Shabbos Daf 55 שבת דַף 55

Rav Acha b’Rebbe Chanina said that a good decree never issued from the mouth of HaKadosh Boruch Hu which was then retracted, except in the following case: In the times of Yechezkel  HaKadosh Boruch Hu told the angel Gavriel to put the letter tav on the heads of the tzaddikim so they should not be wiped out in a megeifa (plague).The Middas Hadin asked why the tzaddikim should be spared since they could have protested. When Hakodesh Baruch Hu responded that He knew the people would have not responded to their rebuke, the Middas Hadin answered back that the tzaddikim did not know and therefore should have tried. HaKadosh Baruch Hu subsequently rescinded his decree and the tzaddikim were not spared.

Shmuel said the tav HaKadosh Baruch Hu chose to put on the tzaddikim’s heads represented תמה זכות אבות – the merit of the avos has expired. The Gemara wants to know at what point the merits expired.

Rebbe Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rebbe Yonasan כל האומר ראובן חטא אינו אלא טועה – Whoever says that Reuven sinned is mistaken, for it says in the passuk, ויהיו בני יעקב שנים עשר – And the sons of Yaakov were twelve, which teaches all twelve were equal.

Rebbe Shimon ben Elazar, quoted in a Baraisa, teaches that the passuk, וישכב את בלהה פילגש אביו – And he lay with Bilhah, the concubine of his father, is to be interpreted to mean that he sought to address an affront to his mother Leah. He said, “If my mother’s sister (Rachel) was a rival to my mother, shall the maidservant of my mother’s sister be a rival to my mother?” Therefore Reuven moved Yaakov’s bed to her tent.

The Gemara subsequently brings a Baraisa with a machlokes Tannaim whether in fact Reuven had relations with Bilhah.