Avodah Zarah, Daf Gimmel, Part 3
Introduction
At the end of yesterday s section, God offers the nations the opportunity to fulfill the mitzvah of the sukkah, even though the end of days is already here. Today s section asks whether mitzvoth can be fulfilled at the end of days. Or is it too late then.
ומי מצית אמרת הכי? והא אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי, מאי דכתיב: +דברים ז+ אשר אנכי מצוך היום? היום לעשותם – ולא למחר לעשותם, היום לעשותם – ולא היום ליטול שכר!
But how can you say this: Did not R. Joshua b. Levi say: What is it that it is written, Which I command you this day (Deuteronomy 7:11)? Today is the day to do them, and tomorrow is not the day to do them. Today is the day to perform them, but today is not the day to take reward for their performance.
How can God offer a mitzvah to the nations to perform in the world to come? According to a very common Jewish idea, the mitzvoth are to be performed in the here and now, today. The end of days is when people will be rewarded for their performance, but by that point it is too late to actually perform them.
אלא, שאין הקדוש ברוך הוא בא בטרוניא עם בריותיו.
Rather, the Holy Blessed One does not deal harshly with His creatures.
God wanted to give the nations a second chance. This is God after all He makes up the rules!
ואמאי קרי ליה מצוה קלה? משום דלית ביה חסרון כיס.
And why does He term it an easy commandment? Because it does not cause a financial loss.
Sukkah is an easy commandment because it does not cause any financial loss. This is different from something like peah (leaving the corners of your field for the poor) which obviously does cause a financial loss.
מיד כל אחד [ואחד] נוטל והולך ועושה סוכה בראש גגו, והקדוש ברוך הוא מקדיר עליהם חמה בתקופת תמוז, וכל אחד ואחד מבעט בסוכתו ויוצא, שנאמר: +תהלים ב+ ננתקה את מוסרותימו ונשליכה ממנו עבותימו.
Straightaway everyone will go and make a sukkah on the top of his roof; but the Holy Blessed One will cause the sun to burn over them as at the summer season and every one of them will trample down his sukkah and go away, as it is said, Let us break their bands, and cast away their cords from us (Psalms 2:3).
The non-Jews go out and make sukkot, but God causes it to be so hot that they tear them down immediately. There is a pun being made on this verse the last word is עבות which is also used in Psalms 118:27, which is connected in rabbinic thought with Sukkot.
מקדיר, והא אמרת: אין הקדוש ברוך הוא בא בטרוניא עם בריותיו! משום דישראל נמי זימני דמשכא להו תקופת תמוז עד חגא והוי להו צערא. והאמר רבא: מצטער פטור מן הסוכה! נהי דפטור, בעוטי מי מבעטי.
He caused the sun to burn over them! But did you not just say, The Holy Blessed One does not deal harshly with his creatures?
True! But with the Israelites, too, it occasionally happens that the summer season extends till Sukkot and they are troubled [by the heat].
But didn t Rava say: He who is troubled is exempt from dwelling in the Sukkah? True he is exempt, but should he trample it.
If God wanted to give the non-Jews a chance to keep the mitzvot, why did he make it so hot for them in the sukkah? The answer is that Jews also have end up sitting in the sukkah when it is quite hot. I can testify to this myself it can get quite toasty in the sukkah when Sukkot falls early in the season.
The next problem is that Jews do not have to sit in the sukkah if its boiling hot and makes them uncomfortable. So why blame the non-Jews for leaving the sukkah in the same situation?
The answer is that while Jews need not sit in the sukkah when it s hot, they should not kick it when they go out.
מיד, הקדוש ברוך הוא יושב ומשחק עליהן, שנאמר: +תהלים ב+ יושב בשמים ישחק וגו’.
א"ר יצחק: אין שחוק לפני הקדוש ברוך הוא אלא אותו היום בלבד.
Thereupon the Holy Blessed One will laugh at them, as it is said, He that sits in heaven will laugh (Psalms 2:4). R. Yitzchak said: Only on that day is there laughter before the Holy Blessed One.
On that day, when the nations finally fail in their claims before God, God will laugh (the word can also be translated as delight).