Pesikta de-Rav Kahana Reader

[14] "Of David. To You, O LORD, do I lift up my soul" (Psalms 25:1). It is written "essa" [I lift up / let it bow]. David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the worlds, let my soul be cast down over those who are destined to give their lives for the sanctification of the Name. And who are these? This is the generation of the persecution. The Holy One said to him: David, and have they lost out? Is their portion not in life? "Their portion is in life, and with Your treasured store You fill their belly" (Psalms 17:14). David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the worlds, do I have my portion with them? He said to him: It is not written here "and with their treasured store You fill their belly," but rather "and with Your treasured store You fill their belly" — Yours and theirs. David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the worlds, these and those come by virtue of Torah and good deeds, but as for me, "in righteousness I shall behold Your face" (ibid. 17:15). Rabbi Hiyya bar Ba said: If a man says to you, Give your life for the sanctification of the Name, say, I will give it, provided that they cut off my head at once — but not like the generation of the persecution, who would place balls of fire under their armpits and splinters of reed under their fingernails.

For example: Rabbi Yudah bar Giyora and Rabbi Isaac and Rabbi Nathan went to hear the section concerning the drink offerings from Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai, and they remained there three days. They said: We must take leave. On the first day they entered before him and he expounded, "I do set my bow in the cloud" (Genesis 9:13); Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai said: It is a sign for the world. On the second day he expounded, "and the bow shall be seen in the cloud" (Genesis 9:14); Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai said: It is a sign for the world. Rabbi Hezekiah in the name of Rabbi Jeremiah: Thus would Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai say: O valley, valley, fill yourself with golden dinars, and it would fill up. Rabbi Hezekiah in the name of Rabbi Jeremiah: Elijah, may he be remembered for good, and Rabbi Joshua ben Levi were sitting and studying. They came upon a certain teaching in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai. Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai passed by. They said: Here comes the master of the teaching; let us arise and ask him about it. They arose and asked him. He said to him: Who is this who is with you? He said to him: He is Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, and he is the greatest man of the generation. He said to him: And has the rainbow appeared in his days? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: If the rainbow has appeared in his days, he is not worthy to behold the sight of my countenance. Rabbi Hezekiah in the name of Rabbi Jeremiah: Thus would Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai say: The Holy One, blessed be He, swore to our father Abraham that the world should never have fewer than thirty righteous men like himself. And what is the reason? "And Abraham shall surely become (hayoh yihyeh)" (Genesis 18:18). [The letters of yihyeh are counted as numerical values:] yod is ten, heh is five, yod is ten, heh is five, which makes thirty. And if there is only one, I am he. Rabbi Hezekiah in the name of Rabbi Jeremiah: Thus would Rabbi Simeon ben Yohai say: Let Abraham bring near from his side up to my own, and I will bring near from my side until the King Messiah comes. And if not, let Ahijah the Shilonite join with me, and we will bring near the whole world. On the third day he expounded, "And he said, Go, sell the oil" (2 Kings 4:7).

"Perhaps." Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai and Rabbi Eleazar his son hid for thirteen years in a cave that had split open, eating carobs of the terumah-portion until their bodies grew covered with rust-like scabs. At the end of thirteen years Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai came out and sat at the entrance of the cave. He saw a man spreading a net to trap birds. The man spread it a first time, and Rabbi Shimon heard a voice from heaven say "Pardon," and the bird escaped. The man spread it a second time, and he heard a voice from heaven say "Caught," and the bird was taken. He said: even a bird is not snared apart from Heaven, and shall we sit here? When he heard that matters had quieted, he said: let us go down and be healed in the hot springs of Tiberias. They said: we ought to show gratitude in the way our forefathers did, who would set up markets and sell cheaply. So he set up a market and sold cheaply. They said: we must purify Tiberias. He took lupines, cut them up, and scattered them in the marketplace, and wherever there was a corpse it floated up and rose. A certain Samaritan saw this and said: I will go and mock this old man of the Jews. What did he do? He took a corpse and went and hid it in one of the streets that had been purified. He came to Rabbi Shimon and said: did you purify such-and-such street? He said: yes. He said: if I bring out a corpse from there behind you? He said: go, show me. Rabbi Shimon perceived by the Holy Spirit that they had placed it there, and he said: I decree upon the upper to go down and upon the lower to go up. And so it was for him. When he came out he passed before the synagogue of Magdala and heard the voice of a child, the scribe of Magdala, saying: behold, the son of Yochai who purified Tiberias. He said to him: and were you not among the counted? He raised his eyes and looked at him, and at once he became a heap of bones.

Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai was passing through during the sabbatical year and saw a man gathering aftergrowth of the seventh year. He said to him: my son, is it not the sabbatical year, and this is forbidden? He said to him: are you not the very one who permits it? He said to him: but if my colleagues differ with me? And he applied to him the verse "and one who breaches a fence, a serpent shall bite him" (Ecclesiastes 10:8). And so it was for him.

Some donkey drivers came into Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shimon's town wanting to buy grain. They found him sitting before the oven; his mother would hand him bread and he would eat, she would hand him more and he would eat, until he had eaten the whole batch of dough. They said: woe, an evil serpent dwells in this man's belly. He heard their words. What did he do to them? He took their donkeys and raised them up onto the top of the roof. They went and told his father. He said to them: perhaps you let him hear some unkind word? They said: we saw him sitting before the oven, his mother handing him bread and he eating until he had eaten the whole batch of dough, and we said, woe that an evil serpent dwells in this man's belly. He said to them: perhaps he was eating what is his own? The One who created him created his sustenance for him. Even so, go and say to him in my name, and he will bring them down for you. They went and told him, and the last miracle was harder than the first: when he had raised them up, he raised them one by one, but when he brought them down, he brought them down two by two.

Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shimon was appointed an officer to execute those who were liable to death. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha used to call him "vinegar, son of wine." He said to him: why do you call him vinegar, son of wine? Did I not clear away thorns that were to be cleared? Did I not put to death only men who were liable to execution? He said to him: you should have fled and gone off to Laodicea. He said to him: should you have fled to the end of the world and left it to the master of the garden to clear away his own thorns?

Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shimon went to his father-in-law, Rabbi Shimon son of Yose son of Lakonya. He slaughtered an ox for him and baked him a whole batch of bread and opened a jug of wine for him. He kept mixing it for him and he kept drinking, mixing it for him and he kept drinking. He said to him: is it possible that you heard from your father what the proper measure of a cup is? He said to him: as it is, undiluted, one; with cold water, two; with hot water, three. But the sages did not fix their measure for your cup, which is small, nor for your wine, which is fine, nor for my belly, which is wide.

Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shimon asked his father-in-law, Rabbi Shimon son of Yose son of Lakonya. He said to him: what is the meaning of what is written, "your garment did not wear out upon you" (Deuteronomy 8:4)? Were chests of clothing traveling with Israel in the wilderness? He said to him: the clouds of glory would rub them smooth. And did they not wear out? He said to him: "your garment did not wear out upon you." And did the garments not grow with the children? He said to him: this snail, the more it grows, its shell grows along with it. And did they not need laundering? He said to him: the clouds of glory would whiten them. And do not be astonished: this asbestos is cleansed only by fire. And was their smell not worse than the smell of sweat? He said to him: they were nourished by the grass of the well, and "the scent of your garments is like the scent of Lebanon" (Song of Songs 4:11).

Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shimon was appointed a public officer in charge of forced labor. One time Elijah, remembered for good, came to him in the form of an old man. He said to him: prepare an animal for me. He said to him: what do you have to load? He said to him: this worn-out bag of mine, this cloak of mine, and a mount. He said: look at this old man! I could pick him up and carry him to the end of the world, and he says, prepare an animal for me. What did he do? He set him on his back and carried him up mountains and down crags, across fields of thorns and fields of brambles. At the end the old man began to make himself heavy upon him. He said to him: old man, old man, make yourself light, or else I will throw you off. He said to him: do you wish to rest a little? He said: yes. What did he do? He brought him into a field and seated him beneath a tree and gave him food and drink. And when he had eaten and drunk, the old man said to him: all this rushing about, where does it get you? Would it not be better for you to take up the craft of your fathers? He said to him: and can you teach me? He said to him: yes. And some say Elijah, remembered for good, spent thirteen years teaching him until he could recite Scripture. And when he could recite Scripture, they said he could no longer carry even his cloak. The household of Rabban Gamliel had a certain servant of the house who used to carry forty se'ah to the baker. The old man said to him: such fine strength is in you, yet you do not devote it to Scripture? And when he could recite Scripture, they said he could no longer carry even one se'ah. And some say even his apron, if another did not lift it off him, he could not carry by himself.

Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shimon grew weak, and his arm became uncovered, and he saw his wife laughing and weeping. He said to her: by your life, I know why you laughed and why you wept. You laughed when you said, happy was my portion in this world, happy that I clung to this righteous body; and you wept when you said, woe that this body goes to the worm. But it is not so. I am only sleeping. As for the worm, Heaven forbid that it should have power over me, except for one worm that is destined to gnaw behind my ear, because once I entered the synagogue and heard the voice of a man blaspheming, and it was in my power to bring him to judgment, and I did not do it. And when he died, he was laid to rest in Gush Halav. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai used to reveal himself to the people of Meron and say to them: this right eye that I had, I did not merit that it be given over to me. The people of Meron went, wishing to bring him. The people of Gush Halav came out after them with clubs and spears. Once, on the eve of the Day of Atonement, they said: now is the moment to bring him while they are occupied. When they went out beyond the town, two fiery serpents came walking before them. They said: the hour is right that we shall bring him. But when they reached the cave, two fiery serpents stood against them. They said: who will go in and bring him? His wife said: I will go up and bring him, for I have a sign in him. She went in, sought to bring him out, and found that one worm gnawing behind his ear. She moved to remove it, and heard a voice from heaven say: leave the master of his debt, that his debt may be repaid. They brought him and laid him beside his father. They said: from that hour Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai no longer revealed himself to the people of Meron.

When Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shimon would enter the study house, Rabbi's face would darken, and his father would say to him: "Do you see this one? He is a lion son of a lion, but you are a lion son of a fox." When Rabbi Eleazar died, Rabbi sent to court his widow in marriage. She sent word and said to him: "A vessel that was used for holy purpose, shall it be used for common purpose?" He said to her: "What did he do that I do not do the like of?" She said to him: "When he was laboring in Torah to the full measure, sleep would come over him, and he would say, 'Let all the sufferings of Israel come upon me,' and they would come upon him. And when it was time to labor in Torah, he would say, 'Let each and every one of you return to its corner,' and they would go away." He said to her: "I too will do so." He called to them and they came; he wished them to go away, but they would not go away. And some say that for thirteen years he suffered toothache. She sent and said to him: "I have heard that in matters of holiness one is raised up and not brought down" (and so I will not descend from his rank).

"For he had surely adjured the children of Israel" (Exodus 13:19). And why two oaths? This teaches that Joseph made his brothers swear, and his brothers their sons, and their sons the following generation. "God will surely visit you" (Exodus 13:19). And why two visitations? A visitation in Egypt and a visitation at Sinai; a visitation in Nisan and a visitation in Tishrei; a visitation in this world and a visitation in the world to come. "And you shall carry up my bones from here" (Exodus 13:19). One might think immediately; therefore Scripture says "with you" (Exodus 13:19), meaning when you yourselves go up. Rabbi Meir says: "with you" teaches that each and every tribe shall carry up the head of its tribe along with it. Finished.

"In the third month." Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon opened: "Many daughters have done worthily, but you have surpassed them all" (Proverbs 31:29). Adam the first man was commanded concerning six commandments, and these are they: concerning idolatry, concerning blaspheming the Name, concerning laws of justice, concerning bloodshed, concerning forbidden unions, and concerning robbery. And all of them are in one verse, as it is written, "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, From every tree of the garden you may surely eat" (Genesis 2:16). "And He commanded" refers to idolatry, as it says, "because he willingly walked after a command" (Hosea 5:11). "The LORD" refers to blaspheming the Name, as it says, "and he who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death" (Leviticus 24:16). "God" refers to the judges, as it says, "You shall not revile the judges" (Exodus 22:27). "The man" refers to bloodshed, as it says, "whoever sheds the blood of man" (Genesis 9:6). "Saying" refers to forbidden unions, as it says, "saying, If a man sends away his wife" (Jeremiah 3:1). "From every tree of the garden" refers to robbery, as it says, "but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat of it" (Genesis 2:17). Noah was commanded concerning a limb torn from a living animal, as it says, "but flesh with its life, its blood, you shall not eat" (Genesis 9:4). Abraham was commanded concerning circumcision, as it says, "And you shall keep My covenant" (Genesis 17:9). Isaac was initiated at eight days, as it says, "And Abraham circumcised Isaac his son at eight days old" (Genesis 21:4). Jacob concerning the sciatic sinew, as it says, "therefore the children of Israel do not eat the sciatic sinew" (Genesis 32:33). Judah concerning levirate marriage, as it says, "And Judah said to Onan, Go in to your brother's wife and perform the levirate duty" (Genesis 38:8). But you at Sinai were commanded six hundred thirteen commandments, two hundred forty-eight positive commandments and three hundred sixty-five negative commandments. The two hundred forty-eight positive commandments correspond to the two hundred forty-eight limbs that are in a person; each and every limb says to the person, "Please, perform through me this commandment." And the three hundred sixty-five negative commandments correspond to the days of the solar year; each and every day says to the person, "Please, do not commit through me this transgression." "Charm is deceitful and beauty is vain" (Proverbs 31:30). "Charm is deceitful" was the charm of Noah, yet "Noah found favor" (Genesis 6:8). "And beauty is vain" was the beauty of Adam the first man: the heel of Adam dimmed the orb of the sun. And do not be astonished: in the way of the world a person makes himself two platters, one for himself and one for a member of his household; for which does he make the finer one? Surely his own. So too, Adam was created for the service of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the orb of the sun was created for the service of creatures. Is it not all the more fitting that the heel of Adam should dim the orb of the sun? And if his heel dimmed the orb of the sun, how much more the radiance of his face. "But above them all, a woman who fears the LORD, she shall be praised" (Proverbs 31:30) refers to Moses. "Give her of the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates" (Proverbs 31:31). Rabbi Yose son of Jeremiah said: Why does he compare the prophets to women? Rather, just as this woman is not ashamed to demand the needs of her household from her husband, so the prophets are not ashamed to demand the needs of Israel before the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, read this portion every year, and I will reckon it for you as though you were standing before Mount Sinai and receiving the Torah. When? "In the third month after the children of Israel went out from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 19:1).

Rabbi Yochanan opened: "He delivered me from my strong enemy, and from those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me" (Psalms 18:18). "He delivered me from my strong enemy" refers to Pharaoh, who said, "The enemy said, I will pursue" (Exodus 15:9). "From those who hated me, for they were too mighty for me" refers to the Egyptians. "They confronted me in the day of my calamity" (Psalms 18:19) refers to what Pharaoh said and what Amalek said. "But above them all, the LORD was a support to me" (Psalms 18:19). "And He brought me out into a broad place" (Psalms 18:20), in that He gave me the Torah. "He delivered me, because He delighted in me" (Psalms 18:20). Rabbi Yochanan said: It was her own song that she raised up to give me the Torah. When? "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

Rabbi Isaac opened: "Sustain me with raisin-cakes, refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love" (Song of Songs 2:5). "Sustain me with cakes [ashishot]" means with two fires [ishot]: with the fire of Abraham and with the fire of Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Another interpretation: "Sustain me with fires" means with two fires, with the fire of Moriah and with the fire of the bush. Another interpretation: "Sustain me with cakes" refers to the well-established laws. "Refresh me with apples" refers to the words of Torah, whose fragrance is good as apples. "For I am sick with love." Rabbi Isaac said: Formerly, when the coin was readily found, a person would crave a word of Mishnah and a word of Talmud; but now that the coin is not readily found, and especially since we are sick from the kingdoms, a person craves to hear a word of Scripture and a word of Aggadah. Another interpretation: "For I am sick with love." Rabbi Levi said: It is like a king's son who rose from his illness. His tutor said, "Let him go off to school." The king said, "The radiance of my son has not yet returned from his illness, and he is to go off to school? Rather, let my son be indulged two or three months with food and drink, and afterward he will go off to school." So too, when Israel went out from Egypt, they were fit to receive the Torah, but there were among them those with blemishes from the bondage of mortar and bricks. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: The radiance of My children has not yet returned from the bondage of mortar and bricks, and they are to receive the Torah? Rather, let My children be indulged two or three months with the well and the manna and the quail, and afterward they will receive the Torah. When? "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

Rabbi Yochanan opened: "So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver" (Hosea 3:2). Rabbi Yochanan said: "So I bought her for myself for fifteen pieces of silver" means "I betrothed her to myself for fifteen" -- this is the fifteenth of Nisan. "And a homer of barley" (Hosea 3:2), behold, that is thirty. "And a half-homer of barley" (Hosea 3:2), behold, that is forty-five. These are the five remaining days. "And I said to her, You shall stay with me many days" (Hosea 3:3). Rabbi Hiyya taught: "days" means two, "many" means three; behold, that is the fifty days of the Omer. From here onward, the Ten Commandments: "You shall not play the harlot" (Hosea 3:3) corresponds to "You shall make for yourselves no idols" (Leviticus 26:1). "And you shall not belong to another man" (Hosea 3:3) corresponds to "You shall have no other gods" (Exodus 20:2). If you do so, "then I also will be toward you" (Hosea 3:3). When? "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

Rabbi Avun opened: "Have I not written for you noble things in counsels and knowledge?" (Proverbs 22:20). Bar Hutta said: "in counsels and knowledge," threefold [shelishim], He tripled them. Rabbi Eleazar said: Let the words of Torah not be in your eyes like an old edict, but let them be in your eyes like a new edict that everyone runs to read, as it is written, "This day the LORD your God commands you to do" (Deuteronomy 26:16). Rabbi Samuel son of Nachman said: "noble ones [shelishim]" means mighty men, as it says, "and captains [shelishim] over all of it" (Exodus 14:7). Rabbi Samuel son of Nachman said: The words of Torah are compared to weapons. Just as this weapon endures for its owner, so the words of Torah endure for one who toils in them to their full measure. What is the reason? "The high praises of God are in their throat, and a two-edged sword in their hand" (Psalms 149:6). Rabbi Judah and Rabbi Nehemiah and the rabbis. Rabbi Judah said: "a two-edged sword [pifiyyot]" means "a mouth of mouths" [peh-piyyot], two Torahs, the Written Torah and the Oral Torah. And Rabbi Nehemiah said: "a sword of mouths" means a sword that eats from its two sides and grants life in this world and in the world to come. And the rabbis said: "For they were officers of the sanctuary and officers of God" (1 Chronicles 24:5), decreeing upon the upper beings and they do it, upon the lower beings and they do it. Rabbi Acha said: The words of Torah are mighty to exact punishment from one who does not toil in them to their full measure. Rabbi Avun said: The words of Torah are compared to spiced wine. Just as this spiced wine has in it wine, has in it honey, has in it pepper, so the words of Torah have in them wine, "for your love is better than wine" (Song of Songs 1:2); have in them honey, "and sweeter than honey" (Psalms 19:11); have in them pepper, "Your word is exceedingly pure" (Psalms 119:140).

"I have declared and I have saved and I have proclaimed, and there was no stranger among you; and you are My witnesses, says the LORD, and I am God" (Isaiah 43:12). "I have declared" -- in Egypt, "And Moses told Aaron all the words of the LORD" (Exodus 4:28). "And I have saved" -- at the sea, "And the LORD saved on that day" (Exodus 14:30). "And I have proclaimed" -- at Sinai, "From heaven You proclaimed judgment" (Psalms 76:9). "And there was no stranger among you" -- this is Jethro. "And you are My witnesses, says the LORD, and I am God." Rabbi Shimon son of Yochai taught: If you are My witnesses, says the LORD, I am God; and if you are not My witnesses, as it were, I am not the LORD.

"For everything there is a season" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). There was a season for the first man to enter the Garden of Eden, as it says, "And the LORD God took the man and placed him in the Garden of Eden" (Genesis 2:15). And there was a season for him to leave, as it says, "And He drove out the man" (Genesis 3:24). There was a season for Noah and his sons to enter the ark, "Come, you and all your household, into the ark" (Genesis 7:1). And there was a season for him to leave, "Go out from the ark" (Genesis 8:16). There was a season for our father Abraham, that circumcision be given through him, "And you shall keep My covenant" (Genesis 17:9). And there was a season for his descendants to fall twice, once in Egypt and once in the wilderness. "And a time for every desire under the heavens" (Ecclesiastes 3:1). Rabbi Bivai said: a desired thing that is above the heavens was given to Moses from the heavens, and what is this? This is the Torah. When? "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

"I walk in the way of righteousness, in the midst of the paths of justice" (Proverbs 8:20). The Torah says: on which path am I to be found? On the road of those who do righteousness. "In the midst of the paths of justice" (Proverbs 8:20). Rabbi Huna said: like the armed escort of a noblewoman, when she passes through the marketplace there is sword and weapon before her and sword and weapon behind her. So it is with the Torah: there are laws before it and laws behind it. Laws before it, "There He set for them a statute and an ordinance" (Exodus 15:25). And laws behind it, "And these are the ordinances that you shall set before them" (Exodus 21:1).

"The heart knows the bitterness of its own soul, and a stranger does not share in its joy" (Proverbs 14:10). Rabbi Yonatan said: why does a person smell the odor of sulfur and his soul recoils from it? Because the soul knows that it is judged with it. And what is the reason? "He will rain down upon the wicked snares, fire and sulfur" (Psalms 11:6). Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman in the name of Rabbi Yonatan said: it is like the foul vapors that linger after the bathhouse. Another interpretation: "The heart knows the bitterness of its own soul" (Proverbs 14:10), these are Israel. "And a stranger does not share in its joy" (Proverbs 14:10), this is Jethro, "And Moses sent off his father-in-law, and he went to his own land" (Exodus 18:27). What is written after it? "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

"As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the sons" (Song of Songs 2:3). Rabbi Huna, Rabbi Acha in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra: just as with this apple tree everyone flees from it because it gives no shade, so all the nations of the world fled from before the Holy One, blessed be He, on the day of the giving of the Torah. Might one think Israel did so as well? Scripture teaches, "In its shade I delighted and sat" (Song of Songs 2:3). Rabbi Achva bar Ze'ira said: just as this apple tree puts forth its blossom before its leaves, so Israel put doing before hearing at Sinai. Rabbi Azaryah said: just as this apple tree completes its fruit only in Sivan, so Israel gave forth a good fragrance in the world only in Sivan. When? "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

"In the third month" (Exodus 19:1), the third month arrived. This is like a king who betrothed a noblewoman and set for her an appointed date, and when the appointed date arrived they said: now is the hour for her to enter the bridal canopy. So when the time arrived for the Torah to be given, they said: now is the hour for the Torah to be given to Israel. Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shmuel ben Chalafta: like a king whose son was taken captive, and the king clothed himself in vengeance and went and redeemed his son, and said, count the years from the redemption of my son. So said the Holy One, blessed be He: count the years from the exodus from Egypt. Rabbi Chama bar Chanina: like a king who is marrying off his daughter and said, count the years from my daughter's wedding. So said the Holy One, blessed be He: count the years from the giving of the Torah. "On this day they came to the wilderness of Sinai" (Exodus 19:1). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: like a prince who was strolling in the marketplace, and a friend of the king met him and filled his lap with precious stones and pearls. The king said: open my treasuries for me, so that my son will not say, were it not for my father's friend he would have had nothing to give me. So said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Moses: so that Israel will not say, were it not that Jethro came and taught you the ordinances, He would have had nothing to give us. Rather, behold I give them the whole Torah, full of ordinances, "and these are the ordinances that you shall set before them" (Exodus 21:1). Rabbi Levi said: like a king who wished to take as wife a woman of good and noble family, and he said, I will not press my claim upon her, for after I have done many kindnesses for her, then I will press my claim. He saw her naked and clothed her, "and I clothed you with embroidered cloth" (Ezekiel 16:10). At the sea He brought her across, "and the children of Israel walked on dry land in the midst of the sea" (Exodus 14:29). When pirates came against her He rescued her, these are the Amalekites. Rabbi Eleazar said: like a king who wished to take as wife a woman of good and noble family, and he said, I will not press my claim upon her, for after I have done many kindnesses for her, then I will press my claim. He brought her to the baker and filled her lap with fine loaves, to the shopkeeper and gave her spiced wine to drink, to the fattener and filled her lap with delicacies, to the orchard-keeper and filled her lap with fruits. To the baker and filled her lap with fine loaves, "behold, I will rain down bread from heaven for you" (Exodus 16:4). To the shopkeeper and gave her spiced wine to drink, "then Israel sang this song, rise up O well, sing to it" (Numbers 21:17). To the fattener and filled her lap with delicacies, "and a wind brought quail from the sea" (Numbers 11:31). To the orchard-keeper and filled her lap with fruits, "and He made him suck honey from the rock, and oil from the flinty stone" (Deuteronomy 32:13). Rabbi Abba bar Yudan said: like a king who was marrying off his daughter and set up a barrier in the sea and said, the people of Rome shall not go down to Syria, and the people of Syria shall not go up to Rome. And once he had married off his daughter he removed the barrier. So before the Torah was given, "the heavens are the heavens of the LORD, but the earth He has given to mankind" (Psalms 115:16), but once the Torah was given from heaven, "and Moses went up to God" (Exodus 19:3), "and the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai" (Exodus 19:20).

"In the third month after they went out" (Exodus 19:1). This is what Scripture says, "Have I not written for you noble things in counsels and knowledge?" (Proverbs 22:20). If you seek to take counsel from the Torah, take it. David said: when I sought to take counsel from the Torah, I would gaze and take counsel, as it says, "In Your precepts I will meditate, and I will gaze upon Your ways" (Psalms 119:15). And it says, "In Your precepts I will contemplate" (Psalms 119:104). Ben Chuta said: if you seek to build and do not know how to lay it out, gaze into the Torah and learn, for it is written, "You shall make it with lower, second, and third stories" (Genesis 6:16). Thus, "in counsels and knowledge" (Proverbs 22:20). Another interpretation: "Have I not written for you noble things" [reading "sheloshim," thirty, as "shalishim," choice or threefold] (Proverbs 22:20). Rabbi said: let the Torah not be upon you like an old standing edict, but like a fresh edict that is only two or three days old. "Have I not written for you choice things" (Proverbs 22:20), as if it were written "the day before yesterday." Ben Azzai says: not like an edict that is two or three days old, but like an edict of this very day. Know this from what is written, "in the third month" (Exodus 19:1). It is not written "on that day they came," but rather "on this day they came to the wilderness of Sinai" (Exodus 19:1). And so it says, "This day the LORD your God commands you to do these statutes and ordinances" (Deuteronomy 26:16).

Another interpretation: "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1). The Torah is threefold, the patriarchs are threefold, the tribe through which it was given is threefold, and the month is threefold. And how do we know the Torah is threefold? Rabbi Avun the Levite son of Rabbi said: from where is it called threefold? This "meshulash" [threefold mixture] contains three kinds: wine, honey, and pepper. Wine, from where? As it says, "Come, eat of my bread and drink of the wine I have mixed" (Proverbs 9:5). Honey, from where? "And sweeter than honey" (Psalms 19:11). And pepper, from where? Rabbi Avun the Levite son of Rabbi said: "Every word of God is refined" (Proverbs 30:5), these are like the pepper. From here, that the Torah is threefold. Everything done on that day was threefold. The Torah is threefold: Torah, Prophets, and Writings. Its letters are threefold: aleph, bet, gimel. And Israel is threefold: priests, Levites, and Israelites. The fathers are three, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. And Moses is the third among them, "I stood between the LORD and you" (Deuteronomy 5:5). And from the third tribe, Reuben, Simeon, Levi. And his letters are threefold, M-Sh-H. And there were three siblings, Moses, Aaron, and Miriam. And he was hidden for three, "and she hid him three months" (Exodus 2:2). And the day was the third, "for on the third day the LORD will descend before the eyes of all the people" (Exodus 19:11). And the month was the third, "in the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

This is what Scripture says, "Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace" (Proverbs 3:17). "Her ways are ways of pleasantness." The Holy One, blessed be He, sought to give His Torah to Israel at the time when Israel went out from Egypt, but they were quarreling with one another, and they were saying, "Let us appoint a leader and return to Egypt" (Numbers 14:4). What is written? "And they journeyed from Succoth and camped at Etham" (Exodus 13:20). They were journeying in strife and camping in strife. He did not act until they came to Rephidim, and they all became equal and were made into a single band, as it says, "And they journeyed from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai" (Exodus 19:2). And from where do we know that they all became equal and were made one band? Because it is not written here "and Israel camped there" [plural], but rather "and Israel camped there [singular] opposite the mountain" (Exodus 19:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: the whole Torah is peace; to whom shall I give it? To a nation that holds fast to peace, as it is written, "and all her paths are peace" (Proverbs 3:17).

"In the third month" (Exodus 19:1). This is what Scripture means when it says, "Through laziness the rafter sinks, and through slackness of hands the house leaks" (Ecclesiastes 10:18). What causes a woman to flow with blood? Because she is too lazy to examine herself, whether she is impure or not. Why? Our Rabbis taught: any hand that examines frequently among women is praiseworthy; among men, let it be cut off. There was an incident with the maidservant of Rabban Gamliel, who was carrying vessels of pure things and jars from house to house, and she would examine herself at every single jar. At the last one she examined herself and was found to be impure, and Rabban Gamliel was afraid, saying, perhaps the pure things have become impure. Rabban Gamliel called her and said to her, "Were you not examining yourself?" She said to him, "By your life, my master, I was examining myself at every single jar, and only at this last one was I found impure." Rabban Gamliel said, "Had this woman been lazy, all the pure things would already have been impure." "Through laziness the rafter sinks" (ibid.) — thus, because this woman is lazy she flows with blood; "the rafter sinks" [Hebrew mikreh], and "rafter" here means nothing other than blood, as it says, "and she has uncovered her fountain [mekorah]" (Leviticus 20:18). "And through slackness of hands the house leaks" (Ecclesiastes ibid.) — "And if a woman has a flow, her flow being blood" (Leviticus 15:25). Another interpretation: "Through laziness the rafter sinks" (Ecclesiastes ibid.) speaks of Israel when they came to Rephidim. What is written? "They journeyed from Rephidim and came to the wilderness of Sinai" (Exodus 19:2). And why was its name called Rephidim? Because they slackened [rippu] their hands from transgressions. "Through laziness the rafter sinks" (Ecclesiastes ibid.) — "And the LORD came down upon Mount Sinai, to the top of the mountain" (Exodus 19:20). "And through slackness of hands the house leaks" (Ecclesiastes ibid.) — because they slackened their hands from transgressions, "the house leaks," as it is written, "the earth trembled, the heavens also dripped, the clouds also dripped water" (Judges 5:4). And when did all these things happen? On the day of the giving of the Torah, "In the third month" and so forth (Exodus 19:1).

What is written above in the matter, the portion of Jethro, what he teaches Moses, as it says, "And you shall select from all the people able men" and so forth (Exodus 18:21)? And afterward, "In the third month." Solomon said, "The heart knows its own bitterness" (Proverbs 14:10); therefore, "and a stranger does not share in its joy" (ibid.). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Israel were enslaved in mortar and bricks in Egypt, while Jethro sat in his house quiet and secure, and now he comes to share in the joy of the Torah with My children! Therefore, "And Moses sent his father-in-law away" (Exodus 18:27), and afterward, "In the third month" and so forth (Exodus 19:1). Another interpretation: why so? Moses reasoned by an argument from minor to major. He said: if, regarding a single commandment, when the Holy One, blessed be He, came to give the commandment of the Passover offering, He said, "No foreigner shall eat of it" (Exodus 12:43), now that He is coming to give the whole Torah to Israel, shall Jethro be here and witness it with us? Therefore, "And Moses sent his father-in-law away" and so forth (Exodus 18:27), and afterward, "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

Why in the third month, and not in the second month, and not in the fourth? Rabbi Hoshaya said: Rabbi Hiyya the Great taught me — a female convert, a captive woman, and a freed bondwoman may not marry nor become betrothed until three months [have passed]. So too Israel: they are called converts, as it says, "For you were strangers in the land of Egypt" (Leviticus 19:34). They are called captives, as it says, "and they shall take captive those who took them captive" (Isaiah 14:2). They are called freed slaves, as it says, "I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt from being their slaves" (Leviticus 26:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let us wait for them three months, and afterward I will give them the Torah — "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

Rabbi Aibu said: "The month has come." At the time the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Moses, He made a condition with him and said to him, "When you bring the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God upon this mountain" (Exodus 3:12). And Moses was watching and saying, when will it come? He did nothing else; but as soon as the appointed time arrived, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: The month for which you were watching has come — "In the third month" (Exodus 19:1).

It does not say "in the third moon" the way Scripture names other months — "in the moon of Ziv" (1 Kings 6:37), "in the moon of Bul" (ibid. 38), "in the moon of Ethanim" (ibid. 8:2) — but rather "in the third month [chodesh, from a root meaning new]." Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, I am making a renewal of things and renewing you. This is like a king who had a son, and the son reached the age of maturity, and the king wished to marry him off, but he had no new bridal furnishings. The king said, it is not fitting for my son's honor that we wait until new furnishings are made — I would delay my son's joy. What did the king do? He brought smiths and craftsmen, and they polished the copper vessels, and he brought woodworkers, and they refurbished the wooden vessels; so the king married off his son upon old furnishings that looked new. So too the Holy One, blessed be He: when Israel went out of Egypt He wished to give them the Torah, and among them were blind, lame, and deaf. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, the Torah is wholly perfect, as it says, "The Torah of the LORD is perfect" (Psalms 19:8) — shall I give it to this generation, which has people with blemishes in it? And if I wait until their children arise, I would delay the joy of the Torah. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He healed them, and afterward gave them the Torah. And from where do we know that He healed them? Whoever was blind became seeing, as it says, "And all the people saw the thunderings" (Exodus 20:15). And whoever was deaf became hearing, as it says, "all that the LORD has spoken we will do and we will hear" (ibid. 24:7). And whoever was lame became whole, as it says, "and they stood at the foot of the mountain" (ibid. 19:17). Thus: I am renewing a renewal of things in you and doing in you something like an example of the World to Come. Just as in the time to come, "then the eyes of the blind shall be opened" (Isaiah 35:5), so too here, "and all the people saw" (Exodus 20:15). Just as in the time to come, "and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped" (Isaiah ibid.), so too here, "and they said, all that the LORD has spoken we will do and we will hear" (Exodus 24:7). Just as in the time to come, "then the lame shall leap like a deer" (Isaiah ibid.), so too here, "and Moses brought the people out toward God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain" (Exodus 19:17). Just as in the time to come, "and the tongue of the mute shall sing" (Isaiah ibid.), so too here, "and all the people answered together and said" (Exodus 19:8).

"In the third month" (Exodus 19:1). Why in the third month? So as not to give the nations of the world an opening to say, "Had He given the Torah to us as well, we would have kept it." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: See in which month I gave the Torah — in the third month, under the constellation of Twins [Gemini], so that if wicked Esau should wish to convert and to repent and to come and learn Torah, let him come and learn, and I will accept him. Therefore it was given in the third month. For what reason was it given in the wilderness of Sinai? To teach you that if a person does not make himself ownerless like this wilderness, he will not merit the words of Torah. Just as the wilderness has no end, so the Torah has no end, as it says, "longer than the earth is its measure, and broader than the sea" (Job 11:9). And just as it has no end, so the giving of its reward has no end, as it says, "How abundant is Your goodness that You have stored up for those who fear You" (Psalms 31:20).

"On this day they came to the wilderness of Sinai" (Exodus 19:1). But did they come on this very day? Rather, when you study My words, let them not be in your eyes as old, but as though the Torah were given this very day. It is not written "on that day," but "on this day" (ibid.). In this world I gave you the Torah, and individuals toiled in it; but in the World to Come I will teach it to all Israel, and they will learn it and not forget it, as it says, "For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel after those days, says the LORD: I will put My Torah within them, and upon their heart I will write it, and I will be their God, and they shall be My people" (Jeremiah 31:32). And not only that, but I will increase peace among them, as Isaiah said, "And all your children shall be taught of the LORD, and great shall be the peace of your children" (Isaiah 54:13).

"I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt" (Exodus 20:2). This is what Scripture means when it says, "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands; the Lord is among them, Sinai is in holiness" (Psalms 68:18). Rabbi Avdima of Haifa said: I learned in my Mishnah that twenty-two thousand ministering angels descended with the Holy One, blessed be He, to Sinai. Rabbi Berekhiah the Priest son of Rabbi said: like the camp of the Levites; for the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that only the tribe of Levi would stand firm in their faithfulness, therefore twenty-two thousand descended, like the camp of Levi — "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands" (ibid.). Another interpretation: "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands" (ibid.) — twenty-two thousand chariots descended with the Holy One, blessed be He, and upon every single chariot was such as Ezekiel saw. "The chariots of God" — the company that came up from Babylon said that twenty-two thousand chariots descended with the Holy One, blessed be He, to Sinai; thus taught Elijah, may he be remembered for good. "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands" (ibid.). Rabbi Tanhum son of Rabbi Hanilai said: as far as the calculator can reckon [text uncertain]. "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands" (Psalms 68:8) — Rabbi Eleazar son of Pedat said: and all of them came down sharpened [shenunim], to destroy the enemies of Israel, for had Israel not received the Torah they would have destroyed them. Rabbi Levi said: rather, they beheld the face of the Holy One, blessed be He, and whoever beholds the face of the King does not die, as it says, "In the light of the King's face is life" (Proverbs 16:15). Another interpretation: "The chariots of God are myriads, thousands upon thousands" (ibid.). Rabbi Eleazar son of Pedat said: what is "thousands of shinan"? The most beautiful and praiseworthy among them; even so, "the Lord is among them" (ibid.), distinguished among them. The Assembly of Israel said, "My beloved is dazzling and ruddy" (Song of Songs 5:10). When a king of flesh and blood goes out to the parade ground, there are many as handsome as he, many as mighty as he, many as curly-haired as he, many handsomer than he; the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so, but when He came to Sinai He took with Him the ministering angels who were the most beautiful and praiseworthy among them. Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon said: what is written? "He shone forth from Mount Paran, and came from the myriads of holiness" (Deuteronomy 33:2) — and He was a sign within the myriads of holiness; this was when He came to Sinai. Another interpretation: "The chariots of God are myriads" and so forth (Psalms 68:18). Rabbi Eleazar son of Pedat said: in a place where there are crowds there is crush, but at Sinai, when the Holy One, blessed be He, came, thousands of thousands and myriads of myriads descended with Him, "myriads, thousands upon thousands" (ibid.), and even so they had ample room. "Thousands of shinan" (ibid.) — just as you say, "Moab has been at ease [sha'anan] from his youth" (Jeremiah 48:11). Rabbi Eleazar son of Azariah and Rabbi Eliezer of Modi'in [differed]. One of them said: the mountain held them; for the Holy One, blessed be He, said to it, lengthen, widen, and receive the children of your Master. And the other said: when the Holy One, blessed be He, returns to Jerusalem, He will bring the exiles back into it, as it says, "these shall come from afar, and behold, these from the north and from the west" and so forth (Isaiah 49:12), and it will be able to hold them; for the Holy One, blessed be He, says to it, "enlarge the place of your tent" and so forth (Isaiah 54:2). "The Lord is among them" (Psalms ibid.) — Resh Lakish said: there is a tablet upon the heart of every single angel, and the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is joined together with the name of the angel: Michael, Gabriel, Raphael. "The Lord is among them" (ibid.) — it is written Adonai; My lordship is among them. And do not say that His lordship is over the ministering angels alone; rather, even when He came to give His Torah, He gave it to Israel in this very language [of lordship], and He opened with this language, "I am the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:2).

This is what Scripture says: "Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against you; I am God, your God" (Psalms 50:7). Rabbi Pinchas ben Chama said: "Hear, O My people, that I may speak" means that I may have an opening of the mouth to bring accusation against the princes of the nations of the world. "Hear, O My people, and I will speak" - Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: In the past, Israel was your name; before you received the Torah, your name was like the names of the nations of the world, like Sheba and Havilah and Sabtah and Raamah (Genesis 10:7) - such was your name, Israel. Once you received the Torah, you became "My people," "Hear, O My people, and I will speak" (Psalms ibid.). One testifies only to one who listens: "Hear, O My people, and I will speak; O Israel, and I will testify against you" (ibid.). "I am God, your God" (ibid.) - Rabbi Yochanan and Resh Lakish. Rabbi Yochanan said: "I am God" means I am a judge; "your God" means I am your patron who upholds you. And Resh Lakish said: "I am God, your God" - I am your patron; just as the patron is of help before the court, so "I am God, your God." Rabbi Pinchas the priest, son of Chama, said: "I am God, your God" - to whom does He speak? He speaks to Moses. He said to him: Even though I called you a god, as it is said, "See, I have made you a god to Pharaoh" (Exodus 7:1), nevertheless "I am your God" (Psalms ibid.). Another interpretation: "I am God, your God" (ibid.) - our Rabbis say He speaks of judges. He said to them: Not because I called you gods, as it is said, "You shall not revile God [the judges]" (Exodus 22:27), nevertheless "I am your God" (Psalms ibid.). Rabbi Yehudah the Levite, son of Rabbi Shalom, said: He speaks of Israel. He said to them: Not because I called you gods, as it is said, "I said, you are gods" (Psalms 82:6), nevertheless "I am your God" (ibid. 50:7).

"I am the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:2). What is "Anokhi [I]"? Rav said: Do not roll away from the Torah that I have given you. "Anokhi" is a notarikon [acronym]: "Ana nafshi ketavit yehavit" - I Myself wrote and gave it. Another interpretation, read backward: "yehivah ketivah ne'imim amareha" - it is given, written, its words are pleasant. Rabbi Berekhiah the priest said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: "Ana nehorakh kelilakh ya'avatakh" - I am your light, your crown, your beauty. When? When you accept the Ten Commandments: "I am the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:2). Rabbi Acha said: For twenty-six generations the letter aleph kept crying out a complaint before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: I am the first of the letters, yet You did not create the world with me but with bet, as it is said, "In the beginning [Bereshit] God created" (Genesis 1:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to it: By your life, I will repay you. The Torah was created before the world was created by two thousand years, and when I come to give the Torah to Israel I will open with none but the aleph, as it is said, "Anokhi [I am] the LORD your God" (Exodus ibid.). Rabbi Nechemiah said: What is "Anokhi"? It is the Egyptian language. To what may the matter be compared? To a king of flesh and blood whose son was taken captive and spent many days among the captors. His father clothed himself in vengeance and went to him and brought him back, and came to converse with him in the language of the captors. So too the Holy One, blessed be He: Israel spent all those years in Egypt and learned the speech of the Egyptians. When the Holy One, blessed be He, redeemed them and came to give them the Torah, they did not know how to listen. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Behold, I will converse with them in the Egyptian tongue. The Holy One, blessed be He, said "Anokhi" - "anokh" [is Egyptian for "I"]; thus the Holy One, blessed be He, opened to them in their language: "I am the LORD your God" (ibid.). Because the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to them at the sea as a mighty man making war, and appeared to them at Sinai as a scribe teaching a lesson, and appeared to them in the days of Daniel as an elder teaching Torah, and appeared to them in the days of Solomon as a young man, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Not because you see Me in many forms, but it is I who was at the sea, it is I who was at Sinai, "I am the LORD your God" (ibid.). Rabbi Chiyya the Elder said: According to each matter and each thing He appeared to them. He appeared to them at the sea as a mighty man making Israel's wars. He appeared at Sinai as a scribe who teaches Torah and stands in awe. He appeared to them in the days of Daniel as an elder teaching Torah, for it is fitting for Torah to come forth from the mouth of elders. He appeared to them as a young man in the days of Solomon, according to the deeds of that generation, "His countenance is like Lebanon, chosen as the cedars" (Song of Songs 5:15). At Sinai too He appeared to them as a scribe teaching Torah, "I am the LORD your God" (Exodus ibid.).

[25] Another interpretation: "I am the LORD your God" (there). Rabbi Hanana bar Pappa said: The Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to them with an angry face, with a moderate face, with a welcoming face, with a laughing face. An angry face for Scripture: when a man teaches his son Torah he must teach him with awe. A moderate face for Mishnah. A welcoming face for Talmud. A laughing face for Aggadah. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Even though you see all these likenesses, still "I am the LORD your God" (there). Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to them like this statue, which has a face from every direction; a thousand people look at it and it looks at all of them. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, when He was speaking, each and every one of Israel would say, "The Word is speaking with me." "I am the LORD your God," in the plural, is not written here, but rather "I am the LORD your God," in the singular (there). Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Hanina said: And according to the strength of each and every one, the Word was speaking with him. And do not be astonished at this matter, for when the manna came down to Israel, each and every one tasted it according to his strength: the little children according to their strength, and the young men according to their strength, and the elders according to their strength. The little children according to their strength: just as this infant who nurses at his mother's breast, so did he taste it, as it is said, "And its taste was like the taste of a cake baked with oil" (Numbers 11:8). And the young men according to their strength, as it is said, "And My bread which I gave you, fine flour and oil and honey I fed you" (Ezekiel 16:19). And the elders according to their strength, as it is said, "And its taste was like wafers made with honey" (Exodus 16:31). And if regarding the manna, each and every one tasted it according to his mouth, then with the Word, each and every one heard according to his strength. David said, "The voice of the LORD is in strength" (Psalms 29:4); "the voice of the LORD is in His strength" is not written, but rather "the voice of the LORD is in strength," in the strength of each and every one. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: It is not because you hear many voices, but rather know that I am He, "I am the LORD your God" (Exodus 20:2). In this world Israel was redeemed from Egypt and was enslaved in Babylon, and from Babylon to Media, and from Media to Greece, and from Greece to Edom; and from Edom the Holy One, blessed be He, will redeem them, and they will be enslaved no more, as it is said, "Israel is saved by the LORD with an everlasting salvation; you shall not be ashamed nor confounded forever and ever" (Isaiah 45:17). Concluded.

"The words of Jeremiah." Rabbi Abba bar Kahana opened: "Cry aloud with your voice, O daughter of Gallim; hearken, O Laish; O poor Anathoth" (Isaiah 10:30). "Cry aloud with your voice": be glad with your voice. "O daughter of Gallim" (bat gallim): just as these waves (gallim) are distinguished in the sea, so your fathers are distinguished in the world. Another interpretation: "daughter of Gallim" (bat gallim) — daughter of exiles (bat golim), the daughters of those who descend from idolaters (gilulim). The house of Abraham, what is written of it? "And the LORD said to Abram, Get you out of your country," etc. (Genesis 12:1). The house of Isaac, what is written of it? "And Isaac went to Abimelech king of the Philistines, to Gerar" (ibid. 26:1). The house of Jacob, what is written of it? "And Jacob obeyed his father and his mother" (ibid. 28:7). "Hearken" (Isaiah ibid.): hearken to My commandments, hearken to the words of Torah, hearken to the words of prophecy; and if not, "O Laish" (laisha) — behold, a lion (aryeh) comes up against you, this is the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, of whom it is written, "A lion is gone up from his thicket" (Jeremiah 4:7). "O poor" (aniyah) (Isaiah ibid.): poor of the righteous, poor of the words of Torah, poor of the commandments and of good deeds; and if not, "Anathoth" (Isaiah ibid.) — behold, the man of Anathoth comes and prophesies against you words of rebuke. Therefore Scripture needed to say, "The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah" (Jeremiah 1:1).

Rabbi Acha opened: "How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity, and scoffers delight in their scoffing?" (Proverbs 1:22). Rabbi Shimon ben Nezirah said: It is the way of the world that a person eats foul-smelling food for two or three days and his soul is sickened by it. You - how many years have you been serving idolatry, the very thing of which it is written "You shall say to it, Get out" (Isaiah 30:22), [a thing fit only for] filth you say to it, and yet your soul is not turned away from it? Rabbi Yudan said: Two men prophesied about scoffing, and these are they - Solomon and Isaiah. Solomon said, "and scoffers delight in their scoffing" (Proverbs ibid.), and Isaiah said, "And now, do not scoff, lest your bonds be made strong" (Isaiah 28:22). Rabbi Pinchas and Rabbi Yirmiah in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak: Harsh is scoffing, for its beginning is chastisements and its end is destruction. Its beginning is chastisements, "lest your bonds be made strong" (ibid.); and its end is destruction, "for I have heard of a destruction utterly determined" (ibid.). "Turn back at my reproof; behold, I will pour out my spirit to you, I will make my words known to you" (Proverbs 1:23). If you turn back at my reproof, I will pour out my spirit to you, by the hand of Ezekiel - "The word of the LORD came indeed to Ezekiel son of Buzi the priest" (Ezekiel 1:3). And if not, "I will make my words known to you" (Proverbs ibid.), by the hand of Jeremiah. Therefore Scripture needs to say, "The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah" (Jeremiah 1:1).

Rabbi Acha opened: "Your fathers, where are they? And the prophets, do they live forever?" (Zechariah 1:5). Rabbi Acha said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, your fathers who sinned before Me, where are they? They said before Him: Master of the worlds, and the prophets, do they live forever? He said to them: Even though they died, their prophecy does not endure [in the same way]. Moses died, yet his prophecy does not endure [as a living word]; but Jeremiah, who is alive, and his words endure. Therefore Scripture needs to say, "The words of Jeremiah son of Hilkiah" (Jeremiah ibid.).