Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael Reader

And even though He spoke with them outside the land in the merit of the fathers, He did so only in a clean place, one of water. As it is written (Daniel 10:4) "And I was by the stream Ulai," (Ibid. 10:4) "and I was by the great river, the Tigris," (Ezekiel 1:3) "The word of the L–rd came to Ezekiel … by the river Kevar."

And, what is more, with (the casket of) Jacob there went up the servants of Pharaoh and the elders of his household, while with Joseph there went up the ark and the Shechinah and the Cohanim and the Levites and all of Israel and the seven clouds of glory. And, what is more, the casket of Joseph went alongside the ark of "the Life of the Worlds" (i.e., the Ten Commandments), and when the passersby asked: What are these two arks? they were told: This is the ark of a dead man and the other is the ark of "the Life of the Worlds." And when they asked: How is it that the ark of a dead man goes alongside the ark of "the Life of the Worlds"? they were told: He who lies in this ark fulfills what is written in what lies in the other ark.

And whence is it derived that the honor due one's friend is to be as beloved by him as the fear of his teacher? From (Numbers 12:11) "And Aaron said to Moses: 'I pray you, my lord.'" Now was Aaron not Moses' brother, and older than he? How, then, is "I pray you, my lord" to be understood? He equated him with his teacher.

R. Elazar b. R. Yossi Haglili said: It is written (Psalms 81:8) "In distress you called and I rescued you. I answered you from the recesses of thunder. I tested you at the waters of Merivah": At the (very) time that I answered and protected you and made the whole world thunder for you — at that very time it was revealed before Me what you were destined to do at the waters of Merivah!

"Six years shall he serve": I might think (that he performs) both demeaning and non-demeaning service. It is, therefore, written (Leviticus 25:39) "Do not have him work the service of a slave" — whence they ruled: He should not wash his feet or tie his sandals or carry his clothing to the bath-house or gird his loins for an ascent or carry him in a litter or in a chair or in a sedan-chair, as slaves do. Whence is this derived? From (Ibid. 46) "And in your brothers, the children of Israel, one may not lord it over another." But with his son and his disciple, it is permitted.

This tells me only of a day-garment. Whence do you derive of a night-garment that it can be returned the entire night? From (Devarim 24:13) "Return shall you return the pledge to him when the sun goes down."

(Exodus 31:14) "for it is holy to you": We are hereby apprised that the Sabbath confers holiness upon Israel. "Why is that man's shop closed?" "Because he is a Sabbath observer." "Why is that man not working?" "Because he is a Sabbath observer."

Some say: He spoke with him in the land, (and then) He spoke with him outside the land, it being written (literally) "the word of the L–rd was, was." (The first) "was" — in the land; (the second,) outside the land.

In what lies in the other ark it is written (Exodus 20) "I am the L–rd your G–d," and of Joseph it is written (Genesis 50:19) "Am I in the place of G–d?" In what lies in this ark it is written (Exodus 20) "There shall not be before you any other gods," and of Joseph it is written (Genesis 42:18) "It is G–d whom I fear." (Exodus 20) "You shall not take the name of the L–rd your G–d in vain." And of Joseph it is written (Genesis 42:15) "By the life of Pharaoh," (Joseph not swearing by "the life" of the L–rd.) (Exodus 20) "Remember the Sabbath day."

Joseph (Genesis 42:16) "slaughter an animal and prepare it," "prepare" alluding to Sabbath eve, it being written here "prepare," and elsewhere (Exodus 16:5) "And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare." (Exodus 20) "Honor your father." Joseph (Genesis 37:13) "And Israel said to Joseph: Are your brothers not grazing (the sheep) in Shechem? Go, and I will send you to them. And he said to him: Here I am" (at your service).

Joseph knew that his brothers hated him, but he would not transgress the words of his father. (Exodus 20) "You shall not kill." He did not kill Potiphar (even though he could have.) (Exodus 20) "You shall not commit adultery." He did not commit adultery with the wife of Potiphar. (Exodus 20) "You shall not steal." He did not rob Pharaoh, viz. (Genesis 47:14) "And Joseph collected all of the money, etc." (Exodus 20) "You shall not testify falsely against your neighbor."

Joseph did not tell his father what his brothers had done to him. Now does this not follow a fortiori, viz.: If he did not testify (against them) even truthfully, how much more so, falsely! (Exodus 20) "You shall not covet." He did not covet Potiphar's wife. It is written (Leviticus 19:17) "Do not hate your brother in your heart."

And of Joseph it is written (Genesis 50:21) "And he counseled them and he spoke to their hearts." It is written (Leviticus 19:18) "You shall not take revenge and you shall not bear a grudge," and (in respect to Joseph, Genesis 50:20) "And you contemplated evil against me, but G–d contemplated it for the good." (Leviticus 25:36) "And let your brother live with you." (Genesis 47:12) "And Joseph sustained his father and his brothers, etc."...

R. Eliezer b. Tadai says; Moses would begin with his words, and Israel would respond (with theirs). Moses would begin: "I shall sing to the L–rd," and Israel would end with him and respond: "I shall sing to the L–rd for He is high on high. Horse and its rider He cast into the sea." Moses would say (2) "The strength and vengeance of the L–rd" and Israel would end with him and respond "The strength and vengeance of the L–rd has been salivation to me." Moses would begin (3) "The L–rd is a man of war," and they would end with him: "The L–rd is a man of war; the L–rd is His name."

and, in passing, that the prayers of tzaddikim are short. Once, a certain disciple officiated in prayer before his master, and was short in his blessings — whereupon the others mocked him, calling him "a shortening disciple" — to which the master countered: "He is not shorter than Moses, who said (Numbers 12:13) 'G–d, I pray You, heal her, I pray you.'"

And whence is it derived that the fear of one's teacher is to be equated with that of Heaven? From (Numbers 11:28) "And Joshua the son of Nun, the attendant of Moses from his youth, answered: "My lord, Moses, destroy them" — Just as the L–rd can destroy them, so, can you.

"Six years shall he serve": I might think, both demeaning or non-demeaning service; it is, therefore, written (Ibid. 40) "as a hired laborer or a bound laborer." Just as you may not deflect a hired laborer from his trade, so, a Hebrew man-servant. From here they ruled that one may not set him at a trade which is public-oriented, such as that of a tailor, a bath-house attendant, a barber, a butcher, or a banker. R. Yossi says: If that were his trade, he may keep him at it, but his master may not alter it (for a different form of public service.)

He testifies about Him who spoke and brought the world into being that He created His world in six days and rested on the seventh. And thus is it written (Isaiah 43:12) "And you are My witnesses, says the L–rd, that I am the Almighty."

(Ibid. 1) "I shall sing to the L–rd": Befitting is (the ascription of) "strength" to the L–rd. And thus did David say (I Chronicles 29:11) "To you, O L–rd, is (befitting [the ascription of]) greatness, might, splendor, triumph, and majesty."

On another occasion, a disciple officiated in prayer before R. Elazar and was long in his blessings — whereupon they said to him: "This one is an elongater" — to which he countered: "Not more so than Moses, who said (Devarim 9:25) 'And I fell (in prayer) before the L–rd these forty days and forty nights.'" There is a time to be short and a time to be long.

And thus do you find with Gechazi. When Elisha said to him (II Kings 4:29) "Gird your loins and take my staff in your hand," he began to support himself on his staff and to go. They (i.e., strangers) asked him: Where are you going Gechazi? He answered: To revive the dead. They: Now can you revive the dead? Is it not written (I Samuel 2:6) "The L–rd puts to death and brings to life"? He: My master, too, puts to death and brings to life.

R. Yehudah b. Lakish says: It is written (Exodus 2:25) "And G–d saw the children of Israel": He saw that they had repented, but they did not see (this in) each other. (Ibid.) "and G–d knew": He knew that they had repented, but they did not know (this about) each other....

(Exodus 22:26) "for it is his solitary covering": This is his cloak. "it is his garment for his skin" — this is his undergarment. "On what shall he lie?": to include his mat-skin. "and it shall be, if he cries out to Me, I shall hear; for I am gracious." R. Nathan says: If one left beth-din owing his neighbor a hundred and wearing a garment worth two hundred, he (the creditor) should not say to him: "Sell your garment for two hundred, cover yourself with one of one hundred, and give me the hundred (that you owe me.") This is the intent of "For it is his solitary covering" — You are not permitted to deprive him of a garment which is "familiar" to his body.

"Those who profane it shall be put to death": What is the intent of this? From (Ibid. 15) "Whoever does work on the Sabbath day shall be put to death" we know the punishment. Whence do we derive the exhortation? From (Ibid. 20:10) "And the seventh day is Sabbath to the L–rd your G–d. You shall not perform any labor."

Know that the Shechinah is not revealed outside the land. For it is written (Jonah 1:3) "And Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish, etc." Now can one flee from the L–rd? Is it not written (Psalms 139:7-10) "Where can I flee from Your presence … If I ascend to heaven, You are there, etc. If I take wing with the dawn, there, too, Your hand will lead me," (Zechariah 4:10) "the eyes of the L–rd range the entire land," (Mishlei 15:3) "The eyes of the L–rd see the bad and the good," (Amos 9:2) "though they dig into Sheol, though they hide in the top of the Carmel, though they go into captivity (Job 34:22) "There is no darkness nor shadow of death, etc." Rather, Jonah's intent was: I will go outside the land, where the Shechinah does not repose and reveal itself.

For the gentiles are close to repentance — so that they not make Israel (who do not repent) liable (by invidious contrast). An analogy: The bondsman of a Cohein flees from his master, saying: I will go to the cemetery, a place where my master cannot come after me. His master: I have (messengers) like you. Thus, Jonah said: I will go outside the land, a place where the Shechinah is not revealed.

For the gentiles are close to repentance, (this, so as not to render Israel liable by invidious contrast.) The Holy One responds: I have many messengers like you, viz. (Jonah 1:4) "Then the L–rd cast a great wind on the sea, etc."

(Exodus 13:19) "For hashbea hishbia the children of Israel": He (Joseph) had made them (his brothers) swear ("hashbea") that they would beswear ("hishbia") their children. R. Nathan says: Why did Joseph beswear his brothers and not his sons (to bury him in Canaan)? He reasoned: If I beswear my sons (to do this), the Egyptians will not permit them. And if they would say: But our father (Joseph) brought up his father (Jacob), immediately (upon his death), they would answer: Your father was a king (and could do as he wished.) Therefore, he beswore his brothers and not his sons.

A king of flesh and blood enters a province, and all praise him as "strong" — when he is weak; as "rich" — when he is poor; as "wise" — when he is foolish; as "merciful" — when he is cruel; as "trusty" — when he is not. He is lacking in all of these (fine) attributes — All men are flattering him. But it is not so with Him who spoke and brought the world into being. He transcends all that He is praised for.

"I shall sing to the L–rd," who is strong — (Devarim 10:17) "the G–d who is great and strong and awesome," (Psalms 24:8) "the L–rd, mighty and strong, the L–rd, strong in war," (Isaiah 42;13) "The L–rd as a mighty one shall go forth. As a man of war, He will stir up wrath. He will shout; He will scream. He will overpower His foes," (Jeremiah 10:14) "There is none like You, O L–rd. Great are You and great is Your name in strength."

"And the L–rd showed him a tree": R. Yehoshua says: a willow tree. R. Eliezer Hamodai says: an olive tree, there being no tree more bitter than an olive tree. R. Yehoshua b. Karcha says: an ivy. R. Nathan says: a cedar. Others say: He uprooted a fig and he uprooted a pomegranate.

R. Eliezer says in the name of Abba Yossi b. Dormaskith: "and G–d saw the children of Israel": that they are destined to anger (Him), that they are destined to rebel. And why all this (readiness to forgive them)? Because of the omnipotence of repentance....

"And on the seventh (he shall go out free"): the seventh year of his sale. You say "the seventh year of his sale," but perhaps the reference is to the seventh (calendar) year. It is, therefore, written "Six years shall he serve (and on the seventh he shall go our free") — the seventh year of the sale, and not the seventh (calendar) year.

This tells me only of the punishment and the exhortation for the labor of the day. Whence do I derive (the same for) the labor of the evening? From "Those who profane it shall be put to death." We have heard the punishment. Whence the exhortation? It is, therefore, written "And the seventh day is Sabbath to the L–rd your G–d. Let "Sabbath" not be written (i.e., it is obvious). Why is it written? To include the evening. These are the words of R. Yossi b. R. Yoshiyah.

We find there to have been three (kinds of) prophets. One claimed the honor of the Father and the father of the son; another, the honor of the Father, but not the honor of the son; another, the honor of the son, but not the honor of the Father. Jeremiah claimed the honor of the Father and the honor of the son, viz. (Eichah 3:42) "We have offended and rebelled" (the honor of the Father); "You have not forgiven" (the honor of the son).

Therefore, his prophecy was "doubled," (Jeremiah 36:33) "… and many other words were added to them" (the prophecies of Jeremiah). Eliyahu claimed the honor of the Father, but not the honor of the son, viz. (I Kings 19:10) "I have been very jealous for the L–rd, the G–d of hosts, etc." And what is stated in this regard? (Ibid. 15-16) "And the L–rd said to him: Go, return on your way to the desert of Damascus … And Yehu the son of Nimshi shall you anoint to be king over Israel, and Elisha the son of Shafat … shall you anoint to be a prophet in your place." What is the intent of this? He does not desire your prophecy (because you do not claim the honor of Israel).

Variantly: Joseph said to them (his brothers): My father went down (to Egypt) of his own free will and I brought him back perforce, for he beswore me to do so (viz. Genesis 50:5). I beswear you, from the place (Canaan) that you stole me, there shall you return me. And thus did they do with him, as it is written (Joshua 24:32) "And the bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel brought up (from Egypt), they buried in Shechem."

"I shall sing to the L–rd," who is rich" — (Devarim 10:19) "To the L–rd your G–d are the heavens, etc.", (Psalms 24:1) "To the L–rd is the earth and its fullness, etc.", (Ibid. 95:5) "His is the sea and He has made it," (Chaggai 2:8) "Mine is the silver and Mine is the gold," (Ezekiel 18:4) "All of he souls are Mine. The soul of the father and the soul of the son alike are Mine."

R. Shimon b. Gamliel says: Come and see how different are the ways of the Holy One Blessed be He from the ways of flesh and blood. (A man of) flesh and blood heals bitter with sweet, but the Holy One Blessed be He heals bitter with bitter. How so? He places something damaging into something that has been damaged so that a miracle be wrought in it, as in (Isaiah 38:21) "And Isaiah said: Let them take a cake of figs and apply it to the rash and he will recover."

Now does not raw flesh, when you apply a cake of figs to it, become putrid? (The resolution:) Place something damaging into something that has been damaged so that a miracle be wrought in it. Similarly, (II Kings 2:21) "And he went to the (polluted) spring and threw salt into it, etc." Now does not even fresh water become putrid when salt is put into it? (The resolution:) Place something damaging, etc. The expounders of metaphors said: He showed him (Moses) words of Torah, which are compared to a tree, viz. (Mishlei 3:18) "It (Torah) is a tree of life to those who hold fast to it, etc." It is not written "Vayarehu etz" ("And He showed him a tree"), but "Vayorehu" ("And He taught him"), as in (Mishlei 4:4) "Vayoreni ('And He taught me') and He said to me: Let My words (of Torah) sustain your heart."

Similarly, R. Eliezer b. Yossi expounded (Isaiah 63:9) "In all of their afflictions, He was afflicted," (Ibid. 8) "And He said: 'Surely, they are My people, children who will not lie.'" But did He not know that they would lie? It is, therefore, written "Surely." (i.e., it was surely known to Him (that they would lie.) How, then, are we to understand (Ibid.) "and I will be their salvation"? — He did not save them as men who were destined to anger Him, but as men who (by repentance) were not destined to be faithless to Him forever.

And thus is it written (Psalms 78:36-37) "And they deceived Him with their mouths, and with their tongues they lied to Him, and their hearts were not constant with Him, and they were not faithful to His covenant" — in spite of which (Ibid. 38) "But He, being merciful, will forgive transgression," and (Isaiah 6:10) "The heart of this people has become fat, and its ears have become heavy, etc." (— in spite of which) (Ibid.) "if he repents, he will be healed."

"and on the seventh year he shall go out to freedom": What is the intent of this? From (Devarim 15:13) "And when you send him away, etc." I might think that he must write him a writ of emancipation; it is, therefore, written "he shall go out to freedom." Or I might think that he (the servant) must indemnify him; it is, therefore, written "he shall go out to freedom, gratis."

(Exodus 22:27) "Elokim you shall not curse": What is the intent of this? From (Leviticus 24:16) "One who utters blasphemously the name of the L–rd shall be put to death" we hear the punishment. Whence the exhortation? "Elokim you shall not curse." Variantly: This tells me only of the distinctive Name (the Tetragrammaton [i.e., "Yod-keh-vov-keh"]). Whence do we derive (the same for cursing Him with) one of His epithets? From "Elokim you shall not curse" — in any event. These are the words of R. Yishmael.

R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: Because the gentiles surrounded Eretz Israel and Israel (perforce) profaned the Sabbath, they should not say Since we profaned part, we may profane the whole; it is, therefore, written "Those who profane it shall be put to death" — even an instant of it.

Jonah claimed the honor of the son, but not the honor of the Father. What is stated in that regard? (Jonah 1:3) "And the word of the L–rd came to Jonah a second time, saying." What is the intent of this? We will speak with him a second time, but not a third, (for he did not claim the honor of the L–rd).

(Exodus, Ibid.) "G–d pakod ('remember') yifkod ('will remember') you": He remembered you in Egypt — He will remember you at the Red Sea. He remembered you in the desert — He will remember you at Nachalei Arnon. He remembered you in this world — He will remember you in the world to come.

"I shall sing to the L–rd," who is wise — (Mishlei 2:6) "For the L–rd shall give wisdom. From His mouth are knowledge and understanding", (Daniel 2:21) "He gives wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to the knowers of understanding". (Jeremiah 10:7) "Who will not fear You, King of the nations? For among all the sages of the nations and in all of their kingdoms, there is none like You."

"and he cast it into the waters": Others say: Israel were (hereby) imploring (mercy) and praying before their Father in heaven. As a son implores and guards himself before his father, so were Israel imploring and guarding themselves before their Father in heaven, saying before Him (as it were): "L–rd of the universe, we sinned before You by caviling against You at the sea." "and the waters were sweetened": R. Yehoshua says: They were bitter for a short while and they were sweetened. R. Eliezer Hamodai says: They were bitter from the beginning, "the waters" being written twice.

"and go out and do battle with Amalek": R. Yehoshua says: Moses said to Joshua: Go out from under the cloud and do battle with Amalek.