מידת הדין ומידת הרחמים

(6) 6. And God said to Moses. R. Abba b. Mammel said: God said to Moses: 'You wish to know My name; I am called according to My deeds. Sometimes I am called "El Shadday", "Tzveo'ot", "Elohim", "YHVH". When I judge the creations I am called "Elohim" [Judge].’ When I am waging war against the wicked I am called "Tzveo'ot" [Lord of Hosts]. When I suspend [punishment] for a man's sins I am called "El Shadday" (Almighty God). When I am merciful towards My world, I am called "YHVH,"' for "YHVH" only refers to the attribute of mercy, as it is said: "The Lord, the Lord (YHVH, YHVH), God, merciful and gracious." Hence, "ehyeh asher ehyeh" [I am that I am, or I will be that I will be] - I am called according to My deeds.’ R. Yitzhak said: God said to Moses: ' Tell them, that I am who was, that I am now, and that I will be in the future.' For this reason the word "eheyeh" is written three times. Another explanation of "ehyeh asher ehyeh": R. Jacob b. R. Abina in the name of R. Huna of Tzippori: God said to Moses: ‘Tell them, in this servitude I will be with them, and in the continuing servitude I will be with them!'’ Moses said to God: '‘I should tell them this? An evil is sufficient in its time [I should just mention the present servitude and not its continuation]?' God replied: 'No: Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: "Ehyeh has sent me to you.’" I am [only] revealing this to you, but not to them.'’ Another interpretation: "Ehyeh." R. Yitzhak said in the name of R. Ammi: They are standing in clay and bricks and they will go on to [another servitude of] clay and bricks. So too in the case of Daniel: "And I Daniel fainted and was sick" (Daniel 8:27).Moses said to God: ‘'I should tell them this?' God replied: 'No, "Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: "Ehyeh has sent me to you.’"' R. Yohanan said: I am that I am to individuals, but regarding the multitude I will rule over them even against their will and desires, even though they break their teeth, as it is said: "As I live, says the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm, and with fury poured out, will I be King over you" (Ezekiel 20:33). Another interpretation: R. ‘Ananiel b. R. Sasson said: God said: ‘When I desire, one of the angels who is one third of the world, stretches out his hand from heaven and touches the earth, as it says: "And the form of a hand was sent forth, and I was taken by a lock of my head" (ibid. 8:3). And when I desire three of them, I made them sitting beneath a tree, as it is said: "And recline under the tree" (Genesis 18:4). And when I desire, His glory fills the entire world, as it is said: "'Do I not fill heaven and earth?' says the Lord (Jeremiah 23:24). And when I wished, I spoke with Job from the whirlwind, as it is said: "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind" (Job 38:1). And when I wish, [I speak] from a thorn-bush.

(21) And all flesh that stirred on earth perished—birds, cattle, beasts, and all the things that swarmed upon the earth, and all mankind. (8, 1) God remembered Noah and all the beasts and all the cattle that were with him in the ark, and God caused a wind to blow across the earth, and the waters subsided.

(3) God is good to all and His mercies are upon all of His works (Psalms 145:9): Rabbi Levi said, "'God is good to all,' upon all, that He is their maker." Rabbi Shmuel said, "'God is good to all and His mercies' - upon all that are His traits, He has mercy.” Rabbi Yehoshua of Sakhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi, "'God is good to all' and His merciful ones He give to His creatures." Rabbi Tanchuma and Rabbi Abba bar Avin [said] in the name of Rav Acha, “Tomorrow a famine will arrive and the creatures will have mercy, these upon those, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will be filled with mercy on them.” In the days of Rabbi Tanchuma, Israel required a fast (to bring about rain). They came to [Rabbi Tanchuma and] said to him, “Rabbi, decree a fast.” [So] he decreed a fast on the first day, on the second day, on the third day and rain did not fall. He got up and expounded to them. He said to them, "My children, have mercy, these upon those, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will be filled with mercy on you." While they were still distributing charity to the poor, they saw a man giving money to his ex-wife. They came to [Rabbi Tanchuma] and said to him, "Rabbi, how are we sitting here [while] there is a sin here." He said [back] to them, "What did you see?" They said to him, "We saw Mr. x give money to his ex-wife." They sent for them and they brought them in front of the community. [Rabbi Tanchuma] said to him, "What is she to you?" He said [back] to him, "She is my ex-wife." He said to him, "Why did you give her money?" He said to him, "Rabbi, I saw her in distress and I was filled with mercy on her." At that time, Rabbi Tanchuma lifted his head towards above and said, "Master over the worlds, just like this one that does not have an obligation to sustain [her] saw her in distress and he was filled with mercy for her, all the more so, You, that it is written about You, 'Compassionate and Merciful' and we are the children of Your friends, Avraham, Yitschak and Yaakov, will You be filled with mercy on us." Immediately, rains fell and the world was irrigated. Our rabbi (Yehuda Hanassi) was sitting, involved in Torah in front of the synagogue of the Babylonian [Jews] in Tzippori [when] a calf passed in front of him [and] was going to be slaughtered and started to yell out as if to say, "Save me." He said to it, "And what can I do for you? That is what you were created for." [As a result, Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi] had toothaches for thirteen years. Rabbi Yoss bar Avin said, "[During] those entire thirteen years that [he] had toothaches, no pregnant woman had a miscarriage in the Land of Israel and no birthing mother had pain. After some time, a crawling animal passed in front of his daughter and she wanted to kill it. He said to her, "My daughter, let it go, as it is written, "and His mercies are upon all of his works." Our rabbi had great modesty and said, "I will do anything that people tell me except what the sons of Batira did to my forefather - that they came down from their greatness (office) and brought him up; and [even] if Rabbi Huna, the Exilarch, came here, I would get up in front of him. Why? As he is from [the tribe of] Yehuda and I am from Binyamin, and he is from the males of Yehuda and I am from the females." Rabbi Chiya the Great said to him, "And behold, he is [waiting] outside." [Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi]'s face changed colors. And when he saw that his face changed colors, [Rabbi Chiya] said to him, "It is [Rabbi Huna]'s coffin." He said [back] to [Rabbi Chiya], "Go out and see who needs you outside." He went out and did not find a person and he knew that he was excommunicated - and there is no excommunication less than thirty days. Rabbi Yossi bar Avin said, "[During] the entire thirty days that Rabbi Chiya the Great was excommunicated from our rabbi, he taught Rav, the son of his sister, the principles of the Torah." And what are the principles of the Torah? They are the laws of the Babylonians. At the end of thirty days, Eliyahu - may he be remembered for good - came in the likeness of Rabbi Chiya the Great to our rabbi and put his hand on his teeth and he became healed. When Rabbi Chiya the Great came to our rabbi, he said to him, "What did you do to your teeth?" He said [back] to him, "From the time that you put your hand on them, they became better. He said, "I do not know what this is." When he heard this, he began to treat him with respect and he brought close the students and brought up [Rabbi Chiya] to the top. Rabbi Yishmael bar Yose said, "And [should he] come closer than I?" He said [back] to him, "God forbid, such should not be done in Israel." Our rabbi was teaching the praises of Rabbi Chiya the Great in front of Rabbi Yishmael bar Yose - he said, "He is a great man, he is a holy man." One time, [Rabbi Yishmael bar Yose] saw [Rabbi Chiya] in the bathhouse and [the latter] did not humble himself before him. He said to [Rabbi Yehuda Hanassi], "Is this your student that you have been praising? I saw him in the bathhouse and he did not humble himself before me." He said to him, "Why did you not humble yourself before him?" Rabbi Chiya said [back], I was looking at the homilies (aggadot) of Psalms." Once [Rabbi Yehudah Hanassi] heard this, he gave him two students to go with him to the dark places, that he not get confounded and lose himself. Another explanation: "God is good to all, etc." "And God remembered Noach, etc." - Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said, "Woe to the evildoers who switch the [Divine] trait of mercy to the [Divine] trait of [strict] justice. In every place that it states 'the Lord,' it is the trait of mercy: 'The Lord, the Lord, merciful and compassionate God' (Exodus 34:6). And [yet] it is written (Genesis 6:5-6), 'And the Lord saw that the evil of man on the earth was very great[...] And the Lord regretted that He had made man on the earth, and the Lord said, "I will erase, etc."' Happy are the righteous who switch the trait of [Divine] justice to the [divine] trait of mercy. In every place that it states 'Elohim,' it is the trait of mercy: 'Judges (Elohim) you shall not curse' (Exodus 22:27); 'to the judges (elohim) the matter of both of them will come' (Exodus 22:8). And [yet] it is written (Exodus 2:24), 'And God heard their cries and God remembered His covenant'; '(Genesis 30:22), 'And God remembered Rachel'; 'And God remembered Noach.' And what memory did He remember for him? That he fed and sustained them all of the twelve months in the ark." "And God remembered Noach" - and justice requires it, from the merit of the pure ones that he brought with him into the ark. Rabbi Eliezer says, "[Noach] was named corresponding to his sacrifice, as it states, 'And the Lord smelled the pleasant (nichoach) fragrance.'" Rabbi Yose bar Chaninah [says], "He was named corresponding to the resting of the ark, as it states, 'And the ark rested (tanach) on the seventh month, etc.'" Rabbi Yehoshua says, "'Will not cease' (Genesis 8:22) implies that they ceased."

Along the same lines, Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Yosei: From where is it derived that the Holy One, Blessed be He, prays? As it is stated: “I will bring them to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in the house of My prayer” (Isaiah 56:7). The verse does not say the house of their prayer, but rather, “the house of My prayer”; from here we see that the Holy One, Blessed be He, prays. The Gemara asks: What does God pray? To whom does God pray? Rav Zutra bar Tovia said that Rav said:
God says: May it be My will that My mercy will overcome My anger towards Israel for their transgressions,
and may My mercy prevail over My other attributes through which Israel is punished,
and may I conduct myself toward My children, Israel, with the attribute of mercy,
and may I enter before them beyond the letter of the law. Similarly, it was taught in a baraita that Rabbi Yishmael ben Elisha, the High Priest, said: Once, on Yom Kippur, I entered the innermost sanctum, the Holy of Holies, to offer incense, and in a vision I saw Akatriel Ya, the Lord of Hosts, one of the names of God expressing His ultimate authority, seated upon a high and exalted throne (see Isaiah 6).
And He said to me: Yishmael, My son, bless Me.
I said to Him the prayer that God prays: “May it be Your will that Your mercy overcome Your anger,
and may Your mercy prevail over Your other attributes,
and may You act toward Your children with the attribute of mercy,
and may You enter before them beyond the letter of the law.”
The Holy One, Blessed be He, nodded His head and accepted the blessing. This event teaches us that you should not take the blessing of an ordinary person lightly. If God asked for and accepted a man’s blessing, all the more so that a man must value the blessing of another man.