An diesem Tag erklärte Rabbi Yehoshua ben Hyrkenos [den Vers], Iyov habe Gott nur aus Liebe gedient, wie es heißt: "Obwohl er mich tötet, vertraue ich ihm" (Hiob 13:15). Dennoch ist die Sache ungewiss. [Bedeutet es] "Auf Ihn hoffe ich" oder "Ich hoffe nicht"? Wir lernen [jedoch] "Bis ich sterbe, werde ich meine Integrität nicht von mir entfernen" (Hiob 27: 5). Dies lehrt, dass er aus Liebe gehandelt hat. Rabbi Yehoshua sagte, wer wird den Schmutz von Ihren Augen entfernen. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai? Sie haben Ihr ganzes Leben lang erklärt, dass Iyov Gott nur durch Angst gedient hat, wie es heißt: "Ein perfekter und aufrichtiger Mann, der Gott fürchtet und sich vom Bösen abwendet" (Hiob 1: 8). Nun siehe, Yehoshua, der Schüler deines Schülers, lehrt, dass er durch Liebe gehandelt hat!
Bartenura on Mishnah Sotah
מאהבה – that he loved “the place” (i.e., God).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
Introduction
The structure of this mishnah is similar to mishnah two above. Somebody expounds a midrash and Rabbi Joshua explains how pleased Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai, his teacher, would have been had he lived to hear such a midrash.
The topic of the midrash is Job, and whether or not he worshipped God out of fear, a lower level of worship, or out of love, a higher level.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sotah
שקול – the weight will be equivalent, not outweighing to one side or the other, and he holds the Biblical verse with the letter “Vav,” and its implication is that the Biblical verse ended with a “Vav.” "הן יקטלני"–He may well slay me (Job 13:15) – though he kills me, “yet I will trust in Him no longer,” or, “yet I will trust in Him.” (whether one reads the word as לא or לו ).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
On that day Rabbi Joshua ben Hyrcanus expounded: Job only served the Holy One, blessed be He, from love: as it is said, “Though he slay me, yet I will wait for him (” (Job 13:15). And it is still evenly balanced whether to read “I will wait for him” or “I will not wait for him”? Scripture states, “Until I die I will maintain my integrity” (Job 27:5), this teaches that what he did was from love. The word “for him” in Hebrew is “lo”. “Lo” can be written either with a vav at the end, in which case it means “for him” or with an aleph, it which case the phrase would mean “I will not wait for him.” Therefore, this verse is not conclusive evidence that Job worshipped God out of love. Hence, Job 27:5 is brought as proof that Job’s served God out of love.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Bartenura on Mishnah Sotah
מיראה – from fear of retribution that will not come upon him.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
English Explanation of Mishnah Sotah
Rabbi Joshua [ben Hananiah] said: who will remove the dust from your eyes, Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai, since you had expounded all your life that Job only served the Omnipresent from fear, as it is said, “A blameless and upright man that fears God and shuns evil” (Job 1:8) did not Joshua, the student of your student, teach that what he did was from love? Again, Rabbi Joshua states how pleased Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai would have been to have heard this midrash. Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai had been forced to admit that Job only worshipped out of fear, since that is specifically stated in Job 1:8. Had Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai still been alive, he would have been pleased to have someone prove to him that Job worshipped God out of love.
