R. Judah opened a discourse on the verse: Create me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Ps. 51, 12). ‘The term “a clean heart”,’ he said, ‘finds its parallel in the passage: “Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart” (I Kings 3, 9), and also in: “But he that is of merry heart hath a continual feast” (Prov. 15, 15). This is assuredly the clean heart which David asked for.
“And renew a steadfast spirit within me” indicates the spirit spoken of in the passage: “and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters”, this being, as has been pointed out, the spirit of the Messiah; the same is alluded to in the promise: “And a new spirit will I put within you” (Ez. 36, 26). David thus prayed for that steadfast spirit,
since on the sinister side there is the unclean spirit called the spirit of perverseness that leads people astray, that unclean spirit referred to in the statement: “The Lord hath mingled within her a spirit of perverseness” (Is. 19, 14). David thus prayed: “and renew within me a spirit of steadfastness”. The term “renew” also alludes to the renewal of the moon, a period which contains the assurance that David, King of Israel, is alive and in being.’
R. Eleazar and R. Jose were once walking on the road. Said R. Jose to R. Eleazar: ‘We read: “And there came forth the spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will entice him: And the Lord said unto him: Wherewith? And he said: I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets. And He said: Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also; go forth and do so” (I Kings 22, 21-22). According to tradition that was the spirit of Naboth the Jezreelite. Can, then, a soul which has once ascended to the upper world return to this world? Further, the words “I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in his mouth” are very astonishing.
And again, why was Ahab punished on account of Naboth, seeing that Samuel had so laid down the law to Israel, when he said to them: “And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them” (I Sam. 8, 14)? According to this, if Ahab took Naboth’s vineyard, he was within his rights, and all the more so, seeing that he offered him in exchange another vineyard or its equivalent in gold, which he refused.’
R. Eleazar said in reply: ‘It is a proper question you ask. Observe that the traditional identification of that spirit with the spirit of Naboth does indeed raise a difficulty. For how could the spirit of Naboth stand up before the Almighty to ask permission to lie? If Naboth’s was a righteous man, how could he ask permission to lie in the other world, the world of truth, seeing that even in this world it is the part of a righteous man to keep afar from falsehood? How much more so, then, in the upper world! On the other hand, if Naboth was not a righteous man, how could he have stood in the presence of the Almighty?
But the truth is that Naboth was not righteous enough to stand in the presence of the Almighty, and that spirit was another one which has power in the world and continually ascends and stands before God, the same that leads people astray by means of falsehood. Now he who is accustomed to lying will always resort to lying, and hence he said: “l will go forth, and will be a Iying spirit, etc.”, to which the Holy One replied: “… go forth, and do so”, as much as to say: “go hence and be off from here”. This is in harmony with the Scriptural text: “He that speaketh falsehood shall not be established before mine eyes” (Ps. 101, 7).
And in regard to the other difficulty-if Ahab took Naboth’s vineyard, why did he kill him? It was just because he killed Naboth without cause, before expropriating his vineyard, that Ahab was punished. So it is written: “Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?” (I Kings 21, 19).
Great, indeed, is the number of those whom that lying spirit leads astray by means of falsehood, dominating the world from many sides and through many activities. Hence King David supplicated that he might be guarded against him and removed from defilement, saying: “Create me a clean heart, O God; and renew a steadfast spirit within me”, a steadfast spirit being the opposite of that other spirit. In sum, there are two grades, one sacred and the other defiled.’
R. Eleazar then opened a discourse on the text: And the Lord uttereth, his voice before his army; for his camp is very great, for he is mighty that executeth his word (Joel 2, 11). He said: ‘The expression” and the Lord” (V-Tetragrammaton), as we have laid down, everywhere indicates the Lord in conjunction with His Court of Justice; the “voice” here is the same as “the voice of words” (Deut. 4, 12) heard by the Israelites, where the term “words” again is identical with the same term in the verse “I am not a man of words” (Exod. 4, 10), the man of words being the man of God (Deut. 33, 1); “before his army”, to wit, Israel;
“for his camp is very great”, as it says: “Is there any number of his armies?” (Job 25, 3), inasmuch as the Holy One has ever so many chieftains and emissaries who are at hand to bring accusations against Israel, and therefore God goes before Israel in order to guard them, and so that their accusers should not prevail against them:
inasmuch as “for he is mighty that executeth his word”, to wit, the righteous man, who devotes himself to the study of the holy Torah day and night. Alternatively, the term “mighty” here is an epithet of the accuser, who appears frequently before the Almighty, and who is indeed mighty, strong as iron, hard as flint; and it is he that “executeth his word”, as he first obtains authorization from above and then takes away man’s soul here below.
We read further: “For great is the day of the Lord and very terrible; and who can abide it?” (Joel 2, 11), inasmuch as He is ruler over all, most high and most mighty, all being subject to His dominion. Happy are the righteous in whom the Holy One constantly finds delight, so as to vouchsafe to them the world to come and to make them participators in the joy with which the righteous will one day exult in the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: “So shall all those who take refuge in thee rejoice, they shall ever shout for joy, and thou shalt shelter them, and that those that love thy name will exult in thee” (Ps. 5, 12). Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen
רִבִּי יְהוּדָה פָּתַח, (תהילים נ״א:י״ב) לֵב טָהוֹר בְּרָא לִי אֱלהִים וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי, הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ, אֲבָל לֵב טָהוֹר, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (מלכים א ג׳:ט׳) וְנָתַתָּ לְעַבְדְּךָ לֵב שׁוֹמֵעַ וְגו', וּכְתִיב (משלי ט״ו:ט״ו) וְטוֹב לֵב מִשְׁתֶּה תָּמִיד, וּבְגִין כָּךְ לֵב טָהוֹר וַדַּאי.
R. Judah opened a discourse on the verse: Create me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me (Ps. 51, 12). ‘The term “a clean heart”,’ he said, ‘finds its parallel in the passage: “Give thy servant therefore an understanding heart” (I Kings 3, 9), and also in: “But he that is of merry heart hath a continual feast” (Prov. 15, 15). This is assuredly the clean heart which David asked for.
וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי, דָּא הוּא רוּחַ נָכוֹן וַדַּאי. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (בראשית א׳:ב׳) וְרוּחַ אֱלֹהִים מְרַחֶפֶת עַל פְּנִי הַמָּיִם. וְאִתְעָרוּ, זֶה רוּחוֹ שֶׁל מָשִׁיחַ. וְאִתְעָרוּ, (יחזקאל י״א:י״ט) וְרוּחַ חֲדָשָׁה אֶתֵּן בְּקִרְבְּכֶם. וְצַלֵּי דָוִד, הַהוּא רוּחַ נָכוֹן, חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי.
“And renew a steadfast spirit within me” indicates the spirit spoken of in the passage: “and the spirit of God hovered over the face of the waters”, this being, as has been pointed out, the spirit of the Messiah; the same is alluded to in the promise: “And a new spirit will I put within you” (Ez. 36, 26). David thus prayed for that steadfast spirit,
בְּגִין דְּאִית מִסִּטְרָא אָחֳרָא, לֵב טָמֵא וְרוּחַ עִוְעִים, דְּאַסְטֵי לִבְנֵי עַלְמָא, וְדָא הוּא רוּחַ טוּמְאָה, דְּאִקְרֵי רוּחַ עִוְעִים. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ישעיהו י״ט:י״ד) יְיָ מָסַךְ בְּקִרְבָּהּ רוּחַ עִוְעִים. וְעַל דָּא וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי. מַאי חָדֵּשׁ. דָּא חִדּוּשָׁא דְּסִיהֲרָא. בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּאִתְחַדַּשׁ סִיהֲרָא, דָּוִד מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל חַי וְקַיָּים וּבְגִין כָּךְ חָדֵּשׁ.
since on the sinister side there is the unclean spirit called the spirit of perverseness that leads people astray, that unclean spirit referred to in the statement: “The Lord hath mingled within her a spirit of perverseness” (Is. 19, 14). David thus prayed: “and renew within me a spirit of steadfastness”. The term “renew” also alludes to the renewal of the moon, a period which contains the assurance that David, King of Israel, is alive and in being.’
רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי הֲווּ אָזְלֵי בְאָרְחָא. אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי לְרִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, הַאי דִּכְתִיב, (מלכים א כ״ב:כ״א-כ״ב) וַיֵּצֵא הָרוּחַ וַיַּעֲמֹד לִפְנֵי יְיָ וַיֹּאמֶר אֲנִי אֲפַתֶּנּוּ וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ אֵלָיו בְּמָּה וַיֹּאמֶר אֵצֵא וְהָיִיתִי רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר בְּפִי כָּל נְבִיאָיו וַיֹּאמֶר תְּפַתֶּה וְגַם תּוּכָל צֵא וַעֲשֵׂה כֵן. וְתָנִינָן דְּהֲוָה רוּחַ נָבוֹת הַיִּזְרְעֵאלִי. וְכִי נִשְׁמָתִין, כֵּיוָן דְּסָלְקִין וְקָיְימִין לְעֵילָא, אִינוּן יָכְלִין לְאֲתָבָא בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, וּמִלָּה תְּמִיהָה, דְּאָמַר אֵצֵא וְהָיִיתִי רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר בְּפִי וְגו'.
R. Eleazar and R. Jose were once walking on the road. Said R. Jose to R. Eleazar: ‘We read: “And there came forth the spirit, and stood before the Lord, and said: I will entice him: And the Lord said unto him: Wherewith? And he said: I will go forth and will be a lying spirit in the mouth of all the prophets. And He said: Thou shalt entice him, and shalt prevail also; go forth and do so” (I Kings 22, 21-22). According to tradition that was the spirit of Naboth the Jezreelite. Can, then, a soul which has once ascended to the upper world return to this world? Further, the words “I will go forth, and will be a lying spirit in his mouth” are very astonishing.
וְתוּ, מַאי טַעְמָא אִתְעֲנַשׁ עֲלֵיהּ אַחְאָב, דְּהָא דִינָא דְאוֹרַיְיתָא, דְּשַׁוֵּי שְׁמוּאֵל קַמַּיְיהוּ דְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָכִי הוּא. דִּכְתִיב, (שמואל א ח׳:י״ד) אֶת שְׂדוֹתֵיכֶם וְכַרְמֵיכֶם וְזֵיתֵיכֶם הַטּוֹבִים יִקָּח. וְאִי אַחְאָב נָטַל הַהוּא כֶּרְם בְּנָבוֹת, דִּינָא הֲוָה. וְתוּ, דְּהֲוָה יָהִיב לֵיהּ כַּרְמָא אָחֳרָא, אוֹ דַּהֲבָא, וְלָא בָעָא.
And again, why was Ahab punished on account of Naboth, seeing that Samuel had so laid down the law to Israel, when he said to them: “And he will take your fields, and your vineyards, and your oliveyards, even the best of them” (I Sam. 8, 14)? According to this, if Ahab took Naboth’s vineyard, he was within his rights, and all the more so, seeing that he offered him in exchange another vineyard or its equivalent in gold, which he refused.’
אָמַר לֵיהּ, יָאוֹת שְׁאַלְתְּ. תָּא חֲזֵי, הַאי רוּחַ דְּקָאֲמְרוּ דְאִיהוּ רוּחַ דְּנָבוֹת, הָכָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכָּלָא. וְכִי רוּחָא דְנָבוֹת יָכִיל לְסַלְּקָא וּלְקַיְּימָא קַמֵּיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְמִתְבַּע שִׁקְרָא. דִּכְתִיב וַיֵּצֵא הָרוּחַ. וְאִי צַדִּיקָא הוּא, אֵיךְ יִבָּעֵי שִׁקְרָא בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא, דְּאִיהוּ עַלְמָא דִקְשׁוֹט. וּמַה בְּהַאי עַלְמָא, לָא בָעֵי זַכָּאָה שִׁקְרָא, בְּהַהוּא עַלְמָא, לָא כָל שֶׁכֵּן. וְאִי לָאו זַכָּאָה אִיהוּ, הֵיךְ יָכִיל לְקָיְימָא קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא.
R. Eleazar said in reply: ‘It is a proper question you ask. Observe that the traditional identification of that spirit with the spirit of Naboth does indeed raise a difficulty. For how could the spirit of Naboth stand up before the Almighty to ask permission to lie? If Naboth’s was a righteous man, how could he ask permission to lie in the other world, the world of truth, seeing that even in this world it is the part of a righteous man to keep afar from falsehood? How much more so, then, in the upper world! On the other hand, if Naboth was not a righteous man, how could he have stood in the presence of the Almighty?
אֶלָּא וַדַּאי נָבוֹת לָאו זַכָּאָה הֲוָה כָּל כָּךְ לְקָיְימָא קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אֶלָּא רוּחָא אָחֳרָא הֲוָה, דְּשָׁלְטָא בְּעַלְמָא. דְּדָא הוּא רוּחָא דְּקָיְימָא תָּדִיר וְסָלְקָא קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְדָא הוּא דְאַסְטֵי לִבְנִי עַלְמָא בְּשִׁקְרָא. וּמַאן דְּאִיהוּ רָגִיל בְּשִׁקְרָא, אִשְׁתַּדַּל תָּדִיר בְּשִׁקְרָא. וְעַל דָּא אָמַר אֵצֵא וְהָיִיתִי רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר וְגו'. וְעַל דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָמַר לֵיהּ, צֵא וַעֲשֵׂה כֵן. פּוּק מֵהָכָא, כְּמָה דְאוּקְמוּהָ דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים ק״א:ז׳) דּוֹבֵר שְׁקָרִים לא יִכּוֹן לְנֶגֶד עֵינָי. וּבְגִין דָּא אִיהוּ רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר וַדַּאי.
But the truth is that Naboth was not righteous enough to stand in the presence of the Almighty, and that spirit was another one which has power in the world and continually ascends and stands before God, the same that leads people astray by means of falsehood. Now he who is accustomed to lying will always resort to lying, and hence he said: “l will go forth, and will be a Iying spirit, etc.”, to which the Holy One replied: “… go forth, and do so”, as much as to say: “go hence and be off from here”. This is in harmony with the Scriptural text: “He that speaketh falsehood shall not be established before mine eyes” (Ps. 101, 7).
וְתוּ, עַל מַה דְּקָטַל לֵיהּ לְנָבוֹת וְנָטַל כַּרְמָא דִילֵיהּ, קָטוּלָא אַמַּאי קָטִיל לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא עַל דְּקָטִיל לֵיהּ בְּלָא דִינָא, אִתְעַנַּשׁ. קָטַל לֵיהּ בְּלָא דִינָא, וְנָסִיב כַּרְמָא דִילֵיהּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ כְּתִיב, (מלכים א כ״א:י״ט) הֲרָצַחְתָּ וְגַם יָרַשְׁתָּ, וְעַל דָּא אִתְעַנַּשׁ. וְתָּא חֲזֵי, כַּמָּה אִינוּן בְּנֵי נָשָׁא בְּעַלְמָא, דְאַסְטֵי לוֹן הַאי רוּחַ שִׁקְרָא בְּשִׁקְרָא. וְשַׁלִּיט אִיהוּ בְּעַלְמָא בְּכַמָּה סִטְרִין וּבְכַמָּה עוֹבָדִין, וְהָא אוֹקִימְנָא מִלֵּי.
And in regard to the other difficulty-if Ahab took Naboth’s vineyard, why did he kill him? It was just because he killed Naboth without cause, before expropriating his vineyard, that Ahab was punished. So it is written: “Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?” (I Kings 21, 19).
וְעַל דָּא דָּוִד מַלְכָּא בָּעָא לְאִסְתַּמְרָא מִנֵּיהּ, ובָעָא לְאֲפָקָא מִגּוֹ מְסָאֲבוּ. דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים נ״א:י״ב) לֵב טָהוֹר בְּרָא לִי אֱלֹהִים וְרוּחַ נָכוֹן חַדֵּשׁ בְּקִרְבִּי. דָּא הוּא רוּחַ נָכוֹן, וְאָחֳרָא אִיהוּ רוּחַ שֶׁקֶר. וְעַל דָּא תְּרֵין דַּרְגִּין אִינוּן, חַד קַדִּישָׁא, וְחַד מְסָאֲבָא.
Great, indeed, is the number of those whom that lying spirit leads astray by means of falsehood, dominating the world from many sides and through many activities. Hence King David supplicated that he might be guarded against him and removed from defilement, saying: “Create me a clean heart, O God; and renew a steadfast spirit within me”, a steadfast spirit being the opposite of that other spirit. In sum, there are two grades, one sacred and the other defiled.’
פָּתַח וְאֲמַר, (יואל ב׳:י״א) וַיְיָ נָתַן קוֹלוֹ לִפְנֵי חֵילוֹ כִּי רַב מְאֹד מַחֲנִהוּ וְכִי עָצוּם עוֹשֵׂה דְבָרוֹ וְגו', הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ. אֲבָל וַיְיָ, בְּכָל אֲתַר הוּא וּבֵי דִינֵיהּ. נָתַן קוֹלוֹ, דָּא הוּא קָלָא דִּכְתִיב, (דברים ד׳:י״ב) קוֹל דְּבָרִים. וּכְתִיב הָתָם, (שמות ד׳:י׳) לֹא אִישׁ דְּבָרִים. מַאן אִישׁ דְּבָרִים. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (דברים ל״ג:א׳) אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים. לִפְנֵי חֵילוֹ, אִלֵּין אִינוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל.
R. Eleazar then opened a discourse on the text: And the Lord uttereth, his voice before his army; for his camp is very great, for he is mighty that executeth his word (Joel 2, 11). He said: ‘The expression” and the Lord” (V-Tetragrammaton), as we have laid down, everywhere indicates the Lord in conjunction with His Court of Justice; the “voice” here is the same as “the voice of words” (Deut. 4, 12) heard by the Israelites, where the term “words” again is identical with the same term in the verse “I am not a man of words” (Exod. 4, 10), the man of words being the man of God (Deut. 33, 1); “before his army”, to wit, Israel;
כִּי רַב מְאֹד מַחֲנֵהוּ, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (איוב כ״ה:ג׳) הֲיֵשׁ מִסְפָּר לִגְדוּדָיו. דְּכַמָּה מְמַנָּן וּשְׁלִיחָן אִית לֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וְכֻלְּהוּ קָיְימֵי לְאַסְטָאָה עֲלַיְיהוּ דְיִשְׂרָאֵל (זהר חדש ל"ג בגין לאסתאבא להו). וְעַל דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִזְדַּמַּן קַמַּיְיהוּ דְיִשְׂרָאֵל בְּגִין לְנַטְרָא לְהוּ, וְלָא יָכִילוּ לְקַטְרְגָא לְהוּ.
“for his camp is very great”, as it says: “Is there any number of his armies?” (Job 25, 3), inasmuch as the Holy One has ever so many chieftains and emissaries who are at hand to bring accusations against Israel, and therefore God goes before Israel in order to guard them, and so that their accusers should not prevail against them:
כִּי עָצוּם עוֹשֵׂה דְבָרוֹ. מַאן עָצוּם, דָּא הוּא זַכָּאָה הַהוּא דְּאִשְׁתַּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא קַדִּישָׁא יְמָמָא וְלֵילֵי. דָּבָר אַחֵר כִּי עָצוּם, דָּא הוּא מְקַטְרְגָא דְּאִשְׁתַּכַּח קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְאִיהוּ תַּקִּיפָא כְּפַרְזְלָא תַּקִּיפָא כְּטִינָרָא. עוֹשֵׂה דְבָרוֹ, דְּנָטִיל רְשׁוּת מִלְּעֵילָא וְנָטִיל נִשְׁמָתָא מִתַּתָּא.
inasmuch as “for he is mighty that executeth his word”, to wit, the righteous man, who devotes himself to the study of the holy Torah day and night. Alternatively, the term “mighty” here is an epithet of the accuser, who appears frequently before the Almighty, and who is indeed mighty, strong as iron, hard as flint; and it is he that “executeth his word”, as he first obtains authorization from above and then takes away man’s soul here below.
כִּי גָדוֹל יוֹם יְיָ וְנוֹרָא מְאֹד וּמִי יְכִילֶנּוּ. דְּאִיהוּ שַׁלִּיט עַל כֹּלָּא, וְעִלָּאָה וְתַקִּיפָא עַל כֻּלְּהוּ, וְכֻלְּהוּ תְּחוֹת שָׁלְטָנֵיהּ. זַכָּאִין אִינוּן צַדִּיקַיָּיא, דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִתְרָעֵי בְּהוּ תָּדִיר, לְזַכָּאָה לוֹן לְעַלְמָא דְאָתֵי וּלְמֶחֱדֵי לְהוּ בְּחֵידוּ דְצַדִּיקַיָיא דִּזְמִינִין לְמֶחדֵי בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. דִּכְתִיב, (תהילים ה׳:י״ב) וְיִשְׂמְחוּ כָל חוֹסֵי בָךְ לְעוֹלָם יְרַנִּנוּ וְתָסֵךְ עָלֵימוֹ וְיַעְלְצוּ בְךָ אוֹהֲבֵי שְׁמֶךָ. בָּרוּךְ יְיָ לְעוֹלָם אָמֵן ואָמֵן:
We read further: “For great is the day of the Lord and very terrible; and who can abide it?” (Joel 2, 11), inasmuch as He is ruler over all, most high and most mighty, all being subject to His dominion. Happy are the righteous in whom the Holy One constantly finds delight, so as to vouchsafe to them the world to come and to make them participators in the joy with which the righteous will one day exult in the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written: “So shall all those who take refuge in thee rejoice, they shall ever shout for joy, and thou shalt shelter them, and that those that love thy name will exult in thee” (Ps. 5, 12). Blessed be the Lord for evermore. Amen and Amen