Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

From where does this thing that people say derive: "sixty pangs reach the teeth of one who hears his fellow eat and does not eat"? As it is said, "but me, even me your servant, and Zadok the priest" and so forth (1 Kings 1:26). He said to him: you say it from there, and I say it from here, "And Isaac brought her into the tent" (Genesis 24:67), and it is written after it, "And Abraham took another wife." Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish in the name of Bar Kappara: the addition of the Holy One, blessed be He, is greater than the original. Cain was the original, and Abel, because he was an addition, was born together with his two twin sisters. Joseph was the original, and Benjamin, because he was an addition, produced ten sons, as it is said, "and the sons of Benjamin: Bela" and so forth (Genesis 46:21). Er was the original, and Shelah, because he was an addition, produced ten houses of judgment, as it is said, "the sons of Shelah son of Judah: Er the father of Lekhah, and Ladah the father of Mareshah" and so forth (1 Chronicles 4:21). The original years of Job were only two hundred and ten, and one hundred and forty years were added to him, as it is said, "And Job lived after this a hundred and forty years" (Job 42:16). The original days of Hezekiah's reign were only fourteen years, and fifteen years were added to him, as it is said, "Behold, I will add to your days fifteen years" (Isaiah 38:5). Ishmael was the original, and the children of Keturah, because they were an addition, "And she bore him Zimran" and so forth. Since the prophets saw that the addition of the Holy One, blessed be He, is greater than the original, they arose and blessed Israel with an addition: "May the LORD add to you, as you are, a thousand times more" (Deuteronomy 1:11); "May the LORD add to you, you and your children" (Psalms 115:14). And even in the time to come it is written, "The LORD will set His hand again a second time to recover the remnant of His people" (Isaiah 11:11). "Zimran" (Genesis 25:2): that they made music in the world; "Yokshan": that they grew hard in the world. And the rabbis say: "Zimran," that they played music on the drum for idolatry, and "Yokshan," that they struck the drum for idolatry. "And Yokshan begot Sheba and Dedan" (Genesis 25:3): even though they are rendered as merchants and traders and heads of peoples, they are all heads of peoples.

"And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac" (Genesis 25:5). Rabbi Yehudah says: the birthright. Rabbi Nehemyah says: the blessing. The rabbis say: burial and a will. Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Chama bar Chanina: he did not bless him, but gave him gifts. A parable of a king who had an orchard and handed it over to a tenant. In it were two trees intertwined with one another: one of a drug of life and one of a drug of death. The tenant said: if I water this one of the drug of life, this one of the drug of death lives along with it; and if I do not water this one of the drug of death, how shall this one of the drug of life live? He reconsidered and said: I am a tenant; whatever pleases the master of the orchard to do, let him do. So said Abraham: if I bless Isaac my son now, Ishmael and the children of Keturah are included; and if I do not bless Ishmael and the children of Keturah, how shall I bless Isaac? He reconsidered and said: I am a tenant; rather, what the Holy One, blessed be He, does in His world, let Him do. Once our father Abraham died, the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to Isaac his son and blessed him, as it is written, "And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son" (Genesis 25:11).

"And to the sons of the concubines that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts" (Genesis 25:6). In the days of Alexander of Macedon, the children of Ishmael came to contend with Israel over the birthright, and two wicked families came with them, the Canaanites and the Egyptians. They said: who will go and plead against them? Geviah ben Kosem said: I will go and plead against them. They said to him: be careful that you do not forfeit the Land of Israel. He said: I will go and plead against them. If I win, well and good; and if not, you will say, what is this lowly one who testified concerning us? He went and pleaded against them. Alexander of Macedon said to him: who is claiming against whom? The children of Ishmael said: we claim against them, and we come against them from their own Torah. It is written, "for he shall acknowledge the firstborn, the son of the hated, by giving him a double portion" (Deuteronomy 21:17), and Ishmael by law should take a double portion. Geviah ben Kosem said to him: my lord the king, does a man not do as he wishes among his sons? He said to him: yes. He said to him: but it is written, "And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac." He said to him: and where did he give to the children of Keturah? He said to him: "And to the sons of the concubines that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts." And they withdrew from there shamefaced. The Canaanites said: we come against them from their own Torah. Everywhere it is written "the land of Canaan"; let them give us our land. He said to him: my lord the king, does a man not do as he wishes with his slave? He said to him: yes. He said to him: but it is written, "And he said, Cursed be Canaan; a servant of servants shall he be to his brothers" (Genesis 9:25). Behold, the land is ours, and they are slaves to my lord the king. And they withdrew shamefaced. The Egyptians said: we come against them from their own Torah. Six hundred thousand went out from our land laden with vessels of silver and vessels of gold, as it is written, "and they despoiled Egypt" (Exodus 12:36); let them give us back our silver and our gold. Geviah ben Kosem said to them: my lord the king, six hundred thousand did labor among them for two hundred and ten years, some of them silversmiths, some of them goldsmiths; let them give us a dinar a day each. The philosophers sat and reckoned, and they had not reached a hundred years before the land of Egypt was found forfeit, and they withdrew from there shamefaced. He sought to go up to Jerusalem. These Cutheans went and said to him: beware, for they will not let you enter their Holy of Holies. When Geviah ben Kosem sensed this, he went and made two slippers and set in them two precious stones worth two myriads of silver. When he reached the Temple Mount he said to him: my lord the king, remove your shoes and put on these two slippers, for the floor is smooth, lest your feet slip. When he reached the Holy of Holies he said to him: this far we have permission to enter; from here on we have no permission to enter. He said to him: when I come out I will straighten your hump. He said to him: if you do so, you will be called an expert physician and take a great fee.

The rabbis taught: on the twenty-fifth of Nisan the tax assessors were removed from Judah and from Jerusalem, when the children of Africa came to plead against Israel, and so forth. Geviah ben Pesisa said to the sages: give me permission, and I will plead against them. If they defeat me, say to them, you have defeated a commoner among us. They gave him permission, and so forth, until: a slave who acquired property, the slave belongs to whom, the property belongs to whom? And not only that, but how many years that you did not serve us! He said to them: return him an answer. They said: give us time. He gave them three days' time; they searched and found no answer. Immediately they abandoned their fields while still sown and their vineyards while still planted and fled, and that year was a sabbatical year. Up to "And Abraham gave all" and so forth. "And to the sons of the concubines that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts." A father who wrote a deed for his sons during his lifetime and sent one away from the other, does the one have any claim upon the other? What were the "gifts"? Rabbi Yirmeyah said: that he handed them a name of impurity, and so forth. "And he sent them away from Isaac his son" (Genesis 25:6): he said to them, as far as you are able to remove yourselves, remove yourselves, so that you not be scorched by the coal of Isaac. But Esau, because he came and joined himself to Jacob, took what was his from beneath his hand, as it is written, "Is this your joyous city? Who has counseled this against Tyre the crowning city?" and so forth (Isaiah 23:7-8). "And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life" (Genesis 25:7): "The LORD knows the days of the wholehearted" (Psalms 37:18), this is Abraham; "and their inheritance shall be forever," "And these are the days of the years of Abraham's life."

"And Abraham expired and died" (Genesis 25:8). Rav Chanan bar Rava said in the name of Rav: on that day when our father Abraham departed from the world, all the great ones of the nations of the world stood in a row and said: woe to the world that has lost its leader, and woe to the ship that has lost its captain.

Rabbi Yehudah bar Ilai said: the early pious ones used to die of a bowel illness over ten or twenty days, to teach that the illness scours clean. Rabbi Yehudah says: anyone of whom "expiring" is said died of a bowel illness. Three of whom "in a good old age" is said: Abraham, David, and Gideon.

What is the difference between the death of the young and the death of the old? Rabbi Yehudah and Rabbi Abahu disagreed. Rabbi Yehudah said: This lamp, when it goes out by itself, that is good for it and good for the wick; but as long as it does not go out by itself, that is bad for it and bad for the wick. Rabbi Abahu said: This fig, when it is gathered in its season, that is good for it and good for the fig; when it is gathered out of its season, that is bad for it and bad for the fig. Rabbi Chiyya the Great and his students - and some say Rabbi Akiva and his students, and some say Rabbi Yose ben Chalafta and his students - were accustomed to rise early, sit, and study beneath a certain fig tree. The owner of the fig tree would rise early and pick its fruit. They said: Perhaps he suspects us [of taking the figs]. What did they do? They changed their place. He went to them and said: My masters, the one good deed by which you used to gain merit for me, sitting and studying beneath my fig tree, you have abandoned it. They said to him: We said, perhaps you suspect us. He reassured them and they returned to their place. What did he do? He rose early in the morning and did not pick them, and the sun shone upon them, and they became wormy. They said: The owner of the house knows when it is the fig's season to be picked, and he picks them. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, knows when it is the season of the righteous, and He gathers them. This is what is written, "My beloved has gone down to his garden" (Song of Songs 6:2). "Old and full" (Genesis 25:8). This is what is written, "Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the last day" (Proverbs 31:25). All the giving of the reward of the righteous is prepared for the world to come. And the Holy One, blessed be He, shows them while they are still in this world the reward He is destined to give them in the world to come, and their soul is satisfied and they sleep. This is comparable to a king who made a feast for guests, and he showed them what they would eat and drink, and their soul was satisfied and they fell asleep. So too the Holy One, blessed be He, shows the righteous while they are still in this world the reward He is destined to give them in the future, and their soul is satisfied and they sleep. What is the reason? "For now I would have lain down and been quiet; I would have slept; then I would have been at rest" (Job 3:13). When Rabbi Abahu was dying, he saw thirteen rivers of balsam. He said to them, "Whose are these?" They said to him, "Yours." He said, "These are for Abahu? 'And I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for nothing and emptiness; yet surely my judgment is with the LORD, and my recompense with my God'" (Isaiah 49:4). Zavdi ben Levi, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabbi Yose ben Patra - the three of them recited these verses as they were dying. One of them said, "For this let every godly one pray to You" and so on (Psalms 32:6). One of them said, "You prepare a table before me; You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows" (Psalms 23:5), and "Let all who take refuge in You rejoice" and so on (Psalms 5:12). And the other said, "For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand" (Psalms 84:11). The Rabbis said, "How abundant is Your goodness, which You have stored away" (Psalms 31:20). Thus, at the time of the departure of the righteous from the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, shows them the reward prepared for them. And when? Close to their death, as it is written, "Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His devoted ones" (Psalms 116:15). This is the meaning of "and she laughs at the last day" (Proverbs 31:25).

"And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him" (Genesis 25:9). The son of the maidservant gave honor to the son of the mistress. Anyone of whom "expiring" and "being gathered" are said - this refers only to the death of the righteous. But behold, of Ishmael "expiring" and "being gathered" are written (Genesis 25:17)! Ishmael repented. As it is written, "And Isaac and Ishmael his sons buried him." Now since Ishmael was the elder, what is the reason that Isaac is reckoned before him? Learn from this that he repented and put Isaac ahead of himself. But perhaps Scripture lists them in order of wisdom? If so, then where it is written, "And Esau and Jacob his sons buried him" (Genesis 35:29), there too it lists them in order of wisdom? Rather, from the fact that it placed the other one first and led him ahead, learn from this that he repented.

... Said the Holy One [to Avram]: Up until now you have not been whole beforeme, but circumcise the flesh of your foreskin ‘and be whole/tamim’ [Gn 17:1]. The field that Abraham bought from the children of Chet etc --- R Tanchuma said: from the burial of Sarah to the burial of Abraham was 38 years...... it comes to teach you that all who gave kindness with Sarah merited to give kindness with Abraham. R Shmuel bar Nachman said Shem and Ever were proceeding before [Abraham's] deathbed and the saw which place to direct Abraham our father and they buried him in his [specific] compartment. And it was after death of Abraham, Elokim blessed Isaac.

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."

"And these are the generations of Isaac son of Abraham" (Genesis 25:19). It is written, "The father of a righteous one will greatly rejoice, and he who begets a wise son will be glad in him" (Proverbs 23:24). There is rejoicing when one is a righteous son of a righteous father. "And it came to pass in the days of Ahaz" and so on. The ministering angels said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, woe that Ahaz reigns! He said to them: He is the son of Yotam, and his father was righteous; I cannot stretch out My hand against him. "And he who begets a wise son will be glad in him." From where do you say that anyone who has a son who toils in Torah is filled with compassion for him? Scripture teaches, "and he who begets a wise son will be glad in him." I know this only of a father who is flesh and blood; from where that even the Holy One, blessed be He, is filled with compassion for him? Scripture teaches, "My son, if your heart is wise, my own heart will be glad" (Proverbs 23:15). "The crown of the elders is grandchildren" (Proverbs 17:6). The fathers are a crown to the children and the children a crown to the fathers. The fathers are a crown to the children, as it is said, "and the glory of children is their fathers." And the children are a crown to the fathers, as it is said, "the crown of the elders is grandchildren." They said: Abraham was saved from the fiery furnace only by the merit of Jacob our father. This is like one who had a case before the ruler, and his sentence came out from before the ruler to be burned, but that ruler foresaw by his astrology that he was destined to beget a daughter who would marry the king. He said: He is worthy to be saved by the merit of his daughter. So too the sentence of Abraham our father came out to be burned before Nimrod; the Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that Jacob was destined to come from him, and said: He is worthy to be saved by the merit of Jacob. This is what is written, "Therefore thus says the LORD to the house of Jacob, who redeemed Abraham" (Isaiah 29:22). Abram is called Abraham, as it is said, "Abram, he is Abraham" (I Chronicles 1:27). Isaac is called Abraham, as it is written, "And these are the generations of Isaac son of Abraham; Abraham." Jacob is called Israel, as it is written, "Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel" (Genesis 35:10). Isaac is called Israel, as it is written, "And these are the names of the children of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob" (Genesis 46:8). Abraham is called Israel - this is a deep matter - "And the sojourning of the children of Israel who dwelt in Egypt and in the land of Canaan and in the land of Goshen was four hundred and thirty years" (Exodus 12:40). Isaac resembled Abraham (as written in the verse, "who would have said to Abraham").

There are sons who were disgraced through their fathers. This is Josiah, who was disgraced through Amon, as it is said, "For he, Amon, multiplied guilt" (II Chronicles 33:23). Hezekiah was disgraced through Ahaz, as it is said, "bind up the testimony" (Isaiah 8:16). And there are fathers who were disgraced through their sons. Eli was disgraced through his sons, as it is said, "And the sons of Eli were sons of Belial" (I Samuel 2:12). Samuel was disgraced through his sons, as it is said, "And his sons did not walk in his ways" (I Samuel 8:3). But Abraham was made great through Isaac, and Isaac was made great through him. As it is said, "And the two of them walked together" (Genesis 22:6), and it is written, "Abraham begot Isaac" (Genesis 25:19). Now did he beget only Isaac? Rather, that he was made great through him.

"And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah" (Genesis 25:20). Isaac our father was thirty-seven years old when he was bound upon the altar. In that same period Sarah died, and in that same period Rebekah was born. It is found that Rebekah was married to Isaac when she was three years old. [Reckoning: Isaac was born when Sarah was ninety; she died at one hundred and twenty-seven, so Isaac was thirty-seven at the binding, when she died and Rebekah was born. Isaac married at forty, three years later, so Rebekah was three.]

There are six pairs whose years were equal: Rebekah and Kehat; Levi and Amram; Joseph and Joshua; Samuel and Solomon; Hillel the Elder and Rabban Yochanan ben Zakkai; Moses our teacher and Rabbi Akiva.

"The daughter of Bethuel the Aramean" (Genesis 25:20). If it already taught that she was from Paddan-Aram, what does Scripture teach by saying "the sister of Laban the Aramean"? Rather, it comes to teach you: her father was a deceiver, her brother was a deceiver, and the people of her place were deceivers - and this righteous woman who came out from among them, to what is she comparable? To a lily among thorns. It is written, "And Isaac sent Jacob, and he went to Paddan-Aram to Laban" and so on (Genesis 28:5), teaching that all of them were included in deceit. "And Isaac entreated the LORD" (Genesis 25:21). Rabbi Yochanan said: He poured out prayers abundantly [reading the word for "entreat" as related to abundance]. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: He overturned the decree [reading it as related to "pitchfork"], and for this reason they call a pitchfork that turns over the grain by a name from this root. "Opposite his wife." This teaches that Isaac was prostrate here and she was prostrate there. He said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, may all the children You are destined to give me be from this righteous woman. And she said likewise. "For she was barren" - she had no womb-base at all, and the Holy One, blessed be He, fashioned for her a womb-base. "And the LORD let Himself be entreated by him" (Genesis 25:21). This is like a king's son who was boring through to his father to receive a litra of gold; the son bores from outside and the father bores from within.

Rabbi Elazar said: Why is the prayer of the righteous likened to a pitchfork (the word for Isaac's entreaty, va-ye'etar, evokes eter, a pitchfork)? To tell you: just as this pitchfork turns over the grain on the threshing floor from one place to another, so too the prayer of the righteous turns over the disposition of the Holy One, blessed be He, from the attribute of anger to the attribute of mercy.

Rabbi Yitzchak said: Isaac our father was sterile, as it is said, "And Isaac entreated the LORD opposite his wife" (Genesis 25:21). It does not say "on behalf of his wife" but "opposite his wife," teaching that both of them were barren. If so, why does it say "and the LORD was entreated of him" rather than "the LORD was entreated of them"? Because the prayer of a righteous one who is the son of a righteous one is not comparable to the prayer of a righteous one who is the son of a wicked one. Rabbi Yitzchak said: Why were our patriarchs barren? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, longs for the prayer of the righteous. Why is their prayer likened to a pitchfork? As above. Rabbi Yehudah says: For twenty years Rebecca was barren. After twenty years he took Rebecca and went to Mount Moriah, to the place where he had been bound, and prayed there over the conception of the womb, and the Holy One, blessed be He, was entreated of him, as it is said, "and the LORD was entreated of him" (Genesis 25:21).

"And the children struggled together within her" (Genesis 25:22-23). Rabbi Yochanan said: this one ran to kill that one, and that one ran to kill this one. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: this one would loosen the commands of that one, and that one would loosen the commands of this one. Rabbi Levi said: do not say that only once he came out of his mother's belly did the adversary attach himself to him; rather, while still in his mother's belly his fist was already stretched out against him. This is what is written, "The wicked are estranged from the womb" (Psalms 58:4 [58:3]).

Another interpretation of "and the children struggled": when she passed by houses of idol worship, Esau would thrash to come out, "the wicked are estranged from the womb, going astray from birth" (Psalms 58:4 [58:3]); when she passed by synagogues and houses of study, Jacob would thrash to come out, as it is written, "Before I formed you in the belly I knew you" (Jeremiah 1:5). "And she said, If it be so, why am I thus?" (Genesis 25:22) teaches that Rebecca our mother went around to the doors of the women, saying: did this anguish ever come upon you? If this is the anguish of children, would that I had not conceived. "If so, I am destined to raise up twelve tribes; would that I had not conceived" for Rebecca was fit to raise up twelve tribes. This is what is written: "And the LORD said to her, Two nations are in your womb" (Genesis 25:23) that is two; "and two peoples shall be separated from your bowels," that is four; "and one people shall be stronger than the other people," that is six; "and the elder shall serve the younger," that is eight; "and her days were fulfilled to be delivered, and behold, there were twins in her womb," that is ten; "and the first came out ruddy," that is eleven; "and after that came his brother," that is twelve. And there are those who derive it from this verse: "this" (zeh) in numerical value equals twelve. "And she went to inquire of the LORD" (Genesis 25:22) and were there synagogues and houses of study in those days? Rather, she went only to the house of study of Shem and Eber, to teach you that whoever receives the face of an elder is as though he receives the face of the Divine Presence.

"And the children struggled within her" they were contending over this world and the world to come. At that moment Samael wished to kill Jacob in his mother's belly, but Michael stood against him. At that hour Michael rose and wished to burn Samael, until the Holy One, blessed be He, seated courts of judgment between them. "And the LORD said to her" through Shem son of Noah (as it is written in the verse, "and Sarah denied").

"Two nations (goyim) are in your womb" two proud ones (ge'im) are in your womb: Hadrian among the nations and Solomon among Israel. "Two nations are in your womb" He said to her: you are like a field whose seed succeeded and whose storehouses filled with grain while the stalls filled with chaff. Blessed be the field that filled its storehouses with grain and its stalls with chaff. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Rebecca: let there be peace in this belly, for it is destined to fill the Garden of Eden with the righteous and Gehinnom with the wicked. "Two nations" two who are hated by nations: all the nations hate Israel and all the nations hate Esau. "And two peoples shall be separated from your bowels" from here that he was born circumcised. "And one people shall be stronger than the other people" until here one reads Savteka and Raamah; from here onward let the Jew and the Aramean arise. "And the elder shall serve the younger" if the younger merits, the elder will serve; and if not, he will not serve.

"Two nations are in your womb" Rav Yehudah said in the name of Rav: do not read "nations" (goyim) but "proud ones" (ge'im) this refers to Antoninus and Rabbi, from whose table neither radish nor lettuce nor cucumbers were ever absent, neither in the days of summer nor in the days of the rains. For the Master said: a radish cuts up the food, lettuce turns the food over, and a cucumber widens the intestines. But did the school of Rabbi Yishmael teach: why is it called a cucumber (kishut)? Because it is as hard (kasheh) for the whole body of a person as swords (charavot)? That is no difficulty: this case refers to large ones, that case to small ones.

"And one people shall be stronger than the other people" (Genesis 25:23). Rabbi Nachman said: at first they would bring wine-libations from Judah, for their wine would not turn sour until they put barley into it, and they would call it simply "vinegar." Now the wine of Edom does not turn sour until they put barley into it, and they call it "Edomite vinegar," to fulfill what is said, "I shall be filled, now that she is laid waste" (Ezekiel 26:2) if this one is filled, that one is laid waste. Rav Nachman bar Yitzchak said: it is derived from here "and one people shall be stronger than the other people."

Caesarea and Jerusalem: if a person says to you that both are destroyed, or that both are settled, do not believe him; but if he says Caesarea is destroyed and Jerusalem is settled, believe him, as it is said, "I shall be filled now that she is laid waste" (Ezekiel 26:2), and it is written, "and one people shall be stronger than the other people" (Genesis 25:23) [when one rises, the other falls]. "And her days to give birth were fulfilled" (Genesis 25:24): here it is written defectively [va-yimleu, without the letter for completeness], and there, regarding Tamar, in full, "and behold, there were twins [teomim] in her womb" (Genesis 38:27) is written full, because both Perez and Zerah were wholly righteous; but here Esau and Jacob, one righteous and one wicked. "And the first came out red" (Genesis 25:25). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: In the merit of "first" I will reveal Myself to you first, and punish the first for you, and build the first for you, and bring the first for you. In the merit of "and you shall take for yourselves on the first day" (Leviticus 23:40), I will reveal Myself to you first, "I am the first and I am the last" (Isaiah 44:6). And I will punish the first for you, "and the first came out red" [Esau-Edom]. And I will build the first for you, this is the Temple, as it is said, "a throne of glory on high from the first" (Jeremiah 17:12). And I will bring the first for you, this is the King Messiah, as it is said, "the first to Zion, behold, here they are" (Isaiah 41:27).

Another explanation: why did Esau come out first? So that he would come out full of blood and his filth would come out with him, like a bath attendant who scours the bathhouse and afterward washes the king's son; so why did he come out first? So that he and his filth would come out together. A noblewoman asked Rabbi Yose ben Halafta: why did Esau come out first? He said to her: the first drop was Jacob's. A parable: if you place two pearls in a single tube, does not the one you put in first come out last? So the first drop was Jacob's. "Red" [admoni], as if one who sheds blood. When Samuel saw David ruddy, as it is written, "and he sent and brought him, and he was ruddy" (1 Samuel 16:12), he was immediately afraid, saying: this one too sheds blood like Esau. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "with beautiful eyes" (1 Samuel 16:12): Esau kills by his own judgment, but this one kills by the judgment of the Sanhedrin. Diocletian the king was tending swine in this region of Tiberias, and whenever he reached Rabbi's school, the schoolchildren would come out and strike him. After some days he became king and settled in Paneas, and sent letters to Tiberias on the eve of Sabbath, at dusk, saying: I command that the leaders of the Jews stand before me on the morning of the first day of the week. He charged the messenger and said: do not give the letters to them until just before sunset on the eve of Sabbath [so they could not travel]. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman went down to bathe and saw Rabbi standing before the great academy with his face troubled. He said to him: why is your face troubled? He said: such and such was sent to me from the kingdom. He said to him: come and bathe, for your Creator will work a miracle for you. As they entered to bathe, a certain spirit [Argentin] came laughing and dancing before them. Rabbi wished to rebuke it, but Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said to him: leave it, for sometimes it appears for miracles. It said to them: eat and drink, for your God will work a miracle for you, and I will present you before him on the morning of the first day, at the close of Sabbath. At the close of Sabbath, after the lesson, it took them and stood them before the gates of Paneas. They entered and said: behold, we stand before the gates. He said: lock the gates. It took them and stood them on the city wall. They entered and told him. He said: I command that they soak three days in the baths, then come up and bathe and come to me. They went and soaked three days in the baths, and Argentin entered and mixed wine before them, and they bathed and came to him. He said to them: because your God works miracles for you, you make light of the king? They said to him: we made light of Diocletian the swineherd, but to Diocletian the king we are subject. He said to them: even so, do not despise even a small Roman or even a small soldier. "All of him like a hairy mantle" (Genesis 25:25): all of him fit for the mantle. "All of him like a hairy mantle," "then was the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold broken together" (Daniel 2:35), and they became like the chaff of the summer threshing floors. What caused them to become summer chaff? Because they stretched out their hands against the mighty ones [of Israel]. "And they called his name Esau" (Genesis 25:25): here is the worthless thing [shav] that I created in My world. Rabbi Yitzhak said: you have given a name to your swine, so I too will call My firstborn son a name, "thus says the LORD: My firstborn son is Israel" (Exodus 4:22).

"And the first came out red" (Genesis 25:25): for while he was still in his mother's womb, he drank the blood of her menstruation [the source of his bloody, ruddy nature].

"And afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasping Esau's heel" (Genesis 25:26). A certain prefect asked Rabban Gamliel, saying to him: who will seize the kingdom after us? He brought a blank sheet of paper, took a pen, and wrote upon it, "And afterward his brother came out, and his hand grasping Esau's heel" (Genesis 25:26). They said: see, old words from the mouth of a new elder [an ancient truth freshly spoken]. This teaches you how much pain that righteous one [Jacob] was pained.

From here you learn that the children of Esau do not fall until a survivor comes from Jacob and cuts off the feet of the children of Esau from Mount Seir, as it is said, "and one shall rule out of Jacob, and shall destroy the remnant from the city" (Numbers 24:19).

"And the boys grew up, and Esau became" (Genesis 25:27). A parable to a myrtle and a thornbush that were growing one beside the other; and when they grew up and blossomed, this one gives forth its fragrance and this one its thorns. So for all thirteen years both go to the schoolhouse, and after thirteen years this one goes to the schoolhouse and that one goes to the house of idolatry. Rabbi Eleazar son of Rabbi Shimon said: a person must occupy himself with his son until thirteen years; and after thirteen he must say, "Blessed is He who has freed me from the punishment of this one" [the father is no longer answerable for the son's conduct]. "And Esau was a man knowing the hunt" (Genesis 25:27): he hunted creatures with his mouth [by deceit]. You did not steal? Who stole with you? You did not kill? Who killed with you? Rabbi Abbahu said: a robber and a hunter, he hunted in the house and hunted in the field. He hunted in the house, [asking] how does one prepare salt? He hunted in the field, how does one prepare straw? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: he made himself ownerless like a field [available to all for sin]. Israel said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, is it not enough that we were subjected to seventy nations, but also to this one that is penetrated like a woman? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: in that very language I will exact punishment from them, as it is written, "and the heart of the mighty men of Edom in that day shall be like the heart of a woman in her travail" (Jeremiah 49:22). "And Jacob was a wholesome man, dwelling in tents" (Genesis 25:27): two tents, the study house of Shem and the study house of Eber.

"And the boys grew up" (Genesis 25:27): Jacob walked in the way of life, for he dwelt in tents and occupied himself with Torah all his days; Esau in the way of death, for he killed Nimrod and Hivvar his son. And further he sought to kill Jacob, [saying] "let the days of mourning for my father draw near" (Genesis 27:41). Jacob served Abraham fifteen years, and Shem fifty-eight years; Shem served Methuselah ninety-eight years, and so forth. "Jacob was a wholesome man": he was born circumcised (as is written in remez 16).

"And Isaac loved Esau, for the hunt was in his mouth" (Genesis 25:28): [Esau supplied him with] good cured meat for his mouth, a good cup for his mouth. "And Rebekah loves Jacob" (Genesis 25:28): whenever she heard his voice, she added love upon her love for him.

"And Jacob cooked a stew" (Genesis 25:29). Esau said to him, "What is the nature of this dish?" He answered, "That old man has died." Esau said, "The measure of strict justice has touched that old man!" He said, "If so, there is no reward to be given and no resurrection of the dead." And the Holy Spirit says, "Weep not for the dead" (Jeremiah 22:10) — this is Abraham; "weep sore for him that goes away" (ibid.) — this is Esau, and so on. "And Jacob cooked a stew." It was taught: on that very day Abraham our father passed away, and Jacob our father prepared a dish of lentils to comfort Isaac his father. And why lentils in particular? Just as a lentil is round, so mourning comes round to everyone. Others say: just as a lentil has no mouth [no opening or crease], so a mourner has no mouth [is silenced by grief]. The difference between them is whether one may comfort with eggs. Rabbi Yohanan said: that wicked man committed five transgressions on that day. He violated a betrothed maiden, as it is written, "And Esau came in from the field," and it is written elsewhere, "for he found her in the field" (Deuteronomy 22:27). He committed murder, for it is written here, "and he was faint," and it is written elsewhere, "for my soul is faint before murderers." He denied the resurrection of the dead, as it is written, "Behold, I am going to die" (below, verse 32). He denied the Essential Root [of faith, God Himself], for it is written here, "Why then do I have a birthright?" and it is written elsewhere, "This is my God, and I will glorify Him." He despised the birthright, as it is written, "And Esau despised the birthright" (below, verse 34).

You find that Abraham lived a hundred and seventy-five years, while Isaac lived a hundred and eighty. Those five years that the Holy One, blessed be He, withheld from Abraham's life were on account of the five transgressions that Esau committed. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: thus I promised Abraham, "And you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried in a good old age" (Genesis 15:15). Is this a good old age — that he should see his grandson worshiping idols, committing sexual immorality, and shedding blood? Better that he depart in peace. This is what is written, "Your steadfast love is better than life" [Abraham's shortened life was itself a kindness] (Psalms 63:4). "Let me gulp down" (Genesis 25:30) — he opened his mouth wide [demanding to be fed like an animal], and so on (as written in remez 109).

"From that red, red stuff" (Genesis 25:30). Rabbi Yohanan said: [Esau is condemned] from himself and from his patron. Resh Lakish said: from himself and from those like him. He is Edom [the Red One]: "And the first came out ruddy" (above, verse 25) — he himself was red; his stew was red, "Let me gulp down some of that red stuff"; his land is red, "to the land of Seir, the field of Edom" (Genesis 32:4); his warriors are red, "the shield of his mighty men is made red" (Nahum 2:4); his garment is red, "valiant men in scarlet." Red [Edom] will exact punishment from him: "My beloved is dazzling and ruddy" (Song of Songs 5:10) — clothed in red, "Why is Your apparel red?" [the LORD comes in red-stained garments to judge Edom].

"Sell me, as of this day, your birthright" (Genesis 25:31). They said: when Jacob and Esau were still in their mother's womb, Jacob said to Esau, "My brother, two worlds lie before us, this world and the world to come. This world has in it eating and drinking, buying and selling, marrying a wife and bearing sons and daughters; but the world to come has none of these qualities. If you wish, take this world for yourself, and I will take the world to come." As it says, "Sell me, as of this day [ka-yom] your birthright" — like that very day when they were in their mother's belly. Immediately Esau denied the resurrection of the dead, as it says, "Behold, I am going to die." At that moment Esau took his portion, this world, and Jacob took his portion, the world to come. And when Jacob came from the house of Laban and Esau saw that he had sons and daughters, menservants and maidservants, Jacob said to him, "My brother, did you not say that you would take the world to come and I would take this world? From where do you have all this wealth in which you rejoice?" Esau reflected to himself: if this world, which is not even his portion, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him his reward in it — then the world to come, which is his portion, how much more so! Immediately Esau said, "If you wish, come and let us form a partnership: you take half of this world and half of the world to come," and so on. Jacob said to him, "My children are tender and cannot withstand suffering," as it says, "they would be driven hard for a single day" (Genesis 33:13).

"And Jacob said, Sell me, as of this day" (Genesis 25:31). He said to him, "Sell me one day of your own." Rabbi Aha said: whoever knows how to reckon how many years our father Jacob dwelt in tranquility will find that Jacob dwelt in tranquility in the shadow of Esau but a single day. "And Esau said, Behold, I am going to die" (Genesis 25:32). He began to revile and blaspheme. It is not written here, "Why do I [need it]?" but rather, "Why then [lammah zeh] do I have a birthright?" [the demonstrative "this" mocking, as if pointing scornfully at sacred things].

Another interpretation of "Behold, I am going to die": that Nimrod was seeking to kill him on account of that garment which had belonged to Adam the first man, for when Esau wore it and went out to the field, all the beasts and birds in the world would come and gather around him. "And he said, Swear to me" (Genesis 25:33). Why did our father Jacob wish to give his life for the birthright? As we learned: before the Tabernacle was set up, the high places were permitted and the service was performed by the firstborn; once the Tabernacle was set up, the high places were forbidden and the service was performed by the priests. Jacob said, "Shall this wicked man stand and offer sacrifices?" This is what is written, "surely you hated blood, therefore blood shall pursue you" (Ezekiel 35:6) — and this Esau hated blood. Rabbi Levi said: this is the blood of circumcision. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nahman said: this is the blood of the sacrifices. The Rabbis say: the hatred of a man's blood — yet you murder him! This is what is written, "He loved cursing, and it came upon him; he delighted not in blessing" (Psalms 109:17). Rabbi Levi said: he delighted not in the birthright. Rabbi Hama said: this is the blood of the sacrifices, which is called blessing, as you say, "An altar of earth you shall make for Me" (Exodus 20:21), and it is written, "I will come to you and bless you" (ibid.).

"And Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew" (Genesis 25:34). Just as this lentil has in it joy and has in it mourning, so there was mourning, because Abraham had died, and joy, because Jacob had received the birthright. "And he ate and drank" — he brought in with him a band of scoffers. He said, "Let us eat of his and mock him." And the Holy Spirit says, "Set the table" (Isaiah 21:5) — arrange the table; "watch in the watchtower" — set up the lamp (there is a place where they call a lamp tzipita); "arise, you princes" — this is Michael and Gabriel; "anoint the shield" — write the birthright over to Jacob. Bar Kappara taught: because they were as ones making sport [treating it lightly], the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with them. And how do we know He agreed? As it is written, "Thus says the LORD: Israel is My son, My firstborn" (Exodus 4:22). "And he rose up and went his way" — he went out, and his disgrace went with him. "And Esau despised the birthright" — what did he despise along with it? He despised the resurrection of the dead along with it. This is what is written, "When the wicked comes, contempt comes also" — that he came and his disgrace with him; "and with ignominy reproach" — that the disgrace of hunger accompanied him. And "reproach" means nothing other than hunger, as you say, "I will no longer make you a reproach of famine among the nations."

"And there was a famine in the land" (Genesis 26:1). It is written, "The LORD knows the days of the blameless" (Psalms 37:18) — this is Isaac; "and their inheritance shall be forever" — "Dwell in this land" (Genesis 26:3). "They shall not be put to shame in the time of evil" (Psalms 37:19) — in the evil of Abimelech; "and in the days of famine they shall be satisfied" — "And there was a famine in the land." "The LORD will not let the soul of the righteous go hungry" (Proverbs 10:3) — this is Isaac, "Dwell in this land." "But He thrusts away the craving of the wicked" — this is Abimelech. Ten kinds of famine, and so on (as written in remez 46).

"Do not go down to Egypt; dwell in the land" (Genesis 26:2). [The verb "dwell" is read as] make a settlement in the land: be one who sows, be one who plants. Another interpretation: "dwell" [means] cause the Shekhinah to dwell in the land.