Yoma 39B

חמצן״ עד יום מותו.

a robber [ḥamtzan] until the day of his death.

אמר רבה בר (בר) שילא, מאי קרא: ״אלהי פלטני מיד רשע מכף מעול וחומץ״. רבא אמר, מהכא: ״למדו היטב דרשו משפט אשרו חמוץ״. אשרו חמוץ ⁠— ואל תאשרו חומץ.

Rabba bar bar Sheila said: What is the verse that indicates that a ḥamtzan is a robber? The verse states: “O, my God, rescue me out of the hand of wicked, out of the hand of the unrighteous and robbing man [ḥometz]” (Psalms 71:4). Rava said: From here: “Learn to do well, seek justice, strengthen the robbed [ḥamotz]” (Isaiah 1:17), which teaches that one should strengthen the robbed, but not strengthen the robber.

תנו רבנן: אותה שנה שמת בה שמעון הצדיק, אמר להם: בשנה זו הוא מת. אמרו לו: מניין אתה יודע? אמר להם: בכל יום הכפורים היה מזדמן לי זקן אחד לבוש לבנים ועטוף לבנים, נכנס עמי ויצא עמי, והיום נזדמן לי זקן אחד לבוש שחורים ועטוף שחורים, נכנס עמי ולא יצא עמי. אחר הרגל חלה שבעה ימים ומת.

§ A baraita states: During the year in which Shimon HaTzaddik died, he said to them, his associates: In this year, he will die, euphemistically referring to himself. They said to him: How do you know? He said to them: In previous years, on every Yom Kippur, upon entering the Holy of Holies, I was met, in a prophetic vision, by an old man who was dressed in white, and his head was wrapped up in white, and he would enter the Holy of Holies with me, and he would leave with me. But today, I was met by an old man who was dressed in black, and his head was wrapped up in black, and he entered the Holy of Holies with me, but he did not leave with me. He understood this to be a sign that his death was impending. Indeed, after the festival of Sukkot, he was ill for 7 days and died.

ונמנעו אחיו הכהנים מלברך בשם.

Without the presence of Shimon HaTzaddik among them, the Jewish people were no longer worthy of the many miracles that had occurred during his lifetime. For this reason, following his death, his brothers, the priests, refrained from blessing the Jewish people with the explicit name of God in the priestly blessing.