Study Avodah Zarah folio 25A with parallel Hebrew-English text, traditional commentary, and modern study tools. Free access to Babylonian Talmud online.
Text Excerpt
״וידם השמש וירח עמד עד יקם גוי איביו הלא היא כתובה על ספר הישר״, מאי ספר הישר? אמר רבי חייא בר אבא אמר רבי יוחנן: זה ספר אברהם יצחק ויעקב, שנקראו ישרים, שנאמר: ״תמת נפשי מות ישרים״.
§ The Talmud cites a series of expositions with regard to what is called the book of Yashar. The verse states: “And the sun stood still, and the moon stayed, until the nation had avenged themselves of their enemies. Is this not written in the book of Yashar”? (Joshua 10:13). The Talmud asks: What is the book of Yashar? R' Ḥiyya bar Abba says that R' Yoḥanan says: This is Genesis, which is the book of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, who were called righteous [yesharim], as it is stated: “Let me die the death of the righteous [yesharim]” (Numbers 23:10).
והיכא רמיזא? ״וזרעו יהיה מלא הגוים״, [אימתי יהיה מלא הגוים?] בשעה שעמדה לו חמה ליהושע, ״ויעמד השמש בחצי השמים ולא אץ לבוא כיום תמים״.
The Talmud asks: And where is it alluded to in Genesis that the sun would stand still for Joshua? The verse states in reference to Ephraim, who was Joshua’s ancestor: “And his seed should become a multitude of nations” (Genesis 48:19). The Talmud asks: When will he become a multitude of nations? He became a multitude of nations at the time when the sun stood in place for Joshua, as it is written: “And the sun stayed in the midst of heaven, and hastened not to go down for an entire day” (Joshua 10:13).
וכמה? אמר רבי יהושע בן לוי: עשרים וארבע [שעי], אזל שית וקם שית, אזל שית וקם שית, כולה מלתא כיום תמים.
The Talmud inquires: And how much time elapsed before the sun finally set? R' Yehoshua ben Levi said that it took 24 hours: It traveled across the sky for 6 hours and stood still for 6 hours, and again traveled 6 hours and stood still for 6 hours, so that the entire matter lasted the duration of an entire day.