32b (ל״ב:ב׳)

And these Sages (וְאֵלּוּ הַחֲכָמִים), their merit was so great (הָיְתָה זְכוּתָם כָּל כָּךְ גְּדוֹלָה), that the Holy One Blessed Be He would break the power of the four elements on their behalf (שֶׁהָיָה הקב״ה מְשַׁבֵּר כֹּחַ ד׳ יְסוֹדוֹת בַּעֲבוּרָם), and even those things that are above the elements (וְגַם הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁהֵם לְמַעְלָה מִן הַיְּסוֹדוֹת), as it says: “From Heaven they shall prove it” (Bava Metzia 59b) (כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר ״מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם יוֹכִיחוּ). If so, from here you will see the power and merit of these Sages (אִם כֵּן מִכָּאן תִּרְאֶה כֹּחַ וּזְכוּת אֵלּוּ הַחֲכָמִים), by virtue of their engagement with the Torah (מִצַּד הֱיוֹתָם עוֹסְקִים בַּתּוֹרָה), and especially Rabbi Eliezer, about whom the Bat Kol [Heavenly Voice] said (וּבִפְרָט רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר שֶׁאָמְרָה בַּת קוֹל עָלָיו):

“Why do you dispute with Rabbi Eliezer, for the halakhah follows him in every place?” (Bava Metzia 59b) (״מַה לָּכֶם אֵצֶל רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר שֶׁהֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתוֹ בְּכָל מָקוֹם). And the merit of Rabbi Yehoshua was also great (וְגַם זְכוּתוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הָיְתָה גְּדוֹלָה), for he rebuked the walls and they did not fall (שֶׁגָּעַר בַּכְּתָלִים וְלֹא נָפְלוּ), as you will see from the wording of the teaching (כְּמוֹ שֶׁתִּרְאֶה מִלְּשׁוֹן הַמַּאֲמָר), and he responded to the bat kol: “It is not in Heaven” (Bava Metzia 59b) (״לֹא בַשָּׁמַיִם הִיא) “We do not listen to a bat kol,” etc (״אֵין מַשְׁגִּיחִין בְּבַת קוֹל״ וְגוֹ).

And it is said at the end of the teaching: “Rabbi Natan encountered Eliyahu…” (Bava Metzia 59b) (״אָמַר בְּסוֹף הַמַּאֲמָר: ״אַשְׁכְּחֵיהּ רַבִּי נָתָן לְאֵלִיָּהוּ״ וְגוֹ), and he replied: “He laughed and said, ‘My children have defeated Me, My children have defeated Me.’” (״וְהֵשִׁיב: קָא חָיֵיךְ וְאָמַר: נִצְּחוּנִי בָנַי, נִצְּחוּנִי בָנַי). What there is to observe in this teaching is the following (מַה שֶּׁיֵּשׁ לִרְאוֹת בַּמַּאֲמָר הַזֶּה הוּא זֶה): since all that is written in the teaching was done for Rabbi Eliezer (שֶׁבְּהִיוֹת שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה בִּשְׁבִיל רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר כָּל מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב בַּמַּאֲמָר), even to the point that a Bat Kol [Heavenly Voice] emerged (עַד שֶׁיָּצְאָה בַּת קוֹל), it would seem that the halakhah should be like him (הָיָה רָאוּי שֶׁתִּהְיֶה הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתוֹ). And since the halakhah is not like him (וְכֵיוָן שֶׁאֵין הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתוֹ), why then was all of this done for him (לָמָּה נַעֲשָׂה כָּל זֶה בַּעֲבוּרוֹ), for things such as these, which overturn the natural order, are not done without judgment (שֶׁאֵין נַעֲשִׂים דְּבָרִים כָּאֵלּוּ שֶׁהֵם הֶפֶךְ הַטֶּבַע אֶלָּא בְּמִשְׁפָּט).

Furthermore, since the Holy One Blessed Be He said that the halakhah is like him (וְעוֹד, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהקב״ה אָמַר שֶׁהֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתוֹ), how could the halakhah not be like him (אֵיךְ לֹא הָיְתָה הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתוֹ), for falsehood does not issue from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, Heaven forbid (שֶׁאֵין שֶׁקֶר יוֹצֵא מִפִּיו יִתְבָּרֵךְ חַס וְשָׁלוֹם). Rather, know (אֶלָּא דַּע), that the essence of the teaching is in what it says: “After the majority you shall incline” (Exodus 23:2) ("אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים לְהַטּוֹת), and the intent is not that because the disputants were the majority and he was alone, the halakhah was like them (וְאֵין הַכַּוָּנָה שֶׁמִּפְּנֵי שֶׁהַחוֹלְקִים הָיוּ רַבִּים וְהוּא יָחִיד הָיְתָה הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתָם), but the intent is this (אֶלָּא הַכַּוָּנָה הִיא זֹאת): that it is known that this case was very subtle (שֶׁיָּדוּעַ שֶׁהַדִּין הַזֶּה הָיָה דַּק מְאֹד), to determine whether this oven is impure or pure (לָדַעַת אִם זֶה הַתַּנּוּר טָמֵא אוֹ טָהוֹר).

And since the greatest ones of the world, for whom such miracles were done, disagreed over it (וּכְיוֹן שֶׁגְּדוֹלֵי עוֹלָם שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה בִּשְׁבִילָם מַה שֶּׁנַּעֲשָׂה נֶחְלְקוּ בּוֹ), what should the masses of the people do (מַה יַּעֲשׂוּ הֲמוֹן הָעָם)? It would result that if this oven were declared pure (וְיִמָּשֵׁךְ מִזֶּה שֶׁאִם נְטַהֵר זֶה), they will come to declare pure that which ought to be deemed impure (יָבוֹאוּ לְטַהֵר אַחֵר שֶׁרָאוּי שֶׁיִּהְיֶה טָמֵא). And this is what it means: “After the majority you shall incline” (Exodus 23:2) ("אַחֲרֵי רַבִּים לְהַטּוֹת): it means (יִרְצֶה), do not say a matter from which it will result that the many will err in judgment and pervert it (לֹא תֹאמַר דָּבָר שֶׁיִּמָּשֵׁךְ מִמֶּנּוּ שֶׁיָּבוֹאוּ רַבִּים לִטְעוֹת בַּדִּין וּלְהַטּוֹתוֹ), for there are many things which, by law, were permitted (שֶׁהַרְבֵּה דְבָרִים יֵשׁ שֶׁמִּן הַדִּין הָיוּ מֻתָּרִים), but the Sages decreed upon them (וּגָזְרוּ בָהֶם חֲכָמִים), in order that people not come to err and permit the forbidden (כְּדֵי שֶׁלֹּא יָבוֹאוּ לִטְעוֹת וּלְהַתִּיר דְּבָרִים הָאֲסוּרִים).

If so, the intent of Rabbi Yehoshua and his colleagues was (אִם כֵּן, כַּוָּנַת רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וַחֲבֵרָיו הָיְתָה), that even though according to the law it was pure, as Rabbi Eliezer said (שֶׁאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁמִּן הַדִּין הָיָה טָהוֹר כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר), even so, they did not want to purify it, for the reason we have stated (עִם כָּל זֶה לֹא הָיוּ רוֹצִים לְטַהֵר בַּסִּיבָּה שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ). And this is what the Holy One Blessed Be He said: “My children have defeated Me…” (Bava Metzia 59b) (וְזֶה שֶׁאָמַר הקב״ה ״נִצְּחוּנִי בָּנַי״ וְגוֹ), meaning: that even though the halakhah was like Rabbi Eliezer (יֵרָצֶה, שֶׁאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁהֲלָכָה כְּרַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר), since their intention was to make a fence for the Torah (כֵּיוָן שֶׁכַּוָּנָתָם לַעֲשׂוֹת סְיָג לַתּוֹרָה), for this reason He said: “My children have defeated Me” (לָזֶה אָמַר ״נִצְּחוּנִי בָּנַי).

And the proof that the truth is in accordance with the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer (וְהָרְאָיָה שֶׁהָאֱמֶת הִיא כְּסֶבֶר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר), is that the teaching says Rabbi Eliezer answered all the responses in the world (זוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַמַּאֲמָר שֶׁהֵשִׁיב רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר כָּל הַתְּשׁוּבוֹת שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם), and it appears there is nothing further to answer against what Rabbi Eliezer said (וְנִרְאֶה שֶׁאֵין עוֹד מַה לְּהָשִׁיב עַל מַה שֶּׁאָמַר רַבִּי אֱלִיעֶזֶר). If so, the halakhah should have been like him (אִם כֵּן רָאוּי הָיְתָה שֶׁתִּהְיֶה הֲלָכָה כְּמוֹתוֹ), but the reason is as we have said (אֶלָּא הַטַּעַם הוּא כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַרְנוּ). And now I will explain the parashah “See, You say to me…” which you asked of me (וְעַתָּה אֲפָרֵשׁ פָּרָשַׁת ״רְאֵה אַתָּה אֹמֵר אֵלַי״ שֶׁשָּׁאֲלוּ מִמֶּנִּי). “And Moshe said to Hashem: ‘See, You say to me…’” (Exodus 33:12) (״וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֶל ה׳ רְאֵה אַתָּה אֹמֵר אֵלַי״ וְגוֹ) “but You have not informed me whom You will send with me” (וְאַתָּה לֹא הוֹדַעְתַּנִי אֵת אֲשֶׁר תִּשְׁלַח עִמִּי).

One must ask (יֵשׁ לִרְאוֹת): why did Moshe not say this in Parashat Mishpatim, when the Holy One Blessed Be He said to him (לָמָּה לֹא אָמַר מֹשֶׁה זֶה בְּפָרָשַׁת מִשְׁפָּטִים כְּשֶׁאָמַר לוֹ הקב״ה): “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:20) ("הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ לְפָנֶיךָ), for there he agreed with what Hashem told him (שֶׁשָּׁם הִסְכִּים עִם מַה שֶּׁאָמַר לוֹ הקב״ה).

The reason is (הַטַּעַם הוּא), that even though He said there: “Behold, I am sending an angel…” (שֶׁאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁאָמַר שָׁם "הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ), it was the Holy One Blessed Be He Himself (הוּא הקב״ה בְּעַצְמוֹ), except that at times the Holy One Blessed Be He acts with a mode that is referred to by the term “angel” (אֶלָּא שֶׁלְּפָעָמִים פּוֹעֵל הקב״ה פְּעוּלוֹת בְּמִדָּה שֶׁמִּתְיַחֶסֶת בִּלְשׁוֹן מַלְאָךְ), He is the redeeming angel (הוּא הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגּוֹאֵל), as it is said: “Behold, I am sending an angel before you… for My Name is within him” (Exodus 23:20–21) (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ לְפָנֶיךָ... כִּי שְׁמִי בְּקִרְבּוֹ). He is the one who said to Ya'akov: “I am the El of Beit-El” (Bereshit 31:13) (הוּא שֶׁאָמַר לְיַעֲקֹב ״אָנֹכִי הָאֵל בֵּית־אֵל), and it is written: “And the angel of His Face saved them” (Isaiah 63:9) (וְכָתוּב ״וּמַלְאַךְ פָּנָיו הוֹשִׁיעָם)-an angel who is His Face (מַלְאָךְ שֶׁהוּא פָּנָיו), as the verse says: “And the angel of Hashem appeared to him in a flame of fire from within the bush” (Exodus 3:2) (״כְּמוֹ שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ ה׳ אֵלָיו בְּלַבַּת־אֵשׁ מִתּוֹךְ הַסְּנֶה), and afterward it says: “And Hashem saw that he turned to see” (Exodus 3:4) (״וַיַּרְא ה׳ כִּי סָר לִרְאוֹת), and it said: “I am the Elohim of your father” (Exodus 3:6) ("אָנֹכִי אֱלֹקֵי אָבִיךָ). And it is written: “And Hashem went before them by day…” (Exodus 13:21) (וְכָתוּב ״וַיְהוָה הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם), and afterward it is written: “And the angel of Elohim, who went before the camp of Yisrael…” (Exodus 14:19) ("וַיִּסַּע מַלְאַךְ הָאֱלֹהִים הַהֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵי מַחֲנֵה יִשְׂרָאֵל). Behold, the Holy One Blessed Be He Himself is designated by the name “angel” (הִנֵּה שֶׁהקב״ה בְּעַצְמוֹ מִתְיַחֵס בְּשֵׁם מַלְאָךְ).