Jose discoursed here on the verse: The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart, and godly men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come (Is. 57, 1). ‘When God’, he said, ‘surveys the world and finds it misbehaving and meet for chastisement, He first removes from it any righteous man that is present in it, so that chastisement should be visited on all the others and there should be none to shield them.
For as long as there is a righteous man in the world chastisement cannot befall it, as we learn from Moses, of whom it is written: “Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in tbe breach, etc.” (Ps. 106, 23). God thus first removes the righteous from the world, and only then collects His account, as it were. We thus translate the conclusion of the verse: “the righteous is taken away before (mitne’) the evil to come”, that is, before the evil is due to befall. (According to another interpretation, “from the evil to come” is an allusion to the evil prompter.)
Observe now that although the galuth was already due in the life-time of Jacob, yet because he was a righteous man-the perfection of the patriarchs-the sentence was postponed; for whilst he was alive punishment could not befall the world, and even the famine of Egypt ceased on his arrival.
Neither did the exile really commence during the life-time of Joseph, since he was the image of his father, but as soon as he died the captivity began in earnest, as it says: “And Joseph died… come, let us deal wisely with them… and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, etc.” (Ex. 1, 6-14).
Similarly, wherever a righteous man exists, God for his sake shields the world, and during his life-time no chastisement falls on the world; and so we affirm.
AND JACOB DWELT IN THE LAND OF HIS FATHER’S SOJOURNINGS. The term m’gure (sojournings) can be rendered “apprehensions”, being akin to the term magor in the phrase magor misabib, “a terror on every side” (Jer. 6, 25), and so indicates that Jacob passed all his life in fear and anxiety.
וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן. רִבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (תהלים לה) רַבּוֹת רָעוֹת צַדִּיק וּמִכֻּלָּם יַצִּילֶנוּ יְיָ. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה מְקַטְרְגִין אִית לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ מִיּוֹמָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָהַב בֵּיהּ נִשְׁמָתָא (ד"א ל"ג לבר נש) (לאתקיימא) בְּהַאי עַלְמָא. דְּכֵיוָן דְּנָפִיק בַר נָשׁ לַאֲוִירָא דְעַלְמָא, מִיָּד אִזְדַּמַּן לְאִשְׁתַּתְּפָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ יֵצֶר הָרָע כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר. דִּכְתִיב, (בראשית ד׳:ז׳) לַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רוֹבֵץ וְגו'. וּכְדֵין אִשְׁתַּתַּף בַּהֲדֵיהּ יֵצֶר הָרָע.
AND JACOB DWELT IN THE LAND OF HIS FATHER’S SOJOURNINGS, IN THE LAND OF CANAAN. R. Hiya discoursed on the verse: Many are the ills of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all (Ps. 34, 20). ‘Many, indeed’, he said, ‘are the adversaries with whom a human being has to contend from the day that God breathes into him a soul in this world. For as soon as he emerges into the light of day, the evil prompter is at hand in readiness to join him, according to our interpretation of the verse: “Sin coucheth at the door” (Gen. 4, 7).
וְתָּא חֲזֵי, דְּהָכִי הוּא, דְּהָא בְּעִירֵי מִיּוֹמָא דְּאִתְיַלִּידוּ, כֻּלְּהוּ נָטְרֵי גַרְמַיְיהוּ, וְעָרְקִין מִן גּוֹ נוּרָא, וּמִן כָּל אַתְרִין בִּישִׁין. וּבַר נָשׁ, מִיָּד אָתֵי לַאֲרָמָא גַּרְמֵיהּ גּוֹ נוּרָא, בְּגִין דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע שָׁארֵי בְּגַוִּיהּ, וּמִיָּד אַסְטֵי לֵיהּ לְאָרְחָא בִישָׁא.
In proof whereof note that the beasts from the day they are born are able to take care of themselves, and avoid fire and similar dangers, whereas man, on the other hand, seems to feel at first a natural propensity to throw himself into the fire, the reason being that the evil prompter dwells within him and from the beginning lures him into evil ways.
וְאוֹקִימְנָא דִּכְתִיב, (קהלת ד׳:י״ג) טוֹב יֶלֶד מִסְכֵּן וְחָכָם מִמֶּלֶךְ זָקֵן וּכְסִיל אֲשֶׁר לא יָדַע לְהִזָּהֵר עוֹד. טוֹב יֶלֶד, דָּא הוּא יֵצֶר טוֹב דְּהוּא יֶלֶד מִיּוֹמִין זְעִירִין עִמֵּיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ, דְּהָא מִתְּלֵיסַר שְׁנִין וָאֵילָךְ (עמיה) כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר.
So Scripture says: “Better is a poor and wise child than an old and foolish king, who knoweth not how to receive admonition any more” (Eccl. 4, 13). The “child” here signifies the good prompter, who is so called because he is, as it were, a youngster by the side of man, whom he does not join till he is at the age of thirteen years, as elsewhere affirmed.
מִמֶּלֶךָ זָקֵן וּכְסִיל. מִמֶּלֶךְ, דָּא הוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע דְּאִיהוּ אִקְרֵי מֶלֶךְ וְשַׁלִּיט בְּעַלְמָא עַל בְּנֵי נָשָׁא. זָקֵן וּכְסִיל, דְּאִיהוּ זָקֵן וַדַּאי, כְּמָה דְאוּקְמוּהָ, דְּכַד אִתְיְלִיד בַר נָשׁ וְנָפִיק לַאֲוִירָא דְעַלְמָא אִיהוּ אִזְדַּמַּן עִמֵּיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ. וְעַל דָּא אִיהוּ מֶלֶךְ זָקֵן וּכְסִיל.
He is better, then, than “an old and foolish king”, to wit, the evil prompter, who is called king and ruler over the sons of men, and who is assuredly old, since, as already said, so soon as a man is born and sees the light of day he attaches himself to him;
אֲשֶׁר לא יָדַע לְהִזָּהֵר עוֹד, לְהַזְהִיר לָא כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא לְהִזָּהֵר, בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ כְסִיל. וְעֲלֵיהּ אָמַר שְׁלֹמֹה עָלָיו הַשָׁלוֹם (קהלת ב׳:י״ד) וְהַכְּסִיל בַּחשֶׁךְ הוֹלֵךְ. דְּהָא מֵסּוּסִיתָא דְּחשֶׁךְ קָא אַתְיָא וְלֵית לֵיהּ נְהוֹרָא לְעָלְמִין.
and he is foolish, not knowing how to receive admonition, since, as Solomon says of him also, “the fool walketh in darkness” (Ibid. 2, 14). Indeed, he comes from the very quarry of darkness, and light is for ever a stranger to him.’
רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָמַר, תָּא חֲזֵי, כְּתִיב טוֹב יֶלֶד מִסְכֵּן וְחָכָם. מַאן יֶלֶד מִסְכֵּן, הָא אוּקְמוּהָ וְאִתְּמָר דְּאִיהוּ יֵצֶר טוֹב. אֲבָל טוֹב יֶלֶד, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (תהילים ל״ז:כ״ה) נַעַר הָיִיתִי גַּם זָקַנְתִּי. וְדָא הוּא נַעַר דְּאִיהוּ יֶלֶד מִסְכֵּן דְּלֵית לֵיהּ מִגַּרְמֵיהּ כְּלוּם. וְאַמַּאי אִקְרֵי נַעַר, בְּגִין דְּאִית לֵיהּ חַדְתּוּ דְסִיהֲרָא דְּמִתְחַדְּשָׁא תָּדִיר, וְתָדִיר אִיהוּ יֶלֶד מִסְכֵּן כְּמָה דְּאֲמְרָן. וְחָכָם, בְּגִין דְּחָכְמָה שַׁרְיָא בֵּיהּ.
R. Simeon said: ‘It has been laid down that the “poor child” here is the good prompter, the same as he who said of himself: “I have been young, and now am old” (Ps. 37, 25). He is called “poor child”, as he has no possession whatever of his own, and is called “youth” for the reason that he is constantly renewed in the same way as the moon; also he is wise, since wisdom dwells within him.
מִמֶּלֶךָ זָקֵן, דָּא הוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר. דְּהָא מִן יוֹמָא דְּהֲוָה לָא נָפַק מִמְּסָאֲבוּתֵיהּ לְעָלְמִין, וְאִיהוּ כְסִיל. דְּכָל אָרְחוֹי אִינוּן לְאֹרַח בִּישָׁא, וְאָזִיל וְסָטֵי לִבְנִי נָשָׁא וְלָא יָדַע לְאִזְדַּהֲרָא. וְאִיהוּ אָתֵי עִם בַר נָשׁ בְּתִסְקוּפִין בְּגִין לְאַסְטָאָה לוֹן מֵאֹרַח טָבָא לְאֹרַח בִּישָׁא.
He is better than the “old king”, who is the evil prompter, as already said, since from his first emergence he has never rid himself of his impurity, and he is foolish in that all his steps are toward the evil ways, and he turns the sons of men from the right path, employing all kinds of pretexts to divert them from the good way to the evil.
תָּא חֲזֵי, עַל דָּא אַקְדִים עִם בַּר נָשׁ בְּיוֹמָא דְאִתְיְלִיד בְּגִין דִּיְהֵימִין לֵיהּ. דְּהָא כַּד אָתֵי יֵצֶר טוֹב לָא יָכִיל בַר נָשׁ לִמְהֵימְנָא לֵיהּ וְדָמֵי עֲלֵיהּ כְּמָטוּלָא. כְּגַוְונָא דָא תָּנִינָן, מַאן הוּא רָשָׁע עָרוּם, דָּא הוּא מַאן דְּאַקְדִּים לְאַטְעָנָא מִלּוֹי לְקַמֵּי דַיְינָא עַד לָא יֵיתֵי חַבְרֵיהּ מָארֵי דְדִינָא. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (משלי י״ח:י״ז) צַדִּיק הָרִאשׁוֹן בְּרִיבוֹ וְגו'.
And he hastens to join man on the very day he is born, in order that man may come to believe in him, and that when the good prompter arrives later he may be loth to believe him and think him a burden. Similarly our teachers have defined a “cunning wicked man” to be one who comes first to the judge and pleads his cause before his opponent arrives; as Scripture says: “He that pleadeth his cause first seemeth just, etc.” (Prov. 18, 17).
כְּגַוְונָא דָא (הוא נ"א האי) רָשָׁע עָרוּם, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (בראשית ג׳:א׳) וְהַנָּחָשׁ הָיָה עָרוּם. וְהוּא אַקְדִּים וְשָׁרֵי עִמֵּיהּ דְּבַר נָשׁ עַד לָא יֵיתֵי חַבְרֵיהּ לְאַשְׁרָאָה עֲלֵיהּ. וּבְגִין דְּאִיהוּ אַקְדִּים וְהָא אַטְעִין טַעֲנָתֵיהּ עִמֵּיהּ, כַּד אָתֵי חַבְרֵיהּ דְּאִיהוּ יֵצֶר הַטּוֹב, אַבְאִישׁ לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ בַּהֲדֵיהּ וְלָא יָכִיל לְזָקְפָא רֵישֵׁיהּ, כְּאִילּוּ אַטְעִין עַל כִּתְפֵיהּ כָּל מָטוֹלִין דְּעַלְמָא. בְּגִין הַהוּא רָשָׁע עָרוּם דְאַקְדִּים עִמֵּיהּ. וְעַל דָּא אָמַר שְׁלמֹה (קהלת ט׳:ט״ז) וְחָכְמַת הַמִּסְכֵּן בְּזוּיָה וּדְבָרָיו אֵינָם נִשְׁמָעִים, בְּגִין דְּהָא אַקְדִים אָחֳרָא.
In the same way the evil prompter is cunningly wicked, as we read: “And the serpent was more cunning, etc.” (Gen. 3, 1), and so he arrives first to take up his abode with man, and make his case plausible to him,. so that when his fellow, that is, the good prompter, arrives, he finds himself obnoxious to man, and is not able to raise his head, as though he were bowed down with a heavy burden, because of that cunningly wicked one who has got the start of him. Hence the words of Solomon: “the poor man’s wisdom is despised, and his words are not heard” (Eccl. 9, 16), because the other has anticipated him.
וְעַל דָּא כָּל דַיְינֵי דְּקַבִּיל מִבַּר נָשׁ מִלָּה עַד לָא יֵיתֵי חַבְרֵיהּ, כְּאִילּוּ מְקַבֵּל עֲלֵיהּ טַעֲוָוא אָחֳרָא לִמְהֵימְנוּתָא. אֶלָּא (משלי י״ח:י״ז) וּבָא רֵעֵהוּ וַחֲקָרוֹ, וְדָא הוּא אֹרַח דְּבַר נָשׁ זַכָּאָה, דְּהָא בַר נָשׁ זַכָּאָה דָּא הוּא, דְּלָא הֵימִין לְהַהוּא רָשָׁע עָרוּם דְּיֵצֶר הָרָע, עַד דְּיֵיתֵי חַבְרֵיהּ דְּאִיהוּ יֵצֶר טוֹב. וּבְגִין דָא בְּנֵי נָשָׁא אִינוּן כָּשְׁלִין לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי.
Hence for a judge to receive the pleadings of one litigant in the absence of the other is like acknowledging strange gods. But the way of the righteous judge is to wait till “his neighbour cometh and searcheth him out” (Prov. 18, 17). Similarly the righteous man is he who does not put credence in the evil prompter, but first waits for the arrival of the good prompter. For neglecting to do this the sons of man will stumble in the world to come.
אֲבָל הַהוּא זַכָּאָה דְּאִיהוּ דָּחִיל לְמָארֵיהּ, כַּמָּה בִּישִׁין סָבִיל בְּהַאי עַלְמָא בְּגִין דְּלָא יְהֵימִין וְלָא יִשְׁתַּתַּף בְּהַהוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא שֵׁזִיב לֵיהּ מִכֻּלְּהוּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (תהלים לה) רַבּוֹת רָעוֹת צַדִּיק וּמִכֻּלָּם יַצִּילֶנוּ יְיָ. רַבּוֹת רָעוֹת לַצַּדִּיק לָא כְּתִיב, אֶלָּא צַדִּיק. בְּגִין דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בֵּיהּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בְּהַהוּא בַר נָשׁ וְשֵׁזִיב לֵיהּ מִכֹּלָּא בְּהַאי עַלְמָא וּבְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ.
The righteous man, on the other hand, endures in this world many trials for not believing in and not associating himself with the evil prompter, but the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers him from all ills, as it says: “Many are the ills of the righteous, but the Lord delivereth him out of them all” (Ps. 34, 20). For God finds delight in such a man and delivers him from all ills in this world and in the world to come. Happy is his portion!
תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה בִּישִׁין עָבְרוּ עֲלֵיהּ דְּיַעֲקֹב, בְּגִין דְּלָא יִתְדַּבַּק בְּהַהוּא יֵצֶר הָרָע וְיִתְרְחַק מֵחוּלָקֵיהּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ סָבִיל כַּמָּה עוֹנְשִׁין כַּמָּה בִּישִׁין וְלָא שָׁקִיט. פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (איוב ג׳:כ״ו) לא שָׁלַוְתִּי וְלֹא שָׁקַטְתִּי וְלֹא נַחְתִּי וַיָּבֹא רֹגֶז. תָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה בִּישִׁין סָבְלִין צַדִּיקַיָא בְּהַאי עַלְמָא. בִּישִׁין עַל בִּישִׁין, כְּאֵבִין עַל כְּאֵבִין. בְּגִין לְמִזְכֵּי לוֹן לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי.
See how many ills befell Jacob in his effort not to be drawn to the evil prompter, and to keep himself far from his portion; and for this he endured many afflictions and ills without respite.’ R. Hiya applied to Jacob the verse: I was not at ease, neither was I quiet, neither had I rest; but trouble came (Job. 3, 26). ‘How many ills and sufferings,’ he said, ‘one after another come upon the righteous in this world that they may merit the world to come.
יַעֲקֹב כַּמָּה סָבִיל בִּישִׁין עַל בִּישִׁין תָּדִיר, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר לֹא שָׁלַוְתִּי, בְּבֵיתָא דְלָבָן, וְלָא יָכִילְנָא לְאִשְׁתְּזָבָא מִנֵּיהּ. וְלא שָׁקַטְתִּי, מֵעֵשָׂו. מֵהַהוּא צַעֲרָא דְּצִעֵר לִי הַהוּא מְמַנָּא דִילֵיהּ, וּלְבָתַר דְּחִילוּ דְעֵשָׂו. וְלֹא נַחְתִּי, מִן דִּינָה וּמִן שְׁכֶם.
Jacob was one of them, and could say of himself, “I was not at ease” in the house of Laban, from whom I could not escape; “neither was I quiet” on account of Esau, through the pain inflicted on me by his Chieftain, and later on through fear of himself; “neither had I rest” in the affair of Dinah and Shechem;
וַיָּבֹא רֹגֶז, דָּא רוּגְזָא וְעִרְבּוּבְיָא דְיוֹסֵף דְּאִיהוּ קַשְׁיָא מִכֻּלְּהוּ, מִגּוֹ רְחִימוּתָא דְיַעֲקֹב לְגַבֵּי דְיוֹסֵף דְּאִיהוּ רָזָא דִבְרִית, עָאל בְּמִצְרַיִם. בְּגִין דִּלְבָתַר כְּתִיב, (שמות ו׳:ה׳) וָאֶזְכֹּר אֶת בְּרִיתִי, לְאִשְׁתַּכָּחָא שְׁכִינְתָּא (נ"א שמש) תַּמָּן בַּהֲדֵיהּ.
“but trouble came”, to wit, the trouble and confusion of the loss of Joseph, which was the worst of all, on account of his love for Joseph.’
וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן, רִבִּי יוֹסֵי פָּתַח, (ישעיהו נ״ז:א׳) הַצַּדִּיק אָבַד וְאֵין אִישׁ שָׂם עַל לֵב וְאַנְשֵׁי חֶסֶד נְאֱסָפִים בְּאֵין מֵבִין כִּי מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָה נְאֱסַף הַצַּדִּיק. הַצַּדִּיק אָבַד, בְּזִמְנָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַשְׁגַּח בְּעַלְמָא וְלָא הֲוֵי עַלְמָא כְּדְקָא יְאוּת, וְאִזְדַּמַּן דִּינָא לְשַׁרְיָיא עַל עַלְמָא. כְּדֵין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא נָטִיל זַכָּאָה דְּאִשְׁתַּכַּח בֵּינַיְיהוּ, בְּגִין דְּיִשְׁרֵי דִּינָא עַל כֻּלְּהוּ אָחֳרָנִין, וְלָא יִשְׁתַּכַּח מַאן דְּיָגִין עֲלַיְיהוּ.
AND JACOB DWELT IN THE LAND OF HIS FATHER’S SOJOURNINGS, IN THE LAND OF CANAAN. R. Jose discoursed here on the verse: The righteous perisheth, and no man layeth it to heart, and godly men are taken away, none considering that the righteous is taken away from the evil to come (Is. 57, 1). ‘When God’, he said, ‘surveys the world and finds it misbehaving and meet for chastisement, He first removes from it any righteous man that is present in it, so that chastisement should be visited on all the others and there should be none to shield them.
דְּהָא כָּל זִמְנָא דְּזַכָּאָה שָׁארֵי בְּעַלְמָא, דִּינָא לָא יָכִיל לְשַׁלְטָאָה עַל עַלְמָא. מְנָלָן מִמּשֶׁה, דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים ק״ו:כ״ג) וַיֹּאמֶר לְהַשְׁמִידָם לוּלֵי משֶׁה בְחִירוֹ עָמַד בַּפֶּרֶץ לְפָנָיו וְגו'. וּבְגִין כָּךְ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא נָטִיל לְזַכָּאָה מִבֵּינַיְיהוּ וְסַלִּיק לֵיהּ מֵעַלְמָא, וּכְדֵין אִתְפְּרַע וְגָבֵי דִילֵיהּ. סוֹפֵיהּ דִּקְרָא, כִּי מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָה נְאֱסַף הַצַּדִּיק. עַד דְּלָא יֵיתֵי רָעָה לְשַׁלְטָאָה עַל עַלְמָא נֶאֱסַף הַצַּדִּיק. (ד"א כי מפני הרעה נאסף עד לא ישלוט הרעה בעלמא) דָּבָר אַחֵר כִּי מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָה, דָּא יֵצֶר הָרָע.
For as long as there is a righteous man in the world chastisement cannot befall it, as we learn from Moses, of whom it is written: “Therefore he said that he would destroy them, had not Moses his chosen stood before him in tbe breach, etc.” (Ps. 106, 23). God thus first removes the righteous from the world, and only then collects His account, as it were. We thus translate the conclusion of the verse: “the righteous is taken away before (mitne’) the evil to come”, that is, before the evil is due to befall. (According to another interpretation, “from the evil to come” is an allusion to the evil prompter.)
תָּא חֲזֵי, יַעֲקֹב שְׁלִימוּ דַאֲבָהָן הֲוָה וְאִיהוּ קָאִים לְקָיְימָא בְּגָלוּתָא. אֲבָל מִגּוֹ דְּאִיהוּ צַדִּיק אִתְעַכַּב דִּינָא דְּלָא שָׁלְטָא בְּעַלְמָא. דְּהָא כָּל יוֹמֵי דְיַעֲקֹב לָא שָׁרָא דִּינָא עַל עַלְמָא, וְכַפְנָא אִתְבַּטְלַת.
Observe now that although the galuth was already due in the life-time of Jacob, yet because he was a righteous man-the perfection of the patriarchs-the sentence was postponed; for whilst he was alive punishment could not befall the world, and even the famine of Egypt ceased on his arrival.
וְאוּף הָכִי בְּיוֹמוֹי דְיוֹסֵף דְּאִיהוּ דִּיוּקְנָא דְּאֲבוֹי (כיון דאיהו מת מיד). לָא שְׁרָא גָלוּתָא (דינא על עלמא). בְּגִין דְּאִיהוּ אָגִין עֲלַיְיהוּ כָּל יוֹמוֹי, כֵּיוָן דְּאִיהוּ מֵת, מִיָּד שָׁרָא עֲלַיְיהוּ גָלוּתָא. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (שמות א׳:י״ד) וַיָּמָת יוֹסֵף וְגו', וְסָמִיךְ לֵיהּ הָבָה נִתְחַכְּמָה לוֹ. וּכְתִיב וַיְמָרֲרוּ אֶת חַיֵּיהֶם בַּעֲבוֹדָה קָשָׁה בְּחֹמֶר וּבִלְבֵנִים וְגו'.
Neither did the exile really commence during the life-time of Joseph, since he was the image of his father, but as soon as he died the captivity began in earnest, as it says: “And Joseph died… come, let us deal wisely with them… and they made their lives bitter with hard service, in mortar and in brick, etc.” (Ex. 1, 6-14).
כְּגַוְונָא דָא בְּכָל אֲתַר דְּשַׁרְיָא זַכָּאָה (על) בְּעַלְמָא בְּגִינֵיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא יָגִין עַל עַלְמָא, וְכָל זִמְנָא דְּאִיהוּ קַיָּים, דִּינָא לָא שָׁרְיָא עַל עַלְמָא וְהָא אִתְּמָר.
Similarly, wherever a righteous man exists, God for his sake shields the world, and during his life-time no chastisement falls on the world; and so we affirm.
תָּא חֲזֵי, וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו, מַאי מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ירמיהו ו׳:כ״ה) מָגוֹר מִסָבִיב, דְּכָל יוֹמוֹי הֲוָה דָחִיל וְהֲוָה בִּדְחִילוּ: וַיֵּשֶׁב יַעֲקֹב בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו. רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר אָמַר, דְאִתְקַשַּׁר וְיָתִיב בְּהַהוּא אֲתַר דְּאִתְאֲחִיד בַּחשֶׁךְ. אֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו דַּיְיקָא, בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנָעַן, אִתְקַשַּׁר אַתְרָא בְּאַתְרֵיהּ. מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו, דָּא דִינָא קַשְׁיָא. בְּאֶרֶץ מְגוּרֵי אָבִיו, כְּמָה דְאִתְּמָר הַהוּא דִינָא רַפְיָא דְּאִיהִי אֶרֶץ, דְּאִתְאַחִיד מִן דִּינָא קַשְׁיָא וּבֵיהּ אִתְיַשֵּׁב יַעֲקֹב וְאִתְאַחִיד בֵּיהּ, (וההיא ארץ איהי אספקלריא דלא נהרא):
AND JACOB DWELT IN THE LAND OF HIS FATHER’S SOJOURNINGS. The term m’gure (sojournings) can be rendered “apprehensions”, being akin to the term magor in the phrase magor misabib, “a terror on every side” (Jer. 6, 25), and so indicates that Jacob passed all his life in fear and anxiety.