Serach Bat Asher Completes the Seventy and the Wise Woman of Abel

"All the souls that came with Jacob into Egypt, etc., all the souls were sixty-six" (Genesis 46:26-27), "and the sons of Joseph who were born to him in Egypt" (ibid.). Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman: Have you ever seen in your life a man give his fellow sixty-six, and then turn and give him also three, and he counts them as seventy? Rather, this is Yocheved, who was conceived on the way and born between the walls, and He counts her, as it is said, "and the name of Amram's wife was Yocheved, etc." (Numbers 26:59). Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman: The Holy One, blessed be He, is accustomed to count this tribe even while it is in its mother's womb. This is what is written, "Of Yedutun, the sons of Yedutun: Gedaliah, Zeri, and Yeshayahu, Chashaviah, and Mattityahu, six" (1 Chronicles 25:3) — in the detail five, but in the total six. Rather, this is Shimei, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, counted while he was in his mother's womb. And if a person should say to you the tenth is Shimei, say to him: the tenth at the platform. And some say [Chushim] son of Dan completed [the count] with them. In the Torah of Rabbi Meir they found written, "and the sons of Dan, Chushim" (Genesis 46:23) — "and the son of Dan, Chashim." This is what is written, "And they came to Gilead, and to the land of Tachtim-chodshi; and they came to Dan, and around to Sidon" (2 Samuel 24:6). "And they came to Gilead" — Geresh; "the land of Tachtim-chodshi" — Beit-yerach, Danah, Panyas, Danah — measure for measure. Dan entered with his idol beside his father, and was blessed with seventy thousand; and Benjamin entered with ten, and was blessed with forty thousand. And some say Serach daughter of Asher completed [the count] with them, as it is said, "Then a wise woman called, etc., and he drew near to her, etc." (2 Samuel 20:16-17). She said to him: "Restrain yourself, you are not according to your name." "And she spoke, saying, They were wont to speak in former times" (ibid. 18) — you are not a man of Torah, and David is not a man of Torah, "and so they ended the matter" (ibid.) — on this account the words of Torah have ended. Is it not so written, "When you draw near to a city, etc." (Deuteronomy 20:10) — perhaps regarding war Scripture wrote? He said to her: "And who are you?" She said to him: "I am of the peaceable and faithful of Israel" (2 Samuel 20:19) — I am the one who completed the count of Israel in Egypt, I am the one who completed the faithful one to the faithful one, Joseph to Moses. Why do you seek to destroy a city, and moreover I am a mother in Israel — "why will you swallow up the inheritance of the LORD?" (ibid.). Immediately, "And Joab answered and said, Far be it, far be it" (ibid. 20) — two times. Rather, far be it from Joab and far be it from David, far be it from David and far be it from his kingdom. Rather, the matter is not so: "for a man of the hill country of Ephraim, Sheva son of Bichri by name, has lifted his hand against the king, against David" (ibid. 21). If against the king, why against David; and if against David, why against the king? Rabbi Azariah in the name of Rabbi Yehudah b'Rabbi Simon: To teach you that anyone who sets his face against the king is as though he set his face against the disciples of the sages — how much more so, for David was king of Israel and a disciple of the sages. Rabbi Yudan said: Anyone who is insolent toward the king is as though he is insolent toward the Shekhinah, as it is said, "he has lifted his hand against the king, against David" — "against the king," this is the King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He; and afterward "against David," this is David king of Israel. "And the woman said to Joab, Behold, his head shall be thrown to you" (ibid.). And from where did she know? Rather, she said: anyone who is insolent toward the kingdom of the house of David, his head is lifted from him from above. Immediately, "Then the woman went to all the people in her wisdom" (ibid. 22). And what was her wisdom? That she said to them: Have you not heard of Joab? Have you not heard of David? Which nation has stood against them, or which kingdom has stood before them? They said to her: And what does he want? She said to them: He wants a thousand men. Is it not better for you to give a thousand men than for your city to be destroyed? They said to her: Let each and every man give according to what he has. She said to them: I will go and appease him, perhaps he will let off a little. She made herself busy, went and came, and said to them: He wants five hundred men. Is it not better to give him five hundred men than for your city to be destroyed? They prepared for him five hundred men. She said: I will go and appease him, perhaps he will let off a little. She made herself busy, went and came, and said to them: He wants one man from you. They said to her: If it is good for the city, we will give him to him. She said to them: He is a stranger, and Sheva son of Bichri is his name. Immediately "all the people arose and cut off the head of Sheva son of Bichri and threw it to Joab, etc." (ibid.).