God is rei)resented as needinir a sacrifice to atone for himself. R. Shimeon, the son of Pazi, asked. It is written, "And God made two great lights;" and again, the great- er light and the lesser light ; how does this agree ? .4 ns. The moon said to the Holy One, V)lessed be he — Lord of the universe, is it possible for two kings to use one crown ? He said to her. Go and make thyself smaller. She said to him again. Lord of the tiniverse, because I spoke to thee reasonably, should I make myself smaller? He said, in order to comfort her, Go and rule day and night. She said to him. What advantage will this be to me? Of what use is a candle in the middle of the day? He replied. Go and let Israel inmiber the days of theyear by thee. She said, It is impossible even for the sun that tiie calendar should be reckoned after him only, for it is written, "Let them befor signs, and for seasons, and for days and years?" He said to her, Go, and the righteous will be called by thy uame; such as Jacob the little, Samuel the little, David
the little, etc. But when God saw that the moon was not quite comforted with these promises, he said, Bring ve a sacrifice to atone for me, because I lesvened the size of the moon. And tliis corresponds with the saying of R. Shim- eon, the son of Lakish : Why is the monthly sacrifice dis- tinguished from others, inasmuch as it is written concern- ing it, "And one kid of the goats for a sin-nfl^ering unto the Lord?" (Nuinl). xxviii, l.*)). Because God said. This kid shall be an atonement for that I have lessened the size of the moon {Chuliu, p. 60, col. 2). Ral)a bar bar Chana, in telling a long stoiy, s.iys, I heard a Biilh-kol crying, Woe to me that I have sworn ! Ami now since I have sworn, who will absolve me from my oath? (Baba Batlira, p. 74, col. 1).
Occupation of God.
On one occasion Abyatlv)n found Elijah, and asked him, What does the Holy One, blessed be he, do ? He answered, He is studying the case of the coiuMil)ine of Gihea. [We do not give this" excerpt in lull.] And what is his opinion about it? He says that Abyattion, my son, is right: and Jonatlian, my son, is also right. Is there, then, a doubt in heaven about it ? No, not in the least, rejoined Elijah ; but both opinions are the words of the living God (Gittin, p. (■), col. 2).
Rabba, the son of Shila, met Elijah, and asked him, What does the Holy One, blessed be he, do? Elijah re- plied. He recites the lessons he hears from the lips of mU the rabbins, with tlie exception of rabbi Meir. But why does he not want to learn from rabbi Meir? Elijah an- swered. Because rabbi Meir learned from one with the name of Acher. Rabba said, But rabbi Meir found a pome- granate, and has eaten the inside, but thrown away the husks of it, i. e. he only learned from Acher, but did not practice his deeds. Elijah answered, Now God says, Meir, my son {Char/igah, p. 1.^, col. 2).
R. Abhu says, If there had not been a passage of Script- ure for it, it would be impossible to make such a state- ment; but it is written, "In the same day shall the Lord shave with a razor that is hii-ed, namely, by them beyond the river, by the king of Assyria, the head, and the hair of the feet: and it shallalso consume the beard" (Isa. vii, 20). God appeared to Sennacherib in the form of an old man. Seinuicherib said to him. If thou shouldst go to the kings of the east and the west, whose children I have taken away and killed, what wouldst thou say to them? He an- swered, I would say to them that this man, i. e. Senna- cherib, sits also in fear. Sennacherib said. What then shall I do? God said, Go and disguise thyself, that they should not recognise thee. How shall I disguise myself? Gi)d said, Go and bring me a rnzor, and I will shave thee. Sennacherib replied. From where shall I bring thee a razor? God said, Go to that house, and bring it me. He went there and found one. Then angels came, and appeared to him in the form of men ; and were grinding olive-seeds. He said to them, Give me a razor. They replied. Crush one measure of olive-seeds, and we will give the razor. He did so and they gave it to him. Before he returned to God it became dark. God said to him, Bring alight. And he brought coals of fire to make a light; and while he was blowing tliem, the flame took hold of his beard; and thus God shaved his head and beard {Sanhedrin, p. 9(5, col. 1).
The schools of Hillel and of Shaminai were disputing for three years about a certain point in the law; each side maintained that it was infallibly right. At last a Bath- kol came down from heaven and said. The opinions of both are the words of the living God, but the law is as the school of Hillel (Erubin, p. 13, col. 2).