(ל) וְנָתַתָּ֞ אֶל־חֹ֣שֶׁן הַמִּשְׁפָּ֗ט אֶת־הָאוּרִים֙ וְאֶת־הַתֻּמִּ֔ים וְהָיוּ֙ עַל־לֵ֣ב אַהֲרֹ֔ן בְּבֹא֖וֹ לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה וְנָשָׂ֣א אַ֠הֲרֹ֠ן אֶת־מִשְׁפַּ֨ט בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֧ל עַל־לִבּ֛וֹ לִפְנֵ֥י יְהֹוָ֖ה תָּמִֽיד׃ {ס}
(30) Inside the breastpiece of decision you shall place the Urim and Thummim, so that they are over Aaron’s heart when he comes before God. Thus Aaron shall carry the instrument of decision for the Israelites over his heart before God at all times.
(כא) וְלִפְנֵ֨י אֶלְעָזָ֤ר הַכֹּהֵן֙ יַעֲמֹ֔ד וְשָׁ֥אַל ל֛וֹ בְּמִשְׁפַּ֥ט הָאוּרִ֖ים לִפְנֵ֣י יְהֹוָ֑ה עַל־פִּ֨יו יֵצְא֜וּ וְעַל־פִּ֣יו יָבֹ֗אוּ ה֛וּא וְכׇל־בְּנֵי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֥ל אִתּ֖וֹ וְכׇל־הָעֵדָֽה׃
(21) But he [Joshua] shall present himself to Eleazar the priest, who shall on his behalf seek the decision of the Urim before God. By such instruction they shall go out and by such instruction they shall come in, he and all the Israelites, the whole community.”
תָּנוּ רַבָּנַן: כֵּיצַד שׁוֹאֲלִין? הַשּׁוֹאֵל פָּנָיו כְּלַפֵּי נִשְׁאָל, וְהַנִּשְׁאָל פָּנָיו כְּלַפֵּי שְׁכִינָה. הַשּׁוֹאֵל אוֹמֵר: ״אֶרְדּוֹף אַחֲרֵי הַגְּדוּד הַזֶּה״, וְהַנִּשְׁאָל אוֹמֵר: ״כֹּה אָמַר ה׳ עֲלֵה וְהַצְלַח״. רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר: אֵין צָרִיךְ לוֹמַר ״כֹּה אָמַר ה׳״, אֶלָּא ״עֲלֵה וְהַצְלַח״. אֵין שׁוֹאֲלִין בְּקוֹל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְשָׁאַל לוֹ״. לֹא מְהַרְהֵר בְּלִבּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְשָׁאַל לוֹ לִפְנֵי ה׳״, אֶלָּא כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁאָמְרָה חַנָּה בִּתְפִלָּתָהּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְחַנָּה הִיא מְדַבֶּרֶת עַל לִבָּהּ״. אֵין שׁוֹאֲלִין שְׁנֵי דְבָרִים כְּאֶחָד. וְאִם שָׁאַל — אֵין מַחְזִירִין אֶלָּא אֶחָד, וְאֵין מַחְזִירִין לוֹ אֶלָּא רִאשׁוֹן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הֲיַסְגִּירוּנִי בַעֲלֵי קְעִילָה בְיָדוֹ הֲיֵרֵד שָׁאוּל וְגוֹ׳ וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ יֵרֵד״. וְהָא אָמְרַתְּ אֵין מַחְזִירִין אֶלָּא רִאשׁוֹן! דָּוִד שָׁאַל שֶׁלֹּא כַּסֵּדֶר, וְהֶחְזִירוּ לוֹ כַּסֵּדֶר. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁיָּדַע שֶׁשָּׁאַל שֶׁלֹּא כַּסֵּדֶר, חָזַר וְשָׁאַל כַּסֵּדֶר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״הֲיַסְגִּירוּ בַּעֲלֵי קְעִילָה אוֹתִי וְאֶת אֲנָשַׁי בְּיַד שָׁאוּל וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ יַסְגִּירוּ״. וְאִם הוּצְרַךְ הַדָּבָר לִשְׁנַיִם — מַחְזִירִין לוֹ שְׁנַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וַיִּשְׁאַל דָּוִד בַּה׳ לֵאמֹר הַאֶרְדּוֹף אַחֲרֵי הַגְּדוּד הַזֶּה הַאַשִּׂיגֶנּוּ וַיֹּאמֶר (ה׳) לוֹ רְדוֹף כִּי הַשֵּׂג תַּשִּׂיג וְהַצֵּל תַּצִּיל״. וְאַף עַל פִּי שֶׁגְּזֵירַת נָבִיא חוֹזֶרֶת — גְּזֵירַת אוּרִים וְתוּמִּים אֵינָהּ חוֹזֶרֶת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״בְּמִשְׁפַּט הָאוּרִים״. לָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמָן אוּרִים וְתוּמִּים? ״אוּרִים״ — שֶׁמְּאִירִין אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶן, ״תּוּמִּים״ — שֶׁמַּשְׁלִימִין אֶת דִּבְרֵיהֶן. וְאִם תֹּאמַר: בְּגִבְעַת בִּנְיָמִין מִפְּנֵי מָה לֹא הִשְׁלִימוּ? הֵם שֶׁלֹּא בִּיחֲנוּ אִם לְנַצֵּחַ אִם לְהִנָּצֵחַ, וּבָאַחֲרוֹנָה שֶׁבִּיחֲנוּ הִסְכִּימוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וּפִנְחָס בֶּן אֶלְעָזָר בֶּן אַהֲרֹן עוֹמֵד לְפָנָיו בַּיָּמִים הָהֵם לֵאמֹר הַאוֹסִיף עוֹד לָצֵאת לַמִּלְחָמָה עִם בְּנֵי בִנְיָמִין אָחִי אִם אֶחְדָּל וַיֹּאמֶר ה׳ עֲלוּ כִּי מָחָר אֶתְּנֶנּוּ בְיָדֶךָ״. כֵּיצַד נַעֲשֵׂית? רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן אוֹמֵר: בּוֹלְטוֹת. רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ אוֹמֵר: מִצְטָרְפוֹת. וְהָא לָא כְּתִיב בְּהוּ צָדִי? אָמַר רַב שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר יִצְחָק: ״אַבְרָהָם יִצְחָק וְיַעֲקֹב״ כְּתִיב שָׁם. וְהָא לָא כְּתִיב טֵית! אָמַר רַב אַחָא בַּר יַעֲקֹב: ״שִׁבְטֵי יְשׁוּרוּן״ כְּתִיב שָׁם.
§ The Sages taught: How does one consult the Urim VeTummim? The one asking stands with his face toward the one who is asked, i.e., the High Priest or the priest anointed for war. And the one who is asked, the High Priest, turns his face toward the Divine Presence, i.e., the Urim VeTummim, in which the explicit name of God is found, by tilting his head downward toward it. The one who asks says his question, e.g.: “Shall I pursue after this troop?” (I Samuel 30:8). And the one who is asked answers him according to the response he receives and says, for example: Thus says God: Go up and succeed. Rabbi Yehuda says: He need not say the words: Thus says God; rather, it is sufficient to relay the content of the response and say: Go up and succeed, since he is obviously only repeating what he was told. One does not ask in a loud voice, as it is stated: “And he shall stand before Elazar the priest, who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim” (Numbers 27:21), which implies that the inquiry is to be audible only to the person asking. And he should not think his question in his heart but should enunciate it, as it is stated: “And…who shall inquire for him by the judgment of the Urim before God” (Numbers 27:21), and immediately afterward it states: “By his mouth” (Numbers 27:21). Rather, how shall he inquire? He should do so akin to the way that Hannah spoke in her prayer, as it is stated: “Now Hannah spoke in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice could not be heard” (I Samuel 1:13), which indicates she did enunciate the words but spoke so quietly that no one else could hear. One does not ask about two matters simultaneously; rather, one asks one question, and after he is answered he asks a second question. And even if he asks about two matters simultaneously, he is answered only with regard to one of them, and he is answered only with regard to the first question. As it is stated with regard to King David that he asked two questions simultaneously: “Will the men of Keilah deliver me into his hand? Will Saul come down?” (I Samuel 23:11). And he was answered with regard to only one: “And God said: He will come down.” (I Samuel 23:11). The Gemara asks: But didn’t you say that if one asks two questions, he is answered only with regard to the first question? Yet the verse states that David received an answer for his second question, not the first. The Gemara answers: David asked the questions out of order and he was answered in order. He should have asked first whether Saul would come down, and afterward what the people of Keilah would do. And once he realized that he had asked out of order he went back and asked in order, as it is stated immediately afterward: “Will the men of Keilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And God said: They will deliver you” (I Samuel 23:12). But if the matter is urgent and requires asking two questions simultaneously, there being no time to follow the standard protocol, one may ask both questions simultaneously and he is answered with regard to the two questions together, as it is stated: “And David asked of God, saying: Shall I pursue after this troop? Will I overtake them? And He answered him: Pursue, for you will surely overtake them, and will surely rescue” (I Samuel 30:8). The Gemara notes the reliability of the Urim VeTummim: Even though a decree of a prophet can be retracted, as sometimes a dire prophecy is stated as a warning and does not come true, a decree of the Urim VeTummim cannot be retracted. As it is stated: “By the judgment of the Urim” (Numbers 27:21). The use of the term judgment suggests that the decree is as final as a judicial decision. Why is it called Urim VeTummim? Urim, which is based on the word or, light, is so called because it illuminates and explains its words. Tummim, which is based on the word tam, completed, is because it fulfills its words, which always come true. And if you say: In the battles following the incidents in Gibeah of Benjamin (Judges 19–20), why did the Urim VeTummim not fulfill its words? The Jewish People consulted the Urim VeTummim three times with regard to their decision to attack the tribe of Benjamin, and each time they were instructed to go to battle. However, the first two times they were defeated and only on the third attempt were they successful. Is this not proof that the UrimVeTummim does not always fulfill its words? The Gemara answers: The first two times they did not check with the Urim VeTummim whether they would be victorious or be defeated but only inquired how and whether they should go to battle. Had they asked, they indeed would have been told that they would not succeed. But on the last time, when they did check and inquire whether they would be successful, the UrimVeTummim agreed with them that they should go to battle and that they would succeed, as it is stated: “And Pinehas, the son of Elazar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those days, saying: Shall I yet again go out to battle against the children of Benjamin my brother, or shall I cease? And God said: Go up, for tomorrow I will deliver him into your hand” (Judges 20:28). How is it done? How does the Urim VeTummim provide an answer? The names of the twelve tribes were engraved upon the stones of the breastplate. These letters allowed for the answer to be received. Rabbi Yoḥanan says: The letters of the answer protrude, and the priest then combines those letters to form words in order to ascertain the message. Reish Lakish says: The letters rearrange themselves and join together to form words. The Gemara asks: How was it possible to receive an answer to every question? But the letter tzadi is not written within the names of the twelve tribes engraved on the breastplate’s stones. Rav Shmuel bar Yitzḥak said: The names Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were also written there. The name Yitzḥak, Isaac, contains the letter tzadi. The Gemara asks again: But surely the letter tet was not written on the breastplate, since it is not found in the names of the Patriarchs nor in the names of the twelve tribes. Rav Aḥa bar Ya’akov said: Shivtei Yeshurun, the tribes of Jeshurun, was also written there. The word shivtei, tribes, contains the letter tet. In this way the entire alphabet was represented.
״הַמַּאֲכִילְךָ מָן בַּמִּדְבָּר ... לְמַעַן עַנּוֹתְךָ״? רַבִּי אַמֵּי וְרַבִּי אַסִּי, חַד אָמַר: אֵינוֹ דּוֹמֶה מִי שֶׁיֵּשׁ לוֹ פַּת בְּסַלּוֹ לְמִי שֶׁאֵין לוֹ פַּת בְּסַלּוֹ, וְחַד אָמַר: אֵינוֹ דּוֹמֶה מִי שֶׁרוֹאֶה וְאוֹכֵל לְמִי שֶׁאֵינוֹ רוֹאֶה וְאוֹכֵל. אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף: מִכָּאן רֶמֶז לְסוֹמִין, שֶׁאוֹכְלִין וְאֵין שְׂבֵעִין. אָמַר אַבָּיֵי: הִלְכָּךְ, מַאן דְּאִית לֵיהּ סְעוֹדְתָּא לָא לֵיכְלַהּ אֶלָּא בִּימָמָא. אֲמַר רַבִּי זֵירָא, מַאי קְרָא: ״טוֹב מַרְאֵה עֵינַיִם מֵהֲלׇךְ נָפֶשׁ״. אָמַר רֵישׁ לָקִישׁ: טוֹב מַרְאֵה עֵינַיִם בְּאִשָּׁה יוֹתֵר מִגּוּפוֹ שֶׁל מַעֲשֶׂה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״טוֹב מַרְאֵה עֵינַיִם מֵהֲלׇךְ נָפֶשׁ״.
§ Apropos the verse: “And he afflicted you and caused you to hunger, and fed you with manna” (Deuteronomy 8:3), the Gemara expounds related verses. The Torah states: “Who feeds you manna in the desert which your fathers did not know, in order to afflict you” (Deuteronomy 8:16). What affliction was there in eating the manna? Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi disagreed on the matter. One said: There is no comparison between one who has bread in his basket and one who does not have bread in his basket. The affliction in eating the manna lay in there being no leftover food for the next day. Each day the people worried that they might not have any food to eat the next day. And one said: There is no comparison between one who sees the food and eats it and one who does not see the food and eats it. Though the manna could taste like anything, it always looked the same and did not look as it tasted. Being unable to see the food that they tasted was an affliction. Rav Yosef said: From here there is an allusion to the idea that blind people eat but are not fully satisfied when they eat because they cannot see their food. Seeing the food contributes to the enjoyment of eating. Abaye said: Therefore, from what we have just learned, one who has a meal should eat it only during daytime, when there is light to see the food that is being eaten. Rabbi Zeira said: What is the verse that alludes to this? “Better is the seeing of the eyes than the wandering of the desire” (Ecclesiastes 6:9). On the same verse, Reish Lakish said: The sight of a woman is better than the actual act of relations, as it is stated: “Better is the seeing of the eyes than the wandering of the desire.”
״דְּאָגָה בְלֶב אִישׁ יַשְׁחֶנָּה״, רַבִּי אַמֵּי וְרַבִּי אַסִּי, חַד אָמַר: יַשִּׂחֶנָּה מִדַּעְתּוֹ, וְחַד אָמַר: יְשִׂיחֶנָּה לַאֲחֵרִים.
§ The Gemara explains another verse in Proverbs: “If there is care in a man’s heart, let him quash it [yashḥena]” (Proverbs 12:25). Rabbi Ami and Rabbi Asi dispute the verse’s meaning. One said: He should forcefully push it [yasḥena] out of his mind. One who worries should banish his concerns from his thoughts. And one said: It means he should tell [yesiḥena] others his concerns, which will lower his anxiety.
וּכְבָר הָיָה רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן וְרַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל וּזְקֵנִים יוֹשְׁבִין וְעוֹסְקִין בְּפָרָשַׁת הַמָּן, וְהָיָה רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הַמּוֹדָעִי יוֹשֵׁב בֵּינֵיהֶן. נַעֲנָה רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הַמּוֹדָעִי וְאָמַר: מָן שֶׁיָּרַד לָהֶן לְיִשְׂרָאֵל הָיָה גָּבוֹהַּ שִׁשִּׁים אַמָּה. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי טַרְפוֹן: מוֹדָעִי, עַד מָתַי אַתָּה מְגַבֵּב דְּבָרִים וּמֵבִיא עָלֵינוּ! אָמַר לוֹ: רַבִּי, מִקְרָא אֲנִי דּוֹרֵשׁ: ״חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִלְמַעְלָה גָּבְרוּ הַמָּיִם וַיְכֻסּוּ הֶהָרִים״, וְכִי חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה בָּעֵמֶק, (חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה בַּשְּׁפֵלָה,) חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה בֶּהָרִים? וְכִי מַיָּא שׁוּרֵי שׁוּרֵי קָיְימִי. וְעוֹד: תֵּיבָה הֵיכִי סַגִּיָא? אֶלָּא, נִבְקְעוּ כׇּל מַעְיְנוֹת תְּהוֹם רַבָּה עַד דְּאַשְׁווֹ מַיָּא בַּהֲדֵי טוּרֵי, וַהֲדַר ״חֲמֵשׁ עֶשְׂרֵה אַמָּה מִלְמַעְלָה גָּבְרוּ הַמָּיִם״.
§ It is told: Rabbi Tarfon, and Rabbi Yishmael, and the Elders were sitting and discussing the passage about the manna and Rabbi Elazar HaModa’i was sitting among them. Rabbi Elazar HaModa’i responded and said: The manna that fell for the Jewish people was sixty cubits high. Rabbi Tarfon said to him: Moda’i, how long will you collect words and bring upon us teachings that have no basis? He said to him: Rabbi, I am interpreting a verse. How so? It states about the Flood: “Fifteen cubits above did the waters prevail; and the mountains were covered” (Genesis 7:20). Is it possible that it would be fifteen cubits high from a valley, fifteen cubits from the plain, and fifteen cubits from the mountains? Did the water stand as though in layers, conforming to the height of the land below it? Furthermore, how could the Ark travel over water that was at different levels? Rather: “On the same day were all the fountains of the great deep broken up” (Genesis 7:11), until the water rose and was level with the mountains. Afterward, the verse states that “fifteen cubits above did the waters prevail.”