Pisqa’ 3071
1
“The Rock”2 (Dt.32:4)–
[the Rock] is the designer,
Who designed the world from the beginning
and formed the Adam within it,
for it is stated:
“Then HASHEM the God formed the Adam” (Gn2:7).
“Perfect in all His deeds” (Dt.32:4)—
his creative deeds perfectly suit all the creatures in the world.
None can second-guess his work for the slightest flaw.
None can contemplate [His perfect handiwork] and wonder:3
If only I had three eyes!
If only I had three hands!
If only I had three feet!
If only I could walk on my head!
If only I could turn my face backwards—
how lovely it would be!
The Teaching states:
“For all His ways are just” (Dt.32:4)—
He dispenses judgment to each and all,
providing him with what is appropriate.
“A faithful4 God” (Dt.32:4)—
He affirmed the world that He created.
“Without duplicity” (Dt.32:4)—
for the Adam’s offspring were not created to be wicked, but to be righteous.
And, similarly does He say:
“Furthermore, see what else I have found:
God made [the offspring of ] the Adam morally upright,
but they figured otherwise!” (Ecc.7:29)
“Righteous and upright (yashar) is He!” (Dt.32:4)—
conducting Himself by strict standards5
with all the creatures in the world.HHhHHHhhH
2
Another word:
“The Rock” (Dt.32:4)–
[the Rock is also] the Unassailable One6 (taqif).
“Perfect in all His deeds” (Dt.32:4)—
his creative deeds perfectly suit all the creatures in the world.
None can second-guess his work for the slightest flaw.
None can contemplate [His handiwork] and wonder:7
Why did the people of the generation of the Deluge
deserve to be swept away by water?
Why did the people of the Tower
deserve to be scattered from
one end of the world to the other?
Why did the people of Sodom
deserve to be swept away
by fire and brimstone?
Why did Aaron deserve to take the High Priesthood?
Why did David deserve to take the Kingship?
And why did Korah and his band
deserve to be swallowed up by the earth?
The Teaching states:
“For all His ways are just” (Dt.32:4)—
He dispenses judgment to each and all,
providing him with what is appropriate.
“A faithful God” (Dt.32:4)—
[He is] trustworthy in protecting His deposits.
“Without duplicity” (Dt.32:4)—
He’ll collect His [debt] only after [paying His own].8
For the nature of flesh and blood,
is nothing like the nature of the Blessed Holy One!
Flesh and blood will deposit as a pledge,
with his associate,
a purse of 200 coins, while still owing
him a manah [worth 100 coins]—
Now, when the depositor comes to
reclaim his pledge, his associate says:
Let’s take the manah you owe me
and deduct it from the purse,
and here is the balance!
And take also the case of a laborer,
who does a job for the boss,
to whom he already owes a dinar.
When he comes for his pay, the boss says:
Let’s take the dinar you owe me
and deduct it from your pay,
and here is the balance!
But the One Who Spoke the World into Being
is not like this! Rather:
“A faithful God” (Dt.32:4)—
trustworthy in protecting His deposits.
“Without duplicity” (Dt.32:4)—
He’ll collect His [debt] only after [paying His own].9
“Righteous and upright is He!” (Dt.32:4)—
[And similarly, it is stated:]
“For HASHEM is righteous, loving righteous deeds!” (Ps. 11:7)
3
Another word:
“The Rock,” (Dt.32:41)—
the Unassailable One.10
“Perfect in all His deeds” (Dt.32:4).
The deeds of all the creatures in the world,
are perfectly assessed before Him,
the Righteous receiving their reward.
and the Wicked delivered to their retribution.
The former take away nothing they have earned in the present eon,
and the latter take away nothing they have earned in the present eon.
Now, how do I know that
the Righteous take away nothing they have earned in the present eon?
As it is stated:
“How great is Your Goodness which you have stored up
for those who revered you” (Ps.31:20).
And how do I know that
the Wicked take away nothing they have earned in the present eon?
As it is stated:
“Are they not deposited with Me? Sealed in my treasury?” (Dt.32:34)?
So, when does each of them take away [what they have earned]?
“For all His ways are just” (Dt.32:4)—
in the future, when He sits on the Throne of Judgment,
He dispenses judgment to each and all,
providing him with what is appropriate.
“A truthful God” (Dt.32:4).
Just as He bestows upon the perfectly righteous
—in the coming eon—
a reward for fulfilling the commandments
in the present eon,
so, too, in the coming eon,
He bestows upon the perfectly wicked
—in the coming eon—
a reward for fulfilling the simplest commandments
in the present eon.
And just as He exacts from the perfectly wicked
—in the coming eon—
retribution for the transgression of a simple commandment,
committed in the present eon,
so, too, in the coming eon,
He exacts upon the perfectly righteous
retribution for the transgression of a simple commandment
committed in the present eon.
4
“Without duplicity” (Dt.32:4)—
When a person passes from the world,
all the details of his actions come before him.
And they say to him:
On Such-and-Such a day
you did This-and-That;
on Such-and-Such a day
You did This-and-That.
Do you confirm these matters?
So he says: Yes!
They say to him: Sign here!
As it is said:
“The hand of every man shall sign it, so that all men will know his deeds” (Job.37:7).
“Righteous and upright is He!” (Dt.32:4).
Then he will acknowledge the judgment, saying:
I have been well-judged !
And this is as He says:
“So that you may be justified by your words.” (Ps.51:6).
Another word:
“The Rock, perfect in all His deeds” (Dt.32:4).
When they arrested R. Hanina b. Teradyon,
he was sentenced to be burned with his [Torah] scroll.
They said to him:
You are sentenced to be burned with your scroll!
Then he recited this Scripture:
“The Rock, perfect in all His deeds” (Dt.32:4)
They said to his wife:
Your husband has been sentenced to be burned,
and you are to be executed [by the sword]! 11
So she recited this Scripture:
“A truthful God, without duplicity” (Dt.32:4).
They said to his daughter:
Your father has been sentenced to be burned,
and your mother is to be executed.
But you are condemned to concubinage!12
So she recited this Scripture:
“You are great in counsel, and lofty in deeds;
whose eyes perceive all the human foibles,
so as to repay a man according to his choices” (Jer.32:19)
Said Rabbi:
How great are these Righteous Ones!
For in the very hour of their crisis
they were able to summon three verses
unequalled in all of Scripture,
as justifications of [divine] judgment.
All three focused their hearts to
justify the judgment against them.
[At that moment,]
Filosofos13 challenged his governor, saying:
My Master! Don’t flatter yourself
that you have burned the Torah!
for She has merely returned to Her place
in the house of Her Father.
The governor replied:
tomorrow you will share their fate!
He answered:
You’ve given me good news!
For tomorrow my portion will join theirs in the coming eon!
5
Another word:
“The Rock, perfect in all His deeds” (Dt.32:4)—
When Moses descended from Mt. Sinai,
Israel gathered around him.
They said:
Master Moses! Tell us:
how does the quality of Judgment operate Up There?
He replied to them:
I wouldn’t say that it always
exonerates the innocent and condemns the guilty.
For, actually, it also works in reverse!
“A truthful God, without duplicity,
righteous and upright is He!” (Dt.32:4)
- H:310-313;JN2:317-321.
- Heb: tzur, literally: “rock,” “stone.” The root, tz-w-r, informs virtually every key expositional word (tzayar, “designer”; tzar, “designed; yitzer, “formed.”
- Cf. Pisqa’ot 307.2 and 307.3.
- Heb: ‘emunah. The common root of ‘emunah and he’emin is ‘-m-n, to “confirm” or “affirm.”
- Heb: yesharut; from yashar, “upright, straight.”
- Heb: taqif; literally, “invincible.” See also 307.3
- See Pisqa’ 307.3
- Translation follows Basser: 98.
- Translation follows Basser: 98.
- See Pisqa’ 307.2.
- Heb: lihareg, literally, “to be killed”. The noun, hereg, indicates execution by the sword (M. San. 9:1-2)
- Heb: la`asot mela’chah, literally “to do hard labor.” B. AZ. 18a substitutes a more realistic punishment, alluded to in the translation: leisheiv baqubbah shel zonot.
- Cf. the figure of Proklus b. Filosofos at M. AZ. 3:4. He is one of several figures routinely found in debate with sages over fundamental principles of theology. He is probably intended to represent pagan skepticism.