Midrash Tanchuma Reader

(Numb. 21:21:) “Then Israel sent messengers.” All the words of Torah are necessary to each other, for what one covers over the other opens up. It is stated here (in Numb. 21:21), “Then Israel sent messengers,” while in another place [Scripture] ascribes the sending to Moses. [Thus] it is stated (in Deut. 2:26), “Then I sent messengers from the Desert of Kedemoth [unto King Sihon of Heshbon with words of peace].”

In another place [it is stated (in Numb. 20:14)], “Moses sent from Kadesh messengers to the king of Edom.” These verses require one another, as Moses is Israel and Israel is Moses. [This comes] to teach you that the head of a generation is surely equivalent to the whole generation. (Numb. 20:17:) “Please let us pass through your land.” As he had sent to inform the king of Edom that he would do no damage, so did he send to this one. (Deut. 2:28), “You shall sell me food for money, and water with money….”

It is customary for water to be given gratis, but I am giving payment for it. (Numb. 21:22) “We will go by the king's highway [until we have passed through your territory].” But in another place it is written (in Deut. 2:29), “until I have crossed the Jordan.” The matter is comparable to one guarding a vine or fig tree. When someone comes and says, “Let me pass through here, so that I may gather grapes from the vineyard,” he says to him, “It is only because of you that I am sitting on guard, and you would come to gather [the grapes]?”

So it was with Sihon. He received wages from all the kings of Canaan; and they would bring taxes up to him, for he would crown them. Moreover he and Og were considered the equivalent of them all, since it is stated (in Ps. 136:19-20), “Sihon, king of the Amorites…; And Og, king of Bashan.” Israel said to [Sihon], “Let us pass through your land to conquer the kings.”

He said to them, “I am sitting here to guard them from you.” (Numb. 21:23:) “So Sihon did not allow Israel to cross on his territory; instead Sihon gathered all his people together and went out against Israel.” The Holy One, blessed be He, only did this to deliver him into their hand without trouble. As it is written (in Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2), “to Sihon, king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon (i.e., with calculation).” If Heshbon had been full of mosquitos, no mortal could have conquered it; and if Sihon had been in a valley, no mortal could have overpowered him.

And it goes without saying [that it could not be conquered], since he was a warrior and dwelt in a fortified city. [Ergo,] (in Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2), “Sihon, king of the Amorites who dwelt in Heshbon.” If he and his troops had dwelt [scattered about] in his towns, Israel would have worn themselves out to prevail against him and conquer each and every town.

Instead the Holy One, blessed be He, gathered them together so as to deliver them into their hand without trouble. And so it said (in Deut. 2:31), “See I have begun to give Sihon [and his land] over to you.” They killed all his warriors who had come out against them. Then they returned for the women and infants without exertion. It is therefore written (in Numb. 21:23), “instead Sihon gathered all his people together.”

[(Genesis 11:1:) "Now the whole earth had one language."] This is what Scripture says (in Psalms 59:12): "Do not kill them, lest my people forget; make them wander by Your power and bring them down." Concerning whom did David speak this verse? He spoke it concerning none other than Doeg and Ahithophel. David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the World, do not kill them by the killing with which You kill the rest of the children of men, but rather "make them wander by Your power," that they should be tossed about in the world; "and bring them down," and bring them down from their greatness. Why? "Because they rebelled against You." "For the sin of their mouth, the word of their lips" (Psalms 59:13)—for they were sinning with their mouth and also with their lips. Doeg said (in 1 Samuel 22:9): "I saw the son of Jesse coming to Nob…." Ahithophel said to Absalom (in 2 Samuel 16:21): "Go in to your father's concubines…." "The sin of their mouth"—that they were sinning with their mouth. "The word of their lips"—with the speech upon their lips. Therefore, "let them be trapped by their pride" (Psalms 59:13).

(Gen. 17:2:) "AND I WILL SET MY COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND YOU." This is what Scripture says (Ps. 25:14): "THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM, AND HIS COVENANT IS TO MAKE THEM KNOW IT." And what is the secret of the Holy One, blessed be He? This is circumcision, for the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed the hidden things of circumcision to no one but Abraham, as it is said, "THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM." What is "secret" (sod)? The years of a man: samekh is sixty, vav is six, dalet is four — behold, seventy years. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Behold, I will raise up from you seventy souls, as it is said (Deut. 10:22), "WITH SEVENTY SOULS." And I will raise up from them seventy elders, as it is said (Num. 11:16), "SEVENTY MEN FROM THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL." And I will raise up Moses, who will expound the Torah in seventy languages, as it is said (Deut. 1:6), "THE LORD OUR GOD SPOKE TO US AT HOREB." Therefore it is said, "THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM." He said to him: It is enough for the servant to be equal to his Master. A parable of a king who had a beloved friend who was exceedingly rich. The king said: What shall I give to my friend? Silver and gold, menservants and maidservants and cattle he has. Rather, behold, I will gird him with my weapons. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said: What shall I give to you? Silver and gold, menservants and maidservants and cattle I have already given you, as it is said (Gen. 13:2), "AND ABRAM WAS VERY RICH." Rather, what shall I give you? It is enough for you that you be like Me, as it is said, "AND I WILL SET MY COVENANT BETWEEN ME AND YOU; AND ABRAHAM FELL UPON HIS FACE... AS FOR ME, BEHOLD, MY COVENANT IS WITH YOU" (Gen. 17:2-4). This is "THE SECRET OF THE LORD IS FOR THOSE WHO FEAR HIM."

(Gen. 20:1:) "Then Abraham journeyed from there to the land of the Negev." This is what Scripture says (Job 14:18): "But a falling mountain crumbles away." This is Sodom and its companion cities, as it is said (Gen. 19:23-24): "The sun had risen upon the earth... and the LORD rained down" <upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire>. R. Samuel bar Nahmani said: Woe to the wicked, for they cause a place of mercy to become a place of retribution. For David offers praise (Ps. 148:1): "Hallelujah! Praise the LORD from the heavens" — yet there is no fire there, and no hail, and no brimstone. R. Aristi our colleague said (Ps. 96:6): "Honor and majesty are before Him." Where is the place of retribution? From the earth, as it is said (Ps. 148:7): "Praise the LORD from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps." Behold, it is from the earth. Then how is it written (Gen. 19:24): "And the LORD rained down" <brimstone and fire... > "from the heavens"? Rather, this is to teach you that from the beginning, when they were created, the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed concerning them and said to them: According to what you shall see the creatures doing, so shall it be done to them. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a heater of gold. One who sought hot water would find it within it; one who sought burning coals would take them out of it. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the heavens: According to what you see, do — for the Sodomites and for the children of Esau, brimstone and fire; for Israel, dew, as it is said (Micah 5:6): "And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: What need have I of these? Immediately He overturned them, as it is said (Gen. 19:25): "And He overturned those cities." Hence it is said (Job 14:18): "But a falling mountain crumbles away, and the rock is removed from its place." And there is no "rock" but Abraham, as it is said (Isa. 51:1): "Look unto the rock from which you were hewn" — who journeyed from his place, as it is said (Gen. 20:1): "Then Abraham journeyed from there."

(Genesis 31:3) "And God said to Jacob..." This is what Scripture says (Psalms 142:6): "I cried to You, O LORD; I said, You are my refuge, my portion in the land of the living." Who said this verse? David said it. "My portion in the land of the living" — he calls the Land of Israel "the land of the living." Why? Resh Lakish said in the name of Rabbi Eleazar haKappar: because the dead of the Land of Israel will live first at the days of the Messiah; therefore he calls it "the land of the living." David said: I yearn to dwell within it, but Saul does not let me, rather (1 Samuel 26:19) "for they have driven me out this day from joining myself to the inheritance of the LORD." Therefore "I cried to You, O LORD"; and because I did so, I became king over Israel.

(Gen. 35:9:) "AND GOD APPEARED TO JACOB AGAIN, etc." This is what Scripture says (Eccl. 7:2): "IT IS BETTER TO GO TO THE HOUSE OF MOURNING, etc." Rabbi Shimon bar Abba said: There are two qualities of those who perform acts of lovingkindness, to perform lovingkindness with the bride and with the dead. If both of them come together into your hands, you do not know which of them to take hold of first. Solomon came and explained: "IT IS BETTER TO GO TO THE HOUSE OF MOURNING, etc." We find people who went to the house of feasting and their names were not specified, and people who went to the house of mourning and were rescued from Gehinnom and their names were specified and they prophesied through the Holy Spirit. And who were these who went to the house of feasting? It is written (Gen. 21:8): "AND THE CHILD GREW AND WAS WEANED, AND ABRAHAM MADE A GREAT FEAST." What is "GREAT"? This teaches that Shem and Eber and Abimelech were there, and their names were not specified. But these who went to the house of mourning—their names were specified (Job and his companions), and they were rescued from Gehinnom, and the Holy Spirit rested upon them, as it is said (Job 4:1): "AND ELIPHAZ THE TEMANITE ANSWERED." And "answered" is nothing but an expression of prophecy, as it is said (Exod. 19:19): "MOSES WOULD SPEAK, AND GOD WOULD ANSWER HIM WITH A VOICE." Thus: "IT IS BETTER TO GO TO THE HOUSE OF MOURNING, etc." And who first showed his face [to the mourner]? You must say: the Holy One, blessed be He. When? When Deborah died, as it is said (Gen. 35:8): "AND DEBORAH DIED, etc." And it is written (ibid. v. 9): "AND GOD APPEARED TO JACOB AGAIN, etc."

Another interpretation: "God thunders marvelously with His voice" (Job 37:5). When did the Holy One, blessed be He, do marvels with His voice? At the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, sought to send Moses on His mission to redeem Israel. And Moses was in Midian, afraid, for he had fled from before Pharaoh, lest he kill him, as it is said, "And Moses fled from before Pharaoh" (Exodus 2:15). When the Word was revealed to him in Midian and told him to return to Egypt, as it is said, "And the Lord said to Moses in Midian: Go, return to Egypt" (Exodus 4:19), the Word divided into two voices and became two faces. And Moses heard in Midian, "Go, return to Egypt," and Aaron heard in Egypt, "Go to meet Moses in the wilderness" (Exodus 4:27). But whoever was in the middle heard nothing at all. This is, "God thunders marvelously with His voice" (Job 37:5).

Another interpretation of "Number every firstborn male" (Numbers 3:40). This is what Scripture says: "There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and maidens without number; one alone is my dove, my perfect one" (Song of Songs 6:8-9). A parable: It is like a certain merchant who had stones of glass, and he would bring them out to the market. He did not pay attention to their number, for he did not bring them out by count, and when he came in to put them away he did not put them away by count, because they were of glass; he did not give heed to them. But he had a single string of fine pearls, and this one he would take and bring out by count and put away by count. So too, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, said regarding the nations of the world: I have not given them a number, because they are not regarded as anything before Me, as it is said, "All the nations are as nothing before Him; they are counted by Him as less than nothing and emptiness" (Isaiah 40:17). But as for you, you are My children, as it is said, "Who have been borne by Me from the belly, carried from the womb" (Isaiah 46:3). Therefore I number you at every hour. Therefore it is said, "Number every firstborn male." Thus, "There are sixty queens [... and maidens without number]; one alone is my dove, my perfect one" — these are Israel.

Another interpretation of (Numbers 7:1): "And it came to pass on the day that Moses had finished setting up the Tabernacle." This is what Scripture says (Psalms 51:20–21): "Do good in Your favor unto Zion; [build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall delight in sacrifices of righteousness, in burnt offering and whole offering...]" Because in this world they offered but little, as it is said (Numbers 7:12): "And the one who offered his offering on the first day [was Nahshon son of Amminadab]." What did he offer as his offering? One silver dish, one ladle, one bull, one ram, one lamb, one he-goat, and for the peace offering two oxen — this was the whole of the offering. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who set out on the road, and they would bring a meal before him according to the road and according to the inn. The king said to them: "Is this how you honor me? Is this how you treat me? Am I not a king, and do I not rule over the world?" They said to him: "Our lord the king, on the road we give according to the road, and according to the inn we have brought to you. But enter the city, and when you enter your palace, you will see with what we honor you." So too, when the Tabernacle was set up, the princes offered Him a gift: one ladle, one bull, one ram, one lamb, one he-goat. The Holy One said to them: "Is this My honor?" They said to Him: "Master of the worlds, we are set down in the wilderness, and the offerings before You are according to the wilderness. But when You enter Your palace, You will see how many bulls we will offer before You," as it is said (Psalms 51:20–21): "Do good in Your favor [unto Zion]... Then shall they offer up bulls upon Your altar" — and not one bull. And so you find with Solomon when he built the Temple: he sought to offer for the dedication of the Temple. See what is written there (1 Kings 8:63): "And Solomon offered the sacrifice of peace offerings, which he offered unto the LORD, twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep." And so too in the days of Ezra, what is written there (Ezra 6:17): "And they offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs..." This is the meaning of (Psalms 51:20): "Do good in Your favor unto Zion..."

"Gather Me seventy people from the elders of Israel" (Numbers 11:16). But did they not have elders in the past? Was it not already said in Egypt, "Go and gather the elders of Israel" (Exodus 3:16)? For what reason, then, did the Holy One, blessed be He, say "Gather Me," and so forth? To teach you that when Pharaoh said, "Come, let us deal shrewdly" (Exodus 1:10), Pharaoh gathered all Israel. He said to them: "Please, I ask of you, do work with me today as a favor." This is what is written, "And the Egyptians made the children of Israel labor with rigor (be-farekh)" (Exodus 1:13) — at first with a soft mouth (be-feh rakh). Pharaoh took a basket and a trowel, and everyone who [saw Pharaoh] taking a basket and a trowel and working with bricks did likewise. Immediately Israel went with zeal and plied their craft with him all day according to their strength, since they were men of strength and mighty ones. Once it grew dark, he set taskmasters over them. He said to them: "Count the bricks." Immediately they arose and counted them. He said to them: "This many you shall set up for me each and every day." He appointed the taskmasters of Egypt over the officers of Israel, and the officers were appointed over the rest of the people. And when he said to them, "You shall no longer give straw to the people" (Exodus 5:7), the taskmasters would come and count the bricks; they were found lacking, and the taskmasters would beat the officers, as it is said, "And the officers of the children of Israel, whom [the taskmasters of Pharaoh] had set over them, were beaten," and so forth (Exodus 5:14) — for the officers were beaten on account of the rest of the people, and they would not hand them over into the hand of the taskmasters. They would say: "It is better for us to be flogged, and let the rest of the people not stumble." Therefore, when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Gather Me," and so forth, Moses said: "Master of the Universe, I do not know who is fit and who is not fit." He said to him: "Whom you know to be the elders of the people and its officers" (Numbers 11:16) — those officers who handed themselves over to be flogged on their behalf in Egypt over the quota of bricks, they shall come and take this greatness. Therefore He said, "Whom you know to be [the elders of the people and its officers]." From here you learn that whoever hands himself over for the sake of Israel merits honor and greatness. Therefore it is written, "Whom you know [to be the elders of the people and its officers — who are they? Those of whom it is written], 'And the officers of the children of Israel were beaten.'"

Another interpretation: It was said only against the generation of the dispersion. (Psalms 59:12 [11]:) "Do not kill them" by the killing with which You killed the generation of the flood. Rather (ibid.:) "make them wander by Your power", toss them about among the people. As it is said (Genesis 11:8): "And the LORD scattered them." (Psalms 59:13 [12]:) "The sin of their mouth", that they sinned with their mouth. "The word of their lips", that they sinned with their lips. Therefore (ibid.:) "let them be caught in their pride." (As it is said.)

Another interpretation: "I cried out to You, O Lord" (Psalms 142:6). The verse speaks about Jacob. When he went out from his father's house, what does it say? "If God will be with me, etc." (Genesis 28:20). He lifted his eyes to the Holy One, blessed be He, and said, "You are my refuge." He said to him, "Behold, I am with you, etc." (Genesis 28:15). "My portion in the land of the living" (Psalms 142:6) — for Jacob was hoping to return to the Land of Israel. Jacob said, "With permission I went out; if I do not take permission, I am not returning." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Permission you are seeking? The permission is in your hand: 'Return to the land of your fathers' (Genesis 31:3). Did you come for anything except for the sake of the tribes? Behold, they are in your hand."

"Behold, I will rain down bread for you," etc. (Exodus 16:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: See what the difference is between Me and you. You offer Me a single omer each year, as it is said, "And you shall bring the omer," etc. (Leviticus 23:10); but I have given to each and every one of you an omer, as it is said, "an omer per head" (Exodus 16:16). And not only that, but you would offer Me a single omer in a year, while I gave you manna every single day, as it is said, "And the people went out and gathered [a day's portion every day]" (Exodus 16:4).

The nakedness of a brother's wife — from where? As it is written, "You shall not uncover the nakedness of your brother's wife" (Leviticus 18:16), yet it is written, "Her brother-in-law shall come in to her" (Deuteronomy 25:5). During [his] lifetime she is forbidden; [but if] he died without children she is permitted to him. And the term "statute" is written concerning it, as it is written, "And you shall keep [all] My statutes" (Leviticus 20:22). Mixed kinds — from where? As it is written, "You shall not wear interwoven cloth" (Deuteronomy 22:11), yet a linen sheet with fringes is permitted. And the term "statute" is written concerning it, as it is written, "You shall keep My statutes: you shall not let your cattle mate with a different kind, [and a garment of mixed cloth, sha'atnez, shall not come upon you]" (Leviticus 19:19). The goat that is sent away — from where? As it is written, "And the one who sends away the goat to Azazel [shall wash his garments]" (Leviticus 16:26) — yet it itself atones for others. And the term "statute" is written concerning it, as it is written, "And this shall be for you an everlasting statute" (Leviticus 16:34). The [red] heifer — from where? As we have learned there: all who occupy themselves with the [red] heifer from beginning to end render their garments unclean, yet it itself purifies the unclean. And the term "statute" is written concerning it, as it is written, "This is the statute of the Torah" (Numbers 19:2).

And Moses and Aaron went and gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel (Exod. 4:29). He told them: The Holy One, blessed be He, has said: I have surely remembered you (Exod. 3:16). This was a sign that was transmitted to them from the days of Abraham and Isaac. Jacob had transmitted it to Joseph when he told him: “Every redeemer who comes and says to you I have surely remembered is a truthful redeemer.” And when Moses came and said I have surely remembered, the people believed him forthwith. Moses and Aaron said to them: “Come with us and we will go unto Pharaoh.” At first the elders of Israel accompanied them, but later they slipped away singly, and then in pairs. When they arrived at Pharaoh’s palace, not a single person who had accompanied them, could be found, as it is written: And afterwards Moses and Aaron came (Exod. 5:1).

What happened to the elders who had accompanied them? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Because you slipped away, be assured, I will exact retribution from you. When did that occur? At the time that Moses and Aaron went up to Mount Sinai with the elders to receive the Torah. The Holy One, blessed be He, kept them away, as it is said: And unto the elders, He said: “Tarry ye here for us until we come back unto you” (ibid. 24:14). In this world, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, you shall not witness the glory of the Torah, but in the world-to-come, I will reveal unto you the light of the glory of the Torah, as it is said: Then the moon shall be confounded and the sun ashamed (Isa. 24:23).

Then Moses sang (Exod. 15:1). May our master teach us whether one may place a plaster upon a sore on the Sabbath? Thus do our masters teach us: It is forbidden to place a plaster upon a sore for the first time on the Sabbath, but if one has placed it there prior to the Sabbath, he is permitted (to change the plaster during the Sabbath). You find that if a man injures someone with a knife, he dresses the wound with a bandage, but the Holy One, blessed be He, does not do so. He heals with what He wounds. And so you find that when they reached Marah, and were unable to drink the water because it was extremely bitter, Moses was of the opinion that the Holy One, blessed be He, would tell him to sweeten it with honey or with pressed figs. Observe, however, what is written there: And he cried unto the Lord; and the Lord showed him a tree (Exod. 15:25). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: My way is not man’s way, and you must learn this fact. Thus it is said: The Lord showed him a tree. Actually, the verse does not say and the Lord showed him (vayir’shu) but rather taught him (vayorehu). He taught him His ways.

What kind of tree was it? R. Joshua held: It was a willow tree. R. Nathan declared: It was a bitter ivy tree, while R. Eleazar of Modi’im insisted: It was an olive tree. R. Joshua the son of Karha maintained that it was a cedar tree. Others said that it was the root of a fig tree and the root of a pomegranate tree. In any case, it was extremely bitter. R. Simeon the son of Gamliel said: Come and observe how different the ways of the Holy One, blessed be He, are from the ways of man. Man improves the taste of a bitter thing with something sweet, but the Holy One, blessed be He, improves the taste of a bitter thing by adding something bitter. How does He do that? He places something that causes damage into a thing that is damaged and thereby performs a miracle. For example, And Isaiah said: Let them take a cake of figs and lay it for a plaster on the boil, and he shall recover (Isa. 38:21). Is it not a fact that if you place a cake of figs on a raw piece of flesh, the flesh will decay immediately? This verse illustrates that He places a thing that injures upon something that was injured in order to perform a miracle. Similarly, And he went forth unto the spring of the waters and cast salt therein, and said: “Thus saith the Lord: I have healed these waters; there shall not be from thence anymore death or miscarrying” (II Kings 2:21). Is it not a fact that sweet water into which you put salt water is spoiled immediately? But here He placed a thing that is distasteful into something that was distasteful, and thus performed a miracle thereby. The Holy One, blessed be He, declared unto Moses: Is it not a fact that I am a unique craftsman? Do I not heal with what I wound? If these waters are bitter, I will make them palatable by adding something that is bitter.

Similarly the righteous make amends with the very words with which they rebuke. You know this to be so from the fact that when Moses reproached God, he did so with an az (“then”), as is said: Then as I came to Pharaoh to speak in Thy name, he hath dealt ill with this people (Exod. 5:23). And Moses said: With an az I reproached God, and with an az I shall make amends to Him. Hence, it is said: Then (az) sang Moses.

"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel" (Exodus 32:13). This is what Scripture says: "And when they say to you: Inquire of the ghosts and the familiar spirits who chirp and mutter; should not a people inquire of its God? On behalf of the living should they inquire of the dead?" (Isaiah 8:19). Who prophesied this verse to them? Isaiah son of Amoz said to Israel: If the nations say to you, Make for yourselves idolatry and inquire of the ghosts and the familiar spirits as we do, say to them: Inquire you of your gods and we of our God, "should not a people inquire of its God?" What is the meaning of "on behalf of the living of the dead"? Shall we leave the life of the world and inquire of the dead? Another interpretation: "on behalf of the living of the dead." Say to them: in the way of the world, the needs of the dead are inquired of through the living; shall the needs of the living be inquired of through the dead? Another interpretation: say to them: our dead are not dead, as it is said: "Let the pious exult in glory, let them sing for joy upon their beds" (Psalms 149:5). You find that when they did that deed, Moses arose in prayer and made mention of the dead, as it is said: "Remember Abraham, Isaac..." And how many righteous men were alive with him in the camp of Israel, yet he made mention only of the dead. Had it not been for this, they would have perished. Therefore Solomon said: "And I praised the dead" (Ecclesiastes 4:2). And what did he see fit to make mention of Abraham? Rather, when they did that deed and Moses sought mercy for them, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: How can I receive them back in repentance? Yesterday I gave them the Ten Commandments, and behold they have nullified them. Rabbi Simlai said: To what may the matter be compared? To a king who had a beloved friend, and the friend deposited with the king ten pearls, and then died. After a time the king arose and betrothed his friend's daughter with ten pearls, and she lost them. The king began to be angry with her and to say: I will kill her. Her best man heard and said to him: My lord the king, if she lost ten pearls of yours, remember that her father has a deposit with you of ten pearls, and let the ten go out against the ten. So too Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: If they have nullified the Ten Commandments, remember Abraham their father, whom You tested with ten trials, and let the ten go out against the ten. Therefore he made mention of Abraham. And what did he see fit to make mention of three patriarchs? Moses said: Master of the world, if they are liable to burning, remember Abraham, who gave his life to be burned for the sanctification of Your name in Ur of the Chaldeans. If they are liable to slaughter, remember Isaac their father, who stretched out his neck to be slaughtered for the sanctification of Your name. If they are liable to exile, remember Jacob their father, who went into exile to Haran. Therefore he made mention of the three patriarchs. "To whom You swore by Yourself" (Exodus 32:13). You did not swear to them by the mountains, nor by the hills, since these come to an end, but by Yourself. "And You said to them: I will multiply your seed." How can You repudiate the oath? They nullified the head of the utterance, "You shall have no..."; do You seek to nullify its end, "and shows kindness to the thousands"? And up to here Abraham has only seven generations: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses. Where is "and shows kindness to the thousands"? Immediately, "and the LORD relented" (Exodus 32:14).

(Lev. 24:10:) “Now there went out the son of an Israelite woman, [whose father was Egyptian].” From where did he go out? R. Hiyya bar Abba said, “He went out from the Parashah on genealogies. When he came to pitch his tent in the camp of Dan, they rejected him.

Now they said to him, ‘You have an Egyptian father, but it is written (in Numb. 2:2), ‘each with his standard, under the banners of their fathers' houses,’ and not ‘of their mothers' houses.’ Immediately (according to Lev. 24:11), he began to utter the name [of God] and curse it.” R. Levi said, “He was clearly a bastard. How so?

Taskmasters were from Egypt, and the officers were from Israel. The taskmaster was in charge of ten officers, and the officer was in charge of ten Israelites. [Thus,] it turned out that the taskmaster was in charge of a hundred and ten Israelites. On one occasion a taskmaster met an officer. He said to him, ‘Go gather your groups of ten.’

When he had gone, he entered his house and sullied Shelomith, the officer's wife. [When] her husband returned, he found him leaving his house. When [the taskmaster knew that her husband] noticed him, he beat him every day and said to him, ‘Toil properly, toil properly.’ The holy spirit was kindled in Moses. He raised his eyes to the sky.

He said, ‘Was it not enough for this wicked man to rape his wife, but that he should return and beat him?’ Immediately (according to Exod. 2:12), ‘he smote the Egyptian and hid him in the sand.’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In this world you are delivered through sins into the hands of the nations of the world. However, in the world to come (according to Is. 49:23), ‘Kings shall be your guardians; their ladies, your wet nurses; they shall bow down before you, nose to the ground, and lick the dust of your feet; then you shall know that I am the Lord; those who trust Me shall not be ashamed.’”

(Numb. 4:18:) “Do not cut off.” This text is related (to Ps. 33:18), “Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him….” The text speaks along many lines of thought. For what we need, however, it is speaking about the tribe of Levi. And where is it shown? Where the tribe of Levi is called those who fear the Lord, as stated (in Mal. 2:5), “and I gave them (i.e., life and peace) as well as fear, and he feared Me.” (Ps. 33:19) “On those who wait for His steadfast love,” because they are always waiting for the name of the Holy One, blessed be He. (Ps. 33:19:) “To deliver their soul from death and to keep them alive in famine,” through the twenty-four gifts which the Holy One, blessed be He, has given them. These are them: ten in the sanctuary, ten within the borders, and four in Jerusalem.

The ten in the sanctuary: the sin offering (Lev. 6:17-23; Zev. 5:3), the guilt offering (Lev. 5:14-16, 20-26; 19:20-22; Zev. 5:5), the peace sacrifices and the community peace sacrifices (Lev. 23:19-20; Zev. 5:5), the sin offering of a fowl (Lev. 5:8), the guilt offering for a doubtful sin (Lev. 5:17-19; Zev. 5:5), the leper's log of oil (Lev. 14:12), the two loaves (Lev. 23:17), the shewbread (Exod. 25:30; Lev. 24:5-9), the remnant of the omer (Lev. 23:10-12; Men. 10:4), and the remainder of the meal offering (Lev. 2:3). The ten within the borders: the terumah (Numb. 18:12), the terumah of the tithe (Numb. 18:25-29), the hallah (Numb. 15:18-21), the first of the shorn wool (Deut. 18:4), the shoulder, the cheeks, and the stomach (Deut. 18:3), the redemption of the [first-born] son (Numb. 18:15-16), [the redemption of] a firstling ass (Exod. 13:13), [the payment for] the robbery of a proselyte (Thal. 2:9; Bq 110b; Hul. 133b), things consecrated (Numb. 18:14; Bik. 3:12), and a field of possession (Lev. 27:16-21) The four in Jerusalem: the firstlings [of animals] (Numb. 18:17-18), the first fruits (Exod. 23:19; Numb. 18:13; Hal. 4:9), the priest's share from the thank-offering ram and from the nazarite ram, the breast of the peace offerings, and the thigh (Exod. 29:27-28; Lev. 7:12-14; 31-34; 10:14-15; Numb. 6:13-20; 18:18), and skins of [burnt, sin, and guilt] offerings (Lev. 7:8; Zev. 12:3) Behold, these are twenty-four gifts.

Ergo (in Ps. 33:19), “and to keep them alive in famine. (Numb. 4:18) “Do not cut off [the tribe of the Kohathite families from the Levites].” The Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that Korah was going to arise and disagree about the priesthood. The Holy One, blessed be He, said. “I will not destroy the Levites because of Korah.” (Numb. 4:18:) “Do not cut off [the tribe of the Kohathite families from the Levites].”

This text is related (to Is. 48:9), “For the sake of My name I will delay My anger, and for My praise I will hold back for you so as not to cut you off.” To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a son that was associated with bandits; and when they were captured, his son was captured with them.

The king said, “What shall I do? Shall I execute the robbers? Possibly my son is with them. Instead, for the sake of my son, I will exonerate them for now.”

Similarly, the Levites carried the tabernacle. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 7:9), “But to the Children of Kohath he gave no [wagons], because they had the service of the holy.” When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that Korah and his assembly were going to be opposed to Moses and Aaron, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “What shall I do with these? To kill them in the desert is not possible.”

Why? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, had taken half of His name and bestowed it upon them, the yh (of yhwh) in the Kohathite (hqhty in Numb. 4:18). It therefore says (in Is. 48:9), “For the sake of My name I will delay My anger….”

"And it was on the day that Moses had finished" (Numbers 7:1). So did Rabbi Tanchuma bar Abba open [his discourse from] (Proverbs 30:4), "Who has ascended heaven and come down": That is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated (Psalms 47:6), "God rises in acclamation." [This is] as is done with a king of flesh and blood when he passes from place to place. What do they do? They bring torches and beacons and blow in front of him with trumpets and shofars.

So did they do in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated (Psalms 98:6), "With trumpets and the sound of the shofar, sound off in front of the King Lord." "And came down," [when] He came down upon Mount Sinai, as it is stated (Exodus 19:20), "And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai." "Who has gathered up the wind (ruach) in the hollow of his hand" (Psalms 30:4, cont.). That is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated (Job 12:10), "In His hand is every living soul, and the breath (ruach) of all mankind."

"Who has wrapped the waters in His garment?" That is the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated (Job 26:8), "He wrapped up the waters in His clouds." "Who has made rise all the extremities of the earth?" That is the Holy One, blessed be He, since He revives the dead, as it is stated (Isaiah 26:19), "Let your dead live, My corpses shall rise."And it is also written (I Samuel 2:6), "The Lord kills and gives life."

"What is His name?" The Lord, as it is stated (Isaiah 42:8), "I am the Lord, that is My name." "And what is His son’s name?" Israel, as it is stated (Exodus 4:22), "So does the Lord say, 'Israel is My firstborn son.'"

(Numb. 21:25:) “Israel took all these towns….” This text is related (to Is. 61:8), “Because I the Lord love justice, I hate robbery with a burnt offering.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (in Deut. 2:9), “Do not trouble Moab.” Now Heshbon had been part of Moab, since it is stated (in Numb. 21:26), “For Heshbon was a city of Sihon king of the Amorites,” but he had fought against the former king of Moab [and taken all his land away from him as far as the Arnon].

When Israel came, they took Heshbon, which belonged to Sihon and whatever [else] he had taken from the king of Moab. For if they had taken it from him [directly], they would have had major robbery on their hands. Instead Sihon took it from Moab, and Israel took it from Sihon. Thus they were acquitted from [the charge of] robbery.

Therefore it is written (in Numb. 21:26), “For Heshbon was a city of Sihon.” (Numb. 21:27:) “Therefore those who speak in parables say.” This refers to Balaam and his father, whom Sihon had hired to curse Moab. And it was they who had said (Numbers 21:27-8), “[Come to Heshbon,] let it be built; let the city of Sihon be established. For a fire has come forth from Heshbon, [a flame from the city of Sihon].

It has devoured Ar [of Moab].” Thus they cursed Moab so that they might deliver it into [Sihon's] hand. (Numb. 21:29-31:) “Woe be to you, O Moab…. Yet we have cast them down; Heshbon has perished…. Thus Israel dwelt (in all the cities) [in the land of] the Amorites.” [Only] Jazer survived. (Numb. 21:32:) “So Moses sent to spy out Jazer.” These spies were zealous. They said, “We have confidence in the prayer of Moses. [Yet] he has already sent messengers [that were] spies in the past and they brought a catastrophe. But we shall not do so.

Rather, we will trust in the Holy One, blessed be He, and make war.” They then did so and slew the Amorites who were in [the city]. (Numb. 21:33), “Then they turned and went up […].” What is the meaning of “Then they turned and went up?” R. Johanan says, “The wars of Sihon took place in Elul.

Then they celebrated the festival in Tishri, then after the festival came the war with Og. [Just as you say with regard to the festival of Passover] (in Deut. 16:7), “and in the morning you shall turn to your tents.” (Numb. 21:33, cont.:) “And Og king of Bashan came out against them, he and all his people,” for the Holy One, blessed be He, had gathered [them all] before [Israel] in order to deliver [Og and his people] into their hand.

"And the whole earth was of one language" (Genesis 11:1). What is written above, concerning the matter? "These are the families of the sons of Noah" (there, 10:32), and afterward, "And the whole earth was of one language." Solomon said: "Though you pound the fool in a mortar [among the grain with a pestle, his folly will not depart from him]" (Proverbs 27:22). One who strikes the fool—while he is raising the rod to strike him a second time, he forgets the first blow. "Among the grain with a pestle"—while he is raising it the first time, it is already forgotten. Even so, "his folly will not depart from him."

Another interpretation of "And Abram was ninety years old" (Genesis 17:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: From the time I created My world, I have been turning and waiting through twenty generations, until you would come and take up the circumcision. And now, if you do not accept it, it is enough for Me that the world has existed until here, and I will return it to chaos and void (tohu va-vohu), and I have no further need of the world. Therefore He said, "I am El Shaddai" (ibid.) — that is, "Enough" (Dai) for the world. But if you accept it upon yourself, it is enough for the world — I and you.

(Gen. 20:1) "And Abraham journeyed from there." This is what Scripture says (Ps. 26:4-5): "I have not sat with men of falsehood... I have hated the assembly of evildoers." "I have not sat with men of falsehood" — these are the men of the Tower, who were men of falsehood. They went and said to Abraham: "Come and sit with us, for you are a mighty man, since we see that the Holy One, blessed be He, has seated Himself above and left us below." And the Holy Spirit cries out (Isa. 57:20): "But the wicked are like the troubled sea" — you cannot sit at ease even for a single hour. (Ps. 82:5) "They do not know, nor do they understand; they walk about in darkness." "They do not know" — this is the generation of Enosh. "Nor do they understand" — this is the generation of the Flood. "They walk about in darkness" — this is the generation of the Tower. Abraham said to them: "What do you seek from the Holy One, blessed be He, who sits above? Did He perhaps say to you, 'Go, toil and sustain Me'? He creates and He sustains; He makes and He bears. What do you seek from Him?" (They said to him) (Gen. 11:4): "Come, let us build for ourselves a city and a tower" — and let us set our idol above Him, and make war with Him, as it is said (Gen. 11:4): "and let us make a name for ourselves" — and it is written (Exod. 23:13): "and the name of other gods you shall not mention." Abraham said to them: "Why all this?" They said to him: "So that He will not do to us as He did to the earlier ones." He said to them: "You have forsaken (Prov. 18:10) 'a tower of strength, the name of the LORD,' yet you say, 'let us make a name for ourselves'!" What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them? He scattered them, as it is said (Gen. 11:8): "And the LORD scattered them." And how far had they built the tower and ascended? And the Holy One, blessed be He, mocked them, as it is said (Ps. 2:4): "He who sits in heaven laughs." When they had gone up above the tower, immediately (Ps. 2:5): "Then He speaks to them in His anger" — and it fell from above, as it is said (Ps. 5:11): "Declare them guilty, O God; let them fall by their own counsels." And Abraham had no dealings with them. And the Holy One, blessed be He, looks down upon them and sees them, as it is said (Ps. 53:3-4): "God looked down from heaven upon the children of men... they have all turned aside" — for they became dross (sigim), they made themselves into deities. "None does good, not even one" — from here you learn that Abraham was not with them. The "one" stated here is none other than Abraham, as it is said (Ezek. 33:24): "Abraham was one, and he inherited the land." Abraham began to say (Ps. 26:4-5): "I have not sat with men of falsehood... I have hated the assembly of evildoers." Therefore it is said (Gen. 20:1): "And Abraham journeyed from there."

What is written above concerning this matter? "And it came to pass, when Rachel had borne Joseph, that Jacob said to Laban: Send me away" (Genesis 30:25). [Jacob said:] And if you do not wish to send me away, I am going for myself without your permission. Laban said to him: With all the sons that you have fathered, you never said to me "send me away," but only [now] over Joseph. He said to him: Because he will exact payment from Esau the wicked. Therefore, "send me away that I may go" (Genesis 30:25). "And Laban said to him: I have learned by divination" (Genesis 30:27). On that day, by Jacob's feet, he found a treasure that is for fortune; therefore he says, "I have learned by divination." Rabbi Berekhyah said: Laban divined, but Jacob did not know, and what did he care? "And the Lord has blessed me on your account" (ibid.). Laban said: "Name your wages" (Genesis 30:28). He said to him: You take the spotted ones and I take the speckled ones from all that they bear. "And Jacob pastured the remaining flock of Laban" (Genesis 30:36). What is "the remaining"? Resh Lakish said: The old, the barren, the sick. What is written? "And Jacob took for himself a rod of white poplar" (Genesis 30:37). Rabbi Hoshaya said: He was forming a figure, and just as he formed, so they bore; he lacked only to give them a soul. They bore and were blessed before him. Laban went back on this. From where [do we know] that Jacob said thus? "And he changed my wages" (Genesis 31:7). What did Jacob do, since [Laban] delayed him? He sent for the members of his household, as it is said: "And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field" (Genesis 31:4). Why not inside his house? Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said: For three things I love the children of the East,

Another interpretation of "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses" (Exodus 4:27). This is what Scripture says: "O that you were as a brother to me" (Song of Songs 8:1). Israel says to the Holy One, blessed be He: O that You were as a brother to me. As which brother? You find that from the beginning of the creation of the world until now, brothers have hated one another. Cain hated Abel and killed him, as it is said, "And Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him" (Genesis 4:8). Ishmael hated Isaac, as it is said, "And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing" (Genesis 21:9); and "playing" means nothing other than that he sought to kill him, as it is said, "Let the young men now arise and play before us" (II Samuel 2:14). And Esau hated Jacob, as it is said, "And Esau said in his heart" (Genesis 27:41). And the tribes hated Joseph, as it is said, "And they hated him" (Genesis 37:4). And as which brother? Israel said: like Moses and Aaron, as it is said, "Behold, how good and how pleasant it is" (Psalms 133:1), for they loved one another and cherished one another. For when Moses received the kingship, and Aaron the high priesthood, they were not jealous of one another, but rather they rejoiced, this one in the greatness of that one, and that one in the greatness of this one. Know it for yourself, for so you find: when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "And now, go, and I will send you to Pharaoh" (Exodus 3:10), Moses said to Him, "Send, I pray, by the hand of him whom You will send" (Exodus 4:13). You might suppose that Moses held back so as not to go; but he did nothing other than show honor to Aaron. Moses said: Before I arose, Aaron had been prophesying to them for eighty years, as it is said, "And I made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt" (Ezekiel 20:5). And from where do we know that Aaron was prophesying to them? As it is said, "And there came a man of God to Eli, and said to him: Thus says the Lord, I revealed Myself indeed to the house of your father when they were in Egypt in Pharaoh's house, and chose him out of all the tribes of Israel to be My priest" (I Samuel 2:27–28). He said: All these years Aaron has been prophesying to them, and now I am to come to them into my brother's domain, so that he would be distressed? Therefore Moses did not wish to go. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Aaron your brother is not distressed in this matter, but rather he rejoices. Know it for yourself, for he is going out to meet you, as it is said, "Behold, he comes forth to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart" (Exodus 4:14) — not with his mouth alone, but in his heart, his heart more than his mouth: "and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: The heart that rejoiced in the greatness of his brother shall wear the Urim and Thummim, as it is said, "And you shall put in the breastplate of judgment the Urim and the Thummim, and they shall be upon Aaron's heart" (Exodus 28:30). Hence, "And also, behold, he comes forth to meet you, and when he sees you he will be glad in his heart." When He had said this to him, he took upon himself to go. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Aaron and said to him: Go out to meet Moses your brother, so that he may know that you rejoice in the matter. Therefore it is said, "Go into the wilderness to meet Moses" (Exodus 4:27). Hence, "O that you were as a brother to me" — like Moses and Aaron, who loved one another. "If I should find you outside, I would kiss you" (Song of Songs 8:1); "And he went and met him at the mountain of God and kissed him" (Exodus 4:27).

"See that the LORD has given you the Sabbath" (Exodus 16:29). What is the meaning of "See"? Rabbi Isaac said: See how you are to answer the nations of the world. For if they say to you, "Why do you keep the Sabbath? What miracles were done for you?"—"See that the LORD has given you the Sabbath"—say to them: On every day a single portion would come down, but on the eve of the Sabbath two portions, as it is said, "And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare what they bring in, and it shall be double" (Exodus 16:5). What is "double"? If you say two, has it not already been said, "Two omers for each one" (Exodus 16:22)? Then what is "double"? Hezekiah bar Hiyya said that it was different in its taste, in its aroma, and in its appearance. And not only that, but on every day, whoever left over any of it from evening until morning, it would stink; yet on the Sabbath it is written, "It did not stink" (Exodus 16:24). Hence, "they gathered double bread." "And all the princes of the congregation came and told Moses" (Exodus 16:22). At that hour he remembered that he had forgotten to tell them the section concerning the Sabbath, which the Holy One, blessed be He, had told him. Since they came and spoke to him, Moses said to them, "This is what the LORD has spoken: a rest, a holy Sabbath to the LORD, is tomorrow" (Exodus 16:23). Jeremiah said, "Why do you contend with Me?" (Jeremiah 2:29)—even Moses, whom I told to tell them the section concerning the Sabbath, forgot and did not tell them; "all of you have transgressed against Me" (ibid.). Rabbi Judah says: The Holy One, blessed be He, honored the Sabbath, for on every day the manna would come down, but on the Sabbath it would not come down, as it is said, "And it was on the seventh day that some of the people went out to gather, and they found none" (Exodus 16:27). Moses said to them: Whoever takes an omer per head shall not take more than it, as it is said, "And Moses said to them: Let no man leave over any of it" (Exodus 16:19); "but they did not listen to Moses, and some men left over of it" (Exodus 16:20). And who were they? These were Dathan and Abiram. Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: When they left over of the manna, worms would come out from within their tents and enter into the tents of Israel, and the Holy Spirit cries out and says concerning them: Do you suppose that you act in secret, and it is not revealed before Me? "If a man hides himself in secret places, shall I not see him?" (Jeremiah 23:24). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: In this world you ate the manna by the merit of your fathers, but in the world to come I will feed you the beasts—Ziz and Leviathan—and you will eat by your own merit, as it is said, "Shall the companions feast upon him? Shall they divide him among the merchants?" (Job 40:30).

Another interpretation of (Numbers 3:40) "Number every firstborn male." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: For the sake of My love for Israel I altered the order of the world. How so? I wrote in My Torah that a donkey should be redeemed with a lamb, as it is said (Exodus 34:20), "And the firstling of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb." Yet I did not do so; rather, I redeemed a lamb with a donkey. The Egyptians are likened to a donkey, as it is said (Ezekiel 23:20), "whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys"; and Israel are called a lamb, as it is said (Jeremiah 50:17), "Israel is a scattered sheep." And I slew the firstborn of the Egyptians, and I sanctified the firstborn of Israel, as it is said (Numbers 8:17), "For every firstborn among the children of Israel is Mine, of man and of beast; on the day that I struck down every firstborn in the land of Egypt I sanctified them for Myself." Therefore He said to him, "Number every firstborn male among the children of Israel."

Another interpretation of "And it came to pass on the day that Moses finished" (Numbers 7:1). Rabbi says: Wherever "and it came to pass" (va-yehi) is said, [it is one matter; but Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai says: Wherever it says "and it came to pass" (va-yehi)], it is a matter that existed and then ceased for many days, and then returned to be as it was. This is what Scripture says: "I have come into my garden" (Song of Songs 5:1). At the time when the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He desired that He should have a dwelling among those below, just as He has among those above. He called Adam and commanded him and said to him: "Of every tree of the garden you may surely eat, but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it" (Genesis 2:16-17). And he transgressed His command. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: This is what I desired, that just as I have a dwelling among those above, so I should have one among those below; and one thing I commanded you, and you did not keep it. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, withdrew His Shekhinah to the firmament. From where? As it is said: "And they heard the voice of the Lord God moving about in the garden toward the breeze of the day" (Genesis 3:8). [And when they transgressed His command, He withdrew His Shekhinah to the first firmament.] Cain arose and slew Abel; immediately He withdrew His Shekhinah from the first firmament to the second firmament. The generation of Enosh arose and were idolaters, as it is said: "Then it was begun to call upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26), and He withdrew His Shekhinah from the second to the third. The generation of the flood arose, and it is written of them: "And they said to God: Depart from us" (Job 21:14); immediately He withdrew His Shekhinah from the third firmament to the fourth. The generation of the dispersion arose and said: It is not for Him to choose for Himself those above and give us those below. What did they say? "Come, let us build us a city" (Genesis 11:4). And what did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them? "And the Lord scattered them abroad from there" (Genesis 11:8). He arose and withdrew His Shekhinah from the fourth firmament to the fifth. The Sodomites arose; what is written of them? "And the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners [against the Lord exceedingly]" (Genesis 13:13): "wicked" — to one another; "sinners" — in forbidden sexual relations; "against the Lord" — in idolatry; "exceedingly" — in the shedding of blood. Immediately He withdrew His Shekhinah from the fifth firmament to the sixth. The Philistines arose and provoked the Holy One, blessed be He; immediately He withdrew His Shekhinah from the sixth firmament to the seventh. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Seven firmaments I created, and until now there are wicked ones who continue to arise. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He folded up all the generations of the wicked and raised up Abraham our father. When Abraham our father arose and did good deeds, immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, descended from the seventh firmament to the sixth. Isaac arose and stretched out his neck upon the altar, and He descended from the sixth firmament to the fifth. Jacob arose, and He descended from the fifth to the fourth. Levi arose and his deeds were pleasing, and He descended from the fourth to the third. Kohath arose, and He descended from the third to the second. Amram arose, and they brought Him down from the second to the first firmament. Moses arose and brought down the Shekhinah. When? When the Tabernacle was set up. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "I have come into my garden" — to the thing for which I had been longing. And this is "And it came to pass on the day that Moses finished." From here Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai said: "And it came to pass" (va-yehi) is nothing other than a matter that existed and then ceased for many days, and then returned to be as it was.

"Gather Me <seventy men of the elders of Israel>" and so forth (Numbers 11:16). And where were those former ones? This is what Scripture says: "He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, and sets others in their place" (Job 34:24). When the princes were in Egypt, they had seventy elders, as it is said, "Go and gather the elders of Israel" (Exodus 3:16); and with them they went out of Egypt. And when Moses went up to receive the Torah, they were with him, as it is said, "Then Moses went up, and Aaron, Nadav and Avihu, and seventy of the elders of Israel" (Exodus 24:9), and to the elders he said, "Wait for us here" and so forth (Exodus 24:14). When Moses went up, he made a condition with Israel that he would come down at the end of forty days. When he tarried to come down, as it is said, "And the people saw that Moses delayed (boshesh)" (Exodus 32:1) — and boshesh means nothing other than tarrying, as it is said, "Why is his chariot delayed (boshesh) in coming? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots?" (Judges 5:28) — all Israel gathered to the elders. They said to them: Moses made a condition with us that he would come down within forty days, and behold, it is forty days and he has not come down, and six hours more, and we do not know what has become of him; rather, "Arise, make us a god" (Exodus 32:1). When they heard this, they said to them: Why do you provoke to anger the One who performed for you all the miracles and the wonders? They rose up against them and killed them. And because Hur stood up to them with harsh words, they rose up against him and killed him. From where do we know that they killed the elders and Hur? For thus said Jeremiah: "Also in your skirts is found the lifeblood of the innocent poor; you did not find them breaking in, but for all these things" (Jeremiah 2:34). What is "for all these things"? Because of "These are your gods, O Israel" (Exodus 32:4). After a time, when the Holy One forgiven them, He said to Moses, "Gather Me seventy men" — in place of those who were killed for the sanctification of My name. This is what is written: "He breaks in pieces mighty men without inquiry, and sets others in their place" (Job 34:24).

Another interpretation of "Though you pound the fool in a mortar" (Proverbs 27:22): Rabbi Nehemiah, son of Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman, said: To what are they comparable? To a full flask upon which locusts climbed. The first climbed and fell, [the second climbed and fell, the third climbed and fell], yet the second did not learn from the first, [nor the third from the second]. So it is with the wicked: the first comes, rises, grows mighty, and falls, and the second does not learn from the first. Thus arose the generation of Enosh and called out to idolatry, as it is said, "Then it was profaned to call upon the name of the Lord" (Genesis 4:26). What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He called for the sea and flooded them, as it is said, "He who calls for the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the face of the earth" (Amos 5:8). The generation of the Flood arose and provoked the Holy One, blessed be He, to anger, as it is said, "And they said to God, 'Depart from us'" (Job 21:14), and they perished from the world, and they did not learn from the generation of Enosh. [The generation of the Dispersion did not learn from the former generations.] Hence, "Though you pound the fool in a mortar with a pestle, among the grain" (Proverbs 27:22) — this is the generation of the Dispersion, for they were bringing forth words of reviling against the Sole One of the world, as it is said, "And the whole earth was of one language and of uniform words" (Genesis 11:1). Rabbi Berekhyah the Priest said: What is "one language"? That they were one family. Another interpretation: "one language," in that they poured out retribution upon the world. [And "uniform words" — words that they brought forth against the Sole One of the world.]

(Gen. 17:2) "And I will set My covenant between Me and you." Abram said to Him: And who will circumcise me? He said to him: You yourself. Abraham took the sword and grasped his foreskin, and he was afraid; because he was old, he trembled. He said before Him: Master of the Universe, I am old. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do, as it were? He stretched out His hand and grasped along with him, and Abraham was cutting until he was circumcised. Thus Ezra praises and says (Neh. 9:6, 8): "You alone are the LORD..." "and You found his heart faithful before You." "And cut the covenant for him" is not written here, but rather "and cut the covenant with him." And it is written at the end of the verse (Neh. 9:8): "and You kept Your words, for You are righteous."

Rav Huna said: It is written (Psalms 75:3), "For I will take an appointed time; I Myself will judge with equity." And it is written (Zechariah 14:6), "And it shall come to pass on that day, there shall be no light, but cold and congealing." Matters that are hidden from you in this world are destined to float up clear before you in the world to come, like that blind man who comes to see, as it is written (Isaiah 42:16), "And I will lead the blind by a way they did not know, [...] I will turn darkness before them into light, [...] these things I have done." It does not say "I will do," but "I have done"—for you have already done them for Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues. [Rabbi Aha said: Matters that were not revealed to Moses were revealed to Rabbi Akiva, as it is said (Job 28:10), "And his eye beheld every precious thing." This refers to Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues.]

Another interpretation (of Genesis 11:1): "AND ONE WORDS" — that they brought forth against the two unique ones of the world. Against the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written (in Deuteronomy 6:4): "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is one." And against Abraham, as it is said (in Ezekiel 33:24): "Abraham was one {and he loved him}."

Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: He hinted that all heifers come to an end, but his endures forever. Rabbi Aha said in the name of Rabbi Yose bar Hanina: At the hour when Moses ascended to the firmament, he heard the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, sitting and occupying Himself with the section of the Heifer, and reciting a halakhah in the name of the one who said it: "Rabbi Eliezer says: a calf is one year old, and a heifer is two years old." Moses said: Master of the Universe, are not the upper beings and the lower beings Yours? Yet You recite a halakhah in the name of flesh and blood! He said to him: A certain righteous man is destined to arise in My world, and he is destined to open with the section of the Heifer first—"Rabbi Eliezer says: a calf is one year old, and a heifer is two years old." He said before Him: Master of the Universe, may it be Your will that he be from my loins. He said to him: By your life, he is from your loins, as it is stated, "the name of the one was Eliezer" (Exodus 18:4)—the name of that distinguished one, Eliezer.

(Genesis 31:5-8:) "AND HE SAID TO THEM: I SEE YOUR FATHER'S FACE [is not toward me as before], and so on; "AND YOU YOURSELVES KNOW [that with all my strength I have served your father]," and so on; "AND YOUR FATHER HAS MOCKED ME [and changed my wages ten times]," and so on; "IF HE SHOULD SAY THUS [the speckled shall be your wages]," and so on (there, verses 5, 6, 7, 8). Rabbi Berekhyah said: "IF HE SAID THUS" is not written here, but rather "IF HE SHOULD SAY THUS." And the angel was saying to Jacob: "If Laban should say thus, by your life, just as you wish, so I will do for you."

One [instance was] in the days of Joshua, as it is said: "they gathered together (yaḥdav) to fight with Joshua [and with Israel with one mouth]" (Joshua 9:2). What is the meaning of "together" (yaḥdav)? That they disputed against the Holy One. And one [was] in the days of Gog and Magog, as it is said: "The kings of the earth set themselves, etc." (Psalms 2:2). And here, as it is said: "And the whole earth was [of one language and of one speech]" (Genesis 11:1) — words of reviling they were uttering against the Holy One, except that the Scriptures did not explain [them]; but our Rabbis explained some of them. What were they saying? "After a thousand years and one day and six hundred and fifty-six years, a flood comes to the world, and the heavens totter, and the upper waters will fall upon us. Rather, come and let us make for ourselves parnosin (the meaning is: pillars), so that if the heavens fall, they will hold them up." Hence, "and of one speech."

"And he heard the words of Laban's sons, saying, Jacob has taken all that was our father's" (Genesis 31:1). What is the meaning of "Jacob has taken"? Rabbi Hoshaya said that the ministering angels became shoulder-bearers for Jacob. "Jacob has taken all that was our father's, and from what was our father's he acquired all this honor (kavod)." What is the honor? Rabbi Simon said: from silver and gold. But did Laban have silver and gold? He had nothing but flocks. Why then does it say silver and gold? Rather, the flocks of our father Jacob were different from the flocks of Laban. It is not written here "and he had much cattle," but rather "and he had abundant flocks" (Genesis 30:43), for they were fruitful and multiplied. And the nations of the world would come and give Jacob silver and gold in order to take some of his flocks from him. Rabbi Simon said: there is no honor (kavod) but silver and gold, as it is said, "Plunder silver, plunder gold" (Nahum 2:10). And how many flocks did he have? Rabbi Tanhuma bar Abba said: he had a hundred and twenty myriads, as it is said, "And the man increased exceedingly, exceedingly" (Genesis 30:43); and it is said of Egypt "exceedingly": "And the people multiplied and grew exceedingly mighty" (Exodus 1:20), [and they were sixty myriads, and here it says "exceedingly, exceedingly" — behold, a hundred and twenty myriads]. And how many sheepdogs did he have? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: three hundred and nine. Rabbi Tanhuma said: from where? Q (100), B (2), Z (7), R (200) — behold, the reckoning. "And the man increased exceedingly" (Genesis 30:43) — what is the meaning of "and he broke forth" (vayifrotz)? That the Holy One, blessed be He, broke through (paratz) for him the wall of the world, and said to him: thus do I break through for your children's children in the world to come, as it is said, "The one who breaks through goes up before them" (Micah 2:13).

"And the LORD said to Aaron, Go to meet Moses" (Exodus 4:27). This is what Scripture says: "God thunders marvelously with His voice; great things does He do, which we cannot comprehend" (Job 37:5). What is the meaning of "God thunders marvelously with His voice"? When the Holy One, blessed be He, gave the Torah at Sinai, He showed Israel wonder upon wonder by His voice. How so? The Holy One, blessed be He, would speak, and the voice would go out and circle through the whole world, and Israel would hear the voice coming to them from the south, and they would run to the south to receive the voice. And from the south it would turn for them to come from the north, and they would run to the north. And from the north it turned for them to the east, and they would run to the east to receive the voice. And from the east it turned for them to the west, and they would run to the west. From the west it turned for them to come from the heavens, and they would lift their eyes to the heavens. And it would turn for them to come from the earth, and they would look to the earth, as it is said: "Out of heaven He made you hear His voice," and so forth (Deuteronomy 4:36). And Israel were saying to one another: "But where shall wisdom be found, and where is the place of understanding? The deep says, It is not in me, and the sea says, It is not with me, and it is hidden," and so forth, "Destruction and Death say, We have heard a report of it with our ears" (Job 28:12-22). And Israel were saying: From where does the Holy One, blessed be He, come -- from the east, or from the west, or from the north, or from the south? As it is said: "And he said, The LORD came from Sinai" (Deuteronomy 33:2). And it says: "God comes from Teman" (Habakkuk 3:3). "And all the people saw the voices" (Exodus 20:15). It does not say "the voice" but "the voices." Rabbi Yochanan said: The voice would go out and divide into seven voices, and from seven voices into seventy languages, so that all the nations would hear. And each and every nation would hear His voice in the language of that nation, and their souls would depart. But Israel would hear and would not be harmed. How would the voice go out? Rabbi Tanchuma said: It had two faces, and it would go out and kill the nations who did not accept the Torah, and give life to Israel who accepted the Torah. This is what Moses said to them at the end of forty years: "For who is there of all flesh that has heard the voice of the living God," and so forth (Deuteronomy 5:23). You heard His voice and lived, but the nations hear and die. Come and see how the voice would go out to Israel, each and every one according to his strength. The elders would hear the voice according to their strength, and the young men according to their strength, and the youths according to their strength, and the children according to their strength, and the nursing infants according to their strength, and the women according to their strength. And even Moses according to his strength, as it is said: "Moses would speak, and God would answer him by a voice" (Exodus 19:19) -- in a voice that Moses was able to bear. And so it says: "The voice of the LORD is with power" (Psalms 29:4). It does not say "with His power" but "with power," meaning that each and every one of them was able to bear it. And even the pregnant women according to their strength. This is to say: each and every one according to his strength. Rabbi Yose bar Chanina said: If you are amazed at this matter, learn it from the manna, which would come down to Israel only according to the strength of each and every one of them. The young men would eat it like bread, as it is said: "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you" (Exodus 16:4). The elders, like a wafer made with honey, as it is said: "And its taste was like wafers made with honey" (Exodus 16:31). And the nursing infants, like milk from their mother's breasts, as it is said: "And its taste was as the taste of fresh oil" (Numbers 11:8). And the sick, like fine flour mixed with honey, as it is said: "My bread also which I gave you, fine flour and oil and honey" (Ezekiel 16:19). And the nations would taste it bitter as coriander, as it is said: "And the manna was like coriander seed" (Exodus 16:31). Rabbi Yose bar Chanina said: Now if the manna, which was a single kind, turned for them into many kinds according to the need of each and every one, then the voice that went out, which had power -- how much more so was it changed for each and every one according to his strength, so that they would not be harmed. And from where do we know that the voice was divided into many voices? As it is said: "And all the people saw the voices" (Exodus 20:15). It is not written here "the voice" but "the voices." This is to say: "God thunders marvelously with His voice."

"And Amalek came and fought with Israel" (Exodus 17:8). Rabbi Elazar ben Hisma says: This verse is marked out and explained by Job, as it is said, "Can the papyrus grow up without a marsh?" and so on (Job 8:11). Just as that is impossible, so it is impossible for Israel to live unless they occupy themselves with words of Torah. And because Israel had separated themselves from the words of Torah, therefore the enemy came upon them. And the enemy never comes except on account of sin and on account of transgression. Therefore it is said, "And Amalek came." Rabbi Yehuda the Patriarch says: Amalek stepped past five nations and came and made war with Israel at Rephidim, as it is said, "Amalek dwells in the land of the Negev, and the Hittite and the Jebusite and the Amorite dwell in the hill country, and the Canaanite dwells by the sea and along the Jordan" (Numbers 13:29). From here you learn that Amalek was inward of them all. Rabbi Natan says: He came from the mountains of Seir and traveled four hundred parasangs until he reached Rephidim and made war with Israel. Others say: Let Amalek the ingrate come and exact punishment from an ingrate people. And thus it says, "And these are the ones who conspired against him: Zabad son of Shimath the Ammonitess and Jehozabad son of Shimrith the Moabitess" (2 Chronicles 24:26). Let these ingrates come and exact punishment from Joash the ingrate, as it is said, "And Joash the king did not remember the kindness that Jehoiada his father had done with him, and he killed his son; and as he died he said, May the LORD see and require it" (2 Chronicles 24:22). And what was his punishment? "And it happened at the turn of the year that the army of Aram went up against him, and they came to Judah and Jerusalem and destroyed all the officers of the people from among the people" and so on. "And against Joash they executed judgments" (2 Chronicles 24:23-24). Do not read "judgments" (shefatim), but rather "abusings" (shipputim). Cruel ruffians who did not know the lying with a woman rose up against him and tormented him with the lying of males, as it is said, "And the pride of Israel testifies to his face" (Hosea 7:10). And it is written, "And when they departed from him, for they left him in great diseases, his servants conspired against him for the blood of the sons of Jehoiada the priest, and slew him on his bed, and he died; and they buried him in the city of David, but they did not bury him in the tombs of the kings" (2 Chronicles 24:25). "And he fought with Israel at Rephidim" (Exodus 17:8). Rabbi Hananyah said: I asked Rabbi Eliezer: What did Israel see fit to redeem the firstborn of donkeys and not to redeem the firstborn of horses and camels? He said to me: It is a decree of the King, for they had nothing in their possession but donkeys. For there was not a single one of Israel who did not bring up with him ninety donkeys laden with silver and gold and garments. Others say: Rephidim means nothing other than that they slackened their hands from the Torah, and therefore Amalek came upon them. And thus you find that the enemy comes only by reason of the slackening of hands from the Torah, as it is said, "And it came to pass, when the kingdom of Rehoboam was established and he had grown strong, that he forsook the Torah of the LORD, and all Israel with him" (2 Chronicles 12:1). And what was his punishment? "Shishak king of Egypt went up against Jerusalem and took all the shields of gold that Solomon had made" (1 Kings 14:25-26).