The Spindle of Thanksgiving and the Spindle of Silence

Midrash Shmuel 28:1

Curated by Arthur·Translated by Maggid (Beta)·

"He withdraws not His eyes from the righteous; but with kings upon the throne He sets them forever, and they are exalted" (Job 36:7). "His eyes" is an illustration of them. Rabbi Levi said: their eyes are like sapphires. Leah seized the spindle of thanksgiving, and all her children arose as masters of thanksgiving: Judah — "Judah, you, your brothers shall praise you" (Genesis 49:8); David — "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good" (Psalms 136:1); Daniel — "praying and giving thanks" (Daniel 6:11). Rachel seized the spindle of silence, and all her children arose as masters of mystery: Benjamin, whose stone is the jasper (yashpeh) — what is yashpeh? "There is a mouth" (yesh peh) that knows of the selling of Joseph and is silent; Saul — "but of the matter of the kingship he told him not" (1 Samuel 10:16); Esther — "Esther had not told..." (Esther 2:10).

Themes

MatriarchsRighteousness

Biblical References

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