Midrash Tanchuma Reader

And so you find that the ten tribes went into exile only because of wine. See what it says (Amos 6:1): "Woe to those who are at ease in Zion" — for they were dwelling in palaces of luxury in tranquility; "and to those who are confident in the mountain of Samaria" (ibid.) — for they were dwelling securely [in Sebaste]; "the notables of the foremost of the nations, to whom the House of Israel comes" (Amos 6:1). How so? The nations of the world would sit [and converse] and say: Who is mighty in Israel? And they would say: Samson. And they would say again: Who is mighty among the nations? And they would say: Goliath, of whom it is written, "His height was six cubits and a span" (1 Samuel 17:4). And these [agreed with one another] and said: Samson is the mightiest in Israel — hence "the notables of the foremost of the nations." And they would say again: Who is wealthy among the nations of the world? And they would say: [Hadrian]. And who is wealthy in Israel? And they would say: Solomon, of whom it is written, "And the king made silver [as common in Jerusalem as stones]" (1 Kings 10:27). Come and see: each and every tribe had its own festival-place. When one sought to go to his festival-place, he would take his flock with him, so that he might eat fattened animals from his sheep, as it is said, "and they eat lambs from the flock, etc. [who drink from bowls of wine]" (Amos 6:4, 6). What was their end? "Therefore now they shall go into exile at the head of the exiles" (ibid. 6:7). Why? Because they were avid after wine. Therefore he warns Aaron, "Drink no wine or strong drink" (Leviticus 10:9).

(Leviticus 13:1-2:) "And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying: When a man shall have in the skin of his flesh etc." This is what is written (Job 38:25): "Who has split a channel for the flood (shetef)?" Said Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: In Arabia they call hair (se'ar) shitfa — for every single hair upon a person, He created for it its own well, by itself. Because Job protested and said (Job 9:17): "He who would crush me with a tempest (bisarah) [and multiply my wounds for no cause]" — for no cause He has brought all these sufferings upon me. Elihu said to him: Heaven forbid! (Job 34:10) "Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong." Rather (Job 34:11): "For according to a man's deeds He repays him, [and according to a man's ways He requites him]" — everything He brings by measure. Said Rabbi Avin the Levite in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: The Holy One, blessed be He, does not measure out a measure in a basket; rather, everything is by justice, [as it is said: "For God is the judge"] — "this one He lowers, and that one He raises" (Psalms 75:8). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Job: Even the hair upon you — I made for it a well, and I made for it a measure, as it is said (Job 38:25): "Who has split a channel for the flood?"

It once happened with a certain priest who used to examine the plagues. His means failed him, and he sought to go abroad. He called his wife and said to her: Since people are accustomed to come to me to show me their plagues, come and I will teach you, so that you may examine the plagues. If you see that a man's hair — its well has dried up — know that he has been stricken; for every single hair the Holy One, blessed be He, created for it its own well, by itself, [from which it drinks]; once its well has dried up, the hair has dried up. His wife said to him: And if for every single hair the Holy One, blessed be He, created its own well by itself [from which it drinks] — you, who are a human being, and how many hairs are upon you, and your children are supported through you — is it not all the more certain that the Holy One, blessed be He, will provide sustenance for you? Therefore she did not allow him to go abroad.

[This shall be the law of the leper] on the day of his cleansing (Lev. 14:2). With what? With two living, clean birds. How is his offering different from all the other offerings? Rather, it is because he spoke slander; therefore Scripture said "birds," for they carry their voice, as it is said: "For a bird of the heavens carries the voice" (Eccl. 10:20).

R. Nahman of Joppa said in the name of R. Pinhas, who spoke in the name of R. Simon: It says, “before the LORD… before the LORD” (Numbers 3:4), twice; “in the presence of Aaron their father” (ibid.), one time. Rather, this teaches that it was twice as grievous before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it was for their father.

(Lev. 19:23:) "WHEN YOU COME INTO THE LAND AND PLANT." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: "Even though you find it full of every good thing, do not say, 'Let us sit and not plant.' Rather, be diligent in planting, as it is said, 'And you shall plant every tree for food.' Just as you entered and found plantings that others had planted, so too you plant for your children." Let no one say, "I am old and tomorrow I shall die; why should I labor for the sake of others?" Solomon said (Eccl. 3:11), "He has made everything beautiful in its time; also the world (ha-olam) He has put in their heart." It is written "He'elem" (with a hidden spelling). Why? Were it not that the Holy One, blessed be He, hid the day of death from human beings, no one would build or plant, for he would say, "Tomorrow I shall die; why should I stand and labor for the sake of others?" Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, hid death from the hearts of human beings, so that a person would build and plant. If he merits, it will be for himself; if he does not merit, for others. It happened with Hadrian the king, who was passing by on his way to war, going with his legions to fight against a certain province that had rebelled against him. He found a certain old man who was planting fig saplings. Hadrian said to him, "You are an old man, standing and toiling and laboring for others!" He said to Hadrian, "My lord the king, behold, I am planting. If I merit, I shall eat from the fruit of my plantings; and if not, my children will eat." He spent three years at war, and returned after three years. What did that old man do? He took a basket and filled it with the firstfruits of fine figs, and approached before Hadrian. He said to him, "My lord the king, accept these figs, for I am that old man whom you found on your way, and you said, 'You are an old man—why do you trouble yourself and labor for others?' Behold, the Holy One, blessed be He, has already granted me to eat from the fruit of my plantings, and these in the basket are from them." Hadrian said to his servants, "Take it from him and fill it with golden coins." And they did so. The old man took the basket full of golden coins and began going about his house, boasting to his wife and his children, and recounting to them what had happened. His neighbor woman was standing there and heard what the old man said. She said to her husband, "All people go forth, and the Holy One, blessed be He, gives to them and provides them good; yet you sit in your house in darkness and gloom! Behold, our neighbor honored the king with a basket of figs, and he filled it for him with golden coins. Now you—get up and take a large basket and fill it with delicacies of apples and figs and the other kinds of fine fruit, which he loves greatly. Go and honor him with them; perhaps he will fill it with golden coins for you, as he did for our old neighbor." He went and listened to his wife, and took a large basket and filled it with apples and figs, and loaded it on his shoulder, and approached before the king on a side road. And he said to him, "My lord the king, I have heard that you love fruit, and I have come to honor you with figs and apples." The king said to his soldiers, "Take the basket and strike him on his face." And so they did, and struck him on his face until his face swelled and they smashed his eyes, and made an example of him. He went to his house, made into an example and weeping; and she, supposing that he was coming with a basket full of golden coins, saw his face swollen and his body broken and beaten. She said to him, "What has happened to you?" He said to her, "Because I listened to you and went and honored him with that gift, they struck me on my face. Had I not listened to you and put hard kinds of fruit in the basket, they would have already pelted my face and my whole body with them." And all this—why? To teach you that evil women bring down their husbands. Therefore let no one cease from planting; rather, just as he found, so let him add and plant, even when old. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "Learn from Me," as it were He said—(Gen. 2:8) "And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east."

[Another interpretation] (of Psalms 36:7): "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains." Rabbi Judah bar Simon said: The righteousness that You did with Noah in the ark is "like the mighty mountains," [as it is said] (Genesis 8:4): "And the ark came to rest in the seventh month, [on the seventeenth day of the month,] upon the mountains of Ararat." And the judgments that You did with his generation, and with which You dealt strictly with them down to the great deep, [as it is said] (Genesis 7:11): "On that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth." And when You remembered him, You did not remember him alone, as it is said (Genesis 8:1): "And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, and every beast." Hence: "Man and beast You save, O LORD" (Psalms 36:7).

Another interpretation (of Psalm 106:43): "Many times He delivered them." This speaks about human beings. When trouble comes upon a person, he immediately repents, and the Holy One, blessed be He, delivers him. So it is the first time and the second. If he repents, well and good; but if not, He brings trouble upon him. Why? Because it is hard before the Holy One, blessed be He, to stretch out His hand against this person. And what does He do to him? When he sins, He first stretches out His hand against his possessions. From whom do you learn this? From Naomi and her sons and Elimelech, who was the head of the generation. When the famine came, what did he do? He abandoned the Land of Israel and went off to the land of Moab. And the Holy One, blessed be He, was angry with him, for he was the prince of the generation. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Were My children to do this, they would leave the Land of Israel a wasteland!" What is written there? "And Elimelech, Naomi's husband, died" (Ruth 1:3). And his sons should have learned from their father to return to the Land of Israel, but what did they too do? "And they took for themselves Moabite wives" (Ruth 1:4) — for they did not immerse them and did not convert them. "The name of the one was Orpah and the name of the second was Ruth" (Ruth 1:4): Orpah, because she turned her back (oref) on her mother-in-law; Ruth, because she regarded (ra'atah) the words of her mother-in-law. "And they dwelt there about ten years" (Ruth 1:4). For all those ten years the Holy One, blessed be He, was warning them. When He saw that they did not return in repentance, He began to stretch out His hand against their camels and against their cattle, but they did not return. When He saw that they did not return, immediately "the two of them also died, Mahlon and Chilion" (Ruth 1:5). Thus it is hard before the Holy One, blessed be He, to stretch out His hand against this person. And what does He do to them? He impoverishes them of their possessions, and they sell them.

[Another interpretation of] (Leviticus 27:2) "When a man explicitly utters a vow." The nations say (Micah 6:6-7), "With what shall I come before the LORD, and bow myself before God on high? [...] Will the LORD be pleased with thousands of rams [...? Shall I give my firstborn for my transgression, the fruit of my belly for the sin of my soul?]" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: It is your sons that you seek to offer before Me. Neither your sons nor your sacrifices do I seek. To My children I gave the section of valuations and the section of offerings, for their offerings are beloved before Me. And so it says (Psalm 37:16), "Better is the little that the righteous has." Know this for yourself: the beginning of the book is "Speak to the children of Israel [and say to them]: When a man brings of you [an offering]" (Leviticus 1:2)—"of you" and not of the nations. And the end of the book is "Speak to the children of Israel and say to them: When a man explicitly utters a vow" (Leviticus 27:2). And it says (Psalm 147:19), "He declares His words to Jacob [...]." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: If you bring before Me your valuations, I credit it to you as though you had offered your own lives before Me. Therefore it is said (Leviticus 27:2), "When a man explicitly utters a vow, the valuation of lives to the LORD [...]." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: By the merit of the valuations (ne'erakhim) I deliver you from the arrangement (arikhah) of Gehinnom, of which it is written (Isaiah 30:33), "For Topheth is arranged from of old"; and I will arrange before you a table, as David said (Psalm 23:5), "You arrange a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows."

Another interpretation (of Numbers 1:1): "And the LORD spoke to Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, etc." What did He say to him? "Lift the head of the whole congregation of the children of Israel, etc." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: I have not loved any creature more than you. Therefore I have given you a lifting of the head, and I have likened you to Myself. For just as I have a lifting of the head over all who come into the world, as it is said, "Yours, O LORD, are the greatness and the might and the splendor and the victory and the majesty; for all that is in heaven and on earth is Yours. Yours, O LORD, is the kingdom, and You are exalted as head over all" (I Chronicles 29:11), so too have I done for you, that you should have a lifting of the head. Therefore it is said, "Lift the head of the whole congregation of the children of Israel," to fulfill what is said, "And He has lifted up a horn for His people, praise for all His faithful ones, for the children of Israel, a people near to Him. Hallelujah" (Psalms 148:14). And so it says, "And the LORD your God will set you on high above all the nations of the earth" (Deuteronomy 28:1).

"Any man whose wife goes astray" (Numbers 5:12). This is what Scripture said: "Can a man hide himself in secret places, and I will not see him? says the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:24). [Rabbi Benjamin son of Rabbi Levi said:] The Holy One, blessed be He, said: If a person does a deed, shall I not see it? For behold, it is written, "The eyes of the Lord, they range throughout all the earth" (Zechariah 4:10). And what is written? "And I will not see him" — meaning, I will not show him to others and publicize his deeds. What is the meaning of "Do I not fill the heavens and the earth? says the Lord" (Jeremiah 23:24)? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I fill the upper realms and the lower realms. Therefore it is said, "Can a man hide himself in secret places, and I will not see him?"

Another interpretation of "in front of the menorah" (Numbers 8:2): Flesh and blood kindles a lamp from a burning lamp; can one possibly kindle a lamp out of darkness? Yet the Holy One, blessed be He, made a lamp give light out of the darkness, as it is said, "and darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Genesis 1:2). What is written after it? "And God said, Let there be light" (Genesis 1:3). And out of the darkness I brought forth light. Do I, then, have need of your light? And why did He command it? Only for the sake of your exaltation, "to set up a lamp continually" (Exodus 27:20).

[(Numbers 13:2:) SEND MEN FOR YOURSELF.] When they said to Moses (in Deuteronomy 1:22), "Let us send men," Moses began standing and wondering. He said: It is impossible for me to do anything until I take counsel with the Holy One, blessed be He. He went and took counsel. He said to Him: Such-and-such Your children are requesting. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: This is not the beginning for them. While they were in Egypt they mocked Me, as it is said (Hosea 7:16), "This was their derision in the land of Egypt." They are accustomed to this. I have no need, as it is said (Daniel 2:22), "He knows what is in the darkness, etc." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I know what they are [saying]; but if you wish, send [men for yourself], for your own sake. From where? As it is written (Numbers 13:16), "These are the names of the men whom Moses sent to spy out the land."

(Numbers 16:1:) AND DATHAN AND ABIRAM. From here they said: Woe to the wicked one, woe to his neighbor; good to the righteous one, good to his neighbor. Dathan and Abiram, who were neighbors to Korah, who was settled to the south, as it is written (Numbers 3:29), THE FAMILIES OF THE SONS OF KOHATH SHALL ENCAMP <on the side of the Tabernacle southward>. The standard of Reuben was near to them, [as it is said] (Numbers 2:10), THE STANDARD OF THE CAMP OF REUBEN SHALL BE SOUTHWARD. But the standard of Judah was in the east, and Issachar and Zebulun were with him, [as it is said] (Numbers 2:3), AND THOSE ENCAMPING EASTWARD TOWARD THE SUNRISE SHALL BE THE STANDARD OF THE CAMP OF JUDAH. And near to them were Moses, Aaron, and his sons, [as it is said (Numbers 3:38), AND THOSE ENCAMPING BEFORE THE TABERNACLE EASTWARD, BEFORE THE TENT OF MEETING TOWARD THE SUNRISE, WERE MOSES AND AARON AND HIS SONS.] Because these were near to the Torah, they therefore merited to be sons of the Torah, as it is written (Psalms 60:9), JUDAH IS MY LAWGIVER; [and it is written] (1 Chronicles 12:33), AND OF THE SONS OF ISSACHAR, THOSE HAVING UNDERSTANDING OF THE TIMES; [and it is written] (Judges 5:14), AND OUT OF ZEBULUN THOSE WHO WIELD THE SCRIBE'S PEN. But Dathan and Abiram, who were neighbors to Korah, a master of dissension, were stricken and perished from the world.

Rabbi Samuel bar Rabbi Nachman said: They said to the serpent, "Why are you found among the hedges?" It said to them, "I breached the hedge of the world." They said to it, "Why do you go about with your tongue dripping?" It said to them, "It is what caused this to me." They said to it, "Why is it that all the beasts bite and do not kill, but you bite and kill?" It said to them, "(as it is written): 'If the serpent bites without a whisper-charm' (Ecclesiastes 10:11) — is it possible for me to do anything, when it has not been told to me from on high?" "And why do you bite with one limb, yet all the limbs feel it?" It said to them, "To me you say this? Say it to the master of the tongue, who is here and yet kills in Rome."

(Numbers 22:9:) "And God came to Balaam and said, 'Who are these men with you?'" This is what Scripture says (Proverbs 28:10): "One who leads the upright astray on an evil path [will himself fall into his own pit]." For at first the creatures conducted themselves in purity, but through these words of his they broke loose into sexual immorality. For concerning the earlier ones [it is written] (Genesis 29:9): "And Rachel came with the flock," and (Exodus 2:16): "Now the priest of Midian had seven daughters." Balaam the Wicked arose and led the creatures astray into sexual immorality; and just as he led astray, so was he led astray — by the counsel he gave concerning it, he fell. [This is what is written] (Proverbs 28:10): "He will fall into his own pit." And the Holy One, blessed be He, led him astray, as it is said (Job 12:23): "He misleads nations and destroys them; He spreads out nations and leads them away." He asked him, "Who are these men with you?" That wicked one said: "I know nothing about them, only that Balak son of Zippor, king of Moab, sent to me, 'Behold, the people that came out of Egypt, etc.'" — to make known that he hated Israel more than Balak did, for Balak did not say "curse" (qabbah), but rather "curse" (arah) (Numbers 22:6), while this one said "curse" (qabbah) explicitly; and he (Balak) said "and I will drive it out, etc." (ibid.), while this one said "and I will have driven it out" (ibid. v. 11) — from this world and from the world to come.

Another interpretation of (Numbers 27:1): "Then the daughters of Zelophehad drew near," etc. It was an honor to them, an honor to their father, an honor to Machir, and an honor to Joseph, for from him issued righteous and wise women. And what was their wisdom? They spoke according to the moment, for Moses was occupied with the portion concerning inheritances, (Numbers 26:53): "To these shall the land be apportioned." They said to him: If we are reckoned as a son, let us inherit; and if not, let our mother be taken in levirate marriage. Immediately (Numbers 27:5): "And Moses brought their cause before the LORD." They were righteous, in that they had not been married. And why did they present themselves before Moses? So that he would not regard himself highly for having separated from woman forty years. The Holy One, blessed be He, made it known to him through these, as if to say: Behold, women who were not commanded sat forty years until they were married to one who was fitting for them.

The Sages taught: Two wise men arose in the world, one from Israel and one from the nations of the world. Balaam was from the nations of the world, and Ahitophel was from Israel; and both of them were lost from this world and from the world to come. [Two mighty men arose in the world, one from Israel and one from the nations of the world. Samson was from Israel, and Goliath was from the nations of the world; and both of them were lost from the world.] Two wealthy men arose in the world, Korah from Israel and Haman from the nations of the world; and both of them were lost from the world. Why? Because their gift was not from Heaven. And so too you find with the children of Gad and the children of Reuben, who were exceedingly wealthy and had a great amount of livestock, and they cherished the livestock, and they settled outside the land of Israel. Therefore they went into exile first among the tribes, as it is said (I Chronicles 5:26): &ldquo;And he carried them into exile, the Reubenites and the Gadites.&rdquo; [What caused this for them? Because they separated themselves from their brothers for the sake of their livestock. And from where is this shown? From what they read on the matter (Numbers 32:1): &ldquo;Now the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had much livestock.&rdquo;]

(Numbers 35:9-10:) AND THE LORD SPOKE, <saying:> WHEN YOU CROSS <the Jordan into the land of Canaan>, etc. This is what Scripture says (in Psalms 25:8): GOOD AND UPRIGHT IS THE LORD; THEREFORE HE INSTRUCTS SINNERS IN THE WAY. (Ibid., verse 6:) REMEMBER YOUR MERCIES, O LORD, AND YOUR ACTS OF STEADFAST LOVE, etc. David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, were it not for Your mercies that went before the first man, Adam, he would have had no standing. For You said to him (in Genesis 2:17): FOR ON THE DAY THAT YOU EAT OF IT YOU SHALL SURELY DIE; yet You did not do so, but rather You sent him out of the Garden of Eden, as it is said (in Genesis 3:24): AND HE DROVE OUT THE MAN. And why was he driven out? Because he brought death to <all the> generations, he should have died immediately; but because You had mercy upon him, You drove him out, in the manner of one who kills by mistake, who is exiled to the cities of refuge. Therefore it is said: REMEMBER YOUR MERCIES, O LORD, AND YOUR ACTS OF STEADFAST LOVE, etc. When Moses arose, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (in Numbers 35:11): YOU SHALL PROVIDE FOR YOURSELVES CITIES, etc. Moses said: Master of the Universe, this one who kills a person by mistake in the south or in the north—from where will he know where the cities of refuge are, so that he may flee there? He said to him (in Deuteronomy 19:3): YOU SHALL PREPARE FOR YOURSELF THE WAY—you shall make the way straight for yourself, so that they will not go astray, and the blood avenger find him and kill him, when he has no judgment of death. He said to Him: How? He said to him: Set up for them markers directed toward the cities of refuge, so that he will know to go there; and upon every marker is inscribed: "Killer—to the cities of refuge," as it is said (in Deuteronomy 19:3): YOU SHALL PREPARE FOR YOURSELF THE WAY, etc. Therefore David said (in Psalms 25:8): GOOD AND UPRIGHT IS THE LORD; THEREFORE HE INSTRUCTS SINNERS IN THE WAY. If for killers He made a path and a way that they might flee and be saved, for the righteous how much the more so! (Psalms 25:9:) HE LEADS THE HUMBLE IN JUSTICE.

(Psalms 37:3:) "Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness." R. Haggai, in the name of R. Isaac, used to transpose the verse: "Do good, trust in the LORD." A parable of a market overseer who went out to gauge the measures. A certain man saw him and began to hide from him. He said to him: Why do you hide from me? Gauge your measures and do not be afraid. This is what is written: "Trust in the LORD and do good." [(Continuing:) "Dwell in the land and cultivate faithfulness" — establish a settlement upon the land: sow, plant. "And cultivate faithfulness" — cultivate the faithfulness of the ancestors, as it is written (Psalms 101:6): "My eyes are upon the faithful of the land."]

"And it shall come to pass throughout all the land, says the LORD, that two-thirds in it" etc. (Zechariah 13:8). This is what was said through the Holy Spirit by the hand of David: "All who worship a graven image, who boast in idols, shall be put to shame" (Psalms 97:7). With regard to whom did they speak? They spoke only with regard to the works of the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Hanina said: In the future the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to show His glory to all who come into the world, and to lower His throne in the midst of the firmament, and then He sets it back in the place where the sun rises in the season of Tevet. Rabbi Hanina the Elder said to him: Is it possible to see His glory? Is it not written, "For no man shall see Me and live" (Exodus 33:20)? Yet you say that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to show His glory to all who come into the world. He said to him: Behold, it is written, "For the LORD God is a sun and a shield" etc. (Psalms 84:12). Just as a sun and a shield shield him in the time of war, so too the Holy One, blessed be He, shields His children in the time of war at that hour. Rabbi Hanina said: At the hour when the Holy One, blessed be He, judges the nations of the world, He seizes them for judgment, them and their gods, and He sets up for them pittumin (images), and brings the two tablets and the Ten Commandments, and says to them: Did they pay any heed to you? And they say before Him: From the day You created us, none paid heed to us except Israel Your people alone. "Who boast in idols" (Psalms 97:7) — it would be fitting for Scripture to say "who trust"; what is "who boast"? That they did not worship idolatry until they had shown honor to one another. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Every single day you are put to shame before Me. There are among you those who serve doves, and many doves are slaughtered; and there are among you those who serve bricks, and many bricks are broken; there are among you those who serve fish, and many fish are sold in the market. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, puts them to shame, as it is said, "The nations shall see and be ashamed" (Micah 7:16).

R. Berekhyah, in the name of R. Abba bar Kahana, opened: "Shall I be acquitted with wicked scales, etc." (Micah 6:11). Is it possible thus, that a generation whose measures are of falsehood should be acquitted? Rather, "and with a bag of deceitful weights" (ibid.). R. Levi said: Moses too hinted it to them in the Torah: "You shall not have in your bag a weight and a weight, and you shall not have in your house an ephah and an ephah, etc." (Deuteronomy 25:13-14). If you do so, the kingdom comes and provokes you. And what is the reason? "For an abomination to the LORD [your God] is everyone who does these, etc." (ibid., ibid., 16). What is written after it? "Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17).

(A) "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains" (Psalms 36:7). There is a story about Rabbi Joshua bar Levi, who went up to Rome and entered a certain palace, and saw there columns of marble covered with carpets, so that in the heat they would not crack, and in the cold they would not congeal. He went out from there and found a certain poor man with a reed mat beneath him and a reed mat over him. Concerning the columns he read, "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains" (Psalms 36:7): in every place where You give, You bestow in abundance. Concerning the poor man he read, "and Your judgments are a great deep" (ibid.): and in every place where You strike, You are exacting.

Another interpretation. Rabbi Dostai said: If you took a wife and she bore a child and died, do not remain in your old age without a wife. Why? "Because you do not know which will prosper" (Ecclesiastes 11:6). From whom do you learn this? From Abraham, who in his youth begot only one, but in his old age begot twelve. Rabbi Levi said: This is what the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed" (Genesis 12:3) — for God rose up in the generation of the dispersion and scattered from them thirty families, as it is said: "And the LORD scattered them" (Genesis 11:8). Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: From you I will establish them. This is what the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "And in you they shall be blessed" — and He established from him thirty families. And these are they: the twelve princes whom He established from Ishmael, and the sixteen sons of Keturah, and "two nations are in your womb" (Genesis 25:23) — behold, thirty families. Hence: "And Abraham took another wife" (Genesis 25:1).

(Gen. 27:1, cont.:) "And he said to him: My son; and he said to him: Here I am." And the Holy Spirit cries out (Prov. 26:25): "When his voice is gracious, do not believe him, for there are seven abominations in his heart." Seven sanctuaries are destined to be destroyed: the Tent of Meeting, Gilgal, Shiloh, Nob, Gibeon, the First Temple, and the Second Temple. Therefore: "for there are seven abominations in his heart."

Woe to the kingdom of Esau when the Holy One, blessed be He, sees its deeds and rises up to exact punishment from it. We find that with Egypt, when the Holy One, blessed be He, punished them, He punished them at the time of waking, as it is said, "And it came to pass in the morning watch" (Exodus 14:24). And concerning Assyria, what is written? "And the angel of the Lord went out and smote the camp of Assyria" (II Kings 19:35). With Media, it was through Mordecai and Esther. With Greece, it was through Mattathias and his sons. But concerning Edom, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: there is no creature that will exact punishment from it; I Myself will exact punishment from it. From where? As it is said, "The vision of Obadiah. Thus said the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard tidings from the Lord" (Obadiah 1:1). Said Rabbi Berechiah: What did Obadiah see that he should exact punishment from Edom? He saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, repays reward to those who love Him; to those who hate Him, how much more so. And the Holy Spirit speaks through Eliphaz the Temanite: "Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said: If one ventures a word with you, will you be wearied?" (Job 4:1-2). Eliphaz said to Job: Behold, you say, "Why am I not like Abraham?" Thus you said, "He has cast me into the mire, and I have become like dust and ashes" (Job 30:19). You suppose that He equates you with him. Said Rabbi Berechiah: Invert the verse and expound it: "And I have become like dust and ashes" — and He judges you like the generation of the dispersion, of whom it is written, "And the brick served them as stone" (Genesis 11:3). "He has cast me into the mire" — Eliphaz said to him: Are your deeds like Abraham's? Abraham was tested with ten trials and stood firm in all of them, and you in one trial! "If one ventures a word with you, will you be wearied? Behold, you have instructed many" (Job 4:2-3). You used to comfort all who suffered afflictions. When a blind man came to you, you would say to him: the Holy One, blessed be He, already knew what He was destined to do when He blinded that man; and you would comfort him and say to him: if you were building a house and did not wish to open windows, who could protest against you? So the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to be glorified through you, as it is said, "Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened" (Isaiah 35:5). When a deaf man came to you, you would comfort him and say to him: if you wished to make a jug and did not wish to make ears for it, who could protest against you? So the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to be glorified through you, as it is said, "And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped" (Isaiah 35:5). To the lame you would say, "Then shall the lame man leap as a hart" (Isaiah 35:6), and you would comfort him. "Your words have upheld him that was falling" (Job 4:4). But now that it has touched you, you are dismayed: "But now it is come unto you, and you are wearied" (Job 4:5). "Is not your fear of God your confidence?" (Job 4:6) — because you said: I am a righteous man, so why does He afflict me? And have you ever in your days seen a righteous man perish? "Remember, I pray you, who that was innocent ever perished?" (Job 4:7). Noah, who was righteous, escaped from his generation; Abraham escaped from the furnace; Isaac escaped from the slaughtering knife; Jacob escaped from the angel; Moses escaped from Pharaoh's sword. "Remember, I pray you, who that was innocent ever perished?" — Israel He delivered from Egypt and destroyed the Egyptians. "According as I have seen, they that plow iniquity and sow trouble reap it" (Job 4:8). And what became of them? "By the breath of God they perish" (Job 4:9), as it is said, "You blew with Your wind, the sea covered them" (Exodus 15:10). So too all the wicked who are destined to arise: "The roaring of the lion and the voice of the fierce lion" (Job 4:10). Job said to him: Look now at your father Esau! He said to him: I have no business with him — "The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father" (Ezekiel 18:20). "The old lion perishes for lack of prey" (Job 4:11) — this is Esau, who perishes for lack of deeds. "And the whelps of the lioness are scattered" (Job 4:11) — these are his chieftains. Job said to him: And you, what is it for you? "Now a word was secretly brought to me" (Job 4:12) — I am a prophet; I have no business with him, only to reprove you. "In thoughts from the visions of the night" (Job 4:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Job: My servant, in a vision you were reproved; I will raise up from you a prophet who will exact punishment from your father's house in a vision, as it is said, "The vision of Obadiah." For Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said: What did Obadiah see that he prophesied only against Edom? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Esau grew up between two righteous ones and did not learn from their deeds, while Obadiah dwelt between two wicked ones and did not learn from their deeds; let Obadiah come and exact punishment from Esau. Therefore, "The vision of Obadiah." And what is written in his prophecy? "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau for stubble, and they shall kindle in them and devour them; and there shall be no survivor to the house of Esau, for the Lord has spoken" (Obadiah 1:18).

Another interpretation of (Genesis 37:35): "But he refused to be comforted." Rather, our father Jacob said: Behold, the covenant of the tribes has been breached! How greatly have I labored to establish twelve tribes, and I see that, now that Joseph has gone, behold that covenant has ceased. For all the works of the Holy One, blessed be He, correspond to the twelve tribes: twelve constellations, twelve months, twelve hours in the day, twelve hours in the night, twelve stones that Aaron would wear. And now Joseph has gone from him — behold, the covenant of the tribes has been breached. But did Jacob not know how to take a wife and beget a son so that there would be twelve tribes? Rather, it was because he stood by an oath to Laban, who had said (Genesis 31:50): "If you afflict my daughters, or if you take wives besides my daughters" — even after their death. What did Laban do? He brought him out to press him. He said to him (ibid.): "No man is with us; see, God is witness between me and you." Because of that oath, he was unable to take a wife. When his sons saw that he was so aggrieved and would not accept consolation, they went to Judah. They said to him: You have done to us all this great evil! He said to them: I said to you (Genesis 37:26): "What profit is it if we slay our brother and conceal his blood?" — and you say, "You have done it"? They said to him: But did we not listen to you? You said (Genesis 37:27): "Come, and let us sell him to the Ishmaelites," and we listened to you. Had you said, "Come, and let us return him to his father," would we not have listened to you? Therefore, at that hour they arose and placed him under a ban. From where is this known? From what they read on the matter (Genesis 38:1): "And Judah went down."

"And Jacob said to his sons, Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?" (Genesis 42:1). Jacob said to them: I beg of you, conceal yourselves, for there is nothing more harmful than the evil eye. And so you find with the first tablets: because they were given amid greatness, they were shattered, as it is said, "And all the people saw the thunderings" (Exodus 20:18). But the second tablets, when they were given, no one saw them except Moses, as it is said, "And no man shall come up with you" (Exodus 34:3). And Jerusalem too was destroyed only on account of an evil eye, as it is said, "Is this the city that they called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?" (Lamentations 2:15), and it says, "My eye affects my soul because of all the daughters of my city" (Lamentations 3:51). Therefore Jacob said: Do not make yourselves seen, as it is said, "And Jacob said to his sons, Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?" Rather walk in concealment, as it is said, "He has told you, O man, what is good... and to walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8).

"And he said: Pray, my lord" (Genesis 44:18) — "for your servant became surety for the lad." When did Judah discharge his surety? In the days of Goliath. Since Israel was in distress at that hour, what is written? "And the Philistine drew near morning and evening" (I Samuel 17:16), reviling and blaspheming. Saul began to send out a herald: "And it shall be that the man who strikes him down, the king will enrich him" (I Samuel 17:25). And you find that everyone who reviles is liable to death, as it is said: "And he who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death" (Leviticus 24:16). And that wicked one was reviling for forty days (I Samuel 17:16). Moses said: "And He repays those who hate Him to their face, to destroy them" (Deuteronomy 7:10) — a wicked one who performs a righteous deed, the Holy One, blessed be He, casts it back in his face in this world, in order to destroy him in the world to come; but for the righteous He sets aside their righteous deeds for the world to come. What did this wicked one do that he was reviling for forty days? Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Levi. Rabbi Levi said: Because Orpah his mother walked four miles with her mother-in-law, [the Holy One, blessed be He, rewarded her,] and the Holy One, blessed be He, raised up from her four mighty men, as it is said: "These four were born to the giant in Gath" (II Samuel 21:22). Rabbi Yitzchak said: She walked forty paces with her; therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, gave her her reward and gave her Goliath, and he was reviling before the Holy One, blessed be He, for forty days, as it is said: "And he presented himself forty days" (I Samuel 17:16). Jesse said to David his son: Behold, the hour has come to fulfill that surety of your forefather, who became surety for Benjamin from the hand of his father, as it is said: "I myself will be surety for him" (Genesis 43:9); rather, go and bring him out from his surety, as it is said: "And you shall visit your brothers for welfare, and take their pledge" (I Samuel 17:18) — and "their pledge" (arubatam) is nothing but a surety (arevut). What did David do? He went and fulfilled the surety, and killed Goliath. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: By your life, just as you gave your life for Saul, who is from the tribe of Benjamin, just as Judah your forefather did for Benjamin, as it is said: "And now, let your servant remain in place of the lad as a slave to my lord" (Genesis 44:33) — so I place the Temple within your border and within the border of Benjamin. And from where do we know that the Temple was in the portion of Benjamin and in the portion of Judah? For one verse says: "Benjamin is a wolf that tears; in the morning he devours the prey" (Genesis 49:27) — this is the morning daily offering; "and at evening he divides the spoil" (Genesis 49:27) — this is the twilight daily offering; and another verse says: "Beautiful in elevation, the joy of all the earth" (Psalms 48:3). And not only that, but by your life, all the tribes will go into exile, yet the tribe of Judah and Benjamin will not go into exile with them. Why? Because these two tribes believed in Me and sanctified My name at the sea with Moses. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi Levi: When the sea was split for Israel, there was mire in it, and the tribe of Reuben said to the tribe of Simeon: From mire you came forth and to mire you go, as it is said: "Ephraim has surrounded Me with falsehood, and the house of Israel with deceit" (Hosea 12:1). What did the tribe of Judah and Benjamin do? They sanctified the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said: "There is Benjamin, the youngest, ruling them, the princes of Judah their company" (Psalms 68:28).

What is written above on this matter? "And the LORD said unto Moses: Pharaoh will not hearken unto you" (Exodus 11:9). Rabbi Judah and Rabbi Nehemiah disagree. Rabbi Judah says: This passage speaks from the beginning of the plagues — "Pharaoh will not hearken unto you." But Rabbi Nehemiah says: It is stated in its own place, at the sea more than in Egypt. "And Moses and Aaron did all these wonders" (Exodus 11:10). The Holy One, blessed be He, sought to give this passage to Moses by himself. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You have taught well; by your lives, to the two of you I am giving it, as it is said, "And the LORD spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron" (Exodus 12:1).

FROM YOUR DESTITUTE BROTHER. They said concerning Rabbi Tanhum ben Hanilai that whenever he would take home meat or vegetables, or anything at all, he would say to the members of his household: Set aside for the poor their portion, for I have taken only one litra of meat for myself, and for the poor half a litra. For he would fulfill (Ecclesiastes 7:14), "In the day of prosperity be in good, and in the day of adversity consider" — that it should come upon others. Why? Because you are not far from poverty; it is near to you, and the poor man is "with you" (Exodus 22:24).

"In the crown with which his mother crowned him" (Song of Songs 3:11). Rabbi Isaac said: I went through the whole of Scripture in its entirety, and I did not find that Bathsheba made a crown for Solomon her son, yet it says, "In the crown with which his mother crowned him." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai asked Rabbi Eleazar bar Yose. He said to him: Is it possible that you heard from your father what is the meaning of "In the crown with which his mother crowned him"? He said to him: Thus said Abba (my father): A parable of a king who had an only daughter, and he loved her exceedingly. He did not cease showing her affection until he called her ["my sister; he did not cease showing her affection until he called her] my mother." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, showed affection to Israel and called them "my daughter," as it is said, "Hear, O daughter, and see" (Psalms 45:11). And He did not cease until He called them "my sister," as it is said, "My sister, my beloved" (Song of Songs 5:2). He did not cease until He called them "my mother," "Hearken to Me, My people, and My nation [u-le'umi]" (Isaiah 51:4) — and "my mother" [u-le'imi] is what is written. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai arose and kissed him upon his head and said: Had I come into the world for nothing other than to hear this teaching, it would have been enough for me.

Another interpretation of "Who has split a channel for the flood" (Job 38:25): When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the human, He created him with wisdom. How so? Had He created him mostly water and a little blood, he would have become an istenis (a frail, fastidious person); had He created him mostly blood and a little water, he would have become a leper. Half water and half blood — [behold, this is] a whole human.

"And cedar wood" (Leviticus 14:4). This cedar—there is no tree taller than it; and because he exalted himself like the cedar, the tzaraat came upon him. For Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar said: On account of haughtiness of spirit the tzaraat comes, for so you find in the case of Uzziah, "And when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruction, and he trespassed against the LORD his God; and in his rage with the priests, the tzaraat broke forth on his forehead" (II Chronicles 26:16, 19). "And hyssop"—among the trees there is none as low as the hyssop; because he humbled himself, therefore he is healed by means of hyssop.

"In the wilderness of Sinai" (ibid., i.e., Numbers 3:4). [Rabbi Meir said:] Did they then die in the wilderness of Sinai? Rather, from Mount Sinai they received their verdict of death, [though they died only later at the Tent of Meeting]. [This may be compared] to a king who was marrying off his daughter, and something filthy was found in his groomsman. The king said: If I put him to death [now], I will hold up the rejoicing of my daughter. Tomorrow my own celebration is coming; better [that I deal with him] at my own celebration and not at my daughter's celebration. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said: If I put Nadab and Abihu to death now, I will hold up the rejoicing of the Torah. Tomorrow My own celebration is coming; better [that it be] at My own celebration and not at the celebration of the Torah. This is what is written (Song of Songs 3:11): "On the day of his wedding, and on the day of the gladness of his heart" — "on the day of his wedding," this is the day of the giving of the Torah; "and on the day of the gladness of his heart," this is the Tent of Meeting.

Rabbi Joshua ben Levi went up to Rome. He saw there two pillars of marble covered with coverings, so that in the scorching heat they would not crack, and in the cold they would not freeze. He saw there a certain pauper with a reed mat beneath him and a reed mat over him. Concerning the pillars he read (Psalms 36:7), "Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains" — wherever You give, You bestow abundantly. And concerning the pauper he read (ibid.), "and Your judgments are like the great deep" — wherever You strike, You deal exactingly.

A person who sins — at the first, what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do to him? He brings poverty upon him, and he sells his field, as it is said, "And if your brother becomes poor and sells some of his holding" (Leviticus 25:25). If he repents, then it is well; but if not, he sells his house, as it is said, "And if a man sells a dwelling house" (Leviticus 25:29). If he repents, then it is well; but if not, he sells his daughter, as it is said, "And if a man sells his daughter as a maidservant" (Exodus 21:7). If he repents, then it is well; but if not, he sells himself, as it is said, "If your brother, a Hebrew, is sold to you" (Deuteronomy 15:12). Why all this? Because he became poor through his iniquities, "When your brother becomes poor."

Another interpretation of "If a man hides himself in secret places, [shall I not see him?]" (Jeremiah 23:24). It is comparable to an architect who went out as a katadikon over a certain province (that is, "one who imposes punishment," in the Greek language). The inhabitants of the province began hiding their silver and their gold within those hidden vaults. The architect said to them: I built the province, and I made the hidden vaults. Would you hide from me? So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the adulterers: Would you hide yourselves from Me? "If a man hides himself in secret places" (Jeremiah 23:24) — I created you and made you full of cavity upon cavity, [as it is said,] "and you forgot God who brought you forth" (Deuteronomy 32:18). Nothing that you hide yourselves with will avail you anything, because "I the LORD search the heart, test the kidneys, to give to each man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds" (Jeremiah 17:10). And I am the one who brings you near to judgment, as it is said, "And I will draw near to you in judgment" (Malachi 3:5). Therefore do not go astray after the evil inclination, so that the wife of one of you will not go astray, as it is said, "If any man's wife goes astray" (Numbers 5:12).

And why is slander (lashon ha-ra) called "third"? Because it kills three: the one who speaks it, the one who receives it, and the one about whom it is spoken. And in the days of Saul it killed four: Doeg, who spoke it; Saul, who received it; Ahimelech, about whom it was spoken; [and Abner ben Ner]. And Abner ben Ner — why was he killed? Rabbi Joshua [ben Levi] said: because he placed his own name before the name of David. This is what is written, "And Abner sent messengers to David in his place, [saying,] To whom does the land belong?" (II Samuel 3:12) — he wrote "From Abner to David." Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish said: because he made the blood of the young men into sport, as it is said, "And Abner said... Let the young men now arise and make sport before us" (II Samuel 2:14). And the Rabbis said: because he did not wait for Saul to be reconciled with David, as it is said, "And, my father, see, yea, see" (I Samuel 24:11). Abner said to him: What do you want from a cloak? You say it was caught on a thorn. When [David] came near to the encampment, he said to him, "Will you not answer, Abner?" (I Samuel 26:14): You said the corner of the cloak was caught on a thorn — were the spear and the water-jug caught on a thorn? And some say: because it was in his power to protest at Nob, the city of the priests, and he did not protest.

Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: By the merit of two things Israel makes itself beloved before the Omnipresent—by the merit of the Sabbath and by the merit of tithes. By the merit of the Sabbath, as it is written, "If you turn back your foot from the Sabbath..." (Isaiah 58:13). And what is written after it? "Then you shall delight yourself in the LORD..." (Isaiah 58:14). And by the merit of tithes, as it is written, "And you shall rejoice in all the good" (Deuteronomy 26:11)—and "good" means nothing other than Torah, as it is written, "For I have given you good instruction; do not forsake my Torah" (Proverbs 4:2). Therefore Moses warned Israel, "You shall surely tithe" (Deuteronomy 14:22).

Another interpretation (of Genesis 44:18): "PRAY, MY LORD" (bi adoni). And it is said, "MY LORD ASKED" (Genesis 44:19), and it is said, "UNTO MY LORD" (Genesis 44:20); "AND NOW, PLEASE, LET YOUR SERVANT REMAIN," and so forth (Genesis 44:33). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Behold, you have now slackened from your former strength and spoken supplications. By your life! Even though I had said, "And the LORD has a lawsuit with Judah" (Hosea 12:3), nevertheless I am gracious, and I will have compassion upon you, as it is said, "For I will not contend forever" (Isaiah 57:16). And "forever" (olam) means none other than Judah, as it is said, "But Judah shall abide forever" (Joel 4:20).