Daf 53a (דַּף נ״ג ע״א)

Rabbi Shim‘on was sitting one night and engaging in Orayta (רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן הֲוָה יָתִיב לֵילְיָא חַד וְלָעֵי בְּאוֹרַיִּיתָא), and Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Yitzḥak, and Rabbi Yosei were sitting before him (וְהֲווּ יַתְבֵּי קַמֵּיהּ רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי יִצְחָק וְרַבִּי יוֹסֵי). Rabbi Yehudah said: behold, it is written (אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה הָא כְּתִיב), “And Bnei Yisrael stripped themselves of their ornaments from Mount Ḥorev” [Shemot 33] (וַיִּתְנַצְּלוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת עֶדְיָם מֵהַר חוֹרֵב), and we say that they caused death to fall upon them from that time and onward (וְקָאַמְרִינַן דְּגָרְמוּ מוֹתָא עֲלַיְיהוּ מֵהַהוּא זִמְנָא וּלְעֵילָא), and that wicked serpent ruled over them, whom they had previously cast off from among them (וְשַׁלִּיט בְּהוּ הַהוּא חִוְיָא בִּישָׁא דְּאַעָדוּ לֵיהּ מִנַּיְיהוּ בְּקַדְמִיתָא). Yisrael - granted (יִשְׂרָאֵל תֵּינַח). But Yehoshua, who did not sin - was that supernal adornment removed from him or not (יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דְּלָא חָטָא, אַעֲדֵי מִנֵּיהּ הַהוּא זַיְינָא עִלָּאָה דְּקַבֵּיל עִמְּהוֹן בְּטוּרָא דְּסִינַי אוֹ לָא)? [some say: was removed] (ד״א: אִתְעֲדֵי).

If you say that it was not removed from him (אִי תֵּימָא דְּלָא אַעֲדֵי מִנֵּיהּ), if so, why did he die like other men (אִי הָכִי אַמַּאי מֵית כִּשְׁאָר בְּנֵי נָשָׁא)? But if you say it was removed from him - why? (אִי תֵּימָא דְּאִתְעַדֵּי מִנֵּיהּ - אַמַּאי) For he did not sin (וְהָא לָא חָטָא). For he was with Moshe at the time that Yisrael sinned (דְּהָא אִיהוּ עִם מֹשֶׁה הֲוָה בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּחָבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל). And if you say that he did not receive that crown on Mount Sinai like Yisrael - why not (וְאִי תֵּימָא דְּלָא קַבֵּיל הַהוּא עִטְרָא בְּטוּרָא דְּסִינַי כְּמָה דְּקַבְּלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל - אַמַּאי)? [some say: for] (ל״ג: דְּהָא)

He opened and said (פָּתַח וְאָמַר): “For righteous is Hashem, He loves righteousness; the upright will behold His face” [Tehillim 11] (כִּי צַדִּיק יי צְדָקוֹת אָהֵב, יָשָׁר יֶחֱזוּ פָּנֵימוֹ). This verse, the friends have spoken about, what they have said (הַאי קְרָא אָמְרוּ בֵּיהּ חַבְרַיָּיא מַאי דְּקָאֲמְרוּ). But “for righteous is Hashem” - He is righteous and His Name is Righteous (אֲבָל: כִּי צַדִּיק יי - צַדִּיק הוּא וּשְׁמֵיהּ צַדִּיק), and therefore He loves righteousness (וּבְגִינֵי כָךְ צְדָקוֹת אָהֵב). Yashar - He is upright (יָשָׁר - אִיהוּ יָשָׁר), as you say: “Righteous and upright” (כְּמָה דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר: צַדִּיק וְיָשָׁר). And for this reason: “The upright will behold His face” - all people of the world should rectify their ways to walk on the path of uprightness as is proper (וְעַל דָּא: יֶחֱזוּ פָנֵימוֹ כָּל בְּנֵי עָלְמָא וִיתַקְּנוּ אָרְחַיְיהוּ לְמֵיהַךְ בְּאוֹרַח מֵישָׁר כְּדְקָא יָאוּת). Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): when Kudsha Berikh Hu judges the world, He judges it only according to the majority of mankind (כַּד דָּאִין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָלְמָא, לָא דָן לֵיהּ אֶלָּא לְפוּם רוּבָּן דִּבְנֵי נָשָׁא).

Come and see (וְתָּא חֲזֵי), when Adam sinned with the Tree from which he ate (כַּד חָב אָדָם בְּאִילָנָא דְּאֲכַל מִנֵּיהּ), he caused that Tree, in which death resides, to extend over the whole world (גְּרַם לְהַהוּא אִילָנָא דְּשָׁרֵי בֵּיהּ מוֹתָא לְכָל עָלְמָא). And he caused a blemish to separate the woman from her husband (וְגָרִים פְּגִימוּ לְאַפְרָשָׁא אִתְּתָא מִבַּעֲלָהּ). And the sin of that blemish stood in the moon until Yisrael stood at Mount Sinai (וְקָאִים חוֹבָה דִּפְגִימוּ דָא בְּסִיהֲרָא עַד דְּקָיְימוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּטוּרָא דְסִינַי). Once Yisrael stood at Mount Sinai, that blemish of the moon was removed (כֵּיוָן דְּקָיְימוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּטוּרָא דְסִינַי אִתְעֲבַר הַהוּא פְּגִימוּ דְּסִיהֲרָא), and she stood to shine continually (וְקָיְימָא לְאַנְהָרָא תָּדִיר).

Once Yisrael sinned with the Calf (כֵּיוָן דְּחָבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּעֶגְלָא), the moon returned to be blemished as at first (תָּבַת כְּמִלְקַדְּמִין סִיהֲרָא לְאִתְפָּגְמָא). And the wicked serpent ruled and took hold of her and drew her to himself (וְשָׁלְטָא חִוְיָא בִישָׁא וְאָחִיד בָּהּ וּמָשִׁיךְ לָהּ לְגַבֵּיהּ). And when Moshe knew that Yisrael had sinned, and that those holy supernal adornments had been removed from them (וְכַד יָדַע מֹשֶׁה דְּחָבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאִתְעֲבַר מִנַיְיהוּ אִנּוּן זַיְינִין קַדִּישִׁין עִלָּאִין), he surely knew that the serpent had taken hold of the moon to draw her toward him, and she was blemished (יָדַע וַדַּאי דְּהָא חִוְיָא אָחִיד בֵּיהּ בְּסִיהֲרָא לְאַמְשָׁכָא לָהּ לְגַבֵּיהּ וְאִתְפְּגִימַת). Then he brought her out to the outside (כְּדֵין אַפִּיק לָהּ לְבַר). And since she stood in a state of blemish (וְכֵיוָן דְּקָיְימָא לְאִתְפָּגְמָא), even though Yehoshua was standing in his crown and his adornment (אַף עַל גַּב דִּיְהוֹשֻׁעַ קָאִים בְּעִטְרָא דְּזַיְינִין דִּילֵיהּ), once blemishes began to rest in her, and she reverted to the blemish caused by Adam’s sin (כֵּיוָן דִּפְגִימֵי שַׁרְיָא בָּהּ וְאִתְהַדְּרַת כְּמָה דְּאִתְפְּגִימַת בְּחוֹבָא דְאָדָם), no human could endure (לָא יָכִיל בַּר נָשׁ לְאִתְקָיְימָא), except for Moshe, who ruled over her, and whose death was from a different supernal realm (בַּר מֹשֶׁה דְּהֲוָה שַׁלִּיט בָּהּ, וּמוֹתֵיהּ הֲוָה בְּסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא עִלָּאָה). And for this reason, no one - not even Yehoshua - had permission to endure permanently (וְעַל דָּא לָא הֲוָה רְשׁוּ בָהּ לְקָיְימָא לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ תָּדִיר וְלָא לְאָחֳרָא). And for this reason, it is called 'Tent of Meeting' (וְעַל כָּךְ אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד קָרֵי לֵיהּ), a tent because a set time rests within it for all the world (אֹהֶל דְּהָא שַׁרְיָא בֵּיהּ זְמַן קָצִיב לְכָל עָלְמָא). And concerning this, the secret of the matter: there is a right above and a right below (וְעַל דָּא רָזָא דְּמִלָּה, אִית יָמִינָא לְעֵילָא וְאִית יָמִינָא לְתַתָּא). There is a left above and a left below (אִית שְׂמָאלָא לְעֵילָא וְאִית שְׂמָאלָא לְתַתָּא). There is a right above in supernal holiness (אִית יָמִינָא לְעֵילָא בִּקְדֻשָּׁה עִלָּאָה), and there is a right below which is on the other side (וְאִית יָמִינָא לְתַתָּא דְּאִיהוּ בְּסִטְרָא אָחֳרָא). There is a left above in supernal holiness, to arouse affection and to bind the moon in the holy place above, that it may shine (אִית שְׂמָאלָא לְעֵילָא בִּקְדֻשָּׁה עִלָּאָה לְאַתְעָרָא רְחִימוּתָא לְאִתְקַשְּׁרָא סִיהֲרָא בַּאֲתַר קַדִּישָׁא לְעֵילָא לְאִתְנַהֲרָא). And there is a left below, which separates the love from above and separates her from being illuminated by the sun and from drawing near to him (וְאִית שְׂמָאלָא לְתַתָּא דְּאַפְרִישׁ רְחִימוּתָא דִּלְעֵילָא וְאַפְרִישׁ לָהּ מִלְאַנְהָרָא בְּשִׁמְשָׁא וּלְאִתְקְרָבָא בַּהֲדֵיהּ). And this is the side of the wicked serpent (וְדָא הוּא סִטְרָא דְּחִוְיָא בִּישָׁא). For when this lower left is aroused (דְּכַד שְׂמָאלָא דָּא דִּלְתַתָּא אִתְעָרַת), then it draws the moon to it and separates her from above, and her light is darkened, and she is attached to the wicked serpent (כְּדֵין מָשִׁיךְ לָהּ לְסִיהֲרָא וְאַפְרִישׁ לָהּ מִלְעֵילָא וְאִתְחַשְּׁכַת נְהוֹרָאָה וְאִתְדַּבְּקַת בְּחִוְיָא בִּישָׁא). Then death is drawn below to all, and she is joined with the serpent and distanced from the Tree of Life (וּכְדֵין שְׁאִיבַת מוֹתָא לְתַתָּא לְכֹלָּא וְאִתְדַּבְּקַת בְּחִוְיָא וְאִתְרַחְקַת מֵאִילָנָא דְּחַיָּיא). And because of this, death is caused to the whole world (וְעַל דָּא גָּרִים מוֹתָא לְכָל עָלְמָא). And this is when the Sanctuary becomes defiled, until the appointed time of the moon’s repair, when she returns to shine - and this is 'Tent of Meeting' (וְדָא הוּא דִּכְדֵין אִסְתְּאָבַת מַקְדְּשָׁא עַד זְמַן קָצִיב דְּאַתְקָנַת סִיהֲרָא וְתָבַת לְאַנְהָרָא, וְדָא הוּא אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד). And for this reason, Yehoshua did not die except by the bite of the serpent - that one who draws near and blemishes the Mishkan as before (וְעַל דָּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לָא מֵית אֶלָּא בְּעִיטָא שֶׁל נָחָשׁ - דָּא דְּקָרִיב וּפְגִים מַשְׁכְּנָא כִּדְקַדְמִיתָא). And this is the secret of what is written [Shemot 33] (וְדָא הוּא רָזָא דִּכְתִיב): “And Yehoshua ben Nun, the youth (Na’ar), did not depart from the tent” (וִיהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּן נוּן נַעַר לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל). For though he was a youth (Na’ar) below to receive light (דְּאַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ נַעַר לְתַתָּא לְקַבְּלָא נְהוֹרָא), he did not depart from the tent - just as this was blemished, so too was that blemished (לֹא יָמִישׁ מִתּוֹךְ הָאֹהֶל. כְּמָה דְּאִתְפְּגִים דָּא, הָכִי נָמֵי אִתְפְּגִים דָּא). Even though he had the supernal holy adornment (אַף עַל גַּב דְּזַיְינָא קַדִּישָׁא הֲוָה לֵיהּ), once the moon was blemished, so it certainly was - he was not saved alone from it in that very aspect (כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְפְּגִים סִיהֲרָא, הָכִי הוּא וַדַּאי: לָא אִשְׁתְּזִיב בִּלְחוֹדוֹי מִנֵּיהּ מֵהַהוּא גַּוְונָא מַמָּשׁ).