On the one hand, since everything done by the Holy One is done according to justice and truth, on which qualities the world is based, and as He always apportions a lot to all according to justice, both to the righteous and the wicked, and all that come into the world-as it is written, “for the Lord is righteous and loveth righteousness” (Ps. 11, 7)-He finds it difficult, when He sees so many wicked people and sinners, to supply them continually with nourishment.
He deals with them not according to the rigour of the law, and nourishes and sustains them to the full extent of the supernal Grace which issues forth and descends upon all the beings of the world, and therewith He feeds them, one and all, righteous and saints, wicked and sinners, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, from the “horns of the buffaloes to the eggs of vermin”.1v. T. B. Sabb., 107b. There is nothing in the world to which His mercy does not extend, even though, on account of the evil works of men, this is all as difficult to Him as was the dividing of the Red Sea.
But was that really difficult to Him? Is it not written: “He rebuketh the sea and maketh it dry” (Nahum 1, 4)? “He that calleth for the waters of the sea and poureth them out upon the face of the earth” (Amos 5, 8)? Is it not true of Him that as soon as He is resolved to do a thing all obstacles are as naught before Him? How was it that the dividing of the Red Sea was difficult to Him?
This is the explanation. When the Israelites stood on the shore of the Red Sea and the Holy One was about to divide its waters for them, Rahab, the angel-prince of Egypt, appeared, and demanded justice from the Holy One. He stood before Him and said: “Lord of the world, why dost thou desire to punish Egypt and to divide the Red Sea for Israel? Have not all sinned against Thee? Thy ways are according to justice and truth. Those are idolaters and so are these. Those are murderers, so are these.”
Then was it difficult for Him to waive justice, and had not the Holy One called to mind Abraham’s obedience in rising early (Gen. 22, 3) to sacrifice his only son, they would all have perished in the Red Sea, because all that night God was weighing Israel in the scales of Justice,
as we have been taught that the expression, “so that the one came not near the other all the night” (Ex. 14, 20) indicates that the supernal angels appeared on that night to sing hymns of praise to the Holy One, and the Holy One said unto them: “The works of My hands are about to sink into the depths of the sea, and ye desire to sing unto Me hymns of praise?” But “it came to pass that in the morning watch the Lord looked…” (Ibid. 5, 24); that is to say, He “looked” for Abraham’s sake, He “looked” upon Abraham’s merit, who “rose up early in the morning” to accomplish the will of the Holy One. Then it was that the waters “went back”, they fled before Israel.
Similarly, it has been stated1Cf. Lev. r., ch. viii. that “marriage unions are as difficult for (lit. before) the Holy One as was the dividing of the Red Sea”.
חַד בְּגִין דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כָּל עוֹבָדוֹי בְּדִינָא וּקְשׁוֹט, וְעַל דִּינָא וּקְשׁוֹט אִתְקָיָּים כָּל עָלְמָא. וּבְכָל יוֹמָא וְיוֹמָא, וּבְכָל זִמְנָא וְזִמְנָא, דָּן כָּל עָלְמָא בְּדִינָא לְצַּדִיקֵי וְלִרְשִׁיעֵי וּלְכָל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (תהילים י״א:ז׳) כִּי צַדִּיק יְיָ' צְדָקוֹת אָהֵב. וְכַד אִיהוּ דָּן בְּנִי נָשָׁא, וְחָמֵי בְּנִי נָשָׁא כַּמָה חַיָּיבִין, וְכַמָּה חֲטָאִין קָמֵיהּ, כְּדֵין קְשֵׁה בְּעֵינוֹי לְמֵיהַב לוֹן מְזוֹנָא בְּכָל זִמְנָא, בְּגִין דְּאִית לֵיהּ לְמֵיזָן חַיָּיבַיָּא, וּלְאִינּוּן דְּחֲטָאן.
On the one hand, since everything done by the Holy One is done according to justice and truth, on which qualities the world is based, and as He always apportions a lot to all according to justice, both to the righteous and the wicked, and all that come into the world-as it is written, “for the Lord is righteous and loveth righteousness” (Ps. 11, 7)-He finds it difficult, when He sees so many wicked people and sinners, to supply them continually with nourishment.
וְאִיהוּ עָבִיד עִמְּהוֹן לְגוֹ מִשּׁוּרַת הַדִּין, וְזָן וּמְפַרְנֵס לוֹן כְּפוּם חֶסֶד עִלָּאָה, דְּאִתְמְשָׁךְ (קס"ח ע"ב) וְאִתְנְגִיד עַל כָּל (ס"א עמין ובני) בְּנִי עָלְמָא, וּבֵיהּ אִיהוּ זָן וּמְפַרְנֵס לְכֹלָּא, לְצַּדִיקֵי וּלְחַסִידֵּי וְלִרְשִׁיעֵי, וּלְכָל אִינּוּן בְּנֵי עָלְמָא, וּלְכָל חֵיוָן וּבְעִירֵי חַקְלָא, וְעוֹפֵי שְׁמַיָא, מִקַּרְנֵי רְאֵמִים עַד בֵּיצֵי כְּלָמֵי, וְלָא אִשְׁתְּאַר בְּעָלְמָא, דְּאִיהוּ לָא זָן וּמְפַרְנֵס לְכֹלָּא, אַף עַל גַּב דִּקְשֵׁה קַמֵּיהּ, לְפוּם עוֹבָדִין דִּבְנִי עָלְמָא, כִּקְרִיעַת יַם סוּף.
He deals with them not according to the rigour of the law, and nourishes and sustains them to the full extent of the supernal Grace which issues forth and descends upon all the beings of the world, and therewith He feeds them, one and all, righteous and saints, wicked and sinners, the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air, from the “horns of the buffaloes to the eggs of vermin”.1v. T. B. Sabb., 107b. There is nothing in the world to which His mercy does not extend, even though, on account of the evil works of men, this is all as difficult to Him as was the dividing of the Red Sea.
וְכִי קְרִיעַת יַם סוּף קְשֵׁה קַמֵּיהּ, וְהָכְתִיב (נחום א׳:ד׳) גּוֹעֵר בַּיָּם וַיַבְּשֵׁהוּ, (עמוס ה׳:ח׳) הַקּוֹרֵא לְמֵי הַיָּם וַיִשְׁפְּכֵם עַל פְּנִי הָאָרֶץ, וְהָא כֵּיוָן דְּסָלִיק רְעוּתָא קַמֵּיהּ, כֹּלָּא קָמֵיהּ כְּאַיִן הוּא חָשִׁיב, וְאַת אַמָרְתְּ דִּקְרִיעַת יַם סוּף קְשֵׁה קַמֵּיהּ.
But was that really difficult to Him? Is it not written: “He rebuketh the sea and maketh it dry” (Nahum 1, 4)? “He that calleth for the waters of the sea and poureth them out upon the face of the earth” (Amos 5, 8)? Is it not true of Him that as soon as He is resolved to do a thing all obstacles are as naught before Him? How was it that the dividing of the Red Sea was difficult to Him?
אֶלָּא בְּזִמְנָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אַעְבָּרוּ לְגַבֵּי יַמָּא, וּבָעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְמִקְרַע לוֹן יַמָּא דְּסוּף, אָתָא רַהַב הַהוּא מְמָנָא דְּעַל מִצְרַיִם, וּבָעָא דִּינָא מִקָּמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. אָמַר קַמֵּיהּ, מָארֵיהּ דְּעָלְמָא, אֲמַאי אַתּ בָּעֵי לְמֶעְבַּד דִּינָא עַל מִצְרַיִם, וּלְמִקְרַע יַמָּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הָא כֻּלְּהוּ חַיָּיבִין קַמָּךְ, וְכָל אָרְחָךְ בְּדִינָא וּקְשׁוֹט. אִלֵּין פַּלְחֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת וְאִלֵּין פַּלְחֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת. אִלֵּין בְּגִלוּי עֲרָיוֹת, וְאִלֵּין בְּגִלוּי עֲרָיוֹת. אִלֵּין אוֹשְׁדֵי דָּמִין, וְאִלֵּין אוֹשְׁדֵי דָּמִין.
This is the explanation. When the Israelites stood on the shore of the Red Sea and the Holy One was about to divide its waters for them, Rahab, the angel-prince of Egypt, appeared, and demanded justice from the Holy One. He stood before Him and said: “Lord of the world, why dost thou desire to punish Egypt and to divide the Red Sea for Israel? Have not all sinned against Thee? Thy ways are according to justice and truth. Those are idolaters and so are these. Those are murderers, so are these.”
בְּהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא הֲוָה קְשֵׁה קַמֵּיהּ, לְמֶעְבַּר עַל אֹרַח דִּינָא. וְהָא יִשְׂרָאֵל הֲווֹ נַטְלֵי עַל יַמָּא, דִּכְתִּיב, (שמות י״ד:ט״ו) וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ' אֶל מֹשֶׁה מַה תִּצְעַק אֵלָי דַּבֵּר אֶל בְּנִי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְיִּסָעוּ, וַהֲוָה קְשֵׁה קַמֵּיהּ לְמֶעְבַּר עַל דִּינָא, וּלְמִקְרַע לוֹן יַמָּא דְּסוּף, וְאִלְמָלֵא דְּאַשְׁגַּח קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּזְכוּת אַבְרָהָם, דְּאַקְדִים בְּצַפְרָא לְמֶעְבַּד פִּקּוּדָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, וּרְעוּתָא דִּילֵיהּ, כְּדִכְתִיב (בראשית כ״ב:ג׳) וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר, כֻּלְּהוּ אִתְאֲבִידוּ בְּיַמָּא, בְּגִין דִּבְכָל הַהוּא לֵילְיָא, בְּדִינָא הֲוָה קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.
Then was it difficult for Him to waive justice, and had not the Holy One called to mind Abraham’s obedience in rising early (Gen. 22, 3) to sacrifice his only son, they would all have perished in the Red Sea, because all that night God was weighing Israel in the scales of Justice,
דְּתָנֵינָן, מַאי דִּכְתִּיב וְלָא קְרָב זֶה אֶל זֶה כָּל הַלַּיְלָה. מְלַמֵּד דְּאָתוּ מַלְאֲכֵי עִלָּאֵי לְשַׁבְּחָא בְּהַהוּא לֵילְיָא קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אָמַר לוֹן, וְכִי (ס"א בני) עוֹבָדֵי יְדַי טַבְעִין בְּיַמָּא, וְאָתוּן מְשַׁבְּחָן קָמָאי, מִיַּד וְלָא קְרָב זֶה אֶל זֶה כָּל הַלַּיְלָה. מַה כְּתִיב, וַיְהִי בְּאַשְׁמֹרֶת הַבֹּקֶר, אַשְׁגַּח קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בִּזְכוּתָא דְּאַבְרָהָם, דְּאַקְדִּים בְּצַפְרָא לְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתֵיהּ דְּמָארֵיהּ, כְּדִכְתִיב וַיַּשְׁכֵּם אַבְרָהָם בַּבֹּקֶר. כְּדֵין אַהְדָּר יַמָּא, וְעָרְקוּ מַיִין קַמָּיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל.
as we have been taught that the expression, “so that the one came not near the other all the night” (Ex. 14, 20) indicates that the supernal angels appeared on that night to sing hymns of praise to the Holy One, and the Holy One said unto them: “The works of My hands are about to sink into the depths of the sea, and ye desire to sing unto Me hymns of praise?” But “it came to pass that in the morning watch the Lord looked…” (Ibid. 5, 24); that is to say, He “looked” for Abraham’s sake, He “looked” upon Abraham’s merit, who “rose up early in the morning” to accomplish the will of the Holy One. Then it was that the waters “went back”, they fled before Israel.
דִּכְתִּיב וַיָּשָׁב הַיָּם לִפְנוֹת בֹּקֶר לְאֵיתָנוֹ, וְתָנֵינָן, לְאֵיתָנוֹ: לִתְנָאוֹ. לְהַהוּא תְּנַאי דְּהִתְנָה עִמֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, כַּד בָּרָא עָלְמָא, לְאֵיתָנוֹ, כְּתִיב הָכָא לְאֵיתָנוֹ, וּכְתִיב הָתָם (תהילים פ״ט:א׳) מַשְׂכִּיל לְאֵיתָן הָאֶזְרָחִי, וְעַל דָּא לִפְנוֹת בֹּקֶר, בְּהַהוּא זִמְנָא דְּאַקְדִּים אַבְרָהָם לְמֶעְבַּד רְעוּתָא דְּמָארֵיהּ, כְּדֵין אִתְקְרַע יַמָּא, (הכא ויהם את מחנה מצרים) וְעַל דָּא קְשֵׁה הֲוָה קַמֵּיהּ קְרִיעַת יַם סוּף.
Similarly, it has been stated1Cf. Lev. r., ch. viii. that “marriage unions are as difficult for (lit. before) the Holy One as was the dividing of the Red Sea”.