Vayeira 20:6 · EXTRA

Supplementary classical material; Torah Temimah lists no citation under this passuk.

The Complete Passuk

וַיֹּאמֶר֩ אֵלָ֨יו הָֽאֱלֹהִ֜ים בַּחֲלֹ֗ם גַּ֣ם אָנֹכִ֤י יָדַ֙עְתִּי֙ כִּ֤י בְתׇם־לְבָבְךָ֙ עָשִׂ֣יתָ זֹּ֔את וָאֶחְשֹׂ֧ךְ גַּם־אָנֹכִ֛י אֽוֹתְךָ֖ מֵחֲטוֹ־לִ֑י עַל־כֵּן֙ לֹא־נְתַתִּ֣יךָ֔ לִנְגֹּ֖עַ אֵלֶֽיהָ׃

God said to him in the dream, “I too know that you did this with a pure heart, and I also withheld you from sinning against Me; therefore I did not let you touch her.”

Source Citation

Core Text of Chazal

Core Text

יָדַעְתִּי כִּי בְתׇם לְבָבְךָ. אֱמֶת שֶׁלֹּא דִּמִּיתָ מִתְּחִלָּה לַחֲטֹא, אֲבָל נִקְיוֹן כַּפַּיִם אֵין כָּאן. לֹא נְתַתִּיךָ — לֹא מִמְּךָ הָיָה שֶׁלֹּא נָגַעְתָּ בָּהּ, אֶלָּא חָשַׂכְתִּי אֲנִי אוֹתְךָ מֵחֲטֹא.

English: “I know that you did this with a pure heart.” It is true that you did not intend from the outset to sin, but cleanliness of hands is not present here. “I did not let you” — it was not from you that you did not touch her; rather I Myself withheld you from sinning.

On the daf / in context: Hashem acknowledges Avimelech’s sincerity of intention while insisting that actual restraint was divine intervention, not merely human purity.

Type of Learning

Derash on the verse (Rashi) — not a formal named middah of the 13. Distinction is drawn between pure intention and actual non-transgression.

What Is Learned

Good intention is recognized, yet the final barrier against sin may be Hashem’s own withholding; credit for purity of action does not always belong solely to the actor.