Daf Ditty Shabbes 38/39

There is another reference to this colias fish: Tanchuma Ki Sissa

‫ ֹמֶשׁה ִנַגּשׁ ֶאל‬:‫ ַחד ָאַמר‬,‫ ְתֵּרין ָאמוָֹרִאין‬.‫ ְוָשָׂרף ָיכוֹל ִלָכֵּנס‬A‫ ַאְשֵׁרי ֹמֶשׁה ֶשׁ ִנְּכַנס ְלָמקוֹם ֶשֵׁאין ַמְלָא‬.‫ַוֵיּ ֶרד ה' ֶבָּﬠָנן ַו ִיְּתַיֵצּב‬
'‫ ַוַיֲּﬠֹבר ה‬.‫ ַו ִיְּתַיֵצּב ִﬠמּוֹ ָשׁם‬:‫ ֶשֶׁנֱּאַמר‬,‫ הוּא‬A‫ ַﬠד ֶשָׁﬠָלה ֵאֶצל ַהָקּדוֹשׁ ָבּרוּ‬,‫ ָבּ ָרִקיַﬠ ַכּקּוְּלָיאס ַהֶזּה‬2‫שׁה ְמַהֵלּ‬ ֶ ‫ ָהָיה ֹמ‬,‫ָהֲﬠָרֶפל‬
‫ ו(ַﬠל ָפָּניו ַו ִיְּקָרא‬,‫)שמות לד‬. ‫ ְזֹכר ְלַאְבָרָהם‬,‫ ָאַמ ְרָתּ ִלי ְזכוּת ָאבוֹת‬:‫ ָאַמר לוֹ‬.‫ ְיַלֵמּד ַסֵנּגוֹ ְרָיא ַﬠל ִיְשָׂרֵאל‬A‫ִלֵמּד ֹמֶשׁה ֵהיַא‬
.'‫ ה' ה' ֵאל ַרחוּם ְוַחנּוּן ְוגוֹ‬,‫ ְוִאלּוּ ל ֹא ָהָיה ָלֶהם ְזכוּת ָה ִייִתי ְמַאְבָּדן? ֶאָלּא ִמָכּאן וְּלַהָבּא ֱהֵוי אוֵֹמר‬.U‫ְל ִיְצָחק וְּל ִיְשָׂרֵאל ֲﬠָבֶדי‬
‫ ְוֶלָﬠִתיד ֲא ִני ְמַדֵבּר ִבְּצָדָקה ְוגוֹ‬.‫ ָבּעוָֹלם ַהֶזּה ִלַמְּדִתּי ְלֹמֶשׁה ַסֵנּגוֹ ְרָיא‬:‫ הוּא‬A‫'ָאַמר ַהָקּדוֹשׁ ָבּרוּ‬. (‫ א‬,‫)ישעיה סג‬.

On the verse:

‫ ַו ִיְּתַיֵצּב ִﬠמּוֹ‬,‫ה ַוֵיּ ֶרד ְיהָוה ֶבָּﬠָנן‬ 5 And the LORD descended in the cloud, and stood with
.‫ ְיהָוה‬,‫שׁם‬ֵ ‫שׁם; ַו ִיְּק ָרא ְב‬ָ him there, and proclaimed the name of the LORD.

,‫ ַו ִיְּק ָרא‬,‫ָפָּניו‬-‫ו ַוַיֲּﬠֹבר ְיהָוה ַﬠל‬ 6 And the LORD passed by before him, and proclaimed:
2‫ֶא ֶר‬--‫ ֵאל ַרחוּם ְוַחנּוּן‬,‫ְיהָוה ְיהָוה‬ 'The LORD, the LORD, God, merciful and gracious, long-
.‫ֶחֶסד ֶוֱאֶמת‬-‫ ְו ַרב‬,‫ַאַפּ ִים‬ suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth;

And the Lord descended in the cloud, and stood with him there (Exod. 34:5). How fortunate
was Moses was that he could come before the Omnipresent while no angel or seraph was able to
do so! Two people discussed this verse.

One said that Moses was drawn into the cloud, and ascended into the firmament like a
colias ( type of bird, butterfly or fish). until he reached the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said:
And stood with him there. The Lord passed before him and proclaimed (ibid., v. 6).

He taught Moses how to plead in defense of Israel. He said to him: Tell Me about the merits of
the patriarchs; remind Me of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, My servants. Were it not for their merit
I would destroy them, but now and henceforth it will be said: The Lord, merciful and gracious
(ibid.).

The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: I taught Moses to speak in their defense in this world,
but in the future I that speak in victory, mighty to save, (Isa. 63:1); that is, I shall speak in their
behalf.

Moshe is singular in his ability to access the divine, by close reading of the double expression:
‫ ַו ִיְּתַיֵצּב ִﬠמּוֹ ָשׁם‬as well as ‫ ה ַוֵיּ ֶרד‬allows for this claim that he was able to move about the heavenly
spheres with ease like this tunny fish /colias.

The defender of Israel was able to exact a promise from the divine as to how to avoid future
tragedy when the people sin.