Pt1 Religious Initiative, Prophetic Distillation of Commandments, and the Endurance of Faith in Exile (Makkot 23b-24a)

This is the first part of a three-part series. The outline of the series is below.

Intro

This sugya discussed a variety of aggadic topics, many of them organized into numbered lists.¹

Three Enactments Affirmed by Heaven

R. Yehoshua ben Levi teaches that three ordinances established by human courts were ratified by Heaven:

1. Reading the Megillah (=Book of Esther) on Purim, confirmed by Esther 9:27 (“The Jews confirmed and took upon themselves”—Heaven confirmed what Israel accepted).

2. Greeting with God’s Name (=Tetragrammaton, i.e. ‘YHWH’), proven by Ruth 2:4 (Boaz greets harvesters with “YHWH be with you”) and Judges 6:12 (“YHWH is with you, mighty man of valor”).

3. Bringing the Tithe to the Temple Treasury, supported by Malachi 3:10, promising blessing “until your lips wear out from saying ‘enough.’”

Three Courts Confirmed by ‘Bat Kol’ (Divine Voice)

R. Elazar identifies three earthly courts whose verdicts were publicly confirmed by the Holy Spirit (רוח הקודש):

1. The court of Shem—in Judah and Tamar’s case (Gen 38:26). When Judah declared “She is more righteous than I,” a bat kol (heavenly voice) confirmed: “From Me these matters issued.”

2. The court of Samuel—when Samuel declared his innocence (1 Sam 12:3-5); the singular “He said” is explained as God’s voice affirming: “I am witness.”

3. The court of Solomon—in the famous judgment of the two women (1 Kgs 3:27); a bat kol proclaimed: “She is his mother.”

The Number of Commandments

R. Simlai counts 613 mitzvot: 365 prohibitions (like the solar days) and 248 positive commandments (like human limbs). R. Hamnuna derives this from Deut 33:4 (“Torah = 611” by gematria) plus the two commandments heard directly from God (“I am YHWH” and “You shall have no other gods”).

Prophetic Distillation of the Commandments

Successive prophets condensed the Torah’s demands into fewer core ethical principles:

• David distilled them to eleven traits in Psalm 15: integrity, justice, truth, restraint from gossip and harm, family loyalty, rejection of the wicked, honor for the pious, oath-keeping, refusal of interest, and rejection of bribes—each illustrated by biblical or rabbinic figures (Abraham, Hezekiah, Jehoshaphat, etc.). Rabban Gamliel wept at the verse “He who does these shall not be moved,” fearing only one who fulfills all will stand firm.

• Isaiah distilled them to six (Isa 33:15-16): righteousness, upright speech, rejecting oppression and bribes, deafness to bloodshed, and averting one’s eyes from evil—each associated with sages such as R. Elazar b. Shimon and R’ Yishmael b. Yosei.

• Micah distilled them to three (Mic 6:8): doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly with God—understood as judgment, charity, and modest performance of burial and marriage kindnesses.

• Isaiah distilled to two (Isa 56:1): “Observe justice and perform righteousness.”

• Amos distilled to one (Amos 5:4): “Seek Me and live.”

• Habakkuk distilled all to one enduring principle (Hab 2:4): “The righteous shall live by his faith.”

Four Decrees and Their Revocations

R. Yosei b. Ḥanina teaches that Moses issued four decrees which later prophets revoked:

1. Isolation of Israel (Deut 33:28) → Amos nullified it (Amos 7:5-6).

2. Lack of rest in exile (Deut 28:65) → Jeremiah promised rest (Jer 31:1).

3. Punishment of children for fathers’ sins (Exod 34:7) → Ezekiel canceled it (Ezek 18:4).

4. Destruction among the nations (Lev 26:38) → Isaiah reversed it with the future gathering by the great shofar (Isa 27:13).

R. Akiva’s Consolation

Amid Roman dominance, Rabban Gamliel, R. Elazar b. Azarya, R. Yehoshua, and R. Akiva witness the contrast between Rome’s glory and Jerusalem’s ruin. The first three weep; R. Akiva laughs, explaining that if sinners prosper now, the reward of the righteous will be far greater.

Later, seeing a fox emerge from the Holy of Holies, they again weep while R. Akiva laughs. He links Uriah’s prophecy of destruction (Mic 3:12) with Zechariah’s prophecy of renewal (Zech 8:4): fulfillment of the former guarantees the latter. The sages respond: “Akiva, you have comforted us.”

Outline

Intro

1. Three Enactments Affirmed by Heaven

2. Three Courts Confirmed by ‘Bat Kol’ (Divine Voice)

3. The Number of Commandments

4. Prophetic Distillation of the Commandments

5. Four Decrees and Their Revocations

6. R. Akiva’s Consolation

The Passage - Religious Initiative, Prophetic Distillation of Commandments, and the Endurance of Faith in Exile (Makkot 23b-24a)

Part 1

1. R’ Yehoshua ben Levi - Three Enactments Affirmed by Heaven

   1. #1 - Prooftext that Reading Megillah endorsed by Heaven - Esth 9:27

   2. #2 - Prooftext that Greeting with God’s Name (=Tetragrammaton, i.e. ‘YHWH’) endorsed in Heaven - Ruth 2:4; Judg 6:12

   3. #3 - Prooftext that Bringing the tithe to the Temple treasury endorsed by Heaven - Mal 3:10

      1. Rami bar Rav - “ad beli dai” = “your lips will be worn out [yivlu], from saying enough [dai]”

2. R’ Elazar - The Holy Spirit (via Bat Kol) affirmed specific historical decisions of the courts of Shem, Samuel, and Solomon

   1. #1 - Holy Spirit affirmed the court of Shem in the Judah–Tamar case - Gen 38:26

   2. #2 - Holy Spirit affirmed Samuel’s court - 1 Sam 12:3–5

   3. #3 - Holy Spirit affirmed Solomon’s judicial decision - 1 Kgs 3:27

3. R’ Simlai - There are 613 mitzvot: 365 prohibitions, 248 positive commandments

4. Rav Hamnuna - prooftext - “Torah” = 611 by gematria, plus the first 2 commands heard from God - Deut 33:4; Exod 20:2–3

Part 2

1. Distilling the 613 commandments to a few fundamental principles: David - 11, Isaiah - 6, Micah - 3, Isaiah - 2, Amos and/or Ḥabakkuk - 1

2. David distilled to 11 traits for dwelling with God - Ps 15

   1. Anecdote - When Rabban Gamliel would reach this verse in Psalms 15, he would cry

3. Isaiah distilled to 6 traits: walk righteously, speak uprightly, reject unjust gain, avoid bribe, stop ears from blood, avert eyes from evil - Isa 33:15–16

4. Micah distilled to 3: do justice, love kindness, walk humbly with God - Mic 6:8

5. Isaiah distilled to 2: keep justice, do righteousness - Isa 56:1

6. Amos distilled to one: “Seek Me and live” - Amos 5:4

7. Ḥabakkuk distilled to one: “The righteous will live by his faith” - Hab 2:4

Part 3

1. R’ Yosei b. Ḥanina - Moses issued 4 decrees upon the Jewish people, and 4 prophets came and revoked them

   1. #1 - Moses decreed Israel’s safety “alone”; Amos revoked it - Deut 33:28 ↔ Amos 7:5–6

   2. #2 - Moses decreed no repose in exile; Jeremiah revoked it - Deut 28:65 ↔ Jer 31:1

   3. #3 - Moses: visiting fathers’ sin on sons; Ezekiel revoked it - Exod 34:7 ↔ Ezek 18:4

   4. #4 - Moses: “You shall be lost among the nations”; Isaiah revoked it with the great shofar - Lev 26:38 ↔ Isa 27:13

2. Anecdote of R’ Akiva and colleagues hearing the sound of the city of Rome

   1. Hearing Rome’s roar vs the burnt Temple

   2. R’ Akiva - reward now vs greater reward for those who do God’s will

3. Anecdote of of R’ Akiva and colleagues seeing a fox on the Temple Mount

   1. R’ Akiva - truth of the destruction prophecy indicates the truth of the consolation prophecy - Isa 8:2; Mic 3:12; Zech 8:4

Appendix 1 - Actions and Punishments in This World, and Divine Reward and Punishment: Court’s Lashes as Divine Atonement, the Moral Value of Restraint, and the Expansion of Merit (Mishnah Makkot 3:15-16 = Makkot 23a-b)

1. R’ Ḥananya ben Gamliel - Lashes exempt one from karet; after flogging he is “as your brother” - Deut 25:3

2. R’ Ḥananya ben Gamliel - If one transgression can cost a life, one mitzva all the more so gives life

3. R’ Shimon - From the karet unit itself: one who refrains from a transgression receives reward like a positive act - Lev 18:29; 5

4. R’ Shimon b. Yehuda HaNasi - If abstaining from blood (which people naturally loathe) yields reward, then abstaining from robbery and forbidden sex (which people desire) yields far greater reward, for oneself and descendants - Deut 12:23, 25

5. R’ Ḥananya ben Akashya - God increased Torah and mitzvot to grant Israel merit - Isa 42:21

Appendix 2 - The Obligation to tear clothing in Mourning upon hearing bad news relating to Personal Loss and National Disaster (Moed Katan 25b-26a)

1. Baraita - The Obligation to tear clothing in Mourning upon hearing bad news relating to Personal Loss and National Disaster: A List of 11 Items

2. Prooftext for the obligation to rend garments upon seeing the destroyed cities of Judea - Jeremiah 41:5

3. R’ Ḥelbo, Ulla Bira’a, and R’ Elazar - specific verses to recite before tearing when encountering these ruined sites - Isaiah 64:9–10

   1. for Judea: “Your sacred cities are become a wilderness”

   2. for Jerusalem: “Zion is a wilderness, Jerusalem a desolation”

   3. for the Temple: “Our sacred and our beautiful house…is burned with fire”

The Passage

Makkot.23b.8-24b.4

Part 1

R’ Yehoshua ben Levi - Three Enactments Affirmed by Heaven

אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי:

שלשה דברים עשו בית דין של מטה

והסכימו בית דין של מעלה על ידם,

[אלו הן]:

1. מקרא מגילה,

2. ושאילת שלום [בשם],

3. והבאת מעשר.

R’ Yehoshua ben Levi says:

There are three matters that the earthly court implemented

and the heavenly² court agreed with them,

and these are they:

1. Reading the Scroll of Esther on Purim,

2. and greeting another with the name of God,

3. and bringing the first tithe to the Temple treasury in Jerusalem.

#1 - Prooftext that Reading Megillah endorsed by Heaven - Esth 9:27

מקרא מגילה –

דכתיב ״קימו וקבלו היהודים״ –

קיימו למעלה מה שקבלו למטה.

From where is it derived that the heavenly court agreed with them?

Reading the Scroll of Esther is derived from a verse,

as it is written: “The Jews confirmed, and they took upon themselves” (Esther 9:27).

The verse could have simply said: They took upon themselves. From the formulation of the verse it is interpreted:

They confirmed above in Heaven that which they took upon themselves below on earth.

#2 - Prooftext that Greeting with God’s Name (=Tetragrammaton, i.e. ‘YHWH’) endorsed in Heaven - Ruth 2:4; Judg 6:12

ושאילת שלום –

• דכתיב

  • ״והנה בעז בא מבית לחם, ויאמר לקוצרים: ה׳ עמכם״,

• ואומר:

  • ״ה׳ עמך, גבור החיל״.

[...]

And greeting another with the name of God is derived from a verse,

• as it is written:

  • “And presently Boaz came from Bethlehem and said to the harvesters: YHWH is with you, and they said to him: May YHWH bless you” (Ruth 2:4).

• And it states:

  • “And the angel of YHWH appeared to him and said to him: YHWH is with you, mighty man of valor” (Judges 6:12).

[...]

#3 - Prooftext that Bringing the tithe to the Temple treasury endorsed by Heaven - Mal 3:10

הבאת מעשר –

דכתיב

״הביאו את כל המעשר אל בית האוצר

ויהי טרף בביתי

ובחנוני נא בזאת

אמר ה׳ צבאות

אם לא אפתח לכם את ארבות השמים

והריקתי לכם ברכה

עד בלי די״.

From where is it derived that the heavenly court agreed to the bringing of the first tithe to the Temple treasury in Jerusalem?

It is derived from a verse, as it is written:

“Bring you the whole tithe into the storehouse,

that there may be food in My house,

and try Me now with this,

says YHWH of hosts,

if I will not open for you the windows of heaven

and pour you out a blessing,

that there shall be more than sufficiency [ad beli dai]” (Malachi 3:10).

This indicates that the heavenly court agreed that the first tithe should be brought to the Temple treasury.

Rami bar Rav - “ad beli dai” = “your lips will be worn out [yivlu], from saying enough [dai]”

מאי ״עד בלי די״?

אמר רמי בר רב:

עד שיבלו שפתותיכם מלומר ״די״.

The Talmud asks: What is the meaning of “ad beli dai”?

Rami bar Rav says:

It means that the abundance will be so great that your lips will be worn out [yivlu], from saying enough [dai].

R’ Elazar - The Holy Spirit (via Bat Kol) affirmed specific historical decisions of the courts of Shem, Samuel, and Solomon

אמר רבי אלעזר:

בשלשה מקומות הופיע רוח הקודש:

1. בבית דינו של שם,

2. ובבית דינו של שמואל הרמתי,

3. ובבית דינו של שלמה.

The Talmud cites a somewhat similar statement.

R’ Elazar says:

In three places the Holy Spirit appeared before all to affirm that the action taken was appropriate:

1. In the court of Shem,

2. in the court of Samuel the Ramathite,

3. and in the court of Solomon.

#1 - Holy Spirit affirmed the court of Shem in the Judah–Tamar case - Gen 38:26

בבית דינו של שם –

דכתיב

״ויכר יהודה

ויאמר:

צדקה ממני״.

The Talmud elaborates: This occurred in the court of Shem,

as it is written in the context of the episode of Judah and Tamar:

“And Judah acknowledged them

and said:

She is more righteous than I [mi-meni]” (Genesis 38:26).

מנא ידע?

דלמא כי היכי דאזל איהו לגבה

אזל נמי אינש אחרינא [לגבה]!

יצאת בת קול ואמרה: ממני יצאו כבושים.

How did Judah know that Tamar’s assertion that she was bearing his child was correct?

Perhaps, just as he went to her and hired her as a prostitute,

another person went to her and hired her as well, and he is not the father.

Rather, a bat kol emerged and said: It is from Me [mi-meni] that these secrets emerged.

God affirmed that her assertion was correct and that it was His divine plan that Judah would father a child from Tamar.

#2 - Holy Spirit affirmed Samuel’s court - 1 Sam 12:3–5

בבית דינו של שמואל –

דכתיב

״הנני

ענו בי נגד ה׳ ונגד משיחו

את שור מי לקחתי...

ויאמרו: לא עשקתנו ולא רצותנו...

ויאמר:

עד ה׳ ועד משיחו...

כי לא מצאתם בידי מאומה

ויאמר: עד״,

Likewise, this occurred in the court of Samuel,

as it is written:

“Here I am;

testify against me before YHWH and before His anointed:

Whose ox have I taken…

And they said: You have neither defrauded us nor oppressed us…

And he said to them:

YHWH is witness against you, and His anointed is witness this day,

that you have not found anything in my hand.

And he said: He is witness” (I Samuel 12:3–5).

״ויאמר״?

״ויאמרו״ מיבעי ליה!

יצאת בת קול ואמרה:

אני עד בדבר זה.

Based on the context, instead of the singular: “And he said,”

the plural: “And they said”, should have been written, as the verse appears to be the reply of the Jewish people to Samuel’s challenge, attesting to the truth of his statement.

Rather, a bat kol emerged and said:

I, God, am witness to this matter.

#3 - Holy Spirit affirmed Solomon’s judicial decision - 1 Kgs 3:27

בבית דינו של שלמה –

דכתיב

״ויען המלך ויאמר:

תנו לה את הילד החי

והמת לא תמיתהו

(כי) היא אמו״.

This occurred in the court of Solomon, when the Holy Spirit appeared in the dispute between two prostitutes over who was the mother of the surviving child,

as it is written:

“And the king answered and said:

Give her the living child,

and do not slay him;

she is his mother” (I Kings 3:27).

מנא ידע?

דלמא איערומא מיערמא!

יצאת בת קול ואמרה: ״היא אמו״.

[...]

How did Solomon know that she was the mother?

Perhaps she was devious and was not the mother of the surviving child at all.

Rather, a bat kol emerged and said: “She is his mother.”

[...]

R’ Simlai - There are 613 mitzvot: 365 prohibitions, 248 positive commandments

דרש רבי שמלאי:

שש מאות ושלש עשרה מצות נאמרו לו למשה,

• שלש מאות וששים וחמש לאוין

  • כמנין ימות החמה,

• ומאתים וארבעים ושמונה עשה

  • כנגד איבריו של אדם.

§ R’ Simlai taught:

There were 613 mitzvot stated to Moses in the Torah,

consisting of

• 365 prohibitions (לאוין)

  • corresponding to the number of days in the solar year,

• and 248 positive mitzvot (עשה)

  • corresponding to the number of a person’s limbs (איבריו)

Rav Hamnuna - prooftext - “Torah” = 611 by gematria, plus the first 2 commands heard from God - Deut 33:4; Exod 20:2–3

אמר רב המנונא:

מאי קרא?

״תורה צוה לנו משה מורשה״,

״תורה״ בגימטריא שית מאה וחד סרי הוי,

1. ״אנכי״

2. ו״לא יהיה לך״ –

מפי הגבורה שמענום.

Rav Hamnuna said: What is the verse that alludes to this?

It is written: “Moses commanded to us the Torah, an inheritance of the congregation of Jacob” (Deuteronomy 33:4).

The word Torah, in terms of its numerical value [gimatriyya], is 611, the number of mitzvot that were received and taught by Moses our teacher.

In addition, there are two mitzvot:

1. “I am YHWH your God”

2. and: “You shall have no other gods” (Exodus 20:2, 3),

the first two of the Ten Commandments, that we heard from the mouth of God, for a total of 613.

1. This is a common literary structure in Tanatic literature. Compare my “Part 3 - Mishnah Structure: With a Focus on Lists“.

Two of the lists here consist of three items; i.e. the classic “Rule of Three” rhetorical pattern.

2. של מעלה - literally: “upper”.

See the similar construct in my “The Giving of the Torah in Exodus 19: Timing, Preparation, and Moses’ Bold Decisions (Shabbat 86b-87a)“, section “Three Actions Moses Took on His Own Authority, and God approved (Exodus 32:19)“:

תניא:

שלשה דברים עשה משה מדעתו,

והסכים הקדוש ברוך הוא עמו:

[…]

it was taught in a baraita:

Moses did three things based on his own perception (מדעתו),

and God agreed (הסכים) with him:

[…]

And see a similar construct in my “The Biblical King Hezekiah’s Six Controversial Actions: Three Approved, Three Not (Mishnah Pesachim 4:9)“, section “King Hezekiah’s Six Controversial Actions: Three Approved, Three Not“:

ששה דברים עשה חזקיה המלך,

1. על שלשה —

   1. הודו לו,

2. ועל שלשה —

   1. לא הודו לו

King Hezekiah performed 6 actions.

1. With regard to 3 of them —

   1. they conceded (הודו) to him;

2. and with regard to 3 of them —

   1. they did not concede to him.