After the Death of the Righteous the World Slips Backward

Rabbi Simon said: Wherever it is said "And it came to pass after," the world reverted backward. "And it came to pass after the death of Abraham" (Genesis 25:11) - immediately, "all the wells which" Abraham's servants had dug, the Philistines stopped up (Genesis 26:18). "And it came to pass after the death of Moses" (Joshua 1:1) - immediately the well, the manna, and the clouds of glory ceased. "And it came to pass after the death of Joshua" (Judges 1:1) - immediately the borders of the land were provoked against them. "And it came to pass after the death of Saul" (II Samuel 1:1) - immediately "the Philistines fought against Israel" (I Samuel 31:1). The colleagues raised an objection to Rabbi Simon: "And after the death of Jehoiada the officers of Judah came and bowed down to the king" (II Chronicles 24:17). Rabbi Tanchum said: Rabbi Simon only came to speak of "And it came to pass after." Rabbi Yudan said: Were it not that the Holy One, blessed be He, set up others in their place, the world would already have reverted backward. As it is written, "And it came to pass after the death of Abraham," and it is written, "And Isaac returned and dug the wells of water" (Genesis 26:18). It is written, "And it came to pass after the death of Moses," and it is written, "And the LORD said to Joshua" (Joshua 1:1). It is written, "And it came to pass after the death of Joshua," and it is written, "And the LORD said, Judah shall go up" (Judges 1:1-2). It is written, "After the death of Saul," and it is written, "And David returned from the slaughter of Amalek" (II Samuel 1:1). "And these are the generations of Ishmael" (Genesis 25:12). Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba and the Rabbis were sitting and raising the difficulty: Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, see fit to record the descendants of the wicked one here? Rabbi Levi passed by. They said: Here comes the master of the teaching; let us ask him. Rabbi Levi came and said in the name of Rabbi Chama bar Chanina: To inform you at what age your ancestor was blessed. And Rabbi Chiyya bar Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: Why were the years of Ishmael counted? In order to reckon by them the years of Jacob. As it is written, "And these are the days of the years of the life of Ishmael" and so on (Genesis 25:17), and it is written, "And Abraham was eighty-six years old, and Ishmael his son was thirteen years old." By the time Isaac was born, Ishmael was fourteen, and it is written, "And Isaac was sixty years old when they were born" (Genesis 25:26), so Ishmael was seventy-four. How many years remained of his life? Sixty-three. And in the very period that Jacob was blessed, Ishmael died. As it is written, "And Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalat the daughter of Ishmael" (Genesis 28:9). From the fact that it says "daughter of Ishmael," do I not know that she is the sister of Nevayot? Rather, it teaches that Ishmael betrothed her and died, and Nevayot her brother gave her in marriage. Sixty-three and fourteen until Joseph was born makes seventy-seven, and it is written, "And Joseph was thirty years old" (Genesis 41:46), making one hundred and seven; seven of plenty and two of famine make one hundred and sixteen. And Jacob said to Pharaoh, "The days of the years of my sojournings are a hundred and thirty years" (Genesis 47:9). And fourteen years in the house of Eber after his descent to Aram - so Jacob was seventy-seven years old when he stood at the well. Just as Jacob was separated from Isaac twenty-two years, so Joseph was separated from Jacob twenty-two years. But Jacob was separated thirty-six years! Rather, the fourteen years that he served in the house of Eber he was not punished for, to teach you that the study of Torah is greater than the honoring of father and mother. "And these are the years of the life of Ishmael" - what did Scripture see fit to record the years of Ishmael here for? Only because he came from the edge of the wilderness to perform an act of kindness for his father. "And they dwelt from Havilah unto Shur" and so on (Genesis 25:18). Here you say "he fell" [the verse reads "he fell"], yet earlier (Genesis 16:12) you say "he shall dwell." Rather, all the days that Abraham our father was alive, "he shall dwell"; once Abraham our father died, "he fell." Before he stretched out his hand against the Temple, "he shall dwell"; once he stretched out his hand against the Temple, "he fell." In this world, "he shall dwell," but in the world to come, "he fell."