Job · Chapter 25

Explanation of the words of this response — 'Then Bildad the Shuhite answered, and said.'

Introduction to the Sixteenth Speech — Bildad’s Response Bildad too makes one final effort to find a remedy (Jeremiah 51:8) for the theories he had put forward: his claim that the suffering of the righteous is ultimately repaid, and his claim about the prosperity of the wicked — that the greater part of their punishment, the cutting off of their soul and their posterity, is reserved for the World to Come. Though Job had refuted him on all these points, Bildad now gathers his strength (Isaiah 27:5) to renew the battle at the gate (Isaiah 28:6) in the following way: Whilst continuing to maintain that everything is subject to Individual Providence, and that Hashem, who surely pays what is due (Isaiah 59:18 et alia), will reward the righteous according to his righteousness and the wicked according to his wickedness, Bildad now adds that He is sometimes prevented, by the nature of Universal Governance, from granting immediate, individual reward or punishment, because Universal Governance does not allow for it. For example: • Though rainfall is providential and comes at Hashem’s command, for good and for loving-kindness (Psalms 23:6), to make the meadows grow green and the fields flourish, it is nonetheless possible that a righteous person out walking at that time is discomfited by the rain. Shall we then say that Hashem should hold back the rain for his sake? • Likewise, light exists for the benefit of all, and yet the wicked person also makes use of it — to light his way to the place where he intends to murder or rob. • And darkness, which is meant to give rest to the weary, is also used by the thief to break into houses under cover of night, Nevertheless, there is no question of Hashem altering Universal Nature — which exists for the benefit of the whole — for the sake of one particular individual. For Universal Nature is arranged in its entirety and maintained with wisdom, ability, and loving-kindness according to the general good; even though it may at times bring about harm to a righteous person or, by chance, good to a wicked one, Universal Nature is not altered for the sake of the individual. Nevertheless, Hashem does not withhold the reward of the righteous, nor does He forgo the punishment of the wicked; rather, He rewards and punishes in specific ways that require no change in Nature, whether in this world or in the World to Come. And so it can well be pictured that a righteous person may suffer if he was born under an unfavorable constellation and his fortune decrees evils and troubles for him — for in that case Hashem will not alter Universal Nature for his sake, just as it was said of Rabbi Chanina ben Dosa: ‘Would it please you were I to destroy the world for your sake?’ [No exact Talmudic source has been located for this saying; a similar statement appears at TB Taanit 25a, though there it is said not of Chanina ben Dosa but of another sage, Elazar ben Pedat.] Nevertheless, he will receive a reward — both for his righteous deeds and for the suffering he endured without wrongdoing — for there exists another, spiritual world that is not subject to the order of this world and its fortune, and there he will shine in the light of life (Job 33:30). This accords with the view he set out in his first speech, that the sufferings of the righteous come by way of recompense, and that he is destined to be rewarded for his suffering — except that there he had not explained his view fully, and so Job dismissed his words. Now he explains that this recompense is not because Hashem wishes to afflict him now in order to benefit him afterward — for that would prompt the retort, ‘neither for your sting nor for your honey’ (Numbers Rabbah 20) — but rather that his intent is this: if the righteous person’s fortune, and the nature of his place, his constellation, his birth, and his circumstances, decree evils for him — that he be poor, sick, and lacking bread — Hashem will not alter Universal Nature for his sake, but will instead reward him with good in the future for the evil he suffered on account of his ill fortune and adverse constellation. This also validates the parable he had used earlier on this subject, of the plant that the owner of the garden uproots from its place and replants elsewhere, where it will grow and flourish (Job 8:11-19). So too, Hashem uproots the righteous person from a land of drought (Hosea 13:5), where sorrow and want await him, and replants him in the land of the living (Job 28:13), in the spiritual world, where He will satisfy his soul with abundance, and he will be like a well-watered garden (Isaiah 58:11), bearing fruit and produce. So too with the wicked person, whose fortune decrees that he be rich, successful, and sound in health (Psalms 73:4): Hashem will not alter Universal Governance in order to punish him, but will instead leave the world to follow its own nature — as it is said, ‘The world follows its accustomed course, and the fools who do wrong will in the end be called to account’ (TB Avodah Zarah 54b). Nevertheless, the wicked person will receive his punishment in the future, in the eternal world, as he explained in his second speech. So here too there is no difficulty as to why he prospers in this world — it is because his fortune brings this about — yet for all that, ‘before any grass he withers’ (Job 8:12), like the parable of the reed and the marsh-plant, and his punishment will be doubled in proportion to the good he received and to his wickedness.

Bildad’s reply Dominion and fear Directed towards what Job said (23:4), “I would set out my case before Him,” he says to him, “Dominion and fear are with Him.” “Dominion” refers to Michael, and “fear” refers to Gabriel. Can you answer even one of them? He makes peace in His heights When the constellations ascend, each one thinks, “I will ascend first,” and because he does not see what is before him, he is not envious. So I heard. [Tanchuma Buber ad loc.] Another explanation: He makes peace in His heights—Fire and water are mixed, and the water does not extinguish the fire; I did not hear this.

'Dominion and dread' - dominion and dread are with Him and from Him. 'He makes peace in His high places' - for there is no war among them, since they are all good, and evil exists only below, on earth; and these matters require [further] explanation.

'Dominion' — related to the words memshalah (dominion) and sholtanut (governance). 'And fear' — meaning: dread, as in the phrase 'the fear of Isaac' (Genesis 31:42).

'Dominion and fear are with Him' — the greatness of the dominion and the abundance of the fear that are with Hashem: each one of the heavenly bodies makes peace within the workings of the heavens, so that they do not oppose one another in their action upon the lower world, and so that they do not deviate from their assigned task. Meaning: it is not as you say, that the heavenly order is not subject to the Omnipresent — for they are indeed subject to Him, whether out of fear of His grandeur or out of dread of punishment.

'In His high places' — in the high heavens.

‘Dominion and fear are with Him’ — that is, Hashem grants dominion to others (which is why the verse uses the causative form, ‘He makes [others] rule’), yet the fear remains with Him. He is like a king who appoints governors beneath him, but who nevertheless personally oversees every matter, so that all stand in fear of him. So too with all the forces of nature and their effects: although He has placed many rulers over them — the order of the stars and the supernal princes, each appointed over a particular function — He Himself watches over all of them, so that everything is done with justice and righteousness, and all fear Him. ‘He makes peace in His high places’ — for even though the forces within creation, and likewise the chiefs appointed over them, are opposed to one another — each performing its own particular function, which conflicts with the function of another — He stands at the head of the ladder, binding together the letters of creation, joining and uniting every particular into one complete, all-encompassing governance, into a single, complete book written ‘with the writing of God’ (cf. Exodus 32:16), in wisdom and knowledge — as it is said, ‘Who forms light and creates darkness, Who makes peace…’ (Isaiah 45:7), and as is stated further there.

'Arise' [yakum] — meaning: stands, appears. 'His light' [orehu] — the fuller form of oro, meaning simply 'his light.'

'Is there any number' — is there indeed a number to His troops, that is, the angels on high? This shows the greatness of His dominion, and therefore they fear Him with the fear of His grandeur. 'And upon whom,' etc. — upon which of the host of the heavenly array does the light of His influence not shine? And therefore they are afraid, lest the Omnipresent withhold His influence from them.

'His armies' — [i.e.,] His troops.

Is there any number of His armies? — and likewise the individual forces placed under the higher governments, which is why he calls them ‘armies’ — similar to the armies placed under [earthly] rulers; and these are innumerable, for they are very many. Nevertheless, upon whom does not His light arise? — the light of His providence and governance pierces and breaks through every force and every creature, so that, amid all the opposition and multiplicity that appear to exist, they return to complete unity and to a single accord on every side, through the One and Only — first and last of all — who unifies them all and guides them all toward one single, all-embracing purpose. He is wholly good; no evil dwells within Him. And all the evil, division, and conflict found among the particulars will return to good, peace, and kindness through the all-embracing purpose that lies in His wisdom, which desires only good.

How then can man be just... that you said (23:10), “He has tested me that I will emerge like gold.”

'How then can man be just' — as if to say: and if you reply, if so, why does He not override the heavenly order in order to pay the righteous his reward? For what is man, to be righteous before God? Indeed, given the great lowliness of man and the loftiness of God, even a small measure of rebellion is counted as great — so where, then, is his righteousness? 'Or how can he be clean,' etc. — the matter is repeated in other words.

'Be just' — an expression of merit.

(4-5) ‘How then can man be just with God? Behold, even the moon is not bright’ — Now, could a man be justified in claiming, against God, that He should remove the moon so that it no longer gives light, or that He should take away and remove the stars that did not find favor in this man’s eyes? For if a single individual was born under an unfavorable celestial order, and the moon or the stars that ruled at the time of his birth decreed evils and troubles upon him according to the nature of their order and the mazal that arose at that time — could he then claim that Hashem should remove the moon and the stars that ruled at his birth, and create in their place another moon and other stars that would signify good fortune and success for him? Would he be justified in such a claim? Would Hashem destroy the world for the sake of one individual person?

He removes the moon Heb. עד, like (28:8), “neither did a lion pass (עדה) over it.” The meaning is that even the moon will be removed from its [source of] light in the future and it will not shine, as it is written (Isa. 24:23): “And the moon shall be ashamed etc.” And the stars will not be pure in His eyes in the future. How much less can man, who is a worm, be just with God! and will not shine Heb. יאהיל, like (Isa. 13:10), “shall not allow their light to illuminate (יהלו),” and this “alef” serves the same function as (I Sam. 2:33), “and to sadden (ולאדיב) your heart,” in which the “alef” is superfluous. Another explanation: יַאֲהִיל, you will not have shadow. When it does not shine, no shadows are cast. I prefer the former, but I heard both.

'has brightness' [ya'ahil] - some say that the alef is extra, from [the phrase] 'their light does not shine' (Isaiah 13:10).

'Has no brightness' [ya'ahil] — meaning: shines, gives light. Explanation of the words of the response: Bildad the Shuhite answered and said: the dominion and the fear that are with Hashem bring about peace among the arrangements of the heavens, so that all of them agree to move continually with the motions appointed to them, until through the sum of these motions Hashem's action is completed in this lower world; and they do not depart from their function, both out of fear of Him and because of the strength of His dominion over them. This itself is evidence of Hashem's greatness and power: is there any number to Hashem's troops and hosts? And is there any existing thing upon which His light and radiance do not arise? Behold, they all overflow from Him; not one is missing. Now, since matters stand this way — that Hashem, blessed be He, possesses this degree of perfection — how could it be possible for a human being to be just before God and to be deemed worthy? This is impossible; for relative to the perfection of Hashem, what human reckoning does not consider rebellion is nevertheless reckoned as rebellion. Behold, even the moon is found deficient before Hashem, so that at times its light departs — as, for instance, at the time of opposition [i.e., a lunar eclipse], when the moon stands at the head of the dragon['s node] or at its tail [i.e., at the ascending or descending node], so that the effect that follows from it by virtue of its light is then absent; and the stars are not pure in His sight, so that at times some of them are hidden by others standing in front of them, and their effects in this lower world are then absent. And if, in these bodies, despite their perfection, a deficiency is found relative to Hashem, blessed be He, how much more so must man be deficient relative to Hashem — man, who is but a maggot and a worm. The general principle that emerges from these words is that we ought not think that Hashem, for all the perfection and power evident in Him, does anything improper; rather, it is the disordered arrangement that appears in the fortunes befalling individual human beings — where people reckoned righteous are overtaken by evils of which it cannot be said that they come for a good purpose, since they consume them and bring them to death — that was the cause of Job's complaint. In Bildad's view, this arises because man, on account of his own deficiency, does not perceive that what he does constitutes rebellion relative to Hashem's perfection; for man is utterly deficient relative to Hashem, and it is clear that he is at the extreme of weakness. It is not proper for man to be punished for a rebellion that cannot be measured in a human being merely by virtue of his being human — and for this reason Job made no reply on this point, but only disparaged Bildad's words. It is also possible to say that the intent here is that one should not attribute to Hashem, in His perfection, anything that would count as injustice or deficiency relative to man — man, who stands at the extreme of deficiency relative to Hashem, blessed be He. For this reason it is proper to judge that Hashem does not abandon individual human beings, since they possess intellect, and that He judges them for all their deeds; and where it appears that the proper order is not maintained in the good and evil that befall individual people, we should attribute this to our own ignorance — namely, that in many such events we fail to appreciate that what we reckon to be evil turns out for the good, as Bildad had said earlier. Job had no need to respond to these words, since they contain no argument beyond what had already been said to him; Job's response to all these arguments had already been given earlier.

'Behold, even the moon' — behold, He took away and removed the light of the moon, so that it does not shine to the full measure of the light He placed in it when He created it; this was because it was jealous of the sun and said, 'Two kings cannot share one crown,' etc. Now even though this was but a small measure of rebellion, and its own rank was surely great, nevertheless it is as nothing before the Omnipresent, and even the small is counted as great. 'The stars' — all the stars together, for all their great brilliance, are not pure in His eyes, and they too are as nothing before Him.

'Even [the moon]' [עד] — an expression of passing on, as in 'the lion has not passed over it' (below, Job 28:8), like 'that passed' (Genesis 15:17), which Targum Onkelos renders 'de'ada.' 'Has no brightness' [יאהיל] — [means] shines, gives light, as in 'when His lamp shone' (below, Job 29:3). 'Are ... pure' [זכו] — an expression of purity, clarity.

'How much less' — how much more so is this true of man, whom the worm shall consume, exceedingly despised before the Omnipresent — how could even a small amount of his rebellion not be counted as great? Where, then, is his righteousness? 'And the son of man, who is a maggot' — the matter is repeated in other words. (The upshot of this speech: he says that, in truth, the heavenly order is indeed subject to the Omnipresent, whether out of fear of His grandeur or out of dread of punishment; but man has no claim to any reward from the Omnipresent, for given the great loftiness of the Omnipresent and the lowliness of man, even a small measure of rebellion is counted as great — so where, then, is his righteousness?)

‘How much less man, who is a worm!’ — particularly since mankind as a whole is a worm; that is to say, his physical matter is destined to decay in the grave and be devoured by the worm, while his essential self is the spiritual soul, for which the body is merely a garment that it puts on and wears for a limited time, after which the dust returns to the earth as it was. How then, on account of this decaying, perishable garment, should Hashem nullify and change the general governance of the universe, and remove the moon and stars that He established forever? Yet even so, there is no injustice in this, for in the future He will give the righteous good in return for the evil they suffered, and give the wicked evil in return for the good they received unjustly — in the eternal world, where the stars do not rule according to their order. This is the way of exchange that Bildad stated in his first response: ‘and the judgments of Hashem are true, they are righteous altogether’ (cf. Psalms 19:10).