R. Jose said: ‘It says, “Lord, when thou didst go forth from Seir the earth shook”. Why did it shake? Because it desired to return to chaos when it saw that God had offered the Torah to all peoples and they had not accepted it and only Israel was left, and it was thought that Israel would refuse like the other nations. When, however, they said, “We will do and we will hearken”, it became calm again.
Observe that because Israel said “we will do”, they are not afraid of anything that magicians may do with their arts. One reason is this, and another is because when God brought them out of Egypt He broke before them all kinds of magic and divination so they cannot prevail against them. When Balak came he knew this, and therefore he sent messengers to Balaam that he might prepare a table and seek counsel therefrom.
R. Eleazar and R. Abba were once going to see R. Jose, son of R. Simeon b. Lakunia, the father-in-law of R. Eleazar. They rose at midnight and sat down to study the Torah. Said R. Eleazar: ‘Now is the hour when the Holy One, blessed be He, goes into the Garden of Eden to have joyous converse with the righteous there.’ Said R. Abba: ‘What is this joyous converse?’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘This is a profound mystery, concealed with the Unknown.’ Said R. Abba: ‘Were, then, the great ones of former days relying on an empty fantasy, and did they not try to find out on what they were established in this world, and what they were to expect in the next?’
אָמַר רִבִּי יוֹסֵי, (שופטים ה׳:ד׳) יְיָ בְּצֵאתְךָ מִשֵּׂעִיר בְּצַעְדְּךָ מִשְּׂדֵה אֱדוֹם אֶרֶץ רָעָשָׁה. בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא תָּב מִשֵּׂעִיר, דְּלָא קַבִּילוּ אוֹרַיְיתָא, אֶרֶץ רָעָשָׁה וְגוֹ'. מַאי טַעְמָא רָעָשָׁה. בְּגִין דְּבָעָאת לְאָהַדְרָא לְתוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ, דְּהָכִי אַתְנֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּעָלְמָא, אִי יְקַבְּלוּן בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אוֹרַיְיתָא, מוּטָב. וְאִם לָאו, אַהְדָּר עָלְמָא לְתוֹהוּ וָבוֹהוּ. כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָאת אַרְעָא, דְּהָא אַזְמִין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְכָל עֲמְמַיָא דִּיְקַבְּלוּ אוֹרַיְיתָא, וְלָא קַבִּילוּ. וּמִכָּל עֲמְמַיָא לָא אִשְׁתָּאֲרוּ אֶלָּא יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּלְחוֹדַיְיהוּ, חֲשִׁיבַת אַרְעָא, דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל לָא יְקַבְּלוּן כְּוָותַיְיהוּ, וּבְגִין כָּךְ אֶרֶץ רָעָשָׁה. כֵּיוָן דְּאָמְרוּ נַּעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע, מִיָּד שָׁקָטָה, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהילים ע״ו:ט׳) אֶרֶץ יָרְאָה וְשָׁקָטָה. יָרְאָה בְּקַדְמִיתָא, וּלְבַסּוֹף וְשָׁקָטָה.
R. Jose said: ‘It says, “Lord, when thou didst go forth from Seir the earth shook”. Why did it shake? Because it desired to return to chaos when it saw that God had offered the Torah to all peoples and they had not accepted it and only Israel was left, and it was thought that Israel would refuse like the other nations. When, however, they said, “We will do and we will hearken”, it became calm again.
וְתָּא חֲזֵי, בְּגִין דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל אָמְרוּ נַעֲשֶׂה, לָא דַּחֲלִין מִן כָּל עֲשִׂיָּיה, דְּיֵכְלוּן כָּל חֲרָשֵׁי דְּעָלְמָא לְמֶעְבַּד, וְלָא מִכָּל קִסְמִין וְחַרְשִׁין דְּעָלְמָא. מַאי טַעְמָא. חַד, בְּגִין דָּא. וְחַד, בְּגִין דְּכַד אַפִּיק לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא מִמִּצְרַיִם, תָּבַר קַמַּיְיהוּ כָּל זִינֵי חַרְשֵׁי וּקִסְמִין, דְּלָא יַכְלִין לְשַׁלְּטָאָה עָלַיְיהוּ, וְהַהִיא שַׁעֲתָא דְּאָתָא בָּלָק, הֲוָה יָדַע דָּא. מִיָּד וַיִשְׁלַח מַלְאָכִים אֶל בִּלְעָם בֶּן בְּעוֹר פְּתוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר עַל הַנָּהָר וְגוֹ'. מַאי פְּתוֹרָה. אֶלָּא דְּיַתְקִין פְּתוֹרָא, וְיִבְעֵי מִתַּמָּן עֵיטָא, מַה יַעְבִּיד. אֲשֶׁר עַל הַנָּהָר, עַל הַנְהָרִים מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ, מַאי עַל הַנָּהָר. וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא, דְּעַל חַד נַהֲרָא קַיְּימָא תָּדִיר.
Observe that because Israel said “we will do”, they are not afraid of anything that magicians may do with their arts. One reason is this, and another is because when God brought them out of Egypt He broke before them all kinds of magic and divination so they cannot prevail against them. When Balak came he knew this, and therefore he sent messengers to Balaam that he might prepare a table and seek counsel therefrom.
רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְרִבִּי אַבָּא, הֲווֹ אָזְלֵי לְמֶיחֱמֵי לְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי בְּרִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקוּנְיָא, חַמוֹי דְּרִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, קָמוּ בְּפַלְגוּת לֵילְיָא לְמִלְעֵי בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא, יָתְבוּ. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, הַשְׁתָּא הוּא עִדָנָא, דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עָאל בְּגִנְתָּא דְּעֵדֶן, לְאִשְׁתַּעְשָׁע בְּצַדִיקַיָּיא דְּתַמָּן. אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, שַׁעֲשׁוּעָא דָּא מַאי הוּא, וְהֵיךְ יִשְׁתַּעְשַׁע בְּהוּ. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, מִלָּה דָּא רָזָא סְתִימָא אִיהוּ, טְמִירָא לְגַבַּי, דְּלָא יְדִיעַ. אָמַר לֵיהּ, וְכִי בְּרֵיקָנַיָּא הֲווֹ סַמְכִין רַבְרְבִין דְּמִקַּדְמַת דְּנָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, דְּלָא יָדְעוּ, וְלָא רָדְפוּ אֲבַּתְרָהּ לְמִנְדַע עַל מַה קַיְימִין בְּהַאי עָלְמָא, וּמַה הֲווֹ מְחַכָּאן בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא.
R. Eleazar and R. Abba were once going to see R. Jose, son of R. Simeon b. Lakunia, the father-in-law of R. Eleazar. They rose at midnight and sat down to study the Torah. Said R. Eleazar: ‘Now is the hour when the Holy One, blessed be He, goes into the Garden of Eden to have joyous converse with the righteous there.’ Said R. Abba: ‘What is this joyous converse?’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘This is a profound mystery, concealed with the Unknown.’ Said R. Abba: ‘Were, then, the great ones of former days relying on an empty fantasy, and did they not try to find out on what they were established in this world, and what they were to expect in the next?’