Midrash Tanchuma Reader

"I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted" (Exodus 15:1). Rabbi Abin the Levite said: There are four exalted ones in the world. The most exalted among the wild beasts is the lion; the most exalted among the cattle is the ox; the most exalted among the birds is the eagle; and the human being is exalted above all of them. The Holy One, blessed be He, took them and fixed them in the Throne of Glory, for He exalts Himself over the exalted ones. Thus, "I will sing to the LORD, for He is highly exalted" (Exodus 15:1).

"I am the LORD your God, etc." (Exodus 20:2). This is what Scripture said: "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of shinan" (Psalms 68:18[17]). Rabbi Avdimi of Haifa said: I have learned in my teaching that twenty-two thousand chariots of ministering angels descended with the Holy One, blessed be He, to Sinai. Rabbi Berekhyah the priest said: like the camp of the Levites. The Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that none would stand firm despite their blemishes except the tribe of Levi; therefore He descended with twenty-two thousand, like the camp of the Levites. Another interpretation: "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands of shinan" — this teaches that twenty-two thousand chariots descended with the Holy One, blessed be He. And each and every chariot was like the chariot that Ezekiel saw. "The chariots of God" — Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat said: and they all descended with sharpened swords to destroy the enemies of Israel, for had they not accepted the Torah, they would have destroyed them. Rabbi Levi said: rather, it is that they beheld the face of the Divine Presence, and whoever beholds the face of the Divine Presence does not die, as it is said, "In the light of the king's face there is life" (Proverbs 16:15).

(Exodus 33:12:) "And Moses said unto the LORD: See, You..." It is written (Psalms 77:6 [5]): "I have considered the days of old." The Congregation of Israel said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, I sit and reckon after how many years You redeemed me from Egypt, after how many years You redeemed me from Greece. (Ibid., verse 11 [10]:) "This is my sickness, the years of the right hand of the Most High." Resh Lakish said: If they are sick, they can be healed.

"And he is a witness, whether he has seen or known (it)" (Leviticus 5:1). This is what Scripture says: "One who shares with a thief hates his own soul; [he hears an oath but does not tell]" (Proverbs 29:24). What caused a person that it should be said of him, "If a soul sins"? Only because he did not come and tell a certain sage: "So-and-so blasphemed the name of the Holy One, blessed be He." Therefore he shares his iniquities with him, as it is said: "If he does not tell, then he shall bear his iniquity" (Leviticus 5:1). Therefore Solomon said: "One who shares with a thief hates his own soul" (Proverbs 29:24). And just as the thief is caught and his partner along with him is held liable, so too one who hears the blasphemy of the Holy One, blessed be He, and does not tell is held liable along with him. And let a person not say: "What slander am I uttering?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said: For every matter there is slander in it, except for cursing the Name. Why? Because just as when a person curses his fellow and someone hears, it does not concern him; but if he cursed his father in his presence, he gives up his soul and says, "You have cursed my father." Moses said: "Is He not your Father who acquired you?" (Deuteronomy 32:6).

Another interpretation of "Take Aaron" (Leviticus 8:2): The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Open with him with words, because he flees from authority. "Take" is nothing other than a term of enticement, for so did Nebuchadnezzar say to Nebuzaradan: "Take him and set your eyes upon him" (Jeremiah 39:12). And likewise it says concerning our mother Sarah: "And the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house" (Genesis 12:15) — and she did not wish to go. So too "Take Aaron" is a term of enticement, for he was fleeing from authority.

"The camel, and the rock badger, and the hare, and the pig" (Leviticus 11:4-7). "The camel" (gamal) — this is the kingdom of Babylon, as it is said, "O daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed; happy is the one who repays you the recompense (gemul) that you recompensed (gamalt) to us" (Psalms 137:8). "The hare" (arnevet) — this is the kingdom of Media, as it is said, "And Haman sought to destroy" (Esther 3:6). "The rock badger" (shafan) — this is Greece, which brought low (hishpilah) the Torah from the mouth of the prophets. "And the pig" (chazir) — this is the wicked kingdom of Edom, as it is said, "The pig of the forest gnaws at it" (Psalms 80:14). Why is it likened to a pig? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to turn back (le-hachazir) upon it the measure of justice. How so? In the time to come the Holy One, blessed be He, sends out a herald: Whoever occupied himself with Torah, let him come and take his reward. And even the gentile nations say, "Give us our reward, for we too performed such-and-such a commandment." The Holy One, blessed be He, says: Whoever did not eat abhorrent creatures and creeping things, let him come and take his reward. At that hour they receive their verdict, as it is said, "Those who eat the flesh of the pig, and the abhorrent creature, and the mouse, shall be consumed together, says the Lord" (Isaiah 66:17).

Another interpretation: "When a person has on the skin of his flesh" (Leviticus 13:2). It is hard before the Holy One, blessed be He, to stretch out His hand against this person. Rather, He forewarns him and strikes his house, as it is said, "And I will put a plague of leprosy in a house of the land of your possession" (Leviticus 14:34). If he repents, well and good; but if not, He strikes his garment, as it is said, "And the garment in which there is a plague of leprosy" (Leviticus 13:47). If he repents, well and good; but if not, they come upon his body, as it is said, "When a person has on the skin of his flesh" (Leviticus 13:2).

[Another interpretation of (Leviticus 22:27): A BULL OR A SHEEP <OR A GOAT>.] This is what Scripture says (Isaiah 41:24): "Behold, you are of nothing (me-ayin), and your work is of nought; an abomination he chooses in you." It is a Greek word: "hen" means "one" — one are you to me; [me-ayin] means: as compared to the nations of the world, who are called "nothing" (ayin), [as it is written] (Isaiah 40:17): "All the nations are as nothing (ke-ayin) before Him." "And your work is of nought" — Rabbi Levi said: All the good deeds and consolations that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to perform for Israel are only {in the name of} [as a reward for] a single shout that they shouted at Sinai, when they said (Exodus 24:7): "All that the Lord has spoken we will do and we will obey." "An abomination he chooses in you" — that very abomination which you made, the molten calf: [from that very abomination] bring before me an offering, and I will choose you — a bull or a sheep or a goat.

EACH WITH HIS STANDARD, UNDER THE BANNERS (Numbers 2:2). This is what Scripture says: He found him in a desert land (Deuteronomy 32:10). A great find did the Holy One, blessed be He, find in Israel, like a person who is walking in the desert and finds grapes there. So did the Holy One, blessed be He, find Israel, as it is said: Like grapes in the desert I found Israel (Hosea 9:10). Therefore it is said: He found him in a desert land. The world was a desert before Israel went out from Egypt. And in the howling waste of the wilderness (Deuteronomy, ibid.) — the world was waste and howling before Israel received the Torah. Once Israel went out from Egypt and received the Torah, the world was lit up, as it is said: For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light (Proverbs 6:23). He encircled him, He instructed him, He guarded him as the pupil of His eye (Deuteronomy, ibid.). What is He encircled him? That He surrounded them with clouds of glory. He instructed him — that He made them understand the words of the Torah. He guarded him — happy are the ears that heard it! To what extent did He cherish them? To what extent did He keep them? To what extent did He guard them? As it were, as much as the pupil of His eye. See to what extent He cherished them and kept them and guarded them: that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Tell them to make a Tabernacle, and I will dwell among them" — as it were, I leave the upper beings and come down and dwell among them. And not only that, but I will make them standards for My name. Why? Because they are My children, as it is said: You are children of the LORD your God (Deuteronomy 14:1). And they are My hosts, as it is said: And I will bring forth My hosts, My people the children of Israel, from the land of Egypt (Exodus 7:4). And so it says: The standard of the camp of Judah by their hosts (Numbers 2:3). Therefore He made them standards for His name, as it is said: Each with his standard (Numbers 2:2).

(Numbers 6:22-23:) "And the LORD spoke [unto Moses, saying: Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying:] Thus shall you bless the children of Israel." Let our master teach us: A priest who has a blemish, what is the rule concerning his raising his hands (in the priestly blessing)? Thus our Rabbis taught: A priest who has blemishes on his hands may not raise his hands. But Rabbi would teach: A priest who has blemishes on his whole body may not raise his hands. Rabbi Judah says: Even one whose hands were dyed with woad, or with safflower, or with madder, may not raise his hands. Why? Because it is the way of people to gaze upon him. Rabbi Joshua the Great taught: If the work of the majority of the people of the city is in this, he is permitted to raise his hands.

(Numbers 10:1–2:) "AND THE LORD SPOKE <to Moses, saying>: MAKE FOR YOURSELF TWO TRUMPETS OF SILVER." This is what Scripture says (Psalms 24:7): "LIFT UP YOUR HEADS, O GATES, [AND BE LIFTED UP, O EVERLASTING DOORS], <that the King of glory may come in>." At the hour when Solomon was bringing in the Ark into the Temple, he began to say, "LIFT UP YOUR HEADS, O GATES," for the openings were low, [and he said,] "AND BE LIFTED UP, O EVERLASTING DOORS, THAT THE KING OF GLORY MAY COME IN." The gates said to him (Psalms 24:10), "WHO IS THIS KING OF GLORY?" Immediately the gates sought to swallow him up — had he not said (ibid.), "THE LORD OF HOSTS, HE IS THE KING OF GLORY. SELAH." He repeated and said (Psalms 24:8), "THE LORD STRONG AND MIGHTY." He said to them: Make yourselves great, for the King of glory comes upon you. Immediately they apportioned Him honor, and they lifted up honor for Him, and they lifted up themselves, and the Ark entered. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You apportioned Me honor; when I destroy My House, no man shall rule over you. Know that all the vessels of the Temple were exiled to Babylon, as it is said (Daniel 1:2), "AND THE LORD GAVE INTO HIS HAND Jehoiakim king of Judah, [and part of the vessels of the House of God, and he brought them to the land of Shinar]." But the gates of the Temple were hidden away in their place, as it is said (Lamentations 2:9), "HER GATES HAVE SUNK INTO THE GROUND."

"Now Hebron was built seven years" etc. (Numbers 13:22) — <this is stated> to make known the praise of the Land of Israel, that its refuse is more excellent than the land of Egypt. For at the time when the children of Noah inherited the world after the Flood, they built towns first, and not in the place of excellence, but rather they chose the refuse of the Land [of Israel, and Hebron is the refuse of the Land of Israel]; and Zoan is the best place in the land of Egypt, and this one preceded it by seven years. If you should say, "No — the one who built this one did not build that one," <the answer is:> it is the <same> generation, it is the <same> family, "and the sons of Ham: Cush and Mizraim and Put and Canaan" (Genesis 10:6); and one arose and built this one before that one. So Hebron was built seven years before Zoan of Egypt.

(Numbers 16:11:) "THEREFORE YOU AND ALL YOUR COMPANY ARE GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD." This dissension that you are making against us is nothing other than against the Holy One, blessed be He. A parable: It is like a king who had many servants. He wished to make one of them a freedman, to give him a branch, and he went further and made him a senator. His fellows rose up against him. If he himself had made himself a freedman and seized that greatness for himself, they would have rightly risen up against him. But now that his master made him so, whoever rises up against him is not rising up against him, but against his master. So too did Moses say to them: If my brother Aaron had taken the priesthood for himself, you would have done well to complain against him. But the Holy One, blessed be He, gave it to him, for the kingship and the greatness are His. Whoever rises up against my brother Aaron is not disputing with Aaron, but with the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore it is written (Numbers 16:11): "AND AARON, WHAT IS HE THAT YOU MURMUR AGAINST HIM?" Come and see the piety of Aaron the Righteous. At the moment when Moses poured the anointing oil upon Aaron, Aaron trembled and was terrified. He said to Moses his brother: Perhaps I was not worthy to be anointed with the anointing oil, and I have committed a trespass and become liable to excision (karet), as it is said (Exodus 30:32): "UPON HUMAN FLESH IT SHALL NOT BE POURED." Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, testified concerning him (Psalms 133:1-3): "BEHOLD HOW GOOD AND HOW PLEASANT etc.; LIKE THE GOODLY OIL [UPON THE HEAD] RUNNING DOWN UPON THE BEARD, THE BEARD OF AARON etc.; LIKE THE DEW OF HERMON etc." He compared the anointing oil to the dew of Hermon: just as the dew of Hermon has no trespass in it, so too the anointing oil that was upon the head of Aaron has no trespass in it. Therefore it is written: "GATHERED TOGETHER AGAINST THE LORD."

(I Kings 5:12 [4:32]:) "MOREOVER HE SPOKE THREE THOUSAND PROVERBS." Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said: We have gone over all the Scriptures, and we have not found that Solomon prophesied more than close to eight hundred verses. Then what is the meaning of THREE THOUSAND? This teaches that every single verse that he spoke contains two or three interpretations, as in what is said (in Proverbs 25:12): "A NECKLACE OF GOLD AND AN ORNAMENT OF FINE GOLD." And the Rabbis say: THREE THOUSAND PROVERBS upon every verse, and a thousand and five interpretations upon each and every proverb. (I Kings 5:12 [4:32], continued:) "AND HIS SHIRO NUMBERED A THOUSAND AND FIVE." "SHIRAH" ("song") is not written here, but rather "SHIRO," that is, "sheyaro" ("its remainder")—the remainder of a proverb.

[(Numbers 29:35:) On the eighth day there shall be a solemn assembly for you, etc.] This is what Scripture says (Psalms 109:4): "In return for my love they accuse me, but I am prayer." You find that on the festival Israel offers seventy bulls on behalf of the seventy nations; therefore they ought to love us. It is not enough that they do not love us, but moreover they hate us, as it is said (Psalms 109:4): "In return for my love they accuse me." Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: For the seven days of the festival you were offering before Me sacrifices on behalf of the nations of the world; but now, offer on behalf of yourselves. (Numbers 29:35:) On the eighth day there shall be a solemn assembly for you.

"And he cut off the tail among you, all the stragglers behind you" (Deuteronomy 25:18). He struck them with a blow to the tail (zanav), as that which Rabbi Hanina bar Shilqa said: What did the house of Amalek do? They would cut off the circumcisions [of Israel] and fling them upward toward Heaven, and they would say, "Here, take what you chose for yourself!" Because Israel did not know what the nature of the "branch" (zemorah) was, as it is said, "and behold, they put the branch to their nose" (Ezekiel 8:17), until Amalek came and taught it to them. From whom did he learn it? From Esau, his grandfather, as it is said, "And he said, 'Is he not rightly named Jacob (ha-khi)?'" (Genesis 27:36) — he cleared (hikhekh) his throat and brought out the "branch."

(Genesis 27:28:) "SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU." What is the meaning of "GOD"? With justice. If you were worthy, He will give to you; and if not, He will not give to you. But to Esau he did not speak so. Rather (Genesis 27:39:) "Of the fat places of the earth, etc." Whether righteous or wicked, He will give to you. Why? Rather, thus said Isaac: Esau is wicked, and Jacob is the righteous one. Even when he performs a commandment and is afflicted, he does not voice a complaint against the attribute of justice. But the wicked one, if he performs a single commandment, or prays and is not answered, he begins to say: Just as I prayed before idolatry and found nothing tangible, so too I prayed before the Holy One and found nothing tangible. And so too Solomon said. When he built the Temple, he began to pray before the Holy One, as it is stated (1 Kings 8:12): "Then Solomon said: The LORD said that He would dwell in thick darkness." He began to arrange his prayer and said: Master of the World, when a person from Israel comes and prays in this place and asks for children or for some other thing, if he is worthy, give to him; and if not, do not give to him, as it is stated (1 Kings 8:39): "And give to each one according to all his ways, as You know his heart." But the foreigner, if he comes and prays within it, whatever he asks, give to him, as it is stated (1 Kings 8:41): "And also unto the foreigner, etc.," (and 1 Kings 8:43): "You shall hear in heaven, etc." And why? For if you do not do for him all that he asks, he will talk and say: So it is with this house of Solomon. I went from one end of the world to its other end, and I wearied myself with so many journeys, and I came and prayed within it, and I found nothing tangible in it, just as I found nothing in idolatry. Therefore of Esau it says, "See, of the fat places of the earth, etc." Why? Because he lacks faith. But to Jacob, who is a man of faith and righteous, he said, "So may God give to you," with justice.

Another interpretation of the verse "He will not abandon His pious ones" (Psalms 37:28): But do His pious ones need guarding? Rabbi Jeremiah said: See what is written, "He will guard the feet of His pious ones" (I Samuel 2:9). But do they need guarding? Rather, as the common proverb says: They fence in what is already fenced, and they breach what is already breached. Thus, "He will not abandon His pious ones."

Another interpretation (of Judges 3:16): "And Ehud made himself a sword," and he set it on his right thigh. He came in to Eglon and said to him, "I have a word of God for you" — (the king) "and he arose from his seat" (Judges 3:20). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: You have apportioned honor to Me and stood up from your throne for the sake of My honor; by your life, I will raise up from you a daughter from whom shall arise a son, and I will set him upon My throne. This is Ruth the Moabite, from whom arose Solomon, of whom it is written, "And Solomon sat upon the throne of the Lord" (I Chronicles 29:23). What is written? "And Ehud put forth his left hand and took the sword from off his right thigh" (Judges 3:21). "In the morning he devours the prey" — "and he thrust it into his belly" — "and at evening he divides the spoil" (Genesis 49:27).

Another interpretation of "But He is One, and who can turn Him back? <And whatever His soul desires, He does>" (Job 23:13): Because He is alone in His world, none can reply to His words. See how greatly Yonah found it hard to go on his mission, as it is said, "And Yonah arose and went to Nineveh according to the word of the LORD, etc." (Jonah 3:3). Yirmiyahu said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "I am a lad" (Jeremiah 1:6). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Do not say 'I am a lad,' for upon all that I send you, you shall go, etc." (ibid. 1:7). He did not budge until he went on the mission of the Holy One, blessed be He. This is the meaning of "And whatever His soul desires, He does." So too Moshe, when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Come, and I will send you to Pharaoh" (Exodus 3:10), Moshe said, "Send, please, by the hand of him whom You will send" (ibid. 4:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: I am saying to you, "Come, and I will send you," and you are saying, "Send, please, by the hand whom You will send." Let us see whose will stands. He did not budge until he went, as it is said, "And Moshe went and returned to Yeter his father-in-law" (ibid. 4:18).

HE REFUSES to let them go (Exodus 7:14). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: You refuse to send them away — by your life, you yourself will take each and every one of them by the hand and send them away! The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go and bring upon him the plague of blood, "and you shall say to him: By this you shall know that I am the LORD" (Exodus 7:17). Why did He bring upon them the plague of blood first? Because Pharaoh and the Egyptians were worshiping the Nile. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go and strike their god before them. A common proverb says: "Strike the god, and the priests are put to shame" (its meaning: strike the false thing, and the priests will be ashamed). Therefore, "Behold, I will strike" (Exodus 7:17). See what is written: "upon their rivers" (Exodus 7:19). What is the meaning of "upon their rivers"? In every place where the waters were, they became blood. What is the meaning of "upon every pool of their waters" (Exodus 7:19)? Even what was in a jug became blood, and even what an Egyptian spat from his mouth became blood, as it is said: "And there shall be blood throughout all the land of Egypt" (Exodus 7:19). Rabbi Abin the Levite said: From the plague of blood Israel grew rich. How so? An Egyptian and an Israelite would be placed in one house, and the tub was full of water. The Egyptian would go to fill his jug from it, and it became blood, while the Israelite would go and drink water from it. The Egyptian would say, "Give me a little water in your hand," and he would give it to him — yet in the Egyptian's hand it was found to be blood. He would say to him, "Come, you and I, let us drink from the bowl," and the Israelite would drink water while the Egyptian drank blood. But when an Egyptian bought water from an Israelite for a price, he would drink water. Therefore, from the plague of blood Israel grew rich. And how long did the plague last upon them? Rabbi Judah and Rabbi Nehemiah: one said, for twenty-four days He warned them, and for seven days the plague was active upon them; and the other said, for seven days He warned them, and for twenty-four days it was active upon them.

Another interpretation: "The chariots of God are twice ten thousand, thousands upon thousands" (Psalms 68:18). Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat said: What is "thousands upon thousands" (alfei shin'an)? The most beautiful and the most praiseworthy among them. Even so, the Lord is distinguished among them. The Congregation of Israel said, "My beloved is dazzling and ruddy" (Song of Songs 5:10). A king of flesh and blood goes out to the field; how many are as beautiful as he, how many as mighty as he? But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. When He came to Sinai, He took with Him the most beautiful and most praiseworthy of the ministering angels. Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon said: What is written? "He shone forth from Mount Paran, and He came from the myriads of holiness" (Deuteronomy 33:2)—and He is a sign within the myriads of holiness; there is none like Him, and who is comparable to Him? Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat said: In a place where there are many multitudes there is crowding, but at Sinai, when the Holy One, blessed be He, came, there came down with Him thousands of thousands and myriads of myriads, "thousands upon thousands"—even so, there was room for them. Rabbi Eleazar ben Azariah and Rabbi Eleazar of Modi'in spoke. One said: And could the mountain hold them? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to it: Widen yourself, lengthen yourself, and receive the children of your Master. And one said: When the Holy One, blessed be He, returns to Jerusalem, He restores the exiles into it, as it is said, "Behold, these shall come from afar" (Isaiah 49:12). And can it hold them? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to it, "Enlarge the place of your tent" (Isaiah 54:2). "The Lord is among them" (Psalms 68:18). Resh Lakish said: There is a tablet upon the heart of each and every angel, and the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is joined with the name of each and every angel: Michael, Raphael—"the Lord is in them" (Psalms 68:18).

Another interpretation: "Challoti hi" (This is my entreaty, Psalms 77:11). Rabbi Alexandri said: All these things that came upon us came about because we did not entreat the Holy One, blessed be He. And this expression is nothing other than an expression of prayer, as it is said, "And now, entreat the favor of God" (Malachi 1:9). "Will the Lord reject forever, and never again be favorable?" (Psalms 77:8). In the past, when Moses was angry with Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, would placate him, as it is said, "And he would return to the camp..." (Exodus 33:11).

(Numbers 6:23:) "THUS SHALL YOU BLESS." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: From the beginning I myself used to bless My creatures; from now on, behold, the blessings are handed over to you. You shall be the ones who bless My children. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, told Moses to caution Aaron and his sons to be the ones who bless Israel. [As it is said] [From where is it shown? From what they have read on this matter (Numbers 6:23): "Speak unto Aaron and unto his sons, saying:] THUS SHALL YOU BLESS."

"And he spoke concerning the trees, etc." (I Kings 5:13). Now is it possible for a person to speak to the trees? Rather, Solomon said: For what reason is a leper purified by means of the tallest among the trees and by the lowest of the low — by cedar wood [and crimson thread] and hyssop (Leviticus 14:4)? It is only because he exalted himself like the cedar that he was stricken with leprosy; once he humbled himself like the hyssop, therefore he was healed by means of hyssop.

Another interpretation of (Ps. 37:28): "For the Lord loves justice [and does not abandon His pious ones; they are guarded forever]." It speaks about Joseph. And where did He guard him? [See] what is written (in Gen. 37:28): "And Midianite traders passed by." And with what were they laden? Is it not the way of camels to be laden only with tar (itran)? Yet here it is written (in Gen. 37:25): "spice (nekhot), balsam, and labdanum." Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Shall this righteous man be set amid a foul odor? Instead, I will arrange for him a good odor. Thus, "He does not abandon His pious ones." "But the seed of the wicked is cut off" (Ps. 37:28) — this is Potiphar, who took him not for labor but for another matter. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He castrated him. Thus, "and the seed of the wicked is cut off," and "cut off" denotes nothing other than castration, as it is said (in Lev. 22:24): "and that which is crushed, smashed, torn out, or cut off [you shall not offer to the Lord]." And whence do we know that he was not a eunuch and the Holy One, blessed be He, castrated him? As it is said (in Gen. 39:1): "Potiphar, a eunuch of Pharaoh."

Another interpretation of "the horse and its rider" (Exodus 15:1). [Bar Kappara said:] The Holy One, blessed be He, tied them one to the other. Why? So that Israel would benefit from the spoil. Why so? When Israel went out of Egypt and the Egyptians went out to pursue after them, Pharaoh said to them: I know that they took your silver and your gold, yet do not set your minds upon the plunder. What did he do? He opened the treasuries of Joseph. He said: Take for yourselves silver and gold. So they took it and adorned their horses, as it is said, "all the horses of Pharaoh's chariot" (Exodus 14:9). Therefore they were tied one to the other, so that Israel would benefit from the spoil. In this world Israel benefited from the spoil of their enemies, but in the world to come all that the nations amass is for Israel, as it is said, "and her merchandise and her hire shall be holiness to the LORD" (Isaiah 23:18).

"And Moses said to the LORD" (Exodus 33:12). To what is the matter comparable? To a cavern set upon the edge of the sea, which the sea filled. From then on the sea gives to the cavern, and the cavern returns to the sea. "And the LORD spoke to Moses" (Exodus 33:1). "And the LORD spoke to Moses" (Exodus 33:5). "And Moses said to the LORD" (Exodus 33:12).

(Numbers 22:32:) "And the angel of the LORD said to him," etc. (ibid., ibid., verse 32). Was it for the affront of the she-ass that the angel came to seek satisfaction at his hand? He said to him: If, for the she-ass, which has no merit of its own and no merit of ancestors, I was commanded to demand satisfaction for its affront from your hand, then for an entire nation that you come to uproot, how much more so!

(Numbers 22:34:) Then Balaam said to the angel of the LORD: "I have sinned, for I did not know." This is to make known that he was completely wicked. He knew that nothing stands before [averts] the punishment except repentance, for anyone who sins and says, "I have sinned," the angel has no permission to touch him.

(Continuing the same verse:) AND NOW, IF IT IS EVIL IN YOUR EYES, I WILL RETURN (Numbers 22:34). He said to him: I did not go until the Holy One, blessed be He, said to me, ARISE, GO WITH THEM (Numbers 22:20); and now you say that I should turn back! Such is His craft. Did He not in this same way say to Abraham to offer up his son, and afterward, AND AN ANGEL OF THE LORD CALLED UNTO HIM [and so forth] AND SAID: DO NOT STRETCH OUT YOUR HAND (Genesis 22:11-12)? He is accustomed to say a thing, and an angel comes and reverses it. He said to me, GO WITH THEM, and now, IF IT IS EVIL IN YOUR EYES, I WILL RETURN.

"And he went out to meet him, to the city of Moab" (Numbers 22:36), that is, to their metropolis. What did Balak see fit in going out ahead to meet him at the borders? He said to him: These borders are ones that were fixed from the days of Noah, so that one nation should not enter into the territory of its fellow. These people are coming to do harm. And he kept showing him how they had broken through and crossed the border of Sihon, as though lodging a complaint against them.

(Numbers 22:37:) "And Balak said to Balaam: Did I not surely send to you, etc." He prophesied that his end would be to go in disgrace. And Balaam too answered him concerning his own matter, (Numbers 22:38:) "And Balaam said to Balak: Behold, I have come to you now; am I able at all to speak anything?" — that is, it is not in my power to say what I wish.

And he planted a vineyard (Gen. 9:20). Where did he obtain the shoots for the vineyard? He obtained them from the grape seeds he had brought into the ark. And Shem and Japheth took a garment (Gen. 9:23). Since the singular, “he took,” is written in this verse and not the plural, “they took,” we may deduce that Shem was the first to perform the righteous deed (covering his father). They went backward (ibid.) implies that they walked backwards as they approached Noah. And they covered the nakedness of their father (ibid.) indicates that they went toward him with their faces turned away. How did the Holy One, blessed be He, reward them? He rewarded Shem with the commandment to wear the purple strings upon the tallit since he had covered him with a tallit, and He granted Japheth the privilege of burial in the land of Israel.

And he said: Cursed be Canaan. Though Ham observed his father’s nakedness, Canaan was cursed. R. Judah said: Inasmuch as a curse cannot prevail where a blessing has already been pronounced, and the Holy One, blessed He, had already blessed Noah and his sons, as it is said: And God blessed Noah and his sons (Gen. 9:1), Canaan must have been born while they were in the ark. R. Nehemiah held: Canaan had actually discovered Noah’s nakedness and had informed his father, Ham, concerning it. Therefore, this curse was directed against the one who was responsible for the sin (that was committed). Hence, it is written: Cursed be Canaan.

Our sages stated: While Noah was in the ark, he said to himself: Would that my sons possessed slaves so that they might remain seated while being served. When I depart from this place, I shall produce a descendant who will be their slave. Following this incident, he said to Ham: You prevented me from begetting a fourth son who would serve you, therefore your fourth son shall become a slave. Hence, he said: Cursed be Canaan. This is the opinion of those who contend that Ham castrated his father.

R. Simeon the son of Lakish maintained: Shem’s descendants also became slaves, as it is said: And if thy brother, a Hebrew man or a Hebrew woman, be sold unto thee (Deut. 15:12). Shem’s descendants, however, are freed at the expiration of six years, of servitude, as it is written: Then in the seventh year thou shalt let him go free (ibid.), while the descendants of Ham are never freed, as is said: You may hold them to service forever (Lev. 25:46). Therefore, he remains a lifelong slave and does not go forth into the world a free man. Why was this curse imposed upon him? Because he was responsible for his father’s degradation. Thus, the Holy One, blessed be He, brought retribution upon the descendants of Ham by humiliating them by means of the king of Asshur, as it is said: So shall the king of Assyria lead away the captives of Egypt and the exiles of Ethiopia, young and old, naked and barefoot (Isa. 20:4).

Since Japheth honored his father, how will the Holy One, blessed be He, reward him? When Gog and Magog attack Israel, they will be defeated, as it is said: And in that day I will give unto Gog a place fit for burial in Israel (Ezek. 39:11).

How was Shem rewarded? When Aaron’s two sons entered the tent of meeting to offer a strange fire, There came forth fire from before the Lord and consumed them (Lev. 10:2). Their souls were consumed but not their clothing or their bodies, as it is said: them (ibid.). This happened because they were descended from Shem. This concerns the righteous. Whence do we know about what happens to wicked men? When Sennacherib departed from Jerusalem, the bodies of his forces were consumed but not their clothing. Why did this happen to them? Because they too were the descendants of Shem the son of Noah, as it is said: The sons of Shem: Elam, and Asshur, and Arpachshad (Gen. 10:22). And it is written: God enlargeth Japheth (ibid. 9:27); yet even so: And he shall dwell in the tents of Shem (ibid., v. 26).

Fear not, Abraham (Gen. 15:1). Scripture states elsewhere in reference to this verse: Happy is the man that feareth always; but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into evil (Prov. 28:14). Similarly, it is written: The wise man feareth and turneth from evil, but the fool behaveth overbearingly, and is confident (ibid. 14:16). This verse should be read as: A wise man, who turneth from evil, is fearful.

He is fearful refers to Abraham, for he was told: Fear not. Whom did Abraham fear? He was afraid of Shem, the son of Noah, for he had slain the descendant of Elam, and Elam was one of Shem’s sons, as it is written: The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, etc. (Gen. 10:22). He was terrified because he had killed him. He said to himself: “I have slain the son of this righteous man, now he will curse me and I shall die.” The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: Fear not, for not only will he not curse you, but he will go forth to meet you bearing gifts and will bless you, as it is said: And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine … and he blessed him, and said: “… blessed be God the Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand” (Gen. 14:18–20). What is the meaning of the word migen (“delivered”)? It indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed a miraculous feat (manganah) when He delivered (migen) your enemies into your hand. Abraham grasped the dust and hurled it at his enemies, and the Holy One, blessed be He, converted the dust into arrows, bows, and spears, as it is said: His sword maketh them as the dust, His bow as the driven stubble. He pursueth them and passeth on safely (Isa. 41:2–3).

The Holy One, blessed be He, declared unto Israel: In this world you fear sins, but in the world-to-come, where there is no evil inclination, you will tremble with joy over the benefactions reserved for you, as is said: Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall come trembling unto the Lord and to His goodness in the end of days (Hos. 3:5). What is the meaning of His goodness? It refers to the Holy Temple, as it is said: That goodly hill country and the Lebanon (Deut. 3:25). The blessing comes from Zion, as is said: The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, and thou shalt see the goodness of Jerusalem (Ps. 128:5). Dew is blessed from Zion, as is said: Like the dew of Herman, that cometh down the mountains of Zion (ibid. 133:3). Help comes from Zion, as it is said: Send forth thy help from the sanctuary, and support thee out of Zion (ibid. 20:3). Salvation comes from Zion, as it is said: Oh, that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion (ibid. 14:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: In the world-to-come I shall bless you out of Zion, as it is said: The Lord blessed thee out of Zion; even He that made heaven and earth (ibid. 134:3). And I shall bless Zion, as is said: The Lord bless thee, O habitation of righteousness, O holy mountain (Jer. 31:22). Amen.

And the Lord remembered Sarah, as he had said (Gen. 21:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: And all the trees of the field shall know that I, the Lord, have brought down the high tree, have exalted the low tree, and have dried up the green tree, and have made the dry tree to flourish. I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do it (Ezek. 17:24). I have brought down the high tree alludes to Assyria, as it is said: Behold, the Assyrian was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches, and with a shadowing thicket.

And of a high stature (ibid. 31:3). Have exalted the low tree refers to Israel, as it is said: Therefore, I have made you contemptible and base before all the people (Mal. 2:9). Have dried up the green tree refers to Abimelech’s wife (because she could not bear children), and I have made the dry tree to flourish alludes to Sarah, as is said: And Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham (Gen. 21:2). I, the Lord, have spoken and I will do it parallels And the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken (ibid., v. 1).

R. Levi said: During the month of Tammuz, grass withers and trees blossom. Similarly, the grass withered when the Lord closed all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, and the trees blossomed when the Lord remembered Sarah.

"All these are the twelve tribes of Israel" (Genesis 49:28). But elsewhere it is written: "He shall beget twelve princes" (Genesis 17:20). And these tribes correspond to the order of the world: twelve hours in the day and twelve hours in the night. And likewise the constellations and the months, and the twelve stones of the ephod. Therefore, "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel." Rabbi Yochanan said: But are there twelve tribes? Has it not already been said, "Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine, like Reuben and Simeon" (Genesis 48:5), making fourteen? Rather, when Levi is counted with them, they are not counted with him; and when Levi is not counted with them, Ephraim and Manasseh are counted as one tribe. From where do we know this? For so it is written: "For the sons of Joseph: for Ephraim, Elishama; for Manasseh, Gamliel" (Numbers 1:10). Thus, "All these are the twelve tribes of Israel," neither fewer nor more. And Rebecca too saw them as twelve, as it is written: "And the LORD said to her: Two nations (goyim) are in your womb" (Genesis 25:23), behold two. "And two peoples (le'umim)," behold four. "And one people shall be stronger than the other people (u-le'om mi-le'om)," behold six. "And the elder shall serve the younger (ve-rav yaavod tza'ir)," behold eight. "And behold, there were twins (tomim) in her womb," behold ten. "And the first came out, and after that came out his brother," behold twelve. And there are those who derive it from here: "Why is this (lamah zeh)" (Genesis 25:22) equals twelve in gematria [the word "zeh" has the numerical value of twelve]. When the children struggled within her womb, she said: If I am so distressed over twelve, of whom the Holy One, blessed be He, said to me that twelve are destined to come forth from me, then "If so, why is this that I am?" (Genesis 25:22).

And he looked; and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed (Exod. 3:2). Because of this verse they held: The heavenly fire branches upwards as it burns, but is not consumed, and it is black in color. While here on earth, fire does not branch upwards (and) it is red in color. And though it consumes that which it touches, it does not burn. Therefore, The bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

And Moses said: I will turn aside now, and see this great sight (Exod. 3:3). R. Johanan held that Moses took three steps forward. R. Simeon the son of Lakish insisted that he did not step forward at all but simply turned his neck to observe it. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Because you troubled to look, be assured you will merit that I shall reveal Myself unto you. Forthwith, And God called unto him out of the midst of the bush (ibid., v. 4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Because you responded Here am I, be assured that the time will come when you will pray on behalf of Israel and I will answer you at once, with the same words: Then shalt thou call, and the Lord will answer; thou shalt cry, and He will say: “Here am I” (Isa. 58:9).

And the Lord said unto Moses: “Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven that there may be hail” (Exod. 9:22). Scripture says (elsewhere in allusion to this verse): Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that hath He done, in heaven and in the earth (Ps. 135:6). In reference to the heaven, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: The heavens are the heavens of the Lord (Ps. 115:16), and in regard to the earth, The earth hath He given to the children of men (ibid.). This may be compared to a king who decreed that the people of Rome should not migrate to Syria and that the people of Syria should not migrate to Rome. And similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed when he created the world: The heavens are the heavens of the Lord; and the earth He hath given to the children of men. However, when He decided to give the Torah, He abrogated the first decrees and declared: Let the earthly beings ascend on high and the heavenly creatures descend below, and I will be the first (to do so), as it is said: And the Lord came down upon Sinai (Exod. 19:20). And it is also written: And to Moses He said: “Come up unto the Lord” (ibid. 24:1). Hence, Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that hath He done.

When He desired it to happen, He said: Let the waters under the heavens be gathered together (Gen. 1:9). And when He was so inclined, He made the sea become dry and turn into land, as is said: And the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea, upon the dry ground (Exod. 14:22). Therefore, whatsoever the Lord pleased, that hath He done, etc. With regard to the heavens, it is said: Stretch forth thy hand toward heaven that there may be hail (ibid. 9:22), and in reference to the earth it is stated: Stretch out thy rod, and smite the dust of the earth (ibid. 8:12). What is written above concerning this matter? For now I have stretched out My hand … But in very deed for this cause have I made thee to stand (ibid. 9:16), so that you will not die as a result of the first plague, and so that My name may be declared throughout all earth (ibid., v. 36).

Thy right hand, O Lord (Exod. 15:6). This verse indicates that the Lord’s right hand is stretched out to receive repentant sinners. Though You set a time for the generation of the flood in which to do penance, as it is said: My spirit shall not abide in man forever (Gen. 6:3), You did not decree their destruction until they committed their most evil acts before You. Similarly, You set a time limit in which the men of the Tower of Babel were to repent, yet You did not decree their extinction until they performed their most wicked acts, as it is said: And now nothing will be withholden from them (ibid. 11:6). The expression and now is employed only to signify that they had an opportunity to repent, as is said: And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee? (Deut. 10:12); And now, O Israel, hearken unto the statutes (ibid. 4:1); And yet now hear, O Jacob (Isa. 44:1).

You set a time during which the Sodomites were to repent, as it is said: And the Lord said: Verily, the cry of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and, verily, their sin is exceeding grievous. I will go down now, and see if they have done altogether according to the cry of it, which has come unto Me (Gen. 18:20–21), yet You did not decree their destruction until they performed their wicked acts before You. The Lord caused to rain upon Sodom (ibid. 19:4). Had they repented it would have been just an ordinary rain, but since they did not, it was a rain of fire and brimstone. Similarly, Egypt would have suffered only the plagues if they had repented, but since they failed to repent, not one of them remained alive.

Thy right hand, O Lord, glorious in power, Thy right hand dasheth in pieces the enemy (Exod. 15:6). Why is Thy right hand repeated in these verses? To indicate that when the Israelites do the will of the Omnipresent, they make His left hand to act as His right hand, but if they fail to do His will, as though that were possible, they make His right hand to become his left, as it is said: He hath drawn back His right hand (Lam. 2:3).

The right hand of the Lord is exalted; the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly (Ps. 118:16). That is, when they do the will of God, He that keepeth Israel doth neither slumber nor sleep (ibid. 121:4). However, when they fail to do His will, Then the Lord awaked as one asleep (ibid. 79:65). When the people do the will of God, Fury is not in Me (Isa. 27:4), but when they fail to do his will, And the anger of the Lord be kindled (Deut. 7:4). When they act in accordance with His decrees, The Lord will fight for you (Exod. 14:14), But when they fail to fulfill His wishes, He returned to be their enemy (Isa. 63:10). Furthermore, His mercy is transformed into tyranny: The Lord is become as an enemy, He hath swallowed up Israel (Lam. 2:5). Dasheth (tiraz) in pieces the enemy (Exod. 15:6). This alludes to the future, as it is said in the verse Thou wilt march (tiz’ad) through the earth in indignation (Hab. 3:12). Dasheth in pieces the enemy. This refers to Edom, as it is said: Because the enemy hath said against you (Ezek. 36:2).