R. Simeon further discoursed, beginning with the verse: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me (Ps. 51, 5). He said: ‘How much must a man be on his guard against sinning before the Holy One, blessed be He, for each sin committed by man is recorded on high, and is not blotted out save by much repentance, as it is said, “For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me” (Jer. 2, 22).
For when a man commits a sin once before God, it leaves a mark, and when he repeats the same sin that mark is deepened, and after a third time it becomes a stain spreading from one side to the other, as expressed in the words, “thine iniquity is become a stain before me” (Ibid.).
When David committed his great sin in taking Bath-Sheba, he thought that it would leave its mark forever, but the message came to him, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die” (II Sam. 12, 13); i.e. the stain has been removed.’
R. Abba put this question to R. Simeon: ‘Since we have been taught that Bath-Sheba was destined for King David from the day of the creation, how comes it that the Holy One, blessed be He, first gave her to Uriah the Hittite?’
R. Simeon replied: ‘Such is the way of the Holy One, blessed be He; although a woman is destined for a certain man, He first allows her to be the wife of another man until his time arrives. As soon as that time arrives, he departs from the world to make way for the other, although the Holy One, blessed be He, is loth to remove him from the world to make way for the other man before his time arrives.
This is the inner reason why Bath-Sheba was given to Uriah first. Now reflect and you will find the reason for the Holy Land having been given to Canaan before Israel came there. You will find that the inner reason underlying the two is the same.
Observe, further, that David, although he confessed his sin and repented, could not obliterate from his heart and mind the memory of the sins that he had committed, especially of that concerning Bath-Sheba, and was always apprehensive lest one of them would prove a stumbling-block to him in the hour of danger. Hence he never removed them from his thoughts.
According to another interpretation, the words “For I know my transgressions” indicate his knowledge of the diverse grades to which the various sins of men are to be referred, while the words “and my sin” (hatathi=my failing) refer to the defect of the moon, which did not emerge from her impurity until the time of Solomon, when her light once more became whole, so that the world became firmly established and Israel dwelt secure, as it is written: “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (I Kings 5, 5). Nevertheless, as David said, “My deficiency is ever before me”, and that will not be obliterated from the world until the Messiah will come, as it is said: “And the unclean spirit I will cause to pass out from the earth” (Zech. 13, 2).’
פָּתַח וְאָמַר (תהילים נ״א:ה׳) כִּי פְשָׁעַי אֲנִי אֵדָע וְחַטָּאתִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד. כַּמָּה אִית לוֹן לִבְנֵי נָשָׁא לְאִסְתַּמְּרָא מֵחוֹבַיְיהוּ מִקַּמֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. דְּהָא לְבָתַר דְּחָטָא בַּר נָשׁ רָשִׁים הוּא חוֹבֵיהּ לְעֵילָא וְלָא אִתְמְחַק בַּר בְּתוּקְפָא דִּתְיוּבְתָּא סַגְיָא. כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ירמיהו ב׳:כ״ב) כִּי אִם תְּכַבְּסִי בַּנֶּתֶר וְתַרְבִּי לָךְ בּוֹרִית נִכְתַּם עֲוֹנֵךְ לְפָנָי.
R. Simeon further discoursed, beginning with the verse: For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me (Ps. 51, 5). He said: ‘How much must a man be on his guard against sinning before the Holy One, blessed be He, for each sin committed by man is recorded on high, and is not blotted out save by much repentance, as it is said, “For though thou wash thee with nitre, and take thee much soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before me” (Jer. 2, 22).
תָּא חֲזֵי, כֵּיוָן דְּחָב בַר נָשׁ קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא זִמְנָא חָדָא עָבִיד רְשִׁימוּ. וְכַד חָב בֵּיהּ זִמְנָא תִּנְיָינָא אִתְתַּקַּף הַהוּא רְשִׁימוּ יַתִּיר. חָב בֵּיהּ זִמְנָא תְּלִיתָאָה אִתְפַּשַּׁט הַהוּא כִּתְמָא מִסִּטְרָא דָא לְסִטְרָא דָא, כְּדֵין כְּתִיב נִכְתַּם עֲוֹנֵךְ לְפָנָי.
For when a man commits a sin once before God, it leaves a mark, and when he repeats the same sin that mark is deepened, and after a third time it becomes a stain spreading from one side to the other, as expressed in the words, “thine iniquity is become a stain before me” (Ibid.).
תָּא חֲזֵי, דָּוִד מַלְכָּא כֵּיוָן דְּחָב קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עַל עִסְקָא דְּבַת שֶׁבַע, חָשִׁיב דְּהַהוּא חוֹבָא אִתְרְשִׁים עֲלֵיהּ לְעָלְמִין. מַה כְּתִיב, (שמואל ב י״ב:י״ג) גַּם יְיָ הֶעֱבִיר חַטָּאתְךָ לא תָמוּת. (קודשא בריך הוא) אַעֲבַר הַהוּא רְשִׁימוּ מִקַּמֵּיהּ.
When David committed his great sin in taking Bath-Sheba, he thought that it would leave its mark forever, but the message came to him, “The Lord also hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die” (II Sam. 12, 13); i.e. the stain has been removed.’
אָמַר לֵיהּ רַבִּי אַבָּא וְהָא תָּנִינָן דְּבַת שֶׁבַע דִּילֵיהּ דְּדָוִד מַלְכָּא הֲוַת מִן יוֹמָא דְּאִתְבְּרֵי עָלְמָא, אַמַּאי יָהֲבָהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאוּרִיָה הַחִתִּי מִן קַדְמַת דְּנָא.
R. Abba put this question to R. Simeon: ‘Since we have been taught that Bath-Sheba was destined for King David from the day of the creation, how comes it that the Holy One, blessed be He, first gave her to Uriah the Hittite?’
אָמַר לֵיהּ הָכִי אוֹרְחוֹי דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַף עַל גַּב דְּאִתְּתָא אַזְמִינָא לֵיהּ לְבַר נָשׁ לְמֶהֱוֵי דִילֵיהּ, אַקְדִים אַחֲרָא וּנְסִיב לָהּ עַד דְּמָטָא זִמְנֵיהּ דְּהַאי. כֵּיוָן דְּמָטָא זִמְנֵיהּ, אִתְדַּחְיָיא הַאי דְּנָסִיב לָהּ מִקַּמֵּי הַאי אָחֳרָא דְּאָתֵי לְבָתַר וְאִסְתַּלַּק מֵעָלְמָא. וְקָשֵׁי קַמֵּיהּ קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאַעֲבָרָא לֵיהּ מֵעָלְמָא עַד לָא מָטֵי זִמְנֵיהּ מִקַּמֵּי הַאי אָחֳרָא.
R. Simeon replied: ‘Such is the way of the Holy One, blessed be He; although a woman is destined for a certain man, He first allows her to be the wife of another man until his time arrives. As soon as that time arrives, he departs from the world to make way for the other, although the Holy One, blessed be He, is loth to remove him from the world to make way for the other man before his time arrives.
וְרָזָא דְּבַת שֶׁבַע דְּאִתְיְיהִיבַת לְאוּרִיָה הַחִתִּי (כדאמרן) בְּקַדְמִיתָא, פּוּק וְדוּק וְתִשְׁכַּח. אַמַּאי אִתְיְהִיבַת אַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא לִכְנַעַן עַד לָא יֵיתוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְתִשְׁכַּח מִלָּה דָא. וְכֹלָּא רָזָא חָדָא אִיהוּ וּמִלָּה חָדָא.
This is the inner reason why Bath-Sheba was given to Uriah first. Now reflect and you will find the reason for the Holy Land having been given to Canaan before Israel came there. You will find that the inner reason underlying the two is the same.
תָּא חֲזֵי, דָּוִד אַף עַל גַּב דְּאוֹדֵי עַל חוֹבֵיהּ וְתָב בִּתְיוּבְתָּא, לָא אַעֲדֵי לִבֵּיהּ וּרְעוּתֵיהּ מֵאִנוּן חוֹבִין דְּחָב, וּמֵהַהוּא חוֹבָא דְּבַת שֶׁבַע, בְּגִין דְּדָחִיל עֲלַיְיהוּ תָּדִיר דִּילְמָא גָּרִים חַד מִנַּיְיהוּ וִיקַטְרֵג עֲלֵיהּ בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְסַכָּנָה. וּבְגִין כָּךְ לָא אַנְשֵׁי לוֹן מִינֵיהּ וּמֵרְעוּתֵיהּ.
Observe, further, that David, although he confessed his sin and repented, could not obliterate from his heart and mind the memory of the sins that he had committed, especially of that concerning Bath-Sheba, and was always apprehensive lest one of them would prove a stumbling-block to him in the hour of danger. Hence he never removed them from his thoughts.
דָבָר אֲחַר כִּי פְשָׁעַי אֲנִי אֵדָע כֻּלְהוּ דַּרְגִּין דְּתַלְיָין בְּהוּ חוֹבֵי בְּנֵי נָשָׁא אֲנִי אֵדָע. וְחַטָּאתִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד דָּא פְּגִימוּ דְסִיהֲרָא דְּלָא נָפְקָא מִסְאוּבְתָּא עַד דְּאָתָא שְׁלֹמֹה וְאִתְנְהִירַת בְּאַשְׁלָמוּתָא. וּכְדֵין אִתְבַּסָּם עָלְמָא וִיתִיבוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְרָחֲצָן דִּכְתִיב, (מלכים א ה׳:ה׳) וַיֵּשֶׁב יְהוּדָה וְיִשְׂרָאֵל לָבֶטַח אִישׁ תַּחַת גַּפְנוֹ וְתַחַת תְאֵנָתוֹ. וְעִם כָּל דָּא וְחַטָּאתִי נֶגְדִּי תָמִיד. וְלָא אִתְפְּסָק מֵעָלְמָא. עַד דְּיֵיתֵי מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא לְזִמְנָא דְּאָתֵי כְּמָה דְּאִתְּמָר (זכריה י״ג:ב׳) וְאֶת רוּחַ הַטּוּמְאָה אַעֲבִיר מִן הָאָרֶץ:
According to another interpretation, the words “For I know my transgressions” indicate his knowledge of the diverse grades to which the various sins of men are to be referred, while the words “and my sin” (hatathi=my failing) refer to the defect of the moon, which did not emerge from her impurity until the time of Solomon, when her light once more became whole, so that the world became firmly established and Israel dwelt secure, as it is written: “And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under his fig tree” (I Kings 5, 5). Nevertheless, as David said, “My deficiency is ever before me”, and that will not be obliterated from the world until the Messiah will come, as it is said: “And the unclean spirit I will cause to pass out from the earth” (Zech. 13, 2).’