Daf 113a (דַּף קי״ג ע״א)

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי), how great was the belovedness of Avraham before Kudsha Berikh Hu (כַּמָּה חֲבִיבוּתֵיהּ דְּאַבְרָהָם לְגַבֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא): for wherever he went, he had no concern for himself at all (דְּבְּכָל אֲתַר דְּהֲוָה אָזִיל לָא הֲוָה חָיִיס עַל דִּילֵיהּ כְּלוּם), (daf I:113a) but only to cleave to Kudsha Berikh Hu (אֶלָּא בְּגִין לְאִתְדַּבְּקָא בֵּיהּ בְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא). And because of this: “The feet of His pious one He guards” (וּבְגִין כָּךְ: רַגְלֵי חֲסִידָיו יִשְׁמֹר). And this refers to his wife, as it is written: “And Avimelekh had not come near her” (וְדָא הִיא אִתְּתֵּיהּ, דִּכְתִיב: וַאֲבִימֶלֶךְ לֹא קָרַב אֵלֶיהָ), and it is written: “For I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her” (וּכְתִיב: כִּי עַל כֵּן לֹא נְתַתִּיךָ לִנְגֹעַ אֵלֶיהָ) (Bereshit 20:6). Of Pharaoh, what is written? “And Hashem struck Pharaoh…” (בְּפַרְעֹה מַה כְּתִיב: וַיְנַגַּע יְיָ אֶת פַּרְעֹה) (Bereshit 12:17), “because of the matter…” (וְגו׳ עַל דְּבַר). She said, and Kudsha Berikh Hu struck (אִיהִי אָמְרָה וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הֲוָה מָחֵי). And because of this: “The feet of His pious one He guards” (וּבְגִין כָּךְ: רַגְלֵי חֲסִידָיו יִשְׁמֹר). “And the wicked in darkness shall be silenced”-these are Pharaoh and Avimelekh (וּרְשָׁעִים בַּחֹשֶׁךְ יִדָּמּוּ: אִלֵּין פַּרְעֹה וַאֲבִימֶלֶךְ), for Kudsha Berikh Hu executed judgment upon them in the night (דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עֲבַד בְּהוּ דִּינִין בְּלֵילְיָא). “For not by strength shall man prevail”-who is “man”? This is Avraham (כִּי לֹא בְּכֹחַ יִגְבַּר אִישׁ. מַאן אִישׁ דָּא אַבְרָהָם), as it is written: “And now return the wife of the man…” (Bereshit 20:7) (דִּכְתִיב: וְעַתָּה הָשֵׁב אֵשֶׁת הָאִישׁ וְגו׳). “And Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said…” (Bereshit 21:1) (וַיְיָ פָּקַד אֶת שָׂרָה כַּאֲשֶׁר אָמַר וְגו׳).

Rabbi Ḥiyya opened and said (רַבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח וְאָמַר): “And He showed me Yehoshua the High Priest standing before the angel of Hashem, and the Satan standing at his right to oppose him” (Zechariah 3:1) (וַיַּרְאֵנִי אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי מַלְאַךְ יְיָ, וְהַשָּׂטָן עוֹמֵד עַל יְמִינוֹ לְשִׂטְנוֹ). This verse must be carefully examined (הַאי קְרָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכָּלָא בֵּיהּ): “And He showed me Yehoshua the High Priest”-this is Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak (וַיַּרְאֵנִי אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל-דָּא יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בֶּן יְהוֹצָדָק). “Standing before the angel of Hashem”-who is the Malakh Hashem? (עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי מַלְאַךְ יְיָ-מַאן מַלְאַךְ יְיָ) This is the place of the Tzrorah, (some say: the bundle in which the Neshama of the Tzaddik is bound (דָּא אֲתַר צְרוֹרָא; (ס״א: דְּנִשְׁמָתִין דְּצַדִּיקַיָּא צְרִירִין). And all the souls of the Righteous stand there (וְכָל אִנּוּן נִשְׁמָתִין דְּצַדִּיקַיָּא קָיְימִין תַּמָּן), and this is the Malakh Hashem (וְדָא הוּא מַלְאַךְ יְיָ).

“And the Satan stood at his right to accuse him” (וְהַשָּׂטָן עוֹמֵד עַל יְמִינוֹ לְשִׂטְנוֹ) (Zechariah 3) this is the Evil inclination, who goes and roams through the world (דָּא יֵצֶר הָרָע דְּאִיהוּ מְשׁוֹטֵט וְאָזִיל בְּעָלְמָא) to seize souls and to extract spirits, and to incite the creatures above and below (לְנַטְלָא נִשְׁמָתִין וּלְאַפָּקָא רוּחִין, וּלְמִסְטֵי לוֹן לִבְרִיָּיתָא לְעֵילָא וְתַתָּא). And this was at the time when Nevukhadnetzar cast them into fire along with the false prophets (וְדָא הוּא בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּאַטִיל לֵיהּ נְבוּכַדְנֶצַּר לְאֶשָׁא עִם אִנּוּן נְבִיאֵי הַשֶּׁקֶר), and this one was accusing above in order that he should be burned with them (וְהַאי הֲוָה מַסְטִין לְעֵילָא בְּגִין דְּיִתּוֹקַד עִמְּהוֹן). For such is his path: he does not accuse except at a time of danger and a time of suffering that dwells in the world (דְּהָכִי הוּא אָרְחוֹי – דְּלָאו אִיהוּ מְקַטְרֵג אֶלָּא בְּזִמְנָא דְּסַכָּנָה וּבְזִמְנָא דְּצַעֲרָא שָׁרְיָא בְּעָלְמָא). And he has permission to incite and to exact judgment even without justice (וְאִית לֵיהּ רְשׁוּ לְמִסְטֵי וּלְמֶעְבַּד דִּינָא – אֲפִלּוּ בְּלָא דִינָא), as you say: “And there is one who is swept away without justice” (כְּמָא דְּאַתְּ אָמֵר: וְיֵשׁ נִסְפֶּה בְּלֹא מִשְׁפָּט) (Proverbs 13). What is the meaning of “to accuse him”? (מַהוּ: לְשִׂטְנוֹ) That he said: Either all of them should be saved, or all of them should be burned (דְּהֲוָה אָמַר: אוֹ כֻּלְּהוֹ יִשְׁתֵּזְבוּן אוֹ כֻּלְּהוֹ יִתּוֹקְדוּן).