R. Hiya then quoted the verse: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers” (Deut. 31, 16). ‘Mark this,’ he said. ‘As long as Moses was alive, he used to check Israel from sinning against God. And because Moses was among them, there shall not be a generation like that one till the Messiah comes, when they shall see the glory of God like him.
As we have learnt, a handmaid saw at the Red Sea what even Ezekiel the prophet did not see. And if a handmaid saw that, how much more so their wives, their sons, the men themselves, the Sanhedrin, the princes, and especially Moses himself! And now when those merchants of the desert can pour forth such wisdom, how much more so the wise of the generation, how much more those who stand before R. Simeon and leam from him, and how very much more R. Simeon himself, who is above all!
Alas for the world when R. Simeon shall depart, and the fountains of wisdom shall be closed, and men shall seek wisdom and there will be none to impart it, and the Torah will be interpreted erroneously because there will be none who is acquainted with wisdom! Of that time it is written: “And if the whole congregation of Israel shall err.” Why? Because “the thing is hidden from the eyes, to wit, the leaders, of the assembly”.’
Said R. Judah: ‘God will one day reveal the hidden mysteries of the Torah, namely, at the time of the Messiah, because “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord like as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11, 9), and as it is written, “They shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them” (Jer. 31, 34).’
פָּתַח רִבִּי חִיָּיא ואָמַר, (דברים ל״א:ט״ו-ט״ז) וַיֹּאמֶר יְיָ' אֶל מֹשֶׁה הִנְּךָ שׁוֹכֵב עִם אֲבוֹתֶיךָ וְגוֹ'. תָּא חֲזִי, כָּל זִמְנָא דְּהֲוָה מֹשֶׁה קַיָּים בְּעָלְמָא, הֲוָה מָמְחֵי בִּידַיְיהוּ דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּגִין דְּלָא יִשְׁתַּכְּחוּן בְּחִיוּבָא קָמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וּבְגִין דְּמֹשֶׁה אִשְׁתְּכַח בֵּינַיְיהוּ לָא יְהֵא כְּהַהוּא דָּרָא עַד דָּרָא דְּיֵיתֵי מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא דְּיֶחמוּ יְקָרָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא כְּוותַיְיהוּ דְּאִינּוּן אִתְדַּבְּקוּ מַה דְּלָא אִתְדְּבָּקוּ דָּרִין אָחֳרָנִין.
R. Hiya then quoted the verse: “And the Lord said unto Moses, Behold thou shalt sleep with thy fathers” (Deut. 31, 16). ‘Mark this,’ he said. ‘As long as Moses was alive, he used to check Israel from sinning against God. And because Moses was among them, there shall not be a generation like that one till the Messiah comes, when they shall see the glory of God like him.
דְּתָנֵינָן, חָמָאת שִׁפְחָה חֲדָא עַל יַמָּא, מַה דְּלָא חָמָאת עֵינָא דִּיְחֶזְקֵאל נְבִיאָה. אִי אִינּוּן אִתְדָּבָּקוּ כָּל כַּךְ, נְשֵׁיהוֹן דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל כָּל שֶׁכֵּן. בְּנַיְיהוּ כָּל שֶׁכֵּן. גּוּבְרִין כָּל שֶׁכֵּן. סַנְהֶדְרִין כָּל שֶׁכֵּן. נְשִׂיאִים כָּל שֶׁכֵּן, וְכָּל שֶׁכֵּן נְבִיאָה עִלָּאָה מְהֵימָנָא מֹשֶׁה, דְּאִיהוּ עַל כֹּלָּא. וְהַשְׁתָּא אִלֵּין טַיָּיעֵי מַדְבְּרָא מְרַחֲשִׁין חָכְמְתָא כָּל כַּךְ, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן חַכִּימֵי דָּרָא, כָּל שֶׁכֵּן אִינּוּן דְּקַיְימֵי קַמֵּיהּ דְּרַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, וְאוֹלְפֵי מִינֵיהּ בְּכָל יוֹמָא. כָּל שֶׁכֵּן וְכָּל שֶׁכֵּן רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן דְּהוּא עִלָּאָה עַל כֹּלָּא.
As we have learnt, a handmaid saw at the Red Sea what even Ezekiel the prophet did not see. And if a handmaid saw that, how much more so their wives, their sons, the men themselves, the Sanhedrin, the princes, and especially Moses himself! And now when those merchants of the desert can pour forth such wisdom, how much more so the wise of the generation, how much more those who stand before R. Simeon and leam from him, and how very much more R. Simeon himself, who is above all!
בָּתַר דְּמִית מֹשֶׁה, מַה כְּתִיב, (דברים ל״א:ט״ז) וְקָם הָעָם הַזֶּה וְזָנָה וְגוֹ'. כַּךְ, וַוי לְעָלְמָא כַּד יִסְתָּלַק מִנֵּיהּ רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן, דְּמַבּוּעֵי דְּחָכְמְתָא יִסְתְּתָמוּ מֵעָלְמָא, וְיִבְעֵי בַּר נָשׁ מִלָּה דְּחָכְמְתָא, וְלָא יִשְׁכַּח מַאן דְּיֵימָא, וְטָעָאן כָּל עָלְמָא בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, בְּגִין דְּלָא יִשְׁתְּכַּח בֵּינַיְיהוּ, מַאן דְּאִתְּעַר בְּחָכְמְתָא. עַל הַהוּא זִמְנָא כְּתִיב, וְאִם כָּל עֲדַת יִשְׂרָאֵל יִשְׁגּוּ. וְאִם יִשְׁגּוּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, וְלָא יִנְדְּעוּן אוֹרְחָהָא, בְּמַאי הוּא, בְּגִין וְנְעְלַּם דָּבָר מֵעֵינֵי הַקָּהָל, דְּלָא יִשְׁתְּכַּח מַאן דְּיָדַע לְגַלָּאָה עֲמִיקְתָא דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וְאוֹרְחָהָא. ווי לְאִינּוּן דָּרִין דְּמִשְׁתַּכְּחֵי כְּדֵין בְּעָלְמָא.
Alas for the world when R. Simeon shall depart, and the fountains of wisdom shall be closed, and men shall seek wisdom and there will be none to impart it, and the Torah will be interpreted erroneously because there will be none who is acquainted with wisdom! Of that time it is written: “And if the whole congregation of Israel shall err.” Why? Because “the thing is hidden from the eyes, to wit, the leaders, of the assembly”.’
אָמַר רִבִּי יְהוּדָה, זַמִּין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְגַלָּאָה רָזִין עֲמִיקִין דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, בְּזִמְנָא דְּמַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא, בְּגִין (ישעיהו י״א:ט׳) דְּמָלְאָה הָאָרֶץ דֵּעָה אֶת יְיָ' כַּמַּיִם לַיָּם מְכַסִּים. וּכְתִיב, (ירמיהו ל״א:ל״ד) וְלֹא יְלַמְּדוּ עוֹד אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ וְאִישׁ אֶת אָחִיו לֵאמֹר דְּעוּ אֶת יְיָ' כִּי כוּלָם יֵדְעוּ אוֹתִי לְמִקְּטַנָּם וְעַד גְּדוֹלָם אָמֵן כֵּן יְהִי רָצוֹן.
Said R. Judah: ‘God will one day reveal the hidden mysteries of the Torah, namely, at the time of the Messiah, because “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord like as the waters cover the sea” (Isa. 11, 9), and as it is written, “They shall teach no more every man his neighbour and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord, for they shall all know me, from the least of them to the greatest of them” (Jer. 31, 34).’