Avodah Zarah Daf 4 עבודה זרח דַף 4

Rava quoted a passuk: אך לא בעי ישלח יד אם "בפידו" להן שוע – Let Him not stretch out His hand; though destruction is their lot, there is relief for them. The word "פיד" teaches that Hashem says to Yisroel: כשאני דן את ישראל – “When I judge Yisroel, אין אני דן אותם כעובדי כוכבים – I do not judge them like I judge idolators, about whom is written complete destruction. Rather, I judge them כפיד של תרנגולת – like the pecking of a hen, in small increments.” Similarly, Rebbe Abba darshened: ואנכי אפדם והמה דברו עלי כזבים – I would redeem them, but they have spoken lies about me, to mean: “I said I would redeem them with their money in this world (bit by bit), so they will merit עולם הבא, but they have spoken lies about Me.”

Heretics asked Rav Safra about a passuk in which Hashem says he only loves Yisroel from all the nations, על כן אפקוד עליכם את כל עונותיכם – “therefore, I will hold you to account for all your sins.” Does one who is angry take it out against the one whom he loves?! He did not answer, and eventually Rebbe Abahu explained with a משל: someone will collect a debt from his friend little by little, but all at once from his enemy.

A Baraisa states: קל זועם בכל יום – Hashem is angered every day. This lasts for “רגע – a moment,” defined as one out of 53,848 parts of an hour (later, the Gemara says it lasts "כמימריה" – as long as it takes to say the word [רגע]). No one in the world can determine this exact moment, except for בלעם, about whom it says "ויודע דעת עליון" – and who knows the mind of the Supreme One. Since he could not even best his donkey in an argument about his use of the donkey, how can it be that he “knew” Hashem’s mind? Rather, it means: שהיה יודע לכוין אותה שעה שהקב"ה כועס בה – that he knew how to determine the moment at which Hashem becomes angry, and intended to curse the Jews at that moment. This is why the Hashem told Klal Yisroel, as Rebbe Elazar explains: עמי ראו כמה צדקות עשיתי עמכם – “My nation, see how many kindnesses I did for you, that I did not become angry all those days, for if I had become angry, no remnant would have remained of “the enemies” of Yisroel!”

Abaye says this moment occurs during the first three hours of the day, when the rooster’s crown whitens, without any red streaks.

The Gemara quotes four teachings of Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi, two of which were quoted on the previous Daf. In the first, he darshens the passuk אשר אנכי מצוך היום לעשותם – (“you shall keep the mitzvos…) which I command you today to perform them,” to teach: היום לעשותם ולא למחר לעשותם – today (i.e., this world) is made to perform [the mitzvos], but not tomorrow (i.e., עולם הבא). Additionally, היום לעשותם ולא היום ליטול שכרן – today is made to perform them, but today is not for taking the reward for performing them.

In his second teaching, Rebbe Yehoshua ben Levi says that all the mitzvos which Klal Yisroel performs in this world will come and testify for them in עולם הבא. He also says that all the mitzvos which Klal Yisroel performs in this world come and strike the idolators on their faces in עולם הבא. [His fourth teaching is presented on the next Daf]