Bava Kamma 60a
בבא קמא ס׳ א — ד"ה אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אָמַר
Bava Kamma 60a:16
The Gemara derives from the plague in Egypt that when a destructive force is given permission to act, it does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. It advises a person to avoid danger even if he is righteous, since the plague may strike indiscriminately.
אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן: אֵין פּוּרְעָנוּת בָּאָה לָעוֹלָם אֶלָּא בִּזְמַן שֶׁהָרְשָׁעִים בָּעוֹלָם, וְאֵינָהּ מַתְחֶלֶת אֶלָּא מִן הַצַּדִּיקִים תְּחִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״כִּי תֵצֵא אֵשׁ וּמָצְאָה קֹצִים״ – אֵימָתַי אֵשׁ יוֹצְאָה? בִּזְמַן שֶׁקּוֹצִים מְצוּיִין לָהּ. וְאֵינָהּ מַתְחֶלֶת אֶלָּא מִן הַצַּדִּיקִים תְּחִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְנֶאֱכַל גָּדִישׁ״; ״וְאָכַל גָּדִישׁ״ לֹא נֶאֱמַר, אֶלָּא ״וְנֶאֱכַל גָּדִישׁ״ – שֶׁנֶּאֱכַל גָּדִישׁ כְּבָר. תָּאנֵי רַב יוֹסֵף, מַאי דִּכְתִיב: ״וְאַתֶּם לֹא תֵצְאוּ אִישׁ מִפֶּתַח בֵּיתוֹ עַד בֹּקֶר״? כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּיתַּן רְשׁוּת לַמַּשְׁחִית, אֵינוֹ מַבְחִין בֵּין צַדִּיקִים לִרְשָׁעִים. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא שֶׁמַּתְחִיל מִן הַצַּדִּיקִים תְּחִלָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: ״וְהִכְרַתִּי מִמֵּךְ צַדִּיק וְרָשָׁע״. בָּכֵי רַב יוֹסֵף: כּוּלֵּי הַאי נָמֵי לְאַיִן דּוֹמִין. אֲמַר לֵיהּ אַבָּיֵי: טֵיבוּתָא הוּא לְגַבַּיְיהוּ, דִּכְתִיב: ״כִּי מִפְּנֵי הָרָעָה נֶאֱסַף הַצַּדִּיק״.
§ The Gemara cites an aggadic midrash based on this verse: Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani says that Rabbi Yonatan says: Calamity befalls the world only when wicked people are in the world, but the calamity begins only with the righteous first, as it is stated in the verse: “If a fire breaks out, and catches in thorns, so that a stack of grain, or standing grain, or the field, is consumed” (Exodus 22:5). When does the fire, i.e., calamity, emerge? At a time when the thorns, i.e., the wicked, are found with it. But calamity begins only from the righteous first, as it is stated in the continuation of the verse: “And a stack of grain is consumed [vene’ekhal].” It is not stated: If a fire breaks out, and catches in thorns, and consumes [ve’akhal] the stack of grain; rather, it states: “A stack of grain is consumed,” meaning that the stack, i.e., the righteous, has already been consumed before the thorns. Rav Yosef taught a baraita: What is the meaning of that which is written with regard to the plague of the firstborn: “And none of you shall go out of the opening of his house until the morning” (Exodus 12:22)? If the plague was not decreed upon the Jewish people, why were they not permitted to leave their homes? Once permission is granted to the destroyer to kill, it does not distinguish between the righteous and the wicked. And not only that, but it begins with the righteous first, as it is stated in the verse: “And will cut off from you the righteous and the wicked” (Ezekiel 21:8), where mention of the righteous precedes the wicked. Rav Yosef cried and said: Are all these righteous people also compared to nothing when calamity strikes? Abaye said to him: It is goodness for the righteous that they die first, as it is written: “The righteous is taken away because of the evil to come” (Isaiah 57:1), so that he will not have to endure the suffering that will befall the people.