Midrash Tanchuma Reader

Another interpretation (of Genesis 28:12): "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder (sullam)." Rabbi Yose the Galilean said: He showed him Manasseh, who made an image (semel). [Another interpretation:] "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder." Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shimon ben (Yose) [Yochai] said: He showed him an altar, as it is stated, "An altar of earth [you shall make for Me... and you shall not go up by steps upon My altar]" (Exodus 20:24, 26). "And its top reached to the heavens" — this is the cloud of the incense. "And behold, angels of God" — these are the priests who stand upon the ramp of the altar and minister. Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta said: He showed him Korah, as it is stated, "And the earth opened its mouth" (Numbers 16:32). "And its top reached to the heavens" — He showed him Moses, as it is stated, "And to Moses He said: Come up to the LORD" (Exodus 24:1).

(Genesis 32:25:) "And Jacob was left alone." What is written above the matter? "And Jacob feared greatly, and he was distressed." When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw how Jacob was in anguish, Rabbi Berekhyah said: He sent four companies of angels to wage war with Esau all night. The first company came; it said to them, "To whom do you belong?" They said to him, "We are the children of Isaac," and they began striking him. He said to them, "We are of the children's children of Abraham"; they began striking him. When they said, "We are the brothers of Jacob," they began leaving them: "For the sake of the honor of Jacob we will leave you." This is "And Jacob was left alone." And Jacob did not know how many miracles the Holy One, blessed be He, had done with him. He did nothing; but when he came in the morning, Esau his brother said to him, "What is all this camp which I met?" (Genesis 33:8). It is not written here "which I saw," but rather "which I met." And Jacob did not know that the Holy One, blessed be He, had sent him angels; rather, he supposed that he was occupied with that present which he had sent him. Therefore he said to him, "to find favor in the eyes of my lord" (ibid.). And when the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that he was afraid, He sent him Michael to make strife with him. What did the angel do to him? He appeared to him in the likeness of a shepherd, as it is said, "And a man wrestled with him, etc.," "and he saw that he could not prevail against him, etc.," "and he said, Send me away, etc." (Genesis 32:25, 26, 27).

(Gen. 37:4:) AND HIS BROTHERS SAW THAT THEIR FATHER LOVED HIM MORE THAN ALL HIS BROTHERS, [AND THEY HATED HIM AND COULD NOT SPEAK TO HIM IN PEACE]. For he would come and ask after their welfare (shalom), and they would not answer him. Why? Because such was his custom, that he would ask after their welfare. You have a person who, before he has entered into office [asks after the welfare of people; but once he has entered into office], his spirit grows coarse upon him, and he does not take care to ask after the welfare of the people of the city. But Joseph was not so: even though he had entered into office, it was still his custom to ask after the welfare of his brothers, as it is said (Gen. 43:27), AND HE ASKED THEM CONCERNING THEIR WELFARE. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Joseph, you were the one who began to ask after the welfare of your brothers in this world, and they hated you; but in the world to come I will reconcile you and remove the hatred from among you, and I will settle you in tranquility and make peace among you. And thus said David (Ps. 133:1), BEHOLD, HOW GOOD AND HOW PLEASANT IT IS FOR BROTHERS TO DWELL TOGETHER.

Another interpretation (of Genesis 42:1): "And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, etc." Rabbi Joshua said: A great and aged man, sitting in his house and seeing what there was in Egypt. Scripture says (Ecclesiastes 7:19): "And wisdom strengthens the wise more than ten rulers, etc." This is Jacob, who was sitting and seeing what there was in Egypt, while his ten sons were coming in [and going out] and did not know.

Another interpretation: When Judah saw that Joseph would not be appeased, he began to say to his brothers, "[Why] are we standing here? From this one we will begin, and with Pharaoh we will finish." And they did not know that Joseph understood their language, as it is said, "And they did not know that Joseph was listening" (Genesis 42:23). When Joseph saw this, he began to speak to them with pleadings and with soft language. He said to them, "I do not wish to know anything except about this Benjamin: who gave him the counsel to steal the goblet? Perhaps it was you who gave him counsel to steal the goblet." When Benjamin heard this, he said, "They did not give me counsel, and I did not touch the goblet." He said to him, "Swear to me." He began to swear to him. And by what did he swear to him? By the separation of my brother Joseph from me: "I did not touch him, nor in the shooting of the arrows that were shot at him, as it is said, 'And the archers hated him' (Genesis 49:23); nor in the stripping with which they stripped him, as it is said, 'And they stripped Joseph of his tunic' (Genesis 37:23); nor in the throwing with which they threw him into the pit, as it is said, 'And they cast him into the pit' (Genesis 37:24); nor in the selling with which they sold him to the Ishmaelites; nor in the dipping with which they dipped his tunic in blood — that they did not give me counsel, and I did not touch the goblet." Joseph said, "Who will make known to me that you are swearing about your brothers truthfully?" He said to him, "From the names of my sons you can know how much I cherish him, for I brought forth their names according to what happened to him." He said to him, "And what are the names of your sons?" He said to him, "Bela, and Becher, and Ashbel, Gera, and Naaman, Ehi, and Rosh, Muppim, and Huppim, and Ard" (Genesis 46:21). He said to him, "Why Bela?" He said to him, "Because my brother was swallowed up (nivla) from me. And Becher, because he was the firstborn (bekhor) to my mother. And Ashbel, because my brother was taken captive (shenishbah). Gera, because he was a sojourner (ger) in lodging. Naaman, because his words were pleasant (ne'imim). Ehi, because he was my brother (ahi) from the same mother, and I have none but him. And Rosh, because he was greater than I. Muppim, because he learned Torah from the mouth (mi-pi) of our father and taught it to me — and all his brothers would return and shepherd, while he sat beside my father and learned from him the traditions which he had received from Shem and Eber. And Huppim, because he was covered over (shenithapeh) until this very day. Another interpretation of Huppim: because I did not see his wedding canopy (huppah) and he did not see my wedding canopy. Another interpretation of Huppim: because until now I am mourning for him and go barefoot (yahef). And Ard, because he brought down (horid) all of us here. Another interpretation of Ard: 'For I will go down (ered) to my son mourning, to Sheol' (Genesis 37:35). I beg of you, do not bring down my father in grief to Sheol." And likewise Judah said, "For how shall I go up to my father, [and the lad not be with me]" (Genesis 44:34). When Joseph heard this, he could not restrain his compassion, as it is said, "And Joseph could not restrain himself" (Genesis 45:1), "and he gave forth his voice in weeping" (Genesis 45:2), "and Joseph said to his brothers, 'I am Joseph'" (Genesis 45:3). When he said to them, "I am Joseph (your brother)," his brothers could not answer him, for they were terrified before him (Genesis 45:3). Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Simeon said in the name of Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah: If, in the case of Joseph, who said to his brothers, "I am Joseph," and they knew what they had done to him, they could not answer him — when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to contend with each and every one of the creatures and to tell him his deeds, as it is written, "For behold, He who forms the mountains and creates the wind and declares to a man what his thought is" (Amos 4:13) — how much more so will no creature be able to stand.

(Gen. 47:30:) "And I will lie down with my fathers." Jacob said to Joseph: If you do for me as I tell you, well and good; but if not, my soul shall depart from me. He said to him: I will do so for you. He said to him: "Swear to me"—(Gen. 47:31:) "and he swore to him." When he had passed away, what is written? (Gen. 50:12:) "And his sons did for him [thus], just as he had commanded them." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: In this world death does not let a person rejoice, but in the world to come, (Isa. 25:8:) "He will swallow up death forever," and so forth. When death is removed, what is written? (Isa. 65:19:) "And I will rejoice in Jerusalem and be glad in My people, and there shall no longer be heard in her the sound of weeping or the sound of crying out."

Another interpretation: "Who is this King of glory?" (Psalms 24:8, 10). Who is this King who has shared glory with those who fear Him? "The LORD of hosts" and so forth. How so? A king of flesh and blood—none may sit upon his throne; yet the Holy One, blessed be He, seated Solomon upon His throne, as it is said, "And Solomon sat upon the throne of the LORD" (I Chronicles 29:23). A king of flesh and blood—none may ride upon his horse; yet the Holy One, blessed be He, mounted Elijah upon His horse. And what is the horse of the Holy One, blessed be He? The whirlwind and the storm, as it is said, "The LORD, His way is in the whirlwind and in the storm" and so forth (Nahum 1:3). A king of flesh and blood—none may make use of his scepter; yet Moses made use of the scepter of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, "And Moses took the rod of God in his hand" (Exodus 4:20). A king of flesh and blood—none may wear his crown; yet the Holy One, blessed be He, gave crowns to the King Messiah, as it is said, "You set upon his head a crown of fine gold" (Psalms 21:4). A king of flesh and blood—none may wear his garment; yet Israel wore the garment of the Holy One, blessed be He, namely strength, as it is said, "Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the LORD" (Isaiah 51:9); and He gave it to Israel, as it is said, "The LORD will give strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11). A king of flesh and blood—none may be called by his title, such as Caesar Augustus or Basileus; and if a person calls another by one of them, he has no life. Know this for yourself, that no man calls his fellow "Augustus So-and-so." But the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Behold, I have made you like Myself—a god to Pharaoh, as it is said, "See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh" (Exodus 7:1). Thus, "Who is this King of glory?"—the One who shared His glory with those who fear Him.

Thus did Rabbi Tanchuma expound: "And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, 'This month shall be for you the beginning of months'" (Exodus 12:1-2). This is what Scripture says: "My beloved answered and said to me, 'Arise, my darling, my fair one, and come away. For behold, the winter is past'" (Song of Songs 2:10-11); "the blossoms have appeared in the land" (Song of Songs 2:12). "My beloved answered" — by the hand of Moses; "and said to me" — by the hand of Aaron. "Arise, my darling (ra'yati)" — daughter of Abraham, who befriended (ri'ah) Me in My world. "My fair one (yafati)" — daughter of Isaac, who beautified (yipah) Me in My world at the hour when his father bound him upon the altar. "And come away" — daughter of Jacob, who heeded his father and his mother [and went to Paddan-Aram] (Genesis 28:5). Rabbi Akiva says: "Arise" [and] "come away" are written [with the letter] yod, [whose numerical value is] ten — [in the merit of] the Ten Commandments that you are destined to receive at Sinai. "Arise, my darling, my fair one." Rabbi Yochanan said: "my darling (ra'yati)" — as it is written, "the one lamb you shall offer in the morning" (Exodus 29:39).

Another interpretation of (Exodus 13:17) "And it came to pass when Pharaoh let [the people] go": Who cried "Woe" (vav-yod)? The Canaanites [cried "Woe"]. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a small son, and who had an ousia (that is, an orchard). And he sought to go abroad, to a province across the sea. He said to a certain tenant-farmer that he should guard it, and that he should eat of its fruits, until his son should reach his maturity; and afterward he would give it to him. When the king's son grew up, he sought the ousia. Immediately the tenant-farmer began to cry "Woe." So too were Israel in Egypt, while the Canaanites were dwelling and guarding the Land of Israel and eating its fruits. When they heard that Israel had gone out from Egypt, they began to shriek "Woe." [Thus it says,] "And it came to pass when Pharaoh let [the people] go" (Exodus 13:17).

"In the third month, etc." (Exodus 19:1). This is what Scripture said: "Have I not written for you threefold things in counsels and knowledge, etc." (Proverbs 22:20). If you sought to take counsel, you should take it from the Torah. David said: When I wished to take counsel, I would take it from the Torah, as it is said: "In Your precepts I will meditate, etc." (Psalms 119:15). Ben Zoma says: What is written? "In the third month" — "on that day" is not written here, but rather "on this day" — as though on this very day they came to the wilderness of Sinai. Every day that you occupy yourself with the Torah, you should say: it is as though on this very day I received it from Sinai. And it says: "This day the LORD your God commands you to perform these statutes, etc." (Deuteronomy 26:16).

Another interpretation of "If you lend money" (Exodus 22:24). What is the difference between the act of a human being and the act of the Holy One, blessed be He? When a human being owes his fellow, [the lender] says to him, "Give me what I have in your hand." He says to him, "I have nothing now." Immediately they make a quarrel and humiliate one another. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. For thus you find: in the summer the day borrows from the night, until the solstice of Tammuz; and from the solstice of Tammuz until the solstice of Tevet the night borrows from the day. From where [do we know this]? David said, "Day unto day pours forth speech" (Psalms 19:3) — this one lends to that one, and that one lends to this one, and no person hears what is between them, as it is said, "There is no speech, there are no words" (Psalms 19:4). But human beings lend to one another and make a quarrel. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go, say to Israel: Even though you lend to one another, do not conduct yourselves in the manner of contempt.

(Exodus 26:7:) "AND YOU SHALL MAKE CURTAINS OF GOATS' HAIR," etc. This is what Scripture says (Malachi 1:2): "I HAVE LOVED YOU, SAYS THE LORD." Who spoke this verse? Malachi [spoke it]. When? At the time when he was rebuking Israel. Malachi said to them (Malachi 3:8): "WILL A MAN ROB GOD?" They answered him (ibid.): "IN WHAT HAVE WE ROBBED YOU?" Our Rabbis said: The generation of Malachi—he was rebuking them, and they were answering him back. He said to them, "WILL A MAN ROB GOD?" Rabbi Levi said: It is an Arabic expression. When an Arab comes to converse with his fellow, he says to him, "Are you robbing us? Are you defrauding us?"—"WILL A MAN ROB GOD?" And he said, "AND YOU SAY, 'IN WHAT HAVE WE ROBBED YOU?'—THE TITHE AND THE HEAVE-OFFERING" (ibid.), for they were not bringing it out as is fitting. He turned again and said to them (Malachi 1:2): "WAS NOT ESAU JACOB'S BROTHER?" yet you say, "IN WHAT HAVE YOU LOVED US?" (ibid.). In the way of the world, when a man has children, one a firstborn and one a younger, who takes the larger portion? The firstborn. Esau came out first, as it is said (Genesis 25:25): "AND THE FIRST CAME OUT RUDDY." He was fit to take two portions, yet I did not do so; rather, Jacob took two portions—this world and the world to come. So too Esau said to Jacob (Genesis 33:12): "LET US JOURNEY AND GO," etc.—let the two of us walk together in the world. Jacob said to him: Take your world and pass on, as it is said (Genesis 33:14): "LET MY LORD, I PRAY, PASS OVER BEFORE HIS SERVANT," etc., "UNTIL I COME TO MY LORD AT SEIR." Rabbi Jacob said: I went over all of Scripture [to see] whether Jacob went to Seir or whether he did not go, and I did not find [it]. And when does he go? In the time to come, as it is said (Obadiah 1:21): "AND SAVIORS SHALL GO UP ON MOUNT ZION," etc. Therefore, "AND I LOVED JACOB"—Jacob is a partner with Esau in this world, [but Esau is not] a partner with Jacob in the world to come. Solomon said (Proverbs 5:17): "LET THEM BE FOR YOU ALONE, AND NOT FOR STRANGERS WITH YOU."

(Exodus 29:1:) "And this is the thing which you shall do to them, etc." This is what Scripture says (Proverbs 3:35): "The wise shall inherit glory" — these are Israel; "but fools carry away shame" (ibid.) — these are the nations of the world. And when shall Israel inherit the glory? When they received the Torah from Sinai. Rabbi Yochanan said: Sixty myriads of ministering angels descended with the Holy One, blessed be He, to Sinai, and they placed crowns upon the head of each and every one of Israel. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: When Israel stood at Mount Sinai and said, "We will do and we will obey," immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, cherished them, and gave to each and every one of them two angels; and the one girded him with his weapon, and the other placed a crown upon his head. Rabbi Simon said: They clothed them in purple robes, as it is said (Ezekiel 16:10): "And I clothed you with embroidered garments." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: He gave them a weapon, and the Ineffable Name was engraved upon it. Thus, "The wise shall inherit glory" — these are Israel, who received the Torah; "but fools carry away shame" — these are the nations of the world, and the Holy One, blessed be He, makes shame for them. Rabbi Shmuel said: "The wise shall inherit glory" — these are David and Solomon, who built the Temple; "but fools carry away shame" — these are the nations of the world who destroyed it, and the Holy One, blessed be He, makes shame for them. Rabbi Nachman said: See what is written (Psalms 73:20): "O Lord, in the city You shall despise their image." Why "in the city"? Rather, the proverb says: In the place where the robber commits his robbery, there he is hanged. Therefore it is written "in the city."

"This they shall give" (Exodus 21:13). Rabbi Meir said: The Holy One, blessed be He, took something like a coin of fire from beneath the Throne of Glory and showed it to Moses, and He said to Moses, "This they shall give." Moses said, "Who can give such a thing?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Everyone who passed through the sea." A half-shekel.

(Exodus 37:1:) "And Bezalel made the Ark." This is what Scripture said (Psalms 119:130): "The opening of Your words gives light; it gives understanding to the simple." Rabbi Shimon [ben Yehotzadak] asked Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman, "Since you are a master of Aggadah, tell me, how did the Holy One, blessed be He, create the world?" He said to him: When the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to create the world, He wrapped Himself in light and created His world, as it is said (Psalms 104:2): "Wrapping Himself in light like a garment." Afterward (in the same verse): "spreading out the heavens like a curtain." Therefore, "the opening of Your words gives light," and so forth. Rabbi Yehudah said: To what is the matter comparable? To a king [who sought to build] himself a palace, and that place was dark. What did he do? He kindled the lamps, and afterward he built the palace. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, when He built the world, it was entirely darkness. What did He do? He wrapped Himself in light and created it. This is, "the opening of Your words gives light," and so forth. From the Holy One, blessed be He, the righteous learned that they should begin with light. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (Exodus 25:8): "And let them make Me a sanctuary," Moses told Bezalel to make a Tabernacle. With what did he begin first? The work of the Ark. (Exodus 37:1:) "And Bezalel made the Ark."

[(Exodus 39:33:) AND THEY BROUGHT THE TABERNACLE.] This is what Scripture says (Proverbs 31:25): "Strength and splendor are her clothing, and she shall laugh at the latter day." There was a case of Rabbi Abbahu. When he was departing from the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him the reward that was prepared for him in the world to come, and He passed before him thirteen rivers of balsam. And he was looking at them and was astonished, and he kept saying: Are all these for Abbahu? And he applied to himself the verse (Isaiah 49:4): "I have spent my strength for emptiness and vanity; yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God." [Thus: "and she shall laugh at the latter day."] Zavdi ben Levi, and Levi ben Paytam, and Rabbi Yehudah ben Levi—each one of them [recited] a verse at the time of his departure from the world. One recited (Psalms 32:6): "For this let every pious one pray to You..." And one recited (Psalms 31:20): "How abundant is Your goodness..." And one recited (Psalms 5:12): "And let all who take refuge in You rejoice..." Thus, at the time of their departure from the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, shows them the gift of their reward. Ben Azzai said (Psalms 116:15): "Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His pious ones." When does the Holy One, blessed be He, show the righteous the honor that is prepared for them? Close to their death. Thus: "and she shall laugh at the latter day..."

"And the sons of Aaron the priest shall put fire upon the altar, and they shall lay wood in order upon the fire" (Leviticus 1:7). All the trees are fit for the arrangement of wood, except for the vine and the olive. Why? Because they produce excellent fruit. From this you have learned that by virtue of the sons the fathers are honored.

[And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings (Leviticus 7:11).] When they would offer the sacrifice of peace offerings, the Holy One, blessed be He, would lift up His face to them, as it is said, "The Lord lift up His face unto you and grant you peace" (Numbers 6:26). Is it possible that the Holy One, blessed be He, lifts up a face to creatures? Two verses contradict one another. One verse says, "[For] [if] I desire the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11), and one verse says, "For the Lord desired to slay them" (1 Samuel 2:25). How does He not desire the death of the wicked? Rather, before their sentence is sealed He does not desire it; after the sentence is sealed, "the Lord desired to slay them." And so Daniel says, "But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth" (Daniel 10:21). Our Rabbis said: There was an incident with Rabbenu the Holy One, that he was passing through Simonia. All the people of the city went out to meet him. They asked of him one elder to teach them Torah. He gave them Rabbi Levi bar Sison. They said to him, "Rabbenu, what is the meaning of what is written in Daniel, 'But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth' (Daniel 10:21)? Is there then a false matter in the Torah, that it says 'truth'?" He found no answer to give them. Immediately he went out [from there and came] before Rabbi. He said to him, "I could not stand before them. They asked me one matter, and I found nothing to answer them." He said to him, "What is the matter?" He said to him, "'But I will tell you that which is inscribed in the writing of truth'—is there then a false matter in the Torah?" He said to him, "There was a great answer for you to give them." He said to him, "You should have said to them: When a person sins, the Holy One, blessed be He, inscribes death upon him. If he repents, the writing is annulled; if he does not repent, 'that which is inscribed in the writing of truth.'" So [here] too, one verse says, "The Lord lift up His face, etc." (Numbers 6:26), and one verse says, "Who does not lift up a face" (Deuteronomy 10:17). If He lifts up, why does He not lift up? Rather, to the nations of the world, "Who does not lift up a face," but to Israel, "The Lord lift up His face unto you." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Just as Israel lift up a face to Me, so I lift up a face to them. And how do they lift up a face to Me? A poor man of Israel has four children; he takes one loaf. They sit and eat all that loaf, and they are not satisfied from what is in it, yet they bless and say, "And you shall eat and be satisfied [and bless]" (Deuteronomy 8:10). So I too will lift up a face to them, "The Lord lift up His face unto you." Therefore it is said, "And this is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings" (Leviticus 7:11).

"And the Lord spoke to Aaron, [saying]: Drink no wine or strong drink" (Leviticus 10:8-9). Why was he commanded concerning wine? Because everyone who drinks wine, bruises and wounds and shame and disgrace come upon him. And the Holy Spirit cries out: "Who has woe? Who has sorrow? Who has contentions? Who has complaint? Who has wounds without cause? Who has redness of eyes? Those who tarry long over wine. Do not look at wine when it is red; its end is like a serpent that bites; your eyes will see strange things; and you will be like one who lies down in the heart of the sea: 'They struck me but I was not hurt'" (Proverbs 23:29-30-31-32-33-34-35). "Who has woe? Who has sorrow?" — [about whom do they say "Woe"? "Who has contentions"] — about whom do they say [that he is a master] of quarrels? ["Who has complaint"] — and about whom do they murmur? "Who has wounds without cause" — about whom [do they say] that there are bruises on his face? ["Who has redness of eyes"] — and about whom do they say that his eyes are murky and red from wine? About whom do they say all these evils? "Those who tarry long over wine." "Do not look at wine when it is red" — its end is blood. It is pleasant on the outside and bad on the inside; and do not say that it is beautiful within just as it [appears] on the outside. "For he sets his eye upon the cup" (Proverbs ibid. 31) — it is written "purse." The drunkard sets his eye upon the cup, and the shopkeeper sets his eye upon the purse.

"And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised" (Leviticus 12:3). It is not written here that one should lay out expenses. See how much Israel cherishes the commandments, how many expenses they lay out in order to keep them! The Holy One, blessed be He, said: You make the commandments joyful, so I too will add joy for you, as it is said, "Then the humble shall increase their joy in the LORD" (Isaiah 29:19). Turnus Rufus the Wicked asked Rabbi Akiva: Which works are more beautiful, those of the Holy One, blessed be He, or those of flesh and blood? He said to him: Those of flesh and blood are more beautiful. Turnus Rufus the Wicked said to him: Behold the heavens and the earth—are you able to make anything like them? Rabbi Akiva said to him: Do not speak to me of a matter that is above mortal creatures, over which they have no mastery, but rather of things that are found among human beings. He said to him: Why do you circumcise? He said to him: I knew that you were going to say this to me, and therefore I anticipated it and told you that the works of flesh and blood are more beautiful than those of the Holy One, blessed be He. Bring me ears of grain and fine loaves. [He said to him: These are the work of the Holy One, blessed be He, and these are the work of flesh and blood—are these not more beautiful? Bring me] stalks of flax and garments from Beth-shean. He said to him: These are the work of the Holy One, blessed be He, and these are the work of flesh and blood—are these not more beautiful? Turnus Rufus said to him: Since He desires circumcision, why does the infant not come out circumcised from his mother's womb? Rabbi Akiva said to him: And why does his umbilical cord come out with him—does not his mother cut his cord? And why does he not come out circumcised? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, gave Israel the commandments only in order to refine them through them. Therefore David said, "The word of the LORD is refined" (Psalms 18:31).

[(Leviticus 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER.] And so too you find regarding the primeval serpent: because he spoke slander against his Creator, therefore he was stricken with leprosy. And what did he say? Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said (Genesis 3:5): "For God knows that on the day you eat of it [your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil]." He said to her: Every craftsman hates his fellow. And when He wished to create His world, He ate from this tree and created His world. You too eat from it, and you will be able to create like Him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You have spoken slander; your end is to be stricken. As it is said (Genesis 3:14): "And the LORD God said to the serpent [Because you have done this, cursed are you above all cattle…]." With what did He curse him? With leprosy. And "cursing" (arirah) is nothing other than leprosy, as it is said (Leviticus 13:51): "for it is a malignant leprosy (tzara'at mam'eret)." Rabbi Huna of Sha'av said [in the name of] Rabbi Joshua ben Levi: The scales (that is, the colorings) that are upon the serpent are his leprosy. And not only that, but all who have blemishes will be healed in the World to Come, yet the serpent will not be healed, as it is said (Genesis 3:14): "Cursed are you above all the beasts." What is "above all"? That all will be healed, but he will not be healed. The children of Adam will be healed, as it is said (Isaiah 35:5-6): "[Then the lame will leap like a deer…] Then the eyes of the blind will be opened… [then the lame will leap like a deer…]." And concerning beast and cattle it is written (Isaiah 65:25): "The wolf and the lamb will graze as one." But the serpent has no healing, as it is said (ibid.): "and dust will be the serpent's food." Rabbi Helbo said: Even if he eats all the delicacies of the world, he tastes them only as dust. And so too in the time to come: "and dust will be the serpent's food," for he is never healed, because he brought the creatures down to the dust. And what caused this for him? Because he spoke slander. Therefore, "THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER." There are many laws (torot) in this book: "This is the law of the burnt offering" (Leviticus 6:2); [(Leviticus 7:1:) "This is the law of the guilt offering";] "This is the law of the sacrifice of peace offerings" (Leviticus 7:11). And here too I have set in order a law for the leper: "THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER."

In four places Scripture mentions the death of the sons of Aaron, and it mentions their offense. And why all this? To make known to you that there was nothing in their hand except that one sin alone. Rabbi Eleazar of Modi'in said: Go out and see how grievous is the death of the sons of Aaron before the Holy One, blessed be He, for in every place where He mentions their death, He mentions their offense. And why all this? So as not to give an opening of the mouth to those who come into the world to say, "They had corrupt deeds in secret, on account of which they died."

(Lev. 19:23:) "NOW WHEN YOU COME INTO THE LAND AND PLANT ANY TREE FOR FOOD, etc." This is what Scripture says (in Zech. 8:11-12): "AND NOW I WILL NOT BE TO THE REMNANT OF THIS PEOPLE AS IN THE FORMER DAYS, etc.; FOR THE SEED SHALL BE OF PEACE, THE VINE SHALL GIVE ITS FRUIT, AND THE LAND SHALL GIVE ITS PRODUCE, etc." What is the meaning of "NOT AS IN THE FORMER DAYS"? When Israel went out from Egypt and were walking in the wilderness, He brought down the manna for them, and made the quail fly to them, and raised up the well for them. And every tribe would make for itself a channel of water [and draw from the well], and bring it in beside itself. And [each and every one] would plant fig trees and vines and pomegranates, and they would produce fruit the same day, just as it was from the beginning of the creation of the world: "a fruit tree producing fruit after its kind" (Gen. 1:11). Had the children of man been worthy, it would have remained so until now: a man would plant a tree and it would produce fruit at once. When Adam sinned, the ground was cursed, as it is said: "Cursed is the ground for your sake" (Gen. 3:17); from then on, "in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life" (ibid.). One sows wheat and it sprouts thistles, as it is said: "thorns and thistles it shall sprout for you" (ibid. 3:18). When they went out from Egypt, [the Holy One, blessed be He,] raised up the well for them, and they would plant beside its waters, and the trees would produce fruit the same day. When the well was taken away, [the bounty was taken away.] What is written there? "Not a place of seed, or fig, or vine, or pomegranate" (Num. 20:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Say to Israel, when you enter the Land of Israel I will restore to you all the bounty, as it is said: "For the Lord your God is bringing you to a good land, etc., a land of wheat and barley and vines and figs and pomegranates, etc., a land in which not in scarcity, etc." (Deut. 8:7-9). When they came to the Land of Israel they began to sin, as it is said: "And you came and defiled My land, etc." (Jer. 2:7), and it did not produce fruit as was fitting; they would sow much and bring in little, as it is said: "You have sown much and brought in little" (Hag. 1:6). Why? Because they nullified the firstfruits. "Eating, but never enough" (ibid.) — from when the showbread was nullified. "Drinking, but never to satisfaction" (ibid.) — from when the libation of wine was nullified. "Clothing, [but] none is warm" (ibid.) — from when the garments of priesthood were nullified. "And he who earns wages earns wages for a bag with holes" (ibid.) — from when those who did charity were nullified. "There was no wage for man" (Zech. 8:10) — from when the pilgrims were nullified. "Nor any wage for the beast" (ibid.) — from when the offerings were nullified. But in the time to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will not do so, as it is said: "And now I will not be to the remnant of this people as in the former days, says the Lord of Hosts; for the seed shall be of peace, the vine shall give its fruit, and the land shall give its produce, and the heavens shall give their dew, and I will cause the remnant of this people to inherit all these things, etc." (Zech. 8:11-12).

"A bull or a sheep or a goat, when it is born, etc." (Leviticus 22:27). This is what Scripture says: "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains; Your judgments are like the great deep" (Psalms 36:7). These are the righteous, who are compared to mountains, as it is said: "Hear, O mountains, the dispute of the LORD, etc." (Micah 6:2). "And Your judgments are like the great deep" — these are the wicked, as it is said: "And He cast off Pharaoh and his host into the Sea of Reeds" (Psalms 136:15).

(Lev. 25:25:) WHEN YOUR BROTHER BECOMES POOR, etc. This is what Scripture says (Ps. 106:43): MANY TIMES HE DELIVERED THEM, etc., [AND THEY BECAME POOR THROUGH THEIR INIQUITY]. You find that in the days when the judges judged, Israel was serving idolatry, and they were enslaved into the hands of the nations of the world, as it is said (Judges 3:7): AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID EVIL, etc. And what did they do? (Judges 3:9:) AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL CRIED OUT TO THE LORD, AND THE LORD RAISED UP A SAVIOR FOR THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL [AND HE SAVED THEM], namely Othniel ben Kenaz. Immediately they repented and were redeemed. So too another time, [as it is said] (Judges 3:12): AND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AGAIN DID EVIL, AND THE LORD STRENGTHENED EGLON, etc. [Immediately they repented,] and He raised up for them a redeemer, Ehud [ben Gera, and they were redeemed through him]. And again they served idolatry, and they were sold into the hand of Sisera, as it is said (Judges 4:3): AND HE OPPRESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WITH MIGHT. What is the meaning of WITH MIGHT? R. Shimon ben Levi said: With revilings and with blasphemies, as you say (Mal. 3:13): YOUR WORDS HAVE BEEN MIGHTY AGAINST ME. Once they repented, He raised up for them as redeemers Deborah and Barak, [and they were redeemed through them]. Thus (Ps. 106:43): MANY TIMES HE DELIVERED THEM, etc., AND THEY BECAME POOR THROUGH THEIR INIQUITY. What is the meaning of AND THEY BECAME POOR THROUGH THEIR INIQUITY? That they became impoverished among the nations, as it is said (Judges 6:6): AND ISRAEL BECAME VERY IMPOVERISHED, etc. What is the meaning of AND ISRAEL BECAME IMPOVERISHED? R. Yitzchak and R. Levi: one said that they became impoverished of good deeds, and one said that they did not have enough even to bring a poor person's offering, as it is said (Lev. 14:21): AND IF HE IS POOR [AND HIS MEANS DO NOT SUFFICE, etc.]. Thus, AND THEY BECAME POOR, for they became impoverished.

Another interpretation of "When a person sets apart a vow, etc." (Leviticus 27:2). This is what Scripture says: "The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, [and the wise one acquires souls]" (Proverbs 11:30). This refers to the Torah, for because one is a child of Torah he learns how one acquires souls, as it is said, "the wise one acquires souls." And so you find with Jephthah the Gileadite: because he was not a child of Torah, he lost his daughter. When? At the time he fought with the children of Ammon and made a vow, as it is said, "And Jephthah vowed a vow to the LORD, and whatever comes forth, etc." (Judges 11:30-31). At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, was angry with him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Had there come forth from his house a dog, or a pig, or a camel, would he have offered it before Me? The Holy One, blessed be He, brought forth to him his daughter, as it is said, "And behold, his daughter came out to meet him, and it came to pass when he saw her" (Judges 11:34-35). But was not Phinehas there? And he said, "I cannot turn back" (ibid.). Rather, Phinehas said: I am a high priest, son of a high priest; shall I lower myself and go to a commoner? And Jephthah said: I am the head of the tribes of Israel, head of the officers; shall I lower myself and go to an ordinary man? Between the two of them that wretched woman perished, and both of them were held liable for her blood. From Phinehas the holy spirit departed; Jephthah's bones were scattered, as it is said, "And he was buried in the cities of Gilead" (Judges 12:7). His daughter said to him: My father, is it written in the Torah that they should offer up the souls of their children upon the altar? Is it not written, "[A person who brings near from you an offering to the LORD,] from the cattle, from the herd, and from the flock, etc." (Leviticus 1:2) - from the cattle and not from human beings? He said to her: My daughter, I made a vow, "and whatever comes forth, etc." (Judges 11:31). [She said to him:] Jacob our father, who vowed, "and of all that You give me I will surely tithe to You" (Genesis 28:22), and the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him twelve tribes - did he offer up one of them? [And moreover, did not Hannah, when she vowed and said, "and I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life" (1 Samuel 1:11), did she offer up her son to the Holy One, blessed be He?] All these things she said to him, but he did not listen to her. She said to him: Let me be, and let me go to the court of law; perhaps one of them will find an opening for your words, as it is said, "Let me alone for two months, [that I may go and go down upon the mountains]" (Judges 11:37). Rabbi Levi ben Berekhyah said: Is there a person who goes down upon the mountains? Surely one goes up upon the mountains! Rather, what is "and I will go down upon the mountains"? These are the Sanhedrin, as it is said, "Hear, O mountains, the LORD's case" (Micah 6:2). [She went to them, but they did not find an opening to release his vow. And concerning him Scripture says, "A poor man who oppresses the weak is a sweeping rain that leaves no bread" (Proverbs 28:3). "A poor man" - this is Jephthah, who was poor in Torah; he was a stump of a sycamore. "Who oppresses the weak" - for he oppressed the weak: when they would say, he said "Shibboleth" and the other said "Sibboleth" (Judges 12:6), and he slaughtered him. Therefore, "a sweeping rain that leaves no bread" - for he had one who could release his vow, but "no bread," for the Holy One, blessed be He, hid the halakhah from them so that they would not find an opening to release his vow. Since they did not find an opening to release his vow, he went up and slaughtered her before the Holy One, blessed be He. And the holy spirit cried out: Was it souls that I sought, that you should offer before Me - "which I did not command, nor speak, nor did it enter My mind" (Jeremiah 19:5)? "Which I did not command" Abraham to slaughter his son; rather I said to him, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad, etc." (Genesis 22:12) - in order to make known to you how Abraham did My will, for the nations of the world were saying: Why does the Holy One, blessed be He, cherish Abraham so much? Therefore He said to him, "Take now your son, etc." (Genesis 22:2). Thus "which I did not command" Abraham to slaughter his son, certainly; "nor speak" to Jephthah to offer up to Me his daughter; "nor did it enter My mind" that the king of Moab would fall into the hand of the king of Israel and offer up to Me his firstborn son, as it is said, "And he took his firstborn son who was to reign in his place and offered him up as a burnt offering upon the wall" (2 Kings 3:27).] What caused Jephthah to lose his daughter? Because he did not read in the Torah; for had he read in the Torah he would not have lost his daughter, as it is written, "When a person sets apart a vow, etc." (Leviticus 27:2), "and if it is a female" (Leviticus 27:4). Behold, "the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life."

Another interpretation (of Numbers 1:1): "And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai." Six names were given to it: Mountain of God, Mount Bashan, Mountain of Peaks (Gavnunim), Mountain of Desire (Ḥemed), Mount Horeb, Mount Sinai. "Mountain of God" — because God sat upon it in judgment, as it is said (Exodus 21:1): "And these are the ordinances which you shall set before them." "Mount Bashan" — the mountain where (sham) the Holy One came (ba). "Mountain of Peaks (Gavnunim)" — the mountain upon which He disqualified all the mountains. From where? Just as you say (Leviticus 21:20): "or a hunchback (gaven) or a dwarf." "Mountain of Desire" — for upon it the Holy One desired (ḥamad) to dwell, as it is said (Psalms 68:17): "The mountain which God desired for His dwelling." "Mount Horeb" — for upon it the sword (ḥerev) was unsheathed, as it is said (Leviticus 20:10): "The adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death," (and Numbers 35:16): "The murderer shall surely be put to death." "Mount Sinai" — for upon it the nations of the world became hateful (nisne'u) to the Holy One, and He gave them their sentence, as it is said (Isaiah 60:12): "And the nations shall be utterly destroyed (ḥarov yeḥeravu)." Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: "And the nations shall be destroyed from Horeb" — for they received their sentence there.

"Any man whose wife goes astray (tisteh)" (Numbers 5:12). Our Rabbis taught: Adulterers do not commit adultery until a spirit of folly (shetut) enters into them, as it is said, "Any man whose wife goes astray (tisteh)." We have learned this concerning the woman. Concerning the man, from where [do we know it]? As it is said, "One who commits adultery with a woman lacks sense (literally, lacks heart)" (Proverbs 6:32).

Another interpretation (of Numbers 8:2): "Toward the face of the menorah shall the seven lamps give light" — that you should not despise this menorah, as it is said (Zechariah 4:10): "For who has despised the day of small things? They shall rejoice and see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel — these seven." What is "seven"? These are the seven stars that roam through all the earth. "Shall the seven lamps give light" — these seven are likewise beloved before Him, that you should not despise them. Therefore it is said: "Toward the face of the menorah shall the seven lamps give light" — lest your evil inclination mislead you to say that He needs light. See what is written about light — about the windows of the Temple (Ezekiel 40:16, 25): "And the windows were closed toward the chambers [... like these windows]." It is not written "in windows" but "like the windows," for they were wide on the outside and narrow on the inside, so that they would send forth light to the outside. Rabbi Berekhiah the Priest [son of Rabbi] said: This lightning is an offspring of the fire that is above. When it goes forth, it makes the whole world shine, as it is said (Ezekiel 1:13): "And the likeness of the living creatures — [their appearance was like coals of fire, burning like the appearance of torches... and out of the fire went forth lightning]." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I do not need your light. [And why did I tell you to give it?] Only in order to lift you up.

Another interpretation of "Send for yourself." Even though the Holy One, blessed be He, said "Send for yourself," it was not the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, that they should go. Why? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, had already told them the praise of the Land of Israel, as it is said, "For the LORD your God brings you into a good land" (Deuteronomy 8:7); and likewise it says, "For the land into which you are entering to possess it, etc." (Deuteronomy 11:10); and even while they were still in Egypt He said to them, "And I have come down to deliver him, etc. [unto a good land, etc.]" (Exodus 3:8). Then what is "Send for yourself"? Rather, they themselves requested these things, for at the time they reached the borders, Moses said to them, "See, the LORD your God has set the land before you" (Deuteronomy 1:21). At that moment Israel drew near to Moses, as it is said, "And you all drew near to me and said, Let us send men, etc." (Deuteronomy 1:22). This is what Ezra said, "And they refused to listen, and were not mindful of Your wonders, etc." (Nehemiah 9:17). And it says, "And the ark of the covenant of the LORD traveled before them, etc., to seek out for them a resting place" (Numbers 10:33), yet they said, "Let us send men, etc.," only because they did not believe in His Torah. And likewise David said, "They did not believe in God, etc." (Psalms 78:22). Rabbi Yehoshua says: To what were they comparable? To a king who arranged for his son a beautiful wife, the daughter of good and wealthy parents. He said to him, "Behold, I have arranged for you a beautiful wife, the daughter of good and wealthy parents; there is none like her in all the world." The son said to him, "Let me go to see her," for he did not believe his father. Immediately the matter became hard and grievous to his father. His father said, "What shall I do? If I say to him, I will not show her to you, now he will say she was ugly, and that is why he did not want to show her." In the end he said to him, "Look at her, and you shall know that I did not deceive you; but because you did not believe me, by an oath, you shall not see her in your house. Rather, to your son I will give her." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "It is good," and they did not believe Him. They said, "Let us send men." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "If I hold them back, they will say the land is not good, that He did not show it to us." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Rather, let them see it; but by an oath, not one of them shall enter into it," as it is said, "If they shall see the land, etc." (Numbers 14:23), "rather, to their children I will give it."

(Numbers 16:1:) NOW KORACH BEN IZHAR BEN KOHATH BEN LEVI TOOK. But it is not written "ben Jacob" or "ben Israel." This is what Scripture says (Genesis 49:6): "LET NOT MY SOUL ENTER INTO THEIR COUNCIL" — these are the spies. "AND LET NOT MY GLORY BE UNITED WITH THEIR ASSEMBLY" (ibid.) — this is Korach. Jacob said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, let not my name be remembered in connection with the spies, nor in connection with the dissension of Korach — with those wicked ones who are destined to provoke anger. And when shall my name be joined together? When they unite themselves to stand upon the platform (as singers): (I Chronicles 6:22–23:) BEN ASIR BEN EBIASAPH BEN KORACH BEN IZHAR BEN KOHATH BEN LEVI BEN ISRAEL.

[(Psalms 12:7:) REFINED SEVENFOLD.] Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: The infants who lived in the days of David, before they had tasted the taste of sin, knew how to expound the Torah with forty-nine faces declaring a thing impure and forty-nine faces declaring it pure. And David would pray for them and say (Psalms 12:8): "You, O LORD, will keep them; You will guard him from this generation forever." "You, O LORD, will keep them" — guard their Torah in their hearts. "You will guard him from this generation forever" — [from a generation] that is worthy of destruction. And yet after all this praise, they would go out to war and fall, [because there were slanderers among them]. This is what David says (Psalms 57:5): "My soul is in the midst of lions; I lie down among those who are aflame, the children of man whose teeth are spears and arrows, and whose tongue is a sharp sword." "My soul is in the midst of lions" — these are Abner and Amasa, who were lions in the Torah. "I lie down among those who are aflame" — these are Doeg and Ahithophel, who were aflame after slander. "The children of man whose teeth are spears and arrows" — these are the men of Keilah, as it is said (1 Samuel 23:11): "Will the lords of Keilah surrender me?" "And whose tongue is a sharp sword" — these are the Ziphites, as it is said (Psalms 54:2): "When the Ziphites came and said to Saul: Is not David hiding himself among us?" At that hour David said (Psalms 57:6): "Be exalted above the heavens, O God" — remove Your Divine Presence from among them. But the generation of Ahab were all worshipers of idols, and because there were no slanderers among them, they would go out to war and win. This is what Obadiah said to Elijah (1 Kings 18:13): "Was it not told to my lord what I did... and I sustained them with bread and water?" If bread, why water? Rather, because the water was harder to bring them than the bread. And Elijah proclaimed on Mount Carmel and said (1 Kings 18:22): "I alone am left a prophet of the LORD." And all the people knew it, yet they did not make it known to the king.

(Numbers 22:7:) "So the elders of Moab and the elders of Midian went, with the tools of divination in their hand." For they carried in their hands all kinds of divining instruments through which they divine, so as not to give him a pretext <for refusing to come>. And the divining instruments were in the hand of the elders of Midian, for they said: If he comes with us, he will succeed; but if he delays <even> for an hour, there is no use in him. As soon as they saw that he said (in verse 8), "Lodge here tonight," the elders of Midian went away, for they knew through their divinations that there was no use in them.

(Numbers 27:1:) "Then the daughters of Zelophehad drew near." In that generation, the women were building fences where the men were breaking through. For so you find that Aaron said to them (in Exodus 32:2), "Take off the golden rings"; but the women were unwilling, and they protested against their husbands, as it is said (in the same place, verse 3), "And all the people took off the golden rings that were in their ears." So the women did not take part in the deed of the calf. Likewise, regarding the spies who spread an evil report and "made all the congregation murmur against him" (Numbers 14:36)—against them the decree was decreed, for they said, "We are not able to go up" (Numbers 13:31); but the women were not with them in that counsel. What is written above on this matter? "For the Lord had said of them, They shall surely die in the wilderness, and there was not left a man of them" (Numbers 26:65)—"a man," and not a woman, for they did not wish to enter the land. But the women drew near to seek an inheritance in the land. Therefore the portion of Midian was written next to this portion: that what the men broke through, the women fenced in.

(Numbers 32:1:) "Now the children of Reuben <and the children of Gad> had much livestock," etc. Let our master teach us: how many good gifts were created in the world? [Thus our masters taught: The Holy One, blessed be He, created three gifts in the world:] wisdom, strength, and wealth. If a person merits one of them, he has taken the delight of the whole world. When? At the time when they come from the Holy One, blessed be He, and come through the power of the Torah. But a person's strength and his wealth are nothing, for thus said Solomon: "Again I saw under the sun that the race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong, neither yet bread to the wise, nor yet riches to the discerning," etc., "for time and chance happen to them all" (Ecclesiastes 9:11). And so said Jeremiah: "Thus says the LORD: Let not the wise man boast in his wisdom, nor let the mighty man boast in his might, let not the rich man boast in his riches" (Jeremiah 9:22 [23]). And these gifts, since they do not come from the Holy One, blessed be He, in the end are cut off from him.

"When you come" (Numbers 34:2). This is what Scripture said (Jeremiah 2:31): "O generation, see the word of the LORD! Have I been a wilderness (ha-midbar) to Israel?" Do not read it "a wilderness," but rather: "Have I been one who speaks (ha-medabber)" — that is, did I speak a word (davar) to Israel and not perform it for Israel? The land that I made a condition to give to them — did I perhaps say that it was beautiful and so mislead them? "Or a land of thick darkness (ma'pelyah)?" (ibid.). What is ma'pelyah? Did I perhaps tell you that I would bring you into the land and then delay you? For ma'pelyah means nothing other than an expression of delay, as it is said (Exodus 9:32): "for they ripen late (afilot)." Behold, you are entering into its midst. "When you come into the land of Canaan" — a land of commerce, a land of trade, as you say (Isaiah 23:8): "whose merchants (Kena'aneha) are the honored of the earth."

Another interpretation (of Psalms 37:14): "The wicked have drawn the sword." This refers to Hanun ben Nahash. When his father died, David sent to console him. What did Hanun do? He took David's servants and made of them a paradeigmata (meaning: a mockery), as it is said, "And [Hanun] took David's servants [and shaved off half their beards, and cut off their garments in the middle, etc.]" (II Samuel 10:4). Immediately he sent to Aram-Naharaim and hired from them thirty-two thousand chariots, apart from the many troops that he had, "and they came and encamped before Medeba" (I Chronicles 19:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Wicked one, with the sword you have begun; let the sword come into the heart of that same man, as it is said, "Their sword shall enter into their own heart" (Psalms 37:15). Immediately Joab and Abishai arose and killed all the troops, as it is written, "And Joab drew near, etc." (II Samuel 10:13).

[(Ecclesiastes 12:1:) IN THE DAYS OF YOUR YOUTH.] Do not wait until you have grown old, [but rather repent] before the evil days come. Rabbi Isaac said: These are the days of old age, when a person says he will do a thing and cannot. And why are they called days of evil? Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai said a parable. To what is the matter comparable? To one who would sit by the road and rob those who passed to and fro. The king said to him, "Turn back from your way," but he did not turn back. When he had grown old, he said, "Now I will make peace with the king." They said to him, "The king holds no gratitude toward you." Why? Because you did not turn back of your own goodwill. Therefore [Scripture says]: REMEMBER [your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come].

Another interpretation of (Genesis 28:12) "And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder set upon the earth": Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah said: He showed him Elijah, as it is said (II Kings 2:11) "And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into the heavens." Another interpretation of "And he dreamed": Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai said: He showed him Sinai. This is a sign: samekh equals sixty, yod ten, nun fifty, yod ten — behold, one hundred and thirty; and "ladder" (sulam) is one hundred and thirty. It is said here "set upon the earth, and its top reaching to the heavens," and it is said concerning Sinai (Deuteronomy 4:11) "and the mountain burned with fire unto the heart of the heavens."

Another interpretation of (Exodus 1:8): "Now a new king arose over Egypt." He was the former Pharaoh. It is only that they said to him: "Come, let us join together against this nation." He said to them: "Until now we have been living off what is theirs, and are we to band together against them? Were it not for Joseph, those people would have had no means. And you would band together against them?" He did not listen to them. Immediately they brought him down from his throne for three months. When he saw that they had brought him down, he said to them: "In everything you say, I will obey you." Therefore (Scripture says): "Now a new king arose."