Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

(Genesis 45:16-20) "And the report was heard in Pharaoh's house, saying, Joseph's brothers have come." (Song of Songs 6:9) "My dove is one" and so forth (as above on "And he said to his servants, Can we find such a one" (Genesis 41:37)). "Queens and concubines, and they praised her" (Song of Songs) - these are the tribes. "And the report was heard in Pharaoh's house," and "Pharaoh said to Joseph," and "Do this," and "the best" - this refers to ground broad-beans. (Genesis 45:22) "To each of them he gave changes of garments." Is it possible that in the very matter over which that righteous one suffered he would himself stumble? For Rav said: A man should never single out one son among his other sons, for on account of the extra weight of two coins that Jacob added to Joseph the whole story unfolded. Would Joseph then act toward Benjamin in a way that would make his brothers jealous of him? Rather, he hinted to him that a son was destined to descend from him who would go forth in five royal garments; and who was that? Mordecai, as it is written, "And Mordecai went out from before the king" and so forth (Esther 8:15). (Genesis 45:23) "And to his father he sent in this manner: ten donkeys" and so forth. What is meant by "of the best of the land of Egypt"? This teaches that he sent him aged wine, with which the mind of elders is at ease. "And ten she-donkeys carrying" - follow the language of people: "bar" means grain, "lechem" in its plain sense is bread, "mazon" is food; from here we learn that all such things are called food. (Genesis 45:24) "And he said to them, Do not be agitated on the way." Joseph said to his brothers: Do not become engrossed in a matter of halakhah, lest the way become agitated against you. But is that so? Did not Rabbi Ilai say: Two scholars who walk on the road and have no words of Torah between them deserve to be burned, as it is said, "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked" (2 Kings 2:11) - the reason being that there was speech; had there been no speech they would deserve to be burned? It is not difficult: the one case is for review by rote, the other for deep analysis. In a baraita it was taught: Joseph said to his brothers, Do not take large strides, for the Master said: A large stride takes away one five-hundredth of a person's eyesight. And bring the sun into the city, for Rav said: A person should always go out with "it is good" [daylight] and enter with "it is good," as it is said, "As soon as the morning was light, the men were sent away" (Genesis 44:3). "And they told him, saying, Joseph is still alive" and so forth. Rabbi Chiyya taught: Such is the punishment of a liar, that even when he speaks the truth he is not believed. "And they spoke to him all the words of Joseph." And where were the wagons that Pharaoh had sent? Rather, those wagons of Pharaoh had idols engraved upon them, and Judah arose and burned them; for that tribe was accustomed to burning idolatry. Joseph said: If he believes you, well and good; but if not, you shall say to him, At the moment I parted from him I was engaged in the passage of the heifer whose neck is broken (the eglah arufah). This is the meaning of "And he saw the wagons (agalot) which Joseph had sent" (Genesis 45:27). "And Israel said, It is enough (rav); Joseph my son is still alive." Great (rav) is the strength of Joseph my son, that so many troubles befell him and still he stands in his righteousness - greater than I, who sinned in saying "My way is hidden from the LORD" (Isaiah 40:27); yet I trust that there is laid up for me in "How great is Your goodness which You have stored away" (Psalm 31:20) and so forth. (Genesis 46:1-2) "And Israel journeyed with all that he had" and so forth. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: I went around to all the masters of aggadah in the south so they might tell me the meaning of this verse, and none told me until I came to Yehudah ben Pedayah, the nephew of Bar Kappara, and he told me. When a teacher and a student travel on the road, one inquires first after the welfare of the student and afterward after the welfare of the teacher. Rav Huna said: When Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi came to Tiberias he asked Rabbi Yochanan and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish. Rabbi Yochanan said: A person is obligated in the honor of his father more than in the honor of his grandfather; and Reish Lakish said: He offered sacrifice over the covenant of the tribes. Bar Kappara and Rabbi Yose ben Partos - one of them said: As my father was eager for his throat [his appetite], so I am eager for my throat; and the other said: As my father singled out one son from his sons, so I single out one son from my sons. I went back and said: My father had upon him the burden of one soul, while I have upon me the burden of seventy souls. Rabbi Yudan said two things. He said: My father blessed me with five blessings; corresponding to them the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to me five times and blessed me. Rabbi Yudan said further: I had thought He would let me taste of those blessings, "Peoples shall serve you" (Genesis 27:29) and so forth - this refers to Joseph. Rabbi Berekhiah said: The Holy One, blessed be He, does not attach His name to the righteous in their lifetime, but only to those who endure afflictions; and behold, Isaac endured afflictions. The Rabbis say: They saw his ashes as though heaped upon the altar. (Genesis 46:4) One who sees a camel in a dream - a death sentence had been decreed upon him from heaven and he has been delivered from it. What verse alludes to this? "I will go down with you to Egypt, and I will also surely bring you up" (Genesis 46:4). Rabbi Yitzchak said: From here - "The LORD also has put away your sin; you shall not die" (2 Samuel 12:13). "And Joseph shall put his hand upon your eyes" - he shall close your eyes after death. This was the fourth descent he made to Egypt, as it is said, "I will go down to Egypt." Jacob heard that Joseph was alive and was musing in his heart, saying: Shall I leave the land of my fathers, the land of my birth, the land of my fathers' sojournings, the land in which the Divine Presence of the Holy One, blessed be He, dwells, and go to an unclean land, into the midst of the uncircumcised among whom there is no fear of heaven? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Jacob, do not fear; I will go down with you and so forth. When they came to the border of Egypt all the males were reckoned, sixty-six, and Joseph and his two sons in Egypt make sixty-nine; yet it is written, "With seventy souls your fathers went down" (Deuteronomy 10:22). What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He entered into the count with them, to fulfill what is said, "I will go down with you." In the full reckoning of Israel you find seventy less one. Rather, this is Jochebed, whose conception was on the way and whose birth was between the walls, as it is said, "whom she bore to Levi in Egypt" (Numbers 26:59) - her birth was in Egypt, but her conception was not in Egypt. Rabbi Yehudah was sitting and expounding (Genesis 46:27) "All the souls that came with Jacob to Egypt... seventy"; behold they are short by one - this is Jochebed, who was born at the gate of Egypt. And some say: Serach the daughter of Asher completed the count of Israel, as it is written, "I am of the peaceable and faithful of Israel" (2 Samuel 20:19) - I completed the count of Israel, and I completed one trusted one to another trusted one. And when they went up from Egypt all the men were reckoned six hundred thousand less one. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He entered into the count with them, and they went up six hundred thousand, to fulfill what is said, "and I will also surely bring you up."

(Genesis 46:7) "His sons and his sons' sons." Rabbi Yehudah bar Ilai said: The daughters of sons are like sons, but the sons of daughters are not like daughters. One verse says "his daughters," and another verse says "and Dinah his daughter." Rather, this teaches you that the "daughters" of Jacob were the wives of his sons, and all the offspring of Jacob married their sisters and their other kinswomen, so that they would not intermarry with the peoples of the land. Therefore they were called the seed of truth.

(Genesis 46:28) (Isaiah 65:25) "The wolf and the lamb shall graze together." "The wolf" - this is Benjamin, as it is said, "Benjamin is a wolf that tears" (Genesis 49:27). "The lamb" - these are the tribes, as it is said, "a scattered sheep" (Jeremiah 50:17). "They shall graze together" - when? When Benjamin comes with them. For Jacob used to say to them, "My son shall not go down with you" (Genesis 42:38); and once he went down with them they would hide him and guard him. And so too Joseph says of him, "And he saw Benjamin his brother, his mother's son." (Isaiah 65:25) "The lion" - this is Judah, as it is said, "Judah is a lion's whelp" (Genesis 49:9). "Like an ox" - this is Joseph, as it is said, "His firstborn ox, majesty is his" (Deuteronomy 33:17). They were found eating together, as it is said, "And they sat before him, the firstborn according to his birthright."

Another interpretation: "And he sent Judah before him" (Genesis 46:28). Rabbi Nechemiah said: To establish for him a house of study where he would teach Torah and where the tribes would study Torah there. Know that this is so: for once Joseph had departed from him, our father Jacob knew in which subject he had parted from him, since he kept reviewing it with him. Once his brothers came and said to him, "Joseph is still alive" (Genesis 45:26), he did not believe it, as it is said, "And his heart went numb, for he did not believe them" (Genesis 45:26). And Jacob remembered in which subject Joseph had parted from him, which he kept reviewing with him. And once Joseph's brothers came and told him, he said to them: Did he give you a sign as to which subject he parted from me with? What did he do? He gave them wagons, as it is said, "And he gave them wagons" - to teach you that in every place where Jacob dwelt he occupied himself with Torah, just as his fathers did, as it is said, "And he kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws" (Genesis 26:5).

(Genesis 47:2) "And from among his brothers he took five men." This teaches that they were not the mighty ones among the tribes. Who were they? Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Issachar, and Benjamin. He acted in this matter with wisdom. He said: If I present the mighty ones among them before Pharaoh, he will at once make them his men of war. And how do we know they were not the mighty ones? You find it from the blessing of Moses our teacher: everyone whose name was repeated was mighty, as it is said, "And this for Judah; and he said, Hear, O LORD, the voice of Judah" (Deuteronomy 33:7); "And of Naphtali he said, O Naphtali, satisfied with favor" (Deuteronomy 33:23); "And of Asher he said, Blessed above sons be Asher" (Deuteronomy 33:24); "And of Dan he said, Dan is a lion's whelp" (Deuteronomy 33:22); "And of Zebulun he said, Rejoice, O Zebulun, in your going out" (Deuteronomy 33:18); "And of Gad he said, Blessed be He who enlarges Gad" (Deuteronomy 33:20). And some say the reverse. Since it says "and from among his brothers he took" and their names are not specified, he took those whose names were repeated. (Genesis 46:29) "And Joseph harnessed his chariot" (written in remez 96). Joseph heard that his father had come to the border of Egypt, and he took all the men who went with him and went out to meet his father. Now all the people go out to meet the king, and the king does not go out to meet any other person; rather this teaches you that a person's father is like his king. Rava said to Rabbah bar Mari: What is meant by "and from among his brothers he took five men"? Who were they? He said to him: These are the ones whose names are repeated. But Judah too is repeated! He said to him: Judah was repeated for his own particular matter, for Rabbi Yonatan said: What is meant by "Let Reuben live and not die" and so forth and "And this for Judah"? and so on.

(Genesis 47:14) "And Joseph gathered." Rav Yehudah said in the name of Shmuel: All the silver and gold in the world Joseph gathered and brought to Egypt, as it is said, "And Joseph gathered all the silver." This tells me only of the land of Egypt; how do I know of the land of Canaan and the other lands? Scripture teaches, "And all the earth came to Egypt" (Genesis 41:57). And when Israel went up from Egypt they brought it up with them, as it is said, "And they plundered Egypt" (Exodus 12:36). Rav Asi said: They made it like a deep pool that has no fish in it. Reish Lakish said: They made it like a snare that has no grain in it. And it lay stored until the time of Rehoboam. Shishak king of Egypt came and took it from Rehoboam. Zerach king of Cush came and took it from Shishak. Asa came and took it from Zerach and sent it to Hadrimon son of Tavrimon. The children of Ammon came and took it from Hadrimon. Jehoshaphat came and took it from the children of Ammon, and it lay stored until Ahaz. Sennacherib came and took it from Ahaz. Hezekiah came and took it from Sennacherib, and it lay stored until Zedekiah. The Chaldeans came and took it from Zedekiah. The Persians came and took it from the Chaldeans. The Greeks came and took it from the Persians. The Romans came and took it from the Greeks, and it still lies stored in Rome. Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: Joseph hid away three treasures. One was revealed to Korah, one was revealed to Antoninus son of Asverus, and one is stored away for the righteous in the time to come.

Portion of Vayechi. (Genesis 47:28) "And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years." Why is this portion more closed (setumah) than every other portion in the Torah? Because once Jacob our father passed away, the bondage began. Another interpretation: because Jacob our father sought to reveal the End [of days], and it was sealed (nistam) from him. Another interpretation: because all the troubles of the world were sealed away from him. (Genesis 47:29-31) (Written in remez 141.) "Precious in the eyes of the LORD is the death of His faithful ones" (Psalm 116:15). It is difficult before the Holy One, blessed be He, to decree death upon the righteous. Thus Scripture could have said to Moses, "You are to die," but it did not say so; rather it linked the death to days, "Behold, your days draw near to die" (Deuteronomy 31:14). And so too with Jacob.

"And the days of Israel drew near to die" (Genesis 47:29). This is what is written, "What man can live and not see death?" (Psalm 89:49). What man was like Abraham, whom He saved from the fiery furnace, yet of him it is written, "And Abraham expired and died" (Genesis 25:8)? What man was like Isaac, who stretched out his neck upon the altar, yet of him it is written, "I do not know the day of my death" (Genesis 27:2)? And what man was like Jacob, who wrestled with the angel, of whom it is written, "And the days of Israel drew near" and so forth? "And the days of Israel drew near to die." This is what Scripture says, "For we are sojourners before You... our days on the earth are like a shadow" (1 Chronicles 29:15). Would that it were like the shadow of a wall or the shadow of a tree! Rather, "like a passing shadow" - like the shadow of a bird that passes, and its shadow passes with it. "And there is no hope" (1 Chronicles 29:15) - there is no one who hopes that he will not die; all know and say with their mouths that they will die. Abraham said, "And I go childless" (Genesis 15:2). Isaac said, "before I die" (Genesis 27:4). And Jacob too said, "and I shall lie with my fathers" - when? At the time he was about to die.

"And the days of Israel drew near" (Genesis 47:29). This is what Scripture says: "No man has power over the spirit" (Ecclesiastes 8:8). The trumpets that Moses made in the wilderness, once he inclined to death the Holy One, blessed be He, hid them away, so that no man would ever blow them, and they came before Him, as it is said, "Assemble to me" (Deuteronomy 31:28) and so on, to fulfill what is said, "and there is no authority over the day of death" (Ecclesiastes 8:8). And when Zimri did that deed, "and he brought her near to a man of Israel" and so on, where was Moses? Yet Phinehas was speaking before Moses; this only fulfilled what is said, "and there is no authority over the day of death," for the act of deliverance was given to Phinehas and lowered Moses. So too with David: it is written, "And King David was old," but once he inclined to death it is written, "And the days of David drew near" (1 Kings 2:1); "the King" is not written here, but only "David." So too Jacob, once he inclined to death, lowered himself before Joseph and said, "If now I have found favor in your eyes" (Genesis 47:29). When? When he drew near to death: "And the days of Israel drew near to die." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: By your life, you will be hidden away and you will not die. Then what is "and they drew near"? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: This day brings complaint against you, like a person who says to his fellow, "So-and-so lodged a complaint against his fellow." Our Rabbis said: Anyone of whom "drawing near to die" is stated does not reach the years of his fathers. Of David it is written, "And the days of David drew near to die"; he did not reach the years of his fathers. Of Boaz, Obed, and Jesse our Rabbis said they lived more than four hundred years, yet David lived only seventy years. Amram lived a hundred and thirty-seven years, yet Moses lived only a hundred and twenty years; therefore "drawing near" is written of him, "Behold, your days draw near to die" (Deuteronomy 31:14). Of Jacob "drawing near" is written; he did not reach the years of his fathers. Abraham lived a hundred seventy-five years, Isaac lived a hundred eighty, and Jacob lived a hundred forty-seven; therefore "drawing near" is said of him. "And he called his son Joseph" (Genesis 47:29). Why did he not call Reuben or Judah, since Reuben was the firstborn and Judah was king, but called Joseph? Because it was within his power to do it. "Deal with me in kindness and truth" (Genesis 47:29). Is there a kindness that is false? Rather, the common proverb says: When your friend's son dies, carry; when your friend dies, unload. He said to him: If you do kindness for me after my death, that is a kindness of truth. "Do not bury me in Egypt" (Genesis 47:29). Why? Because the land of Egypt would be smitten with lice, and they would crawl beneath my body. Another explanation: so that they would not make me into an object of idolatry, for just as punishment is exacted from idolaters so it is exacted from the object, as it is said, "and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments" (Exodus 12:12). So you find with Daniel: when he interpreted the dream for Nebuchadnezzar, it is written, "Then King Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face and bowed down to Daniel, and commanded an offering and incense to be offered to him" (Daniel 2:46). But Daniel did not accept it, for he said: Just as punishment is exacted from idolaters, so it is exacted from the object itself. So too you find with Hiram, king of Tyre: once he made himself into an object of worship, it is written of him, "Because your heart was lifted up and you said, I am a god" (Ezekiel 28:2). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Behold, you are wiser than Daniel" (Ezekiel 28:3): Nebuchadnezzar wished to offer to Daniel and he refused, yet you make yourself a god. And what was his end? "I have cast you to the ground" (Ezekiel 28:17). Another explanation: Jacob said, Let the Egyptians not be redeemed through me. It is written of them, "whose flesh is the flesh of donkeys" (Ezekiel 23:20), and I am compared to a lamb, as it is said, "Israel is a scattered sheep" (Jeremiah 50:17), and it is written, "and the firstborn of a donkey you shall redeem with a lamb" (Exodus 13:13). And why do the fathers demand the land of Israel and cherish it? Rabbi Eleazar said: There are matters within. What are the matters within? "I shall walk before the LORD in the lands of the living" (Psalms 116:9). Karna said: Jacob knew of himself that he was wholly righteous, and if the dead outside the land live, why did he trouble his sons? Because he did not wish to accept the pain of rolling through the tunnels. Likewise you say, "And Joseph made them swear" (Genesis 50:25). Rabbi Hanina said: There are matters within. Joseph knew of himself that he was wholly righteous, and if the dead outside the land live, why did he trouble his brothers? Because he did not wish to accept the pain of the tunnels. Our Rabbis taught: One who finds a corpse takes it together with its surrounding soil. Rabbi Judah said, for the verse says, "and you shall carry me up out of Egypt" (Genesis 50:25): take from the soil of Egypt along with me. And how much is the measure of the surrounding soil? One takes the loose earth and digs, in virgin soil, three fingers' depth. "And Israel bowed himself upon the head of the bed" (Genesis 47:31). It is written, "And his brothers also went and fell down before him" (Genesis 50:18). This is what people say: "When the fox has its hour, bow to it." What is the lessening from brotherhood here? Rather, from this: "And Israel bowed himself."

"The angel who redeems me" (Genesis 48:16). Rabbi Eleazar says: He compared redemption to sustenance and sustenance to redemption. Just as redemption involves wonders, so too sustenance involves wonders; just as sustenance happens every day, so too redemption happens every day. Rabbi Samuel bar Nahman said: Sustenance is greater than redemption, for redemption comes by way of an angel, as it is written, "the angel who redeems me," but sustenance comes by way of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written, "You open Your hand and satisfy" (Psalms 145:16). Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: It is greater than the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, as it is written, "to Him who divided the Sea of Reeds into parts" (Psalms 136:13), and next to it, "who gives bread to all flesh" (Psalms 136:25). "And let them multiply abundantly in the midst of the earth" (Genesis 48:16). It is written, "Joseph is a fruitful son, a fruitful son by a spring" (Genesis 49:22). Rabbi Abbahu said: Do not read "by a spring" but "above the eye" — the seed of Joseph, the evil eye has no power over it. Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: From here — "and let them multiply abundantly": just as the fish of the sea are covered by water and the evil eye has no power over them, so too the seed of Joseph, the evil eye has no power over them. Rabbi Yohanan would go and sit at the gates of the ritual bath. He said: When the daughters of Israel come up from the water and look at me, may they have offspring as beautiful as I am. The Rabbis said to him: Does the master not fear the evil eye? He said to them: I come from the seed of Joseph, over whom the evil eye has no power, as it is written, "a fruitful son" and so on. And some say: from here — an eye that did not wish to feed on what was not its own, the evil eye shall not rule over it. "Behold, I am dying" (Genesis 48:21). Rav Nahman and Rav Isaac were sitting at a meal. After they ate, Rav Nahman said to Rav Isaac: Let the master say something to us. He said to him: Thus said Rabbi Yohanan, Jacob our father did not die. He said to him: Was it then for nothing that the mourners eulogized and the embalmers embalmed? He said to him: I am expounding a verse. "And you, fear not, My servant Jacob, and I will save your seed from the land of their captivity" (Jeremiah 30:10): He compares Jacob to his seed — just as his seed is alive, so too he is alive. "And I have given you one portion above your brothers" (Genesis 48:22) and so on. Did he take it with his sword and his bow? But it is already said, "For not in my bow do I trust, and my sword shall not save me" (Psalms 44:7). Rather, "with my sword" — this is prayer; "with my bow" — this is supplication. Jacob said: How can I leave my sons to fall into the hand of the nations of the world? I will fight against them. This is what he said to Joseph, "which I took from the hand of the Amorite" and so on. And where do we find that Jacob took with his sword and his bow? You must say: in Shechem.

"And Jacob called to his sons" (Genesis 49:1). It should have said only "And Esau called to his sons," for he was the elder. Why? Because Scripture says, "For Sheol cannot thank You, death cannot praise You" (Isaiah 38:18); and who is it that gives thanks? One who bows to the Living One, as it is written, "the living, the living, he shall thank You as I do this day" (Isaiah 38:19). Rabbi Hanina said: It is the way of the world that a slave does not make a testament; and who makes a testament? A free man. So Esau the wicked makes no testament, for Esau did not die upon his bed; and who makes a testament? Jacob. Therefore it is written, "And Jacob called to his sons." Our Rabbis taught: The people of Jericho would fold the Shema. How did they say it? "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God, the LORD is One," and they would not pause — the words of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Judah says: They did pause, but they did not say "Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom" and so on. And we, what is our reason for saying it? In accordance with Rabbi Shimon ben Pazzi: "And Jacob called to his sons" — Jacob wished to reveal to his sons the End of Days, and the Divine Presence departed from him. He said: Perhaps there is some unfit one in my bed, like Abraham my father's father, from whom Ishmael went out, and like Isaac my father, from whom Esau went out? They said to him: "Hear, O Israel" — just as in your heart there is none but the One, so in our heart there is none but the One. Immediately he opened and said, "Blessed be the name of the glory of His kingdom" and so on. The Rabbis said: How shall we act? If we say it, Moses did not say it; if we do not say it, Jacob said it. They ordained that it be said in a whisper. A parable: like a princess who smelled the savory pot. If she speaks, it is a disgrace to her; if she does not speak, she suffers. Her servants began to bring it to her in secret. This is what Scripture says: "He removes the speech of the trusted ones" (Job 12:20) — this is Isaac and Jacob, both of whom wished to reveal the End. He called to Esau and wished to reveal the End, and the Holy One, blessed be He, hid it from him, as it is said, "And he called Esau his elder son" (Genesis 27:1). And Jacob too wished to reveal the End, as it is said, "Gather yourselves and I will tell you" (Genesis 49:1). A parable: to what is the matter like? To a slave whom the king entrusted with all he had. That slave inclined to die and called his sons and wished to make them free and to tell them where their testament and their deed of inheritance were. The king came to know. The king went up above him. The slave lifted his eyes and saw the king and put aside the matter he wished to reveal to them. He began to say to them: My sons, you are the servants of the king; honor him as I honored him all the days of my life. So Jacob wished to reveal the End to his sons; immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to him and said: To your sons you call, and to Me you do not call, as Isaiah said, "And you have not called upon Me, O Jacob" (Isaiah 43:22). When Jacob saw Him, he began to say: My sons, I beg of you, honor the Holy One, blessed be He, as I and my fathers honored Him, as it is said, "the God before whom my fathers walked" (Genesis 48:15). They said: We know what is in your heart — "Hear, O Israel, the LORD" (Deuteronomy 6:4) and so on; just as in your heart there is none but the One, so in our heart there is none but the One. When Jacob heard this, immediately he bowed, as it is said, "And Israel bowed himself" (Genesis 47:31), and he began to say in a whisper, "Blessed be the name of the glory" and so on. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "It is the glory of God to conceal a matter" (Proverbs 25:2) — these traits are not yours, as it is said, "A talebearer reveals a secret" (Proverbs 11:13). "I will call to God Most High" (Psalms 57:3) speaks of Jacob: at the hour his sons entered for blessing, he began to apportion gifts to them. And how do we know the Holy One, blessed be He, agreed with him? You find that all that Jacob blessed the tribes, so did Moses bless them. When? At the hour he was departing from the world. Thus, "And Jacob called to his sons." What is "Gather yourselves"? Purify yourselves, just as you say, "Let Miriam be shut up... and afterward let her be gathered in" (Numbers 12:14).

Another explanation: "Gather yourselves" — make yourselves into assemblies. When they came to him, he said, "Reuben, you are my firstborn" (Genesis 49:3). "Reuben, you are my firstborn": you are firstborn for inheritance, firstborn for lineage, firstborn for repentance — "and Reuben returned to the pit" (Genesis 37:29); firstborn for inheritance — "and the children of Reuben had much cattle"; firstborn for exile — "and he exiled the Reubenites and the Gadites" (1 Chronicles 5:26); firstborn for cities of refuge — "Bezer in the wilderness" (Deuteronomy 4:43); firstborn for lineage — "for he was the firstborn, but because he defiled his father's bed" (1 Chronicles 5:1) they took the wealth from him, but not to be reckoned in lineage. Another explanation: "Reuben, you are my firstborn" — and all the gifts are fitting for you, as it is written, "and the first of all the firstfruits of all and every heave offering of all." And the dough offering, from where? "The first of your dough." Therefore it says, "the beginning of my strength." "Excess of dignity" — this is the Levitical service, as it is written, "And Chenaniah, chief of the Levites, was over the carrying" and it says, "on the shoulder they shall bear" (Numbers 7:9), and it is written, "And Aaron lifted up his hands" (Leviticus 9:22). "And excess of power" — this is kingship. "Unstable as water" — you were likened to the rash ones who leap about. Rabbi Nathan expounds it for praise: "You are my firstborn" — the birthright befits you. Other firstborn are robbers and extortioners, as it is said, "And Esau went out to the field" and so on, but you did not sin except from what was ownerless, as it is said, "and he found mandrakes." Other firstborn hate one another — Cain hated Abel, Ishmael Isaac, Esau Jacob — but you, "And Reuben said to them, Do not shed blood" (Genesis 37:22). "My strength" — for he raised up mighty men of valor, as it is said, "about forty thousand prepared for war" (Joshua 4:13). "Dignity" — in inheritance, "sixty cities, all the region of Argob" (Deuteronomy 3:4). "And excess of power" — for they were mighty, as it is written, "and the faces of a lion were their faces." "Unstable as water" — he hinted that he would not be brought near until Moses, who was drawn from the water, would bring him near, as it is said, "for I drew him from the water" (Exodus 2:10). And what does it say? "Let Reuben live and not die" (Deuteronomy 33:6). Another explanation: "Reuben, you are my firstborn, my strength and the beginning of my might" — for our father Jacob saw no nocturnal emission for eighty-four years, until Reuben was born. "Excess of dignity and excess of power" — he said to him: You were fitting to take three portions more than your brothers: the birthright, the priesthood, and the kingship. But when you sinned, the birthright was given to Joseph, the priesthood to Levi, and the kingship to Judah. "Unstable as water, you shall not have the excess." "For you went up to your father's bed; then you defiled it; he went up to my couch" (Genesis 49:4). He said to him: My son, you have no healing until one comes of whom it is written, "And Moses went up" (Exodus 19:3). And when Moses came and stood on Mount Ebal and appointed the tribe of Reuben over the blessings and said, "Cursed be he who lies with his father's wife" (Deuteronomy 27:20), all Israel knew that Reuben was innocent, and he was healed, and the Holy One, blessed be He, forgave him. "Simeon and Levi are brothers; into their counsel let my soul not come; in their assembly let my honor not be united" (Genesis 49:5-6). He prayed for mercy upon himself that he not be reckoned with them, as it is said, "into their counsel let my soul not come" — these are the spies; "in their assembly let my honor not be united" — this is the company of Korah. When these tribes sinned in their assembly, let not my name be remembered there. It is written, "Zimri son of Salu, prince of a father's house among the Simeonites," and likewise, "Korah son of Izhar son of Kohath son of Levi" (Numbers 16:1).

"Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce" (Genesis 49:7). At the hour they killed Shechem and all the men of the city, they did not take counsel with their father, and their wrath was cursed exceedingly. Therefore "I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel" — to raise up from Simeon scribes and teachers in synagogues, and from the tribe of Levi houses of study where they would occupy themselves with Torah. Another explanation: "Simeon and Levi are brothers." And were they not all brothers? Rather, they were brothers in counsel. They took counsel against Shechem and destroyed it, as it is said, "And the two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, took" (Genesis 34:25). And they took counsel against Joseph, for they sought to kill him, as it is said, "And they said to one another, Behold, this dreamer comes; now come, let us kill him" (Genesis 37:19-20). Who were they? If you say Reuben — behold, Reuben sought to save him, as it is said, "And Reuben heard and saved him from their hands." If you say Judah — behold, he said, "What profit is it if we kill our brother" (Genesis 37:26). And if you say the sons of the handmaids — behold, it is already said, "and he was a youth with the sons of Bilhah." Rather, who were they? These are Simeon and Levi, of whom it is written, "Simeon and Levi are brothers." And likewise when they came to Egypt, Joseph said: If I leave Simeon and Levi in one place, they will take counsel and destroy the great metropolis of Egypt. Therefore he separated Simeon from Levi, as it is said, "And he took Simeon from them" (Genesis 42:24). And once he separated them, Levi was left alone, as it is said, "And one opened his sack" (Genesis 42:27) — was there only one? Rather, this is Levi, who was left alone from his pair. At that hour the strength of Levi weakened. Therefore it is said, "Simeon and Levi are brothers."

"Judah, you, your brothers shall praise you" (Genesis 49:8). Rabbi Tanhum bar Hanilai said: When Jacob rebuked Reuben and Simeon, the face of Judah turned pale, and he feared that he too would be rebuked over the affair of Tamar. Immediately Jacob called to him and reassured him, "Judah, you, your brothers shall praise you." This is what Scripture said through Asaph, "He who offers thanksgiving honors Me" (Psalms 50:23). This verse was said only concerning the righteous who subdue their inclination and confess their deeds, for everyone who confesses his deeds merits the life of the world to come, as it is said, "He who offers thanksgiving honors Me." So you find with Judah, who confessed in the affair of Tamar. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You saved Tamar and her two sons from the fire and Joseph from the pit, as it is said, "And Judah said to his brothers, What profit is it if we kill our brother" (Genesis 37:26). By your life, I will save four of your descendants: one from the pit, Daniel, corresponding to Joseph; and three from the fire, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah, corresponding to Perez, Zerah, and Tamar. And everyone who does not confess his deeds, the Holy One, blessed be He, curses him, as we find with Cain. At the hour he killed his brother, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Where is Abel your brother?" (Genesis 4:9). He said before Him: Master of the universe, I and Abel brought a gift before You; You accepted his and returned mine in despair. From me You seek him? Is he not to be sought only from You, who guard all creatures? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: I will make known to you where he is. He said before Him: Master of the universe, "My iniquity is too great to bear" (Genesis 4:13). Shall my iniquity be greater than the six hundred thousand who are destined to provoke You in the wilderness? And when they say before You, "who bears iniquity" (Exodus 34:7), immediately You pardon them, as it is said, "And the LORD said, I have pardoned according to your word." At that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, said: If I do not pardon, I immediately bar the door before the penitent. Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, pardoned him in part, for at first He said to him, "a fugitive and a wanderer shall you be in the earth" (Genesis 4:12), but because he did not do complete repentance it is written, "and he dwelt in the land of Nod" (Genesis 4:16). "He who conceals his transgressions shall not prosper" — this is Cain; "but he who confesses and forsakes them shall obtain mercy" — this is Judah. And because Judah caused Reuben to confess, therefore Moses placed him next to him, as it is said, "Let Reuben live and not die... and this for Judah" (Deuteronomy 33:6-7). "Judah, you, your brothers shall praise you" — he made him king over his brothers; this is the kingship of David. Another explanation: "shall praise you" — to rule over them in this world and in the world to come. And kings arose from him, as it is said, "And these are the generations of Perez": Rehoboam, Abijah, Asa, down to Jeconiah; and so for the world to come, "And David My servant shall be their prince forever" (Ezekiel 37:25). Moreover, from the tribe of Judah came Elisheva, mother of the priesthood; and from the tribe of Judah came Nahshon, chief of the princes; and in the journeys he was first, "the standard of the camp of Judah set out"; and from the tribe of Judah came Bezalel, who made the Tabernacle and all its vessels. After the death of Joshua they asked, "Who shall go up for us first? And the LORD said, Judah shall go up" (Judges 1:1-2). And from the tribe of Judah came Othniel, first of the judges; and from the tribe of Judah, Boaz; and from the tribe of Judah came Solomon, who built the Temple; and from the tribe of Judah, Jehoshaphat, Jotham, and Josiah; and "Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah" (Haggai 2:2); and the King Messiah. Solomon built the First Temple, Zerubbabel built the Second Temple, and the King Messiah is destined to build the Temple. "Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies" (Genesis 49:8). He said to him: My son, you stiffened your neck and shamed yourself in the affair of Tamar; you will merit to slay your enemies with a weapon that strikes at the neck, and this is the bow. Which warfare requires the hand against the neck? You must say: this is the bow. Rabbi Eleazar says: "his hands shall contend for him" (Deuteronomy 33:7) — which warfare requires two hands? You must say: this is the bow.

... "Until he comes to Shiloh" - as in the future all of the nations of the world will bring a present to (shai le) the Messiah, the son of David, as it is stated (Isaiah 18:7), "at that time, a present shall be brought to the Lord of hosts"...

"Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the seas" (Genesis 49:13) — in his commerce, and Issachar in his Torah, and these two were partners in this world and in the world to come. What did our father Jacob see, that he blessed Zebulun before Judah... that he blessed Zebulun before Issachar, though Issachar was greater than he? Rather, our father Jacob foresaw and saw that Jerusalem was destined to be destroyed, and the Sanhedrin destined to be uprooted from its place in the tribe of Judah and to be fixed in the portion of Zebulun. For at first the Sanhedrin went into exile and sat in Yavneh, and from Yavneh to Usha, and from Usha to Shefaram, and from Shefaram to Beit Shearim, and from Beit Shearim to Tzippori, and Tzippori is the portion of Zebulun; and afterward it went into exile from Tzippori to Tiberias. And so Isaiah said, "He brings it low, down to the ground, He lays it low to the dust" (Isaiah 26:5). Rabbi Yohanan said: Tiberias is the lowest, ready for the Messiah, as it is said, "the foot shall trample it, the feet of the poor, the steps of the needy." What is written after it? "And a throne shall be established in kindness" (Isaiah 16:5). At that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, exacts from the wicked a great punishment that has no interruption or end, and brings them down to Gehinnom, and they are judged there for generations of generations, as it is said, "And they shall go out and look upon the corpses of the men." And why all this? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, set a limit in this world for the sufferings of the righteous; at that hour the punishment of the wicked arrives, which has no end ever, while the sufferings of the righteous the Holy One, blessed be He, removes from the world, as it is said, "He sets an end to darkness" (Job 28:3). There was a certain man who said: I dwell by the seashore. When he came, they examined and found that he descended from Zebulun, as it is written, "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the seas." The livelihood of Issachar — from where does it come? From Zebulun, who occupies himself with his commerce and feeds Issachar, who is a man of Torah. This is what is written, "Zebulun shall dwell at the haven of the seas"; on this account "Issachar is a strong-boned donkey" (Genesis 49:14). And when Moses came to bless the tribes, he placed the blessing of Zebulun before the blessing of Issachar, as it is written, "Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Issachar in your tents" (Deuteronomy 33:18). You find that Issachar was ninth among the tribes, yet he offered second to the king, as it is written, "on the second day Nethanel son of Zuar, prince of Issachar, offered," because he was a man of Torah. Rava said: You do not find a young scholar who issues rulings unless he comes from Levi or from Issachar. From Levi, as it is written, "They shall teach Your judgments to Jacob" (Deuteronomy 33:10); from Issachar, as it is written, "And of the sons of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times" (1 Chronicles 12:33). And say it is from Judah, as it is written, "Judah is my lawgiver" (Psalms 60:9)? I am speaking of concluding a teaching in accordance with the law. Happy is the righteous and happy is his neighbor. Judah and Issachar and Zebulun, who were near to Aaron and Moses, as it is said, "and those who camp before the Tabernacle eastward," became great in Torah, as it is said, "Judah is my lawgiver," and likewise, "And of the sons of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times," "and from Zebulun those who handle the pen of the scribe" (Judges 5:14). But from the south were the sons of Kohath, and near them Reuben and Simeon and Gad, and they dwelt with Korah, a man of dispute, and perished with him in their dispute. From here they said: Woe to the wicked, woe to his neighbor; good to the righteous, good to his neighbor.

"Issachar is a strong-boned donkey" (Genesis 49:14). Just as this donkey breaks the bone, so his tribe would break all Israel in halakhah, as it is said, "And of the sons of Issachar, men who had understanding of the times" (1 Chronicles 12:33), for he raised up two hundred heads of Sanhedrin courts. "Dan shall be a serpent on the way" (Genesis 49:16-17). This is Samson, whom our father Jacob foresaw standing between the pillars, and he prayed for him that the Holy One, blessed be He, would give him strength, "O LORD God, remember me and strengthen me" (Judges 16:28). There was a certain man who said to them, "Judge my case." They said, Learn from this that he comes from Dan, as it is written, "Dan shall judge his people." Rabbi Yohanan said: Samson judged Israel as their Father in heaven, as it is said, "Dan shall judge his people as one." Rabbi Yohanan said: Balaam was lame in one leg, as it is said, "and he went limping" (Numbers 23:3); Samson on both his legs, as it is said, "a viper on the path." "Naphtali is a hind let loose" (Genesis 49:21). This teaches that he leaped to Egypt and brought a document in his hand from the cave to bury his father. "Gad, a troop shall raid him" (Genesis 49:19). For the whole tribe of Gad, when one of them went out to war he would be victorious, and their slain were recognizable, "and he tears the arm, even the crown of the head" (Deuteronomy 33:20). "From Asher, his bread shall be rich" (Genesis 49:20), for they supplied the anointing oil for the Temple. "Joseph is a fruitful son" (Genesis 49:22) — this teaches that the evil eye has no power over the seed of Joseph. "Daughters strode upon the wall" — for the Egyptian women, daughters of kings, sought to look upon the face of Joseph, and he did not fix his eyes upon any of them nor entertain a thought of any of them; therefore he merited to inherit two worlds. There was an incident with Rabbi Matya ben Heresh, who was sitting in the house of study occupied with Torah, and the radiance of his face was like the sun, and the form of his face was like the ministering angels, for in all his days he never lifted his eyes toward a woman in the world. Once Satan passed by and grew jealous of him. He said: Is it possible that such a man has not sinned? He said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the universe, what is Rabbi Matya ben Heresh before You? He said to him: He is wholly righteous. He said before Him: Give me permission and I will incite him. He said to him: You cannot prevail over him. Nevertheless, He said to him: Go. Satan made himself appear to him as a beautiful woman the like of whose form had never been since the days of Naamah the sister of Tubal-Cain, over whom the ministering angels erred, as it is said, "And the sons of God saw the daughters of men" (Genesis 6:2). He stood before him. When Rabbi Matya saw him, he turned his face and set it behind him. Again Satan came and stood at his left side; he turned his face to the right. Satan kept turning to him from every side. He said: I am afraid lest the evil inclination overcome me and make me sin. What did that righteous man do? He called to the student who served before him and said: Go and bring me fire and a nail. He brought him nails and he set them into his eyes. When Satan saw this, he was shaken and fell backward. At that hour the Holy One, blessed be He, called to Raphael and said to him: Go and heal Rabbi Matya ben Heresh. He came and stood before him and said: Who are you? He said: I am Raphael, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, sent to heal your eyes. He said to him: Leave me; what was, was. Raphael returned before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said: Master of the universe, thus and thus Matya said to me. He said to him: Go and tell him that I am a surety that the evil inclination shall not rule over him. Immediately he healed him. From here the Sages said: Everyone who does not gaze upon women, all the more so upon the wife of his fellow, the evil inclination does not rule over him. "Benjamin is a wolf that tears" (Genesis 49:27). As it is written, "and you shall see, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out... and you shall seize." Another explanation: this is Ehud, "And Ehud made for himself a sword."

Another interpretation: "In the morning he shall devour the prey" (Genesis 49:27) - this refers to Jericho, which ripens its fruits early. "And at evening he shall divide the spoil" - this refers to Beth El, which is late in bringing forth its fruits.

Another interpretation: "In the morning he shall devour the prey" (Genesis 49:27) - this is Saul, as it is written, "And Saul took the kingdom" (1 Samuel 14:47). "And at evening he shall divide the spoil" - "Behold, I have given the house of Haman to Esther" (Esther 8:7). Another interpretation: "In the morning he shall devour" - "The one lamb you shall offer in the morning" (Numbers 28:4). "And at evening he shall divide the spoil" - "And the second lamb you shall offer toward evening" (same verse). "And His secret is with the upright" (Proverbs 3:32) - everything the righteous do, they do by the Holy Spirit. When Jacob blessed the tribe of Judah, he blessed him with a lion, and he paired him against the kingdom of Babylon, as it is written, "The first was like a lion" (Daniel 7:4). By whose hand does the kingdom of Babylon fall? By the hand of Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. And Joseph he paired against the fourth kingdom, for it is a tradition in our hands that Esau falls only by the hand of the descendants of Rachel. The tribe of Levi he set against the kingdom of Greece, and the Hasmoneans were of the tribe of Levi. And Benjamin against the kingdom of Media, for Mordecai exacts punishment from it, since he was of the tribe of Benjamin.

"All these are the twelve tribes of Israel" (Genesis 49:28) - not fewer and not more. Even Rebekah saw them, as it is said, "And the LORD said to her, Two nations are in your womb" (Genesis 25:23), and so on (as above). "And this is what their father spoke to them; he blessed them." It is not written here "and he blessed them," but rather - why so? Because he gave Judah the strength of a lion, and Joseph the strength of an ox, and Naphtali the swiftness of a deer, and Dan the bite of a serpent. Lest you say that this one is greater than that one, therefore he included them all at the end, as it is said, "each one according to his blessing he blessed them." And because he apportioned the land among them and gave Judah a land that produces barley and Benjamin a land that produces wheat, even so he included these with those. Thus, "And this is what their father spoke to them." It is not written here "this," but "and this he said" - meaning, a man like me will in the future bless you, and from the place where I left off he will bless you, as it is said, "And this is what he spoke to them." And when Moses arose he opened to them with "And this is the blessing" (Deuteronomy 33:1); from the place where their father left off he spoke to them. When do the blessings reach you? From the hour you receive the Torah. Moses said, "From the elders I gain understanding" (Psalms 119:100). When Isaac blessed Jacob, he blessed him with "God Almighty bless you" (Genesis 28:3). With what did he conclude? With a calling: "And Isaac called Jacob and blessed him." And Jacob too began with a calling, "And Jacob called to his sons" (above, verse 1), and concluded with "this is what he spoke." And Moses began to bless in the place where Jacob left off, "And this is the blessing," and concluded with "Happy are you, O Israel; who is like you" (Deuteronomy 33:29). And David opened in the place where Moses left off, as it is said, "Happy" - thus, "From the elders I gain understanding." "I am being gathered to my people" (Genesis 49:29) - he said to them: if you are worthy, you will be joined with me; and if not, when I depart from the world I go gathered to my people. And when he passed away, "his sons did for him as he had commanded them" (Genesis 50:12). "And Jacob finished commanding his sons" (Genesis 49:33) - what did he command them? To carry his bier, three from the east and three from the south and three from the north and three from the west. He said: let none of your sons' sons carry my bier, for among them are some born of the daughters of Canaan, as it is said, "and Saul the son of the Canaanite woman" (Genesis 46:10).

"In my grave which I dug for myself" (Genesis 50:5). Rabbi said: when I went to the coastal cities, they used to call selling (mekhirah) by the word kirah. "And Joseph went up to bury his father" (Genesis 50:7). Joseph merited to bury his father, and none among his brothers was greater than he, as it is said, "And Joseph went up to bury his father." And who is greater for us than Joseph, with whom none busied himself but Moses? Why is it different at first, where it is written "And Joseph went up," and then "and all the house of Joseph and his brothers and his father's house," and different at the end, where it is written "And Joseph returned to Egypt, he and his brothers and all who went up with him"? Rabbi Yochanan said: at first, before they saw the honor of Israel, they did not treat them with honor; but at the end, when they saw the honor of Israel, they treated them with honor, as it is said, "And they came to the threshing floor of Atad" (verse 10). And is there a threshing floor for thornbushes (atad)? Rabbi Abbahu said: this teaches that they surrounded Jacob's coffin with crowns like a threshing floor surrounded by a hedge of thorns, for the sons of Ishmael and the sons of Esau and the sons of Keturah came for war. And when they saw Joseph's crown hung upon Jacob's coffin, they all took their crowns and hung them upon Jacob's coffin. It was taught: thirty-six crowns were hung upon Jacob's coffin. "And they mourned there a great and very grievous mourning" - both these and those. Rabbi Eliezer says: they loosened the girdles of their loins and gave honor to Jacob. Rabbi Shmuel said: they untied the knots of their shoulders. And the Rabbis said: with a finger they pointed to his coffin and said, "This is a grievous mourning for Egypt." Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them a threshing floor. "And he made for his father a mourning of seven days." And from where do we know that mourning is seven days? As it is written, "And from the entrance of the tent of meeting you shall not go out for seven days" (Leviticus 8:33). And why seven days? Corresponding to the seven days of feasting. "In equal measure as it comes, so shall it go" - he said to them: in this world you grieved with the righteous one and made for him a mourning of seven days; in the world to come I will turn that mourning into joy, as it is said, "And I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow" (Jeremiah 31:12).

When they reached the Cave of Machpelah, Esau came and held them up. He said: Mamre, Kiriath Arba (the city of four), there are four couples - Adam and Eve, Abraham and Sarah, Isaac and Rebekah. He buried Leah in his own place; this one that remains is mine. They said to him: you sold it. He said to them: granted that I sold my birthright, did I sell my ordinary portion? They said: yes, for it is written, "in my grave which I dug (karithi) for myself" - and kirah means nothing but selling. He said to them: give me the deed. They said to him: the deed is in the land of Egypt. And who shall go? Let Naphtali go, for he is swift, as it is written, "Naphtali is a hind let loose, who gives goodly words (imrei shafer)" (Genesis 49:21). Do not read imrei shafer but imrei sefer [words of the document]. Chushim the son of Dan was there, and his ears were heavy [he was hard of hearing]. He said to them: what is this? They said to him: this one is holding us up until Naphtali comes from the land of Egypt. He said: until the deed comes from Egypt shall my grandfather lie in disgrace? He took a club and struck him on his head; his eyes fell out and dropped at Jacob's feet. Jacob opened his eyes and smiled. This is what is written, "The righteous shall rejoice when he sees the vengeance; he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked" (Psalms 58:11). At that hour the prophecy of Rebekah was fulfilled, as it is written, "Why should I be bereaved of you both in one day?" (Genesis 27:45). Some say Judah killed Esau. When? At the time our father Isaac died, and Jacob and Esau and all the tribes went to bury him, as it is written, "And Esau and Jacob his sons buried him." They were all standing in the cave weeping, and the tribes stood giving honor to Jacob. They went outside the cave so that Jacob would not weep and be shamed before them. Esau began to enter the cave. Judah looked and saw that Esau had entered after him. He said: perhaps he means to kill my father inside. He entered and found Esau seeking to kill his father. Immediately he rose and killed him from behind. This is why his father blessed him, "Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies" (Genesis 49:8). And why did he not kill him to his face? Because his features resembled his own; therefore he gave him honor and killed him from behind. And why did he bless him at the neck? How much did Joshua struggle before the Holy One, blessed be He, that He give him the neck, and He did not give it. From where do we know? For so he says, "Oh Lord, what shall I say, after Israel has turned their backs (neck) before their enemies" (Joshua 7:8). Even so it availed him nothing. And to whom did He give the neck? To the tribe of Judah, as it is said, "Your hand shall be on the neck of your enemies." And so David says, "You have given me the necks of my enemies" (2 Samuel 22:41). David said: it is my boot, as it is said, "And this for Judah" (Deuteronomy 33:7). From whom do you learn it? From Goliath, as it is said, "And the stone sank into his forehead and he fell upon his face" - it should have said he fell backward, but the angel pushed him onto his face, to fulfill what is said, "You have given me the necks of my enemies." And had not Joseph his brother busied himself with him, would the others not have busied themselves with him? Is it not written, "And his sons carried him to the land of Canaan"? They said: leave his honor to be done by kings rather than by commoners. "And his sons did for him" (it is written in hint 685).

"And Joseph's brothers saw that their father was dead" (Genesis 50:15). What did they see? All the days that Jacob was alive, he would dine with them, and they would eat at his table. But once Jacob died, they did not eat at his table. They said: there is evil hidden in Joseph's heart, and he will surely repay us, and so on. "And they sent word to Joseph" (Genesis 50:16). To whom did they send word? To Bilhah. "Please, forgive" (verse 17). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: you spoke with the word "please" (ana); in the future the High Priest will enter the Holy of Holies and plead in defense of your children with this very word, "Please, O Name (ana ha-Shem)." "And now please forgive the transgression of the servants of the God of your father" - his God is living. "And Joseph wept" - because they had suspected him.

"So shall you say to Joseph" (Genesis 50:17). Rabbi Yose bar Hanina said: whoever seeks pardon from his fellow should not ask of him more than three times, as it is said, "So shall you say to Joseph, Please forgive," and so on. Rabbi Ila'i said: it is permitted to alter the truth for the sake of peace, as it is said, "So shall you say to Joseph, Please forgive." Rabbi Nathan says: it is a commandment, as it is said, "And Samuel said, How shall I go? If Saul hears it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take a heifer with you and say, I have come to sacrifice to the LORD" (1 Samuel 16:2). The school of Rabbi Ishmael taught: great is peace, for even the Holy One, blessed be He, altered the truth for it, for it is written, "And my lord is old" (Genesis 18:12), and at the end it is written, "and I am old" (Genesis 18:13). "And he comforted them and spoke to their hearts" (Genesis 50:21). This teaches that he spoke to them words that are acceptable to the heart: if ten candles could not put out one candle, how can one candle put out ten candles? "And he spoke to their hearts." Rabbi Simlai said: he said to them, you are the head and I am the body; if the head goes, what good is the body? Another interpretation: he said to them, you are likened to the dust of the earth and the sand of the seas and the stars of heaven; behold, if I go and wage war with them, if I could prevail over them, then I could prevail over you, and if I could not prevail over them, I cannot prevail over you. Another interpretation: he said to them, what shall I do? My father's opponent - my father begets and I bury. Another interpretation: he said to them, what shall I do? The opponent of the Holy One, blessed be He - the Holy One, blessed be He, blesses, and I would diminish. Another interpretation: he said to them, you are the custom of the order of the world: twelve hours in the day, twelve hours in the night, twelve months, twelve constellations, twelve tribes; can I nullify the custom of the order of the world? Another interpretation: he said to them, before you came down here the Egyptians treated me as a slave; once you came down here you made known my noble birth; and if I kill you, the Egyptians will say a band of young men he saw and said these are my brothers, but in the end he rose against them and killed them. Another interpretation: he said to them, if I kill you now the Egyptians will say, with his brothers he does not keep faith, how much more so with us. Therefore, "And he comforted them and spoke to their hearts." And is this not an argument from the lesser to the greater? If Joseph, who spoke to the hearts of his brothers good words and comforting words, comforted them, then when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to comfort Jerusalem, as it is written, "Speak to the heart of Jerusalem" (Isaiah 40:2), how much more so. Thus, "Comfort, comfort My people" (Isaiah 40:1), and it is written, "For the LORD has comforted Zion, He has comforted all her waste places, and He has made her wilderness like Eden and her desert like the garden of the LORD; joy and gladness shall be found in her, thanksgiving and the voice of melody" (Isaiah 51:3).

The portion of Shemot. "And these are the names of the children of Israel" (Exodus 1:1). This is what Scripture says: "As is Your name, O God, so is Your praise" (Psalms 48:11). A king of flesh and blood enters a province, and they praise him as a mighty warrior, but he is only weak. They praise him as merciful, but he is only cruel. They praise him as humble, but he is only ugly. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. Rather, all that they praise of Him, He is more than His praise. They praise Him that He is mighty, and He is mighty, as it is said, "the great, mighty God." See what is written, "fearful in praises" (Exodus 15:11) - He is feared above all His praise. And so David said, "Yours, O LORD, is the greatness," and so on; "Your name is exalted above all, as head, and the greatness with which we praise You" (1 Chronicles 29:11). See, the men of the Great Assembly praise Him, "Your name is exalted above all blessing and praise" (Nehemiah 9:5). Thus, "As is Your name, so is Your praise." But human beings are not so: there are those whose names are pleasant and whose deeds are ugly, and so on (as written in hint 126). Whose names are pleasant and whose deeds are pleasant - these are the tribes, Reuben, Simeon. "He counts the number of the stars" (Psalms 147:4) - these are the tribes. Just as the stars, when they come out, come out by names, as it is said, "He brings out their host by number" (Isaiah 40:26), and enter by number, as it is said, "He calls them all by names" - so too the tribes: when they entered Egypt it is written, "With seventy souls your fathers went down" (Deuteronomy 10:22), and when they came out they came out with six hundred thousand. "And these are the names" - wherever it says "these" it disqualifies what came before, and "and these" adds to what came before. "And these are the names of the children of Israel who came (ha-ba'im)" - and did they come on this very day? Had they not already been there many days? And why does it say "who came"? Rather, all the days that Joseph was alive, the burden of Egypt was not upon them, but once Joseph died the burden of Egypt was placed upon them; therefore "who came," as if on that very day they were entering. "With Jacob" - from where do they come? From the strength of Jacob.

Another interpretation: "And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt, Jacob and his sons" (Exodus 1:1). "Each man and his household" (Exodus 1:1) teaches that Jacob did not go down to Egypt until there were eight in the line of Perez, and Hezron and Hamul were among them, this one a year old and that one two years old, and he matched them with wives. "Each man and his household" they came.

Another interpretation: "And these are the names of the sons of Israel who came into Egypt" (Exodus 1:1). But were not Ishmael and Isaac brothers, and Esau and Jacob brothers? Why then did neither Ishmael nor Esau go down? Rabbi Eleazar said: To what may the matter be compared? To one who borrowed from the king. After some days the borrower died and left two sons. The king found one of them serving before him, and the other had fled. He said to the one serving before him, "From you I will collect the whole debt that your father owed me." He said before him, "Because I served before you I have lost out." He said to him, "By your life, I will give you a great reward. When that other one is caught, I will hand him over to you as a slave." So too in the time to come, "And they shall possess the South, the mountain of Esau" (Obadiah 1:19). And further, "And you shall serve your brother" (Genesis 27:40). Not only did he not serve him, but he made him serve through every kind of trouble, and "as he has done, so shall it be done to him" (Leviticus 24:19).

"Reuben, Simeon, Levi, and Judah" (Exodus 1:2-4). Why does Scripture count them in several places? A parable of a king who built a fortress and it fell, and he built it again and it fell, and he set up several pillars and it stood, and the king rejoiced over it because his building stood and was praised. So Abraham raised up Ishmael and the sons of Keturah, Isaac raised up Esau and his chiefs, and when Jacob came and raised up twelve tribes who all endured as righteous men, He rejoiced in them and mentions them. All the tribes were named for their redemption. Reuben, as it is said, "And the LORD said, I have surely seen [ra'oh ra'iti]" (Exodus 3:7). Simeon, "And God heard [vayishma] their groaning" (Exodus 2:24). Levi, "And many nations shall be joined [venilvu] to the LORD" (Zechariah 2:15). Judah, "And you shall say on that day, I thank [odekha] the LORD" (Isaiah 12:1). Benjamin, "The LORD has sworn by His right hand [bimino]" (Isaiah 62:8). Dan, "And also the nation whom they shall serve will I judge [dan]" (Genesis 15:14). Naphtali, "Your lips drop honey [nofet], O bride" (Song of Songs 4:11). Gad, for the manna, "And the manna was like coriander seed [zera gad]" (Exodus 16:31). Asher, for the redemption, "And all the nations shall call you happy [ve'ishru]" (Malachi 3:12). Joseph, "And it shall be on that day that the LORD shall set His hand again [yosif]" (Isaiah 11:11). Issachar, "There is reward [yesh sakhar] for your work, says the LORD" (Jeremiah 31:15). Zebulun, "I have surely built You a house to dwell in [beit zevul]" (1 Kings 8:13). Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Why does Scripture sometimes put this one before that one and that one before this one? So that the sons of the mistresses should not be placed first and the sons of the handmaids after them, so that these should not be considered greater than those.

Another interpretation: because they are the roofing of the world. One who roofs properly places the thick end of this beam beside the head of another. And how do we know that they are the roofing of the world? As it is said, "Listen to Me, Jacob, and Israel My called one [mekorai]" (Isaiah 48:12).

"And the total of the persons that came out of the loins of Jacob was seventy persons" (Exodus 1:5), and of Esau it is written "all the persons of his household" (Genesis 36:6). "And Joseph was in Egypt" (Exodus 1:5), he saw a new world (written in remez 49). "And Joseph died, and all his brothers" (Exodus 1:6). You have no one shorter of days among the tribes than Joseph, and none among the tribes who lived longer than Levi. For as long as Levi was alive, Israel was not enslaved in Egypt, as it is said, "And Joseph died, and all his brothers, and all that generation, and the children of Israel were fruitful" (Exodus 1:6-7). It is found that from the death of Levi until Israel left Egypt was one hundred and sixteen years, and there were not more years of bondage than this, nor fewer than eighty-six, like the years of Miriam, who was named for the bitterness [maror]. Rav Judah said in the name of Rav: three things shorten a person's days (written in remez 66). "And Joseph died, and all his brothers." Reuben was born on the fourteenth of Kislev and died at one hundred and thirty-five years. Simeon was born on the twenty-eighth of Tevet and died at one hundred and twenty years. Levi was born on the sixteenth of Nisan and died at one hundred and thirty-seven years. Judah was born on the fifteenth of Sivan and died at one hundred and nineteen years. Dan, on the ninth of Elul, died at one hundred and twenty-five years. Naphtali was born on the fifth of Tishrei and died at one hundred and thirty-three years. Gad, on the tenth of Marheshvan, died at one hundred and twenty-five years. Asher, on the twentieth of Shevat, died at one hundred and twenty-three years. Issachar was born on the tenth of Av and died at one hundred and twenty-two years. Zebulun, on the seventh of Tishrei, died at one hundred and ten years. Benjamin was born on the eleventh of Marheshvan and died at one hundred and fifteen years. In Iyar and Shevat none were born. There remained Ephraim and Manasseh.

"And the children of Israel were fruitful and swarmed" (Exodus 1:7). Two Amoraim. One said: if you compare them to the largest of the swarming creatures, this mouse gives birth to six. And if you compare them to the smallest of the swarming creatures, this scorpion gives birth to sixty. "And Joseph died, and all his brothers" (Exodus 1:6), even though they died, their God did not die; this is what is written, "And the children of Israel were fruitful and swarmed." Rabbi Hiyya said: each and every woman of Israel would give birth to six in a single womb, as it is said, "and the land was filled with them" (Exodus 1:7). Rabbi Yohanan said: they filled Egypt.

Another interpretation: that the theaters and circuses were filled with them. Immediately they decreed against them that they should keep apart from them. "And there arose a new king over Egypt" (Exodus 1:8). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Was he really a new king? Rather, he made new against them decrees of calamity. Another interpretation: he was the same Pharaoh as before, except that they said to him, "Come, let us scheme against this nation." He said to them, "Until now we have lived off what is theirs, and shall we scheme against them? Were it not for Joseph, those men would have no hands." Immediately they brought him down from his throne for three months, and when he saw this he said to them, "Whatever you say, I will obey you," therefore "there arose a new king." The prophet said, "They have dealt treacherously against the LORD, for they have begotten strange children" (Hosea 5:7), for they would bear children and not circumcise them. "Now shall the new moon [chodesh] devour them," "new" is written, "there arose a new [chadash] king." "Who did not know Joseph" (Exodus 1:8), he did not recognize Joseph. To what is the matter compared? To one who stoned the statue of a duke. The king said, "Take him and cut off his head. Today he did this to that one, tomorrow he will do the like to me." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: now "he did not know Joseph," tomorrow he will say "I do not know the LORD" (Exodus 5:2).

"And there arose a new king" (Exodus 1:8). Rav and Samuel. One said: literally new, as it is written "new." And one said: that his decrees were renewed, since it does not write "and he died and another reigned." And what is "did not know"? That he made himself like one who did not know Joseph at all. "And he said to his people" (Exodus 1:9), he began with the scheme first, therefore he was struck first, as it is written, "upon you and upon your people and upon all your servants the frogs shall come up" (Exodus 7:29). "And he said to his people" (written below in remez 166). "Behold, the people of the children of Israel are more numerous and mighty than we" (Exodus 1:9). From where are they fruitful and multiply? From Him, as it is said, "O Lord, from the fountain of Israel" (Psalms 68:27). "Come, let us deal wisely with him" (Exodus 1:10), he blasphemed against Heaven above. "Lest they multiply, and it come to pass that when war is called, they too are added to our enemies and go up from the land" (Exodus 1:10). As long as Israel is in the lowest descent, they rise. And so David said, "For our soul is bowed down to the dust" (Psalms 44:26), and at that hour, "Arise for our help, and redeem us for the sake of Your lovingkindness" (Psalms 44:27).

"Come, let us deal wisely with him" (Exodus 1:10). It should have said "with them." Rather, this is what Pharaoh said: Come, let us deal cunningly against the Savior of Israel. By what means shall we punish them? Let us punish them with fire, as it is written, "Behold, the LORD will come in fire" (Isaiah 66:15). Let us punish them with the sword, as it is written, "and by His sword against all flesh" (Isaiah 66:16). Come, let us punish them with water, for the Holy One, blessed be He, has already sworn that He will not bring a flood upon the world, as it is said, "For this is to Me like the waters of Noah" (Isaiah 54:9). But they did not know this: that He does not bring a flood upon the whole world, yet upon a single nation He does bring one. Or alternatively: He Himself does not bring it, but they come and fall into it. And so it says, "and the Egyptians were fleeing toward it" (Exodus 14:27). This is what Rabbi Elazar said: "For in the very matter in which they plotted against them" (Exodus 18:11) [means]: in the very pot in which they cooked, they themselves were cooked. Three were in that counsel: Balaam, who advised it, was slain; Job, who kept silent, was sentenced to sufferings; Jethro, who fled, merited that his descendants sat in the Chamber of Hewn Stone. "And go up out of the land" (Exodus 1:10). It should have said "and we will go up." He was like a man who curses himself yet hangs his curse upon others.

"And they set over him taskmasters" (Exodus 1:11). It should have said "over them." This teaches that they brought a brick-mold and hung it upon Pharaoh's neck, and to every Israelite who said, "I am delicate," they said to him, "Are you more delicate than Pharaoh?" "And they set over him taskmasters" [meaning] a thing that sets bricks upon him, "to afflict him" [to afflict] Pharaoh "with their burdens" the burdens of Israel. "And he built storage cities (arei miskenot)": Rav and Shmuel [differ]. One said they endanger (mesakkenot) their owners; the other said they impoverish (memaskenot) their owners, for the Master said: whoever occupies himself with building becomes impoverished. "Pithom and Raamses": one said Pithom was its name, and why was it called Raamses? Because the first part kept crumbling away (mitrosses). The other said Raamses was its name, and why was it called Pithom? Because the first part the mouth of the deep (pi tehom) swallowed it. "But the more they afflicted him, so he multiplied and so he spread out" (Exodus 1:12) it should have said "so they multiplied and so they spread out." Rabbi Reish Lakish said: the Holy Spirit was announcing to them, "So shall he multiply and so shall he spread out." "And they were disgusted because of the children of Israel": this teaches that they were like thorns in their eyes.

"So the Egyptians enslaved the children of Israel with back breaking labor [b'farech]" (Ex. 1:13). R. Elazar says, "B'pe rach—with a soft mouth." R. Shmuel says, "B'frichah—With rigor." "And they embittered their lives with hard work[, with clay and with bricks and with all kinds of labor in the fields...]" (Ex. 1:14). Rava said, "At first with mortar and bricks, and ultimately with all field work." "[...] all their work that they worked with them with was back breaking labor." To the one who says b'frichah—for they exchanged the work of the men with that of women, and the work of the women with that of men. To the one who says there b'pe rach—certainly that was [also] with rigor. At the time that he said (Ex. 1:10), "Get ready, let us be clever with it," Pharaoh gathered all Israel and said to them, "Please, let some of you work with me today for wages," which is as written, "b'farech—b'pe rach, with a soft mouth." He took a sack and a rake, and whoever saw Pharaoh taking a sack and a rake and working with bricks, would do [likewise]. Right away Israel went with alacrity and worked at the craft all day according to their strength (for they were strong and mighty). When it got dark, overseers were set over them, and they said to them, "Count the bricks." They right away stood and counted them, and he said to them, "Make me the same [amount] every day." He appointed Egyptian overseers over Jewish officers. The overseers would come and count the bricks and find a number missing, and the officers were beaten in place of the rest of the people, [for] they would not betray them to the overseers. They said, "Better that we should be beaten than that the rest of the people be hurt." Therefore, when the Omnipresent said (Num. 11:16), "Gather for Me seventy men," Moses said, "Master of the universe, I do not know who is worthy and who is unworthy." He said to him (ibid.), " '[...W]hom you know'–for these are the elders of the people and their officers who gave themselves up to be beaten in their place in Egypt. They should come and take this greatness." From this you may learn that anyone who gives themselves up for Israel merits honor and greatness. "And with all manner of labor in the field" (Ex. 1:14)—For is it possible that they worked in the field and not the city? Rather, they decreed upon them, that the men should lie in the field, and the women in the city, in order to reduce their fertility. The women would warm up heated food for them and bring to their husbands all kinds of food and drink and reassure them, saying, "They did not subjugate us. Ultimately the Holy One blessed be He will redeem us." From this, they had relations and were fruitful and multiplied. What was their reward? They merited the spoils of Egypt and the spoils of the Sea [of Reeds], as it says (Ps. 68:14), "If you lie between the borders—the feathers of a dove covered with silver...." And it is written (Song 4:12), "A locked garden"—these are the women, who were modest like a garden without a breach. "[A] locked up spring" (ibid.)—these are the men, who were laid like springs upon the field.

Rabbi Akiva expounded: By the reward of the righteous women of that generation, Israel was redeemed from Egypt. When they went out to draw water, the Holy One, blessed be He, would arrange for small fish to be inside their jars, and they would draw up half fish and half water. They would come and set two pots on the fire, one of hot water and one of fish, and carry them out to their husbands in the fields. They would wash them and anoint them and feed them and give them drink and join with them between the embankments, as it is said, "Though you lie among the sheepfolds" (Psalms 68:14), and so on. When they conceived, they would return to their homes, and when the time of birth arrived, they would go and give birth in the field under the apple tree, as it is said, "Under the apple tree I awakened you; there your mother was in labor with you" (Song of Songs 8:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, would send from the highest heavens one to clean them and beautify them, like a midwife who tends the newborn, as it is said, "And as for your birth, on the day you were born your navel cord was not cut" (Ezekiel 16:4). And He would gather for them two cakes, one of oil and one of honey, as it is written, "He made him suck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty stone" (Deuteronomy 32:13). When the Egyptians noticed them and came to kill them, a miracle was performed for them and they were swallowed into the ground, and the Egyptians brought oxen and plowed over them, as it is said, "The plowers plowed upon my back; they made long their furrows" (Psalms 129:3). After the Egyptians left, the children would sprout up and emerge like the grass of the field, as it is said, "I caused you to multiply like the growth of the field" (Ezekiel 16:7). When they grew, they came in flocks upon flocks to their homes, as it is said, "And you increased and grew and came with finest ornaments [ba'adi adayim]" (Ezekiel 16:7). Do not read "with finest ornaments" but "in flocks upon flocks [be'eder adarim]." And when the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself at the sea, they recognized Him first, as it is said, "This is my God, and I will glorify Him" (Exodus 15:2).

(Exodus 1:15) In the hundred and thirtieth year after Israel went down to Egypt, Pharaoh was dreaming, and behold, he was sitting upon the throne of his kingdom. He lifted up his eyes and saw an old man standing opposite him, and in his hand was a balance like the balances of merchants. The old man took the balance and hung it before Pharaoh. He took all the elders of Egypt, its officers and its great ones, and bound them and placed them together in one pan of the balance. After that he took one suckling lamb and placed it in the second pan of the balance, and the lamb outweighed them all. Pharaoh was astonished at that terrible vision: why should the lamb outweigh them all? Pharaoh awoke, and behold, it was a dream. He rose early in the morning and called all his servants and told them the dream, and the men feared a great fear. One eunuch of the king's eunuchs answered: This is nothing other than a great evil that will sprout for Egypt in the latter days, for a child will be born in Israel who will destroy all the land of Egypt. If it pleases the king, let a royal decree go forth from before him and be written in the laws of Egypt, that every male born among the Hebrews shall be killed, so that this evil may cease from the land of Egypt. And the king did so.

(Exodus 1:15) "And the king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, the name of one being Shiphrah and the name of the second Puah." Rav and Shmuel: one said, a woman and her daughter, Jochebed and Miriam; and one said, a daughter-in-law and her mother-in-law, Jochebed and Elisheba. It was taught in accordance with the one who said a woman and her daughter. Shiphrah, this is Jochebed; and why was her name called Shiphrah? Because she would beautify [meshaperet] the newborn.

Another interpretation: [Shiphrah is so called] because Israel was fruitful and multiplied [paru ve-ravu] in her days. Puah, this is Miriam; and why was her name called Puah? Because she would coo [po'ah] to the newborn.