פסחים 118 — parallel

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What is ‘THE GRACE OF SONG’? Rab Judah said: ‘They shall praise Thee, O Lord our God’; while R. Johanan said: ‘The breath of a living [etc.]’ Our Rabbis taught: At the fourth he concludes the Hallel and recites the great Hallel this is the view of R. Tarfon. Others say: The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.’ What comprises the great Hallel? Rab Judah said: From ‘O give thanks’ until ‘the rivers of Babylon.’ While R. Johanan said: From ‘A song of ascents’ until ‘the rivers of Babylon.’ R. Aha b. Jacob said: From ‘for the Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself’ until ‘the rivers of Babylon.’ And why is it called the great Hallel? — Said R. Johanan: Because the Holy One, blessed be He, sits in the heights of the universe and distributes food to all creatures. R. Joshua b. Levi said: To what do these twenty-six [verses of] ‘Give thanks’ correspond? To the twenty-six generations which the Holy One, blessed be He, created in His world; though He did not give them the Torah, He sustained them by His love. R. Hisda said: What is meant by the verse, O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good? Give thanks unto the Lord who exacts man's debts by means of His goodness: the wealthy man through his ox and the poor man through his sheep, the fatherless through his egg and the widow through her fowl. R. Johanan said: Man's sustenance involves twice as much suffering as [that of] a woman in childbirth. For of a woman in childbirth it is written, in pain [be-’ezeb — thou shalt bring forth children], whereas of sustenance it is written, in toil [be-’izzabon — shalt thou eat]. R. Johanan also said: Man's sustenance is more difficult [to come by] than the redemption, for of redemption it is written, the angel who hath redeemed me from all evil, thus a mere angel [sufficed], whereas of sustenance it is written, the God who hath fed [shepherded] me. R. Joshua b. Levi said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Adam, ‘Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee,’ tears flowed from his eyes, and he pleaded before Him, ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Shall I and my ass eat out of the same crib!’ But as soon as He said to him, ‘In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread,’ his mind was set at rest. R. Simeon b. Lakish said: Happy are we that we did not remain subject to the first! Abaye observed: Yet we have still not [altogether] escaped from it, for we eat herbs of the field. R. Shizbi said in the name of R. Eleazar b. ‘Azariah: A man's sustenance is as difficult [to provide] as the dividing of the Red Sea, for it is written, Who giveth food to a flesh, and near it, To Him who divided the Red Sea in sunder. R. Eleazar b. ‘Azariah said: A man's excretory organs [when blocked up] are as painful as the day of death and [as difficult to overcome] as the dividing of the Red Sea, for it is said, The prisoner hasteneth to be loosed; [and he shall not go down dying into the pit, neither shall his bread fail]; and that is followed by [For I am the Lord thy God,] who stirreth tip the sea, that the waves thereof roar. Again. R. Shesheth said on the authority of R. Eleazar b. ‘Azariah: He who despises the Festivals is as though he engaged in idolatry, for it is said, Thou shalt make thee no molten gods, which is followed by, The feast of unleavened bread shalt thou keep. R. Shesheth also said on the authority of R. Eleazar b. ‘Azariah: Whoever relates slander, and whoever accepts slander, and whoever gives false testimony against his neighbour, deserve to be cast to dogs, for it is said, ye shall cast to the dogs, which is followed by, Thou shalt not take up a false report, which may be read tashshi. Now since there is the great Hallel, why do we recite this one? Because it includes [a mention of] the following five things: The exodus from Egypt, the dividing of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah [Revelation], the resurrection of the dead, and the pangs of Messiah. The exodus from Egypt, as it is written, When Israel came forth out of Egypt; as the dividing of the Red Sea: The sea saw it, and fled; the giving of the Torah: The mountains skipped like rams; resurrection of the dead: I shall walk before the Lord [in the land of the living]; the pangs of Messiah: Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us. R. Johanan also said: ‘Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us’ refers to the servitude to [foreign] powers. Others state, R. Johanan said: ‘Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us’ refers to the war of Gog and Magog. R. Nahman b. Isaac said: [Hallel is recited] because it contains [an allusion to] the deliverance of the souls of the righteous from the Gehenna, as it is said, I beseech Thee, O Lord, deliver my soul. Hezekiah said: Because it alludes to the descent of the righteous into the fiery furnace and their ascent from it. ‘Their descent,’ for it is written, Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us: [this] Hananiah said; ‘But unto Thy name give glory’ was said by Mishael; For Thy mercy, a rid for Thy truth's sake, by Azariah; Wherefore should the nations say? by all of them. ‘Their ascent from the fiery furnace,’ for it is written, O praise the Lord, all ye nations; [this] Hananiah said; Laud Him, all ye peoples, was said by Mishael; For His mercy is great toward us, by Azariah; ‘And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever,’ by all of them. Others maintain [that] it was Gabriel who said, ‘And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.’ [For] when the wicked Nimrod cast our father Abraham into the fiery furnace, Gabriel said to the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Let me go down, cool [it], and deliver that righteous man from the fiery furnace.’ Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ‘I am unique in My world, and he is unique in his world: it is fitting for Him who is unique to deliver him who is unique. But because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not withhold the [merited] reward of any creature, he said to him, ‘Thou shalt be privileged to deliver three of his descendants.’ R. Simeon the Shilonite lectured: When the wicked Nebuchadnezzar cast Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah into the fiery furnace, Yurkami, Prince of hail, rose before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said to Him: ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Let me go down and cool the furnace and save these righteous men from the fiery furnace.’ Said Gabriel to him, ‘The might of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not thus [manifested], for thou art the Prince of hail, and all know that water extinguishes fire. But I, the Prince of fire, will go down and cool it within

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and heat it without, and will thus perform a double miracle. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him, ‘Go down.’ It was then that Gabriel commenced [with praise] and said, ‘And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.’ R. Nathan said: it was the fish in the sea who said, ‘and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever,’ this being in accordance with R. Huna. For R. Huna said: The Israelites of that generation [sc. of the Egyptian exodus] were men of little faith, and as Rabbah b. Mari expounded: What is taught by the verse, But they were rebellious at the sea, even at the Red Sea? This teaches that in that moment the Israelites were rebellious and said: Just as we ascend at one side [of the sea] so do the Egyptians ascend from another. Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, ordered the Prince of the Sea, ‘Spue them forth on to the dry land.’ Said he to Him, ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Does a master make a gift to his servant and then take it back from him!’ ‘I will give you one and a half times their number,’ He replied. ‘Sovereign of the Universe, he pleaded, ‘can a servant claim [a debt] from his Master!’ ‘Let the brook of Kishon be surety for Me,’ He answered. Straightway he spewed them forth on to the dry land, and Israel came and saw them, as it is said, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead on the sea-shore. What is [this allusion to] ‘one and a half times their number’? For in the case of Pharaoh it is written, [and he took] six hundred chosen chariots, whereas in the case of Sisera it is written, [And Sisera gathered . . . ] nine hundred chariots of iron. When Sisera came [to fight Israel] he advanced against them with iron staves. Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, brought forth the stars out of their orbits against them, as it is written, The stars in their courses fought against Sisera. As soon as the stars of heaven descended upon them they heated those iron staves . So they went down to cool them and to refresh themselves in the brook of Kishon. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to the brook of Kishon, ‘Go and deliver your pledge.’ Straightway the brook of Kishon swept them out and cast them into the sea, as it is said, The brook Kishon swept them away, that ancient brook. What does ‘that ancient brook’ mean? The brook that became a surety in ancient times. In that hour the fish in the sea opened [their mouths] and exclaimed, ‘and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.’ R. Simeon b. Lakish said, What means ‘Who maketh the barren woman [‘akereth ] to dwell in her house’? The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One, blessed be He, ‘Sovereign of the Universe! Thy sons have made me like a weasel that dwells in the vaults [‘ikare] of houses.’ Raba lectured, What means, I love that the Lord should hear [my voice and my supplications]? The congregation of Israel said: Sovereign of the Universe! When am I loved by Thee? When Thou hearest the voice of my supplications. I was brought low [dallothi], and He saved me. The congregation of Israel spoke before the Holy One, blessed be He, Sovereign of the Universe! Though I am poor [dallah] in religious deeds, yet I am Thine, and it is fitting that I should be saved. R. Kahana said: When R. Ishmael son of R. Jose fell sick, Rabbi sent to him: Tell us two or three things which you have said to us in your father's name. He sent back to him, Thus did my father say: What is meant by the verse, O praise the Lord, all ye nations: What business have the nations of the world here? This is its meaning: ‘O praise the Lord, all ye nations’ for the mighty and wondrous deeds which He wrought for them; all the more we, since ‘His mercy is great toward us.’ Furthermore [he sent word to him]: Egypt is destined to bring a gift to the Messiah. He will think not to accept it from them, but the Holy One, blessed be He, will instruct him, ‘Accept it from them: they furnished hospitality to My children in Egypt.’ Immediately, ‘Nobles shall come out of Egypt [bringing gifts]. Then Ethiopia shall argue with herself: If those [the Egyptians] who enslaved them are thus [treated], how much the more we, who did not enslave them! At that the Holy One, blessed be He, shall bid him: ‘Accept it from then,.’ Straightway, ‘Ethiopia shall hasten to stretch out her hands unto God.’ Then shall the wicked Roman State argue with herself: If those who are not their brethren are thus [accepted], how much the more we, their brethren. But the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to Gabriel: Rebuke the wild beast of the reeds [kaneh]; the multitude of [‘adath] the bulls: rebuke the wild beast [Rome] and take thee possession [keneh] of the congregation [‘edah]. Another interpretation: rebuke the wild beast of the reeds, i.e.. that dwells among the reeds, as it is written, The boar out of the wood doth ravage it, that which moveth in the field feedeth on it. R. Hiyya b. Abba interpreted it in R. Johanan's name: Rebuke the wild beast all of whose actions may be recorded with the same pen. ‘The multitude of the bulls [abbirim], with the calves of the people’: that means that they slaughtered the valiant [abbirim] like calves which have no owners. ‘Everyone opening his hand with the desire of money’: they stretch out their hand to accept the money, but do not carry out its owners’ wishes. ‘He hath scattered the people that delight in approaches’: what caused Israel to be scattered among the nations? The approaches [to the nations] which they desired. He also sent to him: There are three hundred and sixty five thoroughfares in the great city of Rome, and in each there were three hundred and sixty five palaces; and in each palace there were three hundred and sixty five storeys, and each storey contained sufficient to provide the whole world with food. R. Simeon b. Rabbi asked Rabbi — others say, R. Ishmael son of R. Jose asked Rabbi — For whom are all these [other storeys]? — For you, your companions and acquaintances, as it is said, And her gain and her hire shall be holiness to the Lord,’ it shall not be stored nor treasured; for her gain shall be for them that dwell before the Lord. What does ‘it shall not be stored’ mean? — R. Joseph learned: ‘It shall not be stored’ refers to a storehouse [granary]; ‘nor treasured,’ to a treasure house. What means ‘for them that dwell before the Lord’? — Said R. Eleazar:

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