Sukkah, Daf Nun Bet, Part 3

 

Introduction

More discussion about the yetzer hara.

 

תנו רבנן: ואת הצפוני ארחיק מעליכם – זה יצר הרע, שצפון ועומד בלבו של אדם;

והדחתיו אל ארץ ציה ושממה – למקום שאין בני אדם מצויין להתגרות בהן;

את פניו אל הים הקדמוני – שנתן עיניו במקדש ראשון והחריבו והרג תלמידי חכמים שבו;

וסופו אל הים האחרון – שנתן עיניו במקדש שני והחריבו, והרג תלמידי חכמים שבו;

ועלה באשו ותעל צחנתו – שמניח אומות העולם ומתגרה בשונאיהם של ישראל;

 

Our Rabbis taught: "But I will distance from you the northern one (tz’foni)" (Joel 2:20): This refers to the Evil Inclination which is constantly hidden (tzafun) in the heart of man;

"And will drive him into a land barren and desolate" to a place where there are no men for him to attack;

"With his face toward the eastern sea (hadkomoni)": that he set his eyes against the First Temple and destroyed it and slew the scholars who were in it;

"And his back part toward the western sea": that he set his eyes against the Second Temple and destroyed it and slew the scholars who were in it.

"And the stench of it shall go up and the foul smell rise": that he leaves the other nations in peace and attacks only Israel.

 

In this extended baraita, the rabbis interpret most of the elements of the verse from Joel 2:20 as if it refers to the yetzer hara. Some of these midrashim are based on puns. For instance the verse refers to the "northern one" (although this very word may be a corrupted form of another word). The word for "north" is "tzafon" which can also mean "hidden." Therefore it refers to the yetzer hara, hidden in the hearts of man.

The yetzer hara will be driven away by God to a place where it can no longer cause any damage to human beings.

The word for "eastern sea" is "kadmoni" which can also mean "ancient" or something like that. Here it is taken as referring to the First Temple.

The western sea is called the "latter sea" which is taken as a pun for the last Temple.

 

כי הגדיל לעשות – אמר אביי: ובתלמידי חכמים יותר מכולם. כי הא, דאביי שמעיה לההוא גברא דקאמר לההיא אתתא: נקדים וניזיל באורחא. אמר: איזיל אפרשינהו מאיסורא. אזל בתרייהו תלתא פרסי באגמא. כי הוו פרשי מהדדי שמעינהו דקא אמרי: אורחין רחיקא וצוותין בסימא. אמר אביי: אי מאן דסני לי הוה – לא הוה מצי לאוקומיה נפשיה. אזל, תלא נפשיה בעיבורא דדשא, ומצטער. אתא ההוא סבא, תנא ליה: כל הגדול מחבירו יצרו גדול הימנו.

 

"Because he has done great things": Abaye explained: Against scholars more than against anyone else; as was the case when Abaye heard a certain man saying to a woman, "Let’s get up early and go on our way." Abaye said: I will follow them in order to keep them away from transgression" and he followed them for three parasangs across the meadows. When they parted company he heard them say, "Our company is pleasant, the way is long." Abaye said: If that had been I could not have restrained myself. He went and leaned in deep anguish against a doorpost, when a certain old man came up to him and taught him: The greater the man, the greater his Evil Inclination.

 

The verse actually refers in Joel to God, but Abaye understands it as referring to the evil inclination, which attacks scholars more than anyone else. In this famous story, Abaye sadly realizes just how strong his yetzer hara is. He suspects the other person of having an evil inclination when he sees him sneak off with others. But he is projecting his own frailty onto others. The old man at the end of the story teaches him his lesson. The greater the man, the worse the yetzer hara.