Pesikta de-Rav Kahana Reader

[5] In ten places Israel is called a bride: six by Solomon, three by Isaiah, and one by Jeremiah. Six by Solomon: "Come with me from Lebanon, my bride" (Song of Songs 4:8); "You have ravished my heart, my sister, my bride" (there, 9); "How fair is your love, my sister, my bride" (there, 10); "Your lips drip honey, my bride" (there, 11); "A locked garden is my sister, my bride" (there, 12); "I have come into my garden, my sister, my bride" (there, 5:1). And three by Isaiah: "For you shall put them all on as an ornament and bind them on as a bride" (Isaiah 49:18); and this one, "As a bridegroom acts as a priest with a turban, and as a bride adorns herself with her vessels" (there, 61:10); "And as a bridegroom rejoices over a bride" (there, 62:5). And one by Jeremiah: "The voice of joy and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride" (Jeremiah 33:11). And corresponding to them, the Holy One, blessed be He, put on ten garments. On the day of the creation of the world, the first garment that the Holy One, blessed be He, put on was of majesty and splendor, as it is said, "You are clothed in majesty and splendor" (Psalms 104:1). The second garment that the Holy One, blessed be He, put on, to exact punishment from the generation of the Flood, was of grandeur, as it is said, "The LORD reigns, He is clothed with grandeur" (there, 93:1). The third garment that the Holy One, blessed be He, put on, to give the Torah to Israel, was of strength, as it is said, "The LORD is clothed, He has girded Himself with strength" (there). The fourth garment that the Holy One, blessed be He, put on, to exact punishment from the kingdom of Babylon, was white, as it is said, "His garment was white as snow" (Daniel 7:9). The fifth and sixth garments that the Holy One, blessed be He, put on, to exact punishment from the kingdom of Media, were of vengeance, as it is said, "He put on garments of vengeance for clothing and wrapped Himself in zeal as in a cloak" (Isaiah 59:17); that makes two. The seventh and eighth garments that the Holy One, blessed be He, put on, to exact punishment from the kingdom of Greece, were of righteousness, as it is said, "He put on righteousness like a coat of mail and a helmet of salvation on His head" (there); that makes two. The ninth garment that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to put on, to exact punishment from the kingdom of Edom, is red, as it is said, "Why is Your clothing red?" (there, 63:2). The tenth garment that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to put on, to exact punishment from Gog and Magog, is glorious, as it is said, "This One, glorious in His apparel" (there, 1). The Assembly of Israel said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Of all the garments, none is as fitting as this one, as it is said, "This One, glorious in His apparel" (there). "For as the earth brings forth its growth" (Isaiah 61:11). Rabbi Pinhas and Rabbi Hilkiah in the name of Rabbi Simon: Like a man who says to his fellow, "May the Holy One, blessed be He, make your acquittal sprout forth in your judgment." "And the nations shall see your righteousness" (there, 62:2). Rabbi Levi said: Just as in this world anyone who pronounces explicitly the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is liable to death, as it is said, "And he who blasphemes the name of the LORD shall surely be put to death" (Leviticus 24:16), so too in the time to come, anyone who pronounces explicitly the name of Jerusalem will be liable to death, as it is said, "And He will call you by a new name," and so forth (Isaiah 62:2). Rabbi Levi said: Six things the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to renew in the time to come, and these are they: heaven and earth, and heart and spirit, and the name of the Messiah, and the name of Jerusalem. Heaven and earth, from where? "For behold, I create new heavens and a new earth" (there, 65:17). And heart and spirit, from where? "And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit" (Ezekiel 36:26). And the name of the Messiah, from where? "May his name endure forever; before the sun may his name be continued" (Psalms 72:17). And the name of Jerusalem, from where? "And He will call you by a new name" (Isaiah 62:2). Rabbi Levi said: Happy is the city whose name is like the name of the king, and the name of the king is like the name of God. Whose name is like the name of the king: "And the name of the city from that day shall be 'The LORD is there'" (Ezekiel 48:35). And the name of the king is like the name of God: "In his days Judah shall be saved and Israel" (Jeremiah 23:6). The portion "I will greatly rejoice" is concluded.

"Rosh Hashanah." "Forever, O LORD, Your word stands firm in the heavens" (Psalms 119:89). Rabbi Eliezer taught: On the twenty-fifth of Elul the world was created. And the teaching of Rav accords with this teaching of Rabbi Eliezer, for it was taught in the shofar-service of Rav: "This day is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day," and so forth. "For it is a statute for Israel, an ordinance" (Psalms 81:5). Concerning the provinces, on it [the New Year] it is said which is destined for the sword and which for peace, which for famine and which for plenty, which for death and which for life. And creatures are remembered on it, to call them to mind for life and death. You therefore find that on Rosh Hashanah the first man was created. In the first hour his dust was gathered. In the first hour the thought of him arose; in the second, He took counsel with the ministering angels; in the third, He gathered his dust; in the fourth, He kneaded it; in the fifth, He formed it; in the sixth, He set him up as a lifeless mass upon his feet; in the seventh, He cast a soul into him; in the eighth, He brought him into the Garden of Eden; in the ninth, He commanded him; in the tenth, he transgressed His command; in the eleventh, he was judged; in the twelfth, he went out acquitted from before the Holy One, blessed be He. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Adam, this is a sign for your children. Just as you entered before Me in judgment on this day and went out acquitted, so your children are destined to enter before Me in judgment on this day and to go out acquitted. When? "In the seventh month, on the first of the month" (Leviticus 23:24).

Rabbi Nahman opened: "And you, fear not, My servant Jacob, and be not dismayed" (Jeremiah 30:10). This speaks of Jacob, of whom it is written, "And he dreamed, and behold a ladder" (Genesis 28:12). Rabbi Samuel son of Rabbi Nahman said: these are the princes of the nations of the world. For Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman said, this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed our father Jacob the prince of Babylon ascending seventy rungs and descending, and the prince of Media fifty-two and descending, and the prince of Greece one hundred and eighty and descending, and the prince of Edom went up and up, and Jacob did not know how high. In that hour our father Jacob was afraid and said, "Can it be that this one has no descent?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Be not dismayed, Israel" (Jeremiah, ibid.). As it were, even if you see him seated beside Me, from there I will bring him down, as it is written, "Though you soar like the eagle, and though you set your nest among the stars, from there I will bring you down, says the LORD" (Obadiah 1:4). Rabbi Berekhiah, Rabbi Helbo, and Rabbi Simeon son of Rabbi Yose in the name of Rabbi Meir: this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed our father Jacob the prince of Babylon going up and coming down, and of Media going up and coming down, and of Greece going up and coming down, and of Edom going up and coming down. The Holy One said to him, "Jacob, you too go up." In that hour our father Jacob was afraid and said, "Just as these have a descent, perhaps I too have a descent." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Be not dismayed, Israel" (Jeremiah, ibid.). If you go up, you will never have a descent forever. But he did not believe, and he did not go up. Rabbi Berekhiah and Rabbi Helbo in the name of Rabbi Simeon son of Rabbi Yosina: Rabbi Meir would expound, "For all this they sinned still, and believed not in His wonders" (Psalms 78:32) — this is Jacob our father, who did not believe and did not go up. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Had you believed and gone up, you would never have come down. Now that you did not believe and did not go up, behold, your children will be enslaved by four kingdoms in this world — by taxes, by levies, by fines, and by poll-taxes." One might think this is forever; therefore it says, "Be not dismayed, Israel, for behold, I will save you from afar" (Jeremiah 30:10) — from Babylon. "And your offspring from the land of their captivity" (ibid.) — from Gaul, from Spain, and from their neighbors. "And Jacob shall return" (ibid.) — from Babylon. "And be quiet" (ibid.) — from Media. "And at ease" (ibid.) — from Greece. "And none shall make him afraid" (ibid.) — from Edom. "For I will make a full end of all the nations among which I have scattered you" (ibid. 30:11) — of the nations of the world, who consume their fields entirely, He says, "I will make a full end." But Israel, who do not consume their fields entirely, "yet of you I will not make a full end; but I will chastise you in measure, and will not leave you wholly unpunished" (ibid.) — I will discipline you with sufferings in this world in order to cleanse you of your sins in this world. When? "In the seventh month" (Leviticus 23:24).

[3] Judah bar Nahman in the name of Resh Lakish opened: "God has gone up amid the blast, [the LORD amid the sound of the trumpet]" (Psalms 47:6). In the hour when the Holy One, blessed be He, goes up and sits upon the throne of judgment, He goes up in judgment, as it is written, "God has gone up amid the blast" (ibid.). And in the hour when Israel take up their shofars and sound them, the Holy One, blessed be He, rises from the throne of judgment and sits upon the throne of mercy, as it is written, "the LORD amid the sound of the shofar" (ibid.), and He is filled with mercy toward them and has compassion upon them, and turns for them the attribute of judgment into the attribute of mercy. When? "In the seventh month" (Leviticus 23:24).

Rabbi Josiah opened: "Happy is the people that knows the joyful sound [teruah]" (Psalms 89:16). Rabbi Abahu interpreted the verse as referring to the five elders who would enter to intercalate the year. What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He sets aside His council on high and descends and draws His Presence near below. The ministering angels say, "Here is the Mighty One, here is the Mighty One; here is God, here is God" — He of whom it is written, "a God dreaded in the great council of the holy ones" (Psalms 89:8) sets aside His council on high, descends, and draws His Presence near among them below. Why all this? So that if they err in a matter, the Holy One, blessed be He, enlightens their faces in the law, as it says, "O LORD, in the light of Your countenance they walk" (Psalms 89:16). Rabbi Josiah said: it is written, "Happy is the people that knows the joyful sound" (ibid.). But do the nations of the world not know how to make a blast? How many horns they have, how many trumpets they have, how many bugles they have! Yet you say, "Happy is the people that knows the teruah"? Rather, happy is the people that knows how to coax their Creator with the teruah. When? "In the seventh month" (Leviticus 23:24).

Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Jeremiah opened: "The path of life leads upward for the wise, that he may turn away from Sheol beneath" (Proverbs 15:24). "The path of life" — there is no "path of life" except the words of Torah, as it is written, "It is a tree of life" (Proverbs 3:18). Another interpretation: "the path of life" — there is no "path of life" except sufferings, as it is written, "and the reproofs of discipline are the way of life" (Proverbs 6:23). "Upward for the wise" [maskil] — for one who looks closely [mistakel] at the commandments of the Torah. What is written above the matter? "You shall not wholly reap the corner of your field when you harvest" (Leviticus 23:22) — the nations of the world, who consume their fields entirely. The rest of the proem is like the first.

Rabbi Berekhiah opened: "Blow the shofar at the new moon, at the concealment [keseh] for our feast day" (Psalms 81:4). None of the months is truly "the month," except the one of concealment. And none of the months is concealed, except for "our feast day." But surely Nisan is a month, and it is concealed, and it has a feast, and its feast falls on its own day? Rather, the meaning is: a month that is concealed and has a feast whose feast is on the very day of the new moon itself — and which is that? This is Tishrei. "Tishrei" — it is written Tishrei because of the words "may You forgive [tishrei] and pardon [tishbok] our debts." When? "In the seventh month" (Leviticus 23:24).

Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Hama bar Hanina opened: "Thus says the LORD, your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel" (Isaiah 48:17). What is "who teaches you" (ibid.)? He goads you, like that goad which prods the cow. And three names are given to it: teacher [malmad], ox-goad [marde'a], and prod [dorban]. "Teacher" — because it teaches the cow to plow. "Ox-goad" — because it instructs knowledge [moreh de'ah] into the cow. "Prod" — because it settles understanding [medayyer binah] into the cow. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: for his cow a man makes a goad, yet for the evil inclination he makes no goad? "Who directs you in the way you should go" (ibid.). Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Hama bar Hanina: it is like a king's son who had a case before his father. His father said to him, "If you wish to be acquitted before me in judgment, appoint so-and-so as your advocate, and you will be acquitted before me in judgment." So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My children, if you recall the merit of your fathers, you will be acquitted before Me in judgment. "One [day]" (Leviticus 23:24) — this is our father Abraham, "Abraham was but one" (Ezekiel 33:24). "A memorial of teruah" (Leviticus, ibid.) — this is our father Isaac, "and behold, behind him a ram caught in the thicket by its horns" (Genesis 22:13). "A holy convocation" [mikra kodesh] (Leviticus, ibid.) — this is our father Jacob, "Hearken to Me, O Jacob, and Israel My called one" [mekora'i] (Isaiah 48:12). When do you recall the merit of the fathers and are acquitted before Me in judgment? "In the seventh month" (Leviticus, ibid.).

Rabbi Hiyya son of Rabbi Mareyah in the name of Rabbi Levi opened: "Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie" (Psalms 62:10). It is the way of the world that people say, "So-and-so will marry so-and-so" — "surely men of low degree are vanity." "This woman will marry that man" — "men of high degree are a lie." "In the balance they go up" (ibid.) — Rabbi Hiyya bar Mareyah said: while they are still being formed they are mere vanity in their mothers' wombs, "they are together lighter than vanity" (ibid.). Rabbi Nahman said: all the vanities and lies that Israel commit in this world — our father Abraham is worthy to atone for them all. And what is the proof text? "The greatest man among the giants" (Joshua 14:15). "In the balance they go up" — in the balance you are atoned for, in the month whose sign is the Scales [Libra]; and which is that? This is Tishrei. "In the month" (Psalms 81:4) — renew your deeds. "Shofar" (ibid.) — make your deeds beautiful [shapperu]. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: if you have made your deeds beautiful before Me, behold, I become for you like this shofar: just as the shofar takes in at one end and brings out at the other, so I rise from the throne of judgment and sit on the throne of mercy, and I am filled with compassion for you and have mercy on you and turn the attribute of judgment into the attribute of mercy for them. When? "In the seventh month" (Leviticus 23:24).

"In the seventh month" (Leviticus 23:24) — in the month that is sated [mesubba] with commandments: the shofar is in it, the Day of Atonement is in it, the lulav and the willow are in it. Another interpretation: "in the seventh month" — in the month that is sated with everything: the wine presses are in it, the threshing floors are in it, all kinds of choice fruits are in it. Another interpretation: "in the seventh month" — Rabbi Berekhiah used to call it the month of the oath [yeraha de-shevu'ah], in which He swore to our father Abraham, "By Myself I have sworn, says the LORD" (Genesis 22:16). What need was there for this oath? Rabbi Bibah son of Rabbah in the name of Rabbi Yohanan: our father Abraham said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the worlds, it was revealed and known before You that in the hour when You said to me, 'Take now your son, your only one' (Genesis 22:2), I had something in my heart with which to answer You. I could have said to You, 'Yesterday You told me, In Isaac shall your seed be called (Genesis 21:12), and now You tell me, Take now your son.' But just as I had it in my heart to answer You, yet I suppressed my impulse and did not answer You — so, in the hour when the children of Isaac come into sins and evil deeds, may the binding of their father be remembered before You, and may You be filled with compassion for them and have mercy on them, and turn for them the attribute of judgment into the attribute of mercy." When? "In the seventh month" (Leviticus 23:24).

"And Abraham lifted up his eyes" (Genesis 22:13). Rabbi Yudan said: this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, showed our father Abraham the ram tearing loose from one thicket and getting entangled in another thicket. The Holy One said to him, "Abraham, so are your children destined to be caught in sins and entangled in troubles, and in the end they will be redeemed by the horns of a ram, as it says, 'And the LORD shall be seen over them, and His arrow shall go forth like lightning' (Zechariah 9:14)." Rabbi Hanina said: this teaches that the Holy One showed Abraham the ram tearing loose from one thicket and getting entangled in another. The Holy One said to him, "Abraham, so are your children destined to be caught among the nations and entangled in kingdoms and dragged from kingdom to kingdom — from Babylon to Media, from Media to Greece, from Greece to Edom — and in the end they will be redeemed by the horns of a ram, 'And the LORD shall be seen over them' (Zechariah 9:14)." All sevenths are beloved. Among the firmaments above, the seventh is beloved: heaven [shamayim], and the heaven of heavens, and the firmament [raki'a], and the skies [shehakim], and the dwelling [zevul], and the abode [ma'on], and the plains [aravot] — "extol Him who rides upon the plains [aravot]" (Psalms 68:5). Among the lands the seventh is beloved: eretz, adamah, arka, gai, tziyah, neshiyah, tevel — "and He shall judge the world [tevel] in righteousness" (Psalms 9:9). Among the generations the seventh is beloved: Adam, Seth, Enosh, Kenan, Mahalalel, Jared, Enoch — "and Enoch walked with God" (Genesis 5:22). Among the patriarchs the seventh is beloved: Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Levi, Kohath, Amram, Moses — "and Moses went up to God" (Exodus 19:3). Among the sons the seventh is beloved: Eliab, Abinadab, Shimea, Nethanel, Raddai, Ozem, David the seventh (1 Chronicles 2:15). Among the kings the seventh is beloved: Saul, Ish-bosheth, David, Solomon, Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa — "and Asa cried to the LORD his God and said, LORD, there is none beside You to help between the mighty and the powerless; help us, O LORD our God, for on You we rely" (2 Chronicles 14:10). Among the sabbatical cycles the seventh is beloved: "and you shall hallow the fiftieth year" (Leviticus 25:10). Among the years the seventh is beloved: "but the seventh year you shall let it rest and lie fallow" (Exodus 23:11). Among the days the seventh is beloved: "and God blessed the seventh day" (Genesis 2:3). Among the months the seventh is beloved: "in the seventh month, on the first of the month" (Leviticus 23:24).

Rabbi Abba the son of Rabbi Pappi and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: All the days of the year Israel are busy with their work, but on Rosh Hashanah they take up shofars and sound them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, rises from the throne of judgment and sits upon the throne of mercy, and is filled with compassion for them, and turns toward them the attribute of judgment into the attribute of mercy. When? "In the seventh month, on the first of the month" (Leviticus 23:24).

Perhaps. Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish were puzzling over a difficulty. We have learned: a festival day of Rosh Hashanah that falls on Shabbat, in the Temple they would sound the shofar, but not in the provinces. They said: if it is a matter of Torah law, let it override Shabbat even in the provinces; and if it is not a matter of Torah law, then even in the Temple it should not override Shabbat. While they were still sitting and puzzling, Kahana passed by. They said: here comes the master of this teaching; let us rise and ask him. They rose and asked him. He said to them: one verse says, "It shall be a day of sounding the horn for you" (Numbers 29:1), and another verse says, "It shall be a remembrance of sounding the horn for you" (Leviticus 23:24). How shall these two verses be upheld together? When it falls on a weekday, "a day of sounding the horn for you"; and when it falls on Shabbat, "a remembrance of sounding the horn for you" -- they make mention of it but do not sound it. Rabbi Zeira used to instruct his colleagues: go in and listen to the voice of Rabbi Levi as he expounds, for it is not possible that he conclude a section without teaching. They went in, and he expounded before them: one verse says, "It shall be a day of sounding the horn for you," and another verse says, "a remembrance of sounding the horn" -- how shall these two verses be upheld together? When it falls on a weekday, "a day of sounding the horn for you"; and when it falls on Shabbat, "a remembrance of sounding the horn" -- they make mention but do not sound. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: let it override in the Temple, where they know the set time of the month, and let it not override in a place where they do not know the set time of the month. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: "It shall be a day of sounding the horn for you, and you shall offer" (Numbers 29:1-2) -- in the place where the offerings are brought near. Rabbi Tachlifa of Caesarea said: regarding all the offerings it is written "and you shall bring near" (Numbers 28:19, 27), but here it is written "and you shall make" (Numbers 29:2). The Holy One said: since you have entered before Me in judgment on this day and have come out acquitted, I account it for you as if you were made anew this day, as if this day I created you a new creation -- "For as the new heavens and the new earth" (Isaiah 66:22). Concluded.

Return. "Shall a shofar be blown in a city and the people not tremble? Shall there be evil in a city and the LORD has not done it?" (Amos 3:6). This is like a province that was overrun by raiding troops, and there was a certain elder in it who would warn all the inhabitants of the province. Everyone who listened to him was saved, and everyone who did not listen to him -- the troops would come and kill him. So it is written: "Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the house of Israel" (Ezekiel 33:7); "When I say to the wicked, O wicked one, you shall surely die" (Ezekiel 33:8); "But if you have warned the wicked and he does not turn from his wickedness" (Ezekiel 33:9). So too, "Shall a shofar be blown in a city" -- on Rosh Hashanah; "and the people not tremble" -- these are Israel; "Shall there be evil in a city and the LORD has not done it" -- the Holy One, blessed be He, does not desire the death of the wicked. This is as it is written: "Say to them, As I live, says the Lord GOD, I have no desire in the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11). My people, what do I ask of you? Only, "Turn, turn from your evil ways, for why should you die, O house of Israel?" (Ezekiel 33:11). And some wish to derive it from this: "Seek Me and live" (Amos 5:4). My people, what do I ask of you? Only "Seek Me and live." Therefore Hosea warns Israel and says to them, "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God" (Hosea 14:2).

"By awesome deeds in righteousness You answer us, O God of our salvation" (Psalms 65:6). Rabbi Yudah in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: the awesome deeds You have done with us in this world, on account of the sufferings You bring upon us in this world. Rabbi Chaggai in the name of Rabbi Yitzchak: the awesome deeds You will do with us in the world to come, on account of the sufferings You bring upon us in this world. "The trust of all the ends of the earth" (Psalms 65:6) -- You are the trust of the mighty; in Your name they trust. Those who set out on journeys trust in Your name; those who put out to sea trust in Your name; those who go out by caravan. "And the far seas" (Psalms 65:6) -- Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa asked Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman: what is the meaning of what is written, "and the far seas"? He said to him: repentance is compared to the sea. Just as this sea is always open, so the gates of repentance are always open. And prayer is compared to a ritual bath: just as this ritual bath is sometimes open and sometimes shut, so the gates of prayer are sometimes open and sometimes shut. Just as with this ritual bath, a person seeks to immerse and finds his father or his teacher there and is ashamed and goes away, so with prayer. But this sea -- one withdraws a little, goes down, and immerses. Rabbi Berekhiah, Rabbi Chelbo in the name of Rabbi Anan bar Rabbi Yose: even the gates of prayer are always open. And this accords with what Rabbi Yose bar Chalafta said: there are set times for prayer, and David came and explained, "But as for me, my prayer is to You, O LORD, at a time of favor" (Psalms 69:14). David said before the Holy One: Master of the worlds, at the time when I pray before You, may it be a time of favor. "O God, in the abundance of Your kindness answer me with the truth of Your salvation" (Psalms 69:14). It was taught in the name of Rabbi Eliezer: "The hope of Israel is the LORD" (Jeremiah 17:13) -- just as this ritual bath purifies the impure, so the Holy One purifies Israel. Therefore Hosea warns Israel and says to them, "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2).

"And the LORD utters His voice before His army" (Joel 2:11). "And the LORD utters His voice before His army" -- on Rosh Hashanah. "For His camp is very great" (Joel 2:11) -- these are Israel. "For mighty is the one who carries out His word" (Joel 2:11) -- for He gives strength to the righteous who do His will. "For great is the day of the LORD and very awesome" (Joel 2:11) -- this is the Day of Atonement. "And who can endure it?" (Joel 2:11) -- for Rabbi Crispa said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: there are three ledgers, one of the wholly righteous, one of the wholly wicked, and one of those in between. "These to everlasting life" (Daniel 12:2) -- said Rabbi: these are the wholly righteous. "And these to reproaches and everlasting abhorrence" (Daniel 12:2) -- these are the wholly wicked. "Let them be blotted out of the book" (Psalms 69:29) -- these are the wicked. "Of the living" (Psalms 69:29) -- these are the righteous. "And let them not be written with the righteous" (Psalms 69:29) -- these are the in-between, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, has given the ten days between Rosh Hashanah and the Day of Atonement: if they repent, they are written with the righteous, and if not, they are written with the wicked. Therefore Hosea warns Israel and says to them, "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2).

"Tremble and sin not; speak in your heart upon your bed, and be still" (Psalms 4:5). Rabbi Yaakov bar Avina and the Rabbis. Rabbi Yaakov bar Avina said: enrage your evil inclination so that it not lead you to sin. And the Rabbis said: provoke your evil inclination to anger so that you not come to sin. It was taught in the name of Rabbi Eleazar: "The hope of Israel" (Jeremiah 17:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: I told you that you should pray in the synagogue that is in your city; and if you cannot, pray in your field; and if you cannot, pray within your house; and if you cannot, pray upon your bed; and if you cannot, meditate in your heart -- "speak in your heart upon your bed, and be still" (Psalms 4:5). Rabbi Yudan said: be still from that transgression which is in your hand. Therefore Hosea warns Israel and says to them, "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2).

"The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; a broken and crushed heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalms 51:19). Zavdi bar Levi and Rabbi Yose bar Petros and the Rabbis. One said: David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the worlds, if You receive me in repentance, I know that my son Solomon will arise and build the Temple and build the altar and offer upon it all the offerings -- this follows from the verse "a broken and crushed heart" (Psalms 51:19), and I know that "You will do good in Your favor to Zion" (see Psalms 51:20), "then You will delight in sacrifices of righteousness" (Psalms 51:21). And the other said: from where do we learn that one who repents, the Holy One accounts it to him as if he had gone up to Jerusalem and built the Temple and built the altar and offered upon it all the offerings? From this verse, "a broken and crushed heart," and what is written after it? "Do good in Your favor to Zion; then You will delight in sacrifices of righteousness." And the Rabbis said: from where do we learn that one who passes before the ark must make mention of the building of the Temple and the offerings and bow down? From this blessing: "Be favorable, O LORD our God, and dwell in Zion Your city, and may Your children serve You in Jerusalem." Rabbi Abba bar Yudan said: what He disqualified in an animal, He declared fit in a human being. In an animal He disqualified "blind, or broken, or maimed, or with a wart" (Leviticus 22:22); in a human being He declared fit "a broken and crushed heart" (Psalms 51:19). Rabbi Alexandri said: if an ordinary person uses a broken vessel, it is a disgrace to him; but the Holy One is not so -- all His use is of broken vessels. "The LORD is near to the broken-hearted" (Psalms 34:19); "who heals the broken-hearted" (Psalms 147:3); "a broken and crushed heart, O God, You will not despise" (Psalms 51:19). Therefore Hosea warns Israel and says to them, "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2).

"Behold, God is exalted in His power; who is a teacher like Him?" (Job 36:22). Rabbi Berekhiah said: it is a Greek expression, as you would say, "He is our God." "Exalted in His power" -- for He gives strength to the righteous who do His will. "Who is a teacher like Him" -- to sinners, that they should make repentance. Therefore Hosea warns Israel and says to them, "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2).

[7] "Good and upright is the LORD; therefore He instructs sinners in the way," etc. (Psalms 25:8). They asked Wisdom: The sinner, what is his punishment? She said to them: "Evil pursues sinners" (Proverbs 13:21). They asked Prophecy: The sinner, what is his punishment? She said to them: "The soul that sins, it shall die" (Ezekiel 18:4). They asked the Torah: A sinner, what is his punishment? She said to them: Let him bring a guilt offering and it will be atoned for him. They asked the Holy One, blessed be He: The sinner, what is his punishment? He said to them: Let him repent and it will be atoned for him. This is what is written: "Good and upright is the LORD," etc. (Psalms 25:8). Rabbi Pinhas said: Why is He good? Because He is upright. Why is He upright? Because He is good. "Therefore He instructs sinners in the way" (there) -- for He shows sinners the way to repent. Therefore Hosea warns Israel and says to them: "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2).

"He who covers his transgressions shall not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them shall obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). Rabbi Simon, in the name of Rabbi Joshua ben Levi, in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Halafta: With all plants, you cover their roots and they thrive; but this nut tree, you cover its roots and it does not thrive. This may be compared to a bandit who is being judged before the magistrate (the kostinar). As long as he resists, he is beaten; once he confesses, he receives the death sentence (parkola). But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. Rather, before a person confesses, He hands down the sentence; once he confesses, he receives acquittal (dimos). This is the meaning of what is written: "He who covers his transgressions shall not prosper" (Proverbs 28:13). Rabbi Judah said: "But he who confesses and forsakes them shall obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). Therefore Hosea warns Israel and says to them, "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2).

"From the fruit of a man's mouth he is satisfied with good" (Proverbs 12:14). It is written, "And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit" (Genesis 37:29). Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Joshua, and the Rabbis interpreted this. Rabbi Eliezer says: He was occupied with his sackcloth and his fasting over that deed concerning Bilhah that had befallen him, and he was not free; and once he was free from his sackcloth and fasting, he came and looked into the pit, "and behold, Joseph was not in the pit" (Genesis 37:29). Rabbi Joshua says: The burden of the household duties had been cast upon him and he was not free; and once he was free of the household burden, he came and looked into the pit, "and behold, Joseph was not in the pit." And the Rabbis said: The Holy One said to him, "You sought to restore a son beloved to his father. By your life, your descendant shall restore Israel to their Father in heaven." And who is this? This is Hosea, as it is written, "The word of the LORD that came to Hosea son of Beeri" (Hosea 1:1), and it is written, "Beerah his son" (1 Chronicles 5:6). And why was he called Beerah? Because he was a well (be'er) of Torah. And why did Beerah die in exile? So that the ten tribes would return by his merit. And why did Moses die in the wilderness? So that the generation of the wilderness would return by his merit. Rabbi Berekhiah said: The Holy One said to him, "You were the first to open with repentance. By your life, your descendant shall come and open first with repentance," namely, "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2).

"For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the LORD" (Isaiah 55:8). This may be compared to a bandit who is being judged before the magistrate (the kostinar). First the indictment (the analgin) is read against him; then he is beaten; then he is fettered (given the kemes); then he is sentenced (given the parkola); and then he is led out to be executed. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. Rather, first He reads the indictment of the tribes: "And now they sin more and more, and have made for themselves molten images" (Hosea 13:2). And then He beats them: "Ephraim is smitten, their root is dried up" (Hosea 9:16). And then He fetters them: "The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up" (Hosea 13:12). And then He sentences them: "Samaria shall bear her guilt, for she has rebelled" (Hosea 14:1). And then, instead of executing them, He brings them back in repentance: "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2).

What is written just above the matter? "Samaria shall bear her guilt" (Hosea 14:1), and after it is written, "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2). Rabbi Elazar in the name of Rabbi Samuel bar Nachman: This is like a province that rebelled against the king, and the king sent against it a commander to destroy it; but that commander was experienced and settled, and said to them, "Take counsel for yourselves, that the king not do to you as he did to such-and-such a province." So Hosea said to Israel, "My children, repent, that the Holy One not do to you as He did to Samaria." Israel said before the Holy One, "Master of the worlds, if we repent, will You accept us?" He said, "I accepted the repentance of Cain, and shall I not accept yours? A harsh decree was issued against him: 'When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you' (Genesis 4:12). And when he repented, half the decree was withheld from him. How do we know he repented? 'And Cain said to the LORD, my iniquity is too great to bear' (Genesis 4:13). And how do we know half the decree was withheld? 'And Cain went out and dwelt in the land of Nod' (Genesis 4:16) - it does not say 'in the land of wandering and roaming' (na va-nad), but only 'in the land of Nod.'" What is meant by "and he went out"? Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Aibu: like one tossing the matter behind his back, deceiving the Most High. Rabbi Berekhiah in the name of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Simeon: he went out like one appeasing and deceiving his Creator. Rabbi Huna in the name of Rabbi Hanina son of Rabbi Isaac: he went out rejoicing, as it is said, "And behold, he comes out to meet you" (Exodus 4:14). As he was going out, Adam the first man met him and said, "What was done in your judgment?" He said, "I repented and was reconciled." At that moment Adam began striking his face and saying, "So great is the power of repentance, and I did not know it!" At that moment he said, "It is good to give thanks to the LORD" (Psalms 92:2). Rabbi Levi said: Adam composed this psalm, "A psalm, a song for the Sabbath day" (Psalms 92:1). "And shall I not accept your repentance?" "I accepted the repentance of Ahab; a harsh decree was issued against him, as it is written, 'In the place where the dogs licked the blood of Naboth shall the dogs lick your blood, even yours' (1 Kings 21:19). 'And it came to pass, when Ahab heard these words, that he tore his garments, and put sackcloth on his flesh, and fasted, and lay in sackcloth' (1 Kings 21:27). And how much did he fast? If he had been accustomed to eat at the third hour, he ate at the sixth; if accustomed at the sixth, at the ninth. 'And went softly' (1 Kings 21:27) - Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said he walked barefoot. And it is written, 'The word of the LORD came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying, Have you seen how Ahab has humbled himself before Me? Because he has humbled himself before Me, I will not bring the evil in his days' (1 Kings 21:28-29). And shall I not accept yours?" "I accepted the repentance of the men of Anathoth; a harsh decree was issued against them: 'Thus says the LORD concerning the men of Anathoth... behold, I will punish them... and there shall be no remnant of them' (Jeremiah 11:21-23). And when they repented, they merited to be counted by lineage: 'The men of Anathoth, one hundred twenty-eight' (Ezra 2:23). And shall I not accept yours?" "I accepted the repentance of the men of Nineveh; a harsh decree was issued against them: 'And Jonah began to enter into the city... and he cried' (Jonah 3:4). 'And word came to the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne... and he proclaimed in Nineveh by the decree of the king and his nobles' (Jonah 3:6-7)." Resh Lakish said: The men of Nineveh made a repentance of deceit. What did they do? Rabbi Hunia in the name of Rabbi Simeon ben Halafta: they set the calves within and their mothers without, so that these would low within and their mothers without, and these would low here and these there, and they said, "If You do not have mercy on us, we will not have mercy on these." Rabbi Aha said: in Arabia too they did so. As it says, "How the beasts groan, the herds of cattle are perplexed" (Joel 1:18). "And let man and beast be covered with sackcloth, and let them cry mightily to God" (Jonah 3:8) - what is meant by "mightily"? Rabbi Simeon ben Halafta said: a brazen one prevails over a modest one, all the more so for the good of the world. "And let everyone turn from his evil way" (Jonah 3:8) - Rabbi Yochanan said: what was in their palms they returned, but what was in chest, box, and tower they did not return. "Rend your hearts and not your garments" (Joel 2:13) - Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: if you rend your hearts in repentance, you will not rend your garments over your sons and daughters. Why? "For He is gracious and merciful, slow to anger" (Joel 2:13). Rabbi Aha and Rabbi Tanchum in the name of Rabbi Hiyya in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: it is not written "slow to anger" in the singular but in the plural [erekh appayim], for He is patient with the righteous and patient with the wicked. He is patient with the righteous and collects from them the few evil deeds they did in this world, in order to give them their full reward in the world to come; and He grants ease to the wicked in this world and repays them for their few good deeds here, in order to exact from them their full debt in the world to come. Rabbi Levi said: what is "slow to anger"? Far from wrath. This is like a king who had fierce legions, and the king said, "If they dwell with me in the city, when the citizens anger me these legions will rise up against them and destroy them. Rather, I will send them far off, so that when the citizens anger me, before I can summon the legions, the citizens will come and appease me, and I will accept their appeasement." Taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: "Behold, the LORD goes forth from His place" (Isaiah 26:21) - He goes forth from the measure of strict justice to the measure of mercy upon Israel. And shall I not accept your repentance? "I accepted the repentance of Manasseh; a harsh decree was issued against him, as it is written, 'And the LORD spoke to Manasseh and to his people, but they would not listen. So the LORD brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks' (2 Chronicles 33:10-11). They made for him a kind of bronze vessel, full of holes, and put him into it and kindled a fire beneath him. When he saw that his trouble was real, he left no idol in the world that he did not invoke; and when none availed at all, he said, 'I remember that my father used to make me read this verse: When you are in tribulation and all these things come upon you, in the latter days you shall return to the LORD your God and obey His voice, for the LORD your God is a merciful God; He will not fail you nor destroy you (Deuteronomy 4:30-31). I will call upon Him; if He answers me, well, and if not, then all faces are alike.' And the ministering angels were stopping up the windows of the firmament, so that Manasseh's prayer should not ascend, saying before the Holy One, 'Master of the world, can a man who set up an idol in the Sanctuary have repentance?' He said to them, 'If I do not accept him in repentance, I am locking the door before all who repent.' What did the Holy One do? He dug for him a kind of tunnel beneath His throne of glory and heard his supplication, as it is written, 'And he prayed to Him, and He was entreated of him... and heard his supplication' (2 Chronicles 33:13). 'And He brought him back to Jerusalem to his kingdom' (2 Chronicles 33:13) - Rabbi Samuel bar Nachman in the name of Rabbi Aha said: He brought him back with a wind. 'Then Manasseh knew that the LORD, He is God' (2 Chronicles 33:13) - at that moment Manasseh said, 'There is justice and there is a Judge.' And shall I not accept your repentance?" "I accepted the repentance of Jeconiah; a harsh decree was issued against him, as it is written, 'Is this man Coniah a despised, broken vessel?' (Jeremiah 22:28). 'A vessel in which there is no pleasure' (Jeremiah 22:28). Rabbi Meir said: the Holy One swore that He would not raise up a king from Jeconiah son of Jehoiakim, as it is written, 'Though Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet on My right hand, yet would I pluck you thence' (Jeremiah 22:24)." Another interpretation: it does not say "I would pluck you" (etkacha) but "I will set you right" (atkenkha) - I will set you right through repentance; from the place of his uprooting will come his repair. Rabbi Aha bar Avun in the name of Rabbi Abba: great is the power of repentance, for it annulled the oath and annulled the decree. It annulled the oath, as it says, "As I live, says the LORD, though Coniah... were the signet" (Jeremiah 22:24), and it is written, "On that day, says the LORD of hosts, I will take you, O Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel" (Haggai 2:23). It annulled the decree: "Write this man down childless" (Jeremiah 22:30), yet "the sons of Jeconiah: Assir, Shealtiel his son" (1 Chronicles 3:17). Rabbi Tanchum said: "Assir" - he was bound (asur) in prison. "Shealtiel" - that the kingship of the house of David was transplanted (hushtelah) from him. Rabbi Tanchuma said: "Assir" - the Holy One bound (asar) Himself by an oath; "Shealtiel" - He inquired (nish'al) of the heavenly court and they released Him from the oath.

Rabbi Judah the Patriarch in the name of Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon: In the way of the world, when a man shoots an arrow, how far does it travel? The length of a field of grain, or two such fields. Great is the power of repentance, for it reaches up to the throne of glory. Rabbi Yose said: It is written, "Open to me" (Song of Songs 5:2). The Holy One said, "Open to Me an opening the width of a needle's eye, and I will open for you an opening through which tents and great gateways can enter." Rabbi Tanchuma in the name of Rabbi Hanina, and Rabbi Aibu in the name of Resh Lakish: Do repentance in the blink of an eye, "and know that I am the LORD" (Psalms 46:11). Rabbi Levi said: If Israel would do repentance for a single day, they would be redeemed. What is the reason? "Today, if you will hear His voice" (Psalms 95:7). Rabbi Judah son of Rabbi Simon said: "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God" (Hosea 14:2) - even if you have denied the very Root. Rabbi Elazar said: In the way of the world, when one man insults his fellow in public and later seeks to appease him, the other says, "You insult me in public and seek to appease me privately, between you and me? Go and bring the people before whom you insulted me, and I will be appeased to you." But the Holy One is not so. Rather, a man may stand and revile and blaspheme in the marketplace, and the Holy One says to him, "Repent privately, between you and Me, and I will accept you."

Rabbi Issachar of Kefar Mandi expounded: "For He knows worthless men; He sees iniquity, and will He not consider it?" (Job 11:11). In the way of the world, a man piles up heap upon heap of transgressions, and then does repentance, as it were - "He sees iniquity, but will not consider it" [God overlooks it]. Taught in the name of Rabbi Meir: "Return, O Israel" (Hosea 14:2) - while He still stands in the attribute of mercy; and if not, "to the LORD your God" (Hosea 14:2) - before the defender becomes the prosecutor.

Samuel Patigrisa in the name of Rabbi Meir: "Rejoice, young man, in your youth" (Ecclesiastes 11:9). Rabbi Samuel bar Isaac said: The sages sought to hide away the book of Ecclesiastes, because they found in it matters that incline toward heresy. They said: Was it fitting for Solomon to say, "Rejoice, young man, in your youth"? Moses said, "You shall not follow after your heart and after your eyes" (Numbers 15:39), and Solomon said, "Walk in the ways of your heart and in the sight of your eyes" (Ecclesiastes 11:9) - the restraint is loosed, there is no judgment and no Judge! But when he said, "Yet know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment" (Ecclesiastes 11:9), they said, "Solomon spoke well." Rabbi Hiyya the Great and Rabbi Simeon ben Halafta. Rabbi Hiyya the Great said: This is like a bandit who fled from the magistrate; they said to him, "Run a little less, lest you tire yourself out being dragged back. And know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment" (Ecclesiastes 11:9). And Rabbi Simeon ben Halafta said: This is like one swimming upon the water; they said to him, "Swim out a little less, lest you tire yourself on the return. And know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment." Rabbi Josiah said: This is like one who stole goods past the customs; when he was caught, they said to him, "Pay the duty." He said, "Take it." They said to him, "Do you think we want only this one time? We want it for all the times you were in the habit of stealing past the customs. And know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment." Rabbi Levi said: This is like a bird placed in a cage, and another came and stood over it and said, "How fortunate you are, that your food is provided for you!" It said, "You look at the food but you do not look at the trap. And know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment." Rabbi Tanchuma said: This is like a worthless fellow who entered a shop and said to the shopkeeper, "Give me good wine and fine bread and rich meat." When he had eaten and drunk, he said, "Settle your account." The man said, "Here is this fellow's belly before you; slit it open." Said the shopkeeper, "And by this do you think to escape me?" Now that shopkeeper was shrewd. What did he do? He took him and wrapped him in a mat and threw him at the entrance of the shop, and all who passed by, he would say to them, "Acquire merit by this dead man, for I wish to buy him burial." A certain official passed by and said, "How long will this go on?" He said, "Until his debt is settled." And once his debt was settled, the shopkeeper said to him, "Get up, go to the grave of this fellow's father, and tell him that his end was bad. And know that for all these things God will bring you into judgment."

Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yose the Galilean said: Israel said before the Holy One, "Master of the worlds, if we repent, who will testify on our behalf?" He said to them, "For harm I will become a witness for you, but for good I will not become a witness for you." For harm I will become a witness for you: "And I will come near to you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness" (Malachi 3:5). But for good I will not become a witness for you. Ahab son of Kolaiah and Zedekiah son of Maaseiah were false prophets, and they would commit adultery with the wives of their fellows, as it is written, "Because they have committed villainy in Israel, and committed adultery with their neighbors' wives" (Jeremiah 29:23). And what would they do? One of them would go to a woman and say, "I have seen in my prophecy that your fellow [Zedekiah] will come to you, and you will raise up a prophet in Israel." And this one would act as go-between for that one, and that one for this one. And when their time came to fall, they went to the wife of Nebuchadnezzar. They said to her thus and so. She said, "I can do nothing without the king's knowledge." And when Nebuchadnezzar came, she told him thus and so. He said, "Is it possible? The God of this nation hates lewdness. Rather, I will test them as I tested Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. If they are saved, well; and if not, they are false prophets." What did he do? He made for them a kind of bronze frying pan, full of holes, and put them into it and kindled a fire beneath them. And when they saw that their trouble was real, they associated Joshua son of Jehozadak the High Priest with them, saying, "Perhaps by his merit we will be saved." What did the Holy One do to them? They were burned and he was saved, "Is not this a brand plucked from the fire?" (Zechariah 3:2). This is what is written, "And from them shall be taken up a curse for all the captivity of Judah" (Jeremiah 29:22) - it does not say "whom the king of Babylon burned," but "whom the king of Babylon roasted (kalam) in the fire" (Jeremiah 29:22) - roasted like these roasted grains (kelayot).

Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yitzchak. Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jeremiah, Go and tell Israel to repent. He came and told them, and they said to him, Our master Jeremiah, how can we repent? With what face do we come before the Omnipresent? Have we not angered Him and provoked Him? Those very mountains and hills where we worshiped idols still stand, as it says, On the tops of the mountains they sacrifice (Hosea 4:13). Let us lie down in our shame, and let our disgrace cover us (Jeremiah 3:25). He came before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said so. He said to him, Go and tell them: Have I not written this for you in My Torah, And I will set My face against that man and cut him off from the midst of his people (Leviticus 20:6)? Have I done such a thing to you? Rather, I will not cause My face to fall upon you, for I am loving, says the LORD; I will not bear a grudge forever (Jeremiah 3:12). Rabbi Yitzchak said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jeremiah, Go and tell Israel to repent. He came and told them, and they said to him, Our master Jeremiah, how can we repent? With what face do we come before the Holy One? Have we not angered and provoked Him? Those mountains and hills where we worshiped idols still stand, as it says, On the tops of the mountains they sacrifice (Hosea 4:13). Let us lie down in our shame (Jeremiah 3:25). He came and said this before the Holy One, blessed be He. He said to him, Go and tell them: If you are coming, are you not coming to your Father in heaven? As it says, For I have become a Father to Israel, and Ephraim is My firstborn (Jeremiah 31:9).

For you have stumbled in your iniquity (Hosea 14:2). Rabbi Simon said: This is like a high rock standing at a crossroads, and people kept stumbling over it. The king said to them, Chip away at it little by little until the time comes when I will remove it from the world. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, My children, the evil impulse is a great stumbling block to the world; chip away at it little by little until the time comes when I will remove it from the world. This is what is written, And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh (Ezekiel 36:26). Rabbi Yitzchak said: It is the way of the world that a person stumbles into a sin for which he is liable to death at the hands of Heaven, and then his ox dies, his hen is lost, his flask is broken, he stubs his finger, for a portion of the soul stands in for the whole soul. Another interpretation: One thing added to another to find the account (Ecclesiastes 7:27). Just as one mishap is added to another, the reckoning is found. And how far does the working out of the account go? Down to the very last one.

Take words with you (Hosea 14:3). Rabbi Yudah and Rabbi Nechemyah. Rabbi Yudah said: Did they not coax Him with mere words at Sinai? As it says, They deceived Him with their mouth and lied to Him with their tongue (Psalms 78:36). And Rabbi Nechemyah said: Take words with you means, bring people of substance, good reciters, good expounders, such as Levi ben Sisi and his colleagues. As for Levi ben Sisi: troops came to his town. The troops entered, and he took a Torah scroll and went up to the roof. He said before Him, Master of the worlds, if I have neglected even a single word of this scroll, let the brigands come up against them; but if not, let them go away. At once they were sought and not found. His disciple did likewise, and his right hand withered, but the brigands went away. The disciple of his disciple did likewise, and his right hand did not wither, yet the brigands did not go away. They reasoned and said: If a fool is struck he does not feel it, and dead flesh does not feel the scalpel.

Return to the LORD, and say to Him, May You forgive all iniquity (Hosea 14:3). Rabbi Yudah and Rabbi Nechemyah. Rabbi Yudah said: May You forgive all, yet do not lift up our iniquities. And Rabbi Nechemyah said: All, do not bear away the whole; take half and leave half. Receive the good (Hosea 14:3). Rabbi Natan and Rabbi Acha in the name of Rabbi Simon: the numerical value of the word for good is the same as soul, so receive the good means receive the soul. And let us pay the bulls of our lips (Hosea 14:3). Rabbi Abahu said: Who shall pay those bulls that we used to offer before You? Our lips, in the prayer we pray before You. Rabbi Yitzchak said: This is the atonement by which You atone for our souls. And what great goodness do You do for our souls, and what are we to say? Good. It is good to give thanks to the LORD (Psalms 92:2). Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good (Psalms 118:1). Completed.

Forgivenesses. The righteous one holds to his way, and he of clean hands grows ever stronger (Job 17:9). The righteous one: this is the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it is written, For the LORD is righteous, He loves righteous deeds (Psalms 11:7). Of clean hands: this is the Holy One, blessed be He, of whom it is written, You whose eyes are too pure to behold evil (Habakkuk 1:13). Grows ever stronger (Job 17:9): this is the Holy One, who fortifies the strength of the righteous so that they do His will. Another interpretation: The righteous one holds to his way, this is Moses, for he did the righteousness of the LORD and His judgments with Israel (Deuteronomy 33:21). Of clean hands, this is Moses, of whom it is written, I have not taken one donkey from them (Numbers 16:15). Grows ever stronger, this is Moses, who magnifies the power of might, as you say, And now, let the power of the LORD be magnified (Numbers 14:17). Rabbi Yaakov bar Acha in the name of Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Chanina, and the rabbis in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, said: Let the strength of Your mercy prevail, let the measure of mercy overpower the measure of judgment, as you say, And now, let the power of the LORD be magnified. Rabbi Yudan said: This is like a strong man wrestling with a heavy stone, and one passed by and saw him and said, Your strength is fine, brace your strength like a mighty man, as you say, And now, let the power of the LORD be magnified. Rabbi Azaryah in the name of Rabbi Yudah bar Rabbi Simon: Whenever the righteous do the will of the Holy One, blessed be He, they add strength to the Divine Might, as you say, And now, let it be magnified; but if not, then, as it were, You weakened the Rock that bore you (Deuteronomy 32:18). Rabbi Yudah bar Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Levi ben Parta: Whenever Israel does the will of the Holy One, they add strength to the Divine Might, as you say, Through God we shall do valiantly (Psalms 60:14); but if not, then, as it were, They went without strength before the pursuer (Lamentations 1:6). Rabbi Acha said: Pursuer is written in full spelling. Just as when Israel went into exile they went only by a pursuer spelled in full, so when they are redeemed they are redeemed only by a redeemer in full, as it says, And a redeemer shall come to Zion (Isaiah 59:20), spelled in full. Rabbi Yitzchak said: Moses conceded everything except one thing. Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He, Master of the worlds, when a person sins before You and You are patient with him, then You collect from him at once. The Holy One said to him, By your life, you yourself will need this. And where did he need it? With the spies: The LORD is slow to anger (Numbers 14:18). The first verse has no companion reading, but these have a companion reading. Rabbi Tanchum bar Chanilai said: I was passing before a synagogue in Babylon and heard the voice of a child reciting this verse, Your testimonies are very faithful, the LORD, for length of days (Psalms 93:5), and after it is written, God of vengeance, the LORD, God of vengeance (Psalms 94:1). Rabbi Acha and Rabbi Tanchum bar Rabbi Chiya in the name of Rabbi Yochanan: It does not say here slow of anger, but slow to anger [literally, of angers, long-suffering toward two kinds]. The rest of the section is like Return.

And abundant in kindness (Numbers 14:18). Rabbi Lazar and Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Chanina. Rabbi Lazar said: The pan of the scale is balanced even, iniquities on this side and merits on that side, and the Holy One, blessed be He, snatches away one bond from among the iniquities, and the merits tip the balance. And what is the meaning of bearing iniquity? Lifting up the eye. Rabbi Chuna in the name of Rabbi Abahu said: As it were, there is no forgetting before Him, but for Israel's sake He becomes, as it were, a forgetter. And what is the reason? Who is a God like You, bearing iniquity and passing over transgression (Micah 7:18). And so David said, You bore the iniquity of Your people, You covered all their sin, Selah (Psalms 85:3).

Yet He does not entirely acquit (Numbers 14:18). He cleanses those who repent and does not cleanse those who do not repent; He cleanses in this world but does not cleanse for the world to come. Visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children and upon the children's children, to the third and to the fourth generation (Numbers 14:18): like four stories, one above the other, one above the other, in this one wine and in this one oil, in this one honey and in this one water. If a fire breaks out in one of them, they put one another out; but if they were all of oil, they all burn up. So too, when they hold fast to the deeds of their fathers, generation after generation after generation, they are judged on their account. But if they were interwoven, one generation righteous and one generation wicked, then, Fathers shall not be put to death for children, and children shall not be put to death for fathers (Deuteronomy 24:16). In that hour Moses rejoiced and said, There is no cutter-down son of a cutter-down in Israel.

Forgive, I pray, the iniquity of this people according to the greatness of Your kindness (Numbers 14:19). Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Chanina and Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman. One said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, from Egypt until now (Numbers 14:19), for they have not sinned, only the early ones. And the other said: Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He, Master of the worlds, from Egypt until now, and just as You released and forgave them for what is past, release and forgive them for what is to come. Rabbi Alexandri said: This is like two who held out a petition to the king. One held it out in his own name, and it came out in the name of his grandfather; and one held it out in the name of his grandfather, and it came out in his own name. Hezekiah held it out in his own name, Please, the LORD, remember now that I have walked before You (II Kings 20:3), and it came out in the name of his grandfather, And I will shield this city to save it for My own sake and for the sake of David My servant (II Kings 20:6). Moses held it out in the name of his grandfather and it came out in his own name. He held it out in the name of his grandfather, Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel Your servants (Exodus 32:13). And it came out in his own name, And the LORD said, I have forgiven according to your word (Numbers 14:20). Completed.

Portion Acharei Mot. Rabbi Shimon son of Rabbi Avin opened: "All things come alike to all; there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked" (Ecclesiastes 9:2). "One event to the righteous" -- this is Noah, of whom it is written, "Noah was a righteous man" (Genesis 6:9). Rabbi Pinchas and Rabbi Yochanan in the name of Rabbi Elazar son of Rabbi Yosi the Galilean said: When Noah came out of the ark, the lion struck him and crippled him, and he was no longer fit to offer sacrifice, so his son Shem offered in his place. "And to the wicked" -- this is Pharaoh Necho. When he sought to sit upon the throne of Solomon, he did not know its mechanism, and the lion struck him and crippled him. This one died limping and that one died limping: one event to the righteous and to the wicked. "To the good and to the clean and to the unclean" (Ecclesiastes 9:2). "To the good" -- this is Moses, of whom it is written, "and she saw that he was good" (Exodus 2:2), for he was born already circumcised. "And to the clean" -- this is Aaron, who was occupied with the purification of Israel. "And to the unclean" -- these are the spies. These spoke ill of the land and did not enter it, and those [Aaron] were wholly righteous and did not enter it: one event to the righteous and to the clean and to the good and to the unclean. "And to him that sacrifices" (Ecclesiastes 9:2) -- this is Josiah, of whom it is written, "And Josiah contributed to the people lambs and kids" (2 Chronicles 35:7). "And to him that does not sacrifice" (Ecclesiastes 9:2) -- this is Ahab, who abolished the offerings from upon the altar. But is it not written, "And Ahab sacrificed for him" (2 Chronicles 18:2)? He sacrificed for him [Jehoshaphat's visit], not for the offerings. This one died by arrows and that one died by arrows. This one died by arrows: "And the archers shot at King Josiah" (2 Chronicles 35:23). And that one died by arrows: "And a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel between the joints and the breastplate" (1 Kings 22:34): one event to him that sacrifices and to him that does not sacrifice. "As is the good, so is the sinner" (Ecclesiastes 9:2). "As is the good" -- this is David, of whom it is written, "and good to look upon" (1 Samuel 16:12). "So is the sinner" -- this is the wicked Nebuchadnezzar, of whom it is written, "and your sins by righteousness" (Daniel 4:24). This one built the Temple and reigned forty years, and that one destroyed it and reigned forty-five years: one event as is the good, so is the sinner. "He that swears, as he that fears an oath" (Ecclesiastes 9:2). "He that swears" -- this is Zedekiah, of whom it is written, "and he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God" (2 Chronicles 36:13). By what did he make him swear? Rabbi Yosi son of Rabbi Chanina said: He made him swear by the altar. "As he that fears an oath" -- this is Samson, of whom it is written, "And Samson said to them, Swear to me that you will not fall upon me yourselves" (Judges 15:12). This one died by the gouging of eyes and that one died by the gouging of eyes. This one died by the gouging of eyes: "And they put out the eyes of Zedekiah" (2 Kings 25:7). And that one died by the gouging of eyes: "And the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes" (Judges 16:21): one event to him that swears as to him that fears an oath. Another interpretation: "One event to the righteous" -- this is Aaron, of whom it is written, "In peace and uprightness he walked with Me" (Malachi 2:6). "And to the wicked" -- this is the company of Korah, of whom it is written, "Depart, I pray you, from the tents of these wicked men" (Numbers 16:26). These [Korah's company] entered to offer in strife and came out burned, and those [Aaron's sons] entered to offer not in strife and came out burned, as it is written, "after the death of the two sons of Aaron" (Leviticus 16:1).

"Of laughter I said, It is mad" (Ecclesiastes 2:2). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: How confused is the laughter with which the nations of the world laugh in their theaters and circuses. "And of joy, what does it accomplish?" (Ecclesiastes 2:2) -- what is the nature of Torah scholars being there? Another interpretation: "Of laughter I said, It is mad." Rabbi Acha said: Solomon said, Matters at which the attribute of justice laughed, I made mad. It is written, "He shall not multiply wives to himself" (Deuteronomy 17:17), and it is written, "And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines" (1 Kings 11:3). It is written, "He shall not multiply horses to himself" (Deuteronomy 17:16), and it is written, "And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses for his chariots, and twelve thousand horsemen" (1 Kings 5:6). It is written, "Silver and gold he shall not greatly multiply to himself" (Deuteronomy 17:17), and it is written, "And the king made silver in Jerusalem as stones" (1 Kings 10:27). And they were not stolen. Rabbi Yose son of Rabbi Chanina said: They were whole stones of ten cubits and of eight cubits. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai taught: Even the weights in the days of Solomon were of gold, "silver was not counted as anything in the days of Solomon" (2 Chronicles 9:20). "And of joy, what does it accomplish?" (Ecclesiastes 2:2) -- the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: What is this crown doing on your head? Come down from My throne. At that hour an angel descended in the likeness of Solomon and sat upon his throne, and Solomon went about to all the synagogues and houses of study in Jerusalem, saying to them, "I, Kohelet, was king over Israel in Jerusalem" (Ecclesiastes 1:12), and they would say to him, King Solomon sits upon his throne, and you say, I am King Solomon. And what would they do to him? They would beat him with a reed and set before him a bowl of groats. At that hour he said, "Vanity of vanities, says Kohelet" (Ecclesiastes 1:2). Another interpretation: "Of laughter I said, It is mad." Rabbi Pinchas said: This laughter is confused; what joy does it produce? There was an incident concerning one of the prominent men of Kavul who was marrying off his son on the fourth day of the week, and he made a feast for the groomsmen. He said to his son, Go up and bring us a barrel of wine from the upper chamber. He went up, and a snake bit him, and he died. He waited for him to come down, but he did not come down. The father said, I will go up and find out what has become of my son. He went up and found that a snake had bitten him and he had died and lay among the barrels. What did he do? He waited until the guests had eaten and drunk; once the guests had eaten and drunk, he said to them: Did you come to recite the wedding blessings for this man? Recite over him the mourners' blessings. Did you come to bring this man's son into his bridal canopy? Come and bring him into his grave. Concerning Rabbi Zakkai of Kavul, who delivered the eulogy over him, "Of laughter I said, It is mad." Another interpretation: "Of laughter I said, It is mad" -- how confused is the laughter with which the attribute of justice laughed at the generation of the Flood, as it is written, "Their bull breeds and does not fail, they send forth their little ones like a flock, they take up the timbrel and harp, they spend their days in prosperity, and in a moment they go down to Sheol" (Job 21:10-13). And once they said, "What is the Almighty that we should serve Him, and what profit if we entreat Him?" (Job 21:15), the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "And of joy, what does it accomplish?" (Ecclesiastes 2:2) -- By your lives, I will blot you out from the earth, as it is written, "And He blotted out every living thing" (Genesis 7:23). Another interpretation: "Of laughter I said, It is mad" -- how confused is the laughter with which the attribute of justice laughed at Sodom and Gomorrah, as it is written, "The earth, out of it comes bread, and underneath it is turned up as it were by fire; its stones are the place of sapphires, and it has dust of gold; that path no bird of prey knows, nor has the falcon's eye seen it; the proud beasts have not trodden it, nor has the lion passed over it" (Job 28:5-8). And once they said, Let us cause the foot to be forgotten from our midst, as it is written, "He breaks open a shaft away from where men sojourn; they are forgotten of the foot, they hang afar from men, they swing to and fro" (Job 28:4), the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "And of joy, what does it accomplish?" (Ecclesiastes 2:2) -- By your lives, I will remove you from the world, as it is written, "And the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire, and He overthrew those cities" (Genesis 19:24-25). Another interpretation: "Of laughter I said, It is mad" -- how confused is the laughter with which the attribute of justice laughed at Elisheva daughter of Amminadab. Elisheva daughter of Amminadab saw four joys in one day: she saw her husband a High Priest, her brother-in-law a king, her brother a prince, and her two sons deputy priests. And once they [her sons] entered to offer and came out burned, her joy was turned to mourning, as it is written, "after the death of the two sons of Aaron" (Leviticus 16:1).

Rabbi Levi opened: "I said to the boastful, Do not boast" (Psalms 75:5). "I said to the boastful [holelim], Do not boast" -- to the confused ones, those whose hearts are full of evil tremblings upon tremblings. Rabbi Levi would read them as "woe to them," those who bring woes (allei) into the world. "And to the wicked, Do not lift up the horn" (Psalms 75:5) -- the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the wicked: The righteous did not rejoice in My world, and you seek to rejoice in My world? Adam did not rejoice in My world, and you seek to rejoice in My world? Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Menasya said: The apple of Adam's heel dimmed the orb of the sun. And do not be astonished: it is the way of the world that 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? 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; how much more so should the apple of Adam's heel have dimmed the orb of the sun, and the radiance of his face all the more so. Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Chama son of Rabbi Chanina said: Thirteen canopies the Holy One, blessed be He, bound for him in the Garden of Eden. And after all this praise, "for dust you are, and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19). Abraham did not rejoice in My world, and you seek to rejoice in My world? Abraham had a son born to him at a hundred years, and in the end the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Take now your son" (Genesis 22:2). And our father Abraham made a journey of three days, as it is written, "On the third day Abraham lifted up his eyes and saw the place from afar" (Genesis 22:4). What did he see? He saw a cloud bound upon the mountain. He said to his son: My son, do you see what I see? He said to him: Yes. He said to him: And what do you see? He said to him: I see a cloud bound upon the mountain. He said to his lads: Do you see what we see? They said: No. He said to them: Since you see nothing, and the donkey sees nothing, "stay here with the donkey" (Genesis 22:5) -- the people who are like a donkey. What did he do? He took his son Isaac and went up to the top of the mountain, and built the altar, and arranged the wood, and bound him upon the altar, and took the knife in his hand to slaughter him. Had the Holy One, blessed be He, not said to him, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad" (Genesis 22:12), he would already have been slaughtered. And when he came to his mother, she said to him: My son, what did your father do to you? He said to her: My father took me and led me up mountains and brought me down hills and led me up to the top of one mountain, and built an altar and arranged the wood and laid out the wood and bound me upon the altar and took the knife in his hand to slaughter me. Had the Holy One, blessed be He, not said to him, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad," I would already have been slaughtered. She said to him: Woe to you, son of an afflicted woman! Had the Holy One, blessed be He, not said, "Do not stretch out your hand against the lad," you would already have been slaughtered. She had not finished the matter before her soul departed, as it is written, "And Abraham came to mourn for Sarah and to weep for her" (Genesis 23:2). From where did he come? From Mount Moriah. As it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not rejoice in His world, and you seek to rejoice in His world? It is not written, "The LORD rejoiced in His works," but rather "may He rejoice" (Psalms 104:31) -- in the future the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to rejoice in the deeds of the righteous in the time to come. Israel did not rejoice in My world, and you seek to rejoice in My world? It is not written here, "Israel rejoiced," but rather "let Israel rejoice" (Psalms 149:2) -- for Israel is destined to rejoice in the works of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the time to come. Elisheva daughter of Amminadab did not rejoice, and you seek to rejoice in My world? Elisheva daughter of Amminadab saw four joys in one day: her husband a High Priest, her brother-in-law a king, her brother a prince, and her two sons deputy priests; and once they entered they came out burned, and her joy was turned to mourning, as it is written, "after the death of the two sons of Aaron" (Leviticus 16:1).

Rabbi Yudan of Gallia opened: "Does the eagle mount up at your command?" (Job 39:27). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Aaron: Upon the word of your mouth I would cause My Presence to rest upon the Ark, or upon the word of your mouth I would remove My Presence from upon the Ark. "The first Temple, a rock it dwells and lodges" (Job 39:28) -- one lodging [the First Temple stood through one period]. The Second Temple, "upon the crag of the rock and the stronghold" (Job 39:28) -- many lodgings. And we learned there: From the time the Ark was removed, a stone was there, and it was called the Foundation Stone (Shetiyah) from the days of the early prophets. And why was it called Shetiyah? Rabbi Yosi bar Chalafta said: because from it the world was founded (hushtat). How was the prayer of the High Priest on the Day of Atonement? May it be Your will, O LORD our God and God of our fathers, that this year be rainy, warm, and dewy; a year of cheap prices, a year of plenty, a year of goodwill, a year of blessing, a year of commerce; a year in which Your people the house of Israel will not need to depend on one another; a year in which Your people the house of Israel will not lord authority over one another. And the rabbis of Caesarea said: concerning our brethren in Caesarea, that they not lord authority over one another. And the rabbis of the South said: concerning our brethren in the Sharon, that their houses not become their graves. "From there he spies out food" (Job 39:29) -- from there he would discern food for all the days of the year. "His eyes behold from afar" (Job 39:29) -- from the New Year he would know what would be at its end. How so? When he gazed and saw the smoke of the altar-pile rising to the south, he knew the south would have plenty; rising to the west, he knew the west would have plenty; rising to the north, he knew the north would have plenty; to the east, he knew the east would have plenty; if it rose straight up toward the firmament, he knew the whole world would have plenty. And after all this praise: "And his young ones suck up blood" (Job 39:30) -- see his young ones writhing in the dust, and he is silent. But "where the slain are, there is he" (Job 39:30) -- the Divine Presence. Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, and Rabbi Berachiah in the name of Rabbi Chiya bar Abba said: "Draw near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary" (Leviticus 10:4) -- it is not written "the Ark," but "the sanctuary," like a man who says to his fellow: Remove this corpse from before the mourner; how long shall this mourner suffer? Therefore it is said, "after the death of the two sons of Aaron" (Leviticus 16:1).