Chullin Daf 7 צולין דַף 7

The Gemara related three incidents in which Rebbe Zeira did not accept that a צדיק could have eaten forbidden foods: השתא בהמתן של צדיקים אין הקדוש ברוך הוא מביא תקלה על ידן – if even regarding the animals of righteous people, Hashem does not bring a pitfall through them, צדיקים עצמן לא כל שכן – is it not certain that the same would hold true for righteous people themselves? The background story for this principle is presented: Rebbe Pinchas ben Yair was traveling to perform פדיון שבויין, and upon reaching the Ginai River, he demanded that it split for him to pass. Rebbe Pinchas prevailed over the river’s objections, and compelled it to split for a Jew carrying wheat to make matzah for Pesach, and for an Arab escort. Rav Yosef commented that Rebbe Pinchas was as great as Moshe, who split the ים סוף. They reached an inn, and his donkey refused to eat the barley given to it, despite their attempts to sift it. Rebbe Pinchas suggested that maaser may not have been removed, and when they removed it, the donkey ate it. Rebbe Pinchas said: ענייה זו הולכת לעשות רצון קונה – this poor creature is going to fulfill its Master’s will, ואתם מאכילין אותה טבלים – and you feed it טבל?!

Rebbe went out to greet Rebbe Pinchas ben Yair and asked him to dine with him. Although Rebbe Pinchas consented, events led to his avoiding it, which was against his practice. Rebbe wept and said: if during צדיקים’s lifetimes, Hashem fulfills their will to this extent, how much more so after their deaths! This is based on Rebbe Chama bar Chanina’s principle: גדולים צדיקים במיתתן יותר מבחייהן – the righteous are even greater in death than they are in life. This is derived from the incident in which a false prophet’s body was thrown near Elisha, and it came back to life when it touched Elisha’s bones, whereas during Elisha’s lifetime, an entire process was required to bring a child back to life. [The false prophet’s resurrection could not have been merely to fulfill Eliyahu’s berachah that Elisha should have a “double portion” of Eliyahu’s spirit (and resurrect a second person), because the man did not live long enough to go home. Instead, that was fulfilled when he healed Naaman’s צרעת, because a מצורע is like a dead person.]

Rebbe Chanina said that the passuk "אין עוד מלבדו" – there is none beside Him includes even כשפים – sorcery, which cannot harm someone unless it was decreed upon him. A woman once attempted to take dust from under Rebbe Chanina’s feet to perform sorcery against him. He told her she would be unsuccessful, because the Torah says "אין עוד מלבדו". Rebbe Chanina said: אין אדם נוקף אצבעו מלמטה אלא א"כ מכריזין עליו מלמעלה – a person does not stub his toe down below on Earth unless they first [decreed] it upon him from Above, as the pesukim say: "מה' מצעדי גבר כוננו" – by Hashem are a strong man’s footsteps established, and "ואדם מה יבין דרכו" – and what does a man understand about his path? Rebbe Elazar said: דם ניקוף מרצה כדם עולה – the blood of stubbing (one’s toe) atones like the blood of an olah. Rava gives three qualifications: בגודל ימין – this applies to stubbing the right big [toe], with which he walks with greater force, ובניקוף שני – and to the second stubbing before the first has healed, both of which make the injury more painful, והוא דקאזיל לדבר מצוה – and only if it occurs when he is going to perform a matter of a mitzvah.