Pesikta de-Rav Kahana Reader

"And it came to pass on the day that Moses had finished" (Numbers 7:1). "I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride" (Song of Songs 5:1). Rabbi Azariah said in the name of Rabbi Simon: This may be compared to a king who became angry with the queen, drove her out, and expelled her from his palace. After a time he wished to bring her back. She said: Let him renew for me some new thing, and afterward he may bring me back. So too, in former times the Holy One, blessed be He, would receive offerings from above, as it is said, "And the LORD smelled the sweet savor" (Genesis 8:21), but now He receives them from below, "I am come into my garden, my sister, my bride" (Song of Songs). Rabbi Hanina said: The Torah has taught you proper conduct, that the bridegroom should not enter the bridal chamber until the bride gives him permission, "Let my beloved come into his garden" (Song of Songs 4:16), and afterward, "I am come into my garden." Rabbi Tanhum the son-in-law of Rabbi Eleazar ben Avina said in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Yosni: It is not written here "I am come into a garden," but "I am come into my garden," into my bridal canopy, to the place where its root was at the beginning. The root of the Divine Presence was among those below, and this is what is written, "And they heard the voice of the LORD God walking in the garden" (Genesis 3:8). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: It is not written here "walking" (in the simple sense of moving along), but "walking about" [the verb mit-hallekh, in a reflexive form, read as] leaping up and ascending. "And the man and his wife hid themselves" (Genesis 3:8). Rabbi Aivu said: At that moment the stature of Adam, the first man, was cut down and reduced to one hundred cubits. Rabbi Isaac said: It is written, "The righteous shall inherit the land" (Psalms 37:29). And where then are the wicked? They fly in the air. Rather, what is the meaning of "and dwell therein forever" (Psalms 37:29)? They shall cause the Divine Presence to dwell upon the earth. The root of the Divine Presence was at the beginning among those below, and when Adam, the first man, sinned, it withdrew to the first firmament. The generation of Enosh arose and sinned, and it withdrew from the first to the second. The generation of the Flood, and they sinned, and it withdrew from the second to the third. The generation of the Dispersion, and they sinned, from the third to the fourth. The Egyptians in the days of Abraham our father, and they sinned, it withdrew from the fourth to the fifth. The Sodomites, and they sinned, from the fifth to the sixth. The Egyptians in the days of Moses, from the sixth to the seventh. And corresponding to them seven righteous men arose and brought it back down to the earth. Abraham our father arose, was worthy, and brought it down from the seventh to the sixth. Isaac arose, was worthy, and brought it down from the sixth to the fifth. Jacob arose, was worthy, and brought it down from the fifth to the fourth. Levi arose, was worthy, and brought it down from the fourth to the third. Kohath arose, was worthy, and brought it down from the third to the second. Amram arose, was worthy, and brought it down from the second to the first. Moses arose, was worthy, and brought it down to the earth. Therefore it is said, "And it came to pass on the day that Moses had finished" (Numbers 7:1).

"King Solomon made himself a palanquin" (Song of Songs 3:9). "A palanquin" - this is the Tent of Meeting. "King Solomon made himself" - the King to whom peace belongs. Rabbi Judah bar Ilai said: This is comparable to a king who had a young daughter. Before she had grown up and reached the signs of maturity, he would see her in the marketplace and speak with her, in the alleys he would speak with her. Once she had grown up and reached the signs of maturity, he said: It is not fitting to my daughter's dignity that I should speak with her in public; rather, make her a pavilion, and I will speak with her within the pavilion. So too at first, "When Israel was a youth I loved him" (Hosea 11:1). In Egypt they saw Me, "And I will pass through the land of Egypt" (Exodus 12:12). At the sea they saw Me, "And Israel saw the great hand" (Exodus 14:31). At Sinai they saw Me, "Face to face the LORD spoke with you" (Deuteronomy 5:4). And once they accepted the Torah and became for Me a complete nation, He said: It is not fitting to My children's dignity that I should speak with them in public; rather, make Me a Tabernacle, and I will speak from within the Tabernacle. This is what is written, "And when Moses went into the Tent of Meeting," etc. (Numbers 7:89). "Of the wood of Lebanon" (Song of Songs ibid.) - "acacia wood standing upright" (Exodus 26:15). "He made its pillars of silver" (Song of Songs 3:10) - "the hooks of the pillars" (Exodus 27:10). "Its base of gold" (Song of Songs ibid.) - "and you shall overlay the boards with gold" (Exodus 26:29). "Its seat of purple" (Song of Songs ibid.) - "and you shall make a veil of blue and purple" (Exodus 26:31). "Its interior inlaid with love" (Song of Songs ibid.) - Rabbi Yudan says: This is the merit of Torah and of the righteous. Rabbi Azariah in the name of Rabbi Judah bar Simon says: This is the Divine Presence. Rabbi Acha bar Kahana said: It is written, "And I will meet with you there" (Exodus 25:22), to teach that even what is behind the ark cover is not empty of the Divine Presence. A certain gentile asked Rabban Gamliel, saying to him: Why was the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed to Moses in the thornbush? He said to him: Had He been revealed to him upon a carob tree or upon a fig tree, what would you have said? Rather, it is to teach that there is no place on earth empty of the Divine Presence. Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: To what was the Tent of Meeting comparable? To a cave set upon the shore of the sea; the sea rose and flooded the cave, and the cave was filled from the sea, yet the sea was not diminished. So too the Tent of Meeting was filled from the radiance of the Divine Presence. Therefore it is said, "And it came to pass on the day that Moses finished" (Numbers 7:1).

[3] "Go forth and gaze, O daughters of Zion" (Song of Songs 3:11), the children who are marked out for Me by circumcision, by the shaving of the head, and by fringes. "Upon King Solomon" (there), upon the King to whom peace belongs. Another interpretation: "Upon King Solomon," the King who made His deeds whole with His creatures. He made fire whole for our father Abraham; He made the sword whole for our father Isaac; He made the angel whole for our father Jacob. Another interpretation: "Upon King Solomon," the King who makes peace among His creatures. Rabbi Yohanan said: "Dominion and dread are with Him" (Job 25:2). Rabbi Yaakov of the village of Hanan said: "Dominion," this is Michael; "and dread," this is Gabriel. "With Him" (there), and they make peace with Him, and this one does not harm that one. And Rabbi Yohanan said: From its days the sun has never seen the defect of the moon, nor does one constellation overtake its fellow, nor does a constellation see the one before it. Rabbi said: All of them ascend as one who ascends a ladder backwards. It is written, "He lays the beams of His upper chambers in the waters," and so forth (Psalms 104:3). Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai taught: The firmament is of water and the stars are of fire, and they dwell one with the other and do not harm one another. The firmament is of water and the angel is of fire, and they dwell one with the other and do not harm one another. Rabbi Avin said: Not only between one angel and another, but even the angel itself is half fire and half water, and He makes peace within it. And it has five faces: "And his body was like beryl," and so forth (Daniel 10:6). And it is written, "And there was hail, and fire," and so forth (Exodus 9:24). Rabbi Yehudah says: a flask of hail full of fire. Rabbi Nehemiah said: fire and hail mixed one within the other. Rabbi Hanin said: The reasoning of Rabbi Yudah is like a pomegranate berry whose seeds can be seen from within. Rabbi Hanin said: The reasoning of Rabbi Nehemiah is like the flame of a lamp in which water and oil are mixed together, and it burns from upon them. "And there was hail, and fire flashing" (there). What is "flashing"? Rabbi Yudah bar Simon said: It was summoned by name to carry out its mission. Rabbi Aha said: It is like a king who had two harsh legions that were at enmity with one another, and when the king's war arrived they made peace between themselves. So too fire and hail were at enmity with one another, and when the war of the Holy One, blessed be He, against Egypt arrived, "there was hail, and fire flashing" (there), a miracle within a miracle. "With the crown with which his mother crowned him on the day of his wedding" (Song of Songs 3:11). Rabbi Yitzhak said: We searched through all of Scripture and did not find that Bathsheba made a crown for Solomon her son; rather, this is the Tent of Meeting, which is adorned with blue, purple, and crimson. Rabbi Hunia said: Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai asked Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yose: Is it possible that you heard from your father what is "the crown with which his mother crowned him"? He said to him: It is like a king who had a daughter and loved her exceedingly. He did not cease to cherish her until he called her "my sister"; he did not cease to cherish her until he called her "my mother." So too, at first the Holy One, blessed be He, cherished Israel and called them "My daughter," "Hear, O daughter, and see" (Psalms 45:11). He did not cease to cherish her until He called them "My sister," as it is said, "My sister, my beloved" (Song of Songs 5:2). He did not cease to cherish her until He called them "My mother," as it is said, "Listen to Me, My people, and My nation," and so forth (Isaiah 51:4); and it is written "My nation" in a way that may be read "My mother." Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai arose and kissed him on his head; he said to him: Had I come only to hear this matter, it would have been enough for me. Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Make Me a Tabernacle," he should have brought four poles and stretched the Tabernacle over them. Rather, this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Moses above a red fire, a green fire, a black fire, and a white fire, and said to him, "Make Me a Tabernacle." Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the worlds, from where shall I get a red fire, a green fire, a black fire, a white fire? He said to him, "According to their pattern, which you are shown on the mountain" (Exodus 25:40). Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Levi: It is like a king who was revealed to a member of his household wearing a robe of precious pearls. He said to him, "Make Me one like this." He said to him, "My lord the king, from where do I have a robe of precious pearls?" He said to him, "You with your materials and I with My glory." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Moses, if you make what is above down below, I will leave My council above and come down and contract My Presence among you below. What is above? "Seraphim standing" (Isaiah 6:2); so too below, "acacia boards standing" (Exodus 26:15). What is above? Stars; so too below, clasps. Rabbi Hiyya bar Abba said: This teaches that the golden clasps appeared in the Tabernacle like the stars fixed in the firmament. "On the day of his wedding" (Song of Songs 3:11), there were nuptials. "And on the day of the gladness of his heart" (there), this is the Tent of Meeting. Another interpretation: "On the day of his wedding," this is the Tent of Meeting; "and on the day of the gladness of his heart," this is the building of the eternal House. Therefore it is said, "And it came to pass on the day that Moses finished" (Numbers 7:1).

"Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in His fists? Who has bound the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His son's name, if you know?" (Proverbs 30:4). "Who has ascended to heaven" - this is the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it is written, "God has gone up with a shout" (Psalms 47:6). "And come down" - "And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19:20). "Who has gathered the wind" - "In whose hand is the life of every living thing" (Job 12:10). "Who has bound the waters" - "He binds up the waters in His clouds" (ibid. 26:8). "Who has established all the ends of the earth" - "The LORD kills and makes alive" (1 Samuel 2:6). "And what is His name" - "Rock" is His name, "Almighty" is His name, "the LORD of hosts" is His name. "And what is His son's name" - "Israel is My firstborn son" (Exodus 4:22) is His name. Another interpretation: "Who has ascended to heaven" (Proverbs ibid.) - who is the one whose prayer ascends to heaven and brings down rains? This is the one who distributes his tithes by his fistfuls, who brings down dew and rain to the world. "Who has gathered the wind in His fists, who has bound the waters in a garment, who has established all the ends of the earth" (Proverbs ibid.) - who is the one whose prayer does not ascend to heaven and does not bring down the rains? This is the one who does not distribute his tithes by his fistfuls, who restrains the heavens from bringing down dew and rain to the world. Another interpretation: "Who has ascended to heaven" (Proverbs ibid.) - this is Elijah, of whom it is written, "And Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Kings 2:11). "And come down" - "Go down with him; do not fear" (ibid. 1:15). "Who has gathered the wind in His fists" - "As the LORD God of Israel lives, before whom I have stood" (1 Kings 17:1). "Who has bound the waters" (Proverbs ibid.) - "And Elijah took his mantle and rolled it together" (2 Kings 2:8). "Who has established all the ends of the earth" (Proverbs ibid.) - "And Elijah said, See, your son lives" (1 Kings 17:23). Another interpretation: "Who has ascended to heaven" (Proverbs ibid.) - this is Moses, of whom it is written, "And Moses went up to God" (Exodus 19:3). "And come down" - "And Moses came down from the mountain" (ibid. ibid. 14). "Who has gathered the wind" - "As soon as I have gone out of the city" (ibid. 9:29). "Who has bound the waters" (Proverbs ibid.) - "The floods stood upright as a heap" (ibid. 15:8). "Who has established all the ends of the earth" - this is the Tent of Meeting, as it is said, "And it came to pass on the day that Moses finished setting up the Tabernacle" (Numbers 7:1), for the world was set up along with it. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Yochai: It does not say "to set up a tabernacle," but rather "to set up the Tabernacle." What was set up along with it? The world was set up along with it, for until the Tabernacle was set up the world was shaking, and once the Tabernacle was set up the world became firmly founded. Therefore it says, "And it came to pass on the day that Moses finished" (Numbers 7:1).

[5] Another interpretation: "On the day that Moses finished [setting up the Tabernacle]" (ibid.) -- it is written "bride" [reading kallot, "finished," as kallat, "bride"]: on the day the bride entered the bridal canopy. Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani. Rabbi Eleazar says: "On the day that Moses finished," on the day that his setting-ups were completed. It is taught: every single day Moses would set up the Tabernacle, and every single morning he would offer its offerings upon it and dismantle it, but on the eighth day he set it up and did not dismantle it. Rabbi Zeira said: from here that a nighttime setting-up is invalid for daytime service. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said: even on the eighth day he set it up and dismantled it. From where do we know of dismantlings? As Rabbi Zeira said: "On the day that Moses finished," on the day that his setting-ups were completed. Rabbi Eleazar and Rabbi Yohanan. Rabbi Eleazar said: "On the day that Moses finished," on the day that the harmful spirits ceased from the world [reading kallot, "finished," as "ceased"]. And what is the reason? "No evil shall befall you, [and the rest]" (Psalms 91:10) -- from the hour that the harmful spirits ceased from the world. Rabbi Yohanan said: why should I learn from another place? Let us learn from its own place: "The LORD bless you and keep you" (Numbers 6:24) -- "and keep you" from the harmful spirits. Rabbi Yohanan and Rabbi Simeon ben Lakish. Rabbi Yohanan said: "On the day that Moses finished," on the day that enmity ceased from the world, for until the Tabernacle was set up there was enmity and jealousy and rivalry and strife and quarreling in the world, but once the Tabernacle was set up there was placed love and affection and friendship and righteousness and peace in the world. And what is the reason? "I will hear what God will speak, [and the rest]" (Psalms 85:9). Resh Lakish said: why should I learn from another place? Let us learn from its own place: "And give you peace" (Numbers 6:26). "To set up the Tabernacle" (Numbers 7:1) -- Rabbi Joshua in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai: it is not written here "to set up a Tabernacle" but "to set up the Tabernacle." What was set up with it? The world was set up with it, for until the Tabernacle was set up the world was trembling; once the Tabernacle was set up the world was made firm.

[6] "And he anointed it and sanctified it" (Numbers 7:1). Since it is written "and he anointed it and sanctified it," to what end is it said "and he anointed them and sanctified them" (ibid.)? Rabbi Aibu said in the name of Rabbi Tahlifa of Caesarea, and Resh Lakish: One said, while he was anointing each and every one, he was anointing all of them as one. And the other said, "and he anointed them" means an anointing in this world and an anointing for the World to Come. And similarly, "and you shall couple the tent together" (Exodus 26:11), "and you shall couple the curtains" (ibid. 26:6). Rabbi Yudan and Rabbi Levi, Tahlifa of Caesarea and Resh Lakish: One said, while he was coupling all of them as one, he was coupling each and every one. And the other said, "and you shall couple the curtains, and the Tabernacle shall be one" (ibid.) — one for measuring and one for anointing.

[7] "And the princes of Israel offered, they were the heads of the tribes" (Numbers 7:2) -- in Egypt. "And they were over those who were counted" (ibid.) -- over the banners. "And they brought their offering before the LORD, six wagons, and the rest" (ibid., verse 3) -- corresponding to the six days of creation. Six corresponding to the six orders of the Mishnah. Six corresponding to the six matriarchs, and these are they: Sarah, Rebekah, Rachel, and Leah, Bilhah, Zilpah. Rabbi Yohanan said: six corresponding to the six commandments that the king is commanded concerning, and these are they: "He shall not multiply wives to himself" (Deuteronomy 17:17), "and he shall not multiply horses to himself" (ibid., verse 16), "and silver and gold he shall not greatly multiply to himself" (ibid., verse 17), "You shall not pervert justice, and you shall not show favor, and you shall not take a bribe" (Deuteronomy 16:19). Six corresponding to the six steps that the throne had. How so? When he went up to sit on the first step, the herald goes out and says, "He shall not multiply wives to himself." When he went up to sit on the second step, the herald goes out and says, "He shall not multiply horses to himself." When he went up to sit on the third step, the herald goes out and says, "And silver and gold he shall not greatly multiply to himself." When he went up to sit on the fourth step, the herald goes out and says, "You shall not pervert justice." When he went up to sit on the fifth step, the herald goes out and says, "You shall not show favor." When he went up to sit on the sixth step, the herald goes out and says, "You shall not take a bribe." When he came to sit on the seventh step, they say to him, "Know before whom you are sitting." "And the top of the throne was round behind it" (1 Kings 10:19) -- Rabbi Aha said: like the chair of Moses. "And there were arms on either side by the place of the seat" (ibid.) -- how so? A scepter of gold was suspended for him behind it, and a dove was at its top, and a crown of gold was in the mouth of the dove, and he would sit beneath it on the Sabbath, and it touched and did not touch. Six corresponding to the six firmaments. But are they not seven? Rabbi Abin said: the one in which the King dwells is the precious palace.

"Covered" (Numbers 7:3): they were like litters; "covered" means marked out; "covered" means adorned. It was taught in the name of Rabbi Nehemiah: they were like a vaulted canopy. "And twelve oxen, a wagon for two of the chieftains" (ibid.): this teaches that two chieftains brought one wagon, and each and every tribe brought an ox. "And they brought them before the Tabernacle" (ibid.): this teaches that they assessed their value in money and sold them to the community. "And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying" (ibid.). What is the meaning of "saying"? It was taught by Rabbi Hoshaiah: the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Go out and say to Israel words of praise, words of consolation." And Moses was afraid and said: "Perhaps the holy spirit has departed from me and rested upon the chieftains?" The Holy One said to him: "Moses, had it been to them that I had said to bring their offering, then I would say to you that you should say it to them; but rather, 'Take it from them' (ibid. v. 5)" — from them did the matter come. And who gave them the counsel? The tribe of Issachar gave them the counsel, as it is written: "And of the children of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times" (1 Chronicles 12:33). What is the meaning of "of the times"? Rabbi Tanhuma said: of the festival-seasons; and Rabbi Yose bar Ketzeri said: of the intercalations of the calendar. "Their heads were two hundred" (ibid.): these are the two hundred heads of courts that Issachar would set up. "And all their brethren were at their command" (ibid.): this teaches that they would establish the law by their word. They said to them: "This Tent of Meeting that you are making flies in the air; rather, make for it wagons, and they shall carry it upon them." And Moses was afraid and said: "Perhaps one of the wagons will break or one of the oxen will die, and the offering of the chieftains will be found unfit?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: "'And they shall be for the service of the Tent of Meeting' (Numbers 7:5)" — enduring being was granted to them, that they should exist forever. Until when did they endure? Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman, and Rabbi Hunia in the name of Bar Kappara: until "In Gilgal they sacrificed oxen" (Hosea 12:12). And where did they offer them? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: in Nob they offered them. Rabbi Abbahu said: in Gibeon they offered them. Rabbi Hama bar Hanina said: in the Eternal House [the Temple] they offered them. Rabbi Levi said: the reason of Rabbi Hama bar Hanina is, "And Solomon offered a sacrifice of peace offerings, which he sacrificed to the LORD, twenty-two thousand oxen," etc. (1 Kings 8:63). It was taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: until now they endure, and they have not become foul, nor aged, nor turned defective. And the matter is an inference from minor to major: if the wagons, which clung to the work of the Tent of Meeting, were granted enduring being to exist forever, then Israel, who cleave to the Holy One, blessed be He, how much more so! "And you who cleave to the LORD your God are alive, every one of you, this day" (Deuteronomy 4:4). Finished.

Ki Tissa. [1] "Many say of my soul, 'There is no salvation for him in God,' selah" (Psalms 3:3). Rabbi Shmuel bar Immi and the Rabbis. Rabbi Shmuel bar Immi interpreted the verse as referring to Doeg and Ahitophel. "Many say of my soul," this is Doeg and Ahitophel. And why did he call them "many"? Because they were great in Torah. "Say of my soul," they say of David: A man who stole the ewe-lamb and killed the shepherd and made Israel fall by the sword, does he have salvation? "There is no salvation for him in God, selah" (there). David said: And You, O LORD, have agreed with them and written in Your Torah, saying, "The adulterer and the adulteress shall surely be put to death" (Leviticus 20:10). "A shield about me" (Psalms 3:4), for protections are upon me by the merit of my fathers. "My glory" (there), for You restored me to kingship. "And the lifter of my head" (there), in place of being liable to You, You lifted my head and granted me an uplifting of the head through Nathan the prophet, who said to me, "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die" (2 Samuel 12:13). And the Rabbis interpreted the verse as referring to the nations of the world. "Many" (Psalms 3:3), these are the nations of the world. And why does he call them "many"? Because it is written, "Ah, the tumult of many peoples" (Isaiah 17:12). "Say of my soul" (Psalms, there), they say of Israel: A nation that heard from the mouth of its God at Mount Sinai, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exodus 20:2), and at the end of forty days said to the calf, "These are your gods, O Israel" (there, 32:4), does it have salvation? "There is no salvation for him in God, selah" (Psalms, there). Israel said: And You, O LORD, have agreed with them and written in Your Torah, saying, "He who sacrifices to the gods shall be destroyed" (Exodus 22:19). "A shield about me" (Psalms 3:4), for You protected us by the merit of our fathers. "My glory" (there), for You caused Your Presence to dwell among us, as it is written, "And let them make Me a sanctuary, that I may dwell among them" (Exodus 25:8). "And the lifter of my head" (Psalms, there), in place of our being liable to You, You lifted our head and granted us an uplifting of the head through Moses, and said, "When you lift the head of the children of Israel" (Exodus 30:12).

Rabbi Yaakov bar Yuda in the name of Rabbi Yonatan of Beth Gubrin opened: "The way of the slothful man is like a hedge of thorns, but the path of the upright is a highway" (Proverbs 15:19). "The way of the slothful man": this is the wicked Esau. "Like a hedge of thorns": for it resembles this thornbush, which you disentangle from here and it catches on you from there. So too the wicked Esau twists about: he claims your poll-taxes, your assessments, your land-tax; if a man has none, he plunders him and extorts from him. "But the path of the upright is a highway": this is the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it is written, "For the ways of the LORD are right, and the just shall walk in them" (Hosea 14:10), for He made His speech straight for Moses and said, "When you take the sum of the head of the children of Israel" (Exodus 30:12).

Rabbi Yonatan opened: "And the mean man bows down, and the great man is brought low" (Isaiah 2:9). "And the mean man bows down" (va-yishah adam) [read here as: and man is bowed]: these are Israel, of whom it is written, "And you My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men" (Ezekiel 34:31). "And the great man is brought low": this is Moses, of whom it is written, "Now the man Moses was very humble" (Numbers 12:3). Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Master of the worlds, I know that Israel bowed down to the calf and I was brought low; yet do not forgive them?" (Isaiah 2:9) [reading the verse's "forgive them not" as Moses' plea]. He said to him: "I shall lift them up, when you take the sum [of the head of Israel]" (Exodus 30:12).

Rabbi Jonah of Bozrah opened: "For God is judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another" (Psalms 75:8). A noble lady asked Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Halafta. She said to him: In how many days did the Holy One, blessed be He, create His world? He said to her: In six days, as it is written, "For in six days the LORD made" (Exodus 31:17). She said to him: And what has He been doing since that hour? He said to her: He pairs couples, the daughter of so-and-so to so-and-so, the wife of so-and-so to so-and-so, the wealth of so-and-so to so-and-so. She said: And is this all? Even I can do this. How many menservants and how many maidservants I have, and in a single moment I can pair them. He said to her: If it is easy in your eyes, before the Holy One, blessed be He, it is as difficult as the splitting of the Red Sea. Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Halafta took his leave and departed. What did she do? She took a thousand menservants and a thousand maidservants and set them up in rows upon rows, and said: This man shall marry this woman, this woman shall marry this man, and she paired them in a single night. And in the morning they came before her, this one with his head split open, this one with his eye knocked out, this one with his leg broken. This one says: I do not want this woman, and this woman says: I do not want this man. She sent and brought Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Halafta. She said to him: True is your Torah, fitting and praiseworthy. Everything you said, you said well. He said to her: Did I not say so to you, that if it is easy in your eyes, before the Holy One, blessed be He, it is as difficult as the splitting of the Red Sea? What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He pairs them against their will and not for their good. This is what is written, "God setteth the solitary in families: he bringeth out those who are bound with chains" (Psalms 68:7). What is the meaning of "with chains" (ba-kosharot)? [Read as be-khi ve-shirot] with weeping and with song: the one who desires it sings a song, and the one who does not desire it weeps. Rabbi Berekhiah said: In this manner Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Halafta answered her: The Holy One, blessed be He, sits and makes ladders, raising one and lowering another, putting down one and setting up another, "For God is judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up another" (Psalms 75:8). Rabbi Jonah of Bozrah and the Rabbis differed. The Rabbis interpret the verse as referring to Aaron: with this expression he was put down, and with this expression he was raised up. With this expression he was put down: "and I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf" (Exodus 32:24). And with this expression he was raised up: "This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons" (Leviticus 6:13). Rabbi Jonah of Bozrah interprets the verse as referring to Israel: with this expression they were put down, and with this expression they were raised up. With this expression they were put down: "For this Moses, the man" (Exodus 32:1). And with this expression they were raised up: "This they shall give, every one that passeth among them that are numbered" (Exodus 30:13).

"Righteousness exalts a nation, but the kindness of the peoples is a sin" (Proverbs 14:34). Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, and the Rabbis. Rabbi Eliezer said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - acts of kindness are sins for the nations, since they boast of them. Rabbi Joshua said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - it is an advantage to the nations of the world that at the time when Israel sins, they in turn subjugate them. And Rabban Gamliel said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - the kindness that the nations of the world perform is a sin for them, as Daniel says to Nebuchadnezzar, "And redeem your sins by righteousness" (Daniel 4:24). Rabbi Eleazar ben Arach said: "Righteousness and kindness exalt a nation" - this refers to Israel, but they are sins for the nations of the world. Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai said: I see the words of Eleazar ben Arach as preferable to your words, for he assigns righteousness and kindness to Israel, and sins to the nations of the world. Abin bar Rabbi Judah said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - Israel receives kindnesses from the nations of the world at the time when they sin. So Rabshakeh said to Hezekiah, "And now, is it without the LORD that I have come up against this land," etc. (cf. 2 Kings 18:25). So Nebuzaradan said to Jeremiah, "And He has brought it, and the LORD has done as He said" (Jeremiah 40:3); it is written "a thing." Rabbi Nechuniah ben Hakanah said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - the kindnesses that the nations of the world perform are a sin for Israel. From whom do you learn this? From Mesha, for "Mesha king of Moab was a sheepmaster" (2 Kings 3:4). What is "a sheepmaster"? A shepherd. "And he rendered to the king of Israel a hundred thousand lambs and a hundred thousand rams with their wool" (ibid.). What are "rams with their wool"? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: sheep. What did he do? He gathered all his astrologers and said to them: You said of me that I would make war with all the nations and conquer them, yet with these Jews I make war and they conquer me. They said to him: It is by the merit of one elder whom they had. He said to them: And who is this elder? They said: Abraham. He said to them: And what is his story? They said to him: A single son was given to him at a hundred years, and he offered him near. He said to them: And did he offer him? They said to him: No. He said: If, when he did not offer him, miracles were performed for him, then had he offered him, how much more so! And now, this man has a single son who is destined to reign after him; he shall go and offer him near, perhaps miracles will be performed for him. This is what is written, "Then he took his eldest son who was to reign in his stead, and offered him up as a burnt offering upon the wall" (2 Kings 3:27); it is written "upon the sun" [as if pointing the word so], for he was worshiping the sun. And what is written there? "And there was great wrath against Israel" (ibid., ibid.). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, the nations of the world, who do not recognize My power, rebel against Me; and you, who do recognize My power, rebel against Me! Rabbi Mana said: Were it not for the merit of Obadiah's wife, Israel would already have been destroyed from that hour, on account of what she did on that day. What is the reason? "And a certain woman of the wives of the sons of the prophets cried out to Elisha, saying, Your servant my husband," etc. (ibid. 4:1). Rabbi Ze'ora sent to Rabbi Ze'ir: You have heard the pearl that Rav Huna would expound upon this verse, "Righteousness exalts a nation, but the kindness of the peoples is a sin" (Proverbs 14:34)? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - this refers to Israel. "But the kindness of the peoples is a sin" - the kindness that the nations of the world perform is prepared for them like the belly of the lizard. From whom do you learn this? From Merodach. Merodach Baladan was accustomed to eat at the sixth hour and to sleep until the ninth. And when the sun's orb returned in the days of Hezekiah, he slept and arose and found it morning. He sought to kill all his servants. He said to them: You let me sleep all the day and all the night! They said to him: My lord, in your proper time you ate and in your proper time you slept, but it was the day that turned back upon itself. He said to them: And which god turned it back? They said to him: The God of Hezekiah turned it back. He said to them: And is there a god greater than my god? They said to him: The God of Hezekiah is greater than your god. Immediately he sent letters with a gift to Hezekiah. This is what is written, "At that time Merodach Baladan, the son of Baladan, king of Babylon, sent letters and a gift to Hezekiah" (Isaiah 39:1). What was written in them? Peace to Hezekiah, peace to his God, peace to Jerusalem. And once the documents had gone out, his mind settled upon him and he said: I have not acted properly; I placed the peace of Hezekiah before that of his God. Immediately he rose from his throne and took three steps and brought back the documents and wrote other documents in their place. What was written in them? Peace to the God of Hezekiah, peace to Hezekiah, peace to Jerusalem the holy city. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You rose from your throne and took three steps for the sake of My honor; by your life, I am destined to raise up from you three world-ruling kings, sovereigns from one end of the world to the other. And these are they: Nebuchadnezzar, and Evil-Merodach, and Belshazzar. And once they arose and blasphemed, the Holy One, blessed be He, rooted out their stock from the world and set up others in their place. And the Rabbis said: "Righteousness exalts a nation" - through the freewill offering that Israel brought for the work of the Tabernacle and the Tent of Meeting, a raising of the head was given to them through Moses, and He said, "When you take the sum of the children of Israel" (Exodus 30:12).

Rabbi Yudan opened: "The tongue of the just is as choice silver: the heart of the wicked is worth little" (Proverbs 10:20). "The tongue of the just is as choice silver": this is what the prophet foretold. "The heart of the wicked is worth little": this is Jeroboam. This is what is written, "And, behold, there came a man of God out of Judah by the word of the LORD... and he cried against the altar by the word of the LORD, and said, O altar, altar" (1 Kings 13:1-2). And why "altar, altar" two times? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: The altar that was in Bethel and the altar that was in Dan. What did he cry out against it? "Behold, a child shall be born unto the house of David, Josiah by name; and upon thee shall he sacrifice the priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee" (1 Kings 13:2). It is not written there "and the bones of Jeroboam shall be burned upon thee," but rather "and men's bones shall be burned upon thee" (1 Kings 13:2). This teaches that he showed honor to the monarchy, for it is written, "And it came to pass, when king Jeroboam heard the saying of the man of God, which he cried against the altar in Bethel, that Jeroboam put forth his hand from the altar, saying, Lay hold on him" (1 Kings 13:4). Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rabbi Idi: The Omnipresent had more concern for the honor of the righteous man than for His own honor. He stood and offered to idolatry, yet his hand did not wither; but as soon as he stretched out his hand against the righteous man, his hand withered. This is what is written, "and his hand, which he put forth against him, dried up" (1 Kings 13:4). "And the king answered and said unto the man of God, Entreat now the face of the LORD thy God, and pray for me" (1 Kings 13:6). Two Amoraim differed. One said: "thy God" and not my God. And the other said: With what face does he call Him "thy God"? He stands and offers to idolatry, yet he calls Him "thy God"! Even so, "And the man of God besought the face of the LORD, and the king's hand was restored to him, and became as it was before" (1 Kings 13:6). What is the meaning of "as it was before"? Rabbi Berekhiah and Rabbi Yudah son of Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi: If you pound a fool in a mortar of sorcerers, you gain nothing from him. Just as at first he stood and offered to idolatry, so also a second time he stood and offered to idolatry. Another interpretation: "The tongue of the just is as choice silver" (Proverbs 10:20): this is the Holy One, blessed be He, who made choice of His speech to Moses and said, "When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel" (Exodus 30:12).

What is written above the passage? "And Aaron shall make atonement upon its horns once a year" (Exodus 30:10). What is written after it? "When you take the sum of the head of the children of Israel" — "when you lend" (ki tisheh) is written [the consonants read as a loan], as you say, "When you lend anything to your neighbor" (Deuteronomy 24:10). Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Master of the worlds, at a time when Israel have merit, let them be; and at a time when Israel have no merit, then, as it were, lend it to them once a year, so that the Day of Atonement may come and atone, for 'on this day He shall make atonement for you,' etc. (Leviticus 16:30)." "The head" (et rosh): Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: He hinted to him that he [a tribe] was destined to be brought near as the first of the tribes; and which is this? This is Reuben: "Let Reuben live" (Deuteronomy 33:6). "The children of Israel": Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman gave a parable of a king who had a fine garment, and he would charge his servant and say to him: "Shake it out, fold it, give it your attention." He said to him: "My lord the king, of all the garments that you have, you charge me only concerning this one?" He said to him: "Because it clings to my flesh." So too Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Master of the worlds, of the seventy sovereign nations that You have in Your world, You charge me only concerning Israel: 'And to the children of Israel you shall say' (Leviticus 20:2), 'And to the children of Israel you shall speak' (Exodus 30:31), 'Say to the children of Israel' (ibid. 33:5), 'Speak to the children of Israel' (ibid. 31:13), 'Command the children of Israel' (Leviticus 24:2), 'And you shall command the children of Israel' (Exodus 27:20), 'When you take the sum of the head of the children of Israel' (ibid. 30:12)." The Holy One said to him: "Because they cleave to Me, as it is written, 'For as the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave to Me the whole house of Israel,' etc. (Jeremiah 13:11)." Rabbi Avin gave a parable of a king who had a purple robe, and he would charge his servant and say to him: "Shake it out, fold it, give it your attention." He said to him: "My lord the king, of all the purple robes that you have, you charge me only concerning this one?" He said to him: "Because I wore that one at the hour when I first became king." So too Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Master of the worlds, of the seventy sovereign nations of the world that You have in Your world, You charge me only concerning Israel," as it is written: "And to the children of Israel you shall say, and to the children of Israel you shall speak, say to the children of Israel, speak to the children of Israel, command the children of Israel, and you shall command the children of Israel, when you take the sum of the head of the children of Israel." He said to him: "Because they made Me king at the sea and said, 'The LORD shall reign forever and ever' (Exodus 15:18)." Rabbi Berekhiah gave a parable of an elder who had a cloak, and he would charge his attendant and say to him: "Shake it out, fold it, give it your attention." He said to him: "My lord the elder, of all the cloaks that you have, you charge me only concerning this one?" He said to him: "Because I wrapped myself in it at the hour when I was first appointed an elder." So too Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: "Master of the worlds, of the seventy sovereign nations that there are in Your world, You charge me only concerning Israel: 'And to the children of Israel you shall say, and to the children of Israel you shall speak, say to the children of Israel, speak to the children of Israel, command the children of Israel, and you shall command the children of Israel, when you take the sum of the head of the children of Israel.'" He said to him: "Because they accepted upon themselves the yoke of My kingship at Sinai and said, 'All that the LORD has spoken we will do and we will hear' (Exodus 24:7)." Rabbi Yudan said: Come and see how greatly the Holy One, blessed be He, loved Israel, that He mentions them five times in a single verse. This is what is written: "And I have given the Levites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel, to do the service of the children of Israel in the Tent of Meeting, and to make atonement for the children of Israel, that there be no plague among the children of Israel when the children of Israel come near to the sanctuary" (Numbers 8:19). Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai taught a parable of a king who handed over his son to his tutor and would charge him and say to him: "My son has eaten, my son has drunk, my son has gone to the schoolhouse, my son has come back from the schoolhouse." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, desires to mention Israel at every hour. Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon gave a parable of one who was sitting and making a crown for the king. Someone passed by and saw him and said to him: "What are you sitting and making?" He said to him: "A crown for the king." He said to him: "Whatever you are able to set in it of emeralds, set; of precious stones and pearls, set; for it is destined to be placed upon the head of the king." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: "Moses, whatever you are able to praise in Israel before Me, praise; to glorify, glorify; for I am destined to be glorified through them, as it says, 'And He said to me, You are My servant, O Israel, in whom I will be glorified' (Isaiah 49:3)."

"For their numberings" (Exodus 30:12). Rabbi Yehoshua bar Rabbi Nehemiah said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Go, count Israel." Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of all the worlds, it is written, 'And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth' (Genesis 28:14), and 'I will multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens' (Genesis 26:4), and 'And the number of the children of Israel shall be as the sand of the sea' (Hosea 2:1) — and You say to me, Go, count Israel?" He said to him: Moses, it is not as you suppose. Rather, if you wish to ascertain the number of Israel, take the first letters of the tribes and you will arrive at their number. The resh of Reuben is two hundred thousand; the shin of Simeon is three hundred thousand; the nun of Naphtali is fifty thousand; Judah, Joseph, and Issachar thirty thousand each; the zayin of Zebulun is seven thousand; the dalet of Dan is four thousand; the gimel of Gad is three thousand; the bet of Benjamin is two thousand; the aleph of Asher is one thousand. Behold, that is five hundred ninety-seven thousand. And where are the other three thousand? They are those who fell in the days of the calf, as it is said, "And the sons of Levi did according to the word of Moses, and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men" (Exodus 32:28). Rabbi Menahema said in the name of Rabbi Bibi: This is like a king who had a flock, and wolves entered among them and broke into it. The king said to the shepherd, "Count my flock, to know how many are missing." So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "Count Israel, to know how many are missing." In ten places Israel were counted. One, at their descent into Egypt: "With seventy souls your fathers went down" (Deuteronomy 10:22). And one at their going up: "And the children of Israel journeyed from Rameses to Succoth, about six hundred thousand on foot" (Exodus 12:37). And two in the Book of Numbers — one for the standards, and one for the dividing of the land. And two in the days of Saul: "And he counted them in Telaim" (1 Samuel 15:4) and "And he counted them in Bezek" (1 Samuel 11:8) — when they were prosperous, by these lambs, and when they were poor, by these pebbles. And one in the days of David, as it is said, "And Joab gave the sum of the mustering of the people" (2 Samuel 24:9). If "sum," why "mustering," and if "mustering," why "sum"? Rather, he made two tallies, a large one and a small one; the small one he showed to David, but the large one he did not show him, as it is said, "And Joab gave the sum of the mustering of the people." And one in the days of Ezra: "The whole assembly together was forty thousand" (Ezra 2:64). And one in the time to come: "The flocks shall yet pass under the hands of one who counts them" (Jeremiah 33:13). And this is "When you take the sum of the children of Israel" (Exodus 30:12).

Rabbi Menahema and Rabbi Bibi and Rabbi Hiyya the Great in the name of Rabbi Eliezer bar Yaakov: Israel are compared to sand. Just as with sand, you make a hollow in it in the evening and in the morning you find it has filled up again, so too all the thousands who were diminished in the days of David were filled up again in the days of Solomon, as it is said, "Judah and Israel were many, as the sand" (1 Kings 4:20). Rabbi Eliezer said in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra: Whenever Israel were counted for a need, they were not diminished; when counted without need, they were diminished. And when were they counted for a need? In the days of Moses. And when were they counted without need? In the days of David. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: "And they shall give every man a ransom for his soul" (Exodus 30:12) — in the days of Moses. "That there be no plague among them when you count them" (Exodus 30:12) — in the days of David.

"This they shall give, every one that passes among those numbered" (Exodus 30:13). Rabbi Meir said: A kind of coin of fire the Holy One, blessed be He, brought out from beneath His Throne of Glory and showed it to Moses, and said to him, "This they shall give." "Every one that passes" — Rabbi Yudah and Rabbi Nehemiah. Rabbi Yudah said: Everyone who passed through the sea shall give. And Rabbi Nehemiah said: Everyone who passes the count shall give. "Half a shekel" — Rabbi Yudah and Rabbi Nehemiah. Rabbi Yudah said: Because they sinned at midday, therefore they shall give half a shekel. And Rabbi Nehemiah said: Because they sinned at the sixth hour of the day, therefore they shall give half a shekel, which is made of six gerahs. Rabbi Yehoshua bar Nehemiah in the name of Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai: Because Israel transgressed the Ten Words, therefore each one shall give ten gerahs. Rabbi Berekhiah and Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: Because they sold the firstborn of Rachel for twenty pieces of silver, therefore each one shall redeem his firstborn son for twenty pieces. Rabbi Pinhas in the name of Rabbi Levi said: Because they sold the firstborn of Rachel for twenty pieces of silver, and to each one of them fell a coin, therefore each one shall give his shekel-coin. Rabbi Yudah bar Simon in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: Three things Moses heard from the mouth of the Almighty, and he was alarmed and recoiled. When He said to him, "And let them make Me a sanctuary" (Exodus 25:8), Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the world, behold, the heavens and the heavens of heavens cannot contain You, and You say, Let them make Me a sanctuary?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Moses, it is not as you suppose; rather, twenty boards in the north and twenty boards in the south and eight in the west, and I will come down and constrict My Presence among you below," as it is written, "And I will meet with you there" (Exodus 25:22). And when He said, "My offering, My bread for My fires" (Numbers 28:2), Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the world, if I bring in all the beasts of the world, is there one whole burnt offering in them, or all the trees of the world, is there one offering in them? As it is said, 'And Lebanon is not enough to burn, nor its beasts enough for a burnt offering' (Isaiah 40:16)." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Moses, it is not as you suppose; rather, 'And you shall say to them, This is the offering' (Numbers 28:3) — not two at once, but one in the morning and one toward evening, as it is said, 'The one lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the second lamb you shall offer toward evening' (Numbers 28:4)." And when He said, "And they shall give every man a ransom for his soul" (Exodus 30:12), Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the world, who is able to give the redemption of his soul? 'No man can by any means redeem his brother' (Psalms 49:8), 'and the redemption of their soul is costly' (Psalms 49:9)." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, "It is not as you suppose; rather, 'This they shall give' (Exodus 30:13) — they shall give the like of this." Rabbi Huna in the name of Rabbi Shaddai: "We cannot find Him out, He is great in power" (Job 37:23) — we do not find the power of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Holy One, blessed be He, does not come upon Israel with burdens. And when Moses heard this, he began to praise Israel and to say, "Happy is the people that is in such a case; happy is the people whose God is the LORD" (Psalms 144:15), "Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help" (Psalms 146:5). Concluded.

"Remember" (Deuteronomy 25:17). It is written, "Strike a scoffer, and the simple will become prudent" (Proverbs 19:25). "Strike a scoffer" — this is Amalek. "And the simple will become prudent" — this is Jethro. When Amalek came to make war with Israel, what is written? "Then came Amalek and fought with Israel in Rephidim" (Exodus 17:8) — because they had slackened their hands from the Torah and the commandments, as the verse says, "And he called the name of the place Massah and Meribah" (Exodus 17:7). Rabbi Levi said: To what were Israel like? To one who had a son and set him on his shoulder and was leading him through the market. The son would see something he desired and say to his father, "Buy me this," and he would buy it for him, a first time and a second time. The third time the son saw a man and said to him, "Have you seen my father?" His father said to him, "Fool! You ride on my shoulder and whatever you ask I buy for you, and you say to this man, Have you seen my father?" What did his father do? He cast him down from his shoulder, and a dog came and bit him. So when Israel went out from Egypt, the Holy One surrounded them with seven clouds of glory, as it is said, "He encircled him, He cared for him" (Deuteronomy 32:10). They asked for manna, He gave it; they asked for quail, He gave it. Once He had given them all their needs, they began to doubt and to say, "Is the LORD among us or not?" (Exodus 17:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "You doubt Me? By your lives, I will make it known to you. Here is the dog, and it will bite you." And which is this? This is Amalek, as it is said, "Then came Amalek" (Exodus 17:8). Therefore it is said, "Remember" (Deuteronomy 25:17). It is written, "And Moses said to Joshua" (Exodus 17:9). Why did he say it to Joshua? Because he came from the tribe of Joseph, and it is written, "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Joseph a flame" (Obadiah 1:18) — let a flame go out from the house of Joseph and consume the stubble of the house of Esau; this is Joshua, who slew Amalek, as it is said, "And Joshua weakened" Amalek (Exodus 17:13). "Behold, I will stand" (Exodus 17:9) — from here we learn that the righteous lend themselves to the needs of the community. "I will stand" — in prayer, as you say, "And the LORD descended in the cloud and stood with him there" (Exodus 34:5). "On the top" (Exodus 17:9) — I will invoke the merit of the fathers of the world, as it is said, "From the top of the rocks I see him" (Numbers 23:9). "Of the hill" (Exodus 17:9) — I will invoke the merit of the mothers, as it is said, "And from the hills I behold him" (Numbers 23:9). "And the staff of God in my hand" (Exodus 17:9) — which has seventy names upon it. Joshua said: How many great ones are here in this generation — Aaron and Hur and the seventy elders — and Moses commanded none but me? He did not command me over the people, but because he saw that Amalek would fall by my hand. "And Joshua did as Moses had said to him, to fight with Amalek" (Exodus 17:10). "And Moses and Aaron and Hur went up to the top of the hill" (Exodus 17:10) — from here we learn that three are needed to go down before the ark: the prayer-leader, and two who assist. "And Joshua weakened" (Exodus 17:13). Our rabbis said: He cast lots over them, as you say, "And as they cast lots over the portions" (Nahum 3:10). Four names are given to the lot — chalash, pur, goral, chevel — and by all of them the sons of Esau were stricken. By chalash Amalek was stricken, as it is said, "And Joshua weakened" (chalash) (Exodus 17:13). By goral and by pur Haman was stricken, as it is said, "He cast pur, that is, the lot, before Haman" (Esther 3:7). By chevel Edom is destined to be stricken, as it is said, "The pangs (chevlei) of a woman in travail shall come upon him" (Hosea 13:13). Therefore it is said, "And Joshua weakened" (Exodus 17:13). And when Jethro heard all these miracles that the Holy One, blessed be He, did in Egypt and against Amalek, at once he came and converted; therefore it is said, "Strike a scoffer, and the simple will become prudent" (Proverbs 19:25). What was his reward? His sons merited to sit in the Chamber of Hewn Stone and to be counted among Israel, as it is said, "The families of scribes who dwelt at Jabez: Tirathites, Shimeathites, Sucathites" (1 Chronicles 2:55). It is written, "Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17), and another verse says, "You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother" (Deuteronomy 23:8). Come and see that the measure of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like the measure of flesh and blood. The measure of flesh and blood: if one's fellow does him a wrong, it never departs from his heart. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. Israel were enslaved in Egypt, as it is said, "And they made their lives bitter with hard labor" (Exodus 1:14), and when Israel went out from Egypt, Amalek came from the seed of the wicked Esau and did Israel many evils; even so the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother" (Deuteronomy 23:8). Rabbi Levi said: To what is the matter like? To a king who made a feast and had two enemies, and he invited them and said to the guests, "Receive these enemies of mine with a cheerful countenance." And so they did. After they had eaten and drunk, the enemies took iron rods and began to demolish the palace of the king. The king said, "Was it not enough that I commanded that you be honored, but you demolish my palace and do not recognize the honor I did you?" He took them out and impaled them, one opposite the other. So you find: after all the evils Egypt and Edom did to Israel, He commanded concerning them, "You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother; you shall not abhor an Egyptian" (Deuteronomy 23:8). Yet they rose and demolished His house, as it is said, "Remember, O LORD, against the children of Edom" (Psalms 137:7), and it is written, "Egypt gave the hand" (Lamentations 5:6). Israel said, "Master of the world, see what those have done to us of whom it is written, You shall not abhor an Edomite, for he is your brother." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Impale them, one opposite the other," as it is said, "Egypt shall be a desolation, and Edom a desolate wilderness" (Joel 4:19). Therefore it is said, "Remember" (Deuteronomy 25:17). "Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17). "May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD" (Psalms 109:14). Were the fathers of Esau wicked? Were they not wholly righteous — Abraham his grandfather, Isaac his father? And yet you say, "May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered"? Rather, the sin that he sinned against his fathers. And what sin did he sin against his fathers? You find that Isaac came from the strength of Abraham. Isaac lived a hundred and eighty years; Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years. Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Aibu, Rabbi Pinhas in the name of Rabbi Levi: Within the five years that were withheld from the life of Abraham, the wicked Esau committed two grave transgressions — he violated a betrothed maiden and he murdered. This is what is written, "And Esau came in from the field" (Genesis 25:29), and "field" means none other than a betrothed maiden, as it is said, "And if a man find a betrothed maiden in the field" (Deuteronomy 22:25). "And he was faint" (Genesis 25:29) — "faint" means none other than a murderer, as it is said, "For my soul is faint before the slayers" (Jeremiah 4:31). Rabbi Zakkai the Great said: Also he stole. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I promised Abraham, 'You shall go to your fathers in peace' (Genesis 15:15)" — and is this the good old age, that he should see his grandson uncovering nakedness and shedding blood and stealing? And is this the good old age? Better for that righteous one to be gathered in peace, "for Your lovingkindness is better than life" (Psalms 63:4). And what sin did he sin against his father? He caused his eyes to dim. From here they said: Whoever raises a wicked son or a wicked disciple, his eyes will in the end grow dim. A wicked son — from our father Isaac: "And it came to pass when Isaac was old, that his eyes were dim from seeing" (Genesis 27:1); why? Because he raised Esau, a wicked son. A wicked disciple — from Ahijah the Shilonite: "And Ahijah could not see, for his eyes were set by reason of his age" (1 Kings 14:4); why? Because he raised a wicked disciple — and who is this? Jeroboam son of Nebat, who sinned and caused Israel to sin; therefore his eyes grew dim. And what sin did he sin against his mother? Rabbi Tanhum bar Abun and Rabbi Yudah and Rabbi Nehemiah and the rabbis. Rabbi Yudah said: When he came out from his mother's womb he severed her uterus so that she could not give birth, as it is written, "Because he pursued his brother with the sword and cast off all pity" (Amos 1:11). Rabbi Berekhiah said: Lest you say it was after he came out from his mother's womb, rather while he was still in his mother's womb he stretched himself out against her. And what is the reason? "The wicked are estranged from the womb; they go astray from birth" (Psalms 58:4). Rabbi Nehemiah said: He caused her not to raise up twelve tribes, for Rav Huna said: Rebekah was fit to raise up twelve tribes, from this verse: "And the LORD said to her, Two nations are in your womb" (Genesis 25:23) — that is two; "and two peoples shall be separated from your bowels" — that is four; "and one people shall be stronger than the other people" — that is six; "and the elder shall serve the younger" — that is eight; "and when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb" (Genesis 25:24) — that is ten; "and the first came out red" (Genesis 25:25), "and after that came his brother out" (Genesis 25:26) — that is twelve. And some derive it from this verse: "And she said, If it be so, why am I thus (zeh)?" (Genesis 25:22) — this "zeh": zayin is seven, heh is five, behold twelve. And the rabbis said: He caused her bier not to go out in public. You find that when Rebekah died they said, "Who shall go out before her? Abraham is dead; Isaac sits in the house with his eyes dim; Jacob has fled from before Esau; shall the wicked Esau go out before her, so that people say, Cursed are the breasts that suckled such a one?" What did they do? They brought her out at night. Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Hanina said: And because her bier did not go out in public, Scripture too did not explain her death but only by indirection, as it is written, "And Deborah, Rebekah's nurse, died" (Genesis 35:8), "and the name of it was called Allon Bakhut" (Genesis 35:8). What is Allon? Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: It is a Greek word; allon means "another," Allon Bakhut, two weepings. While Jacob sat keeping the mourning of his nurse, news of his mother came to him; this is what is written, "And God appeared to Jacob again, when he came from Paddan-aram, and blessed him" (Genesis 35:9). What blessing did He bless him with? Rabbi Aha in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: He blessed him with the blessing of mourners. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: His father parted from him in evil; his mother parted from him in evil; his brother parted from him in evil; his grandfather parted from him in evil; you parted from him in evil; I too will part from him in evil. Let them mention his name below and I will blot out his name above, "Let them be before the LORD continually, that He may cut off the memory of them from the earth" (Psalms 109:15). "Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17).

Rabbi Tanhum bar Rabbi Hanilai opened: "Your memorials are like ashes, your defenses are defenses of clay" (Job 13:12). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, those two rememberings that I wrote down for you in the Torah, be careful with them — "You shall blot out the memory of Amalek" (Deuteronomy 25:19), "For I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek" (Exodus 17:14). "Like ashes" (mishlei efer, read as mishulei be-efer, "compared in ashes") — if you are worthy, behold you are the children of Abraham, who compared himself to ashes: "And I am but dust and ashes" (Genesis 18:27). And if not, "your defenses are defenses of clay" (Job 13:12) — prepare yourselves for the bondage of Egypt; for what is written of Egypt? "And they made their lives bitter with hard labor, with clay" (Exodus 1:14).

Rabbi Yudah in the name of Rabbi Aibu opened: "Do not be like the horse or the mule, without understanding" (Psalms 32:9). Six things are said of the horse: it eats much and produces little; it loves harlotry; it loves war; it spurns sleep; and its spirit is haughty. And some say: it even kills its master in war. "Do not be like the horse or the mule" (Psalms 32:9) — this horse, you bridle it and it resists, you rub it down and it resists, you adorn it and it resists, you feed it barley and it resists, you draw near to it and it resists. You, do not be so. Rather, be careful to repay good to the good one and to repay evil to the evil one. To repay good to the good one: "You shall not abhor an Edomite" (Deuteronomy 23:8). To repay evil to the evil one: "Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17).

Rabbi Binai in the name of Rabbi Huna opened: "Scales of deceit are an abomination to the LORD, but a perfect weight is His delight" (Proverbs 11:1). Rabbi Binai said in the name of Rabbi Huna: If you see a generation whose measures are of falsehood, know that the kingdom is coming to provoke that generation. And what is the reason? "Scales of deceit are an abomination to the LORD" (Proverbs 11:1) — what is written after it? "When insolence comes, then comes shame" (Proverbs 11:2). Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: It is written, "Shall I be pure with wicked scales and with a bag of deceitful weights?" (Micah 6:11). "Shall I be pure with wicked scales" — is it possible that one whose measures are of falsehood should be accounted pure? Rather, "with a bag of deceitful weights." Rabbi Levi said: Moses too hinted this to Israel from the Torah: "You shall not have in your bag a weight and a weight, a large and a small; you shall not have in your house a measure and a measure, a large and a small" (Deuteronomy 25:13-14). If you do this, know that the kingdom is coming to provoke that generation. And what is the reason? "For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD" (Deuteronomy 25:16) — what is written after it? "Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17).

Rabbi Levi opened: "You have rebuked the nations, You have destroyed the wicked, You have blotted out their name forever and ever" (Psalms 9:6). "You have rebuked the nations" — this is Amalek, of whom it is written, "Amalek was the first of the nations" (Numbers 24:20). "You have destroyed the wicked one" — this is the wicked Esau, of whom it is written, "And they shall call them the borders of wickedness" (Malachi 1:4). If a person should say to you that Jacob too is included, say to him: "You have destroyed the wicked one" — it is not written "the wicked ones," but "the wicked one," that is, the wicked Esau. "You have blotted out their name forever and ever" (Psalms 9:6) — "You shall blot out the memory of Amalek" (Deuteronomy 25:19).

"And return to our neighbors sevenfold into their bosom" (Psalms 79:12). Rabbi Yudah bar Guria said: Let Him remember on their behalf what they did to us regarding the covenant of circumcision, which was given into the bosom of Abraham. This agrees with what Rabbi Hanina bar Shalka, Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, and Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: What did the house of Amalek do? They would cut off the marks of circumcision of Israel and fling them upward, saying, "You chose this; here is what You chose." And Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Let Him remember on their behalf what they did to us regarding the Torah, of which it is written, "refined sevenfold" (Psalms 12:7); so shall You return to them recompense sevenfold into their bosom. And the Rabbis said: Let Him remember on their behalf what they did to us regarding the Sanctuary, which is set in the bosom of the world, as Rav Huna said, "And from the bottom upon the ground to the lower ledge shall be two cubits" (Ezekiel 43:14). And Samuel came and exacted the punishment from them: "And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the LORD in Gilgal" (1 Samuel 15:33). What did he do to him? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: He cut from his flesh olive-sized pieces and fed them to the ostriches, as it is written, "It shall devour the limbs of his body, the firstborn of death shall devour his limbs" (Job 18:13); he chose for him a bitter death. And the Rabbis said: He set up four stakes and stretched him over them, and Agag was saying, "Surely the bitterness of death is at hand" (1 Samuel 15:32); so are the princes put to death by harsh deaths. Rabbi Shmuel bar Avidmi said: He judged him by the law of the nations of the world, without witnesses and without warning. Rabbi Yitzhak said: He castrated him, "And Samuel said, As your sword has bereaved women, so shall your mother be bereaved among women" (1 Samuel 15:33) — meaning the mother of that man. Rabbi Levi said: Moses too hinted of it to Israel from the Torah: "When men strive together, one and his brother... then you shall cut off her hand, your eye shall not pity" (Deuteronomy 25:11-12). What is written immediately after? "Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17).

"Remember" (Deuteronomy 25:17). Rabbi Berekhiah said: You say to us, "Remember"? You remember! With us forgetfulness is common, but You, before whom there is no forgetting — You be the one to "remember for him what he did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17). Rabbi Yitzhak said: To us He said "do," to him He did not — "Remember, O LORD, against the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem" (Psalms 137:7). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: It means "lay it bare, lay it bare," as in the verse, "The broad wall of Babylon shall be utterly overthrown" (Jeremiah 51:58). Rabbi Levi said: it means "empty it out, empty it out," as in the verse, "And she hurried and emptied her pitcher into the trough" (Genesis 24:20). According to the view of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana, who said "lay it bare," the phrase "to the foundation in it" (Psalms 137:7) means: they reached its very foundation. According to the view of Rabbi Levi, who said "empty it out," the phrase "to the foundation in it" means: they uncovered its very foundation.

"Amalek" (Deuteronomy 25:17). [Read it as] "am yalek" [a people that licks up], swarming like a locust. Another interpretation: "am lak" [a people that laps] — a nation that came to lap up the blood of Israel like a dog. Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Halafta: To what was Amalek like? To a fly that is greedy after a wound; so was Amalek greedy after Israel, like a dog. It was taught in the name of Rabbi Natan: Four hundred parasangs did Amalek stride to come and make war with Israel at Rephidim.

"On the way, as you came out of Egypt" (Deuteronomy 25:17). Rabbi Levi said: He came upon you from the road like a bandit. This is like a king who had a vineyard, and he surrounded it with a fence and set within it a biting dog. The king said: Whoever comes and breaches the fence, let the dog bite him. The king's own son came and breached the fence, and the dog bit him. And whenever the king wished to call to mind the sin of his son — what he had done within the vineyard — he would say to him, "Remember how the dog bit you." So too, whenever the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to call to mind the sin of Israel — what they did at Rephidim when they said, "Is the LORD among us or not?" (Exodus 17:7) — He says to them, "Remember what Amalek did to you" (Deuteronomy 25:17).

"Who chanced upon you on the way" (Deuteronomy 25:18). Rabbi Yudah, Rabbi Nehemiah, and the Rabbis [each explained]. Rabbi Yudah said: "karekha" [chanced upon you] means he defiled you, as in the verse, "if there be among you a man who is not clean by reason of a nocturnal occurrence [mikreh]" (Deuteronomy 23:11). And Rabbi Nehemiah said: "karekha" means he literally encountered you. What did Amalek do? He went down to the archive house of Egypt and took the registers of the tribes, on which their names were inscribed. He came and stood outside the cloud and called out, "Reuben! Simeon! Levi and Judah! I am your brother; come out, for I wish to do business with you." And as soon as one of them came out, he would kill him. And the Rabbis said: He cooled them off before the nations of the world. Rabbi Hunia said: It is like a scalding-hot bath into which no creature could descend, and one worthless man came and leaped down into it. Even though he was scalded, he cooled it off for others. So too, from the time Israel went out of Egypt, dread of them fell upon all the nations of the world, "Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed... terror and dread fell upon them" (Exodus 15:15-16); but once Amalek came and engaged them — even though he got what he deserved at their hands — still he cooled them off before the nations of the world.

"And he smote your tail" (Deuteronomy 25:18) — he struck you with a blow of the tail. This agrees with what Rabbi Hanina bar Shalka, Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin, and Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: What did the house of Amalek do? They would cut off the marks of circumcision of Israel and fling them upward, saying, "You chose this; here is what You chose." Since Israel did not know what the nature of the membrum was, but rather "behold, they put the branch to their nose" (Ezekiel 8:17) [a gesture of contempt directed upward against Heaven]; and once Amalek came, he taught it to them. And from whom did Amalek learn it? From Esau his grandfather, of whom it is written, "Is he not rightly named Jacob [Ya'akov]?" (Genesis 25:26) — [reading the name as if] he rubbed his throat and drew out the abusive sneer.

"All the faint ones behind you" (Deuteronomy 25:18). Rabbi Yudah, Rabbi Nehemiah, and the Rabbis [each explained]. Rabbi Yudah said: whoever grew lax was cast out. And Rabbi Nehemiah said: whoever the cloud expelled was cast out. And the Rabbis said: this refers to the tribe of Dan, whom the cloud expelled, for they were all worshipping idols. Another interpretation: "all the faint ones [ha-nehshalim] behind you" (Deuteronomy 25:18) — Rabbi Yitzhak said: all those who whispered [ha-melahashim] behind you. Rabbi Yudah, Rabbi Nehemiah, and the Rabbis [each explained]. Rabbi Yudah said: they said, "If He is master over all His works as He is master over us, we will serve Him; and if not, we will rebel against Him." And Rabbi Nehemiah said: they said, "If He supplies our food as a king who dwells in a province and the province lacks for nothing, we will serve Him; and if not, we will rebel against Him." And the Rabbis said: they said, "If we speak in our hearts and He knows what we are speaking, we will serve Him; and if not, we will rebel against Him." Rabbi Berekhiah said in the name of Rabbi Levi: In their hearts they spoke, and the Holy One granted their request. What is the proof? "And they tested God in their heart by asking food for their craving" (Psalms 78:18). What is written there [afterward]? "So they ate and were well filled, for He gave them what they craved" (Psalms 78:29).

"And you were faint and weary" (Deuteronomy 25:18) — faint from thirst and weary from the road. "And he did not fear God" (Deuteronomy 25:18). Rabbi Pinhas said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman: It is a tradition of the aggadah that the seed of Esau falls only by the hand of the children of Rachel, as it is written, "Surely the little ones of the flock shall drag them away" (Jeremiah 49:20). And why does he call them "the little ones of the flock"? Because they were the youngest of the tribes. Of this one [Joseph] it is written "na'ar" [youth], and of that one [Esau's descendant] it is written "katan" [small]. Of this one it is written "na'ar": "and he was a youth" (Genesis 37:2). And of that one it is written "katan": "behold, I have made you small among the nations" (Obadiah 1:2). This one [Joseph] grew up between two righteous people and did not act according to their deeds; and that one [Esau] grew up between two wicked people and did not act according to their deeds — let this one come and fall by the hand of that one. This one [Joseph] was mindful of the honor of his Maker, and that one despised the honor of his Maker — let this one come and fall by the hand of that one. And of that one it is written, "and he did not fear God" (Deuteronomy 25:18), and of this one [Joseph] it is written, "I fear God" (Genesis 42:18) — let this one come and fall by the hand of that one.

"And it shall be, when the LORD your God has given you rest from all your enemies" and so on (Deuteronomy 25:19). Rabbi Azariah and Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon, in the name of Rabbi Judah son of Ilai: Concerning three things Israel were commanded when they entered the land: to appoint a king over themselves, to build for themselves the Chosen House, as it says, "And let them make Me a sanctuary" and so on (Exodus 25:8), and to blot out the memory of Amalek.

[15] Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi in the name of Rabbi Alexandri: One verse says, "You shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek" (Deuteronomy 25:19), and another verse says, "For I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek" (Exodus 17:14). How can these two verses be reconciled? Before he stretched out his hand against the Throne, "you shall blot out Amalek"; but once he stretched out his hand against the Throne, "I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek." But is it possible for flesh and blood to stretch out his hand against the Throne of the Holy One, blessed be He? Rather, it was because he was poised to destroy Jerusalem, of which it is written, "At that time they shall call Jerusalem the Throne of the LORD" (Jeremiah 3:17); therefore, "for I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven" (Exodus, ibid.).

"And he said: For a hand is upon the throne of the LORD; the LORD will have war with Amalek" (Exodus 17:16). It was taught in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: The Holy One, blessed be He, swore an oath: "By My right hand, by My right hand; by My throne, by My throne": that if converts come from all the nations of the world, I will accept them, but from the seed of Amalek I will never accept them. David too acted thus, as it says, "And David said to the young man who told him: From where are you? And he said: I am the son of a stranger, an Amalekite" (2 Samuel 1:13). Rabbi Isaac said: He was Doeg the Edomite. "And David said to him: Your blood be upon your head" (2 Samuel 1:16). Rabbi Isaac said: It is written "your bloods" [in the plural]; he said to him: Much blood you spilled at Nob, the city of priests. "From generation" (Exodus 17:16). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: What is "generation, generation"? I will pursue after him for generations of generations. Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua and Rabbi Yose: Rabbi Eliezer said, from the generation of Moses until the generation of Samuel. Rabbi Joshua said, from the generation of Samuel until the generation of Mordecai and Esther. Rabbi Yose said, from the generation of Mordecai and Esther until the generation of the King Messiah, which is three generations. And from where do we know that the generation of the King Messiah is three generations? As it is written, "They shall fear You with the sun, and before the moon, generation of generations" (Psalms 72:5): "generation," one; "generations," two; behold, three. Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: As long as the seed of Amalek exists in the world, it is, as it were, as though a wing covers the face; once the seed of Amalek is destroyed from the world, "your Teacher will no longer hide Himself, and your eyes shall see your Teacher" (Isaiah 30:20). Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Huna son of Rabbi Hanina: As long as the seed of Amalek exists in the world, neither is the Name whole nor is the throne whole; once the seed of Amalek is destroyed from the world, the Name is whole and the throne is whole. And what is the reason? "The enemy is finished, ruins forever, and cities You have uprooted; their very memory is perished" (Psalms 9:7), and what is written after it? "But the LORD sits enthroned forever; He has established His throne for judgment" (Psalms 9:8). The portion is concluded.

The Red Heifer. "Who can bring a pure thing out of an impure? Not one" (Job 14:4). For example, Abraham from Terah, Hezekiah from Ahaz, Mordecai from Shimei, Israel from the nations, the World to Come from this world. Who did this? Who commanded this? Who decreed this? "Not one" [lo echad]: was it not the Only One [yechido] of the world? There we learned: a bright spot the size of a split bean is impure; if it spread over the whole body, it is pure. Who did this? Who commanded this? Who decreed this? Was it not the Only One of the world? There we learned: a woman whose child died within her womb, and the midwife reached in her hand and touched it, the midwife contracts seven-day impurity, while the woman remains pure until the child emerges. A corpse in a house: the house is pure; once it has left, it is impure. Who did this? Who commanded this? Who decreed this? "Not one": was it not the Only One of the world? And we learned there: all who are occupied with the heifer from beginning to end render their garments impure, yet it itself purifies the impure. Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: A statute I have engraved, a decree I have decreed, and you are not permitted to transgress My decree, "This is the statute of the Torah which the LORD commanded, saying" (Numbers 19:2).

Rabbi Tanhum son of Hanilai opened: "The words of the LORD are pure words, silver refined in a crucible on the earth, purified sevenfold" (Psalms 12:7). Rabbi Tanhum son of Hanilai said: The words of the LORD are pure words; the words of the Holy One, blessed be He, are [true] words, but the words of flesh and blood are not [reliable] words. In the way of the world, a mortal king enters a province, and the people of the province praise him, and their praise is pleasing to him, and he says to them: Tomorrow I will build you bathhouses, tomorrow I will bring you a water channel; then he goes to sleep and never rises again. Where is he, and where are his promises? But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so; rather, "the LORD God is truth" (Jeremiah 10:10). What is "truth"? Rabbi Abun said: that He is the living God and eternal King (Jeremiah 10:10). "Pure": Rabbi Judah in the name of Rabbi Yohanan, and Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Eleazar, and Rabbi Jacob of Kefar Hanin, and some say it in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi: We find that the Holy One, blessed be He, bent two or three words in the Torah so as not to bring forth an impure expression from His mouth, as it is written, "Of every clean animal take to yourself seven" (Genesis 7:2), but of the animal that is impure it is not written here "impure," rather "that is not clean, two, a male and its mate" (Genesis 7:2). Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Menasheh said: And when He came to set out for them the signs of the impure animal, He opened only with the signs of the clean animal: "the camel, because it does not part the hoof" is not written thus, but rather "because it brings up the cud" (Leviticus 11:4); "the rock-badger, because it does not part the hoof" is not written thus, but rather "because it brings up the cud" (Leviticus 11:5); "the hare, because it does not part the hoof" is not written thus, but rather "because it brings up the cud" (Leviticus 11:6); "the pig, because it does not bring up the cud" is not written thus, but rather "because it parts the hoof" (Leviticus 11:7). Rabbi Yose of Maliha, Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: Little children in the days of David, before they had tasted the taste of sin, knew how to expound the Torah in forty-nine faces of impurity and forty-nine faces of purity. And David would pray over them and say, "You, O LORD, will guard them" (Psalms 12:8): guard their Torah within their hearts; "You will preserve him from this generation forever" (Psalms 12:8): from that generation that is liable to destruction. And after all this praise, they would go out to war and fall, because there were informers among them; therefore they went out to war and fell. This is what David said: "My soul is among lions; I lie among those who blaze" and so on (Psalms 57:5). "My soul is among lions": these are Abner and Amasa, who were lions in Torah. "I lie among those who blaze": these are Doeg and Ahithophel, who blazed after slander. "Men whose teeth are spears and arrows" (Psalms 57:5): these are the men of Keilah, as it is written, "Will the masters of Keilah hand me over, me and my men?" and so on (1 Samuel 23:12). "And their tongue a sharp sword" (Psalms 57:5): these are the Ziphites, as it is written, "When the Ziphites came and said to Saul" and so on (Psalms 54:2). At that hour David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the worlds, what is the Divine Presence doing on earth? "Be exalted above the heavens, O God" (Psalms 57:6); remove Your Presence from among them. But the generation of Ahab were all idol-worshippers, and because there were no informers among them, they would go out to war and conquer. This is what Obadiah said to Elijah: "Was it not told to my lord what I did when Jezebel killed the prophets of the LORD?" and so on (1 Kings 18:13); if bread, why water? Rather, this teaches that the water was harder for him to bring than the bread. And Elijah proclaimed at the head of Carmel and said, "I alone am left a prophet to the LORD" (1 Kings 18:22), and all the people knew it and did not make it known to the king. Rabbi Samuel son of Nahman said: They say to the serpent: Why are you found among the fences? It said to them: Because I am the one who breached the fence of the world. Why do you go along with your tongue darting? It said to them: Because it caused me [my downfall]. Why do all beasts and animals bite without killing, while you bite and kill? It said to them: "If the serpent bites without a whisper" (Ecclesiastes 10:11); is it possible that I do anything unless I am told from on high? And why do you bite one limb and all the limbs feel it? It said to them: To me you say this? Say it to the master of the tongue, who speaks here and kills in Rome. And why is its name called "the third one"? Because it kills three: the one who speaks it, the one who receives it, and the one of whom it is spoken. And in the days of Saul it killed four: Doeg who spoke it, Saul who received it, Ahimelech of whom it was spoken, and Abner. Why was Abner killed? Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, and the rabbis. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: because he put his own name before David's name, as it is written, "And Abner sent messengers to David on his behalf, saying: Whose is the land?" (2 Samuel 3:12); he wrote "From Abner to David." And Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: because he made the blood of young men into sport, as it is written, "And Abner said to Joab: Let the young men arise and make sport before us" (2 Samuel 2:14). And the rabbis said: because he did not wait for Saul to be reconciled with David, when he said, "And my father, see, yes see, the corner of your robe" and so on (1 Samuel 24:11); Abner said to him: What do you want from this fellow? You caught it on a thorn. And when they came near to the encampment, David said, "Will you not answer, Abner?" (1 Samuel 26:14): you said about the corner that it caught on a thorn; how then did the spear and the water-jug catch on a thorn? And some say: because it was within his power to protest against the slaughter of Nob, the city of priests, and he did not protest. Rabbi Hanan son of Pazi expounded the verse with regard to the portion of the heifer, which has in it sets of seven and seven: seven heifers, seven burnings, seven sprinklings, seven washings, seven impure, seven pure, seven priests. If a person says to you they are fewer, say to him: Moses and Aaron too were included, "And the LORD spoke to Moses and to Aaron, saying: This is the statute of the Torah" (Numbers 19:1, 2).

Rabbi Isaac opened: "All this I tested with wisdom; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me" (Ecclesiastes 7:23). It is written, "And God gave Solomon wisdom and very great understanding" and so on (1 Kings 5:9). Rabbi Levi and the rabbis. The rabbis said: He gave him wisdom equal to all of Israel. Rabbi Levi said: Just as this sand is a fence for the sea, so was wisdom a fence for Solomon. He stated a matter: knowledge you have acquired, what do you lack? Knowledge you lack, what have you acquired? "A breached city without a wall" and so on (Proverbs 25:28): like a breached city that has no wall, so is a man who has no restraint over his spirit. It is written, "And Solomon's wisdom exceeded the wisdom of all the people of the East" and so on (1 Kings 5:10). And what was the wisdom of the people of the East? That they were knowledgeable in the stars and clever with birds. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel said: In three matters I praise the people of the East: they do not kiss on the mouth but on the hand, they do not bite into bread but cut it with a knife, and they take counsel only in an open place, as it is said of our father Jacob, "And Jacob sent and called Rachel and Leah to the field, to his flock" (Genesis 31:4), to an open place. "And than all the wisdom of Egypt" (1 Kings 5:10). And what was the wisdom of the Egyptians? You find that when Solomon wished to build the Temple, he sent to Pharaoh Necho and said to him: Send me craftsmen for wages, for I wish to build the Temple. What did he do? He gathered all his astrologers, and they foresaw men who were destined to die that year, and he sent them to him. When they came to Solomon, he foresaw by the holy spirit that they were destined to die that year, and he gave them their shrouds and sent them back, and wrote to him: Did you have no shrouds to bury your dead? Here they are, and here are their shrouds. "And he was wiser than all men" (1 Kings 5:11), this is the first Adam. And what was the wisdom of the first Adam? You find that when the Holy One, blessed be He, wished to create the first Adam, He took counsel with the ministering angels and said to them, "Let us make a human" (Genesis 1:26). They said before Him: Master of the worlds, "what is a human that You should remember him, and a son of man that You should be mindful of him?" (Psalms 8:5). He said to them: This human whom I wish to create in My world, his wisdom is greater than yours. What did He do? He gathered every beast and animal and bird and passed them before them and said to them: What are the names of these? And they did not know. Once He created the first Adam, He gathered every beast and animal and bird and passed them before him and said to him: What are the names of these? And he said: This one it is fitting to call horse, this one it is fitting to call lion, this one camel, this one ox, this one eagle, this one donkey, as it is written, "And the human gave names to all the cattle" and so on (Genesis 2:20). He said to him: And you, what is your name? He said to Him: Adam. He said: Why? Because I was created from the ground [adamah]. He said to him: And I, what is My name? He said to Him: the LORD. He said: Why? He said to Him: Because You are Lord [adon] over all Your creatures. Rabbi Aha said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I am the LORD, that is My name" (Isaiah 42:8): it is My name that the first Adam called Me, it is My name that I stipulated between Myself and Myself, it is My name that I stipulated between Myself and the ministering angels. "Ethan," this is our father Abraham, as it is written, "A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite" (Psalms 89:1). "Heman" (1 Kings 5:11), this is Moses, "Not so My servant Moses" and so on (Numbers 12:7). "And Kalkol" (1 Kings 5:11), this is Joseph, "And Joseph sustained [vaykhalkel] his father" and so on (Genesis 47:12). The Egyptians said: Did this slave become king over us only by his wisdom? What did they do? They took seventy tablets and wrote on them seventy languages and would throw them before him, and he would read each one in its language; and moreover, he would speak in the holy tongue, which they could not understand, as it is written, "A testimony in Joseph He appointed it, when he went out over the land of Egypt" and so on (Psalms 81:6). "And Darda" (1 Kings 5:11), this is the generation of the wilderness; and why is it called Darda? Because they were all full of knowledge [de'ah]. "Sons of Mahol" (1 Kings 5:11), these are Israel, children whom the Divine Presence forgave [machal] for the deed of the calf. "And he spoke three thousand parables" and so on (1 Kings 5:12). Rabbi Samuel son of Nahman said: We went through all of Scripture and did not find that Solomon prophesied more than close to eight hundred verses, yet you say three thousand parables? Rather, this teaches that every single verse he prophesied has in it two or three meanings, as you say, "A golden ring and an ornament of fine gold" (Proverbs 25:12). And the rabbis said: three thousand parables on each verse, and one thousand and five meanings on each parable; "And his song was" is not written, but rather "And his song [shiro] was" (1 Kings 5:12), the remainder [shiyuro] of the parable. "And he spoke about the trees" (1 Kings 5:13). Is it possible for a person to speak about the trees, "from the cedar that is in Lebanon to the hyssop that comes out of the wall" (1 Kings 5:13)? Rather, Solomon said: Why is this leper purified by the highest of the high and the lowest of the low? Because if a person exalts himself like a cedar, he is stricken with leprosy, and once he lowers himself like hyssop, he is healed with hyssop. "And he spoke about the beasts and about the birds" (1 Kings 5:13). Is it possible for a person to speak about the beasts and the birds? Rather, Solomon said: Why is the beast permitted with two signs and the bird permitted with one sign? Because the beast was created from the dry land, while concerning the bird one verse says from the dry land and one verse says from the sea: one verse says from the dry land, "And the LORD God formed from the ground every beast of the field" and so on (Genesis 2:19); and one verse says from the sea, "And God said, let the waters swarm" and so on (Genesis 1:20). Bar Kappara said: the bird was created from the mud of the sea. Rabbi Abun in the name of Rabbi Samuel of Cappadocia: even so, the feet of the rooster resemble the scales of a fish. "And about the creeping things" (1 Kings 5:13). Is it possible for a person to speak about the creeping things? Rather, Solomon said: Why is one who traps or wounds the eight creeping things stated in the Torah liable, while one who wounds the rest of the swarming and creeping things is exempt? Because these have hides. "And about the fish" (1 Kings 5:13). Is it possible for a person to speak about the fish? Rather, Solomon said: Why do beast and animal and bird require slaughter, while fish do not require slaughter? Jacob, a man of Kefar Gibboraya, ruled in Tyre that fish require slaughter. Rabbi Haggai heard and sent and brought him. He said to him: From where do you derive this? He said to him: From this, as it is written, "And God said, let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and birds" (Genesis 1:20); just as the bird requires slaughter, so the fish require slaughter. He said: Stretch him out to be flogged. He said: A man who speaks a matter of Torah is flogged? He said to him: You did not derive it well. He said to him: What is it? He said to him: From this, as it is written, "Shall flocks and herds be slaughtered for them, and it suffice for them?" (Numbers 11:22); if it had said "shall all the fish of the sea be slaughtered for them," it would be as you say, but it says, "shall they be gathered for them, and it suffice for them" (Numbers 11:22). He said to him: Strike your blows well, for it is good in measure. Jacob of Kefar Naboraya ruled in Tyre that the son of a non-Jewish woman may be circumcised on the Sabbath. Rabbi Haggai heard and sent and brought him. He said to him: From where do you derive this? He said to him: From this, as it is written, "And they declared their pedigrees by their families, by their fathers' houses" (Numbers 1:18), and it is written, "And at eight days old every male among you shall be circumcised" and so on (Genesis 17:12). He said: Stretch him out to be flogged. He said: A man who speaks a matter of Torah is flogged? He said to him: You did not derive it well. He said to him: From where? He said to him: Lie down and listen. He said to him: If a Gentile comes to you and says, I wish to become a Jew on condition that I be circumcised on the Sabbath day or on the fast day of the Day of Atonement, do we desecrate it for him? He said: We do not desecrate the Sabbath and the Day of Atonement except for the son of an Israelite alone. He said to him: From where? He said to him: From this, as it is written, "And now let us make a covenant with our God to put away all the wives and those born from them" and so on (Ezra 10:3). He said to him: And from the Writings you flog me? He said to him: It is written there, "And let it be done according to the Torah" (Ezra 10:3). He said to him: According to which Torah? He said to him: According to what Rabbi Yohanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai, "You shall not intermarry with them, your daughter you shall not give to his son" and so on, "for he will turn away your son from following Me" and so on (Deuteronomy 7:3, 4); your son from an Israelite woman is called your son, your son from a Gentile woman is not called your son. He said to him: Strike your blows well, for it is good in measure. Solomon said: All these I grasped, but this portion of the heifer, when I touched it, I expounded it and investigated it; I said, I will be wise, but it was far from me (Ecclesiastes 7:23).

"Who is like the wise, and who knows the meaning of a matter? A man's wisdom lights up his face" and so on (Ecclesiastes 8:1). "Who is like the wise," this is the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it is written, "The LORD by wisdom founded the earth, He established the heavens with understanding" (Proverbs 3:19). "And who knows the meaning of a matter," who explained the Torah to Israel. "A man's wisdom lights up his face" (Ecclesiastes 8:1): Rabbi Yudan said: Great is the power of the prophets, who liken the form of the Mighty One above to the form of a man, "And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of the Ulai" (Daniel 8:16). Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon said: There is another verse clearer than this one, "And upon the likeness of the throne was a likeness like the appearance of a man" (Ezekiel 1:26). "And the strength of his face is changed" (Ecclesiastes 8:1): that He changes from the measure of justice to the measure of mercy upon Israel. Another interpretation: "Who is like the wise" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), this is the first Adam, of whom it is written, "You seal up the measure, full of wisdom and perfect in beauty" (Ezekiel 28:12). "And who knows the meaning of a matter" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), who set out names for everything, "And the human gave names" and so on (Genesis 2:20). "A man's wisdom lights up his face" (Ecclesiastes 8:1): Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya: the heel of the first Adam dimmed the orb of the sun. And do not wonder: in the way of the world, a man makes himself two platters, one for himself and one for a member of his household; for whom does he make the finer one? Is it not his own? So the first Adam was created for the service of the Holy One, blessed be He, while the orb of the sun was created for the service of the creatures; all the more so that the heel of the first Adam should dim the orb of the sun. And if the heel of the first Adam dimmed the orb of the sun, his very countenance how much more so. Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Hama son of Rabbi Hanina: thirteen canopies the Holy One, blessed be He, bound for him in the Garden of Eden, as it is written, "In Eden, the garden of God, you were; every precious stone was your covering" and so on (Ezekiel 28:13). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: eleven; and the rabbis said: ten. And they do not disagree: the one who counts thirteen takes "every precious stone was your covering" as three, and the one who counts eleven takes it as one, and the one who counts ten does not take one of them. And after all this praise, "for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). "And the strength of his face is changed" (Ecclesiastes 8:1): when he said, "The woman whom You gave to be with me" and so on (Genesis 3:12), the Holy One too changed his face and drove him from the Garden of Eden, as it is written, "He changes his face and sends him away" (Job 14:20), "And the LORD God sent him out of the Garden of Eden" and so on (Genesis 3:23). Another interpretation: "Who is like the wise" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), these are Israel, of whom it is written, "Surely a wise and understanding people is this great nation" (Deuteronomy 4:6). "And who knows the meaning of a matter" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), who know how to expound the Torah in forty-nine faces of impurity and forty-nine faces of purity. "A man's wisdom lights up his face" (Ecclesiastes 8:1): Rabbi Zakkai of Shav in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman: You find that when Israel stood at Mount Sinai and said, "All that the LORD has spoken we will do and we will hear" (Exodus 24:7), He gave them of the radiance of the Divine Presence above, as it is written, "And your renown went forth among the nations for your beauty" and so on (Ezekiel 16:14). And once they said of that deed, "These are your gods, O Israel" (Exodus 32:4), they became hated by the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "And the strength of his face is changed" (Ecclesiastes 8:1): the Holy One too changed the matter upon them, "Indeed like a human you shall die, and like one of the princes you shall fall" (Psalms 82:7). Another interpretation: "Who is like the wise" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), this is a Torah scholar. "And who knows the meaning of a matter" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), at the time he knows how to explain his teaching. "A man's wisdom lights up his face" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), at the time he is asked and answers. "And the strength of his face is changed" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), at the time he is asked and does not answer. Rabbi [Judah the Prince] was sitting and teaching: from where do we know that one may not exchange a firstborn? The face of Bar Pedaiah turned pale. He said: This one knows what I sit and teach. A certain Gentile saw Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Ilai; he saw that his face was shining. He said: This man is one of three things: either he lends at interest, or he raises pigs, or he drinks wine. Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Ilai heard his voice and said to him: May that man's spirit expire, for I am none of the three: I do not lend at interest, as it is written, "You shall not lend on interest to your brother, interest of money" and so on (Deuteronomy 23:20); nor do I raise pigs, for it is forbidden for an Israelite to raise pigs, as we learned, "An Israelite may not raise pigs anywhere"; nor do I drink wine, for the four cups that I drink on the night of Passover bind my head from Passover to Shavuot. Rabbi Mana's head ached from Passover to Sukkot. He said to him: Then why is your face shining? He said to him: It is my Torah that makes it shine, as it is written, "A man's wisdom lights up his face" (Ecclesiastes 8:1). Rabbi Abbahu went to Caesarea and came back from there with his face shining. His students saw it, went up, and said to Rabbi Yohanan: Behold, Rabbi Abbahu has found a treasure. He said to them: Why? They said to him: Because his face is shining. He said to them: Perhaps he heard a new teaching of Torah. He went up to him, said to him: What new teaching of Torah did you hear? He said to him: I expounded an ancient Tosefta, and he read concerning him, "A man's wisdom lights up his face." Another interpretation: "Who is like the wise" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), this is Moses, of whom it is written, "A wise man scales the city of the mighty" (Proverbs 21:22). "And who knows the meaning of a matter" (Ecclesiastes 8:1), who explained the Torah to Israel. "A man's wisdom lights up his face" (Ecclesiastes 8:1): Rabbi Mani of Shav, Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: upon every single matter that the Holy One, blessed be He, would say to Moses, He would tell him its impurity and its purity. When He reached the portion "Speak to the priests" and so on (Leviticus 21:1), he said before Him: Master of the worlds, and if he becomes impure, how is he purified? And He did not answer him. At that moment the face of our master Moses turned pale, as it is written, "And the strength of his face is changed" (Ecclesiastes 8:1). When He reached the portion of the heifer, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Moses, that saying that I said to you, "Speak to the priests" and so on (Leviticus 21:1), and you said before Me, Master of the worlds, and if he becomes impure how is he purified, and I did not answer you, this is his purification, "And they shall take for the impure one from the dust" and so on (Numbers 19:17). Which is it? "This is the statute of the Torah" (Numbers 19:2).

"Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among those who call on His name" (Psalms 99:6). Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Judah, and Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Korhah: All those forty years that Israel spent in the wilderness, Moses did not cease serving in the high priesthood, as it is written, "Moses and Aaron among His priests" and "Samuel" (Psalms 99:6). Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Shimon learned it from this: "And the sons of Amram: Aaron and Moses, and Aaron was set apart" and so on (1 Chronicles 23:13), and what is written after it? "And Moses, the man of God" (1 Chronicles 23:14), but his sons "are called after the tribe of Levi" (1 Chronicles 23:14). Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Yose said: It is plain to us that Moses served in the wilderness in a white tunic. Rabbi Tanhum son of Rabbi Yudan said, and it is taught: all seven days of the consecration Moses served in the high priesthood, yet the Divine Presence did not rest through his hands; and once Aaron came and served in the priesthood, the Divine Presence rested through his hands, as it is written, "For today the LORD will appear to you" (Leviticus 9:4). "They called on the LORD and He answered them" (Psalms 99:6): this one calls and is answered, this one calls and is answered. "In a pillar of cloud He spoke to them" (Psalms 99:7): we find with Moses that He spoke with him in a cloud, as it is written, "And the LORD descended in a cloud and stood" and so on (Exodus 34:5), "And the LORD descended in a cloud and spoke" and so on (Numbers 11:25). And with Aaron He spoke in a pillar of cloud, "And the LORD descended in a pillar of cloud and stood at the entrance of the tent and called Aaron" and so on (Numbers 12:5). But with Samuel we have not heard. And where have we heard it? "And they answered them and said: Yes, behold, he is before you" and so on (1 Samuel 9:12). Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Mari son of Jacob: the women said to them, Do you not see a cloud bound above his court? And "yes" means nothing but a cloud, as you say, "And there were times when the cloud" and so on (Numbers 9:20). "They kept His testimonies and the statute He gave them" (Psalms 99:7): we have heard concerning Moses that the Torah was written in his name, "Remember the Torah of Moses My servant" and so on (Malachi 3:22). And we have heard concerning Samuel that a book was written for him, as it is written, "And he wrote it in a book and laid it before the LORD" and so on (1 Samuel 10:25). But concerning Aaron we have not heard; rather, this teaches that this portion was given to him, that it should not depart from him nor from his sons nor from his sons' sons until the end of all the generations. And which is this? "This is the statute of the Torah" (Numbers 19:2).

Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: There are four matters that the evil inclination argues against, and concerning all of them "statute" is written. And these are they: a brother's wife, mixed kinds, the goat that is sent away, and the heifer. A brother's wife, from where? "The nakedness of your brother's wife you shall not uncover" (Leviticus 18:16), yet it is written, "Her brother-in-law shall come upon her" and so on (Deuteronomy 25:5): during his lifetime she is forbidden; if he dies without children she is permitted to him; and "statute" is written concerning it, "You shall keep My statutes and My ordinances which a person shall do" and so on (Leviticus 18:5). Mixed kinds, from where? "You shall not wear shaatnez" and so on (Deuteronomy 22:11), yet a linen garment with woolen fringes is permitted; and "statute" is written concerning it, "You shall keep My statutes" and so on (Leviticus 19:19). The goat that is sent away, from where? "And the one who sends away the goat to Azazel" (Leviticus 16:26): it itself atones for others [yet defiles the one who handles it]; and "statute" is written concerning it, "And this shall be for you an everlasting statute" (Leviticus 16:29). The heifer, from where? There we learned: all who are occupied with the heifer from beginning to end render their garments impure, yet it itself purifies the impure; and "statute" is written concerning it, "This is the statute of the Torah" (Numbers 19:2).