"Thus says Hashem"

245. "And Balak...saw:" Rabbi Chizkiyah opened the discussion saying, "Thus says Hashem, 'Keep judgment, and do justice: for My salvation is near...'" (Yeshayah 56:1). How beloved are Yisrael before the Holy One, blessed be He. Although they have sinned and are sinning constantly, He accounts their premeditated sins as errors.

246. This is how Rav Hamnuna Saba said: Three gates of justice were composed in the orders of the Mishnah. The first one is: "The four primary causes of injury are the ox etc.," WHICH IS BABA KAMA (FIRST GATE). The second gate is A garment that was found, WHICH IS BABA METZIA (THE MIDDLE GATE). The third gate is partnerships and the meaning of a lost object, WHICH IS BABA BATRA (THE LAST GATE). What is the reason? HE RESPONDS: It is only that the Holy One, blessed be He, always accounts Yisrael's premeditated sins as errors. Those who set up the orders of the Mishnah, set it up this way in three gates OF BABA KAMA, BABA METZIA, BABA BATRA, followed the manner of the scriptures: "Manner of trespass" (Shemot 22:8). That refers to an offense that is not intentional, SINCE THE HOLY ONE, BLESSED BE HE, ACCOUNTS THE INTENTIONAL CRIME AS ERRORS. What is it, "whether it be for ox, for donkey, for sheep" (Ibid.), that is the Baba Kama, where it DISCUSSES these matters. "For a garment" is Baba Metzia THAT DISCUSSES A GARMENT THAT WAS FOUND; "or for any manner of lost thing" refers to the third gate, NAMELY IS BABA BATRA.

247. Since they picked the order of the scriptures, when RAV HAMNUNA SABA reached Baba Metzia, the middle gate, he used to say, Why did they start with the garment, BECAUSE BABA METZIA BEGINS WITH THE SITUATION WHERE TWO ARE HOLDING ON TO THE GARMENT THAT WAS FOUND. The verse: "FOR A GARMENT," he said, most definitely is articulation dating from Moses as delivered on Mount Sinai, which all the sages' discussions were explaining.

248. "Thus says Hashem." HE INQUIRES: What is the difference that it is always written about the prophets, "Thus (Heb. coh) says Hashem," yet of Moses, this language is not used, BUT RATHER "THIS (HEB. ZEH) IS THE WORD." HE RESPONDS: It is only because Moses' prophecy was from a shining mirror that is light from above, THAT IS ZEIR ANPIN, so it is not written of him, Coh, WHICH IS MALCHUT THAT IS REFERRED TO BY "COH." However, the rest of the prophets, who used to prophecy from the dim mirror, WHICH IS MALCHUT REFERRED TO BY COH, prophesied from Coh.

249. "Come now therefore, I pray you, curse me this people" (Bemidbar 22:6). HE SAYS: Rabbi Elazar says that wicked man said, Most definitely, the time is right for me to do anything I wish. He saw, but did not see completely. He saw that several thousand of Yisrael would fall dead through him in a short time. He figured, Most definitely I have the opportune moment. Therefore, HE SAID "now" and not at any other time.

250. HE INQUIRES: "Come now (Heb. lechah), but he should have said lech. What is "lechah (Lamed Kaf Hei)?" HE RESPONDS: He thought, Let us hurry up AND DO BATTLE with the one who flutters his wings over them, the one that is referred to by the name "coh (Kaf Hei)," MEANING MALCHUT, and now is the opportune time to do battle with that Coh.

251. He thought there was nobody in the world who would succeed against them until now, because of the protector who stands over them. Now that the moment is opportune for us, let us (Heb. lechah) do battle with Coh. The entire counsel of that wicked one was against Coh, as it is written: "While I go to the meeting yonder (Coh)" (Bemidbar 23:15), meaning I will uproot that Coh from its place. Both of them participated in that wicked counsel against Coh, as it is said, "Against Hashem, and against His anointed" (Tehilim 2:2). They were not aware that afterwards this Coh would uproot them from the world following that.