Pesikta Rabbati Reader

Teach us, oh teacher – if one has an argument with their friend, how shall they attain atonement on Yom Kippur? This is what our Rabbis taught: transgressions between a person and God, Yom Kippur atones; however, for transgressions between a person and another, Yom Kippur does not atone until he appeases the other person (Mishna Yoma 8:9) And if one goes to appease him and the offended party will not accept the apology, what should one do?

R’ Shmuel bar Nachmani says: bring ten people and stand them in a line and say before them – there was an argument between my self and so-and-so, I tried to appease him and he did not want to accept my apology, rather he persists in his refusal. From where do we know one should do thus, it says “He declares to men, “I have sinned; I have perverted what was right; But I was not paid back for it.” (Job 33:27) The Holy One see that you are humbling yourself and gives atonement for your sins, because so long as one holds fast to their refusal to recognize their own behavior they are not forgiven.

Do you want proof of this? So long as Job stood against his friends and they against him, the attribute of justice prevailed. So we find that Job said to them “But now those younger than I deride me, [Men] whose fathers I would have disdained to put among my sheep dogs.” (Job 30:1) And they said to him “Among us are gray-haired old men, Older by far than your father.” (Job 15:10) At the very moment when he forgave them and prayed for mercy upon them, the Holy One returned to him, as it says “The LORD restored Job’s fortunes…” (Job 42:10) When? “…when he prayed on behalf of his friends…” (ibid.) This is as it says elsewhere, “…show you compassion, and in His compassion increase you…” (Deuteronomy 13:18) R’ Yose ben Dormaskit said: take this sign in your hand – so long as you are merciful upon your fellows, HaMakom (God) will be merciful upon you.

As soon as Avraham prayed for mercy on behalf of Avimelech, he received his own reward, as it says “Abraham then prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife…” (Genesis 20:17) Andwhat was the reward which he received? That his wife became pregnant and bore him a son, as it says “The LORD took note of Sarah as He had promised, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.” (Genesis 21:1)

The Midrash Harninu. Our master taught us: if there was a quarrel between a person and his fellow, how is it atoned for him on the Day of Atonement? Our sages taught: transgressions between a person and the Omnipresent, the Day of Atonement atones; transgressions between a person and his fellow, the Day of Atonement does not atone until he appeases his fellow (Yoma 8:9). And if he went to appease him and the other would not accept, what shall he do? Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: let him bring ten people and stand them in a row and say before them: there was a quarrel between me and so-and-so, and I asked to appease him and he would not accept; behold, in his refusal I am answered before him. And from where do we know this? As it says, "He sings before men and says, I have sinned and perverted what was right" (Job 33:27). The Holy One, blessed be He, sees that he humbles himself and atones for his sins, for as long as a person remains in his willfulness they are not forgiven him. Do you wish to know? As long as Job stood against his companions and his companions against him, the measure of judgment was stretched taut. So we find that Job said to them, "Now they mock me, men younger than I" (Job 30:1), and they said to him, "The gray-haired and the aged are among us" (Job 15:10). When he became reconciled to them and sought mercy upon them, at that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, turned back to him, as it says, "And the LORD restored the fortunes of Job" (Job 42:10). When? "When he prayed for his friends" (Job 42:10). And so it says, "He will give you mercy and have compassion on you" (Deuteronomy 13:18). Rabbi Yose ben Durmaskit said: let this sign be in your hand: as long as you are merciful to your fellow, the Omnipresent is merciful to you. Abraham, because he sought mercy for Abimelech and prayed on his behalf, immediately received his reward, as it says, "And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife" (Genesis 20:17). And what reward did he receive? That his own wife was remembered and bore him a son, as it says, "And the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken" (Genesis 21:1).

"For the leader, upon the Gittith, of Asaph. Sing aloud to God our strength; shout to the God of Jacob" (Psalms 81:1-2). Our master taught us: a shofar that was pierced and stopped up, is it fit to blow with? Our sages taught: if the repair impedes the blast, it is unfit; if not, it is fit (Rosh Hashanah 3:4). What is the reason? It is written, "And the LORD God will blow the shofar" (Zechariah 9:14): just as the shofar of the Holy One, blessed be He, is whole, so the shofar of Rosh Hashanah must be whole; because on Rosh Hashanah they are redeemed from the angel of death. And why do Israel blow the shofar on Rosh Hashanah? So that the Holy One, blessed be He, may judge them with mercy and find them meritorious, as it says, "God has ascended amid the blast, the LORD amid the sound of the shofar" (Psalms 47:6). Rabbi Tanchuma bar Abba opened: "He has not beheld iniquity in Jacob" (Numbers 23:21). What did Balaam see, to mention Jacob and not Abraham or Isaac? He saw that from Abraham came forth the dross of Ishmael and the children of Keturah, and from Isaac the dross of Esau and his chiefs, but Jacob was wholly holy, as it says, "All these are the tribes of Israel, twelve" (Genesis 49:28). Therefore he mentioned none of the patriarchs but Jacob: "Shout to the God of Jacob, selah." Another teaching: why Jacob more than all the patriarchs? Our sages taught: by the measure a person measures, by that measure it is measured to him (Sotah 1:7). A parable of a king who had three friends and wished to build a palace. He brought the first and said, see this place where I wish to make my palace; that friend said, I remember this place was a mountain at first. He brought the second and said the same; he said, I remember it was a field at first. The king set them aside. He brought the third friend and said the same, and he said, I remember it was a palace at first. The king said to him: by your life, I will build that palace and call it by your name. So Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob were the friends of the Holy One, blessed be He. Abraham called the Temple a mountain, as it says, "On the mountain of the LORD it shall be seen" (Genesis 22:14). Isaac called it a field, as it says, "See, the smell of my son is like the smell of a field" (Genesis 27:27). And Jacob called it a palace, as it says, "How awesome is this place; this is none other than the house of God" (Genesis 28:17). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: you called it a house before it was built; by your life, I will build it and call it the house of Jacob, as it says, "O house of Jacob, come and let us walk in the light of the LORD" (Isaiah 2:5).

… And He said to him ‘go away to the land of Moriah and bring him up there for a burnt offering’ (Bereshit 22:2) What is the land of Moriah? There is a whole bundle of Sages here, each saying their own answer. R’ Yanai says ‘what is Moriah? The place from which awe and fear (morah and yirah) go out to the world,’ “You are feared, O God, from Your Sanctuary…” (Tehillim 68:36) R’ Chiya the elder says ‘the land from which instruction (hora’ah) goes out to the world,’ as it says “…for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth…” (Yeshayahu 2:3) Another explanation: the land from which, in the future, the Holy One will teach that the wicked should descend to gehinnom, as it says “Like sheep, they are destined to the grave; death will devour them, and the upright will rule over them in the morning, and their form will outlast the grave…” From where? “…his dwelling place (zevul).” (Tehillim 49:15) Another explanation of the land of Moriah.

R’ Yehoshua ben Levi said ‘the land from which the righteous teach (morim) and make decrees upon the Holy One which He does,’ as it says “…and David and the elders, covered with sackcloth, fell upon their faces. And David said to God, "Did I not say to count the people?…I beg that Your hand be against me and against my father's house, but not against Your people for a plague." (Divre HaYamim I 21:16-17) Another explanation of the land of Moriah.

R’ Yehudah bar Padiiya said ‘Moriah - he said to Gd, where is it? He replied – to the land which I will show (mareh) you.’ Another explanation of Moriah. Avraham said to Gd, Master of the World!

But am I fit to offer sacrifices? Am I a kohen? Let Shem the High Priest come and receive him from me. The Holy One replied to him – when you arrive at the place I will sanctify you and make you into a kohen.

What is the meaning of Moriah? In exchange (temurah) for Shem. His replacement, as it says “He shall not exchange it or offer a substitute for it…” (Vayikra 27:10) Another explanation. What is Moriah?

R’ Pinchas said ‘the land in which the master (maruto) of the world dwells,’ as it says “…and My eyes and My heart shall be there at all times.” (Melachim I 9:3) Another explanation. What is Moriah? R’ Shimon bar Yochai said ‘the land which was adorned opposite the altar above “…or cast down… (yaro yireh)” (Shemot 19:13) Another explanation. The land in which the incense is offered – “I will go to the mountain of myrrh (mor)…” (Shir HaShirim 4:6)

"Speak to the children of Israel, saying: In the seventh month, on the first of the month, you shall have a sabbath, a memorial of the blast, a holy convocation" (Leviticus 23:24). Our master taught us: how many blessings must a person pray on Rosh Hashanah? Our sages taught: nine blessings, corresponding to the nine mentions of the divine Name in the passage of Hannah, and the prayer of Rosh Hashanah was learned from the passage of Hannah. As it is written there, "The LORD will judge the ends of the earth" (1 Samuel 2:10). And when does the Holy One, blessed be He, judge the world and find it meritorious? On Rosh Hashanah He judges His creatures and finds them meritorious, for He desires to acquit His creatures and not to condemn them, as it says, "As I live, says the LORD, I do not desire the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11). Why does He desire to justify His creatures? Rabbi Yehudah bar Nachman said in the name of Resh Lakish: the Holy One, blessed be He, said: when I am victorious, I lose, and when I am defeated, I gain. I was victorious over the generation of the Flood, and I lost, for I destroyed all those multitudes. So too the generation of the Dispersion and the people of Sodom. But in the matter of the calf, Moses defeated Me, as it says, "Why, O LORD, should Your anger burn" (Exodus 32:11), and I gained all those multitudes. Therefore I acquit all My creatures so that I do not lose. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham to offer his son, He said, "Take now your son, your only one, whom you love" (Genesis 22:2). He said: which of them? He said: your only one. He said: each is the only one to his mother. He said: whom you love. He said: Master of the worlds, are there boundaries within the heart? This one I love and that one I love. He said: Isaac. Why all this? To make him precious in his eyes. Abraham bound Isaac upon the altar and took the knife to slaughter him. Isaac said to him: Father, bind my hands and feet, for the soul is impetuous, lest I see the knife coming upon me and flinch and be made unfit for the offering. As Abraham came to draw the knife across his throat, the angels wept and cried out before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it says, "Behold, the valiant ones cry out in the street" (Isaiah 33:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Michael: why do you stand? Let him not touch him. Michael began to call, "Abraham, Abraham" (Genesis 22:11), twice, for he was hastening to slaughter him. He said to him: do not lay your hand upon the lad. He said: shall I then strangle him? He said: do not do anything to him. Rabbi Yirmeyah said: Abraham said before Him: Master of the world, it was revealed before You that I had what to answer when You told me to offer Isaac; I could have said, yesterday You told me, "In Isaac shall your seed be called" (Genesis 21:12), and now You tell me to slaughter him. Yet I did not answer You, but made myself as a mute and a deaf man. So when the children of Isaac are judged before You on this day, even if many accusers stand to accuse them, just as I was silent and did not answer You, so do You not regard them. "Behold, a ram caught in the thicket" (Genesis 22:13): the Holy One, blessed be He, said: see what is before you. When your children are entangled and caught in sins, what shall they do? With its horns they shall take these horns and blow with them, and I will remember the binding of Isaac and acquit them in judgment.

... Teach us oh, teacher: A court which sanctified the month, but not at Eintav with witnesses, is it sanctified? R’ Abahu said in the name of R’ Chiya the great: if a court sanctified the month without witnesses, it is sanctified, as it says “…which you shall designate in their appointed time.” (Leviticus 23:4) This means whether it is with witnesses or without. Whether witnesses saw it or not it is sanctified, as it says ‘which you shall designate.’

And why did the court intercalate a month into the calendar at Eintav? Because this was the meeting place for the court. Therefore on Rosh HaShana which fell out on Shabbat the shofar is not blown anywhere except at Eintav, in the place where the court sat and intercalated the years and months. The Holy One said: Zion is the meeting place for the whole world, as it says “…for out of Zion shall the Torah come forth, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 2:3) Therefore when I redeem Zion and her exiles, as it says “Zion shall be redeemed through justice and her penitent through righteousness,” (Isaiah 1:27) they will come and blow the shofar within her.

From where do we learn this? From how the prophet finished his words “Sound a shofar in Zion…” (Yoel 2:15). This is how R’ Tanchuma opened in the name of the House of R’ Aba: “The fairest of branches (nof), the joy of the entire earth- Mount Zion, by the north side, the city of a great king.” (Psalms 48:3) What does nof mean? A bride (kloninfe).

Another explanation. ‘The fairest of branches’ R’ Chanina bar Pappa said: The most beautiful in her branches, like the fig whose roots are in the land, rising up with her branches going out in every direction, she is beautiful. This is why Jerusalem is called the fairest of branches, because in the future she will be so “And it became wider and it wound higher and higher…” (Ezekiel 41:7) Another explanation. ‘The fairest of branches’ R’ Berachia said: The one who is beautiful through the waving (hanafat) of her omer offering.

R’ Yitzchak said: The one who is beautiful because in the future she will wave away the nations of the world. R’ Levi said: the fairest of branches (nof) because everyone beautifies her, praises her and waves (manifim) to her. “Tyre, you said, 'I am the perfection of beauty.'” (Ezekiel 27:3) but everyone praises and says ‘how beautiful’ to Jerusalem “Is this the city that was called the perfection of beauty, the joy of all the earth?” (Lamentations 2:15) Another explanation. ‘The fairest of branches’ R’ Levi said: her branches are beautiful through the circling of the altar.

Another explanation. ‘The fairest of branches, the joy of the entire earth’ R’ Yochanan said: there was a dome of accounting outside of Jerusalem, and they would take their accounts to do them outside of Jerusalem under that dome outside of the city limits. Within the city they would eat, drink and be joyful. Another explanation. ‘The fairest of branches, the joy of the entire earth’ Through the dew which comes out from there and causes the grains to wave (m’nafef), gives blessing and makes all the land rejoice. ‘The fairest of branches, the joy of the entire earth’ R’ Yonatan of Bet Guvrin went into Jerusalem with merchandise in his hands and no one was around.

He said: and this is the joy of the entire earth?! He hadn’t finished saying this before he sold everything that was in his hands. “…Mount Zion, by the north side…” (Psalms 48:3) And is Zion located in the north, isn’t it actually in the south? What is ‘the north side’? That her sacrifices were offered “…on the northern side of the altar…” (Leviticus 1:11) And what does “…the city of a great king…” (Psalms 48:3) mean?

The city of the Great King. Another explanation. ‘The fairest of branches, the joy of the entire earth’ R’ Levi said: joy comes from Zion, “…and they shall come to Zion with song, with joy of days of yore shall be upon their heads…” (Isaiah 35:10) The blessing comes from there, “Like the dew of Hermon, that comes down upon the mountains of Zion; for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forever.” (Psalms 133:3) The Torah comes from Zion “…from out of Zion comes the Torah…” (Isaiah 2:3) Help comes to Israel out Zion, “Send forth your help from the sanctuary, and support you out of Zion.” (Psalms 20:3) Life comes from Zion, “…for there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life forever.” (Psalms 133:3) Salvation comes from Zion, as it says “Oh that the salvation of Israel were come out of Zion!” (Psalms 14:7) And the shofar blast which will bring near the redemption of Israel comes out of Zion “Blow the shofar in Zion, and sound an alarm in My holy mountain; Let all the inhabitants of the land tremble; For the day of the Lord comes, for it is at hand…” (Yoel 2:15)

"Sound the shofar in Zion, [sound an alarm on My holy mountain; let all the inhabitants of the land tremble, for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is near]" (Joel 2:1). Let our master teach us: a court that sanctified the new month at Eintav without witnesses, what of it, is it sanctified? Rabbi Abbahu said in the name of Rabbi Chiya the Great: if a court sanctified the month without witnesses, it is sanctified, as it is said, "which you shall proclaim" (Leviticus 23:4), whether with witnesses or without witnesses, whether witnesses saw it or did not see it, it is sanctified, as it is said "which you shall proclaim." And why would the court intercalate the month at Eintav? Because that was the meeting place of the court. Therefore when Rosh Hashanah falls on the Sabbath they do not blow the shofar everywhere, only at Eintav, where the court sat and intercalated the years and months. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Zion is the meeting place of the whole world, as it is said, "For out of Zion shall go forth Torah, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem" (Isaiah 2:3). Therefore when I redeem Zion and its exiles, as it is said, "Zion shall be redeemed with justice, and those who return to her with righteousness" (Isaiah 1:27), they will come and blow the shofar within her. From where? From what the prophet concluded: "Sound the shofar in Zion." "Sound the shofar in Zion." Thus Rabbi Tanchuma son of Rabbi Abba opened: "Beautiful in elevation, the joy of the whole earth, [is Mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King]" (Psalms 48:3). What is "beautiful in elevation" [yafeh nof]? Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa said: beautiful in her branches like this fig tree, whose root is in the ground and which rises up and whose branches spread out on every side and it is lovely. Therefore He calls Jerusalem "beautiful in elevation," for so she is destined to be, widening and rising and spreading upward and upward (Ezekiel 41:7). Another interpretation of "beautiful in elevation": Rabbi Berekhiah said, beautiful in the waving [hanafah] of her sheaf of the omer. And Rabbi Yitzchak said, beautiful in that she is destined to wave the nations of the world. And Rabbi Levi said, "beautiful in elevation," that all make her beautiful and praise her and lift her up. Tyre said, "I am perfect in beauty" (Ezekiel 27:3), but of Jerusalem all say, how lovely and praiseworthy is this city, that they say "perfect in beauty, the joy of the whole earth" (Lamentations 2:15). Another interpretation of "beautiful in elevation": Rabbi Levi said, beautiful in her encircling of the altar. "Mount Zion, on the sides of the north." But is Zion set in the north? It is only in the south. What then is "the sides of the north"? Rather, that her sacrifices were offered on the northern flank of the altar (Leviticus 1:11). And what is "the city of the great King"? The city of the great King. Another interpretation: Rabbi Levi said, joy comes from Zion, "and they shall come to Zion with singing, and everlasting joy upon their heads" (Isaiah 35:10); blessing comes from there, "like the dew of Hermon that comes down upon the mountains of Zion, for there the LORD commanded the blessing, life forevermore" (Psalms 133:3); Torah comes from Zion, "for out of Zion shall go forth Torah" (Isaiah 2:3); the help of Israel comes from Zion, "may He send your help from the sanctuary, and support you from Zion" (Psalms 20:3); life comes from Zion; salvation comes from Zion, "Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion" (Psalms 14:7); and the sounding of the shofar within her draws near the redemption of Israel: from Zion, "sound the shofar in Zion, sound an alarm on My holy mountain, for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is near." Another interpretation. "Sound the shofar in Zion." He opened: "For behold, those who are far from You shall perish; You destroy all who are unfaithful to You. But as for me, the nearness of God is my good; I have made the Lord GOD my refuge, that I may declare all Your works" (Psalms 73:27-28). David said: since one who is far from You in this world is lost in the world to come, "behold, those who are far from You shall perish." What is "You destroy all who are unfaithful to You"? These are the wicked who give themselves over absolutely to transgressions and estrange themselves from You; so You too consign them absolutely to Gehinnom, because they distanced and estranged themselves from You. Rabbi Pinchas and Rabbi Chuna said: because the wicked say, how many myriads can Gehinnom hold, two hundred myriads, three hundred myriads, and how many wicked are there in every generation? The Holy One, blessed be He, said: by your own downfall, however many you are in the world, it too widens and deepens each day, "for Tophet is set in order from of old; He has made it deep and wide" (Isaiah 30:33). Thus "those who are far from You shall perish." "But as for me, the nearness of God is my good." What is "as for me"? Because they asked Balaam and the prophets of Israel. They asked Balaam: is there a fixed end for salvation? He said to them, yes. They said, when is it? He said, it is far off, "I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near" (Numbers 24:17); he pushed the end far away. They asked the prophets of Israel; they said, it is near, "for the day of their calamity is near" (Deuteronomy 32:35). Jeremiah came and said, "Wail, for the day of the LORD is near" (Isaiah 13:6). Malachi came and said it is near, "for behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven" (Malachi 3:19). Joel came and said as they did, "sound the shofar in Zion, for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is near." David said: "those who are far from You shall perish" is Balaam and his fellows who pushed the end far and perished from the world; but the prophets of Israel for whom You did well, who brought the end near, did well for me. So I too, who brought the end near like them, "the nearness of God is my good." "That I may declare all Your works." Rabbi Pinchas said in the name of Rabbi Acha: even though the Holy One, blessed be He, completed the creation of the world and rested from all His work, as it is written, "and God finished on the seventh day, and He rested" (Genesis 2:2), yet from two works He did not cease: He prepares punishment for the wicked and He prepares the giving of good reward for the righteous. "Sound the shofar in Zion." This is what Scripture says: "Oh that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion; when the LORD restores the fortunes of His people, Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad" (Psalms 14:7; 53:7). For when Israel stood at Sinai and Moses said to them, the Holy One, blessed be He, wishes to give you the Torah, they said to him, our master Moses, "all that the LORD has spoken we will do and we will hear" (Exodus 24:7), only we wish to hear it from His mouth. Rabbi Chanan said in the name of Rabbi Acha: the answer they gave to Moses was sweet before the Holy One, blessed be He, and immediately every evil inclination that was in them was uprooted. That is what the Holy One, blessed be He, says, "Oh that they had such a heart to fear Me" (Deuteronomy 5:26); it does not say "heart" but "such a heart," the good inclination and the evil inclination both became one heart of good inclination. Rabbi Yochanan said: the Holy One, blessed be He, stands and says, "Oh that they had such a heart," and does He not have power to uproot the evil inclination from among us? For if at that hour they had asked not to die, they would not have died; if they had asked that the evil inclination be uprooted, it would have been uprooted from them. Rather, "yet the LORD has not given you a heart to know" (Deuteronomy 29:3) [astonishing]. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: because I said "Oh that they had such a heart," you too will in the end yearn and say "Oh that out of Zion." Another interpretation: "Oh that" in two places. Rabbi Huna said: because the children say twice in the synagogue, once in the morning and once in the evening, "Save us, O LORD our God" (Psalms 106:47), therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, says twice "Oh that out of Zion." Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Shalom said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: that is not the reason; rather, it is written in two places, in Psalms "Save us, O LORD our God, and gather us and deliver us from the nations" (Psalms 106:47), and in Chronicles it says "Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us and deliver us from the nations" (1 Chronicles 16:35); therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, says twice "Oh that out of Zion." Another interpretation: "Oh that... Jacob shall rejoice, Israel shall be glad." It should have said, let Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob rejoice and let Israel be glad. Why "Jacob shall rejoice"? Because Jacob grieves when Israel grieves, and when they are in distress; therefore when the redemption comes to Israel he rejoices with them. When does Jacob rejoice? When Israel is glad, as Resh Lakish expounded, when Israel sins, Jacob is afflicted here in the cave of Machpelah; therefore when the redemption comes he rejoices with them. But Rabbi Alexandri expounded another idea: why "Jacob shall rejoice"? A man who has a son to circumcise or who has taken a wife, who rejoices? The one invited to the feast. So Jacob is invited to the feast that the Holy One, blessed be He, is destined to make for the righteous in the world to come; "listen to Me, O Jacob, and Israel My called one" (Isaiah 48:12), [what is "My called one"?] My invited one; therefore when the feast of redemption comes he rejoices, for he is invited to the feast. When does Jacob rejoice? All this when the shofar is sounded in Zion, as it is said, "sound the shofar in Zion, sound an alarm on My holy mountain, for the day of the LORD is coming, for it is near." Thus expounded Rabbi Tanchuma son of Rabbi Abba.

"And the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as He had spoken" (Genesis 21:1). Let our master teach us: what is the wronging that they said one may not wrong his fellow? Thus our masters taught: one may not say, how much is this object worth, when he does not intend to buy. And if he is a penitent, one may not say to him, remember your former deeds. And if he is a convert, one may not say to him, remember your deeds and the deeds of your fathers (Mishnah Bava Metzia 4:10). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: it is enough that you are like Me, as it were. When I created My world I did not seek to wrong any creature, and I did not publicize which tree it was that the first man ate from and died. What tree was it? Rabbi Meir said it was wheat. Rabbi Yose said it was a fig. Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Ilai said it was grapes. Rabbi Abba of Acco said it was a citron, "the fruit of a goodly tree" (Leviticus 23:40). Rabbi Azariah and Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: He did not reveal it and will not reveal it, so that people would not say, this tree brought death to the world. And so it says, "and you shall kill the animal" (Leviticus 20:15): if the woman sinned, what did the animal sin? Rather, so that people would not see it and say, this is the one through whom so-and-so was stoned. They would shame the woman, and whoever shames his fellow is punished. You find that Sarah wronged herself and received her reward, for she said, "behold, the LORD has restrained me from bearing" (Genesis 16:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: you wronged yourself; by your life, you say "the LORD has restrained me" — with that same language I will remember you. From where? From what we read in this matter, "and the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said." "And the LORD remembered Sarah." Thus Rabbi Tanchuma opened: this is what the holy spirit said through David king of Israel, "Forever, O LORD, Your word stands firm in the heavens" (Psalms 119:89). Even Solomon said, "You have spoken with Your mouth and fulfilled with Your hand" (1 Kings 8:24). You said to my father, behold a son shall be born to you, and Solomon shall be his name, and peace and quiet shall be in his days (1 Chronicles 22:9); and so it was, "and Judah and Israel dwelt in safety" (1 Kings 5:5). You said to him, and he shall build a house for My name; and so it was, "and Solomon built the house" (1 Kings 6:14). You said to Abraham, "Look now toward heaven and count the stars; so shall your seed be" (Genesis 15:5); and so it was, as Moses says to them, "behold, you are this day as the stars of heaven" (Deuteronomy 1:10). You said to him, "I will surely return to you at the time of life, and behold a son for Sarah your wife" (Genesis 18:10); and not only what You said, but more, You did, "and the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said." "And the LORD remembered Sarah." Rabbi Eliezer said: wherever it says "and the LORD," it means He and His court, for the angels were saying to Him, Master of the universe, it is just that Abraham be remembered with a child, for if You do not remember him now, Your Torah, as it were, would be falsified. How so? Rabbi Yehudah the Levite said in the name of Rabbi Shalom: Abraham was seventy years old when the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke with him at the covenant between the pieces and decreed upon him, "know surely that your seed shall be a stranger" (Genesis 15:13), from when you have offspring your children will be enslaved four hundred years. And the Torah preceded the creation of the world, and it is written in it, "and the dwelling of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt was four hundred and thirty years" (Exodus 12:40). And now Abraham is a hundred years old; if You do not remember him now You falsify Your Torah and delay the end. Therefore it is just that he be remembered, "and the LORD remembered." Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered." What is written above this matter? "And the LORD rained upon Sodom and Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the LORD out of heaven" (Genesis 19:24) — the destruction of Sodom. When the angels came they brought out Lot and his two daughters. Lot's daughters thought perhaps He had destroyed the whole world as in the generation of the flood, so they gave their father drink and lay with him and conceived from him, as it is written, "and they made their father drink" (Genesis 19:33). Rabbi Eleazar said: although it is not the way of a woman to conceive from a first union, these mastered themselves and conceived from the first union; and they did not intend to act lewdly with their father, but said, the Holy One, blessed be He, created man only for fruitfulness, and now the world is destroyed as in the flood; how shall it endure? He surely spared us only to perpetuate it through us. They did not know that only Sodom was destroyed, but they knew the angels had said, "we are about to destroy this place" (Genesis 19:13). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I do not withhold the reward of any creature; although the daughters of Lot did not think a worthy thought, yet I know hearts, "I the LORD search the heart and test the kidneys" (Jeremiah 17:10). Therefore when He came to distance them, He distanced the male Ammonite but not the female Ammonite, the male Moabite but not the female Moabite. The angels said, Master of the universe, these went and lay with their father in a single union and raised up bastards in the world, and this righteous man grieves all these years; it is just that he be remembered. "And the LORD remembered." Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered." What is written above? The destruction of Sodom. While Sodom existed, Abraham dwelt in those lands and would receive the passersby and travelers; and once it was destroyed he arose and journeyed from those lands and went to the land of the Philistines, as it is said, "and Abraham journeyed from there toward the land of the Negev" (Genesis 20:1). "And Abimelech king of the Philistines sent" (Genesis 20:2): once he sent and seized Sarah, the Holy One, blessed be He, sprang upon him, "and God came to Abimelech in a dream of the night" (Genesis 20:3). Rabbi Yochanan said: this is one of the places where the pure one defiled himself; when he came to approach her, immediately He revealed Himself to him and said, "you are a dead man because of the woman, for she is married to a husband" (Genesis 20:3). What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to him? He dried up all his fountains and those of his household and of all the places, "for the LORD had closed up tight every womb" (Genesis 20:18). Rabbi Eleazar taught: both the great and the small, the men and the women and the servants — the Holy One, blessed be He, sealed their openings; not one of them passed water, nor relieved himself, nor brought moisture from his nostrils nor a tear from his eyes; all were closed and sealed and covered. And all this why? "Because of Sarah, the wife of Abraham" (Genesis 20:18), to clear Sarah. How so? One of them would stand with his fellow in the morning and say, do you not know what happened to me this night, such and such befell me; and the other would say, I too the same; and they would converse with one another and say, heaven forbid, one more night and we die. How was Sarah cleared? They would say back and forth, if what was distant from her caused us this, what happened to the one who lay beside him, you must ask what judgments were done to him. Thus "for the LORD had closed up tight... because of Sarah." He said to him, "you are a dead man because of the woman whom you have taken" (Genesis 20:3). Abimelech said, Master of the universe, the hidden and the revealed are open before You, and I did not recognize her, that You should slay me; "and Abimelech had not come near her, and he said, will You slay also a righteous nation" (Genesis 20:4)? Another interpretation: "will You slay a nation though righteous" — he said, even though I am a gentile, I fear Heaven. Another interpretation: he said, if You slay me, a gentile, will You also slay a righteous one? Even the generation of the flood and the generation of the dispersion were righteous; did You then judge them without warning? "Will You slay a nation though righteous?" Another interpretation: he said, if You slay a gentile, will You also slay a righteous man? If You slay Abimelech, slay Abraham too. Why? Rabbi Berekhiah the priest said in the name of Rabbi: I asked him, who is this with you, and he said, she is my sister; I went back and asked her, are you his wife, and she said, no, I am his sister; even so I asked the members of his household, and they said, she is his sister. He himself told me "she is my sister," and she too said "he is my brother"; "in the integrity of my heart I have done this" (Genesis 20:5). And not she alone but the members of his household too, "in the integrity of my heart and the innocence of my hands I have done this" (Genesis 20:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "I also know that you did this in the integrity of your heart" (Genesis 20:6), and it is not for you to praise yourself, "and I also withheld you from sinning against Me" (Genesis 20:6). Rabbi Levi said: this is like a man riding a horse, and a child cast before him; the horse ran on and was about to trample the boy, and the man seized the reins and the horse halted. They all began praising the horse. The man said to them: had it not been for me who seized the reins, would he be alive? So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "and I also withheld you from sinning against Me; now therefore restore the man's wife, for he is a prophet" (Genesis 20:7). Immediately Abimelech rose early and restored her and honored Abraham and asked of him that he pray for him that they be relieved; and Abraham prayed and they were all healed of their closure. And not only that, but all the members of Abimelech's household conceived and bore males, as it is said, "and Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his maidservants, and they bore children" (Genesis 20:17). This is like a friend of the king whose ship was seized for forced service for many years. They said to him, your friend's ship is seized, and he did not trouble to free it; and now he frees others' and not his own. It is fitting that his own be freed. So when Abraham prayed for Abimelech and his wife and they conceived and bore, the angels rose crying out and saying, Master of the universe, Sarah was barren all these years and Abimelech's wife was barren, and now Abraham prayed and Abimelech's wife was remembered; and these were remembered while Sarah is barren? It is just that she too be remembered. Thus well did Rabbi Eliezer expound: wherever it says "and the LORD" it means He and His court. "And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife and his maidservants and they bore children" (Genesis 20:17); immediately "and the LORD remembered Sarah." Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered Sarah." Rabbi Yehudah says: He remembered Sarah with a son, "and the LORD did to Sarah as He had spoken" with milk. Rabbi Nechemiah says: "and the LORD remembered Sarah" with a son; what is "and the LORD did to Sarah as He had spoken"? That He restored her to her youth. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish says: "and the LORD remembered Sarah" with a son; "and the LORD did to Sarah as He had spoken," that she had no womb-organ and He made her a womb-organ. Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered Sarah." Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon said in the name of Rabbi Chanin in the name of Rabbi Shmuel son of Rabbi Yitzchak: all the barren women in the world were remembered with Sarah and conceived with her, and when she gave birth they all gave birth with her. That is why Sarah says, "God has made laughter for me; everyone who hears will laugh with me" (Genesis 21:6). Reuben rejoices and Simeon is busy with his hoe in the field — what joy has he? Rather, all the barren women in the world were remembered with her. And not only this, but when Sarah gave birth, every blind person in the world was given sight, every lame person was made whole, every mute was opened, every fool was healed. This is like a king who had a friend, and joy reached him; the king wished to show how honored his friend was to him, and he gave a command that the prisons be opened. From where do you derive this? It is written, "and Abraham made a great feast" (Genesis 21:8); by a verbal analogy, it is written here "a great feast" and it is written there, "and the king made a great feast" (Esther 2:18). Just as the "great feast" mentioned there — "and he made a release for the provinces" (Esther 2:18), he opened the prisons — so here every fool and blind and mute in the world was healed. Rabbi Chanina ben Levi said: a thing greater and more sublime than this, that on the very day Isaac was born the Holy One, blessed be He, increased the light of the sun's sphere forty-eight times over what it had; and because this world was yours and others', He stored it away; when your world comes He will restore it to you, and the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun sevenfold, as the light of the seven days (Isaiah 30:26), and it shall shine only for you, "and for you who fear My name the sun of righteousness shall rise with healing in its wings" (Malachi 3:20). Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered Sarah." This is what Scripture says, "and all the nations shall know that I am the LORD; I have built the ruined places, I have planted the desolate; I the LORD have spoken and done it" (Ezekiel 36:36). Because the rulers, male and female, would shame Sarah and call her barren, He says of them, I the LORD have built the ruined — this is Abraham and Sarah who were ruined, "and Abraham and Sarah were old" (Genesis 18:11); I have planted the desolate — for her who said, "after I have grown old shall I have pleasure" (Genesis 18:12); I the LORD have spoken and done it, "and the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did to Sarah as He had spoken." Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered Sarah." This is what Scripture says, "though the fig tree does not blossom and there is no fruit on the vines... yet I will exult in the LORD, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation" (Habakkuk 3:17-18). "Though the fig tree" — "like the first fruit on the fig tree in its beginning" (Hosea 9:10), this is Abraham; "and there is no fruit on the vines," this is Sarah, "and Abraham and Sarah were old" (Genesis 18:11). "The labor of the olive fails," "it had ceased to be with Sarah after the manner of women" (Genesis 18:11); "and the fields yield no food," "after I have grown old shall I have pleasure" (Genesis 18:12); "the flock is cut off from the fold," "shall a child be born to one a hundred years old" (Genesis 17:17); "and there is no herd in the stalls," "and Sarah was barren" (Genesis 11:30); "yet I will exult in the LORD," in what He promised me through the angels, "but Sarah your wife" (Genesis 17:19); and what He promised me He did at once, "and the LORD remembered Sarah." Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered Sarah." This is what Scripture says, "behold, God will not reject a blameless man, nor uphold the hand of evildoers" (Job 8:20). This is Abimelech and all his household, "for the LORD had closed up tight every womb" (Genesis 20:18), for the Holy One, blessed be He, closed the eyes of his whole household so they brought forth no tears, and their ears ceased from hearing, of all his household and his flock and his herd and his beasts. Could this be on account of Abraham alone? Scripture teaches, "because of Sarah, wife of Abraham" (Genesis 20:18). "Two are better than one, for they have a good reward" (Ecclesiastes 4:9). So "the LORD remembered Sarah," and therefore He does not uphold the hand of evildoers but at once "and God healed" (Genesis 20:17), "and the LORD remembered Sarah." Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered Sarah." Three keys the Holy One, blessed be He, entrusted to no creature, not to an angel, not to a seraph, not to a host, but they are held in His hand. The key of rain, as it is said, "the LORD will open for you His good treasury, the heavens, to give the rain of your land in its season" (Deuteronomy 28:12). The key of the resurrection of the dead, "behold, I will open your graves" (Ezekiel 37:12). And the key of the womb, "and the LORD remembered Sarah," and so it says, "and God remembered Rachel and opened her womb" (Genesis 30:22). Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered." This is what Scripture says, "those who sow in tears shall reap with joyful song" (Psalms 126:5). This is Abraham who wept and pleaded before the Holy One, blessed be He, "behold, to me You have given no seed" (Genesis 15:3); immediately he was given good tidings of children, "for through Isaac shall seed be called to you" (Genesis 21:12). Thus "they shall reap with joyful song." "And the LORD remembered." There are many remembered: some who were charged and did not act, and some who were charged and acted. I charged the first man and he did not act, "and of the tree of knowledge you shall not eat" (Genesis 2:17), and he ate, "of the tree which I commanded you, saying, you shall not eat of it" (Genesis 3:17). I charged the angel of death and he acted; I decreed upon him "for dust you are and to dust you shall return" (Genesis 3:19), and so it was, "and all the days of Adam that he lived... and he died" (Genesis 5:5). I charged the generation of Enosh and they did not act but provoked Me, "then men began to call upon the name of the LORD" (Genesis 4:26). I charged the ocean and it acted, "He who calls to the waters of the sea and pours them out" (Amos 5:8). I charged the generation of the flood and they did not act but said, we have no need to serve Him, "and they said to God, depart from us" (Job 21:14). I charged the windows and the deep and they acted, "all the fountains of the great deep burst forth" (Genesis 7:11). I charged the generation of the tower and they did not act but said, "come, let us build us a city" (Genesis 11:4). I charged the tongues and they acted, "for there the LORD confounded the language of all the earth" (Genesis 11:9). I charged the Sodomites and they did not act but persisted in their measure, "and the men of Sodom were wicked and sinners" (Genesis 13:13). I charged fire and brimstone and they acted, "and the LORD rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah fire and brimstone" (Genesis 19:24). I charged Abraham and he acted, "and Abram went as the LORD God had spoken" (Genesis 12:4); therefore I remembered him and his household, to give them a reward, "and the LORD remembered Sarah." Another interpretation. "And the LORD remembered." There is a remembering for blessing, "and from the time he made him overseer... the LORD blessed the Egyptian... and the blessing of the LORD was" (Genesis 39:5). There is a remembering of the gathering of bones, "God will surely remember you, and you shall carry up my bones" (Genesis 50:25). There is a remembering of redemption, "I have surely remembered you" (Exodus 3:16). There is a remembering of faith, "and the people believed, and when they heard that the LORD had remembered" (Exodus 4:31). There is a remembering of the spirit, "may the LORD, the God of the spirits" (Numbers 27:16). There is a remembering of counting, "these are the numbered ones whom he numbered" (Numbers 1:44). There is a remembering of war, "I have remembered what Amalek did to you" (1 Samuel 15:2). There is a remembering of oppressors, "and I will punish all his oppressors" (Jeremiah 30:20). There is a remembering of the uncircumcised, "and I will punish all the circumcised in their uncircumcision" (Jeremiah 9:24). There is a remembering of those who wear mixed cloth, "and I will punish the officials... and all who wear foreign garments" (Zephaniah 1:8). There is a remembering to exact payment from idolatry, "and I will punish Bel in Babylon" (Jeremiah 51:44). There is a remembering over the flocks, "My anger is kindled against the shepherds, and I will punish the he-goats, for the LORD of hosts has remembered His flock" (Zechariah 10:3). There is a remembering of plenty, "for the LORD had remembered His people to give them bread" (Ruth 1:6). There is a remembering of salvation, "remember me, O LORD, with the favor You bear Your people; visit me with Your salvation" (Psalms 106:4). There is a remembering of life, "You granted me life and steadfast love, and Your visitation has preserved my spirit" (Job 10:12). There is a remembering of the earth, "You visit the earth and water it" (Psalms 65:10). There is a remembering of the angels, "the LORD will punish the host of heaven on high" (Isaiah 24:21). There is a remembering of Leviathan, "the LORD will punish with His hard sword... Leviathan the fleeing serpent" (Isaiah 27:1). There is a remembering of the nations, "and You, O LORD God of hosts, God of Israel, awake to punish all the nations" (Psalms 59:6). And there is a remembering of children, "and the LORD remembered Sarah as He had said."

... “He does the will of those who fear Him…” (Tehillim 145:19) Meaning that Gd does not annul his prayers and gives him what he requests. This refers to David, of whom it is written “I am a companion to all who fear You…” (Tehillim 119:63) at the time when he was troubled over the Holy Temple, as it is written “Remember, O Lord, onto David all his affliction. That he swore to the Lord, he vowed to the Mighty One of Jacob; That I shall not come into the tent of my house, and I shall not go up on the bed that was spread for me.

I shall not give sleep to my eyes nor slumber to my pupils, Until I find a place for the Lord, dwellings for the Mighty One of Jacob.” (Tehillim 132:1-5) Since the Holy One saw that he stood there, troubled over the Holy Temple, He immediately sent Gad the prophet to him and showed him the place of the Holy Temple, as it is written “And Gad came to David on that day, and said to him, ‘Go up to erect an altar to the Lord in the threshing-floor of Aravnah the Jebusite.’” (Shmuel II 24:18) David went there immediately, as it says “And David went up according to the word of Gad, as the Lord had commanded. (Shmuel II 24:19) He found there the altar where Adam, the first man, made offerings, where Noach made offerings, where Avraham made offerings.

Once he found it he began to measure, saying ‘from here to here will be the Courtyard, from here to here will be the Holy of Holies’ as it says “And David said, ‘This is the House of the Lord God…” (Divre HaYamim I 22:1) And how could he declare “…and this is the altar for burnt offerings for Israel” (ibid.)? This is what is meant that the Holy One does not nullify the desire of the righteous, but rather gives them what they seek in order to fulfill “He does the will of those who fear Him…” (Tehillim 145:19)

"For the LORD remembered Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters" (1 Samuel 2:21). Let our master teach us: for how many days does one bless the new month? Our masters taught us: Rabbi Acha said in the name of Rabbi Assi, until its lack is filled, and we say until the fourteenth day, while it is renewing and growing; until that hour one blesses the month. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: be diligent to bless Me over everything, and if you are diligent in blessings, I too will come to you and bless you, as it is said, "in every place where I cause My name to be remembered I will come to you and bless you" (Exodus 20:21). And you find of Abraham, what is written of him? "Because Abraham obeyed My voice" (Genesis 26:5), and I blessed him, "and the LORD blessed Abraham in all things" (Genesis 24:1). And not only that, but he saw in his constellation that he would not beget, as it is said, "and I go childless" (Genesis 15:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: you observe well, but by your life, Abram does not beget; and what do I do for you? I change your name and you will beget, as it is said, "your name shall no longer be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham" (Genesis 17:5). And likewise Sarai does not bear, as it is said, "and Sarai was barren" (Genesis 11:30), but Sarah bears, as it is said, "and the LORD remembered Sarah" (Genesis 21:1). And Hannah too, because she was constant in going up and praying in the Temple and pleading before the Holy One, blessed be He, He heard her prayer and remembered her. From where? From what we read in this matter, "for the LORD remembered Hannah." "For the LORD remembered Hannah." Thus Rabbi Tanchuma son of Abba opened: "The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him; He hears their cry and saves them" (Psalms 145:18-19). "The LORD is near to all who call upon Him" — could it be to all? Scripture teaches, "to all who call upon Him in truth." "Surely God is good to Israel" (Psalms 73:1) — could it be to all? Scripture teaches, "to the pure in heart." "The LORD is good" (Lamentations 3:25) — could it be to all? Scripture teaches, "to the soul that seeks Him." "Happy is the man whose strength is in You" (Psalms 84:6) — could it be to all? Scripture teaches, "in whose heart are the highways." "He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him" — because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not refuse his prayer but gives him what he asks. This is David, of whom it is written, "I am a companion of all who fear You" (Psalms 119:63). When he grieved over the Temple, as it is written, "remember, O LORD, in David's favor all his affliction... I will not enter my house... I will not give sleep to my eyes... until I find a place for the LORD, a dwelling for the Mighty One of Jacob" (Psalms 132:1-5). When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw him standing and grieving over the Temple, immediately He sent Gad the prophet to him and showed him the place of the Temple, as it is written, "and Gad came to David that day and said to him, go up, raise an altar to the LORD on the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite" (2 Samuel 24:18). Immediately David went; that is, "and David went up at Gad's word, which the LORD commanded" (2 Samuel 24:19), and there he found the altar on which the first man had offered, and on which Noah had offered, and on which Abraham had offered. When he found it he began to measure and said, from here to here is the courtyard, from here to here is the Holy of Holies, as it is written, "and David said, this is the house of the LORD God" (1 Chronicles 22:1); and from where this is the altar of the burnt offering. Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, does not refuse the spirit of the righteous but gives them all they ask, to fulfill what is said, "He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him." [Another interpretation: "He fulfills the desire of those who fear Him."] Who was this? Hannah, who prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, and He did not send her away empty from her prayer, but heard her prayer and gave her all she asked of Him. "And she vowed a vow and said, O LORD of hosts" (1 Samuel 1:11). What is "LORD of hosts"? Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon said: Hannah said before the Holy One, blessed be He, Master of the universe, there is a host above and a host below; the host above neither eats nor drinks nor is fruitful and multiplies nor dies, but lives forever; the host below eats and drinks and is fruitful and multiplies and dies. I do not know from which host I am, whether of the upper or the lower. If I am of the upper host, let me not eat nor drink nor bear nor die, but live forever as they live forever; and if I am of the lower host, let me eat and drink and bear and die as they eat and drink and are fruitful and multiply. This is "LORD of hosts." Another interpretation of "LORD of hosts": Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Simon said, at the festival pilgrimages Hannah went up to the Temple and saw all Israel there, and said before the Holy One, blessed be He, Master of the universe, all these hosts You have, and I do not have a single one among them. "If You will look [upon the affliction of Your maidservant]" (1 Samuel 1:11). If You look, well and good; and if not, You will look not by Your goodwill. She said before Him, better that You look by goodwill before You look not by goodwill. She said, if You do not remember me, I will go and make myself secluded with another man, and my husband will see me and suspect me and bring me to the priest and make me drink the bitter waters; and I will be found pure, and it falls to You to remember me and give me a son, for You wrote in the Torah, "and if she was not defiled... she shall be cleared and shall conceive seed" (Numbers 5:28). Thus "if You will look," look by goodwill before You look not by goodwill. "And remember me and not forget Your maidservant" (1 Samuel 1:11). Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: three times "Your maidservant, Your maidservant, Your maidservant" is written in this verse, corresponding to the three commandments which our masters taught that women are bound by: menstrual separation, the dough offering, and kindling the lamp. Hannah said, Master of the universe, was not Your maidservant diligent in all three? What is "and remember me"? With males; "and not forget Your maidservant," with females. That is, "for the LORD remembered Hannah and she conceived." [Another interpretation: "For the LORD remembered Hannah."] This is what Scripture says, "He makes the barren woman dwell in her house as a joyful mother of children" (Psalms 113:9). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I seated Sarah barren in the house, as it is said, "and Sarai was barren" (Genesis 11:30), in order to gladden her with children. But did Sarah have many children? She bore only Isaac, as it is written, "and Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age" (Genesis 21:2). What then is "a joyful mother of children"? When Sarah bore Isaac, the nations of the world said, he is the son of the maidservant, and she only makes herself out to be nursing him. At that hour Sarah said, what are you standing for? This is no hour for modesty; rise and uncover yourself for the sake of the sanctification of the Name. Sarah rose and uncovered herself, and her two breasts flowed milk like two jets of water, as it is written, "and she said, who would have said to Abraham that Sarah would nurse children" (Genesis 21:7)? Rabbi Pinchas the priest son of Chama said in the name of Rabbi Chilkiah: Abraham's standing grain withered and turned to ears — "who would have said to Abraham." And the nations of the world would bring their children to Sarah that she nurse them, to fulfill what is said, "Sarah nursed children." Some of them brought their children in truth, that she nurse them, and some of them brought their children to test her; neither lost. Rabbi Levi said: those who came in truth were converted. This is "Sarah nursed children" — what is "nursed children"? Those who became sons in Israel. And those who came to test her, our masters said, advanced in this world to high office; and all the converts who convert in the world and all the God-fearers in the world are from those who nursed from Sarah's milk. Thus "a joyful mother of children," this is Sarah. Another interpretation: "He makes the barren woman dwell in her house." Rabbi Berekhiah said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman: this is Jochebed. But was she barren? She had borne Aaron and Miriam! Rather, you find that when Pharaoh decreed, "every son that is born you shall cast into the river" (Exodus 1:22), when Amram heard this, he and his court arose at that hour and decreed and kept Israel from being fruitful and multiplying, and they put away their wives, "the women of My people you cast out from their pleasant houses" (Micah 2:9). Therefore he calls Jochebed barren, for she was uprooted from her house. Miriam was six years old at that hour, and she said, father, father, Pharaoh was better for Israel than you. Why? Pharaoh decreed against the males, and you against the males and females; Pharaoh decreed and it is doubtful whether his decree is fulfilled, and you decreed and your decree is fulfilled. When Amram heard her words he brought her before the Sanhedrin and she spoke before them, and they said to him, Amram, you forbade and you must permit the matter. He said to them, what do you say, shall we restore in secret? They said to him, and who will inform all Israel? Rabbi Yehudah bar Zevida said: Amram seated her on a bridal litter, and Aaron was on one side and Miriam on the other bearing crowns and walking before her, and the holy spirit cried out, "He makes the barren woman dwell in her house, a joyful mother of children." And why did Amram do this? So that Israel would know and restore their wives. And when they saw, they said a song to the Holy One, blessed be He, and they only said the song because they said, now the redeemer Moses is born and we are redeemed from Egypt, "Hallelujah, when Israel went out of Egypt." Another interpretation: "He makes the barren woman dwell in her house." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: I seated Miriam daughter of Tanchum barren in order to gladden her with her sons in the world to come. Our masters said: there was an incident with Miriam daughter of Tanchum in the days of the persecution, who had seven sons. They seized the first and said to him, come and bow to the idol. He said to them, I will not deny God. Immediately they took him and put him in the frying pan and fried him. So they seized the second and said, come and bow to the idol. He said to them, I will not deny the Holy One, blessed be He. Immediately they did to him as they had done to the first. So they did to the third and to the fourth and to all of them. The youngest remained. They said, come and bow to the idol, and if not we will do to you as we did to your brothers. He said to them, I will go and consult my mother. He went to his mother and said to her, what do you say, shall I bow to the idol or not? His mother said to him, my son, what do you wish, that all your brothers be set in the bosom of Abraham in the world to come and you not be with them? Immediately he went and refused to bow to the idol. Immediately they took him and did to him as they had done to his brothers, and they took Miriam their mother and killed her. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: in the world to come I will gladden her with her sons, "a joyful mother of children." Another interpretation: "He makes the barren woman dwell in her house." This is Hannah, as it is written, "and Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children" (1 Samuel 1:2), for she was barren in the house in order to gladden her with children, "a joyful mother of children," "for the LORD remembered Hannah, and she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters." Hannah said to Him, Master of the universe, what is it for me to do, to recite to You songs and praises? "Hallelujah." "And Hannah prayed and said, my heart exults in the LORD, my horn is exalted in God" (1 Samuel 2:1). Another interpretation. "For the LORD remembered Hannah." This is what Scripture says, "the refining pot is for silver and the furnace for gold, and a man according to his praise" (Proverbs 27:21). What is "the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold"? Just as the refiner puts silver to the fire and gold to the furnace and does not leave them there, so the Holy One, blessed be He, refines the righteous, each one according to his worth. Thus "the refining pot for silver and the furnace for gold." What is "and a man according to his praise"? The Holy One, blessed be He, refines the righteous according to his deeds. And so you find that the Holy One, blessed be He, refined Sarah twenty-five years from when she came to the land of Israel, as it is written, "and Abraham was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran" (Genesis 12:4), and she was sixty-five at that hour, since he was ten years older than her, and she bore at ninety, since Abraham was a hundred years old when Isaac was born, as it is said, "shall a child be born to one a hundred years old, and shall Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear" (Genesis 17:17)? You find that the Holy One, blessed be He, refined her according to her strength. And Rebecca too, the Holy One, blessed be He, refined according to her strength, twenty years; from where? As it is written, "and Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebecca daughter of Bethuel" (Genesis 25:20), and it is written, "and Isaac was sixty years old when she bore them" (Genesis 25:26); you find that the Holy One, blessed be He, refined her twenty years. And Hannah too the Holy One, blessed be He, refined according to her strength. And how much did He refine her? Our masters said, nineteen years. How so? Ten years that she dwelt with him and did not bear, and he took Peninnah and she bore him ten sons — for so you find that Elkanah says to Hannah, "am I not better to you than ten sons" (1 Samuel 1:8), these are the sons of Peninnah — and you give eight years for conceptions and one year for the conception of Samuel, that is nineteen years, and afterward He remembered her, "for the LORD remembered Hannah." [Another interpretation: "For the LORD remembered Hannah."] Rabbi Acha said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish: the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, I am a keeper of deposits; whatever a person deposits with Me I give back to him. To what may the matter be likened? To one who was a keeper of deposits, and people would deposit with him. One came and deposited gold coins with him; one came and deposited thorns with him. When they came to take them back from him, the one who deposited silver with him he gave silver, and the one who deposited thorns with him he returned thorns. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said: I am a keeper of deposits; whatever a person deposits with Me I give back to him. So you find Abraham deposited souls with the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "and Abram took Sarai his wife and Lot his brother's son... and the souls they had made in Haran" (Genesis 12:5). But did Abraham make souls? Rabbi Eleazar ben Pedat said in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra: if all who come into the world were to gather to create even a single gnat, they could not; yet you say "the souls they had made in Haran"? Did Abraham and Sarah create souls? What is "the souls"? Rather, Abraham would convert the men and Sarah would convert the women. This is what is written, "and so I saw the wicked buried and they came" (Ecclesiastes 8:10), and they would bring the creatures under the wings of the Divine Presence. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: by your lives, you deposited souls with Me, souls I repay you, "and the LORD remembered Sarah... and Sarah conceived and bore Abraham a son in his old age" (Genesis 21:1-2). Amalek came and deposited thorns with Him, as it is written, "and Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim" (Exodus 17:8), and so, "how he met you on the way and attacked your rear" (Deuteronomy 25:18). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: you deposited thorns with Me; by your life, thorns I repay you, "thus says the LORD, I have remembered what Amalek did to Israel... now go and strike Amalek" (1 Samuel 15:2-3). And Hannah deposited souls with the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "and there was a man of Ramathaim-zophim, and his name was Elkanah son of Jeroham son of Elihu son of Tohu" (1 Samuel 1:1).

"Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity" (Hosea 14:2). Let our master teach us: one who sins, saying it will be atoned for him by repentance, what of this? Thus our masters taught: one who says, I will sin and repent, I will sin and repent, is not given the opportunity to repent (Mishnah Yoma 8:9). Why? Because if a man repents and returns to his transgressions, it is not repentance. If a man goes down to immerse with a creeping thing in his hand, he has no purification; what shall he do? Let him cast away what is in his hand and afterward immerse and be purified. Scripture said, "let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts, and let him return to the LORD, and He will have compassion on him" (Isaiah 55:7), for the Holy One, blessed be He, desires repentance and does not desire to put any creature to death, as it is said, "do I desire the death of the wicked, rather than that the wicked turn from his evil way and live" (Ezekiel 33:11). And the Holy One, blessed be He, calls them to repentance so that, as it were, they may live, and so He says to Israel, "return, O backsliding children" (Jeremiah 3:22). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: repent before I return to the attribute of judgment, for I do not know what to do then; only while I stand in the attribute of mercy, repent and I will accept you. From where? From what they read in the prophet, "to the LORD your God." "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." Thus Rabbi Tanchuma son of Abba opened: "For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor your ways My ways" (Isaiah 55:8). The way of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like the way of flesh and blood. The way of flesh and blood: he kindles a lamp from a lamp, for he cannot kindle light from darkness. But the Holy One, blessed be He, may His name be blessed, when He created His world, all was darkness, formless and void, and He brought forth light from darkness, as it is said, "and the earth was formless and void, and darkness was upon the face of the deep" (Genesis 1:2); what is written after it? "And God said, let there be light, and there was light" (Genesis 1:3). Flesh and blood, once he issues a verdict, cannot retract it; but the Holy One, blessed be He, retracts after the verdict, as it is said, "Samaria shall bear her guilt, for she has rebelled against her God" (Hosea 14:1); what is written after it? "Return, O Israel." There is no prophet who struck Israel who did not turn back and apply a plaster and heal them; every blow he struck he turned back and healed. Hosea says, "for I will no longer have compassion on the house of Israel" (Hosea 1:6), and he turned back and said, "and I will have compassion on Lo-ruchamah" (Hosea 2:25). The same mouth that said, "for you are not My people" (Hosea 1:9), turned back and healed and said, "and I will say to Lo-ammi, you are My people" (Hosea 2:25). The same mouth that said, "for she is not My wife" (Hosea 2:4), turned back and healed and said, "you will call Me my husband" (Hosea 2:18). The same mouth that said, "and I will make her like a wilderness" (Hosea 2:5), turned back and healed, "and I will lead her into the wilderness" (Hosea 2:16). The same mouth that said, "they speak mere words, swearing falsely in making covenants" (Hosea 10:4), turned back and healed, "take with you words" (Hosea 14:3). The same mouth that said, "Israel was stubborn like a stubborn heifer" (Hosea 4:16), turned back and healed and said, "and we will render the bulls of our lips" (Hosea 14:3). The same mouth that said, "and they did not return to the LORD their God" (Hosea 7:10), turned back and healed and said, "return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel." The way of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like the way of flesh and blood. Flesh and blood writes a harsh bond and exchanges it for much money; but the Holy One, blessed be He, writes a harsh bond and exchanges it for a light thing. And what is the light thing? "Take with you words" (Hosea 14:3). What is written above this passage? "The iniquity of Ephraim is bound up" (Hosea 13:12), "Samaria shall bear her guilt, for she has rebelled against her God" (Hosea 14:1); and after all these things He says to Israel, repent and I will exchange them all. Another interpretation. They say of Hosea and of Elijah that they were cruel — heaven forbid, they were not cruel; the cruel one was in fact saving. To what may the matter be likened? To a prince whom the king sentenced and who was condemned to burning. What did his advocate do? He said to the king, leave him in prison until he starves, and then burn him — and he intended thereby, until your wrath subsides. So when Elijah saw Israel straying after Ahab, Elijah said, better that they be three years in famine and not fall into the pit of destruction. Thus out of love Elijah did this to them. And so Hosea said, "give them, O LORD — what will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts" (Hosea 9:14); out of mercy he said this. To what may the matter be likened? To a man whose property was sentenced to confiscation by the treasury; his friend rose and pleaded for him and appeased the king. The king said, for your sake let only the fields go to the treasury, and let the lands remain in their place. So the Holy One, blessed be He, judged Israel and said, "though they bring up their children, yet I will bereave them till none is left" (Hosea 9:12). Hosea said, please, not so; rather, "they sow the wind and reap the whirlwind; the standing grain has no head" (Hosea 8:7). How, while they raise their children, will You destroy them? "The standing grain has no head." He said to him, I wrote in the Torah, "and your desire shall be for your husband" (Genesis 3:16), and here "the standing grain has no head." Hosea said to Him, if so, please give them a miscarrying womb and not dry breasts, for the pain of the small is not like the pain of the great. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, so I have decreed, "I will bereave them till none is left." When Hosea saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, would not heed him, he came to Israel and said to them, much have I asked and was not heeded; therefore plead for yourselves, for He will not turn you away, "return, O Israel." Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." Like a prince whose friend said to him, your father is going to strike you and imprison you and hand you over to the slaves and put you to death by starvation, and in the end you will come back and beg of him and he will accept you; rather, if you heed me, make the last things first and go to him and beg of him and he will accept you, and you will be spared the blows. So Hosea said to Israel, know that He is going to strike you, as it is said of them, "I will pour out My wrath like water" (Hosea 5:10), and to hand you over to the kingdom, as it is said, "their princes shall fall by the sword for the rage of their tongue" (Hosea 7:16), and to put you to death by starvation, as it is said, "and I will take back My grain in its time and My wine in its season" (Hosea 2:11), and afterward in the end you will come and beg of Him; so heed me and call out and repent before you are stricken, and you will be spared the blows. "Return, O Israel." Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel." All the prophets call Israel to repentance, but none like Hosea. Jeremiah said, "if you return, O Israel, says the LORD, return to Me" (Jeremiah 4:1). Isaiah said, "seek the LORD while He may be found" (Isaiah 55:6). But they do not teach Israel what to say. But Hosea said, repent, and he teaches them how to appease for themselves, "return, O Israel, to the LORD your God... and take with you words and return to the LORD and say to Him, You forgive all iniquity and accept what is good" (Hosea 14:2-3). [Another interpretation: "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God, for you have stumbled in your iniquity."] All the prophets who struck Israel struck them with a fall. Jeremiah said, "therefore their way shall be to them... they shall be driven and fall in it" (Jeremiah 23:12). And Amos said, "fallen, no more to rise, is the virgin of Israel" (Amos 5:2). But Hosea made it only a stumbling, as it is said, "for you have stumbled in your iniquity." Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel." Repentance is precious before the Holy One, blessed be He, for He sets aside His words for the sake of repentance. How? It is written in the Torah, "when a man takes a wife and marries her, and if she finds no favor in his eyes... and he writes her a bill of divorce... and the latter man hates her and writes [her a bill of divorce]... her former husband who sent her away may not take her again... after she has been defiled" (Deuteronomy 24:1-4). But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so; even though they forsook Him and served another, "and they forsook the LORD and did not serve Him" (Judges 10:6), He said to them, repent and come to Me and I will accept you. Jeremiah explains, saying, "if a man sends away his wife and she goes from him and becomes another man's, will he return to her again? Would not that land be greatly polluted? Yet you have played the harlot with many lovers, and would you return to Me, says the LORD" (Jeremiah 3:1)? Come and I will accept you, "return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." Another interpretation. "Return." And how far does repentance reach? Of all that the Holy One, blessed be He, created, He swears only by the receiving of penitents, for so Ezekiel said, "as I live, says the LORD, do I desire the death of the wicked" (Ezekiel 33:11). They said, since He has sworn that He receives penitents, it is just that we go to Him. "Return, O Israel." Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." We find that perhaps there was none after Him who was too far off; He said, behold, I will return. Like a prince who was sick. The physician said, if he eats of such-and-such a thing he will be healed. The son was afraid to eat it. His father said to him, know that it will not harm you; behold, I will eat of it. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, are you ashamed to repent? Behold, I will return first, as it is said, "thus says the LORD, behold, I will return" (Jeremiah 30:18). And if One who has no sin nor wrongdoing, heaven forbid, said, "behold, I will return," how much more should human beings need to repent and come to the Holy One, blessed be He. "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel." If a person makes complete repentance, even the transgressions he did at first are not counted against him and are not remembered against him. From where? Isaiah explains, "the former things shall not be remembered nor come to mind" (Isaiah 65:17). And repentance is more precious even than sacrifices. Samuel the prophet said, "behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams" (1 Samuel 15:22). Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel." Woe to the wicked who die without repentance, for they forfeit their hope of the world to come. For angels are appointed over a person, and every single day they write his deeds, and all is revealed before the Holy One, blessed be He, and all is written and sealed. If a person is righteous, they write his righteousness, and if a person acts wickedly, they write his wickedness. Therefore when a righteous person comes, the angels go before him and praise him, "he enters into peace and rests on his couch." But if a wicked person dies who did not repent, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to him, you have blown out your own soul; how many times did I call you to repent and you did not? "And the eyes of the wicked shall fail, and escape shall be lost to them, and their hope is the blowing out of the soul" (Job 11:20). The discerning said: since it is so, hope is set for penitents; come, let us repent to the LORD our God, "come, let us return to the LORD, for He has torn and He will heal us, He has struck and He will bind us up" (Hosea 6:1). Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel." The fools who say, perhaps we will repent and He will not accept us — "behold, we come" — are you not called fools? Many times He says, "return, O backsliding children" (Jeremiah 3:22); you lose nothing, "I will heal your backslidings" (Jeremiah 3:22). And so Isaiah prophesies, "peace, peace to the far and to the near, says the LORD, and I will heal him" (Isaiah 57:19). Of which far one does he speak? Of one who distanced himself, while he is in fact near to the Holy One, blessed be He. What healing does he need? This is a wicked man who was far and repented and drew near to the Holy One, blessed be He. "Peace, peace to the far and to the near." Hosea said to them, since He heals the penitents, "return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel." Five things bring the redemption: out of distress a person is redeemed, "in your distress, when all these things have come upon you" (Deuteronomy 4:30); out of the appointed end, "in the latter days" (Deuteronomy 4:30); out of repentance, "and you return to the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 4:30); out of mercy, "for the LORD your God is a merciful God" (Deuteronomy 4:31); and by the merit of the fathers, "and He will not forget the covenant of your fathers" (Deuteronomy 4:31). And repentance brings about mercy and the merit of the fathers, for so it says, "and you return to the LORD your God and obey His voice" (Deuteronomy 4:30), and immediately, "for the LORD your God is a merciful God" (Deuteronomy 4:31). Thus let us return to Him, for we have none like Him, a God who receives us at the moment we turn from transgression. [Another interpretation.] "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." Like a prince who was far from his father, a journey of a hundred days. His friends said to him, return to your father. He said to them, I cannot. His father sent and said to him, come as far as you can according to your strength, and I will come to you the rest of the way. So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "return to Me and I will return to you" (Malachi 3:7). Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel." Like a prince who had a case before his father. They said to him, ask of your father while he is in his palace, before he sits on the tribunal and the attribute of judgment is stretched out over you. So Hosea said to Israel, "return, O Israel, to the LORD your God," while He is set in the attribute of mercy; repent, for the Holy One, blessed be He, is merciful and gracious and desires repentance, before the attribute of judgment is stretched out over you. Flesh and blood is angry at his fellow, and he brings him a gift that he may accept it, and it is doubtful whether it is accepted; but the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so, but is appeased with words, "take with you words" (Hosea 14:3). And not only that, but a person who goes to honor the king goes to him full and returns empty; but the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so, but they go to Him empty and return full. They say to Him, "You forgive all iniquity" (Hosea 14:3), and He says to them, "accept what is good" (Hosea 14:3). Therefore the prophet praises Him for His abundant mercy and says of Him, "who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression" (Micah 7:18). Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." Our holy Rabbi expounded: great is the power of repentance, for as soon as a person ponders in his heart to repent, immediately it ascends, not ten miles nor twenty nor a hundred, but a journey of five hundred years; and not to the first firmament, but to the seventh firmament; and not only to the seventh firmament, but it stands before the throne of glory. So Hosea says, "return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." Another interpretation. "To the LORD your God." They said to Him, Master of the universe, we are afraid because of the iniquities, for they are many. David said, "my iniquities have gone over my head" (Psalms 38:5), and Ezra said, "our iniquities have risen higher than our heads, and our guilt has mounted up to the heavens" (Ezra 9:6). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: do not be afraid of this thing; if they reach to the firmament and you repent, I forgive, and not only to the first firmament nor the second nor the third, but even to the seventh, up to the throne of glory, and you repent, immediately I accept you. "Return, O Israel, to the LORD your God" — even iniquities that reach "to the LORD your God." Another interpretation. "Return, O Israel, to the LORD." Israel said to Him, Master of the universe, if we repent, who will testify that You accepted us? He said to them, your advocate, this is Michael, as it is said, "at that time Michael shall stand up... who stands over the children of your people" (Daniel 12:1). They said to Him, we ask only You. He said to them, go, seek My face, and I will testify for you. And you have whence to learn: which measure is greater, the measure of good or the measure of punishment? You must say, the measure of good. Come and see: it is not the honor of the Holy One, blessed be He, to testify in such matters, yet He in His glory testifies against adulterers and sorcerers, as it is said, "and I will draw near to you for judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers and against the adulterers" (Malachi 3:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: and if against one who sins I testify, against one who repents how much more so. Hosea said, "return, O Israel, to the LORD your God." They said to Him, Master of the universe, and what will You do with all our iniquities? He said to them, repent and they are swallowed up out of the world, as it is said, "the iniquity of Israel shall be sought and there shall be none, and the sins of Judah and they shall not be found" (Jeremiah 50:20). They said to Him, and where do You cast them? He said to them, into the sea, as it is said, "He will again have compassion on us; He will subdue our iniquities, and You will cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:19).

"A maskil of David. Happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Happy is the man to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity" (Psalms 32:1-2). Let our master teach us: one who has a seminal emission on the Day of Atonement, what of him — may he wash as is his custom on the Day of Atonement? Thus our masters taught: one who saw an emission on the Day of Atonement washes as is his custom on the Day of Atonement (Tosefta Yoma 4), only that he should go and wash in a private place, for nothing is more beloved before the Omnipresent than modesty, "and walk humbly with your God" (Micah 6:8). Even though purification was permitted to you on the Day of Atonement — and why so? It is all for your purification, for on the Day of Atonement the Holy One, blessed be He, purifies Israel and atones for their iniquities, as it is said, "for on this day He shall atone for you to cleanse you" (Leviticus 16:30). And should you say, for another nation? No, but for Israel alone, for so the prophet Micah said, "who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance" (Micah 7:18); for Israel alone He forgives. When David saw how the Holy One, blessed be He, forgives the iniquities of Israel and has mercy upon them, he began to call them happy and to praise them, "happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." "A maskil of David. Happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." This is what Scripture says, "You forgave the iniquity of Your people, You covered all their sin, selah" (Psalms 85:3). You find on the Day of Atonement Satan comes to accuse Israel, and he details the iniquities of Israel and says, Master of the universe, there are adulterers among the nations of the world and likewise in Israel, there are thieves among the nations of the world and likewise in Israel. And the Holy One, blessed be He, details the merits of Israel. What does He do? He takes the beam of the scales and weighs the iniquities against the merits, and they are weighed, the iniquities and the merits, these against those, and the two pans of the scale are found balanced. And Satan goes to bring iniquities and to place them in the pan of iniquities to tip it; what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? While Satan is going back to seek iniquities, the Holy One, blessed be He, takes the iniquities out of the pan and hides them under His royal robe, and Satan comes and does not find any iniquity there, as it is said, "the iniquity of Israel shall be sought and there shall be none" (Jeremiah 50:20). When Satan sees this he says before the Holy One, blessed be He, Master of the universe, "You forgave the iniquity of Your people" — astonishing! When David saw this he said, how does He forgive iniquity and cover their sin? He began to praise them, "happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." Another interpretation. "Happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven [nesui]." Do not read it with a samekh but with a shin [nashui, "lent"]. Rabbi Berekhiah the priest said: He is the one who lends out our debts before Himself, for He forgives our iniquities every single year, as it is said, "and this shall be an everlasting statute for you, to make atonement for the children of Israel" (Leviticus 16:34), and so it says, "once a year he shall make atonement for it, throughout your generations" (Exodus 30:10). Therefore it says, "happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven." "Happy is the man to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity." Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: to what may the matter be likened? To one who drank the bitter waters and was found pure. One began to say to her, happy is the mother who need not drink them at all. So David said, "happy is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, happy is the man to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity. And who are these whose transgressions the Holy One, blessed be He, forgives? These are Israel, who are found worthy on the Day of Atonement and detail their iniquities and transgressions, and the Holy One, blessed be He, bears their iniquities. Scripture says, "he who conceals his transgressions will not prosper, but he who confesses and forsakes them will obtain mercy" (Proverbs 28:13). Since Israel detail their iniquities and confess before the Holy One, blessed be He, He forgives them and passes over their transgressions, as it is said, "for on this day He shall atone for you to cleanse you from all your sins; before the LORD you shall be clean" (Leviticus 16:30). When the prophet saw this, he began to praise the Holy One, blessed be He, for this and said, "who is a God like You, pardoning iniquity and passing over transgression for the remnant of His inheritance, and does not retain His anger forever, for He delights in steadfast love" (Micah 7:18).

"This day is the beginning of Your works, a remembrance of the first day." On the twenty-fifth of Elul He created the world, the first day of formation. On the first day the luminaries were created, but they were not hung in place until the fourth day, and now that light was extended for three days, which are thirty-six hours. At the time when Adam sinned, he was driven out on that very day, and on the next day, on Rosh Hashanah, his atonement sprouted forth, for the Sabbath came and pleaded merit on his behalf. "The blessing of the LORD, it makes rich" (Proverbs 10:22): the Sabbath enriches those who keep it. With what did He bless it? With the light, in that He added light to it on every Sabbath eve and its day, thirty-six hours, so as not to distress Adam, the first man, who had not yet seen darkness and night; and now this light of the Sabbath and Rosh Hashanah was like the light of the first day of the world.

"And the LORD spoke to Moses after the death of the two sons of Aaron" (Leviticus 16:1). Let our master teach us: which is greater, prayer or repentance? Our masters taught us: Rabbi Yehudah son of Rabbi Chiya says, repentance annuls half the decree and prayer annuls the whole decree; and Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi says, prayer annuls half the decree and repentance annuls the whole decree. Rabbi Yehudah bar Chiya said: from where that repentance annuls half the decree? As it is said of Cain, "a fugitive and a wanderer shall you be on the earth" (Genesis 4:12); once he repented, "my iniquity is greater than I can bear" (Genesis 4:13), half the decree was annulled from him, as it is said, "and he dwelt in the land of Nod, east of Eden" (Genesis 4:16). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: repentance annuls the whole decree and prayer half the decree, for so you find with Jeconiah king of Judah, that the Holy One, blessed be He, swore, "as I live, says the LORD, though Coniah son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were" (Jeremiah 22:24). Rabbi Meir said: He swore by His right hand, as it is said, "by My right hand, for thence I will pluck you out" (Jeremiah 22:24). And what was decreed upon him? That he die childless, as it is said, "write this man down as childless" (Jeremiah 22:30); and once he repented, the Holy One, blessed be He, annulled the decree, as it is said, "and the sons of Jeconiah: Assir, Shealtiel his son" (1 Chronicles 3:17), and so it says, "on that day... I will take you, Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel... and make you like a signet" (Haggai 2:23). Thus repentance annuls the whole decree. And from where that prayer annuls half the decree? For so you find with Aaron, as it is said, "and the LORD was very angry with Aaron, to destroy him" (Deuteronomy 9:20). Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Resh Lakish: "to destroy him" means nothing but the uprooting of sons and daughters, as it is said, "and I destroyed his fruit above and his roots beneath" (Amos 2:9). He did not do so, but once Moses prayed for him, as it is said, "and I prayed also for Aaron at that time" (Deuteronomy 9:20), the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, since you prayed for him, you have annulled half the decree from him. "And to Eleazar and to Ithamar, the ones who remained" (Leviticus 10:12) teaches that they too were included in the decree. Rabbi Mana of Shaab said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi, "rescue those being taken to death" (Proverbs 24:11); you find that through prayer Eleazar and Ithamar were saved. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: by your life, so was the decree, that all your sons should die, and since Moses prayed, behold I annul half the decree, and I annul two and leave two. From where? From what we read in this matter, "after the death of the two sons of Aaron." "After the death of the two sons of Aaron." Thus Rabbi Tanchuma son of Rabbi Chiya opened: "O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You; my soul thirsts for You... so I have looked upon You in the sanctuary... because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips shall praise You" (Psalms 63:2-4). What is "O God, You are my God"? When the Egyptians decreed upon Israel, "every son that is born you shall cast into the river" (Exodus 1:22), a daughter of Israel, when she felt herself near to giving birth, would go out to the dunghill and give birth there, and immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, would come down and wash it and clean it and clothe it, "and I washed you with water and rinsed off your blood from you and clothed you with embroidered cloth and shod you with fine leather" (Ezekiel 16:9-10). Therefore David said of the assembly of Israel, "O God, You are my God, earnestly I seek You": when You executed judgment in Egypt, at the sea, and we saw You and said, "this is my God and I will glorify Him" (Exodus 15:2), and we sought You earnestly and were not harmed when You executed judgment in Egypt; You apportioned to us Your glory, and our soul thirsted to see You. So "my flesh longs for You"; and where? "In a dry and weary land without water." "So I have looked upon You in the sanctuary": just as I saw You at the sea, so I saw You at Sinai — and "sanctuary" means nothing but Sinai, as it is said, "the LORD is among them, Sinai is in holiness" (Psalms 68:18) — and just as I saw You at the sea and was not harmed, so "I have looked upon You in the sanctuary," as it is said, "and upon the nobles of the children of Israel He did not lay His hand, and they beheld God and ate and drank" (Exodus 24:11). What is "to see Your strength and Your glory"? Aaron said: Israel, who were common folk, saw You at the sea and at Sinai and were not harmed; and I, whom You brought near to You in the Tabernacle — "and from the entrance of the tent of meeting you shall not go out" (Leviticus 8:33), and You warned Israel, "the stranger who comes near shall be put to death" (Numbers 1:51) — my sons entered to see Your strength and Your glory, and they died. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: say to your brother Aaron, a great kindness I have done with you and a great honor I have apportioned to you, that your sons were burned. I placed them within all the partitions, even more inward than Moses your brother. How? Israel surround the Levites, and Moses is a Levite, and "the Levites shall camp around the Tabernacle of the testimony" (Numbers 1:53). You find that Aaron and his sons are inside and Moses is outside. And see what is written above this passage — the passage of those with discharges and the lepers — and anyone who enters the tent of meeting without permission was stricken with leprosy. Would you then wish that your sons be lepers, sitting apart outside all the partitions, when they sit inside all the partitions? Would you wish that they sit by themselves outside all the partitions, "and the leper in whom the plague is... he shall dwell alone" (Leviticus 13:45-46)? When Aaron heard this, he said, I thank You for what You have done with me, that it is good for me, for the kindness You did with me that they died and were not living lepers; therefore I am bound to thank You and praise You, "because Your steadfast love is better than life, my lips shall praise You"; and all this is from You, that one should say that of Aaron Scripture speaks. See what is written after it, "so I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands" (Psalms 63:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: since the attribute of judgment touched Aaron and moreover he thanks Me for the kindness I did with him, go and comfort him, "and the LORD said to Moses, speak to Aaron your brother" (Leviticus 16:2); and "speak" means nothing but words of comfort. "And the LORD spoke to Moses after the death." Happy is the man whom sufferings have touched and who restrained his anger and did not complain against the attribute of judgment. When sufferings came upon Job, had he restrained his anger and not complained against the attribute of judgment, it would have been a great and praiseworthy thing. Rabbi Chanina bar Pappa said: had he not complained, just as they now say in prayer, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, so they would say, and the God of Job. For the Holy One, blessed be He, took counsel in the sight of the holy ones above; He said to them, this Job, My servant, has four great qualities in him: "a man blameless and upright, fearing God and turning from evil" (Job 1:1); let all these sufferings come upon him; if he stands firm in them and does not complain, I hope to set My name upon him as I set it upon the patriarchs. He did not do so; but once the sufferings reached him he began to kick and say, "oh that I knew where I might find Him" (Job 23:3). Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, Job, you have darkened the counsel that I took above, "and the LORD answered Job" (Job 38:1). And what did He say to him? "Who is this that darkens counsel by words without knowledge" (Job 38:2)? How you have darkened the counsel by words you brought forth from your mouth! You said, "if I find Him" — what is there for Him to answer me? "I would learn the words He would answer me and understand what He would say to me" (Job 23:4-5). Job said, I went everywhere to seek Him and did not find Him; I went east and did not find, as it is said, "behold, I go forward, but He is not there" (Job 23:8); I went west to seek Him and did not find, "and backward, but I do not perceive Him" (Job 23:8); I went north to seek Him and did not find, "on the left when He works, but I do not behold Him" (Job 23:9); I went south to seek Him and did not find, "He turns to the right, but I do not see Him" (Job 23:9). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: why do you keep wearying yourself? Behold, I reveal Myself to you. Tell Me from where I should reveal Myself to you — the upper and lower worlds cannot contain the glory of the Holy One, blessed be He, yet He confined Himself within the storm, "and the LORD answered Job out of the whirlwind" (Job 38:1). Another interpretation: from every single hair of his head the Holy One, blessed be He, spoke with him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: why do you complain that sufferings have reached you? Are you greater than the first man, the work of My hands, upon whom for one commandment he annulled I decreed death, upon him and his descendants, and he did not complain? Or than Abraham, whom I tested with several trials, who because he said, "how shall I know" (Genesis 15:8), I said to him, "know surely that your seed shall be a stranger" (Genesis 15:13), and he did not complain? Are you greater than Isaac, who because he loved Esau, I dimmed his eyes, "and it came to pass when Isaac was old, his eyes were dim from seeing" (Genesis 27:1), and he did not complain? Or greater than Moses, who because he said, "hear now, you rebels" (Numbers 20:10), I decreed upon him that he should not enter the land, and he did not complain? Or greater than Aaron, to whom I apportioned honor like to no creature in the world: he was clothed in eight holy garments and entered the Holy of Holies, and the ministering angels fled before him, "and no man shall be in the tent of meeting" (Leviticus 16:17) — these are the ministering angels whose faces had the likeness of a human face (Ezekiel 1:10) — who apportioned him honor and fled before him; and My glory filled the house, "and the priests could not stand to minister because of the cloud, for the glory of the LORD filled" (1 Kings 8:11); and when he entered I apportioned him honor and withdrew My glory from between the two cherubim. This is what Job said, "does the eagle mount up at your command" (Job 39:27)? Rabbi Tanchuma said: at your command the Holy One, blessed be He, lifted up His glory from between the two cherubim at Aaron's entry; "the eagle mounts up," this is the Holy One, blessed be He, "like an eagle that stirs up its nest" (Deuteronomy 32:11). And does He "stir up its nest"? "He dwells on the rock and lodges [on the crag of the rock and the stronghold]" (Job 39:27-28); even though I would lift up My glory at his entry, yet "He dwells on the rock" — once he went out He would return and fill the house. Another interpretation: "He dwells on the rock," in the first building where the ark was, and even in the second building where the ark was not but only a stone was there, My glory was "on the crag of the rock and the stronghold." Another interpretation: "He dwells on the rock" is an answer to those who say that the Holy One, blessed be He, said, I am building the Temple, and He built it, and they sinned and destroyed it, and it is not rebuilt again. Say to him: it does not say "a rock that dwells" but "He dwells on the rock," and it does not say "lodged" but "and lodges"; where? "He lodges on the crag of the rock and the stronghold." And what is the stronghold? It is the stronghold of Zion, as it is said, "and David captured the stronghold of Zion" (2 Samuel 5:7). "From there he spies out food" (Job 39:29); from there He scouted out the year, whether good or bad; and when the priest prayed he would say, may it be Your will, O LORD, that this year be... "and from there he spies out food" means nothing but the language of scouting, "and they shall scout out the land for us" (Deuteronomy 1:22). "His eyes behold from afar" (Job 39:29), for I would reveal to him what I am destined to do in the distant future. And after all this honor, when his sons entered to offer before Me without permission, I did not deal harshly with them but strangled two fledglings, as it is said, "and its young ones suck up blood" (Job 39:30); and even so I did not withdraw My glory from them, "and where the slain are, there is He" (Job 39:30). "Draw near, carry your brothers from before the sanctuary" (Leviticus 10:4), like a man who says to his fellows, enter, carry away the dead from before the mourner. "And the LORD said to Moses, speak to Aaron your brother." Another interpretation. "After the death." Thus Rabbi Tanchuma son of Rabbi Abba opened: "for by wise guidance you shall wage your war" (Proverbs 24:6). "Guidance" [tachbulot] is rendered "and the captain of the ship called to him" (Jonah 1:6). Why does this ship travel the sea? If it has no captains it is lost. So Israel, even though they are many multitudes, if they have no leader they cannot stand. "For by wise guidance," this is Moses in his generation, Joshua in his generation, Samuel in his generation. Another interpretation: "for by wise guidance," this is Aaron in his generation; even though several troubles come upon them they wage their battle. And so Aaron, when he would enter the Holy of Holies, had it not been for the many merits that entered with him and helped him, he could not have stood for a single hour because of the ministering angels who were there; and moreover he entered on the Day of Atonement, and Satan would come to accuse, and when Satan saw him he would flee before him. Why? Because many merits entered with him: the merit of the fathers entered with him, and the merit of the mothers entered with him, and the merit of Manasseh and Ephraim entered with him, and the merit of the tribes entered with him, and the merit of circumcision entered with him, and the merit of the Torah entered with him, and the merit of Israel entered with him. The merit of Abraham, from where? As it is said, "with this shall Aaron come into the holy place, with a young bull" (Leviticus 16:3), and "Abraham ran to the herd and took a calf" (Genesis 18:7). "And a ram for a burnt offering" (Leviticus 16:3), the merit of Isaac, "and Abraham went and took the ram and offered it as a burnt offering instead of his son" (Genesis 22:13). And from where that also by the merit of Jacob? As it is said, "and from the congregation of the children of Israel he shall take two he-goats" (Leviticus 16:5), those that his mother said to him, "and take me from there two good kids of the goats" (Genesis 27:9). What is "good"? Rabbi Berekhiah said, Rabbi Chelbo said: good for you and good for your sons — good for you, that you enter and feed your father and take the blessings from him; good for your sons, that they are soiled with iniquities all the days of the year, and they bring two he-goats on the Day of Atonement and they are offered and atonement is made for them. And from where that also by the merit of the mothers? As it is said, "he shall put on the holy linen tunic, and linen breeches... and a linen sash... and a linen turban" (Leviticus 16:4) — behold four mothers. Another interpretation: "with this shall Aaron come." Rabbi Berekhiah said, He hinted to him a hint that the Temple would last only four hundred and ten years; "with this" [bezot]: bet is two, zayin is seven, alef is one, taf is four hundred. He said to him, "with this shall Aaron come" — but did Aaron live four hundred and ten years? Rather He said to him, eighteen priests served in the first building, because he is your son and your son's son, behold he is like you, "with this shall Aaron come." And in the second building, because the priests would advance themselves one over another, eighty priests served in it. Thus, "the fear of the LORD prolongs days" (Proverbs 10:27), the priests of the first building, "but the years of the wicked shall be shortened" (Proverbs 10:27), the priests of the second building. Another interpretation: "with this shall Aaron come." Rabbi Yitzchak said: the merit of the tribes entered with him, the twelve stones that were set upon Aaron's heart; what is the reason? That the Holy One, blessed be He, would look upon them at Aaron's entry on the Day of Atonement and remember the merit of the tribes, as it is said, "and these stones shall be for a memorial" — and "these" [zot] means nothing but the tribes, as it is said, "all these are the tribes of Israel, twelve, and this" (Genesis 49:28). Another interpretation: "with this," the merit of the Torah entered with him, "and this is the Torah" (Deuteronomy 4:44). Another interpretation: by the merit of Israel, as it is said, "this your stature is like a palm tree" (Song of Songs 7:8). Rabbi Pinchas said: even Moses, who went up on high and captured the Torah and brought it down, not by his own strength but by the merit of Israel, as it is said, "You ascended on high, You captured captives, You received gifts among men" (Psalms 68:19), by the merit of Israel, as it is said, "and you, My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men" (Ezekiel 34:31). Another interpretation: "with this shall come," by the merit of Manasseh and Ephraim that entered with him. Rabbi Yoshiah said: the two onyx stones that were set upon Aaron's shoulders corresponded to Manasseh and Ephraim. And why onyx stones? Because they grew up in the midst of Egypt and did not learn from their deeds. Another interpretation: "with this shall Aaron come." Rabbi Chanina son of Rabbi Yishmael said: the merit of circumcision entered with him, "and this is My covenant which you shall keep" (Genesis 17:10), and it is written, "My covenant was with him, life and peace" (Malachi 2:5).