Joshua Blessed Them Twice and a Father's Blessing That Sounds Like a Curse

"And Joshua blessed them and sent them away" (Joshua 22:6). Rabbi Yitzchak, Rabbi Yochanan, and Rabbi Yudan the convert went to hear Torah from Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai. Some say it was the chapter on property, and some say the chapter on vows. They took leave of him, then waited there one more day, saying, "We must take leave of him a second time." One of them expounded and said to them: It is already written, "And Joshua blessed them and sent them away, and they went to their tents" (Joshua 22:6). Why then does Scripture also say, "Moreover, when Joshua sent them away to their tents and blessed them" (Joshua 22:7)? Rather, while Israel was conquering and dividing the Land, the tribes of Reuben and Gad were with them, and they spent fourteen years there conquering and dividing the Land. After fourteen years they took leave of Joshua to go to their tents, lingered there a few more days, returned, and took leave of him a second time. That is why it says "Moreover, when Joshua sent them away." Rabbi Yudan said: The tribes of Reuben and Gad were Joshua's escort, and accompanied him as far as the Jordan; and when they saw that his escort had grown small, they turned back and accompanied him as far as his house. The last blessing was greater than the first. As it is written, "And he spoke to them, saying, Return to your tents with great riches and with very much cattle, with silver and gold" (Joshua 22:8). Another one expounded: "On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they blessed the king" (1 Kings 8:66). Why does Scripture say, "On the twenty-third day of the seventh month he sent the people away" (2 Chronicles 7:10)? Rather, they took leave of him, waited there a few more days, and took leave a second time. The last blessing was greater than the first, as it says, "On the eighth day he sent the people away, and they went to their tents" (1 Kings 8:66), for they found their wives in a state of purity; joyful, for they had benefited from the radiance of the Divine Presence; and glad of heart, for the wife of each one of them conceived a male child; and over all the goodness, a heavenly voice went forth and said to them, "You are all destined for the life of the world to come." Another one expounded: It is already written, "And she went from him" (2 Kings 4:5). Why does Scripture say, "And she came and told the man of God" (2 Kings 4:7)? Rather, the oil rose in price, and she came to ask him whether to sell it or not. The last blessing was greater than the first, as it says, "And you and your sons shall live on the rest" (2 Kings 4:7), until the dead are revived. And when Rabbi Shimon saw that these were settled, civilized men, he sent with them a pair of Torah scholars to learn what they would expound on the road. One of them expounded: It is already written, "And the angel of God who went before the camp of Israel moved and went behind them" (Exodus 14:19). Why does Scripture say, "And the pillar of cloud moved from before them and stood behind them"? Rather, that attribute of strict justice that had been stretched out against Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, turned and stretched out against Egypt. And another expounded: It is already written, "And the rainbow shall be in the cloud, and I will look upon it to remember the everlasting covenant between God" (Genesis 9:16). "Between God" is the attribute of justice above; "and every living creature" is the attribute of justice below. The attribute of justice above is severe, and the one below is mild. And another expounded: One verse says, "All things [chafatzim] cannot be compared to her" (Proverbs 3:15), and another verse says, "And all your desirable things [chafatzecha] cannot be compared to her" (Proverbs 8:11). "All things" [chafatzim]: these are commandments and good deeds. "Your desirable things" [chafatzecha]: these are precious stones and pearls. And some say: A father said to his son, "These men are people of distinguished form; go to them and let them bless you." He went and found them debating verses. It is written, "Weigh carefully the path of your foot" (Proverbs 4:26), and it is written, "Lest you weigh the path of life" (Proverbs 5:6). There is no difficulty: here it speaks of a commandment that can be performed by others; there of a commandment that cannot be performed by others. As they sat again, this matter troubled them: It is written, "And all your desirable things cannot be compared to her" (Proverbs 8:11), implying that matters of Heaven can be compared to her, yet it is written, "All things cannot be compared to her" (Proverbs 3:15). There is no difficulty: here it speaks of a commandment that can be performed by others, and so forth. They said to him, "What do you want here?" He said, "My father told me to come so that you would bless me." They said to him: May it be His will that you sow and not reap, that you bring in and not take out, that you take out and not bring in, that your house be destroyed and your lodging-place be settled, that your table be confused, and that you not see the new year. When he came to his father he said, "Not only did they not bless me, they actually distressed me." He said, "What did they say to you?" He said, "This and this they said to me." He said to him: These are all blessings! "That you sow and not reap": that you beget children and they not die. "That you bring in and not take out": that you bring in a daughter-in-law and your sons not die so that she goes out. "That you take out and not bring in": that you bring out daughters in marriage and their husbands not die so that they return to you. "That your house be destroyed and your lodging-place be settled": for this world is a lodging-place and the world to come is a house. "That your table be confused": with sons and daughters. "That you not see the new year": that your wife not die and you not take another wife.