Shabbat 89: Satan at Miracle Mountain, Only Twelve & One Half Year of Time to Sin

We begin by noting that G-d gave the Torah to the people and did not keep it above the heavens.  This way we can praise G-d on earth.  All of the angels were said to have given a gift to Moses, even the Angel of Death.  The gift is said to be the remedy for the plague that was stopped by Aaron by placing incense between the dead and the living.  Moses gave him that incense. The Angel of Death must have given Moses that information to give to Aaron.

We are told another story about satan.  When the Torah was revealed, satan stood before G-d and said, "Master of the Universe, where is the Torah?" G-d answered, " I have given it to the earth" He went to the earth looking for the Torah, and the earth, the sea, the depths said it was not with them.  Destruction and death said "We heard a rumour of it with our ears".  Satan returned to G-d and said that he could not find the Torah. G-d said, Go to Moses, son of Amram.  Moses said, "what am I that the Holy One would have given me the Torah?"  G-d heard this and said that Moses had a hidden treasure that provides delight every day (Proverbs 8:30).  Moses said that he could not take credit for being given such a thing.  Thus for his modesty, G-d called it the Torah of Moses (Malachi 3:22).  

The rabbis discuss Moses ascending the mountain and satan suggesting that Moses had died after six hours.  He showed them an image of Moses's death bed and his corpse in a cloud.  The people did not know where he had gone (Exodus 32:1).  Rav Kahana suggests that Mount Sinai is a mountain of nissim, miracles.  Why not call it Mount Nisai?  Rav Kahana answers that it was a siman, a good omen, for the Jewish people.  Other possible word play is offered around the naming of this mountain and about the naming of different deserts.  

The rabbis discuss tying a scarlet strip of wool to the scapegoat.  They consider the use of plural for the adjective "scarlet".  They also consider the usages of the words "go" and "come".  

Our daf winds down with the rabbis discussing our relationship with G-d.  How do we use the words father and son?  What do we mean when we say that children have sinned before G-d?  Perhaps once they have sinned they are G-d's children and not our own?  How long could a person sin if our lives are seventy years long?  Subtract for sins committed before the first twenty years.  Subtract twenty-five years of nights from the fifty remaining years.  Subtract twelve and a half years used for praying and eating and using the bathroom and only twelve and a half years remain.  Perhaps G-d can forgive those sins. And if not, half of the sins are upon us and half upon G-d.  And if all are upon us, won't you have mercy and forgive us?

A new Mishna: One who carries out wood on Shabbat is liable for a measure equal to the amount of wood necessary to cook an easily cooked egg.  For spices, it is the amount to season an easily cooked egg.  Seasons gan join together for liability.  Dyes are equal to a small garment placed on top of a woman's hairnet.  For carrying out urine, natron and borit, kimoleya and potash (all for laundry), the amount is equal to that used to launder a small garment placed on a woman's hairnet.  Rabbi Yehuda says that it is actually the amount used to remove a stain.