As R. Judah was once walking along with R. Abba, he said to him: ‘I should like to ask you one question. Seeing that God knew that man was destined to sin and to be condemned to death, why did He create him? That He knew this is proved by the fact that in the Torah, which existed two thousand years before the universe, we find it already written, “When a man shall die in a tent”, and so forth. Why does God want man in this world, seeing that if he studies the Torah he dies, and if he does not study he also dies, all going one way.’
He replied: ‘What business have you with the ways and the decrees of your Master? What you are permitted to know and to inquire into, that you may ask, and as for what you are not permitted to know, it is written: “Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin” (Eccl. 5, 6).’ He said to him: ‘If that is the case, all the Torah is secret and recondite, since it is the Holy Name, and if so we have no permission to ask and inquire?’
He replied: ‘The Torah is both hidden and revealed, and the Holy Name is also hidden and revealed, as it is written, “The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, and the revealed things are for us and for our children” (Deut. 29, 29). The revealed things we may inquire into, but the hidden things are for the Lord alone.
רִבִּי יְהוּדָה הֲוָה אָזִיל בְּאָרְחָא בַּהֲדֵי רִבִּי אַבָּא, שָׁאַל לֵיהּ, אָמַר מִלָּה חַד בָּעֵינָא לְשָׁאֲלָא, כֵּיוָן דְּיָדַע קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דְּזַמִּין בַּר נָשׁ לְמֶחֱטֵי קַמֵּיהּ, וּלְמִגְזַר עָלֵיהּ מִיתָה, אֲמַאי בָּרָא לֵיהּ. דְּהָא אוֹרַיְיתָא הֲוָה תְּרֵי אַלְפִין שְׁנִין עַד לָא אִיבְרֵי עָלְמָא. וּכְתִיב בָּהּ בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, (במדבר י״ט:י״ד) אָדָם כִּי יָמוּת בְּאֹהֶל. (במדבר כ״ז:ח׳) אִישׁ כִּי יָמוּת. וַיָּמָת. וַיְחִי פְּלוֹנִי וַיָּמָת. מַאי קָבָעֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְבַּר נָשׁ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, דְּאֲפִילּוּ אִי אִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא יְמָמָא וְלֵילְיָא יְמוּת, וְאִי לָא אִשְׁתָּדַּל בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא יְמוּת, כֹּלָּא בְּחַד אָרְחָא, בַּר פְּרִישׁוּתָא דְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (קהלת ט׳:ב׳) כַּטּוֹב כַּחוֹטֶא.
As R. Judah was once walking along with R. Abba, he said to him: ‘I should like to ask you one question. Seeing that God knew that man was destined to sin and to be condemned to death, why did He create him? That He knew this is proved by the fact that in the Torah, which existed two thousand years before the universe, we find it already written, “When a man shall die in a tent”, and so forth. Why does God want man in this world, seeing that if he studies the Torah he dies, and if he does not study he also dies, all going one way.’
אָמַר לֵיהּ, אוֹרְחוֹי דְּמָארָךְ, וְגַזְרֵי דְּמָארָךְ, מַה לָךְ לְמִטְרַח בְּהוּ. מַה דְּאִית לָךְ רְשׁוּ לְמִנְדַּע וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא שָׁאִיל, וּדְלֵית לָךְ רְשׁוּ לְמִנְדַּע, כְּתִיב (קהלת ה׳:ה׳) אַל תִּתֵּן אֶת פִּיךָ לַחֲטִיא אֶת בְּשָׂרֶךָ, דְּאוֹרְחוֹי דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא וְסִתְרִין, גְּנִיזִין עִלָּאִין, דְּהוּא סָתִים וְגָנִיז לֵית לָן לְשָׁאֲלָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ, אִי הָכִי, הָא אוֹרַיְיתָא כֹּלָּא סָתִים וְגָנִיז, דְּהָא הִיא שְׁמָא קַדִּישָׁא עִלָּאָה הֲוִי, וּמַאן דְּמִתְעֲסָק בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא כְּאִלּוּ אִתְעֲסָק בִּשְׁמֵיהּ קַדִּישָׁא, וְאִי הָכִי, לֵית לָן לְשָׁאֲלָא וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא.
He replied: ‘What business have you with the ways and the decrees of your Master? What you are permitted to know and to inquire into, that you may ask, and as for what you are not permitted to know, it is written: “Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin” (Eccl. 5, 6).’ He said to him: ‘If that is the case, all the Torah is secret and recondite, since it is the Holy Name, and if so we have no permission to ask and inquire?’
אָמַר לֵיהּ אוֹרַיְיתָא כֹּלָּא סָתִים וְגַלְיָיא, וּשְׁמֵיהּ קַדִּישָׁא סָתִים וְגַלְיָיא, וּכְתִיב (דברים כ״ט:כ״ח) הַנִּסְתָּרוֹת לַה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ וְהַנִּגְלוֹת לָנוּ וּלְבָנֵינוּ, הַנִּגְלוֹת לָנוּ, דְּאִית רְשׁוּ לְשָׁאֲלָא, וּלְעַיְּינָא וּלְאִסְתַּכְּלָא בְּהוּ וּלְמִנְדַּע בְּהוּ. אֲבָל הַנִּסְתָּרוֹת לַיְיָ אֱלֹהֵינוּ, דִּילֵיהּ אִינּוּן, וְלֵיהּ אִתְחַזְיָין, דְּמַאן יָכִיל לְמִנְדַּע וּלְאִתְדַּבְּקָא דַּעְתּוֹי סְתִימָא, וְכָּל שֶׁכֵּן לְמִשְׁאַל.
He replied: ‘The Torah is both hidden and revealed, and the Holy Name is also hidden and revealed, as it is written, “The hidden things belong to the Lord our God, and the revealed things are for us and for our children” (Deut. 29, 29). The revealed things we may inquire into, but the hidden things are for the Lord alone.