## Avodah Zarah Daf 4a

###### Avodah Zarah 4a:1
[Avodah Zarah 4a:1](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:1)

בָּהּ, דִּכְתִיב: ״[כִּי] הִנֵּה הַיּוֹם בָּא בֹּעֵר כַּתַּנּוּר וְהָיוּ כׇל זֵדִים וְכׇל עֹשֵׂה רִשְׁעָה קַשׁ וְלִהַט אֹתָם הַיּוֹם הַבָא אָמַר ה׳ צְבָאוֹת אֲשֶׁר לֹא יַעֲזֹב לָהֶם שֹׁרֶשׁ וְעָנָף״, לֹא שׁוֹרֶשׁ — בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְלֹא עָנָף — לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**by it, as it is written: “For, behold, the day comes, it burns as a furnace; and all the proud, and all that work wickedness, shall be stubble; and the day that comes shall set them ablaze, said the Lord of hosts, that it shall leave them neither root nor branch”** (Malachi 3:19). This verse is interpreted as follows: **Neither a root** shall remain for them **in this world, nor** will **a branch** grow for them **in the World-to-Come.** This teaches that the sun itself will burn and consume the wicked in the future.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:2
[Avodah Zarah 4a:2](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:2)

צַדִּיקִים מִתְרַפְּאִין בָּהּ, דִּכְתִיב: ״וְזָרְחָה לָכֶם יִרְאֵי שְׁמִי שֶׁמֶשׁ צְדָקָה וּמַרְפֵּא בִּכְנָפֶיהָ וְגוֹ׳״, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁמִּתְעַדְּנִין בָּהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וִיצָאתֶם וּפִשְׁתֶּם כְּעֶגְלֵי מַרְבֵּק״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
And **the righteous will be healed by it, as it is written** in the next verse: **“But to you that fear My Name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in its wings”** (Malachi 3:20). **And moreover,** not only will they be healed by it, **but they will** even **be rejuvenated by it, as it is stated** in the continuation of that verse: **“And you shall go forth and leap as calves of the stall.”**


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:3
[Avodah Zarah 4a:3](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:3)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: מָה דָּגִים שֶׁבַּיָּם — כׇּל הַגָּדוֹל מֵחֲבֵירוֹ בּוֹלֵעַ אֶת חֲבֵירוֹ, אַף בְּנֵי אָדָם — אִלְמָלֵא מוֹרָאָה שֶׁל מַלְכוּת, כָּל הַגָּדוֹל מֵחֲבֵירוֹ בּוֹלֵעַ אֶת חֲבֵירוֹ. וְהַיְינוּ דִּתְנַן: רַבִּי חֲנִינָא סְגַן הַכֹּהֲנִים אוֹמֵר: הֱוֵי מִתְפַּלֵּל בִּשְׁלוֹמָהּ שֶׁל מַלְכוּת, שֶׁאִלְמָלֵא מוֹרָאָהּ שֶׁל מַלְכוּת ״אִישׁ אֶת רֵעֵהוּ חַיִּים בָּלָעוּ״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Alternatively, just as** in the case of **fish of the sea, any** fish **that is bigger than another swallows the other, so too** in the case of **people, were it not for the fear of** the ruling **government, anyone who is bigger than another** would **swallow the other. And this is as we learned** in a mishna (*Avot* 3:2) that **Rabbi Ḥanina, the deputy** High **Priest, says: One should pray for the** continued **welfare of the government, as were it not for the fear of the government,** every **man would swallow his neighbor alive.**


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:4
[Avodah Zarah 4a:4](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:4)

רַב חִינָּנָא בַּר פָּפָּא רָמֵי, כְּתִיב: ״שַׁדַּי לֹא מְצָאנֻהוּ שַׂגִּיא כֹחַ״, וּכְתִיב: ״גָּדוֹל אֲדוֹנֵינוּ וְרַב כֹּחַ״, וּכְתִיב: ״יְמִינְךָ ה׳ נֶאְדָּרִי בַּכֹּחַ״! לָא קַשְׁיָא, כָּאן בִּשְׁעַת הַדִּין, כָּאן בִּשְׁעַת מִלְחָמָה.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ **Rav Ḥinnana bar Pappa raises a contradiction** between the following verses. **It is written: “The Almighty, Whom we have not found out His excellent power”** (Job 37:23), which indicates that His power has not been seen. **And it is written** elsewhere: **“Great is our Lord, and mighty in power”** (Psalms 147:5), **and it is** also **written: “Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power”** (Exodus 15:6), from which it may be inferred that His power is discernable. The Gemara answers: This is **not difficult; here,** in the first verse, God’s strength is not seen **at a time of judgment,** where He acts mercifully, whereas **there,** in the other verses, they are referring **to a time of war,** when He wages war against His enemies and His power is seen.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:5
[Avodah Zarah 4a:5](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:5)

רַבִּי חָמָא בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא רָמֵי: כְּתִיב ״חֵמָה אֵין לִי״, וּכְתִיב ״נֹקֵם ה׳ וּבַעַל חֵמָה״! לָא קַשְׁיָא: כָּאן — בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, כָּאן — בְּאוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם. רַב חִינָּנָא בַּר פָּפָּא אָמַר: ״חֵמָה אֵין לִי״ — שֶׁכְּבָר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי, ״מִי יִתְּנֵנִי״ — שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי, ״אֶהְיֶה שָׁמִיר וָשַׁיִת וְגוֹ׳״.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, raises a contradiction** between the following verses. **It is written: “Fury is not in Me”** (Isaiah 27:4), **and it is written: “The Lord is a jealous and furious God”** (Nahum 1:2). The Gemara answers: This is **not difficult; here,** where it states that God has no fury, it is speaking **with regard to the Jewish people,** whereas **there,** where it says that God has fury, it is speaking **with regard to the nations of the world. Rav Ḥinnana bar Pappa says** in explanation of the verse: “Fury is not in Me; would that I were as the briers and thorns in flame! I would with one step burn it altogether” (Isaiah 27:4). **“Fury is not in Me,” as I have already taken an oath** that I will not destroy the Jewish people; **“would that I” had not taken this oath,** since then **I would be** active **“as the briers and thorns** in flame! I would with one step burn it altogether.”


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:6
[Avodah Zarah 4a:6](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:6)

וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רַבִּי אֲלֶכְּסַנְדְּרִי: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא אֲבַקֵּשׁ לְהַשְׁמִיד אֶת כׇּל הַגּוֹיִם״, אֲבַקֵּשׁ מִמִּי? אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: אֲבַקֵּשׁ בְּנִיגְנֵי שֶׁלָּהֶם, אִם יֵשׁ לָהֶם זְכוּת — אֶפְדֵּם, וְאִם לָאו — אַשְׁמִידֵם.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And this is** the same as that **which Rabbi Alexandri says: What** is the meaning of that **which is written: “And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations”** (Zechariah 12:9)? **“I will seek” from whom?** Does God need to seek permission? Rather, **the Holy One, Blessed be He, says: I will seek** and search **in their records [*benigeni*]; if they have merit, I will redeem them, and if not, I will destroy them.**


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:7
[Avodah Zarah 4a:7](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:7)

וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רָבָא: מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״אַךְ לֹא בְעִי יִשְׁלַח יָד אִם בְּפִידוֹ לָהֶן שׁוּעַ״? אָמַר לָהֶן הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל: כְּשֶׁאֲנִי דָּן אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, אֵין אֲנִי דָּן אוֹתָם כְּאוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם, דִּכְתִיב: ״עַוָּה עַוָּה עַוָּה אֲשִׂימֶנָּה וְגוֹ׳״, אֶלָּא אֲנִי נִפְרָע מֵהֶן כְּפִיד שֶׁל תַּרְנְגוֹלֶת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And this is** the same as that **which Rava says: What** is the meaning of that **which is written: “Surely none shall put forth his hand to a ruinous heap, neither because of these things shall help come in one’s calamity [*befido*]”** (Job 30:24)? **The Holy One, Blessed be He, says to the Jewish people: When I judge the Jewish people, I do not judge them as** I judge **the nations of the world.** When judging the nations of the world, I punish them for all of their transgressions together, **as it is written: “A ruin, a ruin, a ruin, will I make it,** this also shall be no more” (Ezekiel 21:32). **Rather, I punish** the Jewish people **like the pecking [*kefid*] of a hen,** which picks up only a tiny amount each time it pecks.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:8
[Avodah Zarah 4a:8](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:8)

דָּבָר אַחֵר: אֲפִילּוּ אֵין יִשְׂרָאֵל עוֹשִׂין מִצְוָה לְפָנַי כִּי אִם מְעַט, כְּפִיד שֶׁל תַּרְנְגוֹלִין שֶׁמְּנַקְּרִין בָּאַשְׁפָּה, אֲנִי מְצָרְפָן לְחֶשְׁבּוֹן גָּדוֹל, [שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״אִם בְּפִידוֹ] לָהֶן שׁוּעַ״, [דָּבָר אַחֵר]: בַּשָּׂכָר שֶׁמְּשַׁוְּועִין לְפָנַי, אֲנִי מוֹשִׁיעַ אוֹתָם.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Alternatively, even if the Jewish people perform but a few mitzvot before Me, like the pecking of hens that peck in a dunghill, I** will **combine them to a large reckoning, as it is stated: “Though they peck [*befido*],”** i.e., perform mitzvot a little at a time, **“they will be saved [*lahen shua*]”** (Job 30:24). **Alternatively, in reward for** the manner in **which they cry out [*shua*]** and pray **before Me, I** will **save [*moshia*] them.** In other words, God punishes the Jewish people for each individual infraction, but He does not destroy them entirely in a moment of fury.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:9
[Avodah Zarah 4a:9](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:9)

וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״וְאָנֹכִי אֶפְדֵּם וְהֵמָּה דִּבְּרוּ עָלַי כְּזָבִים״? אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֶפְדֵּם בְּמָמוֹנָם בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּזְכּוּ לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, וְהֵמָּה דִּבְּרוּ עָלַי כְּזָבִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And this is** the same as that **which Rabbi Abba says: What** is the meaning of that **which is written: “And though I will redeem them, they have spoken lies against Me”** (Hosea 7:13)? **I said** that **I would redeem them through** taking away **their money in this world so that they should merit the World-to-Come, but they have spoken lies against Me,** by saying that I am angry and uninterested in them.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:10
[Avodah Zarah 4a:10](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:10)

וְהַיְינוּ דְּאָמַר רַב פַּפִּי מִשְּׁמֵיהּ דְּרָבָא: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״וַאֲנִי יִסַּרְתִּי חִזַּקְתִּי זְרוֹעֹתָם וְאֵלַי יְחַשְּׁבוּ רָע״? אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֲיַסְּרֵם בְּיִסּוּרִין בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה כְּדֵי שֶׁיֶּחְזְקוּ זְרוֹעוֹתָם לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא, וְאֵלַי יְחַשְּׁבוּ רָע.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**And this is** the same as that **which Rav Pappi says in the name of Rava: What** is the meaning of that **which is written: “Though I have trained [*yissarti*] and strengthened their arms, yet they consider evil against Me”** (Hosea 7:15)? **The Holy One, Blessed be He, says: I said** that **I would visit them [*ayasserem*] with afflictions in this world** for their benefit, **so that their arms would be strengthened in the World-to-Come, but they consider** that which **I** have done as **evil.**


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:11
[Avodah Zarah 4a:11](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:11)

מִשְׁתַּבַּח לְהוּ רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ לְמִינֵי בְּרַב סָפְרָא, דְּאָדָם גָּדוֹל הוּא, שְׁבַקוּ לֵיהּ מִיכְסָא דִּתְלֵיסַר שְׁנִין. יוֹמָא חַד אַשְׁכְּחוּהוּ, אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: כְּתִיב ״רַק אֶתְכֶם יָדַעְתִּי מִכֹּל מִשְׁפְּחוֹת הָאֲדָמָה עַל כֵּן אֶפְקֹד עֲלֵיכֶם אֶת כׇּל עֲוֹנֹתֵיכֶם״, מַאן דְּאִית לֵיהּ סִיסְיָא בְּרָחֲמֵיהּ מַסֵּיק לֵיהּ? אִישְׁתִּיק וְלָא אֲמַר לְהוּ וְלָא מִידֵּי, רְמוֹ לֵיהּ סוּדָרָא בְּצַוְּארֵיהּ וְקָא מְצַעֲרוּ לֵיהּ.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
With regard to the afflictions of the Jewish people, the Gemara relates: **Rabbi Abbahu would praise Rav Safra to the heretics** by saying **that he is a great man.** Therefore, **they remitted** Rav Safra’s obligation to pay **taxes for thirteen years,** as they relied upon Rabbi Abbahu’s word and wanted to reward a great man. **One day they found** Rav Safra and **said to him: It is written: “You only have I known of all the families of the earth; therefore, I will visit upon you all your iniquities”** (Amos 3:2). The meaning of this verse is unclear, as why would God punish specifically the Jewish people because He loves them? **One who has wrath [*siseya*],** does **he raise it against his beloved?** Rav Safra **was silent and did not say anything** in response **to them. They threw a scarf around his neck and tormented him,** by pulling and denigrating him.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:12
[Avodah Zarah 4a:12](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:12)

אֲתָא רַבִּי אֲבָהוּ אַשְׁכְּחִינְהוּ, אֲמַר לְהוּ: אַמַּאי מְצַעֲרִיתוּ לֵיהּ? אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: וְלָאו אָמְרַתְּ לַן דְּאָדָם גָּדוֹל הוּא? וְלָא יָדַע לְמֵימַר לַן פֵּירוּשָׁא דְּהַאי פְּסוּקָא! אֲמַר לְהוּ: אֵימַר דַּאֲמַרִי לְכוּ בְּתַנָּאֵי, בִּקְרָאֵי מִי אֲמַרִי לְכוּ?

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rabbi Abbahu came** and **found them** doing this to Rav Safra. Rabbi Abbahu **said to them: Why are you tormenting him? They said to him: And didn’t you say to us that he is a great man? But he did not** even **know** how **to tell us the explanation of this verse.** Rabbi Abbahu **said to them:** You can **say that I said** this praise of Rav Safra **to you** only **with regard to** the Oral Law and the statements of ***tanna’im*,** but **did I say to you** that he is knowledgeable **with regard to the Bible?**


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:13
[Avodah Zarah 4a:13](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:13)

אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: מַאי שְׁנָא אַתּוּן דְּיָדְעִיתוּן? אֲמַר לְהוּ: אֲנַן דִּשְׁכִיחִינַן גַּבֵּיכוֹן — רָמִינַן אַנַּפְשִׁין וּמְעַיְּינַן, אִינְהוּ לָא מְעַיְּינִי.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**They said to** Rabbi Abbahu: **What is different** about **you** Sages of Eretz Yisrael, **that you know** the Bible as well? Rabbi Abbahu **said to them: We, who are situated among you** heretics and are forced to debate the meaning of verses, **we impose upon ourselves** this obligation **and analyze** verses in depth. By contrast, **those** Sages of Babylonia, who are not forced to debate you, **do not analyze** the Bible in such depth.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:14
[Avodah Zarah 4a:14](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:14)

אֲמַרוּ לֵיהּ: לֵימָא לַן אַתְּ! אֲמַר לְהוּ: אֶמְשׁוֹל לָכֶם מָשָׁל, לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה? לְאָדָם שֶׁנּוֹשֶׁה מִשְּׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם, אֶחָד אוֹהֲבוֹ וְאֶחָד שׂוֹנְאוֹ. אוֹהֲבוֹ — נִפְרָע מִמֶּנּוּ מְעַט מְעַט, שׂוֹנְאוֹ — נִפְרָע מִמֶּנּוּ בְּבַת אַחַת.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The heretics **said to** Rabbi Abbahu: In that case, **you should tell us** the meaning of this verse. Rabbi Abbahu **said to them: I will relate a parable to you. To what is this matter comparable?** It is comparable **to a person who lends** money **to two people, one** of whom is **his beloved, and** the other **one** is **his enemy.** In the case of **his beloved, he collects** the debt **from him little** by **little,** whereas in the case of **his enemy he collects** the debt **from him all at once.** So too, with regard to the Jewish people, God punishes them for each transgression as it occurs, so that they should not receive one severe punishment on a single occasion.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:15
[Avodah Zarah 4a:15](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:15)

אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא בַּר כָּהֲנָא: מַאי דִּכְתִיב ״חָלִילָה לְּךָ מֵעֲשֹׂת כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְהָמִית צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע״? אָמַר אַבְרָהָם לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא: רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, חוּלִּין הוּא מֵעֲשׂוֹת כַּדָּבָר הַזֶּה לְהָמִית צַדִּיק עִם רָשָׁע.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
§ The Gemara continues discussing the manner in which God metes out punishment. **Rabbi Abba Bar Kahana says: What** is the meaning of that **which is written** as part of Abraham’s prayer to God, when God informed him that He was going to destroy Sodom: **“That be far [*ḥalila*] from You to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked”** (Genesis 18:25)? This is what **Abraham said before the Holy One, Blessed be He: Master of the Universe, it is a sacrilege [*ḥullin*] for You to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked.**


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:16
[Avodah Zarah 4a:16](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:16)

וְלָא? וְהָכְתִיב: ״וְהִכְרַתִּי מִמֵּךְ צַדִּיק וְרָשָׁע״! בְּצַדִּיק שֶׁאֵינוֹ גָּמוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara asks: **And** does God **not** act in this manner? **But isn’t it written: “And I will cut off from You the righteous and the wicked”** (Ezekiel 21:8)? The Gemara answers: There the verse is referring **to a righteous** person **who is not completely** righteous, and he will therefore be destroyed along with the wicked.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:17
[Avodah Zarah 4a:17](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:17)

אֲבָל בְּצַדִּיק גָּמוּר לָא? וְהָכְתִיב ״וּמִמִּקְדָּשִׁי תָּחֵלּוּ״, וְתָנֵי רַב יוֹסֵף: אַל תִּקְרֵי ״מִמִּקְדָּשִׁי״ אֶלָּא ״מִמְּקוּדָּשַׁי״, אֵלּוּ בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁקִּיְּימוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה מֵאָלֶף וְעַד תָּיו. הָתָם נָמֵי, כֵּיוָן שֶׁהָיָה בְּיָדָם לִמְחוֹת וְלֹא מִיחוּ, הָווּ לְהוּ כְּצַדִּיקִים שֶׁאֵינָן גְּמוּרִים.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
The Gemara raises a difficulty: **But** is it true that **one who is completely righteous cannot** be destroyed along with the wicked? **But isn’t it written** in a prophecy about the destruction of the Temple that God says to the destroyers: **“And begin at My Sanctuary [*mimmikdashi*]”** (Ezekiel 9:6); **and Rav Yosef teaches: Do not read** the word as **“*mimmikdashi*,”** but **rather** read it as ***mimmekudashai*,** those sanctified to Me. **He explains: These are people who observed the Torah** in its entirety, **from** the first letter of the Hebrew alphabet ***alef* through** its final letter ***tav*.** These people observed every mitzva in the Torah, and yet they were destroyed along with the wicked. The Gemara answers the difficulty: **There too, since they had the power to protest** against the wicked and prevent them from sinning **and they did not protest, they are** considered **as righteous** people **who are not completely** righteous.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:18
[Avodah Zarah 4a:18](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:18)

רַב פָּפָּא רָמֵי, כְּתִיב: ״אֵל זֹעֵם בְּכׇל יוֹם״, וּכְתִיב: ״לִפְנֵי זַעְמוֹ מִי יַעֲמוֹד״! לָא קַשְׁיָא, כָּאן בְּיָחִיד, כָּאן בְּצִבּוּר.

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**Rav Pappa raises a contradiction** between the following verses. **It is written: “A God that has indignation every day”** (Psalms 7:12), and yet the world still exists, **and it is written: “Who can stand before His indignation?”** (Nahum 1:6). The Gemara answers: This is **not difficult; here,** where the verse states that no one can stand before His indignation, it is referring **to an individual,** whereas **there,** when it is written that God is indignant every day, it is referring **to the community,** which can withstand the indignation of God, due to its cumulative merits.


###### Avodah Zarah 4a:19
[Avodah Zarah 4a:19](https://torahapp.org/share/book/Avodah%20Zarah/r/4a:19)

תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: ״אֵל זֹעֵם בְּכׇל יוֹם״, וְכַמָּה זַעְמוֹ? רֶגַע. וְכַמָּה רֶגַע? אַחַת מֵחֲמֵשׁ רִיבּוֹא וּשְׁלֹשֶׁת אֲלָפִים וּשְׁמוֹנֶה מֵאוֹת וְאַרְבָּעִים וּשְׁמֹנֶה בְּשָׁעָה, זוֹ הִיא רֶגַע, וְאֵין כָּל בְּרִיָּה יְכוֹלָה לְכַוֵּין אוֹתָהּ רֶגַע חוּץ מִבִּלְעָם הָרָשָׁע, דִּכְתִיב בֵּיהּ:

**William Davidson Edition - English:**
**The Sages taught** with regard to the verse: **A God that has indignation every day. And how** long does **His indignation** last? It lasts **a moment. And how** long is **a moment? One in 53,848** parts **of an hour,** a very small amount of time, **that is a moment.** The Gemara adds: **And no entity can** precisely **determine that moment** when God is indignant, **except for Balaam the wicked, that it is written concerning him:**