Eponymous Attributions in Avodah Zarah

Over the past few days, I noticed three instances which might be called eponymous statements.

First, in discussing whether God regularly laughs, we have a statement by Rabbi Yitzchak:

מִיָּד, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא יוֹשֵׁב וּמְשַׂחֵק עֲלֵיהֶן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״יוֹשֵׁב בַּשָּׁמַיִם יִשְׂחָק וְגוֹ׳״. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק: אֵין שְׂחוֹק לִפְנֵי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶלָּא אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם בִּלְבַד.

The Gemara resumes its narration: Immediately, the Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and makes sport of those gentiles, i.e., He laughs at them, as it is stated: “He that sits in heaven makes sport, the Lord has them in derision” (Psalms 2:4). With regard to this verse, Rabbi Yitzḥak says: There is no making sport for the Holy One, Blessed be He, but on that day alone.

Recall that the Biblical Yitzchak was named after Sarah’s laughter at hearing the news of his impending birth; or because she she said “whoever hears will laugh for me”. And earlier, when Avraham heard, he laughed.

And, there is a relationship between צחק with a tzadi and שחק with a sin. One is laughter while the other is either mocking or playing with.

Indeed, sometimes in Tanach Yitzchak’s name is spelled yischak with a samech. Though (see midrash) that might be because Amos has a speech impediment.

So Rabbi Yitzchak talks about laughing.

There is a purported problem in that another midrash discussed God sporting with the Leviathan.

(The purpose of that Biblical verse not being that Hashem literally has a pet. Rather, in Canaanite myth, that this great sea creature, Lotan, was an ally of Prince Yam battling against Baal. So, for Baal, it was a fearful enemy. Meanwhile, for Hashem, it is a mere creature, and His plaything.)

Now, the word sporting, מְשַׂחֵק, shares the same root and form as the laughing / mocking earlier.

Who responds to this challenge but Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak.

שְׁלִישִׁיּוֹת — יוֹשֵׁב וְזָן אֶת כָּל הָעוֹלָם כּוּלּוֹ מִקַּרְנֵי רֵאמִים עַד בֵּיצֵי כִנִּים, רְבִיעִיּוֹת — יוֹשֵׁב וּמְשַׂחֵק עִם לִוְיָתָן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״לִוְיָתָן זֶה יָצַרְתָּ לְשַׂחֶק בּוֹ״, אָמַר רַב נַחְמָן בַּר יִצְחָק: עִם בְּרִיּוֹתָיו מְשַׂחֵק, וְעַל בְּרִיּוֹתָיו אֵינוֹ מְשַׂחֵק אֶלָּא אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם בִּלְבַד.

During the third set of three hours, the Holy One, Blessed be He, sits and sustains the entire world, from the horns of wild oxen to the eggs of lice. During the fourth three hours, He sits and makes sport with the leviathan, as it is stated: “There is leviathan, whom You have formed to sport with” (Psalms 104:26). Evidently, God makes sport every day, not only on that one day. Rav Naḥman bar Yitzḥak says in explanation: He makes sport with His creations, just as He sports with the leviathan; He does not make sport of His creations but on that day alone.

Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak’s point is that there is a difference between laughing with and laughing at. Or rather, when it is with, it is playing rather than laughing; when it is at, it is laughing.

But here, part of his name, namely his patronymic, his father’s name, is Yitzchak, and he speaks about laughing and the root שחק.

On the next daf, Avoda Zara 4a, we encounter another eponymous statement.

רַבִּי חָמָא בְּרַבִּי חֲנִינָא רָמֵי: כְּתִיב ״חֵמָה אֵין לִי״, וּכְתִיב ״נֹקֵם ה׳ וּבַעַל חֵמָה״! לָא קַשְׁיָא: כָּאן — בְּיִשְׂרָאֵל, כָּאן — בְּאוּמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם. רַב חִינָּנָא בַּר פָּפָּא אָמַר: ״חֵמָה אֵין לִי״ — שֶׁכְּבָר נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי, ״מִי יִתְּנֵנִי״ — שֶׁלֹּא נִשְׁבַּעְתִּי, ״אֶהְיֶה שָׁמִיר וָשַׁיִת וְגוֹ׳״.

Rabbi Ḥama, son of Rabbi Ḥanina, raises a contradiction between the following verses. It is written: “Fury is not in Me” (Isaiah 27:4), and it is written: “The Lord is a jealous and furious God” (Nahum 1:2). The Gemara answers: This is not difficult; here, where it states that God has no fury, it is speaking with regard to the Jewish people, whereas there, where it says that God has fury, it is speaking with regard to the nations of the world. Rav Ḥinnana bar Pappa says in explanation of the verse: “Fury is not in Me; would that I were as the briers and thorns in flame! I would with one step burn it altogether” (Isaiah 27:4). “Fury is not in Me,” as I have already taken an oath that I will not destroy the Jewish people; “would that I” had not taken this oath, since then I would be active “as the briers and thorns in flame! I would with one step burn it altogether.”

So Rabbi Chama is contrasting verses about Cheima.

Should we make something out of this? Maybe yes and maybe know. I’ve written extensively about this phenomenon. For example, see here: