Midrash Tanchuma Reader

R. Mani of Sha'av and R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi: For four reasons did the sons of Aaron die, and in connection with all of them death is written. Because they entered while drunk with wine, and it says, "Drink no wine nor strong drink, etc., that you die not" (Leviticus 10:9). And because they entered without washing hands and feet, and it says, "When they come into the Tent of Meeting, they shall wash with water, that they die not" (Exodus 30:20). And because they entered lacking garments. And what were they lacking? R. Levi said: They were lacking the robe, and death is written concerning it, as it is said, "And it shall be upon Aaron to minister, and its sound shall be heard, etc. [that he die not]" (ibid. 28:35). And because they had no sons, and death is written concerning it, as it is said, "And Nadab and Abihu died, etc., and they had no children" (Numbers 3:4). Abba Hanan says: Because they had no wives, and it is written, "And he shall make atonement for himself and for his household" (Leviticus 16:6). R. Levi said: They were very arrogant, and they would say, "Which woman is fit for us?" Many women sat as deserted ones, waiting for them, while they would say, "Our father's brother is king, our father is High Priest, our mother's brother is prince, and we are deputies of the priesthood—which woman is fit for us?" R. Menahma in the name of R. Joshua bar Hanina [said]: Concerning them it says, "Fire devoured their young men, and their maidens had no marriage song" (Psalms 78:63). Why did "fire devour their young men"? Because of "their maidens who had no marriage song." And further, from this: "And to Moses He said, Come up to the Lord, [you and Aaron, Nadab and Abihu]" (Exodus 24:1). This teaches that Moses and Aaron were walking first, and Nadab and Abihu walking after them, and they were saying, "When will these two old men die, so that we may exercise authority over the community in their place?" [R. Judan in the name of] R. Aybu said: With their mouths they said this to one another. R. Pinhas said: In their hearts they pondered it. R. Berekhyah said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "Boast not of tomorrow, etc." (Proverbs 27:1). Many young colts have died, and their hides have been spread out upon their mothers. And further, from this: "And upon the nobles of the children of Israel He laid not His hand" (Exodus 24:11)—from here that they were deserving of the laying on of a hand. R. Hosha'ya said: Did cakes (that is, loaves) go up with them to Sinai, that it says, "And they beheld God, etc." (ibid.)? Rather, they fed their eyes upon the Shekhinah, like a man who gazes at his fellow while eating and drinking. R. Yohanan said: There was actual eating [and drinking], as it is written, "In the light of the king's face is life" (Proverbs 16:15). R. Tanhuma said: It teaches that they made their hearts haughty, and stood upon their feet, and fed their eyes upon the Shekhinah. R. Joshua of Sikhnin in the name of R. Levi said: Moses did not feed his eyes upon the Shekhinah, as it is said, "And Moses hid his face, etc." (Exodus 3:6). And further, from this: "And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord" (Numbers 3:4). And did they die before the Lord? Rather, it teaches that it is grievous before the Omnipresent when the sons of the righteous depart [in their lifetimes].

Another interpretation (of Psalms 36:7): "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains." Just as the mountains are fit for sowing and produce fruit, so the righteous produce fruit, and do good for themselves and do good for others, as it is said, "Say of the righteous that it shall be well with him, for they shall eat the fruit of their deeds" (Isaiah 3:10). To what is the matter comparable? To a bell of gold whose clapper is of pearl. So too the righteous do good for themselves and do good for others. "And Your judgments are a great deep" (Psalms 36:7) — these are the wicked. Just as the deep cannot be sown and does not produce fruit, so the wicked have no good deeds in them, but rather they bring distress upon themselves and upon others.

Another interpretation: A person boards a ship, and a beast is with him. And if a storm arose upon the sea, what do they do? They cast the beast into the sea and keep the person alive, because they do not have mercy upon the beast as they have mercy upon the person. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. For just as He is merciful upon the person, so does He show mercy upon the beast. Know for yourself that this is so. For at the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to destroy His world in the generation of the Flood, at the time when they sinned, He weighed the human against the beast, as it is said: "And the LORD said: I will blot out [... from man unto beast]" (Genesis 6:7). And when He came to be reconciled, just as He was reconciled to the children of man and had mercy upon them, so did He have mercy upon the beast, from what we have read on the matter: "And God remembered Noah [... and all the cattle]" (Genesis 8:1).

Another interpretation (of Song of Songs 2:11): "For behold, the winter is past." These are the two hundred and ten years (RaDU) that our ancestors were in Egypt. "The rain is over and gone." These are the eighty-six years during which the servitude was made harsh upon Israel in Egypt, from the time Miriam was born. Therefore she was called by the name Miriam, on account of the bitterness (merur).

Another interpretation of (Proverbs 31:25): "Strength and splendor are her clothing." This is Moses, as it is said (Exodus 34:29): "And Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone." (Proverbs 31:25:) "And she laughs" — these are the scoffers of Israel, who were mocking behind Moses, saying: Is it possible that the Shekhinah should rest upon the handiwork of Moses? He did nothing; but as soon as the Holy One, blessed be He, told him to erect the Tabernacle, he began to laugh at them. (Proverbs 31:25:) "And she laughs at the last day." He said to them: Bring [the materials] so that we may erect the Tabernacle. Each one began loading up and coming to him.

Isaiah said: See how evil is the end of those who drink wine. Isaiah said (in Isaiah 5:11): "Woe to those who rise early in the morning to pursue strong drink, who tarry late into the evening while wine inflames them." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Since wine causes such things, it is only right that I command the priests that they should not be drinking wine while they minister before Me. Thus (Leviticus 10:9): "Drink no wine or strong drink."

Another interpretation of Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains (Psalms 36:7): Transpose the verse and expound it — “Your righteousness over Your judgments is like the mighty mountains over the great deep,” as it is said, Your right hand is full of righteousness (Psalms 48:11), and it is written, My hand takes hold of judgment (Deuteronomy 32:41). Just as these mountains press down upon the deep, so that it does not rise up and flood the world, so the deeds of the righteous suppress the calamities, so that they do not come into the world.

Another interpretation of "Justice, justice you shall pursue" (Isaiah... Deuteronomy 16:20): it says "justice" two times. This is a warning to the judges who try capital cases, that they should not cut off the judgment on the same day, but rather they should let the judgment lodge overnight, in the manner that they let it lodge overnight in Jerusalem, as it is said, "[I was full of justice;] righteousness would lodge in her" (Isaiah 1:21).

Another interpretation: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal it to Abraham? Rabbi Judah the Levite said: A parable. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had an orchard and gave it to his friend as a gift. After some days the king needed to cut beams from within it. The king said: Even though it was mine and I gave it to my friend, I will not cut them down until I take counsel with my friend. So too the Holy One, blessed be He: once He brought him up to the Land of Israel, He said to him, "Please lift up your eyes and look [northward and southward and eastward and westward]" (Genesis 13:14), and it is written, "[For] all the land which you see, [to you will I give it, and to your seed forever]" (Genesis 13:15). Therefore, when the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to destroy these five cities, He said: I will not destroy them except with the knowledge of Abraham. And if you should say that they were not part of the land of Canaan, see what is written: "And the border of the Canaanite was from Sidon [as you come to Gerar, unto Gaza]" (Genesis 10:19). Therefore He did not destroy them until He had taken counsel with Abraham, as it is said, "And the Lord said: Shall I hide from Abraham [what I am doing]?" (Genesis 18:17).

"The blossoms have appeared in the land" (Song of Songs 2:12) — these are the redeemers. "And the time of pruning has arrived" — the time has arrived for the foreskin to be pruned, as it is said, "The LORD is my strength and my pruning-song" (Exodus 15:2). The time has arrived for song to be made to Me. The time has arrived for the Torah to be given, of which it is written, "Your statutes have been my songs" (Psalms 119:54). "And the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land" (Song of Songs 2:12) — Rabbi Yochanan said: The voice of the turtledove, this is Moses, as it is said, "And Moses said, Thus says the LORD: About midnight I will go out into the midst of Egypt" (Exodus 11:4). "The fig tree has put forth its green figs" (Song of Songs 2:13) — these are the wicked of Israel who died during the three days of darkness. "And the vines in blossom give forth their fragrance" (ibid.) — these are the intermediate ones who repented and were accepted. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Why do you sit? "Arise" (Song of Songs 2:10) — the wicked have died and the intermediate ones have repented. "Arise" — in this month you are being redeemed.

Solomon said, "Do not be among those who imbibe wine" (Proverbs 23:20). Do not cause yourself to drink "seventy" (yayin, "wine," spelled yod-yod-nun, equals 70), and so come to face seventy of the Sanhedrin, and bring death upon yourself. See what is written: "If a man has a stubborn and rebellious son..., his father and his mother shall seize him..." (Deuteronomy 21:18–19). And the judgment is carried out upon him, and they stone him [all the men of his city with stones, and he dies]. Why? Because he is a glutton and a drunkard. And Solomon said, "Do not be among those who imbibe wine, among those who gorge themselves on meat" (Proverbs 23:20), so that you do not bring upon yourself stoning, the most severe of the executions.

Another interpretation (of Psalms 36:7 [6]): "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains." Just as these mountains have no end, so there is no end to the giving of the reward of the righteous in the time to come. "And Your judgments are a great deep." Just as the deep has no fathoming, so there is no fathoming to the punishment of the wicked in the time to come.

R. Judah HaLevi bar Shalom said: In the Hebrew tongue its name is yayin (wine), and in the Aramaic tongue its name is ḥamar. Ḥamar ( ") in gematria is two hundred and forty-eight ( "), corresponding to the limbs that are in a person. The wine enters into each and every limb, and the body grows slack and the mind is unsettled; the wine enters and knowledge goes out. And so taught R. Elazar HaKappar: Wine enters, which is seventy, and a secret goes out, which is seventy. Therefore the High Priest was commanded not to drink wine at the time of the service, so that his mind not be unsettled, for he guards the Torah (and guards the service) and the knowledge, as it is said, "The Torah of truth was in his mouth, and no iniquity was found on his lips" (Malachi 2:6); and it says, "For the lips of a priest guard knowledge" (ibid., 2:7). Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, commands Aaron, "Wine and strong drink you shall not drink" (Leviticus 10:9), [and not yourself alone, but "your sons with you"; and do not] think that perhaps I commanded you at first only for the past, at the time when the Temple is standing and you minister in it, as it is said, "when you come into the Tent of Meeting" (ibid.); [rather,] guard yourselves from wine forever as well, as it is said, "an eternal statute for your generations" (ibid.). Therefore guard yourselves from wine, for wine is a sign of a curse. Noah—what is written concerning him? "And he drank of the wine and became drunk" (Genesis 9:21). What is written? "And he said, Cursed be Canaan" (ibid., 9:25). Therefore, "Wine and strong drink you shall not drink."

Another interpretation: "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains" (literally: the mountains of God) (Psalms 36:7). Rabbi Ishmael and Rabbi Akiva (say). [Rabbi Ishmael says:] The righteous, who perform the Torah that was given from the mountains of God, [the Holy One, blessed be He, performs righteousness with them like the mighty mountains; but the wicked, who do not perform the Torah that was given from the mountains of God,] the Holy One, blessed be He, is exacting with them even unto the great deep. There are many lines of interpretation for this verse, but in order not to be wearisome (I stop here). [Rabbi Akiva says: With both these and those the Holy One, blessed be He, is exacting. He collects from the righteous the few evil deeds that they did in this world, in order to pay them a complete reward in the world to come; and He bestows ease upon the wicked and pays them for the few good deeds that they did in this world, in order to requite them in the world to come. Rabbi Meir says: He compared the righteous by their dwelling, and He compared the wicked by their dwelling. He compared the righteous by their dwelling, as it is said, "In a good pasture I will feed them, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be" (Ezekiel 34:14). And He compared the wicked by their dwelling, as it is said, "Thus says the Lord God: On the day when he went down to Sheol I caused mourning ('he'evalti'); I covered the deep over him" (Ezekiel 31:15) — it is written 'hovalti' ("I led"). Rabbi Yehudah bar Ami said: A parable. One does not make a cover for a vat of silver, nor of gold, nor of bronze, nor of iron, [nor of lead], but of earthenware, because it is a kind matched with its own kind. So said the Holy One, blessed be He: Gehinnom is darkness, as it is said, "Let their way be dark and slippery, with the angel of the Lord pursuing them" (Psalms 35:6); and the deep is darkness, as it is said, "and darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Genesis 1:2); and the wicked are darkness, as it is said, "and their deeds are in darkness, and they say, Who sees us, and who knows us?" (Isaiah 29:15). Let darkness come and cover darkness, as you say, "for it comes in vanity and goes in darkness, and its name shall be covered in darkness" (Ecclesiastes 6:4).]

(Continuing:) "And those who look <through the windows> grow dim" (Ecclesiastes 12:3) — these are the eyes. "And the doors to the street are shut" (Ecclesiastes 12:4) — these are the legs. Why? When a person grows old, he does not multiply his steps in the street, for his legs are gathered in from the street. "When the sound of the grinding is low" (ibid.) — because he has become sluggish over eating. "And he rises at the sound of the bird" (ibid.) — Rabbi Levi bar Rabbi Shalom said: Even when he hears the sound of a bird chirping, he supposes that perhaps they are robbers.

Another interpretation: "And one rises up at the voice of the bird" (Ecclesiastes 4). Just as the young of the bird lean toward their father, that he may come and put <food> into their mouths, so does he (the aged one) wait for someone to come and put <food> into his mouth. "And all the daughters of song are brought low" (Ecclesiastes 4) — these are the lips, for all the days that one is young his voice goes forth, but once he grows old they (the lips) become flabby, and his voice does not travel.

"And the grasshopper drags itself along" (Ecclesiastes 12:5) — these are one's feet, which become swollen. "And the caperberry fails" — even desire ceases. All these things come upon the old man. But Abraham, although it is written concerning him, "And Abraham was old" (Genesis 24:1), his desire did not cease, as it is said, "And Abraham again took a wife" (Genesis 25:1).

And the Lord said: Behold, man has become like one of us (Gen. 3:22). May our master teach us the punishment inflicted upon one who speaks evil? Thus do our masters teach us: One who speaks evil is punished more severely than one who does an evil act. The punishment inflicted upon our ancestors befell them only because of speaking evil, as it is said: You have put me to proof these ten times, and have not hearkened to My voice (Num. 14:22).

R. Mana of She’ar said in the name of R. Joshua the son of Levi: No man speaks evil until he denies the basic principle of faith (the Oneness of God), as it is said: Our tongue will we make mighty, our lips are with us: who is the Lord over us? (Ps. 12:5).

The rabbis said: Slander is considered so grievous a sin that death was imposed upon Adam because of it. The serpent appeared and told Adam and Eve: “God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be open,and ye shall be as God (Gen. 3:5). It was the fruit of this very tree that He ate when He created this world. Now, every craftsman hates a rival craftsman, but if you should eat of this tree, you too shall become divine.” They listened to him and thus brought death upon themselves and their descendants unto the end of all generations. Whence do we know this? We know it from the words Behold man (Gen. 3:22). The word Behold alludes only to death, as it is written: Behold, thy days approach that thou must die (Deut. 31:14).

And God spoke to Noah, saying: “Go forth from the ark” (Gen. 8:15). May our master instruct us whether one is permitted to place saliva upon an ailing eye on the Sabbath. R. Hiyya the son of Abba stated in the name of R. Levi: It is forbidden to place saliva on an ailing eye on the Sabbath, for that would be equivalent to healing on the Sabbath. Come and see that there is no ailment in all the world for which there is no cure. What is the cure for an act resulting from the evil inclination? Repentance.

R. Judah the son of R. Shalum explained in the name of R. Eleazar that three things abrogate a harsh decree: repentance, prayer, and charity. R. Yosé added: Changing one’s name and the performance of good deeds. The Holy One, blessed be He, had hoped that the generation of the flood would repent, but when they failed to do so, He exterminated all living beings. Only Noah survived in the ark. When the waters ceased to flow, and the time arrived for Noah to leave the ark, he declared: I entered at the bidding of the Holy One, blessed be He, when He told me, “Come, you and your household, into the ark,” and I shall not depart except at His bidding. Thereupon God revealed Himself unto Noah, as it is said: And God spoke to Noah, saying, “Go forth from the ark.”

"And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel" (Genesis 14:1). Let our master teach us: One who writes over all his property to his slave as a gift, does he go free? Thus our Rabbis taught: One who writes over all his property to his slave, he goes free; but if he reserved any land whatsoever, he does not go free. Rabbi Shimon says: He is in any case a freeman, unless the master says, "All my property is given to so-and-so my slave except for one item among them." There was an incident concerning a certain man who went to a country across the sea, and he had one son sitting and occupying himself with Torah in the Land of Israel. When the time of his death drew near, he wrote over all his property as a gift to his slave, and he wrote for his son that he might choose for himself one item out of all his property that he had given as a gift to his slave. When he died, the slave gathered up all the wealth and took it together with the deed of gift and came to the Land of Israel and said to the son: Your father has died, and he has written me a will of all his property, on condition only that you choose for yourself one item out of all of it. What did the son do? He went to his teacher and recounted the matter to him. His teacher said to him: Your father was a great sage and expert in the laws. He said: If I leave all my property in the hand of my slave, he will steal it and lose it; rather, I will write it over to him as a gift, so that he will be careful with it, and let my son choose for himself one item out of all of it. Now, when you go with him to the court and he produces that will, say before the court: My masters, thus my father commanded, that I choose for myself one item out of all; I desire nothing in the world except this slave. Then you will acquire the property and the slave. He did so. The court delivered into his hand the property and the slave, for a slave who acquired property, the slave and the property belong to his master. And Solomon said (Ecclesiastes 2:26), "For to the man who is good before him he has given wisdom and knowledge," this is the father; "and to the sinner he has given the task of gathering and amassing," this is the slave; "to give to the one who is good before God," this is the son. Since the Holy One, blessed be He, preserves the wealth of the wicked for the righteous. Thus said the Holy One, blessed be He: Behold, I will set strife among the kings, so that Abraham may come and take their wealth. From where do we know this? From what they read in the matter of "And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel." They made war against Bera, who was wicked (ra) toward Heaven and toward creatures. Birsha, who became wicked (rasha). Shinab, who hated (sone) the Father (av) who is in Heaven. Shemeber, who said, "I will ascend on a wing (ever) upon the heights of the cloud." [The kings' names are expounded as words describing their wickedness.] "All these joined together at the Valley of Siddim" (Genesis 14:3), which used to suckle them just as breasts (shadayim) suckle an infant. "That is the Salt Sea" (Genesis 14:3), for through their iniquity that valley became salt waters. And likewise it says: "A fruitful land into a salt waste" (Psalms 107:34). Why? "Because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it" (Psalms 107:34). "And they turned back and came to En-mishpat" (Genesis 14:7) [literally, "the spring of judgment"]. May the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, be blessed, of whom it is written, "Declaring the end from the beginning" (Isaiah 46:10): because Moses was destined to receive his judgment at Kadesh through the waters, therefore it was called beforehand En-mishpat. "And they smote all the country of the Amalekites" (Genesis 14:7), although Amalek was born only many generations later.

"And the two angels came to Sodom" (Genesis 19:1). What is written above this matter? "And Abraham drew near and said: Will You indeed sweep away?" Rabbi Pinchas the priest bar Chama said: The Holy One, blessed be He, does not desire to condemn any creature, as it is said: "For I do not desire the death of him who dies" (Ezekiel 18:32). And likewise He says: "For You are not a God who delights in wickedness" (Psalms 5:5). And He says: "As I live, says the Lord GOD, I do not desire the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11). And what does He desire? To justify His creatures, as it is said: "The LORD desires, for the sake of His righteousness" (Isaiah 42:21). Know this, that at the time the creatures sin and provoke Him, and He is angry with them, what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He goes back and seeks an advocate for them to plead their merit, and He provides a path before the advocate. And likewise you find in the days of Jeremiah, who said: "Roam about the streets of Jerusalem and look now and know, and seek in its broad places, if you can find a man, if there is one who does justice, who seeks faithfulness, and I will pardon her" (Jeremiah 5:1). And likewise when the Sodomites sinned, He revealed it to Abraham so that he would plead their merit, as it is said: "And the LORD said: Shall I hide?" Immediately Abraham began to plead advocacy on their behalf, as it is said: "And Abraham drew near and said: Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" And "drawing near" refers only to prayer, as it is said: "And it came to pass at the offering of the afternoon sacrifice that Elijah the prophet drew near and said: O LORD, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, etc." (I Kings 18:36). "Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked?" What is its meaning? He said to Him: It is a harsh thing. Does a being of flesh and blood sweep away [indiscriminately]? Perhaps You too will thus sweep away the righteous with the wicked? Just as You judge the wicked, so You judge the righteous? "The blameless and the wicked You destroy?" "Far be it (chalilah) from You to do." It is written "chalalah," as you say: "A whore or a profaned woman (chalalah)" (Leviticus 21:7). Is it not profane (chol) for You? Thus did You do to the generation of the Flood and to the generation of the Dispersion? I am astonished. This is not Your way. "From doing this thing" is not said here, but rather "like this thing" (cf. Genesis 18:25): neither this nor anything like it. "Shall the Judge of all the earth not do justice?" "Perhaps there are fifty, etc." And the LORD said: "If I find in Sodom." He opened and went down from fifty to ten, for ten have power to end the calamity. Since He did not find [them], "And the LORD went His way when He had finished, etc." What is written afterward? "And the two angels came to Sodom." See the humility of the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Berekhiah said: It is the way of the world that when two people are standing and conversing and one of them wishes to take leave of the other, the lesser one takes permission from the greater. And the Holy One, blessed be He, when He spoke with Abraham and wished to take leave of him, as it were He took permission from Abraham, as it is said: "And the LORD went His way." When? "When He had finished speaking," and afterward, "And Abraham returned to his place" (Genesis 18:33). Immediately, "And the two angels came to Sodom in the evening." And where did the third go? Is it not written, "And he lifted up his eyes and looked, and behold, three men" (Genesis 18:2)? Rather, it comes to teach you that the three of them were sent on three missions. The one came to bring tidings to Sarah, and he said to her: "I will surely return to you at this season next year, and behold, Sarah your wife shall have a son" (Genesis 18:10). He performed his mission and departed. The second went to overturn Sodom, as it is said: "And he said to him: Behold, I have granted you favor concerning this matter also, etc." (Genesis 19:21). "We have granted you favor, we overturn" is not said here. And one came to deliver Lot from the midst of the overthrow, and each and every one performed his mission and departed.

And Abraham took another wife (Gen. 25:1). What is written previously concerning this matter? And Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent (Gen. 24:67). You learn from this that if a man’s wife should die, leaving him sons, he should not remarry until his sons are betrothed. Only then should he remarry. Abraham did so. After Sarah’s death, he first betrothed Isaac and then took a wife for himself. Where do we learn this? It is written: Isaac brought her into his mother Sarah’s tent, and after: Abraham took another wife. Isaac said to himself: “I have taken a wife, but my father is without a wife.” What did Isaac do? He went and bought him (Abraham) a wife. Rabbi said: Hagar and Keturah were one and the same person. Why then was she called Keturah? Because she had been bound up (keshurah) like a water bag.

Our sages, however, maintained that she was actually a different wife. Rabbi insisted: Hagar and Keturah were one and the same person, since it is written about Isaac: And Isaac came from the way of Beer-lahai-roi (Gen. 24:62); that is, from the well of which it is written: And she called the name of the Lord that spoke to her, Thou art a God of seeing (ibid. 16:13). From this you learn that she must have been Hagar.

Another comment on why she was called Keturah: Her deeds were as pleasant as the fragrance of incense (ketar). And she bore him Zimran, and Jokshan, and Medan, etc. (ibid. 25:2). Therefore Scripture says: Though thy beginning was small, yet thy end shall greatly increase (Job 8:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, proclaimed: The righteous beget good and wicked sons in this world, but in the world-to-come all of them shall be righteous and shall inherit the land forever (Isa. 60:2). And it says also: The smallest shall become a thousand, and the least a mighty nation; I, the Lord, will hasten it in its time (ibid., v. 22). And so may it be.

And it came to pass that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim (Gen. 27:1). Scripture states elsewhere: A gift (bribe) is as a precious stone in the eyes of him that hath it; whithersoever he turneth, he prospereth (Prov. 17:8). What may the gift (mentioned in this verse) be compared to? To a precious stone which shatters whenever it falls. This verse aptly refers to Isaac, for it is said: Now Isaac loved Esau because he did eat of his venison (lit. the game was in his mouth) (Gen. 25:28). What is the meaning of the game was in his mouth? It means that Esau ensnared the righteous Isaac with the words he spoke. You find that Esau committed every sin which the Holy One, blessed be He, detests; There are six things which the Lord hateth, yea, seven which are an abomination unto Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood; a heart that deviseth wicked thoughts, feet that are swift in running to evil; a false witness that breatheth out lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren (Prov. 6:16–19). Whenever Esau entered the house, he would ask his father: “My father, is one obliged to tithe for salt?” Isaac would exclaim in amazement: “Observe, how scrupulous this son of mine is concerning the commandments!” And when his father would ask him: “Where were you today, my son?” “At the house of study,” the youth would reply and he would add: “Is this not the law under certain circumstances; are not these things prohibited and these permitted?” By such remarks, he entraped his father with his mouth. That is why he loved him. Thereupon, the Holy Spirit exclaimed: When he speaketh fair believe him not; for there are seven abominations in his heart (ibid. 26:25). Why did Isaac’s eyes become weak? They became weak because he beheld the countenance of the wicked Esau; also because he ate the venison he brought him, as it is said: For the gift blinded them that hath sight (Exod. 23:8).

And his eyes were dim (Gen. 27:1). And when Esau was forty years old, he took to wife Judith the daughter of Be’eri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite. And they were a bitterness of spirit unto Isaac and to Rebecca (Gen. 26:34–35), and this is followed by the verse And his eyes were dim. Hence, they must have become dim because of his unhappiness.

Though the Shekhinah hovered over Isaac’s home, Esau had married Canaanite women who sacrificed and burned incense before idols. The Shekhinah, thereupon, departed from Isaac’s home. When Isaac beheld what was transpiring within his home, he was sorely distressed. And so the Holy One, blessed be He, said (to Himself): I will dim his sight so that he may no longer see what is transpiring and become even more disturbed. Therefore, And his eyes were dim.

If this was so, why did not Rebecca’s sight become weak? R. Abahu stated: This may be compared to a person carrying utensils made of bone and earthenware. If he should strike the bone utensils against each other, they do not shatter, but if he should strike the bone and earthenware utensils against each other, the earthenware utensils will crumble. Similarly, when Rebecca and Esau’s wives, who like herself were made of bone, came into contact with each other, she was unaffected by them, but Isaac, who was made of the dust of the earth, as it is said: And God created man from the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7), was quickly affected. Hence, His eyes were dim.

And his eyes were dim. Why did his vision become impaired? The Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that Isaac would desire to bless Esau, and He decreed, therefore, that his sight should become weak so that when Jacob approached him for the blessing, Isaac would not realize that he was conferring the blessing upon Jacob. David proclaimed: Many things hast Thou done, O Lord, my God, even Thy wondrous works and Thy thoughts toward us. There is none to be compared unto Thee (Ps. 40:6). That is, all Thy wondrous works and Thy thoughts toward us are in our behalf.

He called Esau his greater son (Gen. 27:1). Why did he call him his greater son? To teach us that one must flatter wicked men when they are in power. Isaac foresaw that Esau’s descendants would dominate the world, and therefore he called him his greater son. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: Inasmuch as Esau is now in control you must flatter him, for My kingdom is not yet firmly established, but in the future, when My kingdom is firmly established, I will call him to account, as is said: And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau at that time, and the kingdom shall be the Lord’s (Obad. 21).

And God remembered Rachel (Gen. 30:22). May our master teach us whether a man may recite the prayer “May it be Your will that my wife give birth to a son” if she is already pregnant. Our masters teach us: The man who prays “May it be Your will that my wife give birth to a son” when she has already conceived is uttering a vain prayer (and is taking the Lord’s name in vain).

R. Huna, however, maintained in the name of R. Yosé: Though we have been taught that the husband of a pregnant woman who prays “May it be Thy will that my wife bear a son” is uttering a vain prayer, this is not so. In fact, he may pray for the birth of a son even as she commences labor, for it is not difficult for the Holy One, blessed be He, to convert females into males and males into females. He quoted a verse from Jeremiah to support this statement: Then I went down to the potter’s house, and behold, he was at his work on the wheels. And whensoever the vessel he made of the clay was marred in the hand of the potter, he made it again another vessel, as it seemed good to the potter to make it (Jer. 18:3–4). And did not the Holy One, blessed be He, say to Jeremiah: O house of Israel, cannot I do with you as this potter? (ibid., v. 6).

You find that this happened to Leah. After she had given birth to six sons, she foresaw in a dream that Jacob would ultimately have twelve sons. Since she had already given birth to six sons, and was pregnant with her seventh child, and the two handmaidens had each borne two sons, making ten sons in all, Leah arose and pleaded with the Holy One, saying: Master of the Universe, twelve tribes are to descend from Jacob, and since I have already given birth to six sons, and am pregnant with a seventh child, and each of the handmaidens has born two sons, which accounts for ten sons, if the child within me is a male, my sister will not bear even as many sons as the handmaidens. The Holy One, blessed be He, hearkened to her prayer and converted the fetus in her womb into a female, as it is said: And afterwards she bore a daughter and called her Dinah (Gen. 30:21). The masculine form of afterwards is written in this verse, and not the feminine form (thus signifying that the fetus was originally that of a male child).

Why did Leah call her Dinah? Because the righteous Leah had pleaded for justice (din) before the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her: You are merciful, and so I shall be merciful to her. Forthwith, And God remembered Rachel.

And God said unto Jacob: “Arise, go up to Beth-El” (Gen. 35:1). May our master teach us: How many times is a man’s “account book” open? Thus did our masters teach us: A man’s account book is opened three times: when he journeys alone upon a highway; when he resides in a dilapidated house; when he vows and fails to fulfill. R. Aha the son of Jacob deduced the first statement from the biblical verse If harm befall him by the way (Gen. 42:3). R. Eliezer the son of R. Yosé the Galilean stated: If you should discover that a righteous man is setting out on a journey, leave even three days earlier or three days later in order to travel with him. But if you should see a wicked man setting out on a journey, leave three days earlier or three days later in order not to go with him, as it is said: Set thou a wicked man over him; and let an adversary stand at his right hand (Ps. 109:6). A righteous man, however, is accompanied by angels of peace, as it is said: For He will give his angels charge over thee (ibid. 91:11).

The opinion that Satan denounces any man who dwells in a dilapidated house, and that his account book is opened when he does so, is derived from the Mishnah. How do we know about the man who vows and does not pay? It is written in Scripture: When thou shall vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it (Deut. 23:22), and it is written elsewhere: It is a snare to a man rashly to say: “Holy,” and after vows to make inquiry (Prov. 20:25). The words after vows to make inquiry signify that a man’s account book is opened and that angels testify against him by enumerating his sins. R. Samuel the son of Nahman stated: Everyone who borrows and fails to repay brings about the death of his wife, as it is said: If thou hast not wherewith to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? (ibid. 22:27). Moses warned Israel about this, as is written: When thou shalt vow a vow unto the Lord thy God, thou shalt not be slack to pay it; for the Lord thy God will surely require it of thee (Deut. 23:22). Why is the word require repeated in this verse (i.e., written in the intensive form, darash yidreshenu)? It teaches us that He will require (i.e. inquire) of him with regard to what he has borrowed, and He will (also) require concerning his other sins, as it says: And after vows to make inquiry (Prov. 20:25).

R. Yannai asserted: The account book of the man who makes a vow which he fails to fulfill is examined in the presence of the Holy One, blessed be He. He asks: Where is that person who made a vow on a certain day? Observe that it is written concerning the time that Jacob went to Aram-naharaim: And Jacob vowed a vow, saying: “If God be with me” (Gen. 28:20). At first He granted his every request. He went there and became wealthy, but when he returned without fulfilling his vow, He turned Esau against him, and Esau sought to kill him. And though Esau took the two hundred she-goats from him, Jacob did not trouble to perform his vow. Whereupon He turned the angel against him and they wrestled together, but still he did not take note, as it is said: And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him (ibid. 32:26). It was Samael, Esau’s guardian angel, who wanted to kill him, as is said: When he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh (ibid., v. 27). When he still was not persuaded to fulfill his vow, the anguish occasioned by Dinah’s experience befell him, as is said: And Dinah went out. When he continued to refrain from carrying out his vow, the tragedy of Rachel’s death occurred, as it is said And Rachel died and was buried (ibid. 35:19). This confirms the opinion of R. Samuel the son of Nahman that one who vows and fails to fulfill his vow brings about the death of his wife, as it is said: If thou hast not wherewith to pay, why should he take away thy bed from under thee? (Prov. 22:27).

The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: How long shall this righteous man continue to be punished without comprehending the sin for which he is being afflicted? Indeed, I will inform him. And it is written: God said unto Jacob: “Arise, go up to Beth-El, and dwell there” (Gen. 35:1). R. Aibu said: When your sieve is clogged, strike it. The Holy One, blessed be He, told him: These trials have befallen you only because you have not fulfilled your vow. If you do not wish to experience other afflictions, Arise, go up to Beth-El, dwell there, and erect an altar, at the very place at which you made your vow. I am the God of Beth-El, where thou didst anoint a pillar, where thou didst vow a vow unto Me (ibid. 31:13). R. Abba the son of Kahana stated: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob: When a man has problems he will make a vow, but when he is enjoying ease and comfort he will quickly disregard his vow. When you were in difficulty you made a vow, but after you attained security you forgot it. Then Jacob said unto his household, and to all that were with him: “Let us arise, and go up to Beth-El” (ibid. 35:2–3).

What did he say when he made his vow? If God will be with me (ibid. 28:20); that is, so that I shall not go astray after idolatry; and will keep me (ibid.), from committing acts of lewdness; in this way (ibid.), from being guilty of spilling blood. Because he delayed fulfilling his vow, he was smitten by all three. How do we know about idolatry? It is written: Put away the strange gods (ibid. 35:2). We know about lewdness from the episode of Dinah, and about bloodshed from the fact that they killed all the males. This teaches us that procrastination in the fulfillment of a vow is the most serious of all three. Because he neglected to fulfill his vow he experienced all three.

Better is it that thou shouldst not vow, than that thou shouldst vow and not pay (Eccles. 5:4). R. Meir maintained: Better than either of these is that one should not vow at all. A man should bring his lamb to the Temple court and sacrifice it instead. R. Judah was of the opinion that to make a vow and fulfill it was preferable to the other two, since it is said: Vow, and pay unto the Lord your God (Ps. 76:12). He who makes a vow and performs it is rewarded both for the vow and its fulfillment.

R. Huna said: It is told that a certain man made a vow which he failed to keep, and as a result, when he set out to cross the sea, the ship he was sailing in sank and he perished. R. Ammi explained: Anyone who fails to keep a vow that he has made is responsible for his own death, as it is said: The Lord thy God will surely require it of thee (Deut. 23:22). That is, the Holy One, blessed be He, will exact retribution from that person and not from his possessions. Ben Sira taught: Before you make a vow, consider that vow carefully lest you go astray. Suffer not thy mouth to bring thy flesh into guilt, neither say thou before the messenger, that it was an error; wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thy hands? (Eccles. 5:5). R. Aha explained this verse as follows: Suffer not thy mouth to bring thy flesh into guilt refers to the one who makes a vow; neither say thou before the messenger, that it was an error indicates that one must not say to the sexton: “I did not intend to vow at all”; wherefore should God be angry at thy voice and destroy the work of thy hands? alludes to the lesser commandments you fulfilled and the good deeds you performed.

But he refused, and said unto his master’s wife (Gen. 39:8). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord (Jer. 17:7). You find that while Joseph dwelt in his master’s home, the Lord was with Joseph, and he prospered, and his master saw that the Lord was with him (Gen. 39:2–3). How did the wicked Potiphar recognize, then, that the Holy One, blessed be He, was with him? In what way was the Lord with him? The name of the Holy One, blessed be He, never left Joseph’s lips. When Joseph entered to serve him, he would whisper to himself: “Master of the Universe, you are the One in whom I trust; you are the One who is my protector, may I find grace, kindness, and mercy in your sight, and in the sight of all who see me, and in the eyes of my master, Potiphar.” Thereupon Potiphar asked him: “What are you whispering about? Perhaps you are trying to weave a spell over me?” “No,” he replied, “I am praying that I may find favor in your sight.” Hence it is written: And his master saw that the Lord was with him.

What is indicated by the words And the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hands (Gen. 39:3)? While he was pouring spiced wine for his master, his master would ask: “What kind of wine are you giving me?” If he replied: “Spiced wine,” his master would say: “I prefer absinthe wine,” and it would change into absinthe wine. If his master demanded an ordinary wine, it would immediately become plain wine, and if he asked for boiled wine, it would turn into boiled wine. The same thing happened with water and with everything else that he did, as it is said: And the Lord made all that he did to prosper.

When his master became aware of this, he entrusted him with the keys of the household, and concerned himself no longer with any household matters, as is said: Behold, my master, having me, knoweth not what is in the house (ibid., v. 8). As soon as he realized his own importance, he began to eat, drink, and curl his hair, and say: “Blessed be the Omnipotent One who has caused me to forget my father’s house.” Whereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, rebuked him, saying: Your father mourns for you in sackcloth and ashes, but you eat and drink and curl your hair; therefore, your mistress will impose herself on you and will torment you. Hence it is written: His master’s wife cast her eyes upon Joseph (ibid., v. 7).But he refused (ibid., v. 8).

Why did he refuse her? R. Judah the son of R. Shalum declared: He beheld his father’s image, which said to him: “Joseph, the names of your brothers will be inscribed on the stones of the ephod, do you wish yours to be the only one omitted, because of your sinful conduct?” Therefore he refused. And said unto his master’s wife: “Behold my master” (ibid.); that is to say, he said to her: “Behold, you have your husband, are not all men alike? He is not greater in this house than I; neither hath he kept back anything from me but thee, because thou art his wife…. shall I sin against Goḍ? (ibid., v. 9). I swear before God that I shall not commit this great evil.”

And it came to pass, as she spoke to Joseph day by day (ibid., v. 10). R. Judah the son of R. Shalum declared: The words day by day indicate that she spoke to him throughout twelve months, as is said: From day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month (Est. 3:7). Whenever she approached to speak to him, he would bend his head in order not to look at her. What did she do then? R. Huna the son of Idi stated: She placed an (iron) spit under his beard so that whenever he bent his head the bar would strike him, as is said: His feet they hurt with fetters, his person was laid in iron (Ps. 105:18). Nevertheless, He would not listen to her.

“Why will you not listen to me?” she pleaded. “Since I am the wife of another man, no one will know that there is anything between us.” He replied: “Your virgins are forbidden to us, how much more so is the wife of a man,” as it is said: Neither shall thou make marriages with them (Deut. 7:3). That is why he would not listen to her. R. Judah the son of Nahman explained: This may be compared to an idolater who tells an Israelite: “I have some delicious food for you.” “What kind of food do you have?” he asks. “The meat of a pig,” he replies. Whereupon the Israelite retorts: “You fool! If the flesh of a pure animal that you kill is forbidden to us, how much more so is the flesh of a pig.” Similarly, Joseph told her: “If your virgins are forbidden to us, how much more so another man’s wife.” He harkened not to her, to lie by her, or to be with her (Gen. 39:10). To lie by her signifies in this world, and to be with her refers to Gehenna. From the fact that Scripture states to be with her, you learn that anyone who has relations with an idolatrous woman becomes chained to her like a dog. Others conclude from this verse” The paths of their way do wind, they go up into the waste, and are lost (Job 6:18), for she clings to him and will lead him to the netherworld.

"And Jacob said to his sons, Why do you look upon one another?" (Genesis 42:1). Jacob said to his sons: You are mighty men, you are handsome; do not enter through one gate and do not stand in one place, lest the evil eye gain power over you. "Behold, I have heard that there is grain (shever) in Egypt; go down (redu) there" (Genesis 42:2). What is "go down"? He foresaw that they would go down there and be enslaved in Egypt for the number of years equal to the numerical value of redu [the letters of "go down" total two hundred and ten, the years of the Egyptian bondage]. "Go down there," for whoever buys produce from the market, it is a descent for him. "And Joseph's brothers went down" (Genesis 42:3) and so forth. Scripture should have written "the sons of Israel." Rather, because at first they did not treat him with brotherhood and sold him, but in the end they were regretful and saying, "When shall we go down to Egypt and bring our brother back to our father?" And when their father told them to go down to Egypt, they all gave a single mind to bring him back. Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon said: Joseph too knew that his brothers were going down to Egypt to buy food. What did he do? He set watchmen over all the gates and said to them: See, everyone who enters to buy food, write his name and the name of his father, and in the evening bring me your slips. They did so. When the sons of Jacob came, each one entered through his own gate, and they wrote their names and the names of their father. In the evening they brought their slips before Joseph. This one reads "Reuben son of Jacob," and one reads "Simeon son of Jacob," and one "Levi," and so the gatekeepers, each one his own. Immediately Joseph said to them: Close the storehouses and open one storehouse. And he gave their names to the keeper of the storehouse and said to him: See, when these men come into your hand, seize them and dispatch them before me. Three days passed and they did not come. Immediately Joseph took seventy mighty men from the king's house and dispatched them on his behalf to seek them out in the market. They went and found them in the market of harlots. And what was their business in the market of harlots? Rather, they said: Joseph our brother was handsome of form and handsome of appearance; perhaps he is in some den of harlots. Immediately they seized them and brought them before Joseph. "And he recognized them, but made himself a stranger to them, and spoke with them" (Genesis 42:7) and so forth. This teaches that he made himself a stranger to them. He took the goblet and tapped upon it. He said to them: I see in my goblet that you are spies. They said to him: We are honest men; but thus our father commanded us, do not enter through one gate. He said to them: In the market of harlots, what was your business? Were you not afraid of the eye? Where is your father's command? They said to him: A lost thing was lost to us, and we were seeking it there. He said to them: What lost thing? I see in the goblet that two of you destroyed the great city of Shechem. They said to him: And who are they? He tapped on the goblet and said to them: Simeon and Levi are their names. Immediately they were shaken, and they said to him: Your servants are twelve brothers. He said to them: And where are the other two? They said to him: The youngest is with our father today, and the one is no more. He said to them: Bring your youngest brother to me, and your words will be verified. He took Simeon and bound him before their eyes and said to them: This one will be held imprisoned until you bring your brother and your words are verified. And when they had gone, he brought him out and fed him and gave him drink. Immediately, "Joseph commanded, and they filled their vessels with grain" (Genesis 42:25) and so forth. They went to their father and recounted to him the whole event. Their father answered and said to them: Where is Simeon? They said to him: That man, the lord of the land, seized him so that we would bring our youngest brother. He said to them: You have bereaved me; "Joseph is no more, and Simeon" and so forth (Genesis 42:36). "And Reuben said to his father, saying, You may put to death my two sons" and so forth (Genesis 42:37). He said to him: Fool, are your sons not my sons? Judah said to them: Leave this old man be until the bread is finished, as it is said, "And it came to pass when they had finished eating" and so forth (Genesis 43:2). Judah said to him: Father, if Benjamin goes with us, it is uncertain whether he will be seized or whether he will not be seized; but if he does not go with us, all of us are dead. It is better that you set aside the uncertain and take hold of the certain. "I will be surety for him; of my hand you shall require him" (Genesis 43:9). Immediately he sent him with them and said to them: "Take of the choice fruits of the land in your vessels, and bring down to the man a present" and so forth (Genesis 43:11). Therefore it is written: "And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt" (Genesis 42:1).

And he sent Judah before him (Gen. 46:28). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together (Isa. 65:25). Observe that whomever the Holy One, blessed be He, afflicts in this world, He heals in the world-to-come. The blind, for it is written: The eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of deaf shall be unstopped (Isa. 35:5); the lame: Then shall the lame man leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb shall speak (ibid., v. 6). In the same way all others shall be healed.

And furthermore, just as a man departs this world he will return. If he departs lame, he will return lame; if he departs deaf, he will return deaf; if he departs blind, he will be resurrected blind. Thus everyone returns as he departed.

Those who depart clothed will return clothed, as it is said: It is changed as clay under the seal; and they stand as a garment (Job 38:14). Come and learn from Samuel. When Saul caused him to be brought up (by the witch of Endor), he said to the woman: “What does he look like?” And she answered: An old man cometh up; and he is covered with a robe (I Sam. 28:14). And Scripture states elsewhere: Moreover, his mother made him a little robe (ibid. 2:19). This teaches us that just as one departs (this life), so he will return. The reason for this is that the wicked should not say: “Some He puts to death, and others He restores to life.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let them arise just as they departed, and then I will heal them. Why so? To confirm the verse Before Me there was no God formed, neither shall any be after Me (Isa. 43:10)

After that the animals will also be healed, as it is said: The wolf and the lamb shall feed together … and dust shall be the serpent’s food (ibid. 65:25). But the serpent shall not be healed. And why not? Because it was responsible for mankind being brought down to the dust.

Another comment on The wolf and the lamb shall feed together. The wolf refers to Benjamin, as it is said: Benjamin is the wolf that raveneth (Gen. 49:37), and the lamb alludes to the tribes, as is said: Israel is a scattered sheep (Jer. 50:17).

Shall feed together. When did that occur? When Benjamin descended with his brothers. Though Jacob had said: My son shall not go down with you (Gen. 42:38), yet when the time for departure came, he did descend with them. They placed him between themselves and guarded him. And thus it says: Joseph lifted up his eyes, and saw Benjamin his brother, his mother’s son (Gen. 43:29).

And the lion shall eat straw like the ox (Isa. 65:25). “The lion” refers to Judah, as it is said: Judah is a lion’s whelp (Gen. 49:9), and like the ox alludes to Joseph, as is said: His firstling bullock, majesty is his (Deut. 33:17). Finally however, all of them ate together, as it is said: And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright (Gen. 43:33). And it is also written: And portions were taken unto them (ibid., v. 3). Hence Scripture states: And the lion shall eat straw like the ox.

And Jacob called unto his sons (Gen. 49:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: He removeth the speech of men of trust, and taketh away the sense of the elders (Job 12:20). This verse refers to Isaac and Jacob, for both of them desired to disclose the secrets of the Holy One, blessed be He. Concerning Isaac it is written: And he called Esau, his eldest son (Gen. 27:1), to reveal to him what was to transpire in the Messianic age. That was the reason the Holy One, blessed be He, withdrew the knowledge of it from him. Jacob likewise wanted to reveal to his sons what would occur in the Messianic age, as it is said: He called unto his sons and said: “Gather yourselves together that I may tell you” (ibid. 49:1).

This may be compared to a slave to whom a king entrusted all his possessions. When the slave was about to die, he summoned his sons to tell them where the will and writ of manumission were to be found so that they could become free men. The king discovered this and remained at his bedside. When he saw the king, he set aside the thing he wished to reveal to them, and admonished them instead, saying: “You are the king’s slaves, honor him as I have all my life.” Similarly when Jacob summoned his sons to reveal to them what would transpire in the Messianic age, the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared before him and said: You have summoned your sons, but you did not summon Me. And thus Isaiah said: Yet thou hast not called me, O Jacob; neither hast thou wearied thyself about Me, O Israel (Isa. 43:22). When Jacob saw Him, he began to tell his sons: I implore you to honor the Holy One, blessed be He, just as my ancestors honored Him, as is said: The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk (Gen. 48:50). They replied: We know what is in thy heart, and they declared together: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is One (Deut. 6:4). Upon hearing this, Israel bowed down upon the bed’s head (Gen. 47:31), and began to say in a whisper: Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom for ever and ever. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the glory of kings is to search out the matter (Prov. 25:2). Apparently you do not possess this attribute, For he that goeth about as a talebearer revealeth secrets; but he that is of a faithful spirit concealeth a matter (Prov. 11:13).

And Jacob called unto his sons. Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: I will cry unto God Most High; unto God that accomplisheth it for me (Ps. 57:3). R. Joshua the son of Levi said: The earthly court promulgated three decrees. And these are they: the first occurred during the time of Ezra. After their return from Babylon, the Holy One, blessed be He, desired them to release the Israelites from the obligation of giving tithes. What did the Israelites do? They arose and decreed that they would pay their tithes, as it is said: And that we should bring the first of our dough, and our heave-offerings, and the fruit of all manner of trees, the wine and the oil, unto the priests, to the chambers of the house of our God; and the tithes of our land unto the priests (Neh. 10:38). What did they do after that? They recorded this decree in a book, signed it, and placed it in the Temple. When they entered the Temple the next day, they found that it had been sealed. Whence do we know this? It is written: And yet for all this we make a sure covenant, and subscribe it, and seal it (ibid., v. 1). Because it had been sealed they knew that the Holy One, blessed be He, approved their decision.

The second occurred in the days of Mordecai and Esther. What is written there? The Jews ordained, and accepted it upon them and their seed (Est. 9:27). How do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, concurred? Because it is written: the Jews ordained and accepted. The word accepted (kibal) is written in the singular form, thereby indicating that the Master of the Jews concurred.

The third episode took place in the days of Joshua after the Israelites had entered the Land. Joshua told them: And the city shall be devoted, even it and all that is therein (Josh. 6:17). You find here that it was not the people but Joshua who issued this decree. But how do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, approved it? Because it is written: Israel hath sinned, yea, they have even transgressed My covenant (ibid. 7:11). Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, must have agreed with him. And thus it is written: I will cry unto God Most High; unto God that accomplisheth it for me (Ps. 47:3).

Another explanation of I will cry unto God Most High. This refers to Jacob. When his sons entered to receive their blessing, he began to distribute the honors among them. Whence do we know that the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with him? From the fact that you find that every blessing Jacob conferred upon each of the tribes, Moses invoked upon them later on. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, must have approved each blessing. When did he bless them? As he was about to depart from this world. Hence, And Jacob called unto his sons and said: “Gather yourselves together, that I may tell you” (Gen. 49:1).

R. Phinehas the priest, the son of Hama and R. Judah the son of Shalum asked: What is meant by gather yourselves together (he’asfu)? It means purify yourselves, as stated in the verse: Let her be shut up within the camp seven days, and after that she shall be purified (te’asef) (Num. 12:14). Another interpretation of gather yourselves. He counted them as elders, as is said: Gather unto me the seventy of the elders of Israel (Num. 11:16).

Why did he say to them Gather yourselves together, assemble yourselves (Gen. 49:1–2)? He did so to let them realize that they would be exiled twice. After he had designated the elders among them, he began to rebuke them, saying: Reuben, thou art my firstborn (Gen. 49:3). From that very moment Israel merited reciting the Shema. Why? When Jacob was about to depart from this world, he reflected upon it and said: “My grandfather Abraham begot Isaac and Ishmael, and my father, Isaac, begot me and Esau; perhaps there is a blemish in my family.” When they heard this, they proclaimed in unison: Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one (Deut. 6:4). Hence it is written: Hearken to Israel, thy father (Gen. 49:2).

And she opened it, and saw it, even the child; and behold, a boy that wept (Exod. 2:6). The verse does not say “And behold, a child that wept” but rather a boy. This informs us that though he was a mere infant his voice sounded like that of a boy. In fact, it resembled that of a youth, as in the verse: And the youth Samuel ministered unto the Lord (I Sam 3:1).

Pharaoh’s daughter would kiss him, embrace him, and fondle him, but she would not permit him to leave the royal palace. Because he was extremely handsome, everyone wanted to look upon him, and those who saw him were unable to depart from him. Pharaoh would also hug and kiss him, and the boy would ofttimes take the crown from his head and cast it to the ground, as he was later destined to do. That is why the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Hiram: Therefore, have I brought forth a fire from the midst of thee, it hath devoured thee (Ezek. 28:18). And so it was that Pharaoh’s daughter reared the one who would ultimately exact retribution from her father and his land.

Similarly the Messiah, who is destined to exact retribution from the idolaters, will be reared among them in their city, as it is written: There shall the calf feed, and there shall he lie down and consume the branches thereof (Isa. 27:10). Some say that Moses dwelt in Pharaoh’s palace for twenty years. Others insist that he lived there forty years, forty years in Midian, and forty years in the desert. Still others contend that he spent twenty years in Pharaoh’s palace, sixty years in Midian, and forty years in the desert.

When do you learn that he lived in Pharaoh’s palace less than twenty years? We know it from the fact that at the time the two Hebrew men were fighting each other, they shouted at him: Who made thee a man? (Exod. 2:14), implying “you are not yet a man.” This indicates that he must have been less than twenty years of age.

Another comment on Who is the King of Glory? (Ps. 24:10). He is the King of Kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who apportions honor to those who fear Him. Therefore it is written: Glory. How so? No one sits on the throne of a king of flesh and blood. But the Holy One, blessed be He, sat Solomon on his throne, as it is said: Then sat Solomon on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and prospered (I Chron. 29:33). An earthly king does not permit anyone to mount his horse, but the Holy One, blessed be He, allowed Elijah to ride His horse. What is the horse of the Holy One, blessed be He? It is the whirlwind and in the storm in His way (Nah. 1:3). And concerning Elijah it is written: And it came to pass, when the Lord took Elijah up by a whirlwind into heaven (II Kings 2:1).

No one may use the scepter of a human king, but the Holy One, blessed be He, handed His scepter to Moses, as it is said: And Moses took the scepter of the Lord in his hand (Exod. 4:20). No one would dare don the crown of a human king, but in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will place His crown upon the head of King Messiah. What is the crown of the Holy One, blessed be He, like? The crown of the Holy One, blessed be He, is of the finest gold, as it is said: His head is of the most fine gold (Song 5:11), and it is also written about Him elsewhere: Thou settest a crown of fine gold on his head (Isa. 21:4).

No one would wear the garments of a human king, but Israel will wear the garments of the Holy One, blessed be He. His garments are majesty (Ps. 93:1), and they will be given to Israel, as it is said: And the Lord will give majesty unto His people (ibid. 29:11). No one would dare call himself by the name of Caesar Augustus, for if he did so, they would execute him, but the Holy One, blessed be He, called Moses by His own name, as it is said: See, I have set thee in God’s stead to Pharaoh. Hence, The Lord of hosts is the King of the glory, for He apportions a share of His glory unto those who fear him.

And the people took their dough before it was leavened … upon their shoulders (Exod. 12:34). This indicates that the dough did not have sufficient time in which to leaven. Similarly, concerning the Messianic days, it states: Who ceaseth to stir from the kneading of the dough until it be leavened (Hos. 7:4). Their kneading troughs (mish’arotam), alludes to the leftover (shi-yu) unleavened bread and bitter herbs. You may interpret it so, but perhaps it does not refer to the remnants of the unleavened bread and bitter herbs, but to the remnants of the Passover sacrifices? However, since Scripture says of the paschal sacrifice: And ye shall let nothing of it remain until the morning (Exod. 12:10), it could not refer to the leftovers of the paschal sacrifices. Upon their shoulders (ibid., v. 34). Did they have no beasts of burden to carry the remnants of the unleavened bread and bitter herbs? After all, it is written: And a mixed multitude went up also with them; and flocks, and herds, even very much cattle (ibid., v. 38)? They did so because they cherished their religious obligations deeply. And so it is written: upon their shoulders.

The children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they asked of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment (ibid., v. 35). Why did they ask for raiment? To demonstrate that clothing was more precious to them than silver or gold. And the Lord gave the people favor in the sight of the Egyptians (ibid., v. 36). As soon as they said: “Lend me,” they gave it to them. And they despoiled the Egyptians (ibid.). This includes even the idols of silver and gold. They melted them down and converted them into their original state. They carried everything away with them. The plunder at the sea, however, was greater even than the plunder of Egypt, as it is said: And thou didst increase and grow up, thou camest to excellent beauty (Ezek. 16:7).

And he took six hundred chosen chariots (Exod. 14:7). Whose beasts drew the chariots? If you should say they belonged to the Egyptians, has it not already been said: And all the cattle of Egypt died (Exod. 9:6)? If you should contend that they belonged to Pharaoh, has it not already been stated: Behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thy cattle (ibid. 9:3)? If you should assert that they belonged to Israel, has it not already been written: Our cattle also shall go with us, there shall not a hoof be left behind (ibid. 10:26)? To whom, then, did they belong? They belonged to the slaves of Pharaoh who feared the word of the Lord. Hence we learn that even those who feared the word of the Lord were a stumbling block to Israel. Because of this verse, they say: “The best among the Egyptians, kill; the best among serpents, crush its brain.”

When Pharaoh drew nigh (ibid. 14:10); that is, when he drew nigh to the retribution that was to befall him and (when) he drew Israel nigh to repentance.

When they saw that Israel had turned back and had encamped near Baal-Saphon and Pi-Hahiroth, Pharaoh declared: “Baal-Saphon concurs in my decision to destroy them in the water.” Thereupon he began to offer sacrifices, to burn incense, and to pour libations before the idols. Hence it is said: When Pharaoh drew nigh.

In the third month (Exod. 19:11). May it please our master to instruct us: May one cure a pain in his mouth on the Sabbath? Thus do our masters teach us: One who has a pain in his mouth may take medicine for it on the Sabbath because his soul is endangered, and whenever the soul is endangered the Sabbath is set aside. The law states: One may profane a Sabbath in order to observe many Sabbaths. Whence do we know this? R. Eliezer said: This may be logically deduced from the fact that if circumcision, which concerns only one of man’s limbs, sets aside the Sabbath, then surely it is right that a serious illness, which threatens a man’s entire body, should set aside the Sabbath. R. Johanan stated: Every ailment of the lip and the inside of the mouth sets aside the Sabbath and may be healed on the Sabbath.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said that there is no ailment that does not have its cure; and the cure and drug for every ailment have been predetermined. If you desire your body to be free of pain, devote yourself to the Torah, for it is a healing balm to the entire body. We know that it is a cure for the head, since it is said: She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace (Prov. 1:9); for the heart, as it is said: Write them upon the table of thy heart (ibid. 3:3); for the neck, since it is written: And chains about thy neck (ibid. 1:9); for the hands, as it is said: And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand (Exod. 13:9); for the navel, for it is written: It shall be health to thy navel (Prov. 3:8); and for all of the bones of the body, as it is said: And marrow to thy bones (ibid.). R. Joshua the son of Levi declared: The Holy One, blessed be He, demonstrated this when he gave the law. Prior to the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, some of them had been injured as a result of the hazardous labor they performed with mud and straw. Stones from the buildings had fallen upon them, breaking their hands and mutilating their legs. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is not right that I should give my law to imperfect men. What did He do then? He instructed His angels to descend and heal them. Whence do we know that none of them were blind? It is said: And all the people perceived the thunderings (Exod. 20:15). How do we know that there were no deaf ones among them? It is written: We will hear (ibid. 24:7). Whence do we know that there were none among them without hands? They said: We will do (ibid.). How do we know that there were none with crippled legs among them? It is written: And they stood at the nether part of the mount (ibid. 19:17). R. Judah the son of Simon said: Because they were as new, the Holy One, blessed be He, called that month “master of renewal.” Whence do we know this? We know it from what is written about this matter in the section In the third month.

If thou lend money to any of my people (Exod. 22:24). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: There is a grievous evil which I have seen under the sun, namely riches kept by the owner thereof to his hurt; and those riches perish by evil adventure; and if he hath forgotten the sun, there is nothing in his hand (Eccles. 5:12–13). The Holy One, blessed be He, tests everyone; (with regard to) the wealthy, if they are generous toward the needy, they enjoy their wealth in this world, and the righteousness they perform will be rewarded in the world-to-come, as it is said: And thy reward (Isa. 58:8). It says elsewhere: Happy is he that considereth the poor; the Lord will deliver him in the day of evil (Ps. 41:2).

He likewise tests the poor. If they do not complain in this world, they will receive their reward in the world-to-come, as is said: For thou dost save the afflicted people (Ps. 18:28). Job suffered in this world and was repaid twofold, as it is said: And the Lord gave Job twice as much as he had before (Job 42:10).

However, a rich man may destroy himself and his wealth in this world, as it is said: And those rights perish by evil adventure (Eccles. 5:13). Not all who are rich today will be rich tomorrow, nor will all who are poor today be poor tomorrow, as it is said: For God is judge; He putteth down one and lifteth up another (Ps. 75:8).

There is wealth that is beneficial to its possessor and wealth that is harmful to him. An example of wealth that was harmful to its possessor was the wealth of Korah, as it is said: So they, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit (Num. 16:33). Haman’s riches were also harmful to him, for though it is said: And Haman recounted unto them the glory of his riches (Est. 5:11), ultimately: So they hanged Haman (ibid. 7:10). An example of wealth that was beneficial to its owner was that of Jehoshaphat: Now Jehoshaphat had riches and honor in abundance (II Chron. 18:1). What happened to him? Then Jehoshaphat cried out, and the Lord helped him (ibid., v. 31).

There is strength that is beneficial to its possessor and strength that is harmful to its possessor. Strength that is beneficial was possessed by David, for it is said: Behold, I have a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is skillful in playing and a mighty man of valor (I Sam. 16:18). It is also written: Saul had slain his thousands and David his ten thousands (ibid. 18:7); and: All Israel and Judah loved David (ibid., v. 6). The strength of Goliath was harmful to its possessor, for he profaned and blasphemed against God. Goliath called: Choose a man for you (ibid. 17:8), but in the end, When the Philistines saw that their mighty man was dead, they fled (ibid., v. 51). He had been slain with a (single) stone hurled from a sling.

There is wisdom which is both beneficial and harmful to the one who possesses it. Joshua possessed wisdom that was beneficial, as it is said: Joshua the son of Nun was full of the spirit of wisdom (Deut. 34:9). To what may this be compared? To a reservoir that supplied an entire city with water. Everyone praised it, with the exception of one man who advised them to praise the well that supplied the water (for the reservoir) instead. Similarly, while they were extolling Joshua for giving drink to Israel through his wisdom, he said to them: “Praise Moses instead,” for Moses had laid his hands upon him (ibid.). Balaam had wisdom which was harmful to him, as it is stated: The saying of him who heareth the word of God, and knoweth the knowledge of the Most High (Num. 24:23), and finally: Balaam the son of Beor they slew with a sword (ibid. 31:8).

And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them (Exod. 25:8). On which day did He relate to Moses the portion relating to the Temple? It was on the Day of Atonement. That was so despite the fact that the Torah portion describing the Sanctuary precedes the incident of the golden calf. R. Judah the son of R. Shalum said: There is actually no such thing as preceding or following in the Torah, as is said: Lest she should walk the even path of life, her ways wander, but she knoweth it not (Prov. 5:6). This verse refers to the arrangement of the Torah and its sections. Hence, it was on the Day of Atonement that He told Moses: Make Me a Sanctuary.

Whence do we know this to be so? Moses went up Mount Sinai on the sixth day of Sivan, and remained there for forty days and forty nights. He stayed there another forty days, and then a final forty days, totaling one hundred and twenty days in all. Thus you find that it must have been on the Day of Atonement that he told Moses about the Temple, for it was on that day that they were forgiven. And on that day the Holy One, blessed be He, told them: Make Me a Sanctuary, that I may dwell therein, so that the nations might know that He had forgiven them for the episode of the golden calf. It was called the Sanctuary of the Testimony, for it bore witness to the nations of the world that the Holy One, blessed be He, dwelt within their Sanctuary.

The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: Let gold be placed within the Sanctuary to atone for the gold with which the golden calf was fashioned, as it is said: And all the people broke off the golden rings (Exod. 32:3). Thus they atoned with gold; And this is the offering which ye shall take of them: gold (ibid. 25:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: For I will restore health unto thee, and I will heal thee of thy wounds (Jer. 30:17).

Pure olive oil beaten for the light (Exod. 27:20). You find that a person standing in the dark can observe what is transpiring in a lighted place. However, anyone standing in a lighted place is unable to observe what is happening in the dark. The Holy One, blessed be He, however, can see in the dark or in the light, as it is said: He knoweth what is in the darkness, etc. (Dan. 2:22).

R. Judah the son of Eleazar said: On that day He set (the sun) within its casing. Whence do we know that? That is what is written: In them hath he set a tent for the sun (Ps. 19:5). At the time of the summer solstice, however, it leaves its casing in order to ripen the fruits. However, the world is hardly able to tolerate the sun. Why? Because its light is so intense. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Though you are unable to endure the light that I created, I desire a light nevertheless. Why did they prepare the olive oil? They noticed that the trees had produced excellent olives, and so they took them and crushed them. The first oil pressed out was set aside for the lamp, and the second was set aside for the meal-offering in order to fulfill the verse: Pure olive oil beaten for the light.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Tell the Israelites that in this world my sons are responsible for the light in the Sanctuary and must kindle it, but in the Messianic days, because of that lamp, I will bring you a Messiah who is likened unto a lamp, as it is said: There will I make a horn to shoot up unto David, there have I ordered a lamp for Mine anointed (Ps. 132:17).

Whosoever offereth the sacrifice of thanksgiving honoreth Me; and to him that ordereth his way aright will I show the salvation of God (ibid. 50:23). R. Menahem the son of Yosé said: This verse alludes to those who light lamps in dark alleys for the benefit of the public. R. Simeon the son of Lakish declared: Saul was worthy of kingship because his grandfather lit lamps in dark alleys for the sake of the public. One verse tells us: And Ner (“light”) begot Kish (I Chron. 8:33), and another verse says: Kish was the father of Saul, and Ner the father of Abner was the son of Abiel (I Sam. 14:51). In this verse he was called Abiel, but because he lit lamps in dark alleys for the public good he was also called Ner (“light”). The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: In this world you require a light, but in the future, Nations shall walk at thy light, and kings at the brightness of thy horizon (Isa: 60:30).

"When you take the count of the children of Israel." Rabbi Yehudah in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman said: A parable of a king who had many purple robes, and he would command one and say to him: This purple robe, which is dearer to me than all the purple robes in the world, give your attention to it, for I wore it on the day I entered into kingship, and it clings to my loins, and I take pride in it. So too here the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Moses, give your attention to Israel, for they cling to Me at My loins, as it is said: "For as the girdle clings to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cling to Me the whole house of Israel" (Jeremiah 13:11). And they crowned Me king in the world and said, "The LORD shall reign forever and ever" (Exodus 15:18). And out of My great love for them I came down from the upper realms to the lower realms and dwelt within curtains of goats' hair. Moses said: My Master, out of seventy nations You command me concerning none of them except Israel: "When you take the count of the children of Israel" (Exodus 30:12); "And to the children of Israel you shall say" (Exodus 30:31); "And to the children of Israel you shall speak" (Exodus 30:31); "Command the children of Israel"; "Speak to the children of Israel" (Leviticus 20:2); "And you shall command the children of Israel" (Leviticus 27:20). Everything that You command me is concerning the children of Israel. He said to him: Because they are dearer to Me than all the nations, and they are My treasured possession, and I have desired them and chosen them, as it is said: "And the LORD your God has chosen you to be His own treasured people" (Deuteronomy 14:2). Come and see how He cherished them, for He called them five times in a single verse: "And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and his sons," and so forth (Numbers 8:19). Rabbi Shimon bar Yohai said: A parable of a king who handed his son over to his tutor, and he would ask about him at every hour and say to him: Has my son eaten? Has my son gone to the schoolhouse? Has my son returned from the schoolhouse? So too the Holy One, blessed be He, longs to mention Israel at every hour. Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon said: A parable of one who was making a crown. Someone passed by and saw it. He said to him: All that you are able to adorn it with precious stones and pearls, adorn it and set it in order, for it is destined to be placed on the head of a king. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: All that you are able to praise Israel before Me and to glorify them, do so, for through them I am glorified, as it is said: "And He said to me, You are My servant, Israel, in whom I will be glorified" (Isaiah 49:3).

And Bezalel made the ark of acacia-wood (Exod. 37:1). Because it was known to Him-who-spoke-and-the-world-came into-being that Israel will sin at Shittim, the Holy One, blessed be He, prepared shittim (acacia-wood) so that they might atone for what happened at Shittim. And he overlaid it with pure gold (ibid., v. 2). This alludes to the students of the Torah, for just as the wood was greatly adorned by the gold that overlaid it, so the students of the Torah are adorned by the Torah within their hearts. Just as men speak of pure gold, so the Torah purifies the heart and the kidneys of the scholar, as it is written: More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold (Ps. 19:11). And Bezalel made the ark. We find that when the Holy One, blessed be he, told Moses to construct the Tabernacle, He described every detail to him, saying: Thou shalt do, but with reference to the ark, He said simply: Make Me. Why? The Holy One, blessed be He, commanded all the Israelites to make it, so that not one of them would be able to humiliate his fellow Israelite by saying: “I contributed more for the building of the ark than you, therefore I am more learned and have a greater right to it than you do. And since you contributed little to the ark, you will have no portion in the Torah.” That is why the Torah is likened to water, as it is said: Ho, everyone that thirsteth, come you for water (Isa. 55:1). Just as no one should be ashamed to say to his companion: “Give me a drink of water,” no one should be ashamed to say to a person younger than himself: “Teach me the law, instruct me in this matter.” And just as one who desires to drink should be able to drink without cost, so all who desire to learn the law should be able to learn without cost and without price, as it is said: Yea, come without money and without price (ibid.).

Why was the law given in the desert? To teach us that just as the desert is free to all men, so the words of the law are free to all who desire to learn them. Also, lest a man should say: “I am a student of the law that was given to me and my ancestors, while you and your ancestors are not students of the law; your ancestors were strangers”; hence it is written: An inheritance of the congregation of Jacob (Deut. 33:4). This tells us that the law was an inheritance for all who associate themselves with Jacob. Even outsiders who devote themselves to the law are equal to the high priest, as it is said: Which if a man do, he shall live by them: I am the Lord (Lev. 18:5). It does not refer to priest or Levite or Israelite but merely to man. Thus, One law and one ordinance shall be both for you and for the stranger that sojourneth with you (Num. 15:16). Observe what is written concerning the sons of Jethro: And the families of the scribes that dwelt at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Succathites (I Chron. 2:55). The name Tirathites (understood as derived from Aramaic tar’a, “gate”) indicates that they sat at the gate to the inner chamber of the Temple; Shimeathites (which includes the letters of the word shema, “hear”) implies that all the Israelites heard the law from their lips; and Succathites (which includes the word sukkah, “covered by”) suggests that they were enveloped by the Holy Spirit. Who were these? They were Kenites who came from The father of the house of Rechab (ibid.). The father-in-law of Moses was a Kenite, and Shemaiah and Abtalion and the descendants of Sisera were also Kenites. They studied the law in public like the men of the Great Synagogue. Why was that? Because the law was given to all Israel. Therefore it is written: These words that the Lord spoke unto all your assembly (Deut. 5:19).

It is written: And they shall make an ark of acacia-wood (Exod. 25:10). R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: There are three crowns, the crown of Torah, of priesthood, and of kingship. How do we know about the crown of Torah? It is written concerning the ark: And thou shalt overlay it with pure gold (ibid., v. 11); we know about the crown of priesthood because it is written concerning the altar: A crown of gold (Exod. 37:26); and we know about the crown of kingship from the fact that it is written concerning the table: And made thereto a crown of gold (ibid., v. 11). Why is the word (in the preceding verse) written as zar (“stranger”) but read as zer (“crown”)? To teach us that if a man is worthy, it is his crown of gold, but if he is unworthy, he is to be considered a stranger among you.

Why was it written about everything: And thou shalt make, except in the case of the ark, where it says: Thou shalt make upon it? It is to teach us that if a man is worthy of the Torah, he is worthy of everything. And it states also: And their charge the ark, and the table, and the candlesticks, and the altar (Num. 3:31) to teach you that no-one is more important for you than one who devotes himself to the law.

The tabernacle of the testimony (Exod. 38:21). This refers the Torah in which they labored. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Because of the Torah and the sacrifices, I will rescue you from Gehinnom. You may know this from the fact that the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to Abraham the Torah, the sacrifices, Gehinnom, and the servitude experienced by the exiles. The Torah: A flaming torch (Gen. 15:17), for it is written: At this hand was a fiery law unto them (Deut. 33:2), and the people perceived the thunder and lightning (Exod. 20:15); the sacrifices: Take me a heifer of three years (Gen. 15:9); Gehinnom: A smoking furnace and a flaming torch (ibid., v. 17); the servitude at the hands of the nations: For, behold, there was thick darkness (ibid.).

The Holy One, blessed be He, told Abraham: Whenever your descendants occupy themselves with two of these, they will be saved from the other two, but since sacrifices will be abolished in the future and the Temple will be destroyed, do you prefer that your sons should be enslaved in Gehinnom or in exile? Abraham began to ponder the matter, but did not know which to choose. R. Hanina the son of Pappa held that Abraham chose the rule of foreign kingdoms and said: It is better that my descendants shall be enslaved in exile than that any one of them should descend into Gehinnom. The Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with him, as is said: Except their rock had given them over, and the Lord had delivered them up (Deut. 32:30). Except their rock had given them over refers to Abraham, as is written: Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn (Isa. 51:1). And The Lord delivered them signifies that the Holy One, blessed be He, concurred with him.

This is what David said: Thou hast caused man to ride over our heads; we went though fire and through water; but Thou didst bring us out unto abundance (Ps. 66:12). Thou hast caused men to ride over our heads refers to the kingdoms, and We went through fire and through water alludes to Gehinnom. But Thou didst bring us out unto abundance indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, said: In this world you shall be oppressed by various kingdoms, but in the time-to-come I will remove the kingdoms, which are likened to water, from you. Since they were likened to water, indicates: I will rescue you from Gehinnom, as it is said: When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee, and through rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame be kindled upon thee (Isa. 43:2).