Midrash Tanchuma Reader

Another interpretation: "And he sent Judah before him to Joseph, to teach the way before him" (Genesis 46:28). What does this mean? Rabbi Nehemiah said: To set up for him a house of study where he would teach Torah, so that the tribes would meditate upon Torah. Know that this is so: when Joseph went away from him, Jacob knew at which passage he had parted from him, for he had been studying it with him. When Joseph's brothers came and said to him, "Joseph is still alive," his heart went numb, for he did not believe them, as it is said, "for he did not believe them" (Genesis 45:26). Jacob recalled at which passage Joseph had parted from him. He said to them: Did he give you a sign at which passage he parted from me? Jacob said in his heart: I know that it was at the passage of the heifer that Joseph parted from me. He said to them: Tell me at which passage he parted from me, and I will believe you. Joseph too recalled at which passage he had parted from him. What did Joseph do? He gave them wagons, as it is said, "And Joseph gave them wagons" (Genesis 45:21). This teaches you that in every place he went he occupied himself with Torah, just as his fathers had done, even though the Torah had not yet been given. Indeed, it is written of Abraham, "And he kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws" (Genesis 26:5). And from where did Abraham learn the Torah? Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai says: His two kidneys were made for him like two full jars, and they would pour forth Torah. And from where do we know this? Where it says, "Even at night my kidneys instruct me" (Psalms 16:7). Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman said in the name of Rabbi Jonathan ben Eleazar Ish ha-Birah: Even the laws of the mingling of cooked dishes (eruv tavshilin) did our father Abraham know, as it is said, "Because Abraham hearkened to My voice" (Genesis 26:5). And at three years of age Abraham recognized his Creator, as it is said, "Because [eikev]" — for all the days of Abraham were one hundred and seventy-five, and from here you learn that at three years of age he recognized Him; and he kept even the fine details of the Torah and taught it to his children, as it is said, "For I have known him, to the end that he may command his children and his household after him" (Genesis 18:19). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You have taught your children Torah in this world, but in the world to come I in My glory will teach them the Torah, as it is said, "And all your children shall be taught of the Lord, and great shall be the peace of your children" (Isaiah 54:13).

"Unstable as water, you shall not excel" (Genesis 49:4). What is the meaning of "as water"? Rabbi Jeremiah and Rabbi Nathan differ. One said it was to his discredit, and the other said it was to his credit. To his discredit, what is the meaning of "as water"? You have left nothing for yourself; rather, you are "as water." How so? When a person empties a jar of honey, he leaves a little in it. But when he pours water into it, he leaves nothing in it. So too you have left for yourself no merit at all; rather, you are "unstable as water." And the other said it was to his credit. What is the meaning of "as water"? A person who pours out honey or oil leaves a little. But you did not leave for yourself any sin; rather, you are "as water." Just as water cleanses, so too have you been cleansed.

(Exodus 3:1:) "And he drove the flock behind the wilderness." Why was he pursuing after the wilderness? In order to distance himself from robbery. Another interpretation: He was pursuing the wilderness because he saw that he would receive greatness from the wilderness. The Torah came from the wilderness; the commandments came from the wilderness; the Tabernacle came from the wilderness; the Divine Presence came from the wilderness; kingdoms and priesthood came from the wilderness; the well came from the wilderness; the manna came from the wilderness; the clouds of glory came from the wilderness. Therefore he was pursuing after the wilderness.

Another interpretation of (Exodus 7:9) "When Pharaoh speaks unto you, <saying: Produce a wonder for yourselves, then you shall say unto Aaron: Take your rod and cast it down before Pharaoh; it shall become a serpent>": This is what Scripture says (Proverbs 29:11), "A fool vents all his spirit, but a wise man stills it in the end." One who is a knave or a fool comes to quarrel with his fellow and brings out all the words that he has; but since the other is wise, in the end he dismisses him. Another interpretation of "A fool vents all his spirit": Who is this? This is Pharaoh. When Moses and Aaron went to him, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Before you go to him, I am telling you what he is going to do and what he will ask of you. (Exodus 7:9) "When Pharaoh speaks unto you" — only be careful. (Ibid.) "And you shall say unto Aaron: Take your rod <and cast it down before Pharaoh>." When they went to Pharaoh, he said: Produce a wonder for yourselves. Immediately (Exodus 7:10) "And Aaron cast down his rod." At that moment Pharaoh laughed at them. He said to them: Moses and Aaron, what do you suppose, that you have come to mock me? But I am not afraid of these things. All of Egypt is full of sorceries. There are those who bring straw to Afarayim, and fine gold to Rekem.

Another interpretation of (Exodus 12:2) "This month": Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said, To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a timepiece, and he would look at it and know which hour of the day it was. He did nothing, but when his son reached his maturity, he said to him: My son, until now this timepiece has been in my hand; from now on it is handed over to you. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, used to sanctify the new moons and intercalate the years. When Israel arose, He said to them: Until now the reckoning of the months and of the years has been in My hand; from here onward, behold, they are handed over to you, as it is said (Exodus 12:2), "This month shall be for you."

Another interpretation of (Exodus 15:1): "Then (az) Moses sang." This is what Scripture says (Psalms 40:2): "I waited eagerly for the LORD," and so forth. Rabbi Pinhas the Priest bar Hama said: If you have waited and He has not come, wait again. David said (Psalms 27:14): "Hope in the LORD; be strong and let your heart take courage, and hope in the LORD." If your hope has come, well and good; if not, hope in the LORD again. And David said: "I waited eagerly for the LORD." Out of the waiting, (Psalms 40:2): "He inclined to me and heard my cry." (Exodus 2:24): "And God heard their groaning," and so forth. (Psalms 40:3): "He brought me up out of the roaring pit, out of the miry clay," and so forth — out of the clay of the bricks. (Psalms 40:3): "And He set my feet upon a rock" — in that He gave me the spoil of Egypt and the spoil of the sea. (He made my steps firm.) (Psalms 40:4): "And He put a new song in my mouth" — "Then Moses sang," and so forth. What is "Then" (az)? With "az" the Holy One, blessed be He, made the dry land into sea for the generation of Enosh, as it is said (Genesis 4:26): "Then (az) it was begun to call upon the name of the LORD." But for us He made the sea into dry land; with "az" we praise Him.

Another interpretation of "On the new moon" (Exodus 19:1): the new moon has come. Rabbi Abin said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed to Moses at the bush, He said to him, "When you bring this people out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain" (Exodus 3:12). And Moses was waiting expectantly, saying, "When will that appointed time come?" But once the [appointed time] arrived, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "The new moon has come that you were awaiting." It does not say "in the third month," as it says "in the month of Ziv" (1 Kings 6:37), "in the month of Bul" (1 Kings 6:38), "in the month of Ethanim" (1 Kings 8:2), but rather "in the [third] new moon." Rabbi Judah the Levite son of Rabbi Shalom said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "I am making a renewal of things and renewing you." To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a son, and when the son reached his maturity, his father sought to marry him off, but he did not have a new argentirin (that is, a court). The king said, "It is not fitting to my son's honor to marry him off with an old argentirin; yet if I wait until I make him a new one, I delay my son's joy." What did the king do? He brought smiths and craftsmen, and they polished the vessels of copper; he brought woodworkers, and they wove designs into the vessels of wood. [Thus the king married off his son with an old argentirin that appeared new.] So too, when Israel went out of Egypt, there were among them blind and deaf and lame. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "[The whole Torah is perfect, as it is said, 'The Torah of the Lord is perfect' (Psalms 19:8).] Shall I give it to this generation while there are among them those with blemishes? Shall I wait until their children stand up? I would delay the joy of the Torah." What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He healed them, and then He gave them the Torah. And from where is it shown [that He healed them]? Whoever was blind came to see, as it is said, "And all the people saw the thunderings" (Exodus 20:18). And whoever was deaf was made to hear, as it is said, "All that the Lord has spoken we will do and obey" (Exodus 24:7). And whoever was lame was made whole, as it is said, "And they stood at the foot of the mountain" (Exodus 19:17). Thus, "A renewal of things I will renew for you."

(Exodus 23:21:) "FOR MY NAME IS WITHIN HIM." The name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is joined together with each and every angel. Moses said to Him: I do not ask that an angel go with us; if You Yourself do not go with us, we will not stir from our place. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: By your life, I will not even send an angel before you; rather, I will send the hornet before you, as it is said (Exodus 23:28): "AND I WILL SEND THE HORNET" etc. How did the Amorites die? Rabbi Levi said: He paired two hornets with each and every one, and each and every one would pour out its venom into his eyes, and he would die immediately. Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said: How did they die? A trembling would enter into them, and they would be seized with flux and would die before Israel. Rabbi Berekhyah said: The Holy One, blessed be He, would bind them before Israel, and they would come and kill them, as it is said (Deuteronomy 3:3): "AND THE LORD OUR GOD GAVE into our hand" etc.—like a man who binds his son's enemy and places him before his son. If you should say the Amorites were small, the Holy One, blessed be He, praises them: (Amos 2:9) "AND I DESTROYED THE AMORITE BEFORE THEM, WHOSE HEIGHT WAS LIKE THE HEIGHT OF THE CEDARS." And what did I do to them? (ibid.) "AND I DESTROYED HIS FRUIT ABOVE"—this is their prince; "AND HIS ROOTS BENEATH"—these are the Amorites. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: In this world I sent an angel before them, and he would cut off the nations of the world; but in the world to come, Elijah—may he be remembered for good—him I send to you, as it is said (Malachi 3:23): "BEHOLD, I SEND YOU ELIJAH THE PROPHET BEFORE THE COMING OF THE GREAT AND AWESOME DAY OF THE LORD."

[(Exodus 31:18:) "And when He had finished speaking with him, He gave unto Moses."] Rabbi Abbahu said: All forty days that Moses spent on high, he would learn Torah and forget it. Moses said to Him: "Master of the Universe, here I have forty days, and I do not know a single thing!" What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? When he had completed forty days, He gave him the Torah as a gift. "And He gave unto Moses."

In the time to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring forth the soul and say to it: "Why did you transgress the commandments?" And it answers: "The body transgressed the commandments. From the day I departed from it, have I ever sinned?" He turns and says to the body: "For what reason did you transgress the commandments?" It says to Him: "The soul sinned. From the moment the soul departed from me, have I ever sinned?" What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brings them both and judges them as one. To what may the matter be compared? To a king who had an orchard, and within it were grapes and figs and pomegranates and early-ripe figs. The king said: "If I set there a watchman who can see and walk, he will eat the early-ripe figs for himself." He set there two watchmen, one lame and one blind, and they sat and guarded the orchard. They smelled the early-ripe figs. The lame man said to the blind man: "I see fine early-ripe figs in the orchard. Come, carry me, and we will bring them and eat them." The lame man rode upon the back of the blind man, and they brought them and ate them. In time the king came; he sought the early-ripe figs and did not find them. He said to the blind man: "You ate them." He said to him: "Do I have any eyes?" He said to the lame man: "You ate them." He said: "Do I have any feet?" He mounted the lame man upon the back of the blind man and judged them as one. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, brings the soul and casts it into the body, as it is said (Psalms 50:4): "He calls to the heavens above" — this is the soul; "and to the earth, to judge His people" — this is the body. And David foresaw how the Holy One, blessed be He, would judge His creatures, and he began to plead for mercy for his soul. He said: "Master of the World, when You judge Your creatures, do not judge me as one of them. [And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no living being is righteous before You] (Psalms 143:2). Rather, deal righteously with me, as it is said (Psalms 17:15): 'As for me, in righteousness I shall behold Your face.'" The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "In this world, because the evil inclination ruled over them, you were sinning; but in the world to come I will uproot it from you, as it is said (Ezekiel 36:26): 'And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.'"

[(Leviticus 8:2:) Take Aaron and his sons.] It is written (in Proverbs 3:35): "The wise shall inherit honor, [but fools carry away disgrace]." This verse serves in the creation of the world. "The wise shall inherit honor" — this is Noah and his sons. "But fools carry away disgrace" — this is the generation of the flood. This is also the case: "The wise shall inherit honor" — this is Shem, as it is said (in Genesis 9:26): "Blessed be the LORD, the God of Shem." "But fools carry away disgrace" — this is Ham, as it is said (there, in the same passage, verse 25): "And he said: Cursed be Canaan."

[These are the creatures that you may eat (Leviticus 11:2).] The Holy One, blessed be He, said [to him]: Warn Israel not to eat bad things, so that your evil inclination should not lead you astray, saying that the Holy One has forbidden good things to Israel. The Holy One said: Everything that I have forbidden to you, I have permitted to you something corresponding to it. I forbade to you the blood of a menstruant; I permitted to you the blood of virginity. [I forbade to you the blood; I permitted to you the spleen and the liver, which are entirely blood.] I forbade to you the flesh of swine; I permitted to you the tongue of a fish whose name is shibbuta, which resembles swine. I forbade to you a married woman; I permitted to you the woman of beautiful form, [as it is said, And you see among the captives a woman of beautiful form, and you desire her, and would take her to yourself for a wife (Deuteronomy 21:11).] I forbade to you a brother's wife; I permitted her to you after his death, [as it is said,] Her brother-in-law shall come in unto her [and take her to himself for a wife] (Deuteronomy 25:5). I forbade to you mingled kinds (kilayim), but I permitted to you a linen sheet with woolen fringes. I forbade to you the fat of a domestic animal, but I permitted to you that of a wild animal. Rabbi Bisna said in the name of Rabbi Hiyya: What the Holy One forbade in a domestic animal He permitted in a wild animal, and what He forbade in fowl He permitted in fish. How so? He forbade fat in a domestic animal; He permitted it in a wild animal. He forbade the sinew of the thigh-vein in a wild animal; He permitted it in fowl. He forbade blood in fowl; He permitted it in fish. And why all this? In order to give a good reward to Israel for observing the commandments.

Another interpretation of (Psalm 5:5): "Evil shall not abide with You." Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: The Name of the Holy One is not mentioned in connection with evil, but only in connection with good. You may know that this is so, for at the hour when the Holy One created the light and the darkness and gave them names, He mentioned His Name in connection with the light, but He did not mention His Name in connection with the darkness, as it is said (Genesis 1:5): "And God called the light Day, and the darkness He called Night." And so too you find, when He created Adam and Eve, He mentioned His Name in connection with them, as it is said (Genesis 1:28): "And God blessed them..."; but when He cursed them, He did not mention His Name in connection with them, as it is said (Genesis 3:16): "Unto the woman He said..."; and (Genesis 3:17): "And unto Adam He said..." And if you should say: In connection with the serpent He did mention it at the hour of its cursing, [as it is written (Genesis 3:14): "And the LORD God said unto the serpent: Because you have done this, cursed are you..."]; thus have the Sages taught: Concerning three things the Holy One mentioned His Name, even though they were for evil,

Another interpretation: "When you come into the land" etc. (Leviticus 14:34). What has the land sinned that it should be stricken? Rather, on account of the sin of human beings the land is stricken, as it is said, "A fruitful land into a salt marsh, because of the wickedness of those who dwell in it" (Psalms 107:34). For what reason do sufferings come into the world? On account of human beings, so that they may see and consider and say: Whoever has sinned is stricken, and whoever has not sinned is not stricken. And why are the timbers and the stones and the walls stricken? So that the owners may see and repent. And likewise you find that when Israel sinned and the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to exile them, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: If I exile them first, now they will become a disgrace and a shame to all the nations. What did He do? He brought Sennacherib the wicked upon all the nations and exiled them, as it is said, "And my hand has found, like a nest, the wealth of the peoples" (Isaiah 10:14), and it is written, "And I have removed the borders of peoples" etc. (Isaiah 10:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let Israel see that I have exiled the nations of the world, and let them repent and fear at My judgments, as it is said, "I have cut off nations; their corner-towers are desolate" etc.; "I said, Surely you will fear Me" etc. (Zephaniah 3:6-7). Since they did not repent, immediately they were exiled. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, warns them and strikes their houses first, so that they may repent, as it is said, "And I put a plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession" (Leviticus 14:34). If he turns back, well and good; but if not, he is stricken in his body, as it is said, "Any man who has a discharge from his flesh" etc. (Leviticus 15:2). (Therefore the stones are stricken first.) If he repents, well and good; but if not, his garments are stricken, as it is said, "And the garment, when there is in it a plague of leprosy" (Leviticus 13:47). And if he does not turn back, he is stricken in his body, as it is said, "And a man whose head sheds its hair" (Leviticus 13:40). And there is still, in the shedding of the hair of the head, an actual doubt, doubtfully unclean and doubtfully clean. If he turns back, well and good; but if not, he is stricken with boils, as it is said, "[And the flesh,] when there is in it a boil [and it is healed]" (Leviticus 13:18). If he turns back, well and good; but if not, he is stricken with five scourges (that is, blows): rising, scab, bright spot, scall, and plague. And all this, why? Because he did not turn back. {The Holy One, blessed be He,} [Scripture] said, "Judgments are prepared for scoffers, [and blows for the back of fools]" (Proverbs 19:29). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Before I created the human being I prepared for him all of these. A parable: like a wicked slave who was being sold. His master went to buy him, and he knew about him that he was a wicked slave, so he took with him chains and scourges, that if he should offend he might chastise him with them. When he offended, he brought the chains and chained him, he brought the scourges and beat him. The slave said to him: Did you not know that I am a wicked slave? Why did you buy me? He said to him: Because I knew that you are a wicked slave, I prepared for you chains and scourges, that if you should offend, I might chastise you with them. So too the Holy One, blessed be His name: before He created the human being, He prepared for him sufferings, because He knows that "the inclination of the human heart is evil [from its youth]" (Genesis 8:21). Therefore He prepared for him all of these, as it is said, "Judgments are prepared for scoffers, [and blows for the back of fools]" (Proverbs 19:29).

[After the death of the two sons of Aaron (Lev. 16:1).] All four were fit to die, but Moses prayed for them, and his prayer accomplished half. When? At the time when Israel made the calf. What is written there? "And the LORD was very angry with Aaron, to destroy him" (Deut. 9:20). And "destruction" is nothing other than annihilation, as it is said, "And I destroyed his fruit from above" (Amos 2:9). Once Moses prayed, his prayer accomplished half.

"When you come into the land" (Leviticus 19:23). This is what Scripture says (Jeremiah 3:19): "But I said: How shall I set you among the children, and give you a desirable land?" A parable of a king who had concubines, and he had many children, and he had one son from a certain matron, and he loved him exceedingly. The king gave to all the children of the concubines fields and vineyards, and afterward he gave to his son one orchard, from which all his provision (kelarin) came up. The son sent and said to his father: "To the children of the concubines you gave fields and vineyards, and to me you gave one orchard?" The king said to him: "By your life, all my provision (kelarin) came to me from this orchard; and because I love you more than your brothers, I gave it to you." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, created the nations of the world, as it is said (Song of Songs 6:8): "There are sixty queens" — these are the nations; "one is my dove" (ibid. 6:9) — this is the congregation of Israel. And the Holy One, blessed be He, apportioned to the nations of the world [fields and vineyards], as it is said (Deuteronomy 32:8): "When the Most High gave the nations their inheritance"; and He gave to Israel the Land of Israel, the provision-store (kelarin) of the Holy One, blessed be He: the offerings are from it, the showbread is from it, the firstfruits are from it, the omer is from it, all the good things in the world [are from it]. And all this — why? In order to make a distinction between the son of the matron and the children of the concubines, as it is said: "But I said: How shall I set you among the children" etc. Great love there was between the Holy One, blessed be He, and Israel; and how did the enmity enter? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "How shall I set (ashit) you" — and this expression is nothing but an expression of enmity, as it is said (Genesis 3:15): "And I will set (ashit) enmity."

[Another interpretation of (Leviticus 22:27): "A bull or a sheep or a goat." This is what Scripture says (Ecclesiastes 3:15): "That which has been already is, etc."] Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Nechemyah differed. Rabbi Yehudah says: If a person says to you that, had Adam the first man not sinned, he would have lived and endured forever, say to him: Behold Elijah (etc.) [who did not sin, and he lives and endures forever]. "And that which is to be already has been, etc." (Ecclesiastes there): If a person says to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, revives the dead, say to him: Behold, He has already done so through Elijah, and through Elisha, and through Ezekiel. [And Rabbi Nechemyah says: If a person says to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, will in the future make the sea into dry land, say to him: He has already done so in the days of Moses, as it is said: "But the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall to them on their right and on their left" (Exodus 14:29).] And Rabbi Acha said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman: Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, will do in the time to come, He has already done a portion of it beforehand through the righteous in this world. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I am destined to revive the dead—I have already done so through Elijah, and through Elisha, and through Ezekiel. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I am destined to make the sea into dry land—I have already done so: "But the children of Israel walked on dry land" (ibid.). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I am destined to open the eyes of the blind—it has already been done, as it is said: "And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man" (II Kings 6:17). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I am destined to remember the barren—it has already been done, as it is said: "And the Lord remembered Sarah, etc." (Genesis 21:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: [I am destined to make kings bow down to you, as it is said:] "And kings shall be your foster-fathers, etc." (Isaiah 49:23)—it has already been done through Daniel, [for Nebuchadnezzar bowed down to Daniel,] as it is said: "He paid homage to Daniel" (Daniel 2:46).

[(Numbers 2:2:) "EACH BY HIS STANDARD, WITH THE SIGNS OF THEIR FATHERS' HOUSE." This is what Scripture says:] "I will fetch my knowledge from afar, and to my Maker I will ascribe righteousness" (Job 36:3). It need only have said "each by his standard, [with the signs shall the children of Israel encamp]." Why then does Scripture say "by his standard, with the signs [of their fathers' house]"? Rather, when Jacob our father departed from the world, he said to them, "When I sleep with my fathers, you shall carry me out of Egypt and bury me in their burial place" (Genesis 47:30). He went around to all his sons and blessed them and charged them. He said to them: When you carry me, carry me with reverence and with honor, and let no other person touch my bier—not one of the Egyptians, nor one of your children, because there are among them those who married from the daughters of Canaan. And so it says, "And his sons did for him just as he had charged them" (Genesis 50:12), "[and his sons carried him to the land of Canaan]" (ibid. 50:13)—his sons and not his sons' sons. How did he charge them? He said to them: Judah, Issachar, and Zebulun shall bear my bier from the east; Reuben, Simeon, and Gad from the south; Ephraim, Manasseh, and Benjamin from the west; Dan, Asher, and Naphtali from the north. Let Joseph not bear, for he is a king, and you must apportion honor to him. And let Levi not bear—why? Because he bears the Ark; and one who bears the Ark of the Life of the Worlds does not bear the coffin of a dead man. If you do thus and bear my bier just as I have charged you, the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to settle you in standards upon standards. When he departed, they bore him just as he had charged them, as it is said, "And his sons did for him just as he had charged them." What is written after it? "And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan." When Israel went forth from Egypt, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Behold, the hour has come for them to make standards upon standards, just as their father heralded to them that they were destined to make standards. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Make for them standards for My name. Immediately Moses began to be distressed. He said: Dissension is destined to arise among the tribes. If I say to the tribe of Judah to encamp in the east, it will say, "It is impossible for me to encamp except in the south," and likewise every single tribe in the same manner. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: [What concern is it to you?] They do not need you in this matter; of themselves they recognize their dwelling, because their father's charge is in their hands as to how to encamp by the standards. I am not introducing anything new upon them; the arrangement of their father is already in their hands. Just as they surrounded his bier, so shall they surround the Tabernacle. Whence? As it is said, "Each by his standard, with the signs [of their fathers' house]."

(Numbers 5:13:) AND THERE IS NO WITNESS AGAINST HER. Even though she has none now, she has one after a time. In a similar matter you say (Genesis 11:30): AND SARAI WAS BARREN; SHE HAD NO CHILD. Even though she had none then, she had one after a time, as it is said (Genesis 21:1): AND THE LORD VISITED SARAH. In a similar matter you say (Esther 2:10): ESTHER HAD NOT TOLD. Even though she had not told him then, she told him after a time, as it is said (Esther 8:1): AND MORDECAI CAME BEFORE THE KING, FOR ESTHER HAD TOLD WHAT HE WAS TO HER. And here too (Numbers 5:13): AND THERE IS NO WITNESS AGAINST HER. Even though she has none now, she has one after a time, as it is said (Malachi 3:5): AND I WILL BE A SWIFT WITNESS [AGAINST THE SORCERERS AND AGAINST THE ADULTERERS].

(Numbers 8:5-6:) "And the LORD spoke etc. Take the Levites." Let our master teach us: how many strings were on the harp upon which the Levites played? Thus did Rabbi Judah teach: there were seven strings on that harp, as it is said (Psalms 16:11), "fullness (sova) of joys is in Your presence" — do not read it sova ("fullness") but sheva ("seven"). And so did David say (Psalms 119:164), "Seven times a day I praise You." And in the days of the Messiah it will be made eight, for so did David say in song (Psalms 6:1), "For the leader, with stringed music, upon the eighth (al ha-sheminit)." And in the time to come it will be made ten, as it is said (Psalms 144:9), "(Sing to God a new song etc.) [O God, a new song I will sing to You; upon a ten-stringed harp (nevel asor) I will make music to You.]" And who established them? Samuel and David, as it is said (1 Chronicles 9:22), "These did David and Samuel the seer establish in their trust." And they set up the divisions of the song, and the Levites would stand upon the platform and sing before the One who spoke and the world came into being. See the affection with which the Holy One, blessed be He, cherished the Levites; and from the beginning the Holy One, blessed be He, ordained concerning them that they should serve Him. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: the Levites are exceedingly beloved before Me; take them for My name, for high office, [from where, from what is read in the matter:] "Take the Levites."

(Numbers 13:17:) "And Moses sent them [etc.]: Go up here through the Negev." Why through the Negev? Because this is what the merchants do: they show the inferior goods first, and afterward they show the choice goods. (Numbers 13:18:) "And you shall see the land, what it is." Three times Moses told them to look closely at the Land of Israel. There is a land that raises up mighty men, and there is one that raises up weaklings; there is one that increases multitudes, and there is one that diminishes multitudes. Thus he charged them. (Numbers 13:18:) "And the people that dwells upon it, is it strong or weak, is it few or many?" And how will you know their strength? If they are dwelling in open camps, they are mighty and trust in their strength; but if they are in fortresses, they are weak and faint of heart. (Numbers 13:20:) "And what is the land, is it fat or lean?"—that is, whether its fruits are meager or rich. He said to them: Look at its stones and its pebbles. If they are of flint, they are rich; and if they are of clay, they are lean. (Numbers 13:20:) "Now the days were the days of the first ripe grapes." From here you learn that the season of Tammuz is never without figs and grapes.

"You have gone too far, sons of Levi" (Numbers 16:7). Behold, I told you! They were not fools, for thus did he warn them, and they took it upon themselves. They sinned against their own lives, as it is said, "the censers of these who sinned at the cost of their lives" (Numbers 17:3). And Korah, who was shrewd, what did he see to do this folly? Rather, his eye misled him. He saw a great chain standing forth from him: Samuel, who was equal to Moses and Aaron, and twenty-four watches standing forth from his sons, all of whom would prophesy by the Holy Spirit, [as it is said,] "all these were sons of Heman, the king's seer in the words of God, to exalt the horn" (1 Chronicles 25:5). He said: Is it possible that this greatness is destined to stand forth from me, and I should perish? But he did not see well, for his sons would stand in repentance, and they would come forth from them. Thus did he see. Therefore he acted foolishly in coming to that statute which he heard from the mouth of Moses, that they would all perish and one would escape, and "the man whom the Lord chooses, he is the holy one."

"And he was wiser than every man" (I Kings 5:11) — than Adam the first man. And what was his wisdom? You find that at the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to create Adam the first man, He took counsel with the ministering angels. He said to them, "Let us make man in our image" (Genesis 1:26). They said to Him, "What is man that You are mindful of him?" (Psalms 8:5). He said to them, "[The man whom I wish to create in My world,] his wisdom shall be greater than yours." Immediately He brought before them every beast, wild animal, and bird. He said to them, "What are the names of these?" And they did not know. Once He created Adam the first man, He brought them before him. He said to him, "What are the names of these?" He said, "It is fitting to call this one an ox, this one a lion, this one a horse," and so for all of them, as it is said, "And the man gave names to all the cattle" (Genesis 2:20). He said to him, "You — what is your name?" He said to Him, "Adam, for I was created from the earth (adamah)." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "I — what is My name?" He said to Him, "YHWH (the LORD), for You are Lord over all the creatures." This is what is written, "I am the LORD, that is My name" (Isaiah 42:8) — which Adam the first man called Me. [That is My name, which I established between Myself and the nations of the world.]

(Numbers 22:24:) THEN THE ANGEL OF THE LORD STOOD IN A LANE BETWEEN THE VINEYARDS. And could he not have gone after him into the field? Rather, such is the way of the Holy One, blessed be He. A king of flesh and blood sends an executioner to kill a person; he goes after him many days, and the one who has become liable to death eats and drinks while the executioner pursues him from place to place. But before the Holy One, blessed be He, it is not so. Rather, the executioner is in his place, and the one who has become liable to death comes to him on his own feet. So that the angel would not be troubled to go after Balaam, he went ahead of him on the road, for thus it is written: AND THE ANGEL OF THE LORD STOOD IN A LANE BETWEEN THE VINEYARDS, etc. He said to him: Shall the vineyards be sold for foxes?

"And you shall say to them: This is the fire-offering" etc. (Numbers 28:3) — not both of them at once, but rather, "The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the second lamb you shall offer at twilight" (ibid. v. 4). Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon said: Never did a person lodge overnight in Jerusalem with iniquity in his hand. How so? The daily morning offering would atone for transgressions committed during the night, and the daily offering at twilight would atone for transgressions committed during the day. In any case, no person lodged overnight in Jerusalem with iniquity in his hand, as it is said, "Righteousness lodged in her" (Isaiah 1:21). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: In this world you offer the showbread and sacrifices, but in the world to come I will set out for you a great table, and the nations of the world will see and be ashamed, as it is said, "You prepare a table before me in the presence of my adversaries; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows" (Psalms 23:5). And it says, "Behold, My servants shall eat, but you shall go hungry" etc. (Isaiah 65:13).

(Deuteronomy 25:17:) "Amalek" ('amaleq). A people that licked ('am laq); it spread out like the zachla-locust. Another interpretation: "Amalek" — a people that licks ('am leq), a nation that came to lap up the blood of Israel like a dog. Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Chalafta: To what was Amalek comparable? To a fly that is greedy after the wound. So was Amalek greedy after Israel like a dog. It was taught in the name of Rabbi Natan: Amalek came four hundred parasangs to wage war with Israel at Rephidim, as it is said (Numbers 13:29): "Amalek dwells in the land of the Negev," and he [dwells] in front of all of them. "On the way as you came out of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 25:17). Rabbi Levi said: He came upon them from the road like a brigand. A parable: to a king who had a vineyard, and he surrounded it with a fence, and the king set within it a biting dog. The king said: Anyone who comes and breaches the fence, the dog will bite him. In time the king's son came and breached the fence, and the dog bit him. Whenever [the king] sought to recall the sin of his son who had breached the vineyard, he would say to him: Do you remember that the dog bit you? So too, whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, seeks to recall the sin of Israel — what they did at Rephidim, when they said (Exodus 17:7), "Is the LORD in our midst or not?" — He says to them: "Remember what Amalek did to you."

Another interpretation of (Genesis 8:1): "And God caused a wind to pass over the earth, and the waters subsided." "And they subsided" — for the Holy One, blessed be He, allayed His wrath, just as it is said (Esther 7:10): "And the wrath of the king subsided." And so He is destined to do, that He exacts punishment from the wicked and destroys them from the world, while He creates the righteous as a new creation and places a spirit within them, as it is said (Ezekiel 37:14): "And I will put My spirit within you, and you shall live." David said (Psalms 104:29): "You hide Your face, [O LORD,] they are dismayed" — these are the wicked; but the righteous (Psalms 104:30): "You send forth Your spirit, they are created." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: In this world I exacted punishment from the wicked who rebelled against Me, and I destroyed them from the world, and I performed a good deed for Noah and for his sons [and for his descendants]; and in the world to come I exact punishment from the wicked and perform a good deed for the righteous. And so Isaiah said (Isaiah 40:10): "Behold, the Lord GOD will come with might," and so forth — this concerns the nations of the world; but for the righteous: "Behold, His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him" (ibid.).

And furthermore our Rabbis taught: Before the Tabernacle was set up, the high places were permitted and the service was performed by the firstborn. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, clothed Adam in the garments of the High Priesthood, for he was the firstborn of the world. Noah came [and handed them down to Shem, and Shem] handed them down to Abraham, and Abraham handed them down to Isaac, and Isaac handed them down to Esau, for he was his firstborn. And Esau saw his wives serving idolatry, and he deposited them (the garments) with his mother. When Jacob arose and took the birthright from Esau, Rebekah said: Since Jacob has taken the birthright from the hand of Esau, it is fitting by law that he should wear these garments, as it is said, "And Rebekah took the choice garments of Esau her elder son" (Gen. 27:15). Jacob entered before his father, and he smelled it (the fragrance) upon him, as it is said, "And he smelled the fragrance of his garments and blessed him," etc. (Gen. 27:27). With what did he bless him? With that which they read on the matter, "And may God give to you," etc. (Gen. 27:28).

"And Rachel was beautiful of form and beautiful of appearance" (Genesis 29:17). For what reason? As it is stated, "A good report fattens the bone" (Proverbs 15:30). Esau took no action; rather, "Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath daughter of Ishmael... to himself as a wife" (Genesis 28:9). Jacob said: For the sake of the blessings he sought to kill me, and when I take his wife Leah, who knows whether he will leave Mahalath daughter of Ishmael and come against me and say to me, "Was it not enough for you that you took my birthright and my blessing, but you have also taken my betrothed?" Therefore he said to Laban, "I will serve you seven years for Rachel..." (Genesis 29:18). Were it not so, is there a man who takes a wife and leaves the elder and takes the younger? Rather, this is to teach you that Leah was sitting set apart for the name of Esau. Jacob said, "I will serve you seven years..." And when Laban saw this, he said: Behold, I will give the elder one straightaway. "And it came to pass in the evening, that he took Leah his daughter..." (Genesis 29:23). Jacob said to him: And were these the terms? "Did I not serve with you for Rachel?" "And Laban said: It is not so done in our place..." "And Jacob did so..." (Genesis 29:25–28). He began to love her more than Leah. The Holy One said: Behold, I will give children to Leah so that she will be more beloved than Rachel. "And the LORD saw that Leah was hated, and He opened her womb" (Genesis 29:31).

Another interpretation of (Genesis 38:1) "And Judah went down": Once they had sold Joseph, what is written? "And Reuben returned unto the pit" (Genesis 37:29). Since he did not find him, he rent his garments. Then they all arose and scattered, and Judah too scattered with them. [Hence] "And Judah went down."

(Exodus 3:1, continued:) "And he came to Horeb, the mountain of God" (ibid.). Rabbi Simeon ben Yose ben Leqonya said: Moses' flock walked forty days without eating; it tasted nothing — just as Elijah, of blessed memory, did, [as it is said (in 1 Kings 19:8): "And he arose, and ate, and drank, and went in the strength of that food forty days and forty nights, unto Horeb the mountain of God."]

"And Pharaoh called" is not written here, but rather "And Pharaoh also called" (Exodus 8:21). Rabbi Levi said: he called to his wife and said to her, "See how the Jews have come to mock me!" From where is this shown? As it is stated (in Genesis 3:6): "And she also gave to her husband." Here too: "And Pharaoh also called."

Another interpretation (of Proverbs 3:35): "The wise shall inherit glory" — this is Abraham; "but fools carry away shame" — this is the kings whom he smote. "The wise shall inherit glory" — this is Isaac; "but fools carry away shame" — these are the men of Gerar. "The wise shall inherit glory" — this is Jacob; "but fools carry away shame" — this is Esau and his chiefs. "The wise shall inherit glory" — this is Joshua; "but fools carry away shame" — these are the thirty-one kings whom he smote. "The wise shall inherit glory" — this is David; "but fools carry away shame" — this is Goliath. "The wise shall inherit glory" — this is Eli; "but fools carry away shame" — these are his sons, as it is said, "Now the sons of Eli were base men" (1 Samuel 2:12). "The wise shall inherit glory" — these are the sons of Aaron, as it is said, "Take Aaron and his sons" (Leviticus 8:2). Why is "take" said here? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: I am obligated by a taking; arise, you, and magnify him through taking. And when did He take Aaron? At the hour when the wrath went forth against the enemies of Israel. Moses said to him, "Take the fire-pan and put fire upon it" (Numbers 17:11). Aaron said to him: My lord Moses, do you seek to kill me? My sons, because they offered before the Holy One, blessed be He, the fire of laymen, were burned, [as it is said, "And they offered before the LORD strange fire... and fire went out from before the LORD and consumed them" (Leviticus 10:1-2),] and you say, "Take the fire-pan"? My sons brought in strange fire and were burned, and shall I bring holy fire outside and I too be burned? Moses said to him: Go and act quickly, for while you delay they are dying; rather, "go quickly to the congregation and make atonement for them" (Numbers 17:11). When Aaron heard this, he said: If I die for Israel, am I not worthy? Immediately, "And Aaron took, as Moses spoke" (Numbers 17:12). Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Take Aaron" — receive him through taking. Just as Aaron is destined to save My children through taking, so too you, magnify him through taking. Therefore it is said, "Take Aaron."

"God, His way is perfect" and so on (II Samuel 22:31 and Psalms 18:31), for all the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, are perfect. For what does it matter to the Holy One, blessed be He, whether one ritually slaughters an animal and eats it, or stabs an animal to death and eats it? Does it benefit Him or harm Him? Or what does it matter to Him whether one eats unclean things or eats clean things? Rather, "If you are wise, you are wise for yourself; [and if you scoff, you alone shall bear it]" (Proverbs 9:12). Behold, the commandments were given only in order to refine the creatures by means of them, as it is said, "The word of the LORD is refined" (II Samuel, there). Why? Because He is a shield over you, [as it is said,] "He is a shield to all who take refuge in Him" (there). Thus, "These are the living creatures that you may eat" (Leviticus 11:2).

Concerning the inciter — this is the serpent who incited the woman and said, "For God knows <that on the day you eat of it your eyes will be opened>" (Genesis 3:5). And because he incited, <Scripture> mentioned his name in connection with him. And concerning the one who transgresses the words of the Sages, as it is said, "Thus says the Lord, [the God of Israel]: Cursed is the man who does not heed <the words of this covenant>" (Jeremiah 11:3). And concerning the one who makes flesh and blood his patron, as it is said, "Thus says the Lord: Cursed is the man who trusts in a human being and makes flesh his strength, and whose heart turns from the Lord" (Jeremiah 17:5).

[After the death of Aaron's two sons (Leviticus 16:1).] The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Aaron, did I not write thus in My Torah, "For every matter of trespass, for an ox [etc.]" (Exodus 22:8)? Do you not remember what you did with the ox, as it is said, "And they exchanged their glory for the likeness of an ox" (Psalms 106:20)? "For a donkey" — those Egyptians, of whom it is written, "whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys" (Ezekiel 23:20); you made for them a calf so that they might bow down to it, [as it is said,] "And the mixed multitude that was in their midst" (Numbers 11:4). "For a lamb" — these are Israel, as it is said, "Israel is a scattered lamb" (Jeremiah 50:17). "For a garment" — that one of whom it is written, "You have a garment, come, be a ruler over us" (Isaiah 3:6). "For any lost thing" — for of them it is written, "My people were lost sheep" (Jeremiah 50:6). "Of which one says, 'This is it'" — those who said, "These are your gods, O Israel" (Exodus 32:8). "The cause of both parties shall come before the judges [God]" — this is Moses, of whom it is written, "See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh" (Exodus 7:1); Moses sat and judged them. "Whom the judges [God] condemn" — these are the judges, of whom it is written, "You shall not revile the judges [God]" (Exodus 22:27). "He shall pay double to his fellow" — these are the two sons of Aaron. Thus, "After the death of Aaron's two sons."

Another interpretation of "How I would set you among the children" (Jeremiah 3:19). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: I was pleading advocacy on your behalf — how have you made Me into one who brings accusation against you? "How I would set you (ashitkha)" — and this is nothing other than the language of an accuser, as it is said, "If a ransom is laid upon him (yushat)" (Exodus 21:30).

"And God seeks the pursued" (Ecclesiastes 3:15). Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Yose: In the future the Holy One, blessed be He, will demand the blood of the pursued from the hand of their pursuers. When a righteous man pursues a righteous man, "God seeks the pursued." When a wicked man pursues a wicked man, "God seeks the pursued." [When a wicked man pursues a righteous man, "And God seeks the pursued." Even if you go back and say that a righteous man pursues a wicked man, in any case, "And God seeks the pursued."] Know that it is so, for behold, Abel was pursued by Cain; therefore it is said, "And the Lord turned to Abel and to his offering" (Genesis 4:4). Noah was pursued by his generation, "but Noah found favor" (Genesis 6:8), while of his generation it says, "And He blotted out all existence" (Genesis 7:23). Abraham was pursued by Nimrod, "You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram" (Nehemiah 9:7). Isaac was pursued by the Philistines, "And they said, We have surely seen" (Genesis 26:28). Jacob was pursued by Esau, "For the Lord chose Jacob for Himself" (Psalms 135:4). Joseph was pursued by his brothers, "And the Lord was with Joseph" (Genesis 39:2). Moses was pursued by Pharaoh, "And He said He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen one" (Psalms 106:23). Israel is pursued by the nations of the world, "The Lord your God chose you" (Deuteronomy 7:6). Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon said in the name of Rabbi [Yose bar] Nehorai: Here too the ox is pursued by the lion, the lamb by the wolf, the goat by the leopard. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Do not bring before Me an offering from the pursuers, but rather from the pursued, as it is said, "An ox or a lamb or a goat" (Leviticus 22:27).

[Another interpretation of (Genesis 49:4): "Unstable as water."] Our Rabbis taught (in Mishnah Terumot 8:4): Three liquids are forbidden on account of being left uncovered: water, wine, and milk. If the wine is found uncovered, behold, one is distressed over it when he pours it out; but as for the water, if it is found uncovered, one is not distressed over it if he pours it out. So you did: all the crowns that were mine, you cast them away like water. "Unstable as water" (Genesis 49:4). Simeon and Levi entered, and he rebuked them. He said (in Genesis 49:5): "Simeon and Levi are brothers; weapons of violence are their mekheroteihem." What is mekheroteihem? Weapons of violence.

Another interpretation (of Exodus 3:1): "And he drove the flock to the far side of the wilderness." Rabbi Joshua ben Korcha said: He foretold to him that his flock would perish in the wilderness, and that he would be gathered in together with it. "And he drove the flock" — He hinted to him that he would lead Israel forty years, and afterward he would be gathered in. So too Moses, when he demanded the needs of Israel: when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Go on My errand," Moses said to Him, "Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where do you graze, etc." (Song of Songs 1:7) — How many living ones are among them? How many pregnant ones are among them? How many remedies have you prepared for the pregnant ones who are among them? "Tell me, you whom my soul loves." The Holy One, blessed be He, answered him and said to him, "If you do not know, O fairest among women, go forth in the tracks of the flock, etc." (Song of Songs 1:8). Therefore, "and he drove the flock to the far side of the wilderness." When he reached Horeb, immediately what is written? "And the angel of the LORD appeared to him in a flame of fire" (Exodus 3:2). Why "in a flame of fire"? In order to win his heart, so that when he would come to Sinai and see that fire he would be in awe; therefore, "in a flame of fire." Another interpretation: Why "in a flame of fire"? A flame is placed from two parts. Why from within the thorn bush and not from within another tree? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I am with him in distress" (Psalms 91:15) — and they were placed in servitude, and shall I reveal Myself from within another tree? Therefore, from within the thorn bush, which is entirely of thorns.