Sanhedrin 107
Our Gemara on amud aleph discusses King David’s religious test:
A person should never bring himself to undergo a test of faith, as David, king of Israel, brought himself to undergo a test of faith and failed. David said before G-d: “Master of the Universe, for what reason does one say in prayer: ‘G-d of Abraham, G-d of Isaac, and G-d of Jacob,’ and one does not say: ‘G-d of David’?”
G-d said to David: “They have undergone ordeals before Me, and you have not undergone an ordeal before Me.” David said before Him: “Examine me and subject me to a test…”
The verse states: “And he walked upon the roof of the king’s house; from the roof he saw a woman bathing, and the woman was very fair to look upon.” (II Samuel 11:2). Bathsheba was shampooing her head behind a beehive, which concealed her from sight. Satan came and appeared to David as a bird. David shot an arrow at the bird, the arrow severed the beehive, Bathsheba was exposed, and David saw her.
There is something odd about the use of “beehive” in this story. First of all, how is a beehive big enough to obscure a bathing woman? Second, if an arrow shot down the beehive, the result should generate panic and flight, not a romantic encounter!
I believe the arrow and the beehive are a metaphor for David asking for a test of faith. He literally stirred up a hornet’s nest! In fact, an arrow is also used in other Talmudic aggados to represent provoking the evil inclination. For example, Gemara Succah (38a) states: “When Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov would move the lulav to and fro, he would say: ‘This is an arrow in the eye of Satan.’”
The Gemara acknowledges that it is not a good idea to provoke Satan, and it can incite Satan to tempt with extra vigor. There is a story in Kiddushin (81a) about a sage, Falimo, who similarly provoked Satan and suffered a test and downfall.
Interestingly, Ben Yehoyada (ibid) says that an arrow is used in reference to the evil inclination because, like an arrow, it causes damage from afar. The evil inclination operates over a long game and counts on emotional shortsightedness for us to choose the quick and easy gratification over the harder, long-term investment and gain.
Another thought about the beehive in this story: King David asked for a test to prove his worthiness, but ultimately, it would have been better for him not to overshoot his estimation of his abilities. There is an idiom in the language of our Sages: “One says to the bee, ‘I do not want your honey nor your stinger.’” (See, for example, Midrash Tanchuma, Balak 6:1.) The Gemara was subtly hinting at David’s choice: Better he should have not looked for the honey and then he would have avoided the stinger.
The Maharal (Nesivos Haolam, Nesiv Ko’ach Hayetzer, 4) expands on the idea of not goading Satan in a psychologically insightful manner. The Gemara Kiddushin 30b teaches us that we cannot fight the Yetzer Hara alone: “A person’s inclination overpowers him every day and seeks to kill him… And if not for the fact that the Holy One, Blessed be He, assists each person in battling his evil inclination, he could not overcome it.” The Maharal says that when one believes it is only up to his willpower alone to fight the evil inclination, he is directly taking on a powerful opponent whom he may lose to. However, if he believes he cannot do it alone and asks for assistance from G-d, then he is not directly battling the Yetzer Hara, but also has a partner.
This echoes the sentiments of the first three steps of AA:
- [We] admitted we were powerless over alcohol – that our lives had become unmanageable.
- [We] came to believe that a Power greater than ourselves could restore us to sanity.
- [We] made a decision to turn our will and our lives over to the care of G-d as we understood Him.
Too Holy to Handle
Sanhedrin 108
Our Gemara on amud aleph tells us about the fate of the generation of the Exodus:
The members of the generation of the wilderness have no share in the World to Come and will not stand in judgment… This is the statement of Rabbi Akiva. Rabbi Eliezer says: The members of the generation of the wilderness were essentially righteous… It is they who entered into the covenant with G-d, and they will certainly be rewarded in the future.
The commentaries have great difficulty with Rabbi Akiva’s position that these lofty folk – who experienced miracles and revelations that no others ever witnessed – should be excluded from the World to Come.
Kedushas Levi (Likkutim 122) offers a brilliant idea. It is not so much that the generation of the wilderness lost their share and reward in the World to Come, as that they lost the struggle of reward and punishment. Meaning to say, they saw open miracles and were fed, clothed, and protected directly by G-d. In a sense, they no longer were of this world, no longer faced the challenges of physical existence, and therefore no longer could obtain reward. The direct exposure to G-d removed their free will and therefore removed the human experience of voluntarily connecting to G-d and thereby elevating the physical, which is part of the system of reward and punishment. This is hinted at in the verse (Numbers 14:35): “Thus will I do to all that wicked band that has banded together against Me: In this very wilderness they shall die and so be finished off.” The Hebrew for “finished off” used here is yitamu, which also can mean “complete.” This generation completed its work in this world.
Therefore, Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer are not really arguing; instead, they are expressing two different sides of the same coin. Rabbi Eliezer says they were fully righteous, and Rabbi Akiva says yes, exactly, and this is why their actions no longer were relevant in terms of earning a share in the World to Come.
(As an important aside, it is known that the legalistic discussions of the Gemara, considered to be disputes with one “right” side and one “wrong” side, in the mystical realm are considered true on both sides. In the mystical world, a machlokes actually represents two different truths, not a wrong or right opinion, since there are many facets to Torah. One example is that in the Gemara Rosh Hashana 33b, there is a three-way safek about what is the “teruah” sound of the shofar. Therefore, we blow the three sounds we hear on Rosh Hashana: shevarim, teruah, and shevarim–teruah. Technically, only one sound is the true teruah, and we blow all three versions to cover our bases. Yet according to the Zohar (III:232a), each sound activates different middos in Hashem, and thus all three sounds are necessary. Here too, there is no real dispute between Rabbi Akiva and Rabbi Eliezer.)
Being G-d-Fearing Isn’t Rocket Science
Sanhedrin 109
Our Gemara on amud aleph gives us the midrashic backstory of the Tower of Bavel:
Rabbi Yirmeya bar Elazar says: “They divided into three factions. One said: ‘Let us ascend to the top of the tower and dwell there.’ And one said: ‘Let us ascend to the top of the tower and engage in idol worship.’ And one said: ‘Let us ascend to the top of the tower and wage war…’
Rabbi Yoḥanan says: The uppermost third of the tower was burned, the lowermost third of the tower was swallowed into the earth, and the middle third remained intact.
Abravanel (Bereishis 11:1) explains that these three fates correspond to the three factions. The ones who wanted to fight G-d were utterly destroyed, and the idolaters were buried, while those who simply sought excessive security were allowed to remain intact to a degree. To my thinking, this represents the idea that the instinct for security and technological advancement is not entirely improper when enacted with humility and fear of G-d instead of arrogance.
Rav Yonasan Eibshutz (Tiferes Yehonasan, Noach) famously suggested that the Tower was a launch pad of sorts for some kind of rocket or projectile to exit the gravity of Earth and go into orbit. (He makes reference to how gunpowder can shoot a projectile.)
Referring to the Soviet’s scientific achievements in space travel, Khrushchev remarked, “Gagarin flew into space, but didn’t see any god there.” (This quote is often misattributed to Gagarin, who actually may have been decently religious for a Soviet of his time; see https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Yuri_Gagarin.)
Compare this to the first American mission to the moon, where the astronauts chose to read from Genesis as they witnessed the wonders of the cosmos. Here is their transcript:
On Christmas Eve, December 24, 1968, the crew of Apollo 8, the first humans to travel to the Moon, read from the Book of Genesis during a television broadcast. During their ninth orbit of the Moon, astronauts Bill Anders, Jim Lovell, and Frank Borman recited verses 1 through 10 of the Genesis creation narrative from the King James Bible. Anders read verses 1-4, Lovell verses 5-8, and Borman read verses 9 and 10.
Bill Anders:
We are now approaching lunar sunrise, and for all the people back on Earth, the crew of
Apollo 8 has a message that we would like to send to you:
In the beginning G-d created the heaven and the earth.
And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep.
And the Spirit of G-d moved upon the face of the waters.
And G-d said, “Let there be light,” and there was light. And G-d saw the light, that it was good: and G-d divided the light from the darkness.
Jim Lovell:
And G-d called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day. And G-d said, “Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it divide the waters from the waters.” And G-d made the firmament, and divided the waters which were under the firmament from the waters which were above the firmament: and it was so. And G-d called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day.
Frank Borman:
And G-d said, “Let the waters under the heaven be gathered together unto one place, and let the dry land appear,” and it was so. And G-d called the dry land Earth; and the gathering together of the waters called he Seas: and G-d saw that it was good.
And from the crew of Apollo 8, we close with good night, good luck, a Merry Christmas – and G-d bless all of you, all of you on the good Earth.
(Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apollo_8_Genesis_reading)
Whenever I read this, it never fails to make me weepy and proud of how Americans used to achieve technological innovation and dominance while also humbly acknowledging G-d. Through AI, fusion, and biotechnology, our world is undergoing a technological transformation that is sweeping, broad, and faster than anything ever experienced by any generation. We will do well to proudly achieve but never forget G-d and our moral responsibilities.
