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SHMUEL HAKATAN [lit. Samuel the small]. Midrash Shmuel explains in the name of the Jerusalem Talmud that he was called this because he made himself small.¹⁸⁰He was self-effacing and humble. Alternatively, this name was to distinguish him from Samuel the Prophet, for this Samuel also prophesied at the hour of his death and was worthy of having the shechina dwell with him [Talmud, Sotah 48b] if not for the unworthiness of his generation. In either case, this nickname was meant as praise.

The text in the books:

'The burning of His anger" is not stated [which is only the heat of anger], but rather "His anger"; [this] teaches that he is forgiven for all of his sins: And even though Shlomo said this command in his wisdom [first in Proverbs], this sage would teach this trait and warn about this sin.

The Younger (literally the Small): It is because he would diminish himself. And also (another explanation is) that he was (slightly) smaller than Shmuel the prophet, as [Shmuel the Younger] also prophesied at the time of his death. And he was fitting that [God's] presence should dwell upon him but the generation was not fit for it. And it comes out that this name is praise and glory for him - Yerushalmi.

"'When your enemy falls, do not be happy'": It is a verse in Proverbs, but Shmuel the Younger was accustomed to rebuking people with this attribute.

Introduction Shmuel Hakatan means “Little Samuel” (or “Little Sammy”). The Palestinian Talmud provides two reasons for such a strange nickname. The first is that he would belittle himself in front of others; in other words he was exceedingly humble. The second reason is that he was he was just a little below the level of Samuel from the Bible. Shmuel Hakatan was at Yavneh after the destruction and he conducted one of the benedictions in the Amidah, namely the benediction directed against heretics. Despite his nickname he was evidently held in great regard.

[*YOUR ENEMY [Heb. oyivcha]. This is the keri—the yud is vocalized with a chirik, and the vet is vocalized with a sheva. The ktiv, however, is oyvecha.¹⁸¹“Your enemies”, plural.

Shmuel the Younger says: "When your enemy falls, do not be happy, and when he stumbles, let your heart not rejoice" (Proverbs 24:17): And what does Shmuel come to let us hear with this - is it not a full verse that Shlomo stated? Rather, it wants to say that Shmuel was accustomed to saying this verse since it is something needed and people stumble in it. Since even when the enemy is wicked, one should not be happy in the bad [that happens to] him, except only for the sake of God. We want to say that this righteous one should not be happy in the fall of the wicked unless the intention of his joy is because his fall is [a manifestation] of God's glory, and not because of his hating him. And all the more so, one whose actions are corrupted like him - if the heart of [such a one] would rejoice in his stumbling, his evil is great. And why is he happy - behold, he is [just] like him! And about all this is it stated, "When your enemy falls, do not be happy, and when he stumbles, let your heart not rejoice." And Shmuel's intention in constantly saying it was about this. And there are those that follow the textual variant, "Lest God see and it be bad in His eyes and He turn from him [the enemy] His anger" (Proverbs 24:18) - "burning anger" is not stated [which is only the heat of anger], but rather "anger from upon him"; [this] teaches that he is forgiven for all of his sins: And now Shmuel is coming to let us hear a great novelty, as he wants to say that when God sees that this one is happy about the fall of his enemy, He forgives the enemy and rehabilitates him, and He punishes the one who is happy.

"'His anger'": In the Rashbam, it appears that his textual variant is, "'burning anger' is not stated [which is only the heat of anger], but rather 'anger,' [meaning to say, 'all of his anger' - so explained Ramah]. - [this] teaches that he is forgiven for all of his sins" - Midrash Shmuel. And this variant appears to be the main one, since now Shmuel the Younger is adding for us a precise teaching on this verse.

"'Lest God see and it be bad in His eyes'": that you have made Him in your heart as if He is your agent to fulfill your desire.

Shmuel Hakatan said: “If your enemy falls, do not exult; if he trips, let your heart not rejoice, lest the Lord see it and be displeased, and avert his wrath from you” (Proverbs 24:17). The most interesting thing about this saying is that it is only a verse from the book of Proverbs. Whereas in every other case in the Mishnah, there are words of the rabbis, this mishnah contains only a biblical verse. While there are some versions of this mishnah in which there appears a midrash, in which case Shmuel Hakatan does add his own words and does not merely quote a verse, these are probably later versions and do not reflect the original. The traditional explanation for this phenomenon is that Shmuel Hakatan regularly quoted this verse. The verse’s meaning is that one should not rejoice at the fall of one’s enemy and that if one does God’s wrath will be placed upon the one rejoicing.

AND IN HIS FALTERING [Heb. uvikashlo]. The bet is vocalized with the chirik that should have vocalized the hey which has been ellided.¹⁸²The word is properly uvhikashlo, but due to ellision is uvikashlo.]

"'and He turn from him [the enemy] His anger'": Since it did not write, "and He return (veshav) but rather, and He turn (veheshiv), it is implied that He removes it from your enemy and turns it upon you.

AND TURN BACK HIS ANGER FROM HIM. From Rambam’s commentary it seems he had the following addition to our text: it does not say “his wrath” [Heb. charon apo], but “his anger” [Heb. apo]. This teaches that G-d forgins him all his sins. Rashi also quotes this version. Midrash Shmuel explains this version in the name of R. Matitya HaYitzhari as follows: the verse does not say that G-d will remove only his charon apo, lit. the “heat of the nose,” but apo, “his nose”, i.e. his entire anger. [*This version seems to be the best one, for according to it Shmuel HaKatan has taught us this subtle point about the verse.]