Hope Deferred Makes the Heart Sick From Adam to the Exodus

"Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (Proverbs 13:12). Rabbi Chiya bar Ba opened: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" - this is one who betroths a woman and takes her only after a long time. "But a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (ibid.) - this is one who betroths a woman and takes her immediately. Another interpretation: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" - this is David, who was anointed and ruled only after two years. "But a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" - this is Saul, who was anointed and ruled immediately. By what merit? By the merit of good deeds that were in his hand: that he was humble and lowly of spirit, that he ate even ordinary food in purity, that he spent his own money to spare the money of Israel, and that he weighed the honor of his servant as his own honor. Yehudah bar Nachman in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: that he was a man of Torah, "by me princes rule" (Proverbs 8:16), "by me kings reign" (ibid. 8:15). Rabbi Yishmael taught: Before a person sins, awe and fear of him are given; but once he sins, awe and fear of others are placed upon him. So too, before Adam sinned he heard the divine voice as something pleasant; once he sinned he heard the voice as something fearful. Before Adam sinned he heard the voice and stood on his feet; "and they heard the voice of God walking in the garden" (Genesis 3:8); but once he sinned he heard the voice and hid: "and the man and his wife hid" (ibid.). Rabbi Aibo said: At that hour the stature of Adam shrank and became one hundred cubits. Before Israel sinned, what is written? "And the appearance of the glory of the LORD was like a consuming fire on the top of the mountain in the eyes of the children of Israel" (Exodus 24:17). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Seven partitions of fire were consuming one another, and Israel saw and did not fear and did not tremble; but once they sinned, they could not even gaze at the face of the intermediary, as it is written, "and Aaron and all the children of Israel saw Moses" and feared (Exodus 34:30). Rabbi Pinchas bar Avun in the name of Rabbi Chanin: even the intermediary felt the sin. "Kings of armies flee, they flee" (Psalms 68:13). Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Aibo said: It is not written "angels of armies" but "kings of armies" - the kings of the angels: even Michael, even Gabriel, could not gaze at the face of Moses; yet once Israel sinned, Moses could not even gaze at the faces of the lowest soldiers [angels], "for I was afraid of the anger and the wrath" (Deuteronomy 9:19). Before that incident befell David, what is written? "To David: the LORD is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?" (Psalms 27:1); and once that incident befell David, what is written of him? "And I will come upon him while he is weary and weak of hands" (II Samuel 17:2). Before Solomon sinned he ruled over demons and she-demons, as it is written, "I made for myself singers and songstresses and the delights of the sons of men, a demon and demons" [shidah veshidot] (Ecclesiastes 2:8). What is "shidah veshidot"? That he ruled over male demons and female demons; but once he sinned he brought sixty mighty men to guard his bed, as it is written, "behold, the bed of Solomon, sixty mighty men around it, all of them holding swords, trained in war" (Song of Songs 3:7-8). Before Saul sinned, what is written of him? "And Saul took the kingship over Israel" (I Samuel 14:47), what is "he condemned" [yarshia] - he was victorious; and once he sinned, what is written of him? "And Saul saw the camp of the Philistines and was afraid" (ibid. 28:5). Another interpretation: "Hope deferred makes the heart sick" (Proverbs 13:12). Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said: These are Israel before they were redeemed. You find that when Moses came to Israel and said to them, "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to me, Go and say to Israel, I have surely remembered you" (Exodus 3:16), they said to him, "Our master Moses, still only a remembering? 'What is my strength that I should wait, and what is my end that I should prolong my soul? Is my strength the strength of stones, or is my flesh bronze?'" (Job 6:11-12) - is our strength the strength of stones, is our flesh of bronze? But once he said to them, "This month you are to be redeemed," they said, "This is a good sign, a desire fulfilled is a tree of life" (Proverbs ibid.), "This month shall be for you the beginning of months" (Exodus 12:2).