Bava Batra 16: Job's Story, Job's Qualities, Abraham and Esau

Today's daf covers a lot of agadaic ground.  The Gemara begins by continuing the story of Job beginning with Job losing everything that he has been given.  Job continues to praise G-d though even G-d tells Satan that Satan moved G-d against Job to destroy him without cause.  G-d allowed Satan to cause Job further suffering - anything short of killing him.  Rabbi Yitzchak suggests that Satan's suffering was worse than that of Job, for Satan found it so painful to restrict his cruelty.

Reish Lakish suggests that Satan is the same thing as yetzer hara, the evil inclination, and malach hamazet, the Angel of Death.  Each is an aspect of the same essence.  Proofs are offered for each of these assertions.  Rabbi Levi suggests that Satan and Peninnah (who tormented Hannah when she was childless) acted with cruelty for the sake of heaven.  How could this be?  Satan encouraged G-d to remember the love of Abraham; Penninah provoked Hannah to pray.

The rabbis argue over whether or not Job alluded to heretical thoughts including those about Satan.  A number of proofs are shared to convince each other about Job's intentions.  Some of his words lead the rabbis to believe that he stole land from orphans so that he could improve it and return it.  Similarly, he would spread rumours that widows were his relatives so that men would choose to marry them.  As an aside, we learn that Abraham did not even look at his own wife - Genesis (12:11) teaches that Abraham  said, "Now I know you are a beautiful woman" - he hadn't realized it before because he hadn't looked at her.  Is this a sign of righteousness?

Did G-d somehow mistake the name Iyov, Job, for oyes, enemy?  The rabbis offer a number of reasons that we could suspect this sort of error.  G-d's answer is that he created hairs and raindrops to be individual to ensure that people and fields would function properly.  Even thunderclaps are never repeated.  If one drop is not confused with another, how could one person be confused with another?

More of Job is quoted.  The rabbis discuss meanings behind when wild goats of the rock give birth; when the hinds do calve (Job 39:1).   We learn about some bizarre ways that ensure that animals will give birth.  One of these is a snake biting the opening of a too-narrow womb.

Could it be that we are not responsible for what we say when we are in distress?  Job's friends joined him to mourn, and the rabbis interpret this creatively.  Another interpretation follows a story about Job's children.  Reish lavish says that daughters caused problems for Job.  Rabbi Yochanan says that though Jobs' daughters were not doubled, they were doubled in beauty  Their names - Jemima, Keziah and Keren-happuch - all refer to their beauty.  The rabbis of Babylonia laughed that 'keziah' referred to something beautiful, for it is the name of an animal's horn.

Rabbi Shimon was disappointed that he had a daughter and not a son.  His father  Rabbi Yehuda HaNasi told him that propagation comes to the world through daughters.  Bar Kappara says that Yehuda HaNasi was wrong.  The world needs both men and women.  But one who has a male child is fortunate; woe to him who has a female child.  The world needs spice dealers, with sweet smells, and tanners, who smell terrible.  Better to be a spice seller than a tanner.  The rabbis question whether or not Abraham had a daughter named Bakkol.  The rabbis then suggest the magical skills of Abraham, including astrology that drew kings, a precious stone that could heal people on sight of it.  Or perhaps, we learn, Bakkol means that Ishmael repented.

The rabbis speak about Esau's rebellion after Abraham's lifetime had ended.  When exactly were our patriarchs alive?  Did their lives cross over each other?  And this leads to a discussion of lentil soup, served by Esau on the day that Abraham died. Lentils and eggs are foods served to those in mourning - without beginning or end, but not perfectly round.  All of us face death.

Esau committed five transgressions on the day Abraham died.  The rabbis provide proof texts for each: sexual intercourse with a betrothed woman (because he came in "from the field" - pretty weak link, I think), he killed a person, he denied the principle of G-d's existence, he denied resurrection of the dead, and the despised the birthright.