daf bit: Sanhedrin 111
Jun. 3rd, 2010 09:14 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
cellioR. Eleazar ben Yose said: I once visited Alexandria of Egypt and an old
man there said to me "come, see what my ancestors did to yours -- some
they drowned in the sea, some they slew by the sword, and some they crushed
in the buildings, and for this Moshe was punished". Why was Moshe punished?
For saying to the Holy One blessed be He: "Since I came to Paro to speak
in Your name he has done evil to this people; neither have you delivered
your people at all". Thereupon the Almighty said to him: "To Avraham I
said lech lecha, go before me, and I will show you the land
that I will give you, yet he had to buy a burial plot for Sarah, and
through all of this he did not ask my name or question my character.
To Yitzchak I said sojourn in this land and I will be with you, yet his
servants did not find undisputed water, and even so he did not ask my
name or question my character. To Yaakov I said the land where you lie
I will give to you, yet he could not find a place to pitch his tent without
paying, and even so he did not ask my name or question my character. But
you challenge me, asking my name and saying I have not delivered this
people -- I will show you what I will do: you will behold the war against
Paro, but not the war against the 31 kings [the conquest of the land]".
And Moshe made haste and bowed before God. (111a)
According to the rabbis, Moshe is being punished for not having complete trust in God. (What this has to do with the Egyptian's claim about the murder of Israelites eludes me.) Yet others, most notably Avraham but he's not the only one, challenged God at times. Maybe I'm missing a nuance, or maybe the rabbis are saying both yes and no on this. Or are we to understand that because Moshe repented this decree was lifted (only to be imposed later for a different transgression)?
(no subject)
Date: 2010-06-06 10:17 pm (UTC)