Issi ben Yehudah says: There are five passages in the Torah whose syntax has no decisive resolution, and these are they: "lifting up" (se'et), "cursed" (arur), "tomorrow" (machar), "shaped like almonds" (meshukadim), and "and he will rise" (ve-kam). "Lifting up": is it "if you do well, lifting up" or "lifting up, if you do not do well"? (Genesis 49:6-7) "And in their self-will they hamstrung an ox; cursed be their anger": does "cursed" attach to the ox or to the anger? "Go out and do battle with Amalek tomorrow," or "tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill"? (the matter at Genesis 25:34) "And on the lampstand, four cups shaped like almonds," or "shaped like almonds, its knobs and its flowers"? (Deuteronomy 31:16) "Behold, you are about to lie with your fathers, and he will rise," or "and this people will rise and go astray"? Rabbi Tanchuma adds one more: "And the sons of Jacob came in from the field when they heard," or "when they heard, and the men were grieved." The Rabbis taught: (Deuteronomy 11:18) "And you shall set [ve-samtem] these words of Mine" [read as sam tam, a perfect remedy]. Why is the Torah compared to a drug of life? A parable of a man who struck his son a great blow and laid a bandage upon his wound and said to him: My son, as long as this bandage is on your wound, eat what pleases you and drink what pleases you and bathe in hot water or cold, and you need not fear; but if you remove it, the wound will fester. So said the Holy One, blessed be He, to Israel: My children, I created the evil inclination, and I created the Torah as its seasoning. If you occupy yourselves with the Torah, you will not be handed over to it, as it is said, "Is it not so that if you do well there is lifting up?" And if you do not occupy yourselves with the Torah, you are handed over to it, as it is said, "Sin crouches at the door." And not only that, but all its dealings are about you, and its desire is toward you; yet if you wish, you may rule over it, as it is said, "And you shall rule over it." Rabbi Meir says: Any condition that is not framed like the condition of the sons of Gad and the sons of Reuben is no condition, as it is said, (Numbers 32:29-30) "And Moses said to them, if they cross over... and if they do not cross over..." Rabbi Hanina ben Gamliel says: The matter still needed to be stated, for otherwise it could be understood that they would not inherit even in the land of Canaan. According to Rabbi Meir this fits what is written, "Is it not so that if you do well there is lifting up, and if you do not do well, sin crouches at the door." But according to Rabbi Hanina, why is it needed? You might have supposed there would be neither reward nor suffering; therefore it teaches us otherwise.
Five Verses Without Resolution and the Torah as Antidote
Yalkut Shimoni on Torah 37:1
אִסִּי בֶּן יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר, חֲמִשָּׁה מִקְרָאוֹת בַּתּוֹרָה שֶׁאֵין לָהֶן הֶכְרַע, וְאֵלּוּ הֵן, שְׂאֵת, אָרוּר, מָחָר, מְשֻׁקָּדִים, וְקָם. שְׂאֵת, "אִם תֵּיטִיב שְׂאֵת", אוֹ "שְׂאֵת אִם לֹא תֵּיטִיב" (בראשית מט, ו ז) "וּבִרְצֹנָם עִקְּרוּ שׁוֹר אָרוּר אַפָּם" "וְצֵא הִלָּחֵם בַּעֲמָלֵק מָחָר", אוֹ "מָחָר אָנֹכִי נִצָּב עַל רֹאשׁ הַגִּבְעָה". (שם כה, לד) "וּבַמְּנֹרָה אַרְבָּעָה גְבִעִים מְשֻׁקָּדִים", אוֹ "מְשֻׁקָּדִים כַּפְתֹּרֶיהָ וּפְרָחֶיהָ". (דברים לא, טז) "הִנְּךָ שֹׁכֵב עִם אֲבֹתֶיךָ וְקָם" אוֹ "וְקָם הָעָם הַזֶּה וְזָנָה". רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא מוֹסִיף עוֹד חַד, "וּבְנֵי יַעֲקֹב בָּאוּ מִן הַשָּׂדֶה כְּשָׁמְעָם" אוֹ "כְּשָׁמְעָם וַיִּתְעַצְּבוּ הָאֲנָשִׁים". תָּנוּ רַבָּנָן (דברים יא, יח) "וְשַׂמְתֶּם סַם תָּם לָמָה נִמְשְׁלָה תּוֹרָה לְסַם חַיִּים. מָשָׁל לְאָדָם שֶׁמַכֶּה אֶת בְּנוֹ מַכָּה גְּדוֹלָה וְהִנִּיחַ לוֹ רְטִיָּה עַל מַכָּתוֹ וְאָמַר לוֹ, בְּנִי, כָּל זְמַן שֶׁרְטִיָּה זוֹ עַל מַכָּתְךָ אֱכֹל מַה שֶׁהֲנָאָתְךָ וּשְׁתֵה מַה שֶׁהֲנָאָתְךָ וּרְחַץ בֵּין בְּחַמִּין בֵּין בְּצוֹנֵן, וְאִי אַתָּה מִתְיָרֵא, וְאִם אַתָּה מַעֲבִירָהּ הֲרֵי הִיא מַעֲלָה נוּמִי כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּנַי, בָּרָאתִי יֵצֶר הָרָע בָּרָאתִי לוֹ תּוֹרָה תַּבְלִין, אִם אַתֶּם עוֹסְקִין בַּתּוֹרָה אִי אַתֶּם נִמְסָרִין בְּיָדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר הֲלֹא אִם תֵּיטִיב שְׂאֵת, וְאִם אֵין אַתֶּם עוֹסְקִין בַּתּוֹרָה אַתֶּם נִמְסָרִין בְּיָדוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רֹבֵץ. וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא שֶׁכָּל מַשָּׂאוֹ וּמַתָּנוֹ בְּךָ וְאֵלֶיךָ תְּשׁוּקָתוֹ, וְאִם אַתָּה רוֹצֶה אַתָּה מוֹשֵׁל בּוֹ שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר וְאַתָּה תִּמְשָׁל בּוֹ. רַבִּי מֵאִיר אוֹמֵר, כָּל תְּנַאי שֶׁאֵינוֹ כִּתְנַאי בְּנֵי גָּד וּבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן אֵינוֹ תְּנַאי, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (במדבר לב, כט ל) "וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה אֲלֵיהֶם אִם יַעַבְרוּ וְגוֹ' וְאִם לֹא יַעַבְרוּ" וְגוֹ' רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל אוֹמֵר, צָרִיךְ הָיָה הַדָּבָר לְאָמְרוֹ שֶׁאִלְמָלֵא כֵן יֵשׁ בְּמַשְׁמָע שֶׁאַף בְּאֶרֶץ כְּנַעַן לֹא יִנְחֲלוּ בִּשְׁלָמָא לְרַבִּי מֵאִיר הַיְנוּ דִּכְתִיב הֲלוֹא אִם תֵּיטִיב שְׂאֵת וְאִם לֹא תֵּיטִיב לַפֶּתַח חַטָּאת רֹבֵץ אֶלָּא לְרַבִּי חֲנִינָא לָמָּה לִי. סַלְקָא דַּעְתָּךְ אֲמִינָא וְכוּ' לֹא אַגְרָא וְלֹא צַעֲרָא, קָא מַשְׁמַע לָן.