Midrash Tanchuma Reader

"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."

Rabbi Levi expounded the verse with reference to one who does not bring out his tithes as is fitting. For Rabbi Levi said: It once happened that a certain man would bring out his tithes as is fitting. He had one field, and it would produce a thousand measures every year, and he would bring out from it a hundred measures for his tithes; from the remainder he and the members of his household would sustain themselves. At the hour of his death he called his son. He said to him: My son, set your mind upon this field. Such and such measures it produces, and such and such do I bring out as tithe, and from it I have sustained myself all my days. The first year that son shepherded it, and it produced a thousand measures, and he brought out from it a hundred measures for the tithe. In the second year an evil eye entered into him, and he diminished his portion by ten, and it diminished its portion by a hundred. And so [the third], fourth, and fifth, until it stood at the level of its tithes. When his relatives and his friends saw, they put on white garments and wrapped themselves in white, and they came to him. He said to them: Why have you come, to rejoice over that man who has been brought low? He said to him: Heaven forbid! We have come only to rejoice with you. In times past you were the householder, and the Holy One, blessed be He, was the priest; but now the Holy One, blessed be He, has become the householder, and you are the priest. Therefore Moses warns Israel, "You shall surely tithe" (Deuteronomy 14:22).

"You shall not take a bribe" (Deuteronomy 16:19). Once a judge sets his heart upon the bribe, his eye is bent in judgment, and he is no longer able to judge the matter truthfully. Rabbi Eleazar said: Behold, it says, "The princes of Israel, every one according to his arm, were in you" (Ezekiel 22:6) — for they would stretch out their arms beneath their robes and take the bribe. Rabbi Abbahu said: Whoever takes from his fellow the worth of a perutah is called wicked, as it is said, "A bribe from the bosom [the wicked] takes" (Proverbs 17:23). Rabbi Ishmael ben Elisha said: Come and see how harsh bribery is. One time a certain man came and brought me the first of the fleece, and he had a case before the judge, and I was standing to one side. And I said: If he pleads before the judge thus and so, he will be acquitted in the judgment. And I was hoping for his acquittal — even though he had given me only what was mine, and it was not a bribe — and my heart drew near to him every time I saw him. And even though he went to the court, I would inquire about him, whether he was acquitted or not. This is to make known to you how harsh a bribe is, for it blinds the eyes. And these things are an argument from the lesser to the greater: if I, to whom he brought what was mine, and from what was mine I took, was hoping for his acquittal — one who takes a bribe, how much more so.

Rabbi Banna'ah opened <his discourse> (with Prov. 11:1): "Fraudulent scales are an abomination to the LORD..." If you see a generation whose measures are false, know that the empire is provoking that generation. What is the reason it is written, "Fraudulent scales are an abomination to the LORD..."? What is written after it (ibid. v. 2)? "When insolence comes, then comes disgrace."

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."

Another interpretation of (Song of Songs 2:10) "My darling (ra'yati)": this is the daughter of Abraham, who was My companion (re'i), as it is said (Isaiah 41:8), "the seed of Abraham who loved Me." "My fair one (yafati)" — by the merit of Isaac, who made Me beautiful (yippah) in My world when he stretched out his neck upon the altar. "And come away (u-lechi lach)" — by the merit of Jacob, to whom his mother said (Genesis 28:2), "Arise, go to Paddan-aram," and so forth. (Song of Songs 2:11) "For behold, the winter is past, [the rain is over and gone]." What is the meaning of "the winter" and "the rain"? Rather, the winter is six months, and there is no hardship within it except when the rain comes down.

Another interpretation: "The wise shall inherit glory" (Proverbs 3:35) — these are Moses and Aaron. "But fools carry away shame" (ibid.) — these are Dathan and Abiram. Why? When the manna came down for Israel, Moses said, "Let no one leave any of it over until morning" (Exodus 16:19), but they did not listen to Moses, [and certain men left some of it over until morning (Exodus 16:19-20). And who were these? They were Dathan and Abiram.] Rabbi Levi said: A garrison of worms went forth from within their tents.

R. Judah and R. Nehemiah disagreed. R. Judah says: Because they sinned at midday, they would give a half-shekel. And R. Nehemiah said: Because they sinned during six hours of the day, they would give a half-shekel, for it is made up of six grammata. R. Judah bar Nehemiah said in the name of R. Yohanan ben Zakkai: Because Israel transgressed the Ten Commandments, they would give ten gerahs. R. Berekhyah said in the name of Resh Lakish: You sold the firstborn of Rachel for twenty pieces of silver; therefore, every firstborn that you shall have, his redemption shall be five shekels of silver, as it is stated (Numbers 3:47): "You shall take five shekels each."

There is a story about a certain disciple of Rabbi Shimon who went outside the Land and came back wealthy. The disciples would look at him, and they wanted to go outside the Land. Rabbi Shimon knew, and he brought them out to a valley that lies before Meron, his city, and he prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, and the valley was filled with golden dinars. He said to them: Whoever wishes to take, let him take; only know that whoever takes now, it is from out of his portion of the World to Come that he takes, for the giving of its reward is not in this world, but in the World to Come. Thus (Proverbs 31:25): "And she shall laugh at the latter day."

(Lev. 2:5:) AND IF YOUR OFFERING IS A MEAL OFFERING ON A GRIDDLE…, and it is written (ibid. 2:7): AND IF YOUR OFFERING IS A MEAL OFFERING IN A PAN. What is the difference between a griddle (machavat) and a pan (marcheshet)? A pan has a cover, a griddle has no cover. A pan is deep and its products tremble (rocheshin); a griddle is flat and its products are firm. The cakes of the High Priest, their kneading and their rolling out are done within, and they override the Sabbath; their grinding and their sifting do not override the Sabbath. All the meal offerings come unleavened, except for the leaven that is in the thank offering and the two loaves, which come leavened. All the meal offerings are kneaded with lukewarm water, and one guards them so that they do not become leavened; and if its remnants became leavened, one transgresses a negative commandment, as it is said (Lev. 2:11): NO MEAL OFFERING WHICH YOU OFFER TO THE LORD SHALL BE MADE WITH LEAVEN.

Another interpretation of (Proverbs 23:31): "When it gives its eye to the cup." He sees his fellow drinking and says, "Mix [a cup] for me, and I will drink." And he drinks, and he befouls himself in excrement and in urine. "It goes down smoothly" (Proverbs 23:31). And his end is to sell all the belongings of his house and all his utensils of use, and he is left with no garment and with no household utensils of use, and with nothing. And so, from [having] everything, "it goes down smoothly."

Bar Kappara said in the name of Rabbi Yirmiyah bar Elazar: On account of four things the sons of Aaron died: for the drawing near, and for the offering, and for the strange fire, and for not taking counsel one from the other. For the drawing near, in that they entered into the innermost place. And for the offering, in that they offered an offering which they had not been commanded. And for the strange fire, in that they brought fire from the place of the cooking-stoves. And for not taking counsel one from the other.

Rabbi Hanina said: The eyes that are within you have both black and white within them; yet you do not see by way of the white, but only by way of the black. [And if your eyes, which have within them both black and white, and you see only by way of the black — then the Holy One, blessed be He, who is wholly light,] would He need light of your own?

"This is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance" (Numbers 34:2). What is the meaning of "to you"? To you it is fitting. A parable: like a king who had male and female slaves, and he would marry off his male slaves to (those of) another estate. The king arose and reflected in his mind. He said: The male slaves are mine, and the female slaves are mine; it is better that I marry off my male slaves to my own female slaves. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said: The land is Mine, as it is said, "For the land is Mine" (Leviticus 25:23); and it says, "The earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof" (Psalms 24:1). And Israel is Mine, as it is said, "For unto Me the children of Israel are servants" (Leviticus 25:55). It is better that I bequeath My land to My own servants, to My own people. Therefore it is said, "This is the land that shall fall to you as an inheritance."

Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai used to say: "And I will draw near to you for judgment, [and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those who swear falsely, and against those who oppress the wages of the hired worker, the widow, and the orphan, and who turn aside the sojourner]" (Malachi 3:5). Woe to us from the day of judgment! Woe to us from the day of rebuke! Scripture compared one who turns aside judgment to all the grave transgressions. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, warned: "You shall not turn aside [justice]" (Deuteronomy 16:19). Rabbi Chama bar Osha'ya said: A person who feels pain in his eye gives much money to a physician, [though] it is doubtful whether he is healed or doubtful whether he is not healed. But the one who takes a bribe corrupts judgment, and blinds his eyes, and causes exile for Israel, and brings famine into the world, as it is said: "Justice, justice you shall pursue, so that you may live and inherit [the land]" (Deuteronomy 16:20); and if not, you shall not inherit.

Another interpretation: A person whom the king loves, the king honors him with silver and gold and garments, and he makes him wealthy. And he goes out on a ship, and the wind comes and destroys the ship. Where now is the king's gift? Behold, he had honored him and enriched him! Could he possibly have saved him from the sea, and from the robbers? But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. Rather, He gives a gift to a person and guards him, as it is said, "The LORD bless you and keep you" (Numbers 6:24). He blessed Abraham and kept him, as it is said, "And the LORD had blessed Abraham in all things" (Genesis 24:1). He blessed Isaac and kept him, as it is said, "And God blessed Isaac his son" (Genesis 25:11). He blessed Jacob and kept him, as it is said, "And God appeared to Jacob again [...] and blessed him" (Genesis 35:9).

Another interpretation of (Psalms 37:15) "Their sword shall enter their own heart": These are the four kings, Amraphel and his companions, for until now there had been no war in the world. They came and opened with the sword, as it is said (Genesis 14:1), "And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel" — they began to make war. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You are wicked! You have opened with the sword. Let the sword enter the heart of those same men, as it is said (Psalms 37:15), "Their sword shall enter their own heart." Immediately Abraham rose up against them and killed them, as it is said (Genesis 14:15), "And he divided himself against them by night."

Another interpretation: "And behold, the angels of God" (Genesis 28:12) — this is Moses and Aaron, as it is said, "Then Moses and Aaron went up" (Exodus 24:9). "And behold, the LORD stood over it" (Genesis 28:13) — "And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19:20). "And He said: I am the LORD, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac" (Genesis 28:13) — and it is said at Sinai, "I am the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:1).

The prophet said (Hosea 5:7): "Against the LORD have they dealt treacherously, for they have begotten alien children" — for they would beget and not circumcise. (The verse continues:) "Now shall a month devour them" (ibid.). It is written ḥadash ("new"). Hence: "And there arose a new king who knew not Joseph" (Exodus 1:8). And he was not acquainted with Joseph, since it says, "who knew not Joseph." Rabbi Abbin the Levite, son of Rabbi, said: To what is the matter comparable? To one who threw stones at the icon of a king — that is, at his likeness (the governor's image). The king said: Take him and cut off his head; now he does such a thing to this one, tomorrow he will do it to me. So too Pharaoh: now he said, "who knew not Joseph"; tomorrow he said, "I know not the LORD" (Exodus 5:2).

There is a story about Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta, who came on the eve of the Sabbath and had nothing from which to eat. On the eve of the Sabbath, at nightfall, he went out beyond the city and prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He. Immediately a precious stone was given to him from heaven. He came in and gave it to the money-changer, and provided for the Sabbath, and he sat and ate on the Sabbath night. His wife said to him: From where are these things? He said to her: From that which the Holy One, blessed be He, provided. She said to him: If you do not tell me, I will not taste anything until you tell me. He said to her: Thus and so was the event—I prayed, and a precious stone was given to me from heaven, and these things are from it. She said to him: I will not taste anything until you tell me that you will return it after the Sabbath. He said to her: Why? She said to him: Tomorrow you will come, and your companions with you, and they will receive more, and you will receive less than them. Why? Because the reward of Torah is given only in the world to come, as it is said (Proverbs 31:25), "And she shall laugh at the latter day." When the Sabbath had departed, he arose and returned it, and immediately it was taken from him.

Another interpretation of It goes down smoothly (Proverbs 23:31): In the end he permits transgressions and makes them [as ownerless as that which is permitted]. He talks with a woman in the marketplace, defiles his mouth, and speaks evil words in his drunkenness, and he is not ashamed, because his mind has been unsettled, and he knows neither what he says nor what he does. In the end it bites like a serpent (Proverbs 23:32): This serpent bites a person and he does not feel it at the moment, but once he goes to his house the blow churns within him. In the end it bites like a serpent — certainly like a serpent. Just as, on account of the serpent, He cursed the ground, as it is said, Cursed is the ground because of you (Genesis 3:17), so too on account of wine a third of the world was cursed, as it is said, And Noah awoke from his wine [and he said: Cursed be Canaan] (Genesis 9:24-25). Thus, In the end it bites like a serpent. Your eyes will see strange things (Proverbs 23:33): See what wine causes to the one who drinks it — it caused him to serve idols, and it says, These also reel with wine and stagger with strong drink (Isaiah 28:7). What did they say? These are your gods, O Israel (Exodus 32:4), as it is said, And the people sat down to eat and to drink, and rose up to make sport (Exodus 32:6) — out of the wine they said, These are your gods, O Israel. And your heart will speak perverse things (Proverbs 23:33): for it causes four things — idolatry, sexual immorality, bloodshed, and evil speech. See how grave wine is, and it is written, And moreover, wine is treacherous (Habakkuk 2:5), and it is written, A scoffer, proud, insolent is his name (Proverbs 21:24). And "insolent" (zed) means nothing but idolatry, as it is said, You rebuke the cursed insolent ones (Psalms 119:21); and "insolent ones" (zedim) means nothing but sexual immorality, as it is said, O God, the insolent have risen against me (Psalms 86:14), and it says, Also keep Your servant from the insolent (Psalms 19:14). And he drinks and errs and sees the whole world as a ship, as it is said, And you will be like one who lies down in the heart of the sea (Proverbs 23:34). When he lies down they strike him and he does not feel it, as it is said, They struck me, but I was not hurt; they beat me, but I did not know it (Proverbs 23:35). And he does not know and is not ashamed, and he uncovers himself, and afterward he returns and seeks it [again], [as it is said], When shall I awake? I will seek it yet again (Proverbs 23:35).