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א לְהָבִין אִמְרֵי בִינָה, מַה שֶּׁכָּתוּב בַּסֵּפֶר הַנִּקְרָא ״צַוָּואַת רִיבָ״שׁ״, הֲגַם שֶׁבֶּאֱמֶת אֵינָהּ צַוָּואָתוֹ כְּלָל, וְלֹא צִיוָּה כְּלָל לִפְנֵי פְטִירָתוֹ, רַק הֵם לִקּוּטֵי אִמְרוֹתָיו הַטְּהוֹרוֹת, שֶׁלִּקְּטוּ לְקוּטֵי בָּתַר לְקוּטֵי, וְלֹא יָדְעוּ לְכַוֵּין הַלָּשׁוֹן עַל מַתְכּוּנְתּוֹ, אַךְ הַמְכֻוָּון – הוּא אֱמֶת לַאֲמִיתּוֹ.

1TWENTY-FIVE. “To comprehend the words of understanding”¹ stated in the sacred book called Tzavaat Harivash²—[though in fact it is not at all his testament,³ and he did not ordain anything before his passing; they are mere gleanings of his pure sayings that were gathered, “gleanings upon gleanings,”⁴ and (the compilers) did not know how to determine the phraseology exactly in its proper fashion. The connotation, however, is absolutely true.]

בוְהוּא, בְּהַקְדִּים מַאֲמַר רַבּוֹתֵינוּ־זִכְרוֹנָם־לִבְרָכָה: ״כָּל הַכּוֹעֵס כְּאִילּוּ עוֹבֵד עַכּוּ״ם וְכוּ׳״, וְהַטַּעַם מוּבָן לְיוֹדְעֵי בִינָה, לְפִי שֶׁבְּעֵת כַּעֲסוֹ נִסְתַּלְּקָה מִמֶּנּוּ הָאֱמוּנָה, כִּי אִילּוּ הָיָה מַאֲמִין שֶׁמֵּאֵת ה׳ הָיְתָה זֹאת לוֹ – לֹא הָיָה בְּכַעַס כְּלָל.

2—we shall precede⁵ with the saying of our Sages, of blessed memory: “Whoever is in a rage is as if he worships idols.”⁶ The reason is clear to those that have understanding, because at the time of his anger faith has departed from him. For were he to believe that what happened to him is of the L–rd’s doing, he would not become angry at all.

גוְאַף שֶׁבֶּן־אָדָם שֶׁהוּא בַּעַל בְּחִירָה מְקַלְּלוֹ אוֹ מַכֵּהוּ אוֹ מַזִּיק מָמוֹנוֹ וּמִתְחַיֵּיב בְּדִינֵי אָדָם וּבְדִינֵי שָׁמַיִם עַל רוֹעַ בְּחִירָתוֹ, אַף־עַל־פִּי־כֵן, עַל הַנִּיזָּק כְּבָר נִגְזַר מִן הַשָּׁמַיִם, וְהַרְבֵּה שְׁלוּחִים לַמָּקוֹם.

3And though it is a person possessed of free choice cursing him, or hitting him, or causing damage to his money, and therefore guilty according to the laws of man and the laws of Heaven for having chosen evil, nevertheless, as regards the person harmed—this was already decreed from Heaven, and “the Omnipresent has many agents.”⁷

דוְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא אֲפִילוּ בְּשָׁעָה זוֹ מַמָּשׁ שֶׁמַּכֵּהוּ אוֹ מְקַלְּלוֹ – מִתְלַבֵּשׁ בּוֹ כֹּחַ ה׳ וְרוּחַ פִּיו יִתְבָּרֵךְ הַמְחַיֵּיהוּ וּמְקַיְּימוֹ, וּכְמוֹ שֶׁכָּתוּב: ״כִּי ה׳ אָמַר לוֹ קַלֵּל״, וְהֵיכָן אָמַר לְשִׁמְעִי? אֶלָּא שֶׁמַּחֲשָׁבָה זוֹ שֶׁנָּפְלָה לְשִׁמְעִי בְּלִבּוֹ וּמוֹחוֹ – יָרְדָה מֵאֵת ה׳, וְ״רוּחַ פִּיו הַמְחַיֶּה כָּל צְבָאָם״ הֶחֱיָה רוּחוֹ שֶׁל שִׁמְעִי בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁדִּיבֶּר דְּבָרִים אֵלּוּ לְדָוִד, כִּי אִילּוּ נִסְתַּלֵּק רוּחַ פִּיו יִתְבָּרֵךְ רֶגַע אֶחָד מֵרוּחוֹ שֶׁל שִׁמְעִי – לֹא יָכוֹל לְדַבֵּר מְאוּמָה.

4And not only this, but even at that particular time when he hits or curses him, there is vested in him a force from G–d and “the breath of His mouth,”⁸ blessed be He, which animates and sustains him, and as it is written: “For the L–rd told him: ‘curse!’”⁹ Now, where did He say (so) to Shimi? But this thought, that occurred in Shimi’s heart and mind, descended from G–d, and the “breath of His mouth—which animates—all their hosts” animated the spirit of Shimi at the time he spoke those words to David.¹⁰ For if the “breath of His mouth,” blessed be He, had departed from the spirit of Shimi for a single moment, he could not have spoken at all.

ה (וְזֶהוּ ״כִּי ה׳ אָמַר לוֹ״ – בָּעֵת הַהִיא מַמָּשׁ – ״קַלֵּל״ אֶת דָּוִד, ״וּמִי יֹאמַר לוֹ וְגוֹ׳״.

5(¹¹And that is the meaning of “For the L–rd told him [at that very moment, indeed]: ‘curse David.’ Who then shall say…?”⁹

Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org

Kehot Publication Society · CC BY-NC · sefaria.org