R. Jose then quoted the verse: “The Lord hath sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength” (Isa. 62, 8). ‘Whenever’, he said, ‘a man sins before God, there is a certain grade above which takes note of that sin to punish it; if the man repents, the sin is wiped out and judgement has no sway over him, but if not, that sin is inscribed with that grade. If he sins more, then another grade takes note of him and concurs with the previous grade, so that he requires a more fervent repentance. If he goes on sinning, further grades are added till the number of five is reached.
When the Right Hand is thus completed, the Left Hand concurs with the Right and merges in it, and then there is no further room for repentance. When the final judgement is thus pronounced,
five fingers are locked in five, the Right Hand in the Left, and therefore when God desires to pronounce the final judgement, then, “The Lord swears by his right hand and by the arm of his strength”.’1The last 27 lines of the Hebrew text are not translated.
רִבִּי יוֹסֵי פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (ישעיהו ס״ב:ח׳) נִשְׁבַּע יְיָ' בִּימִינוֹ וּבִזְרוֹעַ עֻזּוֹ, הַאי קְרָא אוּקְמוּהָ. אֲבָל תָּא חֲזֵי, כָּל זִמְנָא דְּבַּר נָשׁ חָטֵי קַמֵּי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, אִית דַּרְגָּא דְּאִשְׁתְּמוֹדְעָא לְעֵילָּא לָקֳבְלֵי הַאי חַטָּאָה, לְדַיְּינָא לֵיהּ לְבַּר נָשׁ, וְאִסְתָּכַּל (ס"א ואסתכן) עָלֵיהּ, אִי תָּב בִּתְיוּבְתָּא שְׁלֵימָתָא קָמֵי מָארֵיהּ, אִתְעֲבָר חוֹבֵיהּ, וְדִינָא לָא שַׁלְטָא עֲלוֹי, וְלָא מָאטֵי עֲלוֹי. אִי לָא תָּב, אִתְרְשִׁים הַהוּא חַטָּאָה לְגַבֵּי הַהוּא דַּרְגָּא. אוֹסִיף לְמֶחטֵי, הָא דַּרְגָּא אָחֳרָא אִזְדְּמַן לְקָבְלֵיהּ, וְאִסְתְּכַּם בְּדַרְגָּא קַדְמָאָה, כְּדֵין בַּעְיָא תְּשׁוּבָה יַתִּיר. (ואי לא תב) וְאִי אוֹסִיף לְמֶחֱטֵי, אוֹסִיף דַּרְגָּא עַל דַּרְגָּא, עַד דְּאַשְׁלִים לַחֲמִשָׁה דַּרְגִּין.
R. Jose then quoted the verse: “The Lord hath sworn by his right hand and by the arm of his strength” (Isa. 62, 8). ‘Whenever’, he said, ‘a man sins before God, there is a certain grade above which takes note of that sin to punish it; if the man repents, the sin is wiped out and judgement has no sway over him, but if not, that sin is inscribed with that grade. If he sins more, then another grade takes note of him and concurs with the previous grade, so that he requires a more fervent repentance. If he goes on sinning, further grades are added till the number of five is reached.
כֵּיוָן דְּאִתְתְּקַן יְמִינָא לָקֳבְלֵיהּ, וְאִסְתְּכַּם עָלֵיהּ. הָא שְׂמָאלָא זְמִינָא, לְאַסְכְּמָא בִּימִינָא, וּלְאִתְכַּלְּלָא בֵּיהּ. כֵּיוָן דִּשְׂמָאלָא אִסְתְּכַּם בִּימִינָא, כְּדֵין לָא תַּלְיָא בִּתְשׁוּבָה, וְהָא אוּקְמוּהָ, וּכְדֵין כֹּלָּא אִסְתְכָּמוּ עָלֵיהּ בְּדִינָא, ודִינָא שַׁרְיָא עָלֵיהּ.
When the Right Hand is thus completed, the Left Hand concurs with the Right and merges in it, and then there is no further room for repentance. When the final judgement is thus pronounced,
וכַד דִּינָא אִשְׁתְּלִים וְשַׁרְיָא עָלֵיהּ דְּבַּר נָשׁ, כְּדֵין אִסְתָּיָים וְאִתְתְּקָנוּ אֶצְבְּעָן, חָמֵשׁ בְּגוֹ חָמֵשׁ, יְמִינָא בִּשְׂמָאלָא, לְאַחֲזָאָה דְּהָא כֹּלָּא אִסְתְּכָמוּ עָלֵיהּ בְּהַהוּא דִּינָא, וְיָדוֹי מִתְיַשְּׁרָן, לְאַחֲזָאָה מִלָּה בְּלָא כַּוָונָה דְּבַּר נָשׁ, וְלָא יִתְכְּוּון בֵּיהּ. וְעַל דָּא כְּתִיב, (שמות ט״ו:ו׳) יְמִינְךָ יְיָ' נְאְדָּרִי בַּכֹּחַ יְמִינְךָ יְיָ' תִּרְעַץ אוֹיֵב. לְאִתְכַּלְּלָא שְׂמָאלָא בִּימִינָא, וְאַשְׁלִים דִּינָא, וּכְדֵין הוּא קַיָּימָא דְּכֹלָּא. וְעַל דָּא, כַּד בָּעָא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְקַיְּימָא כֹּלָּא, כְּתִיב (ישעיהו ס״ב:ח׳) נִשְׁבַּע יְיָ' בִּימִינוֹ וּבִזְרוֹעַ עֻזּוֹ וגוֹ'.
five fingers are locked in five, the Right Hand in the Left, and therefore when God desires to pronounce the final judgement, then, “The Lord swears by his right hand and by the arm of his strength”.’1The last 27 lines of the Hebrew text are not translated.