1The first 3 lines of the Hebrew text are not found in our translation.AND MOAB SAID UNTO THE ELDERS OF MIDIAN, ETC. R. Hiya spoke on the verse: “And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord” (Zech. 3, 1). ‘How careful’, he said, ‘should a man be of his ways in this world, to walk in the way of truth, because all his actions are recorded in writing before the King! The gatekeepers are ready, the witnesses are at hand, the prosecutors are well prepared, the judge is waiting to receive the evidence, and those who have charges to bring are bestirring themselves, and it is not known whether they will come from the right or the left.
For when the spirits of men leave this world many are the accusers who stand up against them, and heralds to proclaim the result of the trial, whether good or bad, as it has been taught: Man is sentenced many times in this world, both during his lifetime and after, but God’s mercies are over all and He does not desire to judge men according to their works, as David said: “If thou, KAH, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who should stand?” (Ps. 130, 3).
In this verse David mentioned three degrees of mercy. If one’s sins are so numerous that they are marked by KAH, then there is “the Lord”, who stands for mercy: and if even this name which stands for mercy arises to chastise, and all grades are sealed in judgement, there is still one grade to which we can turn, since all healing comes from it, and this will have pity on us: this is Ml (Who). Therefore it says here, “Who shall stand?”, since all the ways of mercy and repentance open out from it.
(במדבר כ״ב:ד׳) וַיֹּאמֶר מוֹאָב אֶל זִקְנֵי מִדְיָן עַתָּה יְלַחֲכוּ וְגוֹ'. רִבִּי חִיָּיא פָּתַח, (זכריה ג׳:א׳) וַיַּרְאֵנִי אֶת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ הַכֹּהֵן הַגָּדוֹל עוֹמֵד לִפְנֵי מַלְאַךְ יְיָ וְגוֹ'. כַּמָה אִית לֵיהּ לְבַּר נָשׁ, לְאִסְתַּמְּרָא אוֹרְחוֹי בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וּלְמֵהַךְ בְּאֹרַח קְשׁוֹט. בְּגִין דְּכָל עוֹבָדוֹי דְּבַּר נָשׁ כְּתִיבִין קַמֵּי מַלְכָּא, וּרְשִׁימִין קַמֵּיהּ, וְכֻלְּהוּ בְּמִנְיָינָא. נְטוּרֵי תַּרְעֵי קַיְימִין וְסָהֲדִין, קַיְימֵי וְתָבְעֵי דִּינָא תְּרִיסִין. וְדַיָּינָא קַיְּימָא לְקַבְּלָא סַהֲדוּתָא, וְאִינּוּן דְּטַעֲנוּ טָעַנְתָּא מְרַחְשָׁן, וְלָא יְדִיעַ אִי יֵהֲכוּן מִימִינָא, וְאִם יִשְׂמָאֲלוּן מִשְּׂמָאלָא.
1The first 3 lines of the Hebrew text are not found in our translation.AND MOAB SAID UNTO THE ELDERS OF MIDIAN, ETC. R. Hiya spoke on the verse: “And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord” (Zech. 3, 1). ‘How careful’, he said, ‘should a man be of his ways in this world, to walk in the way of truth, because all his actions are recorded in writing before the King! The gatekeepers are ready, the witnesses are at hand, the prosecutors are well prepared, the judge is waiting to receive the evidence, and those who have charges to bring are bestirring themselves, and it is not known whether they will come from the right or the left.
דְּהָא כַּד רוּחֵי בְּנֵי נָשָׁא נָפְקֵי מֵהַאי עָלְמָא, כַּמָה אִינּוּן מְקַטְרְגִין דְּקַיְימִין קַמַּיְיהוּ, וְכָרוֹזִין נָפְקִין הֵן לְטָב הֵן לְבִישׁ, כְּפוּם מַה דְּנָפִיק מִן דִּינָא. דְּתַנְיָא, בְּכַמָּה דִּינִין אִתְּדָּן בַּר נָשׁ בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, בֵּין בְּחַיּיוֹי, בֵּין לְבָתַר. דְּהָא כָּל מִלּוֹי בְּדִינָא אִינּוּן. וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא תָּדִיר בְּרַחֲמָנוּ, וְרַחֲמוֹי עַל כֹּלָּא, וְלָא בָּעֵי לְדַיָּינָא בְּנֵי נָשָׁא כְּפוּם עוֹבָדֵיהוֹן, דְּהָכִי אָמַר דָּוִד, (תהילים ק״ל:ג׳) אִם עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר יָהּ יְיָ מִי יַעֲמוֹד. הָכָא אִית לְאִסְתַּכְּלָא, כֵּיוָן דְּאָמַר אִם עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר יָ"הּ, אֲמַאי יְיָ (ד"א אדני).
For when the spirits of men leave this world many are the accusers who stand up against them, and heralds to proclaim the result of the trial, whether good or bad, as it has been taught: Man is sentenced many times in this world, both during his lifetime and after, but God’s mercies are over all and He does not desire to judge men according to their works, as David said: “If thou, KAH, shouldst mark iniquities, Lord, who should stand?” (Ps. 130, 3).
אֶלָּא, תְּלָת דַּרְגִּין דְּרַחֲמֵי אַדְכַּר דָּוִד הָכָא. אִם עֲוֹנוֹת תִּשְׁמֹר יָהּ, אִם חוֹבִין סַגִיאוּ, עַד דְּסַלְּקִין לְעֵילָּא לְגַבֵּי אַבָּא וְאִמָּא, הָא יְיָ (ד"א אדני) דְּאִיהוּ רַחֲמֵי. וְאִי שְׁמָא דָּא, אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִיהוּ רַחֲמֵי, יִתְּעַר בְּדִינָא וְכָל דַּרְגִּין אַסְתִּימוּ בְּדִינָא, דַּרְגָּא חֲדָא אִית דְּנֶהְדַּר לְגַבֵּיהּ, דְּכָל אַסְוָותִין מִינֵּהּ נָפְקִין, אִיהוּ יָחוֹס עֲלָן, וּמַאן אִיהוּ, מִי. מִ"י יַעֲמוֹד וַדַּאי. מִ"י יִרְפָּא לָךְ. (כמה דאת אמר (איכה ב׳:י״ג) כי גדול כים שברך מי ירפא לך) וְעַל דָּא יָהּ יְיָ (ד"א אדני) אִי אִלֵּין שְׁמָהָן יִסְתְּמוּן מִנָן, מִ"י יַעֲמוֹד, דְּכָל אֹרְחִין דְּתִיוּבְתָּא פְּתִיחָן מִנֵּיהּ.
In this verse David mentioned three degrees of mercy. If one’s sins are so numerous that they are marked by KAH, then there is “the Lord”, who stands for mercy: and if even this name which stands for mercy arises to chastise, and all grades are sealed in judgement, there is still one grade to which we can turn, since all healing comes from it, and this will have pity on us: this is Ml (Who). Therefore it says here, “Who shall stand?”, since all the ways of mercy and repentance open out from it.