Midrash Tehillim Reader

My heart whispers good things. To inform you that they could not confess with their mouths until their hearts whispered in repentance and the Lord accepted them. Similarly, it says in Chronicles I 28:9, "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father, and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, for the Lord searches all hearts and understands every plan and thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you, but if you forsake Him, He will cast you off forever."

And all thoughts are only said in the heart, as it says in the same verse, "and every inclination of thoughts." Until a person restrains the thought in his holy heart, the Lord does not understand. Similarly, the sons of Korah were not able to sing with their mouths until their hearts whispered in repentance, and then they were immediately accepted. And why were they unable to sing?

Because Sheol was open beneath them, and fire was burning around them, as it says in Numbers 16:35, "And fire came forth from the Lord." In Psalm 106:17-18, it says, "The earth opened and swallowed up Dathan, and covered the company of Abiram. And a fire was kindled in their assembly." The sons of Korah saw that Sheol was open here and fire was there, and they could not confess with their mouths.

Therefore, my heart whispers. And why did it say "my heart whispers" if there were three of them and they were all equal in their hearts? It is to teach us that at one moment, one would have this thought in his heart, and at another moment, another would have the same thought in his heart, and all three were equal in one heart. Therefore, I say, "my actions are for the King."

If there is a whisper in my heart, why speak out loud? And if I speak out loud, why whisper? Rather, they said, "If we whispered in our hearts, we have already expressed our actions to the Lord." Therefore, I say, "my actions are for the King."

Another interpretation of "my heart whispers" is in prophecy, as they prophesied about the future. And similarly, Hannah said in Samuel I 2:6, "The Lord kills and brings to life."

"Your children shall be under your fathers. Rabbi Elazar, son of Rabbi Yosei, said: In the future, each and every person from Israel will have children like those of Egypt, as it is said, "Your children shall be under your fathers." And how many were our fathers when they left Egypt? Six hundred thousand. Rabbi Abbahu said: Do not be surprised, for a hen once laid two eggs in one day and one egg the next day. This is what is written, "For as the days of a tree shall be the days of My people" (Isaiah 65:22)."

"To the conductor, for the sons of Korah, on Alamoth. This is what is said in the verse (Job 9:10), 'He performs wonders that cannot be fathomed; miracles that cannot be counted.' No person can recount all the marvels of God. As it is also said (Psalm 136:4), 'To Him who alone does great wonders.'

He alone knows the miracles and wonders that He does with His people. Thus said the sons of Korah on Alamoth: 'From eternity, these are the things we have seen, and we do not know what we have seen.' Another explanation of Alamoth: We have seen the two worlds, the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked. We have seen those who trusted in their wealth, as it says (Psalm 49:7), 'Trusting in their wealth, the height of their success.'

At that time, what can they do when their wealth fails them? As it also says (Zephaniah 1:18), 'Neither their silver nor their gold will be able to save them.' And a person should not say, 'My father is righteous, and through his merit, I will be saved.' Abraham did not save his son Ishmael, and Jacob did not save his brother Esau.

As it says (Psalm 49:8), 'No man can redeem the life of another.' And what is 'brother'? The righteous say on that day, 'How difficult is the brother's redemption. No man can redeem the life of another.'

And why is the ransom for their souls so precious? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, 'Did I not write to you (Exodus 23:8), 'You shall not take a bribe'? And did I not say to you, 'Give me a bribe, and I will accept it from you,' as it says (Proverbs 17:23), 'The wicked man takes a bribe in secret'? If you had given Me the bribe at that time, I would have accepted it from you.

But now, I will not accept it from you, and you cannot make me accept it." As it is said (Deuteronomy 10:17), "He does not take bribes." And why (Psalms 49:8), "The redemption of their souls is costly." And what is (Psalms 37:28), "He ceases to exist forever"?

One who ceases to exist on that day exists forever, as it says (Psalms 22:27), "May they live forever and not see decay." And where do they go? The sons of Korah said to Saul (1 Samuel 15:32), "Like sheep going down to the grave, where they will experience death." What is "experience death"?

This teaches that the righteous descend every morning and are checked. The sons of Korah asked what the righteous are doing at that time. They said to them, "God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in times of trouble. In every distress that comes upon us, He is there for us."

And so it says (Psalms 91:15), "He shall call upon Me and I will answer him; I will be with him in distress." Flesh and blood do not know what to do until they reach their patron. But God is not like that, He helps in times of trouble.

Therefore, we will not fear when the land is exchanged. The sons of Korah said, "Do not fear him, for the day is coming when the Holy One, blessed be He, will shake the wicked from the earth, as it is said, 'That it might take hold of the ends of the earth, and the wicked be shaken out of it' (Job 38:13). And it is said, 'For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth' (Isaiah 65:17). And where will the righteous be standing at that time?

'But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day' (Deuteronomy 4:4). The sons of Korah said to them, 'Do not fear, for we have seen all the miracles that the Holy One, blessed be He, has done for us, as it is said, 'And the earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up' (Numbers 16:32). And where were we at that time? We were in the air.

And it is also said, 'And the sons of Korah died not' (Numbers 26:11). Rabbi Nehemiah says it was not so, but at the moment when the earth opened and swallowed them up, the Holy One, blessed be He, stood them up like the mast of a ship. And it is said, 'And they shall be a sign' (Numbers 26:10). And the sons of Korah said, 'Do not fear, for we know what the Holy One, blessed be He, has done for us. We will not fear when the land is exchanged.' And it is said, 'For the mountains shall depart' (Isaiah 54:10).

To the choirmaster. A Psalm of the sons of Korah. All you peoples, clap your hands. This is what the verse says (Proverbs 29:2), "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice; but when the wicked rule, the people groan."

When the wicked are in power in the world, everyone sighs and are in distress, and no one walks with his head held high. Similarly, Solomon says (Proverbs 28:28), "When the wicked rise, men hide themselves; but when they perish, the righteous increase." It is difficult for the Lord when a person rules over another person to harm him. And so it says (Isaiah 28:2), "Behold, the Lord has a mighty and strong one, like a tempest of hail and a destroying storm, like a flood of mighty waters overflowing, who will bring them down to the earth with His hand."

What is meant by "with His hand"? It refers to the hand of man who ruled over his fellow man. Therefore it is said, "All you peoples, clap your hands." Why is this so? (Psalm 10:15) "Break the arm of the wicked and evil-doer; seek out his wickedness until you find none." Therefore, for the Lord is high and awesome, a great King over all the earth....

Let nations speak under us. When will He choose for us our inheritance, the inheritance of the pride of Jacob? (Another interpretation is) When will He be chosen and give us our inheritance, when He sits on His holy throne? And so it says, "And I will overturn the throne of kingdoms" (Haggai 2:22). And Daniel also says, "I saw until thrones were placed, and one who was ancient of days sat" (Daniel 7:9).

And when will He sit? "And saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mount of Esau" (Obadiah 1:21). Rabbi Yehuda bar Nachman said in the name of Resh Lakish: "As soon as the Holy One, blessed be He, ascends to judgment and sits on the throne to judge, when they blow the shofar, He rises and transforms the attribute of justice into the attribute of mercy. And Moses ascended with the shofar sounding a blast, as it says, 'And God in the sound of the shofar' (Psalms 47:6), with mercy, as it says, 'The Lord, the Lord, God merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth' (Exodus 34:6).

A song, a psalm for the sons of Korah. Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised, etc. And our God is great only in His city alone. But the sons of Korah said that the Lord is great for what He did in His city and His sanctuary. And so it says, "The Lord is great in Zion, and He is high above all the peoples" (Psalm 99:2), to say that what He did in His city, He did not do for all the nations. And so it says, "For, lo, I begin to work evil at the city which is called by My name; and should ye be utterly unpunished? Ye shall not be unpunished" (Jeremiah 25:29). Woe to our God's city, etc.

"A beautiful view brings joy to all the land. What is a beautiful view? It is when everything contributes to its beauty in a way that has never been seen before. Although it is written, "You, O Tyre, have said, 'I am perfect in beauty'" (Ezekiel 27:3), she said this to herself, but no one else said it to her.

Similarly, it is said, "You have said it to yourself, but no one else has told you" (Isaiah 47:10). This is like the saying of the commoner that it is what your mother says about you, but what your neighbor says about you. But in Zion, everyone says, "This is the city of complete beauty" (Lamentations 2:15), and not only that, but it also brings joy to all the land, as it says, "Bringing joy to all the land" (Psalms 48:3).

And why was there joy? Because everyone was happy in the land. If someone sinned, he was anxious and his heart was heavy. King Solomon said, "Anxiety in a man's heart depresses it, but a good word makes it glad" (Proverbs 12:25).

When someone went to Jerusalem and offered a sacrifice, he would atone for himself, and his heart would be happy. And when he left, he would be joyful. This is why there is joy to all the land. Know that this is also the case with Mount Zion, which is described as "the northern ridge, the City of the Great King" (Psalms 48:3), even though it is in the south.

This is because it was destroyed, as it says, "On the north side of the altar" (Leviticus 1:11). What is the City of the Great King? It is the king who acted in such a way in his city. He acted this way in this world, but he will not act this way in the future."

God is known in her palaces as a refuge. What are her palaces? Rather, like the way people in the government make rounds at night to every gate and entrance, so too does the Holy One, blessed be He, in the future, set guards. As it is said, "On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have set watchmen" (Isaiah 62:6). Therefore, God is known in her palaces.

For the kings assembled and passed by, when it was destroyed. As it is said, "Many nations have passed over this city" (Jeremiah 22:8), they passed over it and marveled. Therefore, it is said, "They will see and be astounded" (Psalm 48:6), and they will say, "Why did God do so?"...

Surround Zion and encircle her, count her towers. Rav Nachman said (Kohelet 1:9), "What has been is what will be." Just as the Lord took Israel out of Egypt with glorious clouds and carried them, as it is said (Exodus 19:4), "I bore you on eagles' wings," so He will do for them, as it is said (Isaiah 60:8), "Who are these that fly like a cloud?" Count her towers.

How many gardens will there be in Jerusalem, and how many towers will there be, 1,000 and 500? How many cisterns, 1,000 and 16,000? Rav Nachman said, "What has been is what will be." Just as Israel sang a song and the waters rose for them, so it will be in the future, as it is said (Psalm 87:7), "Singers and dancers will say, 'All my springs are in you.'"

And how many pools will there be, 1,000 and 16,000, in the valleys? How many gates, 12 for each tribe? "Surround Zion and encircle her."...

Pay attention to the army, her female soldiers have been removed from her. Another thing, for the same sick woman who is destined to be ill. Another thing, for the army, to sing. They cut off her palaces, they broke down her castles.

"For this is our God." Rabbi Helbo and Rabbi Baruchia in the name of Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Chanina said, "In the future, God will make an army for the righteous, and God will march with them, and they will point to him with their fingers." As it is said, "Behold, this is our God, we hoped for him." Be aware that this is our God, our eternal God, who will lead us forever in both worlds. And everyone hears in God's victory what he does with Israel, as it says, "All nations hear this."

To the conductor, for the sons of Korah. Hear this, all you peoples. As it is written (Ecclesiastes 11:7), "Truly the light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun." Rabbi Yitzchak and Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Rabbi Yitzchak said, "The light of the world to come is sweet."

Happy is he who has good deeds to his credit, so that he may behold the light. As it is said (Judges 5:31), "And they that love Him shall be as the sun when he goeth forth in his might." Rabbi Abba said, "How sweet are the words of Torah, which are compared to light." As it is said (Proverbs 6:23), "For the commandment is a lamp and the Torah is light."

Happy is he who sees the Torah as white as snow, since its reward is limitless. When the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to reward Israel for their toil in Torah and bestows upon them the merit of it, in the time to come, they will say to the nations of the world, "We have acquired our share through occupying ourselves with the Torah." And what would you say to us, who labored for nothing? Behold the reward of our toil.

As it is said, "Hear this, all you peoples," and this refers only to the Torah, as it is written (Deuteronomy 4:44), "This is the Torah." Listen, all you inhabitants of Haled, for what reason is it called "Haled"? Because the countenances of the wicked become haled in Gehenna in the future. And who are they?

They are both sons of man and sons of Ish. Sons of man, this refers to Abraham, who was called "the great man among the giants" (Joshua 14:15). And who are the sons of Ishmael and Keturah? They too are sons of Ish.

This refers to the sons of Noah, who was called "a righteous man" (Genesis 6:9). Another interpretation is that they are the idolaters who descend to Gehenna....

Together, rich and poor. Rich in Torah and poor in Torah, they all descend to Gehenna. Rich in Torah, such as Doeg and Ahithophel, because they did not observe the Torah, they descended to Gehenna even though they were heads of the Sanhedrin. Poor in Torah, anyone who had the opportunity to learn and did not learn. Therefore, the sons of Korah said, "Since this is the reward for Torah study, let us pursue it." Let my mouth speak wisdom in the wisdom of Torah, and my heart ponder understanding in the understanding of Torah. I will incline my ear to the parable of Torah.

... “From the rising of the sun until its setting…” (Psalms 113:3) When flesh and blood wants to make an image, it begins with the head and ends with the feet or begins with the feet and ends with the head. Not so the Holy One! When He makes man, He shapes him all at once, as it says “…for He is the One Who formed everything…” (Jeremiah 10:16) This is ‘from the rising of the sun until its setting.’

And from where do we learn that He created it from Zion? As it says “From Zion, the finery (miclal) of beauty…” (Psalms 50:2) From out of (m’clal) the beauty of the world. What does ‘appeared’ mean? Illuminated.

Appearance always refers to light, as it says “…and causes the light of His cloud to appear.” (Job 37:15) From where do we learn that this is speaking of the world? It says here miclal and it says elsewhere “Now the heavens and the earth were completed (vay’chulu)…” (Genesis 2:1) And when He destroys it, He will start from Zion, as it says “And I will make Jerusalem heaps of ruin…” (Jeremiah 9:10) and afterwards “All the land shall be a desolation…” (Jeremiah 4:27) And it says “And the land shall become desolate with its inhabitants…” (Micah 7:13) And at the time when the Holy One renews His world He will renew it from Zion, as it says “…the mountain of the Lord's house shall be firmly established at the top of the mountains…” (Isaiah 2:2)

"Not upon your sacrifices will I rebuke you." Rabbi Nachman said in the name of Rabbi Berechiah, "If a person intends to perform a charitable act, the Holy One, blessed be He, writes it down for him, as it is written: 'And your burnt offerings are continually before me.' (1 Kings 5:5) 'And Solomon's provision for one day was thirty measures of fine flour, and sixty measures of meal.' (1 Kings 4:22) Rabbi Yehuda said, 'He had a thousand wives, and each one made for him a royal feast, and each one said that he was dining with her.' (1 Kings 3:15) 'Besides from the deer, gazelle, and roebuck, and the fattened fowl.' (1 Kings 4:23) 'And whatever you raise up to Me is a burnt offering.' (Exodus 22:19) 'Not upon your sacrifices will I rebuke you.' (Psalms 50:8) 'For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills.' (Psalms 50:10) 'What right do you have to recite my statutes, or to take my covenant on your lips? You who hate discipline and cast my words behind you.' (Psalms 50:16-17)"

To the conductor, a Psalm of David, which was given to him by the prophet Nathan. This is what the scripture says (Proverbs 18:21): "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." A person's tongue leads him to the afterlife. What caused David to enter the World to Come?

It was his mouth, which said "I have sinned," as it is written (2 Samuel 12:13): "And David said to Nathan, 'I have sinned.'" He was in darkness, but God illuminated him, as it is written (Psalm 18:29): "For You will light my candle; the Lord my God will enlighten my darkness." And it is said (Isaiah 58:10): "And your darkness shall be like noonday." David said before God, "I ask of You to look at the beauty of Israel."

And so God said to Solomon (1 Kings 3:14), "And if you will walk in My ways, as your father David walked." David said, "Master of the Universe, do not look at the time I sinned before You." And it is said (Psalm 51:11), "Hide Your face from my sins." Once Nathan the prophet said to him (2 Samuel 12:13), "The Lord has also put away your sin." Therefore, this Psalm was composed: "To the conductor, a Psalm of David, which was given to him by the prophet Nathan."

"Grant me, O Lord, according to Your kindness; just as David was likened to someone who had a wound in his hand and went to a doctor, asking him to heal him. The doctor replied that he could, but that the man's payment was too small. The man pleaded with the doctor, saying, 'Please take everything that I have and do the rest from your own [account], and show me kindness and mercy.' Similarly, David said to God, 'Grant me, O God, according to Your kindness; You are compassionate, and with Your great mercy, erase my transgressions.

You have done much kindness with me, and do so now, and erase my transgressions.' As it says in Psalms 17:7, 'Wonderfully show Your kindness, O Savior of those who seek refuge.' From You comes healing, and since the wound is great, give a great plaster. And he also says, 'Cleanse me from my sin.'

From here we learn that anyone who commits a sin is considered defiled in his soul, and he can only be purified with hyssop. And as it says, 'Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean.(Psalm 51:9)' Did David become impure with a grave sin? No, only with a sin that defiled his soul, as it says, 'My heart is defiled within me.' From here we learn that anyone who knows that he has sinned and prays for forgiveness, fears and shuns the sin, and discusses it with God, He forgives him.

But anyone who knows that he has sinned and deliberately repeats it, the Lord demands from him. As it says, 'Why should I fear in times of trouble, when the iniquity of my heels surrounds me?' (Psalm 49:6) Those who trample on sin with their feet, with their heels, the scorpion strikes them. He said to him, 'Your life is at stake.' So too, anyone who repeats his sin before God, He does not forgive him. Therefore, David said, 'My sin is ever before me.'"

"I have sinned against you alone, and done what is evil in your sight, so that you may be justified in your words and blameless in your judgment. Why was David similar to this? To one who is broken and comes to the doctor, and the doctor is amazed and says to him, 'How great is your wound, I am so sorry for you.' The one who is broken replies, 'You are only sorry for me, not for yourself.

I did not break for my own sake, but for your reward.' So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Himself, 'I have sinned against You alone.' When you say to sinners, 'Why didn't you repent?' if you accept me, all sinners will complete their repentance and look to me. And I will be a witness and testify to the entire world that you accept those who repent.

And so He says to him (Isaiah 55:4), 'I made him a witness to the peoples.' Not just me, but all of Israel. And He also says (Isaiah 43:10), 'You are my witnesses, declares the Lord, and my servant whom I have chosen.'"

"To the choirmaster of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, "David has come to the house of Ahimelech." It is said in Ecclesiastes 5:5, "Do not be rash with your mouth, nor let your heart be hasty to utter a word before God." Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said concerning the verse, "Do not give your mouth to sin against your flesh" (ibid.), that the Scripture is speaking about those who rule on matters of charity.

"Do not give your mouth to flatter when you are giving, lest you give in stinginess and not in generosity." (ibid.) "And do not say before the angel" (ibid.) - this refers to the prayer leader who comes and tells you to give as you have decided, and you say, "There was a mistake, and I did not know what I was saying." Why should God be angry with you? It is because of the voice that you uttered and said to give, but did not give. (ibid.) "And ruin the work of your hands" (ibid.) - the commandments that were in your hands, you have lost.

Another interpretation of "Do not give your mouth" - Rabbi Levi said that this refers to the hypocrites. "Why should God be angry?" - it is because of the flattery that you utter with your mouth. "And ruin the work of your hands" - the little bargaining that you have in your hands, you mix them up. Another interpretation of "Do not give your mouth to sin against your flesh" - the sages said that it refers to Miriam, when she spoke against Moses and was struck with leprosy, as it is said (Numbers 12:1), "And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses."

And what happened to her? (ibid. 10) "And behold, Miriam was leprous, like snow." "Do not say before the angel" - this refers to Moses, as it is said (Exodus 20:16), "And he sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt." Was it really an angel? Rather, it was Moses.

"Why should He be angry?" - because of this voice that you flatter with your mouth. "And ruin the work of your hands" - the little effort that you have, you mix up." On the same voice that came out of her mouth about Moshe the righteous. "And the guilt of your hands."

These are the drums, as it is said (Exodus 15:20), "Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took the drum." Another interpretation: speaking evilly, as they cause their flesh to sin by what they utter, they are punished with leprosy. "Do not say in the presence of the angel, this is the priest," as it is said (Malachi 2:7), "For the lips of the priest should guard knowledge, and they should seek instruction from his mouth."

The one afflicted with leprosy goes to him, as it is said (Leviticus 14:2), "This shall be the law of the leper." One who speaks evil and utters slander, as it is said (Leviticus 14:3), "And he shall be brought to the priest." Why would God be angry? Because of that voice that you uttered and spoke slander against your friend, and the guilt of your hands.

The little Torah that you have in your possession, you lose. And who was it who was worried and spoke evil of David and was afflicted with leprosy? As it is said (Psalms 41:6), "And if he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood; his heart gathers iniquity to itself; he goes out and speaks it." And what is meant by "he shall break down the house"?

It is like it says (2 Samuel 15:13), "And who caused him to do so? Because he spoke slander against David," as it is said (1 Samuel 22:9), "Then Doeg the Edomite, who was standing among Saul's officials, said, 'I saw the son of Jesse come to Ahimelek son of Ahitub at Nob.'"

Another thing to consider is the matter of the redoubtable tongue. As it is written in Proverbs 18:21, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue," meaning that everything depends on the tongue. If a person seeks to speak evil, he should say nothing, and if he seeks to speak good, he should speak up. Therefore, one should not say, "Since I have the authority, I will speak whatever I want."

The Torah has already warned us and said in Psalm 34:14, "Keep your tongue from evil." And if you say that you lose nothing by doing so, beware, for the Holy Spirit cries out and says in Proverbs 21:23, "He who guards his mouth and his tongue, guards his soul from troubles." Another point is that death and life are in the power of the tongue. See how difficult it is to remove evil speech from one's mouth, to the extent that a person denies it altogether, as it is said in Psalm 12:5, "Who said, 'With our tongue we will prevail; our lips are with us—who is master over us?'"

And who can stand against them in Gehenna? As it were, the Almighty shouts out to those who speak evil and says in Psalm 94:16, "Who will rise up for me against the wicked?" And who can withstand them in Gehenna? And even Gehenna itself says to Him, "I am unable."

And the Holy One, blessed be He, replies to her, "I am above and you are below," as it says in Psalm 120:4, "Sharp arrows of the mighty with coals of the broom tree." The Almighty said to Israel, "If you want to be saved from Gehenna, distance yourselves from evil speech, and you will merit the World to Come," as it is said in Psalm 34:13, "Who is the man who desires life?" Our Rabbis said that there was a story about a peddler who was traveling around the towns of Tzefuria, and so on.

Another point is that death and life are in the power of the tongue. The livelihood of figs: if one eats without blessing, it is death in the power of the tongue; if one eats and blesses, it is life in the power of the tongue. Everything depends on the tongue. "If one merits the Torah, one merits life, as the Torah is called the Tree of Life.

As it is written (Proverbs 3:18), 'She is a tree of life to those who grasp her.' And the Torah is a remedy for the tongue, as it is written (Proverbs 15:4), 'A soothing tongue is a tree of life.' Therefore, one who speaks negatively about others is endangering lives. Come and see how severe the sin of speaking negatively is, greater even than idol worship, sexual immorality, and murder.

For it is written that with these three sins, it is written 'great' and in regards to speaking negatively it is written 'great transgressions.' The tongue speaks of great things, etc. Concerning idol worship, it is written (Exodus 32:31), 'Please, this people has committed a great sin.' Concerning sexual immorality, it is written (Genesis 39:9), 'How can I commit this great evil and sin against God?'

Concerning murder, it is written (Genesis 4:13), 'My punishment is too great to bear.' I have come to inform you that speaking negatively is more difficult than these three sins. Another matter is that one who kills a person, only kills one soul. But one who speaks negatively kills three: the one who speaks, the one who is spoken about, and the one who listens.

And where do we learn this? From the concern expressed by Doeg, who spoke negatively about Ahimelech before Saul, and three were killed: Saul, who accepted his words, Ahimelech, who was spoken about, and Doeg, who spoke. And how do we know this? From the verse that states concerning Saul, 'So Saul died for his unfaithfulness which he had committed against the Lord, because he did not keep the word of the Lord, and also because he consulted a medium for guidance' (1 Chronicles 10:13), and concerning Ahimelech, it is written (1 Samuel 22:16), 'Ahimelech died, and his father's household.'

And concerning Doeg, it is stated that he was driven from the world, as it is written (Psalm 52:9), 'I will forever praise You for what You have done; in Your name I will put my trust, for Your faithful ones have sought refuge in You.' From the life of the world. And who caused this? Negative speech, as it is written concerning Doeg, who informed Saul."

Another thing to worry about. The scripture says (Proverbs 26:26), "His malice may be concealed by deception, but his wickedness will be exposed in the assembly." Rabbi Chayyah said, "We publicize the hypocrites to prevent desecration of God's name," as it is written (Ezekiel 3:20), "And when a righteous person turns away from his righteousness and commits injustice, he shall die for it; for the injustice that he has committed, he shall die."

Why does God block his path? To publicize his actions to people, so that nothing bad happens to him due to his sins, and so that people call him to account against the measure of justice. For this reason, God wanted to publicize the actions of those who slander their fellow human beings. We learn this from Doeg, who was the head of the Sanhedrin, as it is written (1 Samuel 21:8), "Doeg the Edomite, the chief of Saul's shepherds."

Although he had the Torah, he still spoke evil, so the scripture publicized his actions so that people would know not to seek revenge against him, and so that they would call him to account before God. That is why the scripture called him "Edomite," after the name of his city. Rabbi Shmuel said it was because he was jealous of David and was called "Admoni." Not only was he jealous, but his entire tribe was jealous of him, including the Ziphites, the men of Keilah, and the Nabals.

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said it was because he permitted the killing of the people of Nov, the city of the priests, as it is written (1 Samuel 22:18), "And Doeg the Edomite turned and struck down the priests and killed on that day eighty-five persons who wore the linen ephod." Rav Nachman said it was because he permitted the shedding of David's blood. He told Saul that he and his blood were permissible, and his wife was permissible to marry another.

Bar Kappara said that he forbade the shedding of Agag's blood to Saul. And he said to him, "It is written in the Torah (Leviticus 22:28), 'You shall not slaughter an animal and its offspring on the same day.' And yet you are going to kill young and old, infants and women, all in one day. Therefore, it is said, 'Edomite,' because of the obligation incurred by him."

Rabbi Yitzhak said that David's face turned red with embarrassment at this halachic ruling, as anyone who engages with him is removed from his responses. Rabbi Hanina said, "Just as Edom swallows the merits of Israel, so he worries about swallowing the merits of David." And our rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said, "Just as Edom seeks revenge and bears a grudge, so he seeks revenge and bears a grudge against David."

Another explanation is that he told Saul what had happened, and a Gadite told him to make David king while he was alive, because only a king and a court can ask the Urim and Thummim, and anyone who needs the support of the community can do so. And David was asked with the Urim and Thummim. Once he heard this, a spirit of jealousy entered his heart. How do we know this?

Because it says in the same passage, "When you gave him bread and a sword, you were conspiring against me." Saul was not satisfied with this, and he asked him by God, and that is why Ahimelech died. As soon as he saw Saul's angry face, Ahimelech replied to the king and said, "Who among all your servants is as faithful as David?" Saul said, "Neither him nor anyone else."

At first, Ahimelech had refused to ask God on Saul's behalf, saying that he had begun to inquire of God that day, and he had not yet been authorized to ask. However, Saul did not want to accept this and insisted that Ahimelech had to ask God for him. Saul then sentenced Ahimelech to death for having sought the support of the Urim and Thummim on David's behalf. Immediately, the king commanded his guards to attack Ahimelech, but they refused to obey him.

This illustrates the verse, "Whoever keeps a command will not experience harm" (Ecclesiastes 8:5). This refers to Abner, who did not allow the priests to be harmed, as it says, "My lord's servants did not lift a hand against the priests of the LORD" (1 Samuel 22:17). Once he saw that they didn't listen to him, he said to him, "Worry about yourself. You have spoken harshly with your sword."

As it is said (1 Samuel 22): "And the king said to Doeg, 'You turn around and strike down the priests.'" So he stood up and killed them, as it is said (1 Samuel 22): "And on that day he killed eighty-five men." See what courage he had, that no one in the world helped, but he himself killed them. And not only them, but also (1 Samuel 22): "And he struck down Nob, the city of the priests, with the sword."

David cried out and said, "What glory is it to you to speak evil, you mighty one? All day long you plot destruction." He said to Doeg, "A strong man and the head of the Sanhedrin is busy with this evil, speaking ill of others. In this mighty act of evil, he is strong."

He said to him, "This is true strength: when one sees his friend on the edge of a pit and pushes him in, or when he sees him on the roof and pushes him off. That is strength. But when is one truly strong? When his friend is about to fall and he grabs his hand so he won't fall.

And also when he sees his friend falling into a pit and he lifts him up." And you saw that Saul was angry with me and threw water on my limbs (perhaps it means into the well). That is true strength, which a person does. All day long, he shows kindness.

He said to him, "Do you think that if we had not received Ahimelech and he had not given us a portion, there would not have been anyone in Israel to give?" Indeed, the people of Israel are accustomed to doing kindness all day long.

Another thing is kindness all day. This is the Torah, as it is said (Proverbs 31:26), "She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the Torah of kindness is on her tongue." A person who engages in Torah study like you should engage in these matters and make your Torah study a priority. In terms of doing good deeds, the children of Israel are commanded to do kindness to anyone who comes their way.

Kindness all day. David said to Doeg, "A person who engages in kindness all day is doing something difficult." Similarly, anyone who studies Torah is as if they are doing kindness all day and speaking lashon hara (evil speech) is a transgression. In terms of evil, Rabbi Yosi ben Zimra said, "Come and see how difficult lashon hara is, for there are many organs in a person, some of them are erect, some of them are flaccid, some of them are standing, and this tongue is imprisoned in the mouth, surrounded by the cheeks, and there are many muscles attached to it that no one can stand against. If it were erect, and its difficulty were visible, how much more so would this be the case!

Love of evil over good. David told Doeg to worry more about Saul's evil love than your goodness. For if you had not spoken evil of him, you would not have been punished. There is a person who lies and flatters someone who will feed and give him drink, but you, even though you were poor, were wise, strong, and rich, and head of the Sanhedrin, why did you act this way? (Jeremiah 9:22-23) Let not the wise man glory in his wisdom, but let him who glories glory in this, etc. And this is nothing but Torah, as it is said (Deuteronomy 4:44), "And this is the Torah." (Jeremiah 9:23) Let him who glories glory in this, that he understands and knows Me.

And likewise it says (2 Samuel 8:15), "And David executed justice and righteousness." And it says (1 Samuel 18:14), "And David behaved wisely in all his ways." Rabbi Shimon Bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Abraham the Torah, sacrifices, Gehinnom, and exile. Torah, from where do we know this?

As it is said (Genesis 15:17), "And a smoking oven and a burning torch." And there is no torch but Torah, as it is said (Exodus 20:15), "And all the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings." The burning oven is Gehinnom, as it is said (Malachi 3:19), "And he shall be like a flaming oven." And it is written (Isaiah 31:9), "Whose fire is in Zion."

Sacrifices (Genesis 15:9), "Take for Me a three-year-old heifer." Exile (ibid. 12:13), "And behold, a great darkness fell upon him." This darkness is Babylon. This obscurity is Greece.

This greatness falls on him, Edom. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, "The Temple will be destroyed, and the sacrifices that atoned for them will be abolished. What do you want your children to be subjected to in exile? Should they not be subjected to exile rather than Gehinnom?"

Rabbi Chanina bar Papa said, "Abraham chose for himself the exile, saying it is better for Israel to be in exile than to be in Gehinnom." And this is what the Holy One, blessed be He, says to Israel, "You are My furnace." And likewise it says (Isaiah 51:1), "Look to the rock from which you were hewn." This refers to Abraham, as it is said (ibid. 2), "Look to Abraham your father."

To conquer illness. It is said (Proverbs 18:22) "He who finds a wife finds a good thing, and obtains favor from the Lord." There is no end to a good woman, just as there is no end to a bad woman, as it is written (Ecclesiastes 7:26) "And I find more bitter than death the woman, whose heart is snares and nets, and her hands as bands: whoso pleaseth God shall escape from her; but the sinner shall be taken by her."

Abigail was better than all the sacrifices in the world, as if David had done the deed he planned to do, he would not have received atonement, but she came to him and saved him. Thus, she was better than all the sacrifices. Conquer illness, for just as sacrifices bring atonement, illness does too. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "Good shall come and be good for him, and evil shall go in its evil." (1 Samuel 25:38) What caused him to die?

It was because his hand was short in observing the commandments, as it says (1 Samuel 25:25) "Let not my lord regard this scoundrel Nabal; for as his name is, so is he; Nabal is his name, and folly is with him." "Nabal" refers to his evil inclination. Similarly, it says (Deuteronomy 15:9) "Beware that there be not a base thought in your heart." My lord David said to him (1 Samuel 25:25) "Nabal is his name, and folly is with him."

Rabbi Simon said: "He is called 'Nabal' because he was foolish; the two words have the same numerical value. Just as Laban was deceitful, so was Nabal. Since both were deceitful, Solomon spoke of both when he said (Proverbs 12:20) "Deceit is in the heart of them that imagine evil: but to the counsellors of peace is joy." Who are those who make peace between Israel and their Father in Heaven?

They are the people of Israel to whom peace was given, as it is said (Psalms 29:11) "May the Lord give strength to His people; May the Lord bless His people with peace." Abigail said to David, "My lord, when this judgment comes before you, what will you do?" The poor man went and said to the master of the house, "Do me justice and give me one piece of bread, and I will not be in need of you." The poor man fell upon him and killed him.

If they come to you for judgment, what will you say to them? You are uncertain about the matter and you cannot make a decision. And they say, "He did not act thus with the wicked who did not give to him, and you are doubtful." As it is said (1 Samuel 25:17), "Let not this thing be a stumbling block to you."

Do not be doubtful and do not say that because I am king, no one can rebuke me. Rebuke yourself. And so it is said (Zephaniah 2:1), "Search yourselves and seek righteousness." If you want to adorn others, adorn yourself first and then adorn others.

Let not this thing be a stumbling block to you. You already have one beam in your own eye. What is (1 Samuel 25:31), "and you will remember your truth"? She said to him, "Do not forget me.

I will be before you when this judgment comes before you and when you judge it." "Be mindful of the good that she did for me when I was in distress, so that I did not shed blood. If I had committed that act, I would not be able to atone for it. She said to him, "This is not from you, do not exalt yourself.

The Lord sent you to me, as it is said (1 Samuel 25:32-33), 'Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who sent you this day to meet me. And blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you.' And you too should be blessed, as it is said (1 Samuel 25:33), 'Blessed be your discretion, and blessed be you.' David left sin behind and Nabal entered it, therefore Nabal said in his heart (1 Samuel 25:25), 'There is no God.'

When David confronted him, both were corrupt, as it is said (Genesis 6:12), 'All flesh had corrupted their way.' They were both abominations before the Lord, as it is said (Deuteronomy 23:19), 'An abomination of the Lord your God are both of them.' Everything is revealed before you, for I am wise and seek the Lord. As it says (1 Samuel 18:14), 'And David acted wisely in all his ways.'

Therefore, Nabal said in his heart, etc. What is the corruption in corruption? Similarly, it says in the generation of the flood (Genesis 6:12), 'All flesh had corrupted their way.' And so Abigail says to David (1 Samuel 25:25), 'Do not pay attention to this worthless man, Nabal.' What is the worthlessness?

It refers to revealing secrets. And so it says (1 Samuel 2:12-22), 'The sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord. They lay with the women who served at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting.' Another explanation of 'deceit in the heart of those who plan evil' (Proverbs 12:20) is that it refers to Doeg, who falsely accused David, as it says (1 Samuel 22:9), 'Doeg the Edomite, who was stationed over the servants of Saul.'

Similarly, he said (1 Samuel 25:10), 'Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?' And he denied God, as it says (Psalms 14:1), 'The fool says in his heart, "There is no God."' Everything has gone astray, but anything that has gone astray from the right path can still return through repentance.

But here, it does not say that everything has gone astray, but rather everything has denied. They were all denied, both externally and internally."

Another thing, all together they became corrupt. These are the people of Sodom who formed cliques and made themselves sisters. As it says (Jeremiah 32:29), "The sister of your father is despised." No one does good, not even one.

Abraham is not counted among them and there is no one but Abraham, as it says (Ezekiel 33:24), "Abraham was one." Abraham began by saying (Psalm 26:4), "I did not sit with deceitful people, nor associate with hypocrites." I hate the assembly of evildoers. As it says (Genesis 20:1), "And Abraham journeyed from there."

This is what the scripture means (Job 14:18), "But a falling mountain will wear away, and a rock will be removed from its place." The falling mountain that will wear away is Sodom and its environs. And the rock that will be removed from its place is Abraham. And there is no rock but Abraham, as it says (Isaiah 51:1), "Look to the rock from which you were hewn."

Immediately (Genesis 20:1), "And Abraham journeyed from there." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, "You have nothing to do with them," as it says (Job 34:21), "For God watches over man's ways." It's all corrupt. Another thing, they became brothers to other gods.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the ministering angels, "Go out and see what people are doing on earth." They said to Him, "No one is doing good. They eat bread with my people." This is Israel, who blesses the Holy One, blessed be He, for the bread and for what they eat.

"They did not call upon the Lord." These are the nations of the world who say that the good that is beautiful, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not call it. "Woe, they did not call upon the Lord."

"They feared fear itself. The righteous were afraid when they saw Ahithophel in Gehenna." And they said about that righteous person, "If he [Achitofel] acted this way [and was punished with Gehenna], how much more so will we [be punished]." But the Holy One, blessed be He, judged and showed the righteous his [Achitofel's] actions, and they rejoiced about him [i.e., his deserving to be thus punished].

Therefore, it is said, "there was no fear." Another interpretation: In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, will say, "I said that the people of Israel would ascend Anona, I said the fear of Anona, but I did not say that they would be subjected to the fear of destruction." There was no fear. As it is written (Psalms 14:6), "You would put to shame the counsel of the poor, but the Lord is his refuge."

What is the counsel of the poor? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "You have built your own houses of idolatry." And once I tell you to build Jerusalem, you say to me (Isaiah 54:11), "Afflicted one, storm-tossed, uncomforted!" Woe to the counsel of the poor; they will be put to shame. And so it is said, "Shame befalls those who reject the Lord."

"Who will give salvation to Israel from Zion? When the Lord brings back his people from exile, Jacob will rejoice, Israel will be glad." The Lord said to Israel when their children were punished along with their fathers, as it is written (1 Samuel 12:15), "But if you disobey the Lord and rebel against his commands, his hand will be against you, as it was against your ancestors." Even when you are comforted, your fathers will be comforted with you. This is what is meant by "Who will give salvation to Israel from Zion?"

To the chief musician, with instrumental music. When the wicked came against [David] to seize him. This refers to what is written in (Proverbs 29:12), "If a ruler listens to lies, all his officials become wicked." When Saul's followers saw that he was inclined to listen to slanderous words about David, they immediately came to him and said, "Who is David? Who is the son of Jesse?" (Shmuel Aleph 25:10) Similarly, when Doeg the Edomite came, and when the Ziphites came to Saul and reported on David's whereabouts, they did so with the intention of causing harm to David.

"God, save me by Your name." David said before the Lord, our Master, that when he was pursued by his friend, if his friend caught him, he would accept being imprisoned. If the king pursued him, he would accept being executed. But if there was no one left to pursue him, he could only turn to God.

So David said to the Lord, "Save me by Your name. In Your might, judge me." As it is written (Deuteronomy 23:16), "You shall not hand over to his master a slave who seeks refuge with you." Just as a slave who worships idols can find refuge, how much more so a prince, the son of a prince, even for five generations.

As it is written (Ruth 4:21), "Salmon begot Boaz." "Do not hand me over to the king," said David. "Judge me in Your might, in the might of Your Torah." As it is written (Proverbs 8:14), "Mine are counsel and wisdom; I am understanding; might is mine."

God, hear my prayer. David said before the Lord, our God, that when Doeg came and reported him to Saul, the flatterers came and listened to them. Hear my prayer. Why? Because strangers rose up against me and did not put God before them. Selah. Behold, God helps me, the Lord is with those who support me. They said to him, who told you that? He said to them, "Even while I was in my mother's womb, Ethan the Ezrahite prophesied about me." As it is said (Psalm 89:21), "I have found David my servant; with my holy oil I have anointed him." The Lord is with those who support me.

To the chief musician, with stringed instruments. Hear my prayer, O God. The verse says (Proverbs 10:9), "He who walks in integrity walks securely." This is referring to David, as it says (Psalm 41:13), "As for me, You uphold me in my integrity."

And "He who perverts his ways will be known." This is referring to Ahithophel, as the verse says (Proverbs 26:26), "Though his hatred is covered by deceit, his wickedness will be revealed before the assembly." David did not love anyone as much as he loved Ahithophel, despite their disputes. Ahithophel was his counselor for all his counsel, as it says (1 Chronicles 27:33), "And Ahithophel was the king's counselor."

When David heard that Ahithophel was involved with Absalom, he said (2 Samuel 15:31), "Please, let me have counsel and guidance from Ahithophel." David was not afraid of anyone except for Ahithophel. That is why David said, "Hear my prayer, O God, and do not ignore my plea. Listen to me and answer me.

My heart pounds in my chest at the thought of my enemy's threats. Do not let the voice of my enemies cause me to stumble because of the sin of the wicked." God said to him, "Did you not say, 'If an army besieges me, my heart will not fear'?" (Psalm 27:3) and "I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side." (Psalm 3:6) David said before God, "Give me those who pursue me, and I will overtake them and not turn back until they are consumed."

But this is not referring to Ahithophel. Similarly, he says that no enemy will shame and lift me up. He is greater than me. And he also says, "You, human, are like my esteemed warriors and scholars.

What is like my order? That he arranges for me the laws. My warriors and scholars, who trained and taught me, were my rabbi." And he also says, "Together we will sweeten the secret."

What is the feeling? As we learn in the daily offering in Yoma 12b, on the 24th, he broke into tears, and there were four expressions there. And why did Rabbi Yochanan say? To feel all the help, as it is said, "In the house of God, we walk with feeling."

My scholars, those who inform me of the outcomes of knowledge. Once he finished his prayer, as it is said in 2 Samuel 15:32, "David reached the top where he worshipped God, and there he met Hushai the Archite." When David saw him, he said, "If you go with me, you will be a burden to me. But if you return to the city and say to Absalom, 'I am your servant, O king; I was formerly your father's servant, but now I am yours,' then you can counteract Ahithophel's advice.

Then David said, "Lord of the world, I call out to you," as it is said, "To the God of gods, I call out, and the Lord saves me."

Evening and morning and afternoon, I will speak. From here we learn that a person should pray three times a day, and who established them? The patriarchs of the world did. Abraham established the morning prayer, as it is said (Genesis 19:27), "And Abraham arose early in the morning, etc." "Standing" refers only to prayer, as it is said (Psalms 106:30), "And Phinehas stood and prayed."

Isaac established the afternoon prayer, as it is said (Genesis 24:63), "And Isaac went out to meditate in the field, etc." "Meditation" refers only to prayer, as it is said (Psalms 102:1), "A prayer for the afflicted, when he faints and pours out his complaint before the Lord." Jacob established the evening prayer, as it is said (Genesis 28:11), "And he came to a certain place and slept there, etc." "Encountered" refers only to prayer, as it is said (Jeremiah 7:16), "Therefore, do not pray for this people, etc." "And do not encounter me."

David said, "Since the patriarchs established them, evening and morning and afternoon, I will speak." "May my soul be redeemed in peace." Rabbi Joshua ben Levi asked, "What is the meaning of 'May my soul be redeemed in peace'?" "The icons of angels walk before this person, and they declare before him and say, 'Make way for the icons of the Omnipresent!'

Why did Rabbi Yudan say in the name of Rabbi Levi, 'Because there is no square cubit in the universe without a destructive spirit, and each and every one is given a permission slip to operate?' Just as these donkeys of the millers have shields to protect them, why should they not harm people?" And at the time when a person's hour arrives, the angel of death appears over the face of the one causing harm, and he looks at the person and his harm.

Therefore, it is announced to the person that he should not harm him. Say, "Deliver my soul in peace, draw me close to you, and let the harmful ones not approach me. Say this because many were with me." These are the kings who were under his control, as it is said, "A thousand may fall at your side."

Another explanation: What is "draw me close to you"? David said, "I see Daniel standing among the lions' dens, and they do not harm him." He began to say, "Deliver my soul in peace, so that the lions do not come near him." And who caused him to be saved?

Because many were with him. Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah also prayed on their behalf, and therefore God heard them. Another explanation: This verse is said about Rachel, "Draw me close to you." This is so that Esau's advice concerning Rachel should not come close to her.

Why? Because that was the condition under which Jacob took Leah and Esau took Rachel. And who caused Jacob (meaning Rachel) to be saved from his hand? Because many were with him. Therefore, say, "Deliver my soul in peace, for many were with me." These were the Sanhedrin who were with him....

Some of his praise comes from his mouth. When Ahithophel speaks, everyone listens to him. And he says (2 Samuel 17:1-2), "Let me choose twelve thousand men and I will pursue David tonight. I will attack him while he is weary and weak." This advice pleased Absalom and all the elders of Israel. When David saw that everyone was with him and listening to him, he became afraid. God said to him, "Do not be afraid, I am with you. Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you. He has a love for flesh and blood and those who come to Him." Once David prayed to Him and He answered him, but the second and third time He did not respond. But God is not like that. As long as you persist in calling upon Him, He will answer you. Therefore, cast your burden upon the Lord and He will sustain you.

"Do not destroy the conqueror. Have mercy on me, O Lord, have mercy on me, for in You my soul takes refuge. Why have mercy on me twice? Have mercy on me so that I do not fall into the hand of Saul, so that if I do fall into his hand, he will not triumph over me.

And have mercy on me so that he does not fall into my hand, so that the evil inclination does not tempt me and I do not kill him. Have mercy on me, have mercy on me, and under the shadow of Your wings I will take refuge until the vanity of Saul passes away. Another thing, have mercy on me so that I do not sin and stumble in transgression. And have mercy on me, so that if God forbid I do sin, my soul takes refuge in You, and I will return in repentance.

Until the vanity passes, as You forgive all my sins. Another thing, have mercy on me so that my sins do not consume me until the vanity of the exiles passes, and You return me to Your holy Temple, and there I will pray and give thanks."

"I call upon the Most High God to complete [His blessing] upon me. Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Joshua that in three places, the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with the lower court. And our sages say that even in Jericho, He agreed with them through Joshua, as it says, 'And the Lord said to Joshua, "Why do you fall upon your face? Israel has sinned; they have also transgressed my covenant." ' And these are the three places: Tithes, the Scroll of Esther, and the greeting of peace [given in the name of God].

Where do we derive the law of tithes? Because Israel was exiled only because they neglected tithes. And when they were exiled, they were freed from the obligation of tithes, as it says, 'These are the statutes and the ordinances which you shall observe to do.' But when they returned in the days of Ezra, they re-established them on their own.

Where do we derive this? Rabbi Yochanan says, 'And the beginning of your dough.' And it says, 'Yet we make them.' Whether we are in exile or not, we fulfill the commandment of tithes.

Where do we derive that the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with them [in these three places]? As it says, 'With a seal.' One uses the word 'seal' only with regard to something that is sealed permanently. They repealed them, but Malachi also says, 'Will a man rob God?'

And you say, 'How have we robbed You?' In tithes and in offerings. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak said, 'In the world's practice, if a student issues a decree and the teacher carries it out, it is because the student issued it properly. But you issued a decree against me concerning the tithes, and I have completed it with you.

And then you repealed it against me.' 'Will a man rob God?' What does 'Will a man rob God?' mean? Rabbi Levi said, 'Anyone who wants to say to his friend, "What have you stolen from me?" should say, "What have you owed me?"'

Another explanation of 'Will a man rob' is that God said to Israel, 'You establish Me [as your God] so that I will not stretch out my hand against the world to destroy it.' " As it is said, "Let man establish God." Where is it stated in the Book of Esther? "The Jews established and accepted" (Esther 9:27). They established above what they had accepted below.

And regarding the greeting of peace, where is it stated? "And he said to the reapers, 'The Lord be with you'" (Ruth 2:4). If he says it on his own initiative, he has fulfilled his obligation, but if they do not respond to him, he has not fulfilled his obligation before Heaven. As it says, "The angel of the Lord appeared to him and said to him, 'The Lord is with you, you mighty man of valor'" (Judges 6:12).

Rabbi Tachlifa of Caesarea said: When Saul transgressed against the decree of the Holy One, blessed be He, with regard to Amalek, and Samuel came and rebuked him, as it is written, "Because you have rejected the word of the Lord" (1 Samuel 15:23), when Saul sought to depart, Samuel tore his cloak. As it is said, "And Samuel turned to go away, but Saul seized the corner of his cloak, and it tore" (1 Samuel 15:27).

Samuel said to him, "The Lord has torn the kingdom of Israel from you" (1 Samuel 15:28). Saul said to him, "Who is he?" Samuel said to him, "I am only hinting to you: the one who tears your cloak is destined to take your kingdom." When David entered the cave and tore Saul's cloak, he immediately recognized what Samuel had told him.

He began to say, "Behold, I know that you will surely be king" (1 Samuel 24:20). You will be king in this world and in the world to come.

"Do not destroy the conqueror. Is justice truly mute? As Solomon said (Proverbs 21:8), "The way of a man may be straight in his own eyes, but the Lord weighs the heart." The "crooked" ones are the wicked who do not stand by their words, saying and then annulling them.

This is how Saul was "crooked." Just last night he said to David (1 Samuel 24:18), "You are more righteous than I, for you have rewarded me good, whereas I have rewarded you evil. And you have declared this day how you have dealt well with me; for when the Lord gave me into your hand, you did not kill me. For if a man finds his enemy, will he let him go away safe?

Therefore may the Lord reward you with good for what you have done to me this day. And now, behold, I know that you shall surely be king, and that the kingdom of Israel shall be established in your hand." This is what it means (Proverbs 12:26), "The righteous is more excellent than his neighbor." His neighbor refers to Saul, as it is said (1 Samuel 24:11), "And you are seeking to take my life."

The righteous one is David, who said to Saul (1 Samuel 24:22-23), "Swear now therefore unto me by the Lord, that you will not cut off my seed after me, and that you will not destroy my name out of my father's house." So Saul swore to David. As soon as Saul had departed, his men said to him, "Behold, we see that the king is in your hands, and that you did not kill him. Therefore now be content and let your heart rejoice."

David replied (1 Samuel 26:9), 'Do not destroy him; for who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord's anointed, and be guiltless?' (1 Samuel 26) And David said, 'As the Lord lives, surely the Lord shall strike him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall descend into battle, and perish.' Why did he mention the name of the Lord twice? To tell him, 'By the life of the Lord, do not kill him; and if you kill him, by the life of the Lord, I will kill you.'

Another explanation is that he swore an oath against the evil inclination and rebuked it. (1 Samuel 12) And David took the spear and the jug of water. (1 Samuel 26) And David called to the people, 'You should answer, Abner.' He said to him, 'What do you have to answer? You spoke about the matter of the cave - if someone would harm you, we would enter there and cut him to pieces. Or speak about the incident with the water jug and spear - what do you have to answer?'

Abner had nothing to say, so he remained silent. Therefore, David said to them, 'You should speak with righteousness and judge with fairness. In righteousness, you pursued him, as the Torah says (Deuteronomy 16:20), "Justice, justice shall you pursue." Or, you judged with righteousness, as it is written (Leviticus 19:15), "You shall judge your neighbor with righteousness."'

Well done, that you do so with fairness. Therefore, speak righteousness even in your hearts." You shall cast out the wicked from your womb. You shall cast out the wicked from your heart.

This heart was created only for truth, as it is said (Psalm 15:2), "He who speaks the truth in his heart." But you were not like this; even in your heart, you acted wickedly. And the Holy Spirit says through Jeremiah (Jeremiah 1:5), "Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you." And likewise, Isaiah says (Isaiah 49:1), "The Lord called me from the womb."

And the wickedness in the womb is evident, as you see in Esau, who struggled with his brother in his mother's womb, as it is said (Genesis 25:22), "And the children struggled together within her." For he was crushing with his brother in his mother's womb. He said, "You also have cast out the wicked. Cast out the wicked from your heart.

Why do you rage like the rage of a serpent, which does not listen to the voice of enchanters, however skilled they may be?" He said to them, "Do you not know what the Holy One, blessed be He, did to the serpent, which broke its teeth and now eats dust? Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, will do to you who have put out your tongue against Him." He said to them, "The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'You spoke evil speech; you will fall into Gehenna, and fire will consume you,' as it is said (Psalm 58:9), 'Like the snail that melts away as it goes.'"

Do you not see that the sun always shines, but only the righteous (Malachi 3:20) "will be glad when they see the vengeance"? And likewise, it is said (Proverbs 24:17), "Do not rejoice when your enemy falls."

"Do not ruin (or destroy) David, the conqueror. As it is written (Ecclesiastes 4:9), 'Two are better than one.' They are better off as two, rather than one who goes alone. If one falls, the other can help him up. (Ecclesiastes 4:10) And if someone attacks one, the other can defend him.

And if a person does evil to them, they can resist him. And if they are three, it is even better, as it says (Ecclesiastes 4:12), 'A threefold cord is not quickly broken.' Another thing is that two righteous people are better than one righteous person or one wicked person. The merit of two righteous people is not comparable to the merit of one righteous person.

They will receive good reward. If calamity befalls the family, the merit of both of them stands and cancels it, as it says (Jeremiah 3:14), 'I will take one from a city and two from a family.' Because of two from the same family, that family prospers. And if there were three righteous people, even if it is a righteous son of a righteous son of a righteous person, their merit will never cease."

As it says (Kohelet 4:12), "And the threefold cord." They said before Rabbi Zeira, "But wasn't so-and-so a righteous man, son of a righteous man, son of a righteous man, and [yet he lived] in a generation of wicked people?" He said to them, "He will not be quickly uprooted, even if he falls [he will rise again], as was done with so-and-so." As it says (Isaiah 59:21), "My words which I have put in your mouth shall never depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your children, nor from the mouth of your children's children."

Since he [the righteous person] is a son of Torah, and his son and his son's son [are also righteous], then Torah will never cease from them. As it says (Jeremiah 31:34), "Forevermore." What is it [referring to]? The Lord said, "I vouch for this matter."

Another interpretation: "Two are better than one." [This refers to] two who study the Torah together and discuss [its teachings] among themselves. And if there are three [who study together], then it is even better. As it says (Kohelet 4:12), "And the threefold cord." Another interpretation: "Two are better than one."

This refers to Michal, daughter of Saul, and Jonathan, who both loved David and saved him from Saul, her father. It is written about Michal (1 Samuel 18:28), "And Michal, Saul's daughter, loved him [David]." And about Jonathan it is written (1 Samuel 18:1), "And Jonathan loved [David] as his own soul." Michal saved [David] from the house [of Saul], and Jonathan from outside.

"Two are better than one" [refers to them], and "the threefold cord" [refers to] the people of Israel, as it says (2 Samuel 19:40), "And all Israel and Judah loved David." To the conductor, do not destroy [a psalm].

Another thing that is said in Proverbs 18:22 is "He who finds a wife finds a good thing." And here you say in Ecclesiastes 7:26, "And I find more bitter than death the woman." But if she is a wicked woman, there is no end to her evil. And if she is a good woman, there is no end to her goodness.

Therefore, find a wife and find a good thing. Even before the creation of woman, what is written in Genesis 2:18, "It is not good for man to be alone." After she was created, what is written in Genesis 1:31, "And God saw all that He had made, and behold, it was very good." Therefore, find the good.

Our sages said that anyone who does not have a wife is lacking five things. Lacking blessing, as it is said in Genesis 1:28, "And God blessed them." It says them, not him. Lacking life, as it is said in Ecclesiastes 9:9, "Live joyfully with the wife whom you love."

Lacking joy, as it is said in Proverbs 5:18, "Rejoice with the wife of your youth." Lacking assistance, as it is said in Genesis 2:18, "I will make a helpmate for him." Lacking goodness, as it is said in Proverbs 18:22, "He who finds a wife finds a good thing." And when she is wicked, it is good to find that she brings all goodness out of her husband's home and makes him poor.

But if she is a good woman, what is written about her in Proverbs 31:10, "A capable wife, who can find? Her value is far beyond pearls." And it is written in Proverbs 12:4, "A capable wife is a crown for her husband." And regarding this, it is said in Proverbs 19:14, "And he obtains favor from God."

And also, it says in Proverbs 31:10, "An understanding wife is from God." Come and see how difficult the power of marriage is. In the Torah, in the Prophets, and in the Writings, God's name is mentioned in connection with marriage. In the Torah, as it is said in Genesis 24:50, "The matter emanates from God."

In the Prophets, as it is said in Judges 14:4, "But his father and mother did not know that it was of the Lord." In the Writings, as it is said in Proverbs 18:22, "And he obtains favor from God." Therefore, His name is connected with marriage.