“This is the offering of Aaron and his sons that they shall present to the Lord on the day he is anointed: One-tenth of an ephah of fine flour as a perpetual meal offering, half of it in the morning, and half of it in the evening” (Leviticus 6:13). “This is the offering of Aaron and of his sons” – Rabbi Levi began: “For God is judge” (Psalms 75:8). A noblewoman asked Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta, she said to him: ‘In how many days did the Holy One blessed be He create His world?’
He said to her: ‘In six days, as it is written: “For in six days the Lord made the heavens…”’ (Exodus 31:17). She said to them: ‘And from that time until now, what has He been sitting and doing?’ He said to her: ‘He is matchmaking; the wife of so-and-so is allotted to so-and-so, the daughter of so-and-so is allotted to so-and-so, the money of so-and-so is allotted to so-and-so.’1The reference is to money that will be allotted as a dowry.
She said to him: ‘Is that all? I too can do so. I have several slaves and I have several maidservants, and I can make matches between them in a short time.’ He said to her: ‘If it appears simple in your eyes, before the Holy One blessed be He it is as difficult as the parting of the Red Sea.’
He left her and went on his way. What did she do? She sent and brought one thousand slaves and one thousand maidservants and stood them in several lines. She said to them: ‘So-and-so man shall marry so-and-so woman, and so-and-so [shall marry] so-and-so.’
She made matches between them in one night. In the morning they came to her. This one’s head was wounded, this one’s eye was gouged, this one’s elbow was shattered, and this one’s leg was broken. This one said: ‘I do not want that one.’
That one said: ‘I do not want this one.’ Immediately she sent and brought Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta. She said to him: ‘Rabbi, your Torah is true; it is fine and praiseworthy. Everything that you said, you said correctly.’
He said to her: ‘Is that not what I said to you: If it appears simple in your eyes, before the Holy One blessed be He it is as difficult as the parting of the Red Sea, as it is stated: “God settles the individuals in a home; He liberates prisoners bound in fetters [bakosharot]” (Psalms 68:7). What is “bakosharot”? It is with weeping [bekhi] and with song [veshirot]. To one who is satisfied, with song; to one who is unsatisfied, with weeping.2One who is happy with his match sings songs of praise, and one who is unhappy weeps.
But the Holy One blessed be He matches them against their will and not to their liking.’3Even when it is not to their liking, God sometimes matches people up and ensures that they remain together (Matnot Kehuna). Rabbi Berekhya said: Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta answered her in these words: ‘The Holy One blessed be He sits and crafts ladders; He elevates this one and humbles that one, as it is stated: “For God is judge; He humbles this one and elevates that one”’ (Psalms 75:8).
Rabbi Yona Botzri interpreted the verse in Israel’s regard: They were humbled with the term “this,” and they were elevated with the term “this.” They were humbled with the term “this”: “For this [man] Moses [who brought us up from the land of Egypt, we do not know what became of him]” (Exodus 32:1).4This was stated by the people immediately before committing the sin of the Golden Calf. They were elevated with the term “this”: “This they shall give, everyone who passes [among the counted: Half a shekel in the sacred shekel]” (Exodus 30:13).5This donation was given by each individual in advance of the construction of the Tabernacle.
The Rabbis interpret the verse in Aaron’s regard. With the term “this” he was humbled: “I cast it into the fire and this calf emerged” (Exodus 32:24). With the term “this” he was elevated: “This is the offering of Aaron and his sons…”