- The peril of a נסיון: Dovid and בת שבע
Rav said: לעולם אל יביא אדם עצמו לידי נסיון – a person should never bring himself to a test, because דוד מלך ישראל brought himself to a test and stumbled. Dovid asked Hashem why people say (in davening) "אלקי אברהם אלקי יצחק ואלקי יעקב", but not "אלקי דוד". Hashem answered that He tested the אבות, but not Dovid. Dovid said: “Ribbono Shel Olam, בחנני ונסני – try me and test me!” Hashem told him he would, and informed him the test would involve עריות. The שטן appeared to Dovid like a bird, who shot an arrow at it, exposing בת שבע who was bathing. He inquired after her, sent for her and had relations with her, and she returned home. Dovid said later: בחנת לבי פקדת לילה צרפתני בל תמצא – “You examined my heart; searched by night, refined me but did not find [me pure]. זמתי בל יעבר פי – Let my scheming not cross my lips,” meaning: איכו זממא נפל בפומיה דמאן דסני לי – If only a muzzle would have fallen upon the mouth of ‘my enemy’ (himself) and had not said such a thing to ask to be tested.”
- Dovid’s sins are forgiven piecemeal; the gates open for the ארון in Dovid’s merit
The Gemara compares Dovid to a סוחר כותי – a Cuthean merchant, who sells merchandise in successive small amounts. Dovid first requested some of his sins to be forgiven, and asked for further forgiveness after each request was granted. After additionally accepting יסורין for six months, his request for complete forgiveness for the incident of בת שבע was granted. Dovid asked: עשה עמי אות לטובה – Make me a sign for good, ויראו שנאי ויבשו – so my enemies will see and be ashamed, to make known that Hashem had forgiven him. Hashem replied He would make it known during Shlomo’s lifetime. When Shlomo built the Beis Hamikdash and sought to bring the ארון into the קדש הקדשים, the gates attached to each other and would not open. Shlomo recited twenty-four songs and was not answered. He said the pesukim of שאו שערים ראשיכם – Lift up your heads, gates, etc., but was not answered until saying: ה' אלקים אל תשב פני משיחך זכרה לחסדי דויד עבדך – Hashem, G-d, do not turn away Your anointed one’s face! Remember the pieties of Dovid, Your servant! Then, the gates immediately opened, and Dovid’s enemies were humiliated. וידעו כל ישראל שמחל לו הקדוש ברוך הוא על אותו העון – And all of Yisroel knew that Hashem had forgiven [Dovid] for that sin.
- לעולם תהא שמאל דוחה וימין מקרבת (גיחזי)
The Gemara discusses גיחזי, the third הדיוט with no share in עולם הבא. אלישע, his teacher, went to דמשק to bring גיחזי back in teshuvah, but גיחזי responded, “You taught me: החוטא ומחטיא את הרבים – one who sins and causes the masses to sin, אין מספיקין בידו לעשות תשובה – is not given the opportunity to repent.” The Gemara provides several version of how גיחזי caused others to sin. A Baraisa states: לעולם תהא שמאל דוחה וימין מקרבת – always, the left hand should push away, but the right should bring near, to encourage the person to return, unlike Elisha, שדחפו לגחזי בשתי ידים – who pushed Geichazi away with both hands. The Gemara details the incident of Naaman, the Aramean general who came to have his צרעת healed by אלישע while he was learning the Perek of שמונה שרצים. Elisha told him to immerse in the ירדן, which angered Naaman, but he eventually did so and was healed. Naaman brought Elisha a gift, which he declined, but Geichazi followed Naaman and told him Elisha wanted some of the gifts, which he took and put away. When he returned, Elisha saw the צרעת of Naaman growing on Geichazi’s head, and forcefully rebuked him: רשע הגיע עת ליטול שכר שמנה שרצים – Wicked one! Has the time come for you to take the reward for learning Perek שמונה שרצים?! May Naaman’s צרעת attach to you and your children forever!”
