Avodah Zarah, Daf Bet, Part 6

 

Introduction

The aggadah about all of the nations coming in front of God on judgment day continues.

 

אומרים לפניו רבש"ע כלום נתת לנו ולא קיבלנוה? ומי מצי למימר הכי והכתי’ (דברים לג, ב) ויאמר ה’ מסיני בא וזרח משעיר למו וכתיב (חבקוק ג, ג) אלוה מתימן יבוא וגו’ מאי בעי בשעיר ומאי בעי בפארן? א"ר יוחנן מלמד שהחזירה הקב"ה על כל אומה ולשון ולא קבלוה עד שבא אצל ישראל וקבלוה.

 

The nations will then say: Master of the Universe, have you given us the Torah, and have we declined to accept it?

But how can they argue this, is it not written, The Lord came from Sinai and rose from Seir to them, He shined forth from Mount Paran? (Deuteronomy 33:2), and it is also written, God will come from Teman (Habbakuk 3:3). What did He want in Seir, and what did He want at Mount Paran?

R. Yohanan says: This teaches us that the Holy Blessed One offered the Torah to every nation and every tongue, but none accepted it, until He came to Israel who received it.

 

The nations respond to God by saying that they were not even offered the Torah. This claim gets to the heart of a theological problem how could the nations be judged for not keeping the Torah when it was never given to them.

This in essence leads to a counter-midrash. The nations were offered the Torah but none accepted it. This is one answer to that problem. However, within our sugya, we now have two contradictory answers. Were they offered the Torah and did not observe it? Or was it never offered to them?

 

אלא הכי אמרי כלום קיבלנוה ולא קיימנוה. ועל דא תברתהון אמאי לא קבלתוה? אלא כך אומרים לפניו רבש"ע כלום כפית עלינו הר כגיגית ולא קבלנוה כמו שעשית לישראל דכתיב (שמות יט, יז) ויתיצבו בתחתית ההר ואמר רב דימי בר חמא מלמד שכפה הקב"ה הר כגיגית על ישראל ואמר להם אם אתם מקבלין את התורה מוטב ואם לאו שם תהא קבורתכם.

 

Rather, this is what they will say to Him: Did we accept it and fail to observe it?

But surely to this the response would be: Then why did you not accept it?

Rather, this is what they will say to Him: Master of the Universe, did you hold the mountain over us like a tub as You did to Israel and did we still decline to accept it? As it is written: And they stood at the foot (or under) the mountain (Exodus 19:17), R. Dimi b. Hama said: This teaches us that the Holy Blessed One suspended the mountain over Israel like a tub, and said to them: If you accept the Torah, it will be well with you, but if not, there you will find your grave.

 

The Talmud adjusts their claim against God. God forced the Israelites to accept the Torah. But he did not force the nations. Had he forced them, they would have accepted it. So how can he judge them?

 

מיד אומר להם הקב"ה הראשונות ישמיעונו שנא’ (ישעיהו מג, ט) וראשונות ישמיענו שבע מצות שקיבלתם היכן קיימתם? ומנלן דלא קיימום? דתני רב יוסף (חבקוק ג, ו) עמד וימודד ארץ ראה ויתר גוים מאי ראה? ראה ז’ מצות שקבלו עליהן בני נח ולא קיימום כיון שלא קיימום עמד והתירן להן.

איתגורי איתגור. א"כ מצינו חוטא נשכר? אמר מר בריה דרבינא לומר שאף על פי שמקיימין אותן אין מקבלין עליהם שכר.

 

Thereupon God will say to them: Let them tell us of the former deeds, as it is said, And let them tell us of the former deeds. The seven commandments which you did accept, did you observe them?

How do we know that they did not observe them? For R. Joseph taught: He stood and shook the earth, He saw and made the nations tremble (Habbakuk 3:6). What did He see? He saw that the nations did not observe even the seven commandments which the sons of Noah had taken upon themselves, and seeing that they did not observe them, He stood up and released them from them.

They benefited! If so, it pays to be a sinner!

Mar the son of Rabina said: This says that even if they kept them, they do not receive reward for them.

 

The Talmud now continues interpreting the next part of the verse from Isaiah, Let us continue the happenings of old. God responds to the nations that they did not keep even the commandments that they did receive, the seven Noahide laws. Having seen that collectively they did not keep them, God says that henceforth even if they do observe these commandments, they will not receive their reward for them. This is a very interesting claim. I think the idea is that if one does not regularly observe certain moral precepts, one does not receive reward for happenstance observance of them. Reward entails a commitment to a particular act, to make a habit out of it. Now I know that there are contradictory texts out there. But to me, this is what this text is hinting at.