Pesachim

Diblaim’: [a woman of] in fame [dibbah] and the daughter of [a woman of] in fame [dibbah].1 Samuel said: [It means] that she was as sweet in everyone's mouth as a cake of figs [debelah]. While R. Johanan interpreted: [It means] that all trod upon her2 like a cake of figs [is trodden]. Another interpretation: ‘Gomer’: Rab Judah said: They desired to destroy [le-gammer] the wealth of Israel in her days. R. Johanan said: They did indeed despoil [their wealth]. for it is said, For the king of Aram [Syria] destroyed then, and made them like the dust in threshing.3 And she conceived, and bore him a son. And the Lord said unto him: ‘Call his name Jezreel; for yet in little while, and I will visit the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu, and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel. And it shall come to pass at that day, that I will break the bow of Israel in the valley of Jezreel.’ And she conceived again, and bore a daughter. And He said unto him: ‘Call her name Lo-ruhamah [that hath not obtained compassion]; for I will no more have compassion upon the house of Israel, that I should in any wise pardon them . . . And she conceived, and bore a son. And He said: ‘Call his name Lo-ammi [not my people]; for ye are not My people, and I will not be yours.4 After two sons and one daughter were born to him, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Hosea: ‘Shouldst thou have not learned from thy teacher Moses, for as soon as I spoke with him he parted from his wife; so do thou too part from her.’ ‘Sovereign of the Universe!’ pleaded he: ‘I have children by her, and I can neither expel her nor divorce her.’ Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ‘Then if thou, whose wife is a harlot and thy children are the children of harlotry, and thou knowest not whether they are thine or they belong to others, yet [thou] art so; then Israel who are My children, the children of My tried ones, the children of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; one of the four possessions which I have acquired in this world — (The Torah is one possession, for it is written, The Lord acquired me as the beginning of His way.5 Heaven and earth is one possession. as It is written, [God Most High] Who possesses heaven and earth.6 The Temple is one possession, for it is written, This mountain [sc. the Temple Mount], which His right hand had acquired.7 Israel is one possession, for it is written, This people that Thou hast gotten.)8 Yet thou sayest, Exchange them for a different people!’ As soon as he perceived that he had sinned, he arose to supplicate mercy for himself. Said the Holy One, blessed be He, to him: ‘Instead of supplicating mercy for thyself, supplicate mercy for Israel, against whom I have decreed three decrees because of thee’.9 [Thereupon] he arose and begged for mercy, and He annulled the decree[s]. Then He began to bless them, as it is said: Yet the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea . . . and it shall come to pass that, instead of that it which was said unto them: Ye are not My people’, it shall be said unto them: Ye are the children of the living God.’ And the children of Judah and the children of Israel shall be gathered together . . . And I will sow her unto Me in the land; and I will have compassion upon her that hath not obtained compassion; and I will say to them that were not My people: ‘Thou art My people.’10 T. Johanan said: ‘Woe to lordship which buries [slays] its possessor, for there is not a single prophet who did not outlive11 four kings, as it is said, The vision of Isaiah the sun of Amoz, which he saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah.12 R. Johanan said: How did Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel merit to be counted together with the kings of Judah? Because he did not heed13 slander against Amos. Whence do we know that he was counted [with them]? Because it is written, The word of the Lord that came into Hosea the son of Beeri, in the days of Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, kings of Judah, and in the days of Jeroboam the son of Joash king of Israel.14 And whence do we know that he did not heed slander? Because it is written, Then Amaziah the priest of Beth-el sent to Jeroboam king of Israel, saying. Amos hath conspired against thee [etc.];15 and it is written, For thus Amos saith: Jeroboam shall die by the sword [etc.].16 Said he [Jeroboam]: ‘Heaven forfend that that righteous man should have said thus! Yet if he did say, what can I do to him! The Shechinah told it to him. R. Eleazar said: Even when the Holy One, blessed be He, is angry,17 He remembers compassion, for it is said, for I will no more have compassion upon the house of Israel.18 R. Jose son of R. Hanina said [i.e., deduced] it from this: that I would in any wise pardon them.19 R. Eleazar also said: The Holy One, blessed be He, did not exile Israel among the nations save in order that proselytes might join them, for it is said: And I will sow her unto Me in the land;20 surely a man sows a se'ah in order to harvest many kor! While R. Johanan deduced it from this: And I will have compassion upon her that hath not obtained compassion.21 R. Johanan said on the authority of R. Simeon b. Yohai: What is meant by the verse, Slander not a servant unto his master, lest he curse thee, and thou be found guilty?22 And it is written, A generation that curse their father, and do not bless their mother:23 because they curse their father and do not bless their mother, therefore do not slander?24 But [it means:] even if they [the slaves] are a generation that curse their father and do not bless their mother, yet do not slander [etc.]. Whence do we know it? From Hosea.25 R. Oshaia said: What is meant by the verse, Even the righteous acts of His Ruler in Israel?26 The Holy One, blessed be He, showed righteousness [mercy] unto Israel by scattering them among the nations. And this is what a certain sectarian27 said to R. Hanina, ‘We are better than you. Of you it is written, For Joab and all Israel remained there six months, until he had cut off every male in Edom;28 whereas you have been with us many years yet we have not done anything to you!’ Said he to him, ‘If you agree, a disciple will debate it with you.’ [Thereupon] R. Oshaia debated it with him, [and] he said to him,’ [The reason is] because you do not know how to act. If you would destroy all, they are not among you.29 [Should you destroy] those who are among you, then you will be called a murderous kingdom!’ Said he to him, ‘By the Capitol of Rome!30 with this [care] we lie down and with this [care] we get up.31 R. Hiyya taught: What is meant by the verse, God understandeth the way thereof, and He knoweth the place thereof?32 The Holy One, blessed be He, knoweth that Israel are unable to endure33 the cruel decrees of Edom,34 therefore He exiled them to Babylonia. R. Eleazar also said: The Holy One, blessed be He, exiled Israel to Babylonia only because it is as deep as she'ol, for it is said, I shall ransom them from the power of the nether-world [she'ol]; I shall redeem them from death.35 R. Hanina said: Because their language is akin to the language of the Torah. R. Johanan said: Because He sent them back to their mother's house.36 It may be compared to a man who becomes angry with his wife: Whither does he send her? To her mother's house. And that corresponds to [the dictum] of R. Alexandri, who said: Three returned to their original home,37 viz., Israel, Egypt's wealth, and the writing of the Tables. Israel, as we have said. Egypt's wealth, as it is written, And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem; and he took away the treasurers of the house of the Lord.38 The writing of the Tables, for it is written, and I broke them before your eyes.39 It was taught: The Tables were broken, yet the Letters flew up.40 ‘Ulla said: [Their exile] was in order that they might eat nations; Lo-ammi (not my people) and Lo-Ruhamah (without compassion). Israel's exile, of coming under the wings of the Shechinah. According to Rashi, R. Johanan deduces it from the concluding part of the verse, ‘And I will say to them that are not My people; thou art My people’. This passage shows these two Rabbis in favour of proselytes. For the general attitude of the Rabbis towards proselytization v. f. E. art. Proselyte. but waits until mankind is ready to receive it.