The Jewish People in the Family of Nations

Yehuda Kurtzer

1. Theodore Herzl, “The Jewish State” (1896) 1

Part I

2. Leon Pinsker, “Autoemancipation,” (1882) 1 3. Leo Strauss, “Why We Remain Jews,” Jewish Philosophy and the Crisis of Modernity (SUNY Press: New York, 1997), 317-320 4

4. Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 66a 7

5. Mishnah Avot 3:1-2 8

Part II

6. Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 2a-3b 9

7. Zechariah 14 17 8. Jonah 4 25 9. Yehuda Amital, “The Fallen Sukka of David,” Adapted by Boaz Kallush, Translated by Rav Eliezer Kwass 26

10. Tosefta Menahot 13 27

CLP Summer 2019 1. Theodore Herzl, “The Jewish State” (1896)

But we must first bring enlightenment to men's minds. The idea must make its way into the mast distant, miserable holes where our people dwell. They will awaken from gloomy brooding, for into their lives will come a new significance. Every man need think only of himself, and the movement will assume vast proportions.

And what glory awaits those who fight unselfishly for the cause!

Therefore I believe that a wondrous generation of Jews will spring into existence. The Maccabeans will rise again.

Let me repeat once more my opening words: The Jews who wish for a State will have it. We shall live at last as free men on our own soil, and die peacefully in our own homes.

The world will be freed by our liberty, enriched by our wealth, magnified by our greatness.

And whatever we attempt there to accomplish for our own welfare, will react powerfully and beneficially for the good of humanity.

Part I

2. Leon Pinsker, “Autoemancipation,” (1882)

Translated from the German by Dr. D. S. Blondheim, Federation of American Zionists, 1916

"If I am not for myself, who will be for me? And if not now, when?"

HILLEL

THE AUTHOR'S PREFACE

After the terror of the bloody atrocities a moment of calm followed for baiter and baited to catch their breath. Meanwhile the Jewish refugees, with the very funds collected for their immigration, are being -- "repatriated"! But the Western Jews have again learned to suffer the cry, "hep! hep!" as their brothers in the old days. The eruption of blazing indignation over the shame to which they were subjected has turned to a rain of ashes, gradually covering the glowing soil. Shut your eyes and hide your head like an ostrich -- there is to be no lasting peace unless in the fleeting intervals of relaxation you apply a remedy more thoroughgoing than those palliatives to which our hapless people have been turning for 2000 years.

1 ______

Auto-Emancipation:

AN APPEAL TO HIS PEOPLE

By a Russian Jew

The hoary problem, subsumed under" the Jewish question," today, as ever in the past, provokes discussion. Like the squaring of the circle it remains unsolved, but unlike it, continues to be the ever-burning question of the day. That is because the problem is not one of mere theoretical interest: it renews and revives in every-day life and presses ever more urgently for solution.

This is the kernel of the problem, as we see it: the Jews comprise a distinctive element among the nations under which they dwell, and as such can neither assimilate nor be readily digested by any nation.

Hence the solution lies in finding a means of so readjusting this exclusive element to the family of nations, that the basis of the Jewish question will be permanently removed.

This does not mean, of course, that we must think of waiting for the age of universal harmony.

No previous civilization has been able to achieve it, nor can we see even in the remote distance, that day of the Messiah, when national barriers will no longer exist and all mankind will live in brotherhood and concord. Until then, the nations must narrow their aspirations to achieve a tolerable modus vivendi.

The world has yet long to wait for eternal peace. Meanwhile nations live side by side in a state of relative peace, secured by treaties and international law, but based chiefly on the fundamental equality between them.

But it is different with the people of Israel. There is no such equality in the nations' dealings with the Jews. The basis is absent upon which treaties and international law may be applied: mutual respect. Only when this basis is established, when the equality of Jews with other nations becomes a fact, can the Jewish problem be considered solved.

An equality of this kind did exist in the now long forgotten past, but unfortunately, under present conditions, the prospect that will readmit the Jewish people to the status of nationhood is so remote as to seem illusory. It lacks most of the essential attributes by which a nation is recognized. It lacks that autochthonous life which is inconceivable without a common language and customs and without cohesion in space. The Jewish

2 people has no fatherland of its own, though many motherlands; no center of focus or gravity, no government of its own, no official representation. They home everywhere, but are nowhere at home. The nations have never to deal with a Jewish nation but always with mere Jews. The Jews are not a nation because they lack a certain distinctive national character, inherent in all other nations, which is formed by common residence in a single state. It was clearly impossible for this national character to be developed in the Diaspora; the Jews seem rather to have lost all remembrance of their former home. Thanks to their ready adaptability, they have all the more easily acquired characteristics, not inborn, of the people among whom fate has thrown them. Often to please their protectors, they recommend their traditional individuality entirely. They acquired or persuaded themselves into certain cosmopolitan tendencies which could no more appeal to others than bring satisfaction to themselves.

In seeking to fuse with other peoples they deliberately renounced to some extent their own nationality. Yet nowhere did they succeed in obtaining from their fellow-citizens recognition as natives of equal status.

3 3. Leo Strauss, “Why We Remain Jews,” Jewish Philosophy and the Crisis of Modernity: Essays and Lectures in Jewish Thought, ed. Kenneth Green (SUNY Press: New York, 1997), 317-320

I draw a conclusion. It is impossible not to remain a Jew. It is impossible to run away from one's origins. It is impossible to get rid of one's past by wishing it away. There is nothing better than the uneasy solution offered by liberal society, which means legal equality plus private "discrimination." We must simply recognize the fact, which we all know, that the Jewish minority is not universally popular, and we must recognize the consequences which follow from that. We all know that there is in this country an entirely extralegal, but not illegal, what we can call "racial hierarchy" coming down from the Anglo-Saxons, down to the Negroes; and we are just above the Negroes. We must face that. And we must see that there is a similarity between the Jewish question and the Negro question; there are quite a few Jewish organizations which are very well aware of this. But also, in order to keep the record straight, we must not forget the difference. When we Jews fight for something which we may fairly call justice, we appeal to principles ultimately which (if I may say so) were originally our own. When the Negroes fight for justice, they have to appeal to principles which were not their own, their ancestors' in Africa, but which they learned from their oppressors. This is not an altogether negligible difference, which should be stated by someone who does not want to beat around the bush.

I begin again. There is no solution to the Jewish problem. The expectation of such a solution is due to the premise that every problem can be solved. There was a famous writer, a great mathematician in the sixteenth century (as I read somewhere), Vieta, who literally said that there is no problem which cannot be solved. This is, in application to social matters, a premise of many well-meaning men in the West in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. I disagree with them entirely. It is not self-evident that every problem can be solved, and therefore we should not be altogether surprised if the Jewish problem cannot be solved.

Let us briefly survey the solutions which have been suggested. The first is the assimilation of individuals, of which I disposed before. The second would be assimilation in a different form: Judaism would be understood as a sect like any other sect; I say advisedly, understood as a "sect," and not as a "religion." A sect is a society that is based on an entirely voluntary membership, so that today you belong to sect A, and if you change your mind you leave sect A and enter sect B; and the same applies, of course, to all members of your family. The fact that the man stems from Jewish parents would be entirely irrelevant from this point of view. I do not believe that this opinion can be reconciled with anything ever understood as Jewish, regardless of whether it is orthodox, conservative, or reform.

4 There is a third solution the only one, as opposed to the hitherto mentioned solutions, which deserves our serious attention and that is assimilation as a nation. Here the fact that the Jews are an ethnic group is honestly faced. But it is also implied that Judaism is a misfortune, and hence that we must do something about the problem. But the problem cannot be solved except on a national scale. We Jews are a nation like any other nation; and just as any other nation, we have the right to demand self- determination. It leads necessarily to the demand for a Jewish state. This was the view taken by the strictly political Zionists. I emphasize the word "strictly," because in fact there are all kinds of combinations which are by no means due to accident but to one of the deepest principles of human nature, which is, that man is the animal who wishes to have the cake and to eat it. To make clear what I mean, I remind you of the motto of the most impressive statement of political Zionism: Pinsker's Auto-emancipation, written in the eighties of the last century. Pinsker's motto is this: "If I am not for myself, who will I be for? And if not now, when?" That is: do not expect help from others; and do not postpone your decision. This is a quotation from a well-known Jewish book, The Sayings of the Fathers; but in the original, something else is said which Pinsker omitted: "But if I am only for myself, what am I?" The omission of these words constitutes the definition of pureblooded political Zionism. There was, long before Pinsker, a man who sketched the principles of political Zionism, a great man, but not a good Jew and that man was Spinoza. Towards the end of the third chapter of his Theologico-Political Treatise, he said (I am speaking from memory): "If the principles of their religion did not effeminate the Jews, I would regard it as perfectly possible that one day, if the political constellation is favorable, they might succeed in restoring their state." I do not believe he said "in Palestine" because, from his point of view, Uganda would have been as good as Palestine. I did not explain what he meant by the effeminating character of the Jewish religion. He meant by that: trust in God instead of trust in one's own power and "hardware." But in spite of the undeniable fact that political Zionism, pure and simple, is based on a radical break with the principles of the Jewish tradition, I cannot leave the subject without paying homage to it. Political Zionism was more passionately and more soberly concerned with the human dignity of the Jews than any other movement. What it had in mind ultimately was that the Jews should return to their land with their heads up, but not by virtue of a divine act but rather of political and military action fighting.

Yet it is impossible to settle all Jews in that very small land. Political Zionism was a very honorable suggestion, but one must add that it was also merely formal or poor. I would like to illustrate this. I was myself (as you might have guessed) a political Zionist in my youth, and was a member of a Zionist student organization. In this capacity, I occasionally met Jabotinsky, the leader of the Revisionists.13 He asked me, "What are you doing?" I said, "Well, we read the Bible, we study Jewish history, Zionist

5 theory, and, of course, we keep abreast of developments, and so on." He replied, "And rifle practice?" And I had to say, "No."

In this student group, when I talked to my friends some of whom are now very high officials in Israel, I made this observation. They were truly passionate Zionists, and worked very much, and were filled with enthusiasm. But, after all, you cannot always make speeches, and have political discussions, or do other administrative work: you also have to have, so to say, a life of your own. I was struck by the fact that the substance of the intellectual life of some of these estimable young men to the extent that it was not merely academic, and therefore of no particular interest outside of academic halls consisted of their concern with people like Balzac.

But the main point is that this Zionism was strictly limited to political action. The mind was in no way employed, or even the heart was in no way employed, in matters Jewish. Now this led very early to a reaction and opposition to political Zionism by cultural Zionism. Cultural Zionism means simply that it is not enough to have a Jewish state; the state must also have a "Jewish culture." In other words, it must have a life of its own. Jewish culture means, the product of the Jewish mind in contradistinction to other national minds. If we look, however, at what this means in specific terms, we see that the rock bottom of any Jewish culture is the Bible, the Talmud, and the Midrash. And if you take these things with a minimum of respect or seriousness, you must say that they were not meant to be products of the Jewish mind. They were meant to be ultimately "from Heaven," and this is the crux of the matter: Judaism cannot be understood as a culture. There are folk dances, and pottery, and all that but you cannot live on that. The substance is not culture, but divine revelation. Therefore, the only consistent solution, the only clear solution, is that which abandons, or which goes beyond, cultural Zionism and becomes clearly religious Zionism. And this means: return to the Jewish faith, return to the faith of our ancestors.

6 4. Babylonian Talmud, Kiddushin 66a

As it is taught: An incident occurred with King Yannai, who went to Koḥalit in the desert and conquered sixty cities there. And upon his return he rejoiced with great happiness. And he summoned all the Sages of the Jewish people and said to them: Our ancestors in their poverty would eat salty foods when they were busy with the building of the Temple; we too shall eat salty foods in memory of our ancestors. And they brought salty food on tables of gold, and ate. And there was one person present, a scoffer, a man of an evil heart and a scoundrel called Elazar ben Po’ira. And Elazar ben Po’ira said to King Yannai: King Yannai, the hearts of the Pharisees are against you. The king replied: And what shall I do to clarify this matter? Elazar said: Have them stand by wearing the priestly frontplate between your eyes. He had the Pharisees stand by wearing the priestly frontplate between his eyes.

There was a certain elder present called Yehuda ben Gedidya, and Yehuda ben Gedidya said to King Yannai: King Yannai, the crown of the monarchy should suffice for you. Leave the crown of the priesthood for the descendants of Aaron. As they would say that Yannai’s mother was taken captive in Modi’in [and she was therefore disqualified from marrying into the priesthood]. And the matter was investigated and was not discovered, i.e., they sought witnesses for that event but none were found. And the Sages of Israel were expelled in the king’s rage [due to this rumor]. And Elazar ben Po’ira said to King Yannai: King Yannai, such is the judgment of a common person in Israel. But you are a king and a High Priest. Is this your judgment as well? Yannai replied: And what should I do? Elazar said: If you listen to my advice, crush them. Yannai countered: But what will become of the Torah? He retorted: Behold, it is wrapped and placed in the corner. Anyone who wishes to study can come and study.

Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak says: Immediately, heresy was injected into Yannai, as he should have said to Elazar ben Po’ira: “This works out well with regard to the Written Torah, as it can be studied all on its own, but what will become of the Oral Torah?” Immediately, the evil arose and caught fire through Elazar ben Po’ira, and all the Sages of the Jewish people were killed. And the world was desolate of Torah until Shimon ben Shataḥ came and restored the Torah to its former glory. דתניא מעשה בינאי המלך שהלך לכוחלית שבמדבר וכיבש שם ששים כרכים ובחזרתו היה שמח שמחה גדולה וקרא לכל חכמי ישראל אמר להם אבותינו היו אוכלים מלוחים בזמן שהיו עסוקים בבנין בית המקדש אף אנו נאכל מלוחים זכר לאבותינו והעלו מלוחים על שולחנות של זהב ואכלו והיה שם אחד איש לץ לב רע ובליעל ואלעזר בן פועירה שמו ויאמר אלעזר בן פועירה לינאי המלך ינאי המלך לבם של פרושים עליך ומה אעשה הקם להם בציץ שבין עיניך הקים להם בציץ שבין עיניו היה שם זקן אחד ויהודה בן גדידיה שמו ויאמר יהודה בן גדידיה לינאי המלך ינאי המלך רב לך כתר מלכות הנח כתר כהונה לזרעו של אהרן

7 שהיו אומרים אמו נשבית במודיעים ויבוקש הדבר ולא נמצא ויבדלו חכמי ישראל בזעם ויאמר אלעזר בן פועירה לינאי המלך ינאי המלך הדיוט שבישראל כך הוא דינו ואתה מלך וכהן גדול כך הוא דינך ומה אעשה אם אתה שומע לעצתי רומסם ותורה מה תהא עליה הרי כרוכה ומונחת בקרן זוית כל הרוצה ללמוד יבוא וילמוד אמר רב נחמן בר יצחק מיד נזרקה בו אפיקורסות דהוה ליה למימר תינח תורה שבכתב תורה שבעל פה מאי מיד ותוצץ הרעה על ידי אלעזר בן פועירה ויהרגו כל חכמי ישראל והיה העולם משתומם עד שבא שמעון בן שטח והחזיר את התורה ליושנה.

5. Mishnah Avot 3:1-2

(1) Akabyah ben Mahalalel said: mark well three things and you will not come into the power of sin: Know from where you come, and where you are going, and before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning. From where do you come? From a putrid drop. Where are you going? To a place of dust, of worm and of maggot. Before whom you are destined to give an account and reckoning? Before the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be he.

(2) Rabbi Hanina, the vice-high priest said: pray for the welfare of the government, for were it not for the fear it inspires, every man would swallow his neighbor alive. R. Hananiah ben Teradion said: if two sit together and there are no words of Torah [spoken] between them, then this is a session of scorners, as it is said: “nor sat he in the seat of the scornful…[rather, the teaching of the Lord is his delight]” (Psalms 1:1); but if two sit together and there are words of Torah [spoken] between them, then the Shekhinah abides among them, as it is said: “then they that feared the Lord spoke one with another; and the Lord hearkened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared the Lord and that thought upon His name” (Malachi 3:16). Now I have no [scriptural proof for the presence of the Shekhinah] except [among] two, how [do we know] that even one who sits and studies Torah the Holy One, blessed be He, fixes his reward? As it is said: “though he sit alone and [meditate] in stillness, yet he takes [a reward] unto himself” (Lamentations 3:28). )א( עֲקַבְ יָא בֶן מַ הֲלַלְאֵ ל אֹומֵ ר, הִסְתַ כֵל בִשְלשָ ה דְ בָרִ ים וְאִ י אַתָ ה בָא לִידֵ י עֲבֵרָ ה. דַ ע מֵאַ יִן בָאתָ , ּולְאָ ן אַתָ ה הֹולְֵך, וְלִפְ נֵי מִ י אַתָ ה עָתִ יד לִתֵ ן דִ ין וְחֶשְ בֹון. מֵאַ יִן בָאתָ , מִטִ פָה סְ רּוחָ ה, ּולְאָ ן אַתָ ה הֹולְֵך, לִמְ קֹום עָפָר רִ מָ ה וְ תֹולֵעָה. וְלִפְ נֵי מִ י אַתָ ה עָתִ יד לִתֵ ן דִ ין וְחֶשְ בֹון, לִפְ נֵי מֶ לְֶך מַ לְכֵי הַמְ לָכִ ים הַקָ דֹוש בָרּוְך הּוא: )ב( רַ בִ י חֲנִינָא סְ גַן הַ כֹּהֲנִים אֹומֵ ר, הֱוֵי מִתְ פַלֵל בִשְ לֹומָ ּה שֶ ל מַ לְכּות, שֶאִ לְמָ לֵא מֹורָאָ ּה, אִ יש אֶ ת רֵ עֵהּו ַח ִיים בְ לָעֹו. רַ בִ י חֲנִינָא בֶן תְרַדְ יֹון אֹומֵ ר, שְ נַיִם שֶיֹושְבִ ין וְאֵ ין בֵינֵיהֶ ן דִבְרֵ י תֹורָ ה, הֲרֵ י זֶה מֹושַ ב לֵצִ ים, שֶ נֶאֱמַ ר )תהלים א( ּובְמֹושַ ב לֵצִ ים לֹּא יָשָ ב. אֲבָל שְ נַיִם שֶיֹושְבִ ין וְ יֵש בֵינֵיהֶ ם דִבְרֵ י תֹורָ ה, שְ כִ ינָה שְ רּויָה בֵינֵיהֶ ם, שֶ נֶאֱמַ ר )מלאכי ג( אָ ז נִדְבְ רּו יִרְ אֵ י יְיָ אִ יש אֶ ל רֵ עֵהּו וַיַקְשֵ ב יְיָ ַו ִי ְש ָמע ַו ִי ָכ ֵתב סֵ פֶר זִכָרֹון לְפָנָיו לְיִרְ אֵ י יְיָ ּולְחֹּשְ בֵי שְ מֹו. אֵ ין לִי אֶ לָא שְ נַיִם, מִ נַיִן שֶאֲפִ לּו אֶחָ ד שֶיֹושֵ ב וְ עֹוסֵ ק בַתֹורָ ה, שֶהַקָ דֹוש בָרּוְך הּוא קֹובֵעַ לֹו שָ כָר, שֶ נֶאֱמַ ר )איכה ג( יֵשֵ ב בָדָ ד וְיִדֹּם כִ י נָטַ ל עָלָיו:

8 Part II

6. Babylonian Talmud, Avodah Zarah 2a-3b

MISHNA: Three days before the festivals of gentiles it is prohibited to engage in business with them; to lend to them or to borrow from them; to lend money to them or to borrow money from them; and to repay debts owed to them or to collect repayment of debts from them. Rabbi Yehuda says: One may collect repayment of debts from them because this causes the gentile distress. The Rabbis said to Rabbi Yehuda: Even though he is distressed now, when he repays the money, he is happy afterward that he is relieved of the debt, and therefore there is concern that he will give thanks to his object of idol worship on his festival.

GEMARA: Rav and Shmuel disagree with regard to the correct version of the text of the mishna. One teaches the term meaning: Their festivals, as eideihen (alef) and one teaches eideihen (ayin). The one who teaches eideihen (alef) is not mistaken, and the one who teaches eideihen (ayin) is not mistaken.

The one who teaches eideihen (alef) is not mistaken, as it is written: “For the day of their calamity [eidam] is at hand” (Deuteronomy 32:35). And likewise, the one who teaches eideihen (ayin) is not mistaken, as it is written: “Let them bring their witnesses [eideihem], that they may be justified” (Isaiah 43:9).

And according to the one who teaches eideihen (alef), what is the reason he did not teach eideihen (ayin)? He could have said to you that a term that refers to a calamity is preferable. And the one who teaches eideihen (ayin), what is the reason that he did not teach eideihen (alef)? He could have said to you: What causes calamity to happen to them? It is the testimony that they testified against themselves. Therefore, a term that references testimony is preferable.

But is this verse: “Let them bring their witnesses that they may be justified,” written with regard to the nations of the world? Isn’t it written with regard to the Jewish people? As Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says: All the mitzvot that the Jews perform in this word come and bear witness for them in the World-to-Come, as it is stated: “Let them bring their witnesses that they may be justified.” These are the Jews. When the verse states: “And let them hear, and say: It is truth” (Isaiah 43:9), these are the nations of the world.

Rather, Rav Huna, son of Rav Yehoshua, said: The one who says eideihen (ayin) derived this use from here: “They that fashion a graven image are all of them vanity, and their delectable things shall not profit; and their own witnesses [eideihem]” (Isaiah 44:9).

9 Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa taught, and some say Rabbi Simlai taught: In the future, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will bring a Torah scroll and place it in His lap and say: Anyone who engaged in its study should come and take his reward.

Immediately, the nations of the world will gather together and come intermingled, as it is stated: “All the nations are gathered together.” The Holy One, Blessed be He, will say to them: Do not enter before Me intermingled; rather, let each and every nation enter with their scholars, as it is stated: “And let the peoples [le’umim] be assembled” (Isaiah 43:9); and le’om means nothing other than kingdom, as it is stated: “And the one kingdom [ule’om] shall be stronger than the other kingdom [mile’om]” (Genesis 25:23). But is it possible for there to be intermingling before the Holy One, Blessed be He? Rather, the nations are instructed to stand separately so that they will not become intermingled with each other in order that they will each hear what He says to them.

Immediately, the Roman Empire enters first before Him. What is the reason that the Roman Empire enters first? It is because the Roman Empire is the most important. And from where do we derive that it is the most important? As it is written “And it shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces” (Daniel 7:23), and Rabbi Yoḥanan says: This is the wicked Roman Empire, whose name spread throughout the world.

And from where do we derive that whoever is more important enters first? This is in accordance with a statement of Rav Ḥisda, as Rav Ḥisda says: When a king and a community are brought before God for judgment, the king enters for judgment first, as it is stated: “That He make the judgment of His servant and the judgment of His people Israel” (I Kings 8:59). And what is the reason that it is important for the king to enter first? If you wish, say that it is not proper conduct for the king to stand outside. And if you wish, say instead that the king is brought in first so that he may be judged before God’s anger intensifies due to the sins of the community.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: With what did you occupy yourselves? They say before Him in response: Master of the Universe, we have established many marketplaces, we have built many bathhouses, and we have increased much silver and gold. And we did all of this only for the sake of the Jewish people, so that they would be free to engage in Torah study.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: Fools of the world! Everything that you did, you did for your own needs. You established marketplaces to place prostitutes in them; you built bathhouses for your own enjoyment; and as for the silver and gold that you claim to have increased, it is Mine, as it is stated: “Mine is the silver, and Mine the gold, said the Lord of hosts” (Haggai 2:8).

10 Is there no one among you who can declare that they have studied this Torah? As it is stated: “Who among them can declare this?” (Isaiah 43:9). And “this” is referring to nothing other than the Torah, as it is stated: “And this is the Torah that Moses set” (Deuteronomy 4:44). Immediately, the members of the Roman Empire leave disappointed.

The Roman Empire leaves, and the Persian Empire enters after it. What is the reason that the Persian Empire enters second? The reason is that after the Roman Empire it is the next most important. And from where do we derive this? As it is written in Daniel’s vision: “And behold another beast, a second, like a bear” (Daniel 7:5). And Rav Yosef teaches: These are the Persians (who are compared to a bear) as they eat and drink like a bear, and they are fleshy like a bear, and they grow their hair long like a bear, and they never rest, like a bear.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: With what did you occupy yourselves? They say before Him: Master of the Universe, we have built many bridges, we have conquered many cities, and we have fought many wars. And we did all of this only for the sake of the Jewish people, so that they would engage in Torah study.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: Everything that you did, you did for your own needs. You established bridges to collect taxes from them. You conquered cities to use forced labor [angareya]; and with regard to fighting the wars, I wage wars, and your success is from Me, as it is stated: “The Lord is a man of war” (Exodus 15:3). Is there no one among you who can declare that they have studied this Torah? As it is stated: “Who among them can declare this” (Isaiah 43:9), and “this” is referring to nothing other than the Torah, as it is stated: “And this is the Torah that Moses set” (Deuteronomy 4:44). Immediately, the members of the Persian Empire leave from before Him disappointed.

But once the Persian Empire sees that everything said by the Roman Empire is completely ineffective, what is the reason that they come forward? They say: The Romans destroyed the Second Temple, and we had built it. And likewise, a similar exchange occurred with each and every nation.

But once the other nations see that everything said by the first ones is completely ineffective, what is the reason that they come? They think: Those Empires subjugated the Jewish people, but we did not subjugate the Jewish people. What is different about these (Rome and Persia) which were singled out, and what is different about those other empires that come afterward, which were not singled out? It is because these, their kingship extends until the coming of the Messiah.

They will say before God: Master of the Universe, did You give us the Torah and we did not accept it? And can one say that they were never offered the Torah? But isn’t it

11 written: “And he said: The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them” (Deuteronomy 33:2),and it is written: “God comes from Teman” (Habakkuk 3:3). And the Sages asked: What did God require in Seir and what did He require in Paran? The Torah was not given in those locations.

And Rabbi Yoḥanan says: This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, took the Torah around to every nation and those who speak every language, but they did not accept it, until He came to the Jewish people and they accepted it.

Rather, this they say: Did we accept the Torah and then not fulfill its mitzvot? But this itself serves as the refutation of their own claim (as one can respond): Why didn’t you accept it? Rather, this is what the nations of the world say before Him: Master of the Universe, did You overturn the mountain above us like a basin, and we still did not accept the Torah, as You did for the Jewish people?

As it is written: “And they stood at the nether part of the mount” (Exodus 19:17),and Rav Dimi bar Ḥama says: The verse teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, overturned the mountain, i.e., Mount Sinai, above the Jews like a basin, and He said to them: If you accept the Torah, excellent, and if not, there, under the mountain, will be your burial.

Immediately, the Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: The first mitzvot will let us hearthe truth, as it is stated :“And announce to us the first things” (Isaiah 43:9). With regard to the seven Noahide mitzvot that even you accepted, where is the proof that you fulfilled them?

And from where do we derive that they did not fulfill them? As Rav Yosef teaches in explanation of the verse: “He stands, and shakes the earth, He sees, and makes the nations tremble [vayater]” (Habakkuk 3:6): What did God see? He saw the seven mitzvot that the descendants of Noah accepted upon themselves, and He saw that they did not fulfill them. Since they did not fulfill them, He arose and nullified for them [vehitiran]. Do they gain from not obeying? If so, we find that a sinner profits from his transgression.

Mar, son of Ravina, said: This serves to say that even if they fulfill the seven Noahide mitzvot they do not receive a reward for their fulfilment.

The Gemara asks: And are they not rewarded for fulfilling those mitzvot? But isn’t it taught Rabbi Meir would say: From where is it derived that even a gentile who engages in Torah study is considered like a High Priest? The verse states: “Which if a person do, and shall live by them” (Leviticus 18:5). It is not stated: Priests, Levites, and Israelites, but rather “person.” From here you learn that even a gentile who engages in the study of Torah is like a High Priest.

12 Rather, the verse serves to tell you that they do not receive as great a reward for their fulfillment as one who is commanded and performs a mitzva. Rather, they receive a lesser reward, like that of one who is not commanded and still performs a mitzva. As Rabbi Ḥanina says: Greater is one who is commanded to do a mitzva and performs it than one who is not commanded and performs it.

Rather, this is what the gentiles say before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, as for the Jewish people who accepted the Torah, where is the evidence that they fulfilled its mitzvot?

The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them: I will testify about the Jewish people that they fulfilled the Torah in its entirety. The nations say before Him: Master of the Universe, is there a father who can testify about his son? As it is written: “Israel is My son, My firstborn” (Exodus 4:22). The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them: Heaven and earth will testify about them that they fulfilled the Torah in its entirety.

The nations say before Him: Master of the Universe, in this matter the testimony of heaven and earth is tainted by a conflict of interest, as it is stated: “If My covenant be not with day and night, I would not have appointed the ordinances of heaven and earth” (Jeremiah 33:25). And Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day” (Genesis 1:31)? This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, established a condition with the acts of Creation, and said: If the Jewish people accept My Torah at the revelation at Sinai, all is well, but if they do not accept it, I will return you to the primordial state of chaos and disorder.

And this is similar to that which Ḥizkiyya says: What is the meaning of that which is written: “You caused sentence to be heard from heaven; the earth feared, and was silent” (Psalms 76:9)? If the earth feared, why was it silent, and if it was silent, why did it fear? Rather: At first. But ultimately, when the Jews accepted the Torah, the earth was silent. Consequently, heaven and earth are interested parties and cannot testify about the Jewish people’s commitment to the Torah.

The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to the nations: Let the witnesses come from among you and testify that the Jewish people fulfilled the Torah in its entirety. Let Nimrod come and testify about Abraham that he did not engage in idol worship. Let Laban come and testify about Jacob that he is not suspect with regard to robbery (see Genesis 31:36–42). Let the wife of Potiphar come and testify about Joseph that he is not suspect with regard to the sin.

Let Nebuchadnezzar come and testify about Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah that they did not prostrate themselves before a graven image. Let Darius come and testify about Daniel that he did not neglect his prayer (see Daniel 6). Let Bildad the Shuhite, and

13 Zophar the Naamathite, and Eliphaz the Temanite, and Elihu, son of Barachel, the Buzite, come and testify about the Jewish people that they fulfilled the Torah in its entirety. As it is stated: “let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified” (Isaiah 43:9).

The gentiles say before Him: Master of the Universe, give us the Torah afresh and we will perform its mitzvot. The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to them in response: Fools of the world! One who takes pains on Shabbat eve will eat on Shabbat, but one who did not take pains on Shabbat eve, from where will he eat on Shabbat? But even so, I have an easy mitzva to fulfill, and its name is sukka; go and perform it.

And how can you say so? But doesn’t Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi say: What is the meaning of that which is written: Which I command you this day” (Deuteronomy 7:11)? Today, in this world, is the time to do them, but tomorrow, in the World-to- Come, is not the time to do them. Today is the time to do them, but today is not the time to receive one’s reward.

But, The Holy One, Blessed be He, does not deal tyrannically with His creations. And why does God call the mitzva of sukka an easy mitzva to fulfill? Because it involves no monetary loss.

Immediately, each and every gentile will take materials and go and construct a sukka on top of his roof. And the Holy One, Blessed be He, will set upon them the heat [makdir] of the sun in the season of Tammuz, and each and every one kick his sukka and leave, as it is stated: “Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us” (Psalms 2:3). Why does God heat the sun over them? But didn’t you say that the Holy One, Blessed be He, does not deal tyrannically with His creations? This is not considered dealing tyrannically with the gentiles, because for the Jewish people as well, there are times when the season of Tammuz extends until the festival of Sukkot, and in such years sitting in the sukka causes them suffering. But doesn’t Rava say that one who suffers in the sukka is exempt from performing the mitzva of sukka? Granted that one is exempt, but should one kick it?

Immediately, the Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and makes sport of the gentiles, as it is stated: “He that sits in heaven makes sport” (Psalms 2:4). With regard to this verse, Rabbi Yitzḥak says: There is no making sport for the Holy One, Blessed be He, but on that day alone.

There are those who teach that which Rabbi Yitzḥak said with regard to this matter, as it is taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yosei says: In the future, the nations of the world will come and convert. And do we accept them? But isn’t it taught: The court does not accept converts in the days of the Messiah; similarly, they did not accept converts either in the days of David or in the days of Solomon?

14 Rather, Rabbi Yosei means that they become converts who have attached themselves to the Jewish people, and they don phylacteries on their heads, phylacteries on their arms, place ritual fringes on their garments, and a mezuza in their doorways.

When these converts see the war of Gog and Magog, they will say to Gog and Magog: For what purpose did you come? They will say to him: to fight against the Lord and against His Messiah, as it is stated: “Why are the nations in an uproar? And why do the peoples mutter in vain” (Psalms 2:1–2).

And then every one of these converts will tear loose his sign of performance of a mitzva and leave, as it is stated: “Let us tear their bands asunder” (Psalms 2:3). And the Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and makes sport (i.e., laughs or rejoices), as it is stated: “He that sits in heaven makes sport” (Psalms 2:4).

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22 7. Zechariah 14

(1) Lo, a day of the Lord is coming when your spoil shall be divided in your very midst! (2) For I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for war: The city shall be captured, the houses plundered, and the women violated; and a part of the city shall go into exile. But the rest of the population shall not be uprooted from the city. (3) Then the Lord will come forth and make war on those nations as He is wont to make war on a day of battle. (4) On that day, He will set His feet on the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem on the east; and the Mount of Olives shall split across from east to west, and one part of the Mount shall shift to the north and the other to the south, a huge gorge. (5) And the Valley in the Hills shall be stopped up, for the Valley of the Hills shall reach only to Azal; it shall be stopped up as it was stopped up as a result of the earthquake in the days of King Uzziah of Judah.—And the Lord my God, with all the holy beings, will come to you. (6) In that day, there shall be neither sunlight nor cold moonlight, (7) but there shall be a continuous day—only the Lord knows when—of neither day nor night, and there shall be light at eventide. (8) In that day, fresh water shall flow from Jerusalem, part of it to the Eastern Sea and part to the Western Sea, throughout the summer and winter. (9) And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day there shall be one Lord with one name. (10) Then the whole country shall become like the Arabah, from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem. The latter, however, shall perch high up where it is, and shall be inhabited from the Gate of Benjamin to the site of the Old Gate, down to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king’s winepresses. (11) Never again shall destruction be decreed, and Jerusalem shall dwell secure. (12) As for those peoples that warred against Jerusalem, the Lord will smite them with this plague: Their flesh shall rot away while they stand on their feet; their eyes shall rot away in their sockets; and their tongues shall rot away in their mouths. (13) In that day, a great panic from the Lord shall fall upon them, and everyone shall snatch at the hand of another, and everyone shall raise his hand against everyone else’s hand. (14) Judah shall join the fighting in Jerusalem, and the wealth of all the nations roundabout—vast quantities of gold, silver, and clothing—shall be gathered in. (15) The same plague shall strike the horses, the mules, the camels, and the asses; the plague shall affect all the animals in those camps. (16) All who survive of all those nations that came up against Jerusalem shall make a pilgrimage year by year to bow low to the King Lord of Hosts and to observe the Feast of Booths. (17) Any of the earth’s communities that does not make the pilgrimage to Jerusalem to bow low to the King Lord of Hosts shall receive no rain. (18) However, if the community of Egypt does not make this pilgrimage, it shall not be visited by the same affliction with which the Lord will strike the other nations that do not come up to observe the Feast of Booths. (19) Such shall be the punishment of Egypt and of all other nations that do not come up to observe the Feast of Booths. (20) In that day, even the bells on the horses shall be inscribed “Holy to the Lord.” The metal pots in the House of the Lord shall be like the

23 basins before the altar; (21) indeed, every metal pot in Jerusalem and in Judah shall be holy to the Lord of Hosts. And all those who sacrifice shall come and take of these to boil [their sacrificial meat] in; in that day there shall be no more traders in the House of the Lord of Hosts. )א( הִ נֵ ֵּ֥ה יֽ ֹום־בָָּ֖א לַֽיהוָ ָ֑ה וְחֻלַ ֵּ֥ק שְ לָלְֵָּ֖ך בְקִרְ בְֵֽך׃ )ב( וְאָסַפְתִִּ֨ י אֶ ת־כָל־הַ ּגֹויִ ֵּ֥ם ׀ אֶֽ ל־יְרּושָ לַ ִם לַמִ לְחָמָ ה וְנִלְכְדָ ָ֣ה הָעִִ֗ יר וְ נָשַַּׁ֙סּוַׁ֙ הַבָ ָ֣תִִּ֔ ים וְהַ נָשִָּ֖ ים תשגלנה ]תִ שָכַ ָ֑בְ נָה[ וְ יָצָָ֞ א ִ֤ חֲצִ י הָעִ ירַׁ֙ בַּגֹולִָּ֔ ה וְיֶ ָ֣תֶ ר הָ עִָּ֔ ם ֵּ֥לֹּא יִכָרֵָּ֖ת מִ ן־הָעִֽ יר׃ )ג( וְ ָ֣ יָצָ א יְהוִָּ֔ ה וְנִלְחַָּ֖ ם בַּגֹויִ ָ֣ם ָ֑ הָהֵ ם כְיֵּ֥ ֹום הִֽ לָחֲמָּ֖ ו בְיֵּ֥ ֹום קְרָֽב׃ )ד( וְעָמְדָ֣ ּו רַ גְלָָ֣ יו בַיֹום־הַַ֠ הּוא עַל־הִַּ֨ ר הַ זֵתִִ֜ ים אֲשִֶּ֨ ר עַל־פְנֵ ֵּ֥י יְרּושָ לַ ִם מִקֶדֶ ם וְנִבְקַע הִַּ֨ ר הַ ִ֤ זֵיתִ ים מֵֽחֶצְ יֹוַׁ֙ מִ זְרָ ָ֣חָ ה וָיִָּ֔מָ ה ּגֵָּ֖יא ּגְ דֹולָ ָ֣ה מְ אָֹּ֑ ד ּומִָּ֨ ש חֲצִ ֵּ֥ י ָ֛ הָהָ ר צָפָּ֖ ֹונָה וְחֶצְ יֹו־ נֶֶֽֽגְבָה׃ )ה( וְ ָ֣ נַסְתֶ ם ּגֵֽיא־הָרִַ֗ י כִֽ י־יַּגִ ָ֣יעַ ּגֵי־הָרִ ים אֶ ל־אָ צַ ל וְנַסְתִֶ֗ ם ִ֤ כַאֲשֶ ר נַסְתֶ םַׁ֙ מִ פְנֵ ָ֣י הָרִַּ֔ עַש בִימֵָּ֖ י עֻזִיָ ָ֣ה מֶֽ לְֶך־יְהּודָ ָ֑ה ּובָאַׁ֙ יְהוָ ָ֣ה אֱֹלהִַּ֔ י כָל־קְ דֹּשִָּ֖ ים עִמָֽ ְך׃ )ו( וְהָיָָּ֖ה בַיָ֣ ֹום הַהָ֑ ּוא ֽלֹּא־ ִי ְה ֶיָ֣ה אִּ֔ ֹור יְקָרָּ֖ ֹות יקפאון ]וְקִ פָאֽ ֹון׃[ )ז( וְהָיָ ָ֣ה יֹום־אֶחִָ֗ ד הָ֛ ּוא יִּוָדַ ֵּ֥ע לַֽיהוָָּ֖ה לֹּא־יָ֣ ֹום וְלֹּא־לָ ָ֑יְלָה וְהָיָ ֵּ֥ה לְעֵֽת־עֶָּ֖רֶ ב יִֽהְ יֶה־אֽ ֹור׃ )ח( וְהָיָ ָ֣ה ׀ בַיָ֣ ֹום הַהִ֗ ּוא יֵצְאִ֤ ּו ַֽמ ִים־ ַח ִיי ַׁ֙ם מִ ירָ֣ ּושָ לִִַּ֔ ם חֶצְ יִָ֗ ם אֶ ל־הַ יָםַׁ֙ הַקַדְ מֹונִִּ֔ י וְחֶצְיָָּ֖ם אֶ ל־הַיָ ָ֣ם הָאַ חֲרָ֑ ֹון בַקַ ֵּ֥ יִץ ּובָחָֹּּ֖רֶ ף יִֽהְ יֶֽה׃ )ט( וְהָיָ ָ֧ה יְהוָ ָ֛ה לְמֶָּ֖ לְֶך עַל־כָל־הָאָ ָ֑רֶ ץ בַיָ֣ ֹום הַהִ֗ ּוא יִהְ יֶ ָ֧ה יְהוָ ָ֛ה אֶחָָּ֖ ד ּושְמֵּ֥ ֹו אֶחָֽ ד׃ )י( יִּסִּ֨ ֹוב כָל־הָאָ ִ֤רֶ ץ כָעֲרָ בָהַׁ֙ מִּגֶ ָ֣בַע לְרִמִּ֔ ֹון נֶֶָּֽ֖גֶ ב יְרֽ ָ֑ ּושָלָ ִם וְֽרָ אֲמָה וְ יָשְ בִָּ֨ ה תַחְתִֶ֜ יהָ לְמִשַ ָ֣עַר בִ נְיָמִִ֗ ן עַד־מְקָ֞ ֹום שַ ִ֤עַר הָֽרִ אשֹוןַׁ֙ עַד־שַ ָ֣עַר הַפִ נִִּ֔ ים ּומִ גְדַ ָ֣ל חֲנַנְאִֵּ֔ ל עַָּ֖ד יִקְבֵ ֵּ֥י הַמֶֽ לְֶך׃ )יא( וְיָָ֣שְ בּו בִָּ֔ ּה וְחֵָּ֖רֶ ם ָ֣לֹּא יִֽהְ יֶה־עָ֑ ֹוד וְ יָשְבָ ֵּ֥ה יְרּושָלַָּ֖ ִם לָבֶֽטַ ח׃ )יב( וְ זָֹּ֣ את ׀ תִֽהְ יֶ ָ֣ה הַמַ ּגֵפִָ֗ ה אֲשִֶּ֨ ר יִּגִֹּ֤ ף יְהוָהַׁ֙ אֶ ת־כָל־הָ ָ֣עַמִִּ֔ ים אֲשֶ ֵּ֥ ר צָבְאָּ֖ ּו ָ֑ עַל־יְרּושָלָ ִם ָ֣ הָמֵ ק ׀ בְשָרִ֗ ֹו וְ הּואַׁ֙ ָ֣ עֹּמֵ ד עַל־רַ גְלִָּ֔ יו וְעֵינָיוַׁ֙ תִמַ ָ֣קְ נָה בְ חֹּֽרֵ יהִֶּ֔ ן ּולְשֹונָֹּ֖ו תִ מַ ֵּ֥ ק בְפִיהֶֽ ם׃ )יג( וְהָ יָהַׁ֙ בַיָ֣ ֹום הַהִּ֔ ּוא תִֽהְ יֶ ָ֧ה מְהֽ ּומַ ת־יְהוָ ָ֛ה רַבָָּ֖ה ָ֑ בָהֶ ם וְהֶ חֱזִִ֗ יקּו אִִ֚ יש יַ ָ֣ד רֵ עִֵּ֔ הּו וְעָלְתָ ֵּ֥ ה יָדָּ֖ ֹו עַל־יַ ֵּ֥ד רֵעֵֽהּו׃ )יד( וְ גִַּ֨ ם־יְהּודִָּ֔ ה תִ לָחֵָּ֖ ם בִ ירֽ ָ֑ ּושָלָ ִם וְאֻּסַף חִֵּ֨ יל כָל־הַ ּגֹויִִ֜ ם סָבִִ֗ יב זָהָ ֵּ֥ ב וָכֶ ָ֛סֶ ף ּובְ גָדִָּ֖ ים לָרֵֹּּ֥ ב מְ אֹּֽ ד׃ )טו( וְכִֵּ֨ ן תִֽהְ יִֶ֜ ה מַ ּגֵפַ ָ֣ת הַּסִ֗ ּוס הַ פֶַׁ֙רֶ דַׁ֙ הַ ָ֣ ּגָמָ ל וְהַ חֲמִּ֔ ֹור וְכִָּ֨ ל־הַבְהֵמִָּ֔ ה אֲשֶ ֵּ֥ ר יִהְ יֶָּ֖ה בַמַ חֲנָֹ֣ות הָהֵ ָ֑מָ ה כַמַ ּגֵפָָּ֖ ה הַ זֹּֽ את׃ )טז( וְהָ יִָ֗ ה כָל־הַ נֹותָ רַׁ֙ מִ כָל־הַ ּגֹויִִּ֔ ם הַ בָאִָּ֖ ים עַל־יְרֽ ָ֑ ּושָלָ ִם וְעָלָ֞ ּו מִדֵ ָ֧י שָנָ ָ֣ה בְשָ נִָ֗ ה לְהִֽשְתַ חֲוֹּתַׁ֙ לְמֶַׁ֙לְֶךַׁ֙ יְהוָ ָ֣ה צְ בָאִּ֔ ֹות וְלָחָֹּּ֖ ג אֶ ת־חַ ֵּ֥ ג הַ ּסֻכֽ ֹות׃ )יז( וְַ֠הָ יָה אֲשִֶּ֨ ר ֽלֹּא־ ַי ֲע ִ֜ ֶלה מֵאִֵּ֨ ת מִשְ פְחִ֤ ֹות הָאַָׁ֙רֶ ץַׁ֙ אֶ ל־יְרָ֣ ּושָ לִִַּ֔ ם לְהִֽשְתַ חֲוִֹּּ֔ ת לְמֶָּ֖ לְֶך יְהוָ ָ֣ה צְ בָאָ֑ ֹות ְו ֵּ֥לֹּא עֲלֵיהֶָּ֖ ם יִהְ יֶ ֵּ֥ה הַּגָֽשֶ ם׃ )יח( וְאִ ם־מִשְ פִַּ֨חַ ת מִצְרַ ָ֧יִם ֽלֹּא־ ַת ֲע ֶ ָ֛לה ְו ֵּ֥לֹּא בָאָָּ֖ ה ְו ָ֣לֹּא ָ֑ עֲלֵיהֶ ם תִֽהְ יֶ ָ֣ה הַמַ ּגֵפִָ֗ ה אֲשִֶּ֨ ר יִּגִֹּ֤ ף יְהוָהַׁ֙ אֶ ת־הַ ּגֹויִִּ֔ ם אֲשֶ רַׁ֙ ָ֣ל ֹּא יַֽעֲלִּ֔ ּו לָחָֹּּ֖ ג אֶ ת־חַ ֵּ֥ ג הַ ּסֻכֽ ֹות׃ )יט( זֵֹּּ֥ את תִהְ יֶָּ֖ה ָ֣ חַטַ את מִצְרָ ָ֑יִם וְחַטַ אתַׁ֙ כָל־הַ ּגֹויִִּ֔ ם אֲשֶ רַׁ֙ ָ֣לֹּא יַֽעֲלִּ֔ ּו לָחָֹּּ֖ ג אֶ ת־חַ ֵּ֥ ג הַ ּסֻכֽ ֹות׃ )כ( בַיָ֣ ֹום הַהִ֗ ּוא יִֽהְ יֶהַׁ֙ עַל־מְצִלָ֣ ֹות הַּסִּ֔ ּוס קָֹּּ֖ דֶ ש לַֽ יהוָ ָ֑ה וְהָיָ ִ֤ה הַּסִ ירֹותַׁ֙ בְבֵ ָ֣ית יְהוִָּ֔ ה כַמִ זְרָקִָּ֖ ים לִפְנֵ ֵּ֥י הַמִ זְבֵֽחַ ׃ )כא( וְַ֠הָ יָה כָל־סִִּ֨ יר בִירּושָ לִִַ֜ ם ּובִֽ יהּודִָ֗ ה קִֹּ֚ דֶ ש לַיהוָ ָ֣ה צְ בָאִּ֔ ֹות ּובַָׁ֙אּוַׁ֙ כָל־הַ זָֹּ֣בְחִִּ֔ ים וְלָקְחֵּ֥ ּו מֵהֶָּ֖ ם ּו ִב ְש ָ֣לּו ָ֑ בָהֶ ם וְ לֹּא־יִהְ יִֶּ֨ ה כְ נַעֲנִ ֵּ֥י עָ֛ ֹוד בְ בֵית־יְהוָ ֵּ֥ה צְ בָאָּ֖ ֹות בַיֵּ֥ ֹום הַהֽ ּוא׃

24 8. Jonah 4

(1) This displeased Jonah greatly, and he was grieved. (2) He prayed to the Lord, saying, “O Lord! Isn’t this just what I said when I was still in my own country? That is why I fled beforehand to Tarshish. For I know that You are a compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in kindness, renouncing punishment. (3) Please, Lord, take my life, for I would rather die than live.” (4) The Lord replied, “Are you that deeply grieved?” (5) Now Jonah had left the city and found a place east of the city. He made a booth there and sat under it in the shade, until he should see what happened to the city. (6) The Lord God provided a ricinus plant, which grew up over Jonah, to provide shade for his head and save him from discomfort. Jonah was very happy about the plant. (7) But the next day at dawn God provided a worm, which attacked the plant so that it withered. (8) And when the sun rose, God provided a sultry east wind; the sun beat down on Jonah’s head, and he became faint. He begged for death, saying, “I would rather die than live.” (9) Then God said to Jonah, “Are you so deeply grieved about the plant?” “Yes,” he replied, “so deeply that I want to die.” (10) Then the Lord said: “You cared about the plant, which you did not work for and which you did not grow, which appeared overnight and perished overnight. (11) And should not I care about Nineveh, that great city, in which there are more than a hundred and twenty thousand persons who do not yet know their right hand from their left, and many beasts as well!” )א( וַיֵ ֵֶּֽ֥רַ ע אֶ ל־יֹונָָּ֖ה רָעָ ָ֣ה גְדֹולָ ָ֑ה וַיִָּ֖חַ ר ֽלֹו׃ )ב( ַו ִי ְת ַפ ִּ֨ ֵלל אֶ ל־יְהוִָ֜ ה וַיֹּאמִַ֗ ר אָ נָ ִ֤ה יְהוָהַׁ֙ הֲלֹוא־זֶ ָ֣ה דְ בָרִִ֗ י עַד־הֱיֹותִ יַׁ֙ עַל־אַדְמָתִִּ֔ י עַל־כֵ ֵּ֥ן קִדַָּ֖מְתִ י לִבְ רָֹּ֣ חַ תַרְשִ ָ֑ישָ ה ָ֣ כִ י יָדִַ֗ עְתִ י ִ֤ כִ י אַתָ הַׁ֙ אֵֽ ל־חַ נָּ֣ון וְרַחִּ֔ ּום אֶ ִ֤רֶ ְך אַ פַַׁ֙יִםַׁ֙ וְרַ ב־חִֶּ֔סֶ ד וְנִחָָּ֖ ם עַל־הָרָעָֽה׃ )ג( ָ֣ וְעַתָ ה יְהוִָּ֔ ה קַ ח־נָ ֵּ֥א אֶ ת־נַפְשִָּ֖ י מִמֶ ָ֑נִי ָ֛ כִ י טֵּ֥ ֹוב מֹותִָּ֖ י מֵחַיָֽי׃ )ס( )ד( וַיָֹּ֣אמֶ ר יְהוִָּ֔ ה הַהֵ יטֵָּ֖ ב חָ ֵּ֥רָ ה לְָֽך׃ )ה( ִ֤ וַיֵצֵ א יֹונָהַׁ֙ מִ ן־הָעִִּ֔ יר וַיֵָּ֖שֶ ב ָ֣ מִקֶ דֶ ם לָעִ ָ֑יר וַיַעַש לִּ֨ ֹו שִָ֜ ם סֻכִָ֗ ה וַיִֵ֤שֶ ב תַחְתֶַׁ֙יהַָׁ֙ בַצִֵּ֔ ל עִַ֚ ד ָ֣ אֲשֶ ר יִרְ אִֶּ֔ ה ַמה־ ִי ְה ֶָּ֖יה בָעִֽ יר׃ )ו( ָ֣ וַיְמַ ן יְהוָֽה־אֱַ֠ ֹלהִ ים קִ יקָ יָ֞ ֹון וַיַ ָ֣עַל ׀ מֵעַ ָ֣ל לְיֹונִָ֗ ה לִֽהְ יֵּ֥ ֹות צֵ לַׁ֙ עַל־רֹּאשִּ֔ ֹו לְהַצִ ֵּ֥ יל ָּ֖לֹו מֵרָֽעָתָ֑ ֹו ַו ִי ְש ַ ֵּ֥מח יֹונָ ָ֛ה ִ עַל־הַקֽ יקָ יָּ֖ ֹון שִמְחָ ֵּ֥ ה גְ דֹולָֽה׃ )ז( ִ֤ וַיְמַ ן הָֽאֱֹלהִ יםַׁ֙ תֹולִַּ֔ עַת ַב ֲע ֵּ֥לֹות הַשַָּ֖חַ ר לַֽמָ חֳרָ ָ֑ת וַתַ ֵּ֥ ְך אֶ ת־ הַקִֽ יקָ יָּ֖ ֹון ַו ִיי ָֽבש׃ )ח( ָ֣ וַיְהִ י ׀ כִזְ רָֹּ֣ חַ הַשִֶ֗ מֶ ש וַיְמִַּ֨ ן אֱֹלהִִ֜ ים רִ֤ ּוחַ קָדִ יםַׁ֙ חֲרִישִִּ֔ ית וַתַ ֵּ֥ ְך הַשֶ ָ֛מֶ ש עַל־רֵֹּּ֥ אש יֹונָָּ֖ה ַו ִי ְת ַע ָ ָ֑לף ַו ִי ְש ַ ִ֤אל אֶ ת־נַפְ שֹוַׁ֙ לָמִּ֔ ּות וַיֹֹּּ֕ אמֶ ר טֵּ֥ ֹוב מֹותִָּ֖ י מֵחַיָֽי׃ )ט( וַיִֹּ֤אמֶ ר אֱ ֹלהִ יםַׁ֙ אֶ ל־יֹונִָּ֔ ה הַהֵיטֵ ֵּ֥ ב חָרָֽ ה־לְךָּ֖ עַל־הַקִֽ יקָ יָ֑ ֹון וַיֹֹּּ֕אמֶ ר הֵ יטֵ ֵּ֥ ב חָֽרָ ה־לִָּ֖י עַד־מָֽ וֶת׃ )י( וַיָֹּ֣אמֶ ר יְהוִָּ֔ ה אַתָ ֵּ֥ ה חַַׁ֙סְתַָׁ֙ עַל־הַקִ ָ֣ יקָ יִּ֔ ֹון ָ֛ אֲשֶ ר לֹּא־עָמַ ֵּ֥לְתָ בָּ֖ ֹו ְו ָ֣לֹּא גִדַ לְתָ֑ ֹו שֶבִ ן־לַ ֵּ֥יְלָה הָיָָּ֖ה ּובִ ן־לַ ֵּ֥יְלָה אָבָֽד׃ )יא( וַֽאֲנִיַׁ֙ ָ֣לֹּא אָחִּ֔ ּוס עַל־נִינְוֵָּ֖ה הָעִ ָ֣יר הַּגְ דֹולָ ָ֑ה ָ֣ אֲשֶ ר יֶש־בָָּ֡ ּה הַרְ בֵה מִֽשְתֵ ים־עֶשְרִֵּ֨ ה רִ בִ֜ ֹו אָדִָ֗ ם ִ֤ אֲשֶ ר ֽלֹּא־ ָי ַד ַׁ֙ע בֵין־יְמִ ינָֹ֣ו לִשְ מֹּאלִּ֔ ֹו ּובְהֵמָָּ֖ ה רַבָֽ ה.

25 9. Yehuda Amital, “The Fallen Sukka of David,” Adapted by Boaz Kallush, Translated by Rav Eliezer Kwass

“May the All-Merciful One establish for us the fallen sukka of David (sukkat David ha- nofalet).”

During the entire Sukkot holiday we are accustomed to say this prayer in the blessing after meals, based on the verse, “On that day I will establish the fallen sukka of David” (Amos 9:11).

Why is this image chosen to represent the people of Israel? Wasn’t it possible to pick some more appropriate image? Why not, for instance, depict the Jewish people as a tower, in the verse, “Your neck is like an ivory tower” (Shir Ha-shirim 7:5)? The Maharal offers a fascinating explanation:

The Davidic dynasty is referred to as “sukka,” [even though] royalty in general is referred to as a “house”... because something that has a powerful existence in the world is referred to as a house, which is a permanent structure. Similarly, a royal dynasty is referred to as a house, because of its strength and permanence....

But when a house falls, its original essence is negated. When it is later rebuilt it becomes a totally new house. That rebuilt house is not referred to as the house that had fallen, for the original house has already been negated. Rather, it is as if a totally new house has now been built.

A sukka, though, is not a house, not a complete and permanent structure. If it falls, it can easily be put up again; if it falls, it is can appropriately be referred to as being reestablished. It returns to its original essence.

Thus, the Kingdom of the House of David, always ready to be reestablished after having fallen, is referred to as the Kingdom of “David’s fallen sukka.” Even after its fall it retains its identity as a “sukka.” This is because a sukka is always ready to be put back up, and it is easy to do so. (Netzach Yisrael, Chapter 35)

A house’s fall is complete and final, and putting it back up is impossible. A sukka, on the other hand, even though it can easily fall, can be put up again.

This is what typifies Israel and Israel’s kingdom. A house is stable, and has the ability to withstand nature’s violent storms; but once it falls, it is no longer possible for that house to be put up again. What is reconstructed is something new. A sukka, by contrast, isn’t stable; any unusually strong wind will knock it down. The same is true for the Kingdom of Israel: it is fragile, falls easily, and doesn’t resist storms and shocks. But it always rises back up and stands on its feet again.

26 The Midrash Tanchuma (Nitzavim 1) conveys a similar idea:

“You are all standing here today” (Devarim 29:9) – this is in line with what the verse says, “Turn over the evildoers and they are gone, but the house of the righteous will stand” (Mishlei 12:7). As long as the Holy One, blessed be He, looks at the acts of the evildoers and turns them over, they have no chance for revival... but Israel falls and gets back up, as it says, “Do not be joyous, my enemy, for just as I fell, I rose again” (Mikha 7:8). It also says, “For I, God, have not changed, and you, the sons of Ya’akov, have not been destroyed” (Malakhi 3:6).

Rabbi Chanina son of Pappa said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, I never smote a nation more than once. But you, children of Ya’akov, were not destroyed, as it says, “I finish off My arrows on them” (Devarim 32:23). My arrows finish but they are not finished. Thus says Israel, “He drew his bow and stood me up as a target for an arrow” (Eikha 3:12). To what is this compared? It is like a mighty one who sets up a board and shoots arrows at it; the arrows are finished off but the board remains. Similarly Israel, as long as troubles befall them, the troubles end but they continue to stand....

10. Tosefta Menahot 13 (4) ...R’ Yochanan ben Turta said: why was Shiloh destroyed? Because there they treated holy offerings disgracefully. Why was the first building of Jerusalem destroyed? Because of the idolatry, sexual immorality and spilling of blood that was in its midst. But we know that in the later one they labored in Torah and were careful with tithes, so why were they exiled? Because they loved money and each one hated his fellow. This comes to teach you that hating one’s fellow is difficult in God’s eyes, and the Torah considered it equivalent to idolatry, sexual immorality and the spilling of blood: But the final building which will be built in the future, in our days in our life, what is said about it? “And it shall be at the end of the days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains…And many peoples shall go, and they shall say, "Come, let us go up to the Lord's mount, to the house of the God of Jacob…” (Isaiah 2:2-3) “For there is a day, the watchers shall call on the mountains of Ephraim; Rise! Let us go up to Zion, to the Lord, our God.” (Jeremiah 31:5) א"ר יוחנן בן תורתא מפני מה חרבה שילה מפני בזיון קדשים שבתוכה. ירושלים בנין הראשון מפני מה חרבה מפני עבודת כוכבים וגלוי עריות ושפיכות דמים שהיו בתוכה. אבל באחרונה מכירין אנו בהן שהן עמלים בתורה וזהירין במעשרות מפני מה גלו מפני שאוהבין את הממון ושונאין איש את רעהו ללמדך שקשה שנאת איש את רעהו לפני המקום ושקלה הכתוב כנגד עבודת כוכבים וגלוי עריות ושפיכות דמים אבל בבנין האחרון שעתידה לבנות בחיינו ובימינו מה נאמר בו )ישעיהו ב( והיה באחרית הימים נכון יהיה הר בית ה' בראש ההרים וגו' והלכו עמים רבים ואמרו לכו ונעלה אל הר ה' ואל בית אלהי יעקב וגו' ואומר )ירמיהו לא( כי יש יום קראו נוצרים בהר אפרים קומו ונעלה ציון אל ה' אלהינו.

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