Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer Reader

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Come and I will send thee unto Pharaoh" (Ex. 3:10). He answered before Him: Sovereign of all worlds! Have I not spoken thus to Thee three or four times, that I have no power, for I have a defective tongue, as it is said, "And Moses said unto the Lord, O Lord, I am not eloquent" (Ex. 4:10). Not only this, but moreover Thou dost send me into the power of my enemy who seeks my hurt. For this reason I fled from him, as it is said, "But Moses fled from the face of Pharaoh" (Ex. 2:15). He answered him: Do not fear him, for all the men who sought thy life are already dead.

Were they dead? Were they not alive? Only they had diminished their wealth. Hence thou mayest learn that all who lose their wealth are as though they were dead, therefore it is said, "For all the men are dead who sought thy life" (Ex. 4:19). (God) said to him: "Come and I will send thee unto Pharaoh" (Ex. 3:10).

He replied to Him: Sovereign of all worlds! "Send by the hand of him whom thou wilt send" (Ex. 4:13)—that is to say, by the hand of that man whom Thou wilt send in the future. He said to him: I have not said, "Come and I will send thee to Israel," but "Come and I will send thee unto Pharaoh" (Ex. 3:10). And as for that man of whom thou sayest that I should send him to Israel in the future that is to come, so it is said, || "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and terrible day of the Lord come" (Mal. iv. 5). "And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (ibid. 6).

(Moses) spake before Him: Sovereign of all worlds! Give me a wonder or a sign. He said to him: Cast thy staff to the ground. He cast his staff to the ground, and it became a fiery serpent.

Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, show unto Moses (a sign) with a fiery serpent, and why did He not show it to him with something else? But just as the serpent bites and kills the sons of man, likewise Pharaoh and his people bit and slew the Israelites. Afterwards it became again like a dry stick. Thus He spake: Likewise Pharaoh and his people shall become like this dry stick, as it is said, "And the Lord said unto Moses: Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail" (Ex. 4:4).

He spake before Him: Sovereign of all worlds! Give me a wonder. He said to him: "Put now thine hand into thy bosom" (Ex. 4:6). And he put his hand into his bosom, and he brought it out leprous like snow.

Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, show unto Moses (a sign) by means of an unclean thing, and (why) did He not show it by means of a clean thing? But just as the leper is unclean and causes uncleanliness, likewise Pharaoh and his people were unclean, and they caused Israel to be unclean. Afterwards (Moses) became clean again, and He spake to him: Likewise shall Israel become clean from the uncleanliness of the Egyptians, as it is said, "And he said, Put now thine hand into thy bosom" (ibid.).

Why did He show unto Moses the fire in the midst of the thorn-bush? || But the fire refers to Israel, who are compared to fire, as it is said, "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire" (Obad. 18). The thorn-bush refers to the nations of the world, who are compared to thorns and thistles. He said to him: Likewise shall Israel be in the midst of the nations. The fire of Israel shall not consume the nations, who are compared to thorns and thistles; but the nations of the world shall extinguish the flames of Israel—(these flames) are the words of the Torah. But in the future that is to come the fire of Israel will consume all the nations, who are compared to thorns and thistles, as it is said, "And the peoples shall be as the burnings of lime" (Isa. 33:12).

The first utterance went forth, and the heavens trembled, and the seas and the rivers fled, and the mountains and the hills tottered, and all the trees bowed down, and the dead who were in Sheol came to life and stood upon their feet, as it is said, "but with him who stands here with us this day" (Deuteronomy 29:14). And all those destined to be created until the end of all the generations stood there with them, as it is said, "and also with him who is not here" (Deuteronomy 29:14). And the Israelites who were alive fell upon their faces and died. And a second utterance went forth, and they came to life and stood upon their feet and said to Moses: "Moses, we are not able to hear the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, any longer, lest we die there just as we died," as it is said, "And they said to Moses: Speak you with us, and we will hear; but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Exodus 20:16). And now, why should we die just as we died? And the Holy One, blessed be He, heard their voice, and it was pleasing to Him, and He sent Michael and Gabriel, and they took hold of the two hands of Moses against his will and brought him near to the thick darkness, as it is said, "And Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was" (Exodus 20:18).

Moses said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all worlds! Make known to me Thy great and holy Name, that I may call on Thee by Thy Name, and Thou wilt answer me, as it is said, "And God said unto Moses, I am that I am" (Ex. 3:14). "And God further said (to Moses)" (Ex. 3:15).

The angels saw that the Holy One, blessed be He, had transmitted the secret of the Ineffable Name to Moses, and they rejoined: Blessed art thou, O Lord, who graciously bestoweth knowledge.

THE REVELATION ON SINAI THE sixth descent was when He came down on Sinai, as it is said, "And the Lord came down upon Mount Sinai" (Ex. 19:20). On the sixth of Sivan the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed unto Israel on Sinai, and from His place was He revealed (on) Mount Sinai, and the heavens were opened, || and the summit of the mountain entered into the heavens. Thick darkness covered the mountain, and the Holy One, blessed be He, sat upon His throne, and His feet stood on the thick darkness, as it is said, "He bowed the heavens also, and came down; and thick darkness was under his feet" (2 Sam. 22:10).

Rabbi Ṭarphon said: The Holy One, blessed be He, rose and came from Mount Sinai and was revealed unto the sons of Esau, as it is said, "And he said, The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Seir unto them" (Deut. 33:2). And "Seir" means only the sons of Esau, as it is said, "And Esau dwelt in Mount Seir" (Gen. 36:8). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Will ye accept for yourselves the Torah?

They said to Him: What is written therein? He answered them: It is written therein, "Thou shalt do no murder" (Ex. 20:13). They replied to Him: We are unable to abandon the blessing with which Isaac blessed Esau, for he said to him, "By thy sword shalt thou live" (Gen. 27:40). Thence He turned and was revealed unto the children of Ishmael, as it is said, "He shined forth from Mount Paran" (Deut. 33:2).

"Paran" means only the sons of Ishmael, as it is said, "And he dwelt in the wilderness of Paran" (Gen. 21:21). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Will ye accept for yourselves the Torah? They said to Him: What is written therein? He answered them: "Thou shalt not steal" (Ex. 20:15) is written therein.

They said to Him: We are not able to abandon the usage which our fathers observed, for they brought Joseph down into Egypt, as it is said, "For indeed I was stolen away out of the land of the Hebrews" (Gen. 40:15). Thence He sent || messengers to all the nations of the world. He said unto them: Will ye receive for yourselves the Torah? They said to Him: What is written therein?

He said to them: "Thou shalt have no other gods before me" (Ex. 20:3). They said to Him: We have no delight in the Torah, therefore let Him give His Torah to His people, as it is said, "The Lord will give strength unto his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace" (Ps. 29:11). Thence He returned and was revealed unto the children of Israel, as it is said, "And he came from the ten thousands of holy ones" (Deut. 33:2).

The expression "ten thousands" means the children of Israel, as it is said, "And when it rested, he said, Return, O Lord, unto the ten thousands of the thousands of Israel" (Num. 10:36). With Him were thousands twice-told of chariots, even twenty thousand of holy angels, and His right hand was holding the Torah, as it is said, "At his right hand was a fiery law unto them" (Deut. 33:2).

Hence thou mayest learn that the words of the Torah are like coals of fire. Why was it "at his right hand"? Whence do we know (that it was given to them) with expression of love? Because it is said, "The Lord hath sworn by his right hand, and by the arm of his strength" (Isa. 62:8).

Rabbi Eliezer said: From the day when the Israelites went forth from Egypt, they were journeying and encamping in smoothness, they were journeying in smoothness and they were encamping in smoothness, as it is said, "And they journeyed (from Rephidim, and they came to the wilderness of Sinai), and they encamped in the wilderness" (Ex. 19:2); until they all came to Mount Sinai, and they all encamped opposite the mountain, like one man with one heart, as it is said, "And there Israel encamped before the mount" (ibid.). The Holy One, blessed be He, spake to them: Will ye receive for yourselves || the Torah? Whilst the Torah had not yet been heard they said to Him: We will keep and observe all the precepts which are in the Torah, as it is said, "And they said, All that the Lord hath spoken will we do, and be obedient" (Ex. 24:7).

Rabbi Elazar of Modein said: From the day when the heavens and the earth were created, the name of the mountain was Horeb. When the Holy One, blessed be He, was revealed unto Moses out of the thorn-bush, because of the word for the thorn-bush (S'neh) it was called Sinai (Sinai), and that is Horeb. And whence do we know that Israel accepted the Torah at Mount Horeb? Because it is said, "The day that thou stoodest before the Lord thy God in Horeb" (Deut. 4:10).

Rabbi Phineas said: On the eve of Sabbath the Israelites stood at Mount Sinai, arranged with the men apart and the women apart. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go, speak to the daughters of Israel, (asking them) whether they wish to receive the Torah. Why were the women asked (first)? Because the way of men is to follow the opinion of women, as it is said, "Thus shalt thou say to the house of Jacob" (Ex. 19:3); these are the women. "And tell the children of Israel" (ibid.); these are the men. They all replied (as) with one mouth, and they said: "All that the Lord hath spoken we will do, and be obedient" (Ex. 24:7). (The Scripture also says,) "They that sing as well as they that dance (shall say), All my fountains are in thee" (Ps. 87:7).

Rabbi Chanina said: || In the third month the day is double the night, and the Israelites slept until two hours of the day, for sleep on the day of the (feast of) 'Azereth is pleasant, the night being short. And Moses went forth and came to the camp of the Israelites, and he aroused the Israelites from their sleep, saying to them: Arise ye from your sleep, for behold, your God desires to give the Torah to you.

Already the bridegroom wishes to lead the bride and to enter the bridal chamber. The hour has come for giving you the Torah, as it is said, "And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God" (Ex. 19:17). And the Holy One, blessed be He, also went forth to meet them; like a bridegroom who goes forth to meet the bride, so the Holy One, blessed be He, went forth to meet them to give them the Torah, as it is said, "O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people" (Ps. 68:7).

Rabbi Joshua ben Ḳorchah said: The feet of Moses stood on the mount, and all (his body) was in the midst of the heaven, like a tent which is spread out, and the children of men stand inside it, but their feet stand on the earth, and all of them are inside the tent; so was it with Moses, his feet stood on the mountain, and all his (body) was in the heavens, beholding and seeing everything that is in the heavens.

The Holy One, blessed be He, was speaking with him like a man who || is conversing with his companion, as it is said, "And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face" (Ex. 33:11). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Go and sanctify the Israelites for two days, as it is said, "And the Lord said unto Moses, Go unto the people, and sanctify them to-day and to-morrow" (Ex. 19:10). What then was the sanctity of Israel in the wilderness?

There were no uncircumcised people in their midst; the manna descended from heaven for them; they drank water out of the Well; clouds of glory surrounded them. What then was the sanctity of Israel in the wilderness? It refers to their avoidance of sexual intercourse.

Moses argued with himself. Moses said: A man of Israel may have gone to his wife, and they will be found to be prevented from receiving the Torah. What did he do? He added one day (more) for them on his own account, so that if a man of Israel went to his wife they would be found to be clean for two (complete) days; therefore he added one day for them on his own account.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Moses! How many souls of the children of men would have come forth from Israel in that night? What thou hast done has been (rightly) accomplished. The Holy One, blessed be He, approved his action.

(The Holy One, blessed be He, said:) Let Moses descend to the camp, and afterwards will I cause My Torah to be proclaimed. He said to him: "Go down, charge the people" (Ex. 19:21). Moses was wishing to be || there, and he said to Him: I have already charged the people. He said to him: Go, and call thy Rabbi. Moses descended to the camp to call Aaron, and the Holy One, blessed be He, proclaimed His Torah unto His people, as it is said, "So Moses went down unto the people, and told them" (Ex. 19:25). What is written after this? "And God spake all these words, saying, I, the Lord, am (to be) thy God, who brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage" (Ex. 20:1, 2).

The voice of the first (commandment) went forth, and the heavens and earth quaked thereat, and the waters and rivers fled, and the mountains and hills were moved, and all the trees fell prostrate, and the dead who were in Sheol revived, and stood on their feet till the end of all the generations, as it is said, "But with him that standeth here with us this day" (Deut. 29:15), and those (also) who in the future will be created, until the end of all the generations, there they stood with them at Mount Sinai, as it is said, "And also with him that is not here with us this day" (ibid.). The Israelites who were alive (then) fell upon their faces and died.

The voice of the second (commandment) went forth, and they were quickened, and they stood upon their feet and said to Moses: Moses, our teacher! We are unable to hear any more the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, for we shall die even as we died (just now), as it is said, "And they said unto Moses, Speak thou with us, and we will hear: but let not God speak with us, lest we die" (Ex. 20:19). And now, why should we die as we died (just now)? The Holy One, blessed be He, heard the voice of Israel, and it was pleasing to Him, and He sent for Michael || and Gabriel, and they took hold of the two hands of Moses against his will, and they brought him near unto the thick darkness, as it is said, "And Moses drew near unto the thick darkness where God was" (Ex. 20:21).

It is only written here (in the text concerning) Moses (that) "he drew near." The rest of the commandments He spake through the mouth of Moses, and concerning him the text says, "As the cold of snow in the time of harvest, so is a faithful messenger to them that send him" (Prov. 25:13).

And it came to pass, "When ye hear the sound of the trumpet" (2 Sam. 15:10). Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, cause His voice to be heard out of the midst of the darkness, and not out of the midst of the light? A parable: to what is the matter to be likened? To a king who was having his son married to a woman, and he suspended in the wedding chamber of his son black curtains, and not white curtains. He said to them: I know that my son will not remain with his wife except for forty days; so that on the morrow they should not say the king was an astrologer, but he did not know what would happen to his son. So with the King, who is the Holy One, blessed be He, and His son is Israel, and the bride is the Torah. The Holy One, blessed be He, knew that Israel would not remain (loyal) to the commandments except for forty days, therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, caused them to hear His voice out of the midst of darkness, and not out of the midst of light, therefore it is said, "And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice" (Deut. 5:28).

Rabbi Jehudah said: When a man speaks with his companion, he || hears the sound of his voice, but he does not see any light with it; the Israelites heard the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, on Mount Sinai, and saw the voice going forth from the mouth of the Almighty in the lightning and the thunder, as it is said, "And all the people saw the thunderings and the lightnings" (Ex. 20:18). All the precepts which are in the Torah number 611, and two, which the Holy One, blessed be He, spake, as it is said, "God has spoken once, two have I heard thus" (Ps. 62:12).

Rabbi Phineas said: All that generation who heard the voice of the Holy One, blessed be He, on Mount Sinai, were worthy to be like the ministering angels, so that insects had no power over them. They did not experience pollution in their lifetime, and at their death neither worm nor insect prevailed over them. Happy were they in this world and happy will they be in the world to come, and concerning them the Scripture says, "Happy is the people, that is in such a case" (Ps. 144:15).

THE EXODUS "AND it came to pass, when Pharaoh had let the people go" (Ex. 13:17). This is what the Scripture says, "Thy shoots are a garden of pomegranates" (Cant. 4:13). Just as this garden is full of (various) kinds of trees, each one bearing according to its kind, so the Israelites, when they went forth from Egypt, were full of all good, (endowed with) the various kinds of blessings, as it is said, "Thy shoots are (like) a garden of pomegranates" (ibid.).

Rabban Gamaliel said: The Egyptians pursued after the children of Israel as far as the Reed Sea, and encamped behind them. The enemy was behind them and the sea || was in front of them. And the Israelites saw the Egyptians, and feared very greatly, and there they cast away from themselves all the Egyptian abominations, and they repented very sincerely, and called upon their God, as it is said, "And when Pharaoh drew nigh, the children of Israel lifted up their eyes" (Ex. 14:10). Moses beheld the anguish of Israel, and arose to pray on their behalf. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: "Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward" (Ex. 14:15).

Moses spake before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all worlds! The enemy is behind them, and the sea is in front of them, which way shall they go forward? What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He sent Michael, and he became a wall of fire between (Israel and) the Egyptians. The Egyptians desired to follow after Israel, but they are unable to come (near) because of the fire. The angels beheld the misfortune of Israel all the night, and they uttered neither praise nor sanctification to their Creator, as it is said, "And the one came not near the other all the night" (Ex. 14:20).

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Moses! "Stretch out thine hand over the sea, and divide it" (Ex. 14:16). "And Moses stretched out his hand over the sea" (Ex. 14:21), but the sea refused to be divided. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He looked at the sea, and the waters saw the face of the Holy One, blessed be He, and they trembled and quaked, and descended into the depths, as it is said, "The waters saw thee, O God; the waters saw thee, they were afraid: the depths also trembled" (Ps. 77:16).

Rabbi Eliezer said: || On the day when He said, "Let the waters be gathered together" (Gen. 1:9), on that very day were the waters congealed, and they were made into twelve valleys, corresponding to the twelve tribes, and they were made into walls of water between each path, and (the people) could see one another, and they saw the Holy One, blessed be He, walking before them, but the heels of His feet they did not see, as it is said, "Thy way was in the sea, and thy paths in the great waters, and thy footsteps were not known" (Ps. 77:20).

Rabbi 'Aḳiba said: The Israelites advanced to enter the Reed Sea, but they turned backwards, fearing lest the waters would come over them. The tribe of Judah sanctified His great Name, and entered the sea first, and under the dominion of the hand likewise of the sons of Judah (did all Israel enter the sea after them), as it is said, "Judah became his sanctuary, Israel his dominion" (Ps. 114:2). The Egyptians desired to follow after Israel, but they turned backwards, fearing lest the waters would return over them. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He appeared before them like a man riding on the back of a mare, as it is said, "To a steed in Pharaoh's chariots" (Cant. 1:9). The horse on which Pharaoh rode saw the mare (of God), and it neighed and ran and entered the sea after it.

The Egyptians saw that Pharaoh had entered the sea, and all of them entered the sea after him, as it is said, "And the Egyptians pursued after them" (Ex. 14:23). Forth-with the waters returned, and covered them, as it is said, "And the waters returned, and covered || the chariots, and the horsemen" (Ex. 14:28).

Ben 'Azzai said: Everything is (judged according to the principle of) measure (for measure); just as the Egyptians were proud, and cast the male children into the river, so the Holy One, blessed be He, cast them into the sea, as it is said, "I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed triumphantly; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea" (Ex. 15:1).

Rabbi Shela said: All the children (of the Israelites) whom the Egyptians cast into the river did not die, for the river cast them up, and threw them into the desert of Egypt. The Holy One, blessed be He, brought a rock to the mouth of each one, and a rock to the side of each one. The rock which was at his mouth was feeding him with honey and milk, and the rock which was at their side was anointing them with oil, like a lying-in woman who anoints her son, as it is said, "And he made him to suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock" (Deut. 32:13). When Israel came to the sea, they saw the Holy One, blessed be He, and they recognized Him, and praised Him, and sanctified Him, as it is said, "This is my God, and I will praise him" (Ex. 15:2).

Rabbi Simon said: On the fourth day the Israelites encamped by the edge of the sea, and to the south of the sea. The Egyptians were floating like skin-bottles upon the surface of the waters, and a north wind went forth and cast them opposite the camp of Israel, and the Israelites went and saw them, and they recognized them, and they said: These (here) were the officials of the palace of Pharaoh, and those (there) were the taskmasters, and they recognized every one, as it is said, "And Israel saw the Egyptians || dead upon the sea shore" (Ex. 14:30).

Rabbi Reuben said: The entire body follows the head, and when the shepherd goes astray the sheep go astray after him, as it is said, "For the sins of Jeroboam which he sinned, and wherewith he made Israel to sin" (1 Kings 15:30). When the shepherd is good, all follow after him. Moses began to sing, and to utter praises before the Holy One, blessed be He, and all Israel followed him, as it is said, "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel" (Ex. 15:1).

Miriam began to sing and to utter praises, before the Holy One, blessed be He, and all the women followed her, as it is said, "And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel… and all the women went out after her" (Ex. 15:20). Whence did they have timbrels and chorus in the wilderness? But the righteous always know and conciliate (God), and are assured that the Omnipresent, blessed be He, performs for them miracles and mighty deeds. Before (the time of) their departure from Egypt they prepared for themselves timbrels and chorus.

Israel spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all worlds! These (Egyptians) who have arisen to come against us to destroy us from Thy world, as well as all who rise up against us, are as though they had risen up against Thee. Let the majesty of Thy might and Thy fierce anger consume them like stubble, as it is said, "And in the greatness of thine excellency thou overthrowest them that rise up against thee: thou sendeth forth thy wrath, it consumeth them as stubble" (Ex. 15:7).

Israel spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all worlds! There is none like Thee among the ministering angels, and therefore all their descriptive names (contain part of the word) Elohim ("God"); e.g. Michael || and Gabriel. "Who is like unto thee among the divine creatures, O Lord?" (Ex. 15:11). Pharaoh replied after them with the tongue, saying: "Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders?" (ibid.). "Fearful in praise" is not written here, but "fearful in praises"; for the praises of the ministering angels are on high, and the praises of Israel are (uttered on earth) below. "Fearful in praises, doing wonders" (ibid.), and thus Scripture says, "But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel" (Ps. 22:3).

"Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them" (Ex. 15:12). The Holy One, blessed be He, told the earth to bury the slain. (The earth) said unto Him: Sovereign of all worlds! The waters have killed them, let the waters swallow them. He answered (the earth) saying: On this occasion receive them; on another occasion such that be killed by thee in the future will I cast into the sea, namely, Sisera and all his host, these will I cast into the sea, as it is said, "The river Kishon swept them away, that ancient river" (Judg. 5:21). (The earth) continued, saying to Him: Give me the oath by Thy right hand, that Thou wilt not claim them at my hand.

The Holy One, blessed be He, put forth His right hand, and swore to the earth that He would not claim them, as it is said, "Thou stretchedst out thy right hand, the earth swallowed them" (Ex. 15:12). All the kings of the earth heard of the departure from Egypt, and the dividing of the Reed Sea; they trembled and feared, and fled from their place, as it is said, "The peoples have heard, they tremble" (Ex. 15:14).

Moses spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all worlds! Put Thy dread || and Thy fear upon them, that their heart may be as stone, until Israel has passed through the Jordan, as it is said, "Till thy people pass over

Thou shalt bring them in, and plant them in the mountain of thine inheritance" (Ex. 15:16, 17). Thou shalt bring them in to Thy holy mountain. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Moses! Thou hast not said, "Bring us in and plant us," but (thou hast said), "Thou shalt bring them in and plant them." The One who brings in, He also brings out. By thy life! According to thy words so shall it be. In this world I shall bring them in, and in the world to come I will plant them as a true plant which shall not be plucked up out of their land, as it is said, "And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God" (Amos 9:15); and it (also) says, "The Lord shall reign for ever and ever" (Ex. 15:18).

THE POWER OF REPENTANCE REPENTANCE and good deeds are a shield against punishment. Rabbi Ishmael said: If repentance had not been created, the world would not stand. But since repentance has been created, the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, is stretched forth to receive the penitent every day, and He says, Repent, ye children of men. "Repent, ye children of men" (Ps. 90:8).

Know thou the power of repentance. Come and see from Ahab, king of Israel, for he had robbed, coveted, and murdered, as it is said, "Hast thou killed, and also taken possession?" (1 Kings 21:19). He sent and called for Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, who gave him thrice daily forty stripes, and in fasting and with prayer he rose up early and retired late, before the Holy One, blessed be He, and he did not return any more to his evil deeds.

His repentance was accepted, as it is said, || "Seest thou how Ahab humbleth himself before me? Because he humbleth himself before me, I will not bring the evil in his days" (1 Kings 21:29).

Rabbi Abbahu said: Know thou the power of repentance. Come and see from David, king of Israel. For the Holy One, blessed be He, had sworn to the forefathers that He would multiply their seed like the stars of the heavens. And David came to count their number.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: David! I have sworn to the forefathers that I would multiply their seed as the stars of the heavens. And thou comest to annul My word. For thy sake the flock is given over to destruction; and in three hours there fell seventy thousand men, as it is said, "And there fell of Israel seventy thousand men" (1 Chron. 21:14).

Rabbi Simeon said: Only Abishai, son of Zeruiah, fell amongst the Israelites, for he was equal in his good deeds and his knowledge of the Torah to the seventy thousand men, as it is said, "And there fell of Israel seventy thousand men" (ibid.). "Men" is not written here, only "man." And David heard and rent his garments, and clothed himself in sackcloth and ashes, and he fell upon his face to the ground before the ark of the covenant of God.

He sought (to do) penitence, and spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all worlds! It is I who have sinned; forgive me, I beseech Thee, my sin. His repentance was accepted, and He said to the angel who had destroyed many (Rab) among the people: "Stay thine hand" (1 Chron. 21:15). What is the meaning of || "many" (Rab)? He said to him: Rab (the teacher) has fallen in Israel. What did the angel do? He took his sword and cleaned it with the garment of David. David saw the sword of the angel, and he trembled in all his limbs until his death (as it is said,) "But David could not go before it to inquire of God; for he was afraid because of the sword of the angel of the Lord" (1 Chron. 21:30).

Rabbi Joshua said: Know thou the power of repentance. Come and see from Manasseh, son of Hezekiah, who perpetrated all the evil abominations much more than all the nations. He made his son to pass through the fire to Baal outside Jerusalem, causing (doves) to fly, and sacrificing to all the host of heaven. The princes of the troops of the king of Babylon came, and they caught him by the hair of his head, and brought him down to Babylon, and they put him in a pan (over) a fire, and there he called upon all the other gods to whom he had sacrificed, and not one of them either answered him or saved him.

He said: I will call on the God of my fathers with all my heart; perhaps He will do unto me according to all His wonders which He did unto my father. And he called on the God of his fathers with all his heart, and He was entreated of him, and He heard his supplication, as it is said, "And he prayed unto him; and he was intreated of him, and heard his supplication… then Manasseh knew that the Lord he was God" (2 Chron. 33:18). In that hour Manasseh said: There is both judgment as well as a judge.

Ben 'Azzai said: Know thou the power of repentance. Come and see from (the story of) Rabbi Simeon, son of Laḳish. He with two || of his friends in the mountains, were robbing all who passed them on the way. What did he do?

He forsook his two companions who were plundering on the mountains, and he returned to the God of his fathers with all his heart. Fasting and praying he arose early and retired late, before the Holy One, blessed be He, and he was studying the Torah all (the rest of) his days, and (giving) gifts to the needy. He did not return any more to his evil deeds, and his repentance was accepted. On the day when he died, his two companions, who were plundering on the mountains, also died.

And they gave a portion in the treasury of the living to Rabbi Simeon, son of Laḳish, but his two companions (were put) in the lowest Sheol.

The two companions spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all the universe! There is before Thee respect for certain persons. This one was plundering with us on the mountains, and he is in the treasury of the living, whilst the other men are in the lowest Sheol. He said to them: This one repented in his lifetime, but ye have not repented. They said to Him: Give us the opportunity, and we will repent very sincerely. He said to them: Repentance is only possible until one's death.

A parable—To what is the matter comparable? To a man who wished to take a voyage at sea. If he did not take with him bread and water from an inhabited land, he will not find anything to eat or to drink on the sea. Again, || if a man wish to go to the end of the wilderness, unless he take from some inhabited place bread and water, he will not find anything to eat or to drink in the wilderness. Likewise, if a man did not repent in his lifetime, after his death he cannot repent. But (God) gives to a man according to his ways, as it is said, "I the Lord search the heart, I try the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, according to the fruit of his doings" (Jer. 17:10).

Rabbi Nechunia, son of Haḳḳanah, said: Know thou the power of repentance. Come and see from Pharaoh, king of Egypt, who rebelled most grievously against the Rock, the Most High, as it is said, "Who is the Lord, that I should hearken unto his voice?" (Ex. 5:2). In the same terms of speech in which he sinned, he repented, as it is said "Who is like thee, O Lord, among the mighty?" (Ex. 15:11). The Holy One, blessed be He, delivered him from amongst the dead.

Whence (do we know) that he died? Because it is said, "For now I had put forth my hand, and smitten thee" (Ex. 9:15). He went and ruled in Nineveh. The men of Nineveh were writing fraudulent deeds, and everyone robbed his neighbour, and they committed sodomy, and such-like wicked actions.

When the Holy One, blessed be He, sent for Jonah, to prophesy against (the city) its destruction, Pharaoh hearkened and arose from his throne, rent his garments and clothed himself in sackcloth and ashes, and had a proclamation made to all his people, that all the people should fast for two days, || and all who did these (wicked) things should be burnt by fire. What did they do? The men were on one side, and the women on the other, and their children were by themselves; all the clean animals were on one side, and their offspring were by themselves.

The infants saw the breasts of their mothers, (and they wished) to have suck, and they wept. The mothers saw their children, (and they wished) to give them suck. By the merit of 4123 children more than twelve hundred thousand men (were saved), as it is said, "And should not I have pity on Nineveh, that great city; wherein are more than six score thousand persons that cannot discern between their right hand and their left hand; and also much cattle?" (Jonah 4:11); "And the Lord repented of the evil, which he said he would do unto them" (Jonah 3:10).

For forty years was the Holy One, blessed be He, slow to anger with them, corresponding to the forty days during which He had sent Jonah. After forty years they returned to their many evil deeds, more so than their former ones, and they were swallowed up like the dead, in the lowest Sheol, as it is said, "Out of the city of the dead they groan" (Job 24:12).

The Holy One, blessed be He, sent by the hand of His servants, the prophets, to Israel (saying), "O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God" (Hos. 14:1). (Even) unto Him whose voice ye heard at Mount Sinai, saying, "I, the Lord, am to be thy God" (Ex. 20:2).

"For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity" (Hos. 14:1). "And thy wealth" is not written here, but "For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity." It is not written here, "Take with you silver and gold," || but "Take with you words" (Hos. 14:2). It is not written here, "And we will render silver and gold," but "And we will render as bullocks (the offering of) our lips" (ibid.).

Rabbi Jehudah said: If Israel will not repent they will not be redeemed. Israel only repents because of distress, and because of oppression, and owing to exile, and because they have no sustenance. Israel does not repent quite sincerely until Elijah comes, as it is said, "Behold, I will send you Elijah, the prophet, before the great and terrible day of the Lord come. And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers" (Mal. iv. 5, 6).

Blessed art thou, O Lord, who delightest in repentance.

AMALEK AND ISRAEL RABBI JOCHANAN, son of Nuri, said: (After) all the mighty deeds and wonders which the Holy One, blessed be He, did unto Israel in Egypt, and at the Reed Sea, they repeatedly tempted the Omnipresent ten times, as it is said, "Yet have they tempted me these ten times" (Num. 14:22). Moreover, they slandered the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: He has forsaken us in this wilderness, and His Shekhinah is not in our midst, as it is said, "Is the Lord among us, or not?" (Ex. 17:7).