The Two Myrtles and the Cascade of Hearing Before It Is Too Late

Rabbi Levi said: it is like a noblewoman who brought the king two myrtle branches and lost one of them, and she was distressed over it. The king said to her: keep this one as though you had kept both of them. So too, when Israel stood at Mount Sinai and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do and we will listen" (Exodus 24:7), they lost "we will do," for they made themselves a molten calf (Exodus 32:8). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: keep "we will listen" as though you had kept both. And when they did not listen, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: "Hear the word of the LORD" (Jeremiah 2:4). Before you must hear the words of Jeremiah, hear the words of Torah; before you must hear the words of prophecy, hear the words of Torah; before you must hear words of reproof, hear the words of prophecy; before you must hear words of provocation, hear words of reproof; before you must hear "the sound of the horn and the pipe" (Daniel 3:15), hear words of provocation; hear while in the land, before you must hear outside the land; hear while alive, before you must hear among the dead; let your ears hear, before your bodies must hear; let your bodies hear, before your bones must hear, for "the dry bones, hear the word of the LORD" (Ezekiel 37:4). Rabbi Aha in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: nearly eight times Israel became as one shoulder [united] in Egypt; and what is the reason? "Come, let us deal shrewdly with him" (Exodus 1:10); from this He sprang upon them and redeemed them, "and I have come down to rescue him from the hand of Egypt" (Exodus 3:8). Rabbi Avin, Rabbi Hiyya in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: it is written, "My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards" (Song of Songs 1:6); who caused me to be a keeper of the vineyards? "Because my own vineyard I did not keep" (there). Who caused me to have to set aside two portions of dough-offering in Syria? Because I did not set aside one portion of dough-offering properly in the land of Israel. I imagined I would receive reward for two, but I receive reward only for one. Who caused me to have to keep two festival days in Syria? Because I did not keep one festival day properly in the land of Israel. I imagined I would receive reward for two, but I receive reward only for one. Rabbi Yohanan would read concerning them, "And I also gave them statutes that were not good" (Ezekiel 20:25).