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Text Excerpt
אינו מהם. אמרו ליה רבנן לרבא: מר לא בהסתר פנים איתיה, ולא ב״והיה לאכול״ איתיה! אמר להו: מי ידעיתו כמה משדרנא בצנעא בי שבור מלכא? אפילו הכי, יהבו ביה רבנן עינייהו. אדהכי שדור דבי שבור מלכא וגרבוהו. אמר: היינו דתניא, אמר רבן שמעון בן גמליאל: כל מקום ש״נתנו חכמים עיניהם״ — או מיתה או עוני.
is not from among them. The rabbis said to Rava: Master, you are not subject to His hiding of the face, as your prayers are heard, and you are not subject to: “And they should be devoured,” as the authorities take nothing from you. He said to them: Do you know how many gifts I send in private to the house of King Shapur? Although it might seem that the monarchy does not take anything from me, in actuality I am forced to give many bribes. Even so, the rabbis looked upon Rava with suspicion. In the meantime, messengers from the house of King Shapur sent for him and imprisoned him to extort more money from him. Rava said: This is as it is taught in a baraita that Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: Wherever the rabbis looked upon someone, it resulted in either death or poverty.
״ואנכי הסתר אסתיר פני ביום ההוא״, אמר רבא, אמר הקדוש ברוך הוא: אף על פי שהסתרתי פני מהם — ״בחלום אדבר בו״. רב יוסף אמר: ידו נטויה עלינו, שנאמר: ״ובצל ידי כסיתיך״.
With regard to the verse: “And I will hide my face in that day” (Deuteronomy 31:18), Rava said that God said: Even though I hid my face from them and My Shekhina is not revealed, nevertheless: “I speak with him in a dream” (Numbers 12:6). Rav Yosef said: His hand is outstretched, guarding over us, as it is stated: “And I have covered you in the shadow of my hand” (Isaiah 51:16).
רבי יהושע בן חנניה הוה קאי בי קיסר, אחוי ליה ההוא מינא: עמא דאהדרינהו מריה לאפיה מיניה. אחוי ליה: ידו נטויה עלינו. אמר ליה קיסר לרבי יהושע: מאי אחוי לך? עמא דאהדרינהו מריה לאפיה מיניה, ואנא מחוינא ליה ידו נטויה עלינו.
The Talmud relates: R' Yehoshua ben Ḥananya was standing in the house of the Caesar. A certain heretic, who was also present, gestured to him, indicating that his was the nation whose Master, God, turned His face away from it. R' Yehoshua gestured to him that His hand is outstretched over us in protection. The Caesar said to R' Yehoshua: What did he gesture to you, and how did you respond? He replied: He indicated that mine is the nation whose Master turned His face from it, and I gestured to him that His hand is outstretched over us.