Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

Another interpretation of "He is highly exalted": He was exalted and is destined to be exalted, as it is said, "for the day of the LORD of hosts shall be upon all that is proud and lofty, and upon all the cedars of Lebanon, and upon all the high mountains, and upon every lofty tower, and upon all the ships of Tarshish." And it says, "and the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low" (Isaiah 2:17). And it says, "and the idols shall utterly pass away" (Isaiah 2:18).

Another interpretation of "He is highly exalted": He exalts Himself over all the proud, for by the very thing in which the nations exalt themselves before Him, He exacts punishment from them. So He says of the generation of the Flood, "his bull breeds and does not fail; they send forth their little ones like a flock; they take up the timbrel and the lyre" (Job 21:10-12). And what is said there? "They say to God, Depart from us; what is the Almighty that we should serve Him?" They said: It is not a drop of rain that we need; rather, "a mist went up from the earth" (Genesis 2:6). The Holy One said to them: Fools of the world, with the good that I bestowed upon you, you exalt yourselves; with it I exact punishment from you, as it is said, "and the rain was upon the earth." And so you find with the men of the Tower, that by what they exalted themselves He punished them, as it is said, "come, let us build a city and a tower with its top in the heavens, and let us make a name, lest we be scattered" (Genesis 11:4); after it is written, "and the LORD scattered them from there." And so you find with the men of Sodom, who said: We have no need that a man should come to us, for food comes forth from our place and silver and gold and precious stones; come, let us cause the wayfarer to be forgotten from among us. The Holy One said to them: Fools, with the good I bestowed you exalt yourselves and say, let us cause the wayfarer to be forgotten; I too will cause you to be forgotten from the world. And so you find with Egypt, that by what they exalted themselves they fell, as it is said, "and he took six hundred chosen chariots" (Exodus 14:7), and after it, "the chariots of Pharaoh and his host." And so with Sisera and Samson and Absalom and Sennacherib and Nebuchadnezzar and Tyre, in each case the very thing they boasted in became the means of their downfall. Rabbi Chama bar Chanina said: At the hour Israel went out of Egypt, the prince of Egypt stood and prostrated himself before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said: Master of the universe, with the attribute of mercy You created Your world, yet You exalt Yourself in strength. At once the Holy One called all the princes of the nations and laid out before them all that had befallen, saying: Judge now between Me and this one. At first My children went down to Egypt only to sojourn, as it is said, "they said to Pharaoh, to sojourn in the land we have come" (Genesis 47:4); Pharaoh stood and subdued them as slaves, first making them shepherds, then builders, in order to diminish them from being fruitful, and then he decreed, "every son that is born," and said, "if it be a son, then you shall kill him" (Exodus 1:16). He said before Him: Master of the universe, the judgment is with You and the truth is with You; only, if it is Your will, save Israel and do not destroy Egypt. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: When Michael saw that the princes of the nations were arguing in defense of Egypt, he signaled to Gabriel, who flew to Egypt in a single flight and snatched a brick with its mortar and a single infant whom they had embedded in the building, and stood before the Holy One and said: Master of the universe, with such matters Your children were enslaved. When the attribute of justice saw this, it said: Execute judgment for Your children in Egypt, for most of them are guilty. At once Egypt was drowned, as it is said, "You trod the sea with Your horses, the churning of mighty waters" - that very mortar which Gabriel brought caused Egypt to be drowned.

Resh Lakish said: What is the meaning of the verse, "I will sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously" (Exodus 15:1)? Sing to the One who exalts Himself over the proud. There are four proud creatures in the world: the lion among the beasts, the ox among the cattle, and the eagle among the birds, and the human being is proud over all of them. The Holy One, blessed be He, took them and fixed them in the Throne of Glory, for He exalts Himself over the proud.

"The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea" (Exodus 15:1). Was there only one horse, that it says "the horse and its rider"? Rather, they were all of no more account before the Holy One, blessed be He, than a single one. Another interpretation of "the horse and its rider": the Holy One, blessed be He, bound them one to another so that Israel would enjoy the plunder. Why? When Israel went out of Egypt and the Egyptians went out to pursue them, Pharaoh said to them, "I know that they have taken your silver and your gold, but pay no attention to the plunder." What did he do? He opened to them the treasuries of Joseph and said to them, "Take for yourselves silver and gold," and they took it and adorned their horses with it, as it is said, "all the horses and chariots of Pharaoh" (Exodus 14:9). Therefore they were bound one to another so that Israel would enjoy the plunder. And in the world to come, all that the nations of the world amass will belong to Israel, as it is said, "And her merchandise and her wages [will be holy to the LORD]" (Isaiah 23:18).

Another interpretation: Is it only one horse and one rider? Has it not already been said, "He took six hundred chariots" (Exodus 14:7), "the chariots of Pharaoh and his army" (Exodus 15:4)? Rather, when Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, their enemies before them are no more than a single horse and its rider. Similarly you say, "When you go out to war against your enemy and see horse and chariot" (Deuteronomy 20:1). Is it only one horse and one chariot? Has it not already been said, "a people more numerous than you"? Rather, when Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, and so forth. "The horse and its rider": this tells that the horse was bound to the chariot and the chariot bound to the horse, and they would rise to the heights and descend to the depths, and they were not separated one from the other. A parable: a person throws two vessels into the air; in the end one of them is bound to part from its fellow. But here, "He cast and He shot" (cf. Exodus 15:4): "cast," for they were rising to the heights; "shot," for they were descending to the depths, and they were not separated one from the other. One verse says "cast" and another verse says "shot." How can these two verses be reconciled? "Cast," for they were rising upward; "shot," for they were going downward.

Another interpretation of "He cast": when Israel saw the heavenly prince of the kingdom of Egypt falling, they began to give praise; therefore it says "He cast." And so you find that the Omnipresent is not destined to exact punishment from the kingdoms in the time to come until He first exacts punishment from their heavenly princes, as it is said, "And it will be on that day that the LORD will punish the host of the height on high" (Isaiah 24:21), and afterward "the kings of the earth." And it says, "How are you fallen from heaven, O shining one, son of dawn" (Isaiah 14:12), and afterward "you are cut down to the earth, who laid low the nations." And it says, "For My sword is sated in heaven" (Isaiah 34:5), and afterward "it shall come down upon Edom." "The horse and its rider He has thrown into the sea." In the time to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring the horse and its rider and stand them in judgment. He will say to the horse, "Why did you run after My children?" And it will say, "The Egyptian forced me to run against my will," as it is said, "For Pharaoh's horse came" (Exodus 15:19). Antoninus asked Rabbi: When a person dies and the body decays, and the Holy One, blessed be He, stands him in judgment, [how can he be judged]? He said to him: Before you ask me about the body, which is impure, ask me about the soul, which is pure. A parable: to what is the matter like? To a king of flesh and blood who had a fine orchard and seated guards in it, one lame and one blind, and so forth. Rabbi Yose ben Azzai says: "horse" is stated here without elaboration, and "horse" is stated elsewhere with elaboration, as it is said, "On that day, says the LORD, I will strike every horse with confusion and its rider with madness" (Zechariah 12:4), and it says, "And this shall be the plague" (Zechariah 14:12), and it says, "And so shall be the plague of the horse" (Zechariah 14:15). The elaborated case comes to teach about the unelaborated: just as the elaborated one involves fifty plagues, so too the unelaborated involves fifty plagues.

"The LORD is my strength and song" (Exodus 15:2). "My strength" means none other than Torah, as it is said, "The LORD will give strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11), and it says, "and the king's strength loves justice" (cf. Psalms 99:4).

Another interpretation: "My strength" means none other than kingship, as it is said, "O LORD, the king rejoices in Your strength" (Psalms 21:2), and it says, "The LORD will give strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11), and it says, "and He will give strength to His king" (1 Samuel 2:10).

Another interpretation: "My strength" means none other than might, as it is said, "O LORD, my strength and my stronghold, my refuge in the day of trouble" (Jeremiah 16:19), and it says, "my strength and my shield; in Him my heart trusted" (Psalms 28:7).

Another interpretation: You are a helper and a support to all who come into the world, but to me especially. You made me a thing spoken of, as it is said, "and the LORD has affirmed you this day" (Deuteronomy 26:18), and I too made Him a thing spoken of, as it is written, "You have affirmed the LORD this day" (Deuteronomy 26:17). Now all the nations have praised the One who spoke and the world came into being, but mine is pleasing before Him, as it is said, "the pleasant one of the songs of Israel" (2 Samuel 23:1). Israel says, "Hear, O Israel, the LORD is our God" (Deuteronomy 6:4), and the Holy Spirit cries out from heaven and says, "And who is like Your people Israel, one nation in the land" (1 Chronicles 17:21). Israel says, "Who is like You among the mighty, O LORD" (Exodus 15:11), and the Holy Spirit cries out from heaven and says, "Happy are you, O Israel, who is like you" (Deuteronomy 33:29). Israel says, "like the LORD our God whenever we call upon Him" (Deuteronomy 4:7), and the Holy Spirit cries out and says, "For what great nation is there that has a god so near to it" (Deuteronomy 4:7). Israel says, "For You are the glory of their strength" (Psalms 89:18), and the Holy Spirit cries out and says, "Israel, in whom I will be glorified" (Isaiah 49:3).

Another interpretation of "My strength and song is the LORD" (Exodus 15:2): To what may the matter be compared? To a king who had a single pearl. His son came and said to him, "Give it to me." He said to him, "It is not yours." The son pressed him hard, and he gave it to him. So too Israel: they sang the song, "My strength and song," and they were asking the Holy One, blessed be He, to give them the Torah. He said to them, "It is not yours; it belongs to the celestial beings." Once they pressed Him for it, He gave it to them, as it is said, "The LORD will give strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11).

"And He has become my salvation" (Exodus 15:2): He was mine and will be mine in the world to come. "This is my God": Rabbi Eliezer says, From where do you say that a maidservant saw at the sea what Ezekiel and Isaiah did not see? As it is said, "And by the hand of the prophets I gave likenesses" (Hosea 12:11), and it is written, "The heavens opened and I saw" (Ezekiel 1:1). To what may the matter be compared? To a king of flesh and blood who entered a province with a circle of guards around him, his mighty men to his right and left and his troops before and behind, and everyone was asking, "Which one is the king?" because he is flesh and blood like them. But when the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself at the sea, not one of them needed to ask which one was the king; as soon as they saw Him they recognized Him, and they all opened and said, "This is my God, and I will glorify Him." Rabbi Ishmael says: Is it possible for flesh and blood to make himself like his Creator? Rather, I will glorify Him through the commandments: I will make before Him a beautiful lulav, a beautiful sukkah, beautiful fringes, beautiful phylacteries. Abba Shaul says: Be like Him; as He is gracious and merciful, so you too be gracious and merciful. Rabbi Yose says: I will declare His glories and praise before all the nations of the world. Rabbi Yose ben Durmaskit says: I will make before Him the Temple, as it is said, "And they laid waste His habitation" (Psalms 79:7), and it says, "Behold Zion, the city of our appointed seasons" (Isaiah 33:20). Rabbi Akiva says: I will speak of His glories and praises before all the nations of the world. For the nations of the world ask, "What is your beloved more than another beloved" (Song of Songs 5:9), that you die for Him and are slain for Him, as it is said, "Therefore do the maidens love You" (Song of Songs 1:3) [read it: they love You unto death], and it is written, "For Your sake we are killed all the day" (Psalms 44:23); "you are mighty, come, join with us." And Israel says to the nations of the world, "Do you know Him? Let us tell you a fraction of His praise: My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand" (Song of Songs 5:10). When the nations hear the praise of the One who spoke and the world came to be, they say to Israel, "Let us go with you," as it is said, "Where has your beloved gone" (Song of Songs 6:1). And Israel says to the nations, "You have no share in Him; rather, my beloved is mine and I am his" (Song of Songs 6:3). And the Sages say: "Until I come with Him into His Temple." To what may the matter be compared? To a king whose son was in a province overseas; he went out after him. The son went to another province; he went out after him, until he stood over him. So when Israel went down to Egypt, the Divine Presence went down with them, as it is said, "I will go down with you to Egypt" (Genesis 46:4). They went up, and the Divine Presence went up with them, as it is said, "And I will also surely bring you up" (Genesis 46:4). They went down to the sea, the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said, "And the angel of God moved" (Exodus 14:19). They went out to the wilderness, the Divine Presence was with them, as it is said, "And the LORD went before them by day" (Exodus 13:21), until "I come with Him into His Temple." And so it says, "Scarcely had I passed from them" (Song of Songs 3:4). "This is my God": with me He acted with the measure of mercy, and with my fathers He acted with the measure of mercy. And from where that "my God" [Eli] is nothing but the measure of mercy? As it is said, "My God, my God, why have You forsaken me" (Psalms 22:2), and it says, "O God, heal her now, I pray" (Numbers 12:13), and it says, "The LORD is God, and He has given us light" (Psalms 118:27).

"This is my God, and I will glorify Him" (Exodus 15:2): Beautify yourself before Him with the commandments. Make a beautiful sukkah, a beautiful lulav, a beautiful shofar; write a Torah scroll for His sake with fine ink, with a fine quill, by a skilled scribe, and wrap it in beautiful silks. Abba Shaul says: Be like Him; as He is merciful and gracious, so you too be merciful and gracious. Who is the authority for that which the Rabbis taught: It is a commandment to bind the lulav; if one did not bind it, it is still valid. If this follows Rabbi Yehudah, then if one did not bind it, why is it valid? And if it follows the Rabbis, what commandment is there? In truth it follows the Rabbis, and what is the commandment? It is on account of "This is my God, and I will glorify Him." It was taught: If one needed to write the divine Name [Yah] and intended to write "Yehudah" but erred and did not put in the letter dalet, he passes the quill over it and thereby sanctifies it [treating the resulting letters as the Name]; these are the words of Rabbi Yehudah. But the Sages say: This is not a Name from the choicest manner; I require "This is my God, and I will glorify Him," and here it is lacking.

Rabbi Akiva expounded: In the merit of the righteous women of that generation they were redeemed, and so on, until "And He suckled him with honey from the rock" (Deuteronomy 32:13); and they [the children] recognized Him first, "This is my God, and I will glorify Him." Rabbi Yose the Galilean expounded: At the hour when Israel came up from the sea, and so on, as soon as they saw the Divine Presence, the suckling raised its neck and the infant let the breast drop from its mouth, and they said, "This is my God, and I will glorify Him," as it is said, "From the mouth of babes and sucklings" (Psalms 8:3). It was taught: "This is my God, and I will glorify Him": beautify yourself before Him with the commandments; make for yourself a beautiful Torah scroll, and so on. Rabbi Zeira said: The beautifying of a commandment is up to one-third more in the commandment. Rav Ashi inquired: One-third from within, or one-third from without? Let it stand unresolved. In the West they say in the name of Rabbi Zeira: up to one-third at one's own expense; from there onward it is at the expense of the Holy One, blessed be He.

There we learned: These are the things that have no fixed measure: deeds of loving-kindness, and so on. This that was stated [that they have no measure] refers to service with one's body; but with one's money there is a measure. And this accords with what Reish Lakish said: They voted in Usha that a person should set aside a fifth of his property for a commandment. Up to where? Rabbi Gamliel bar Inyana and Rabbi Abba bar Kahana: one said, up to the amount of terumah and the tithe of the tithe; and one said, [as in] "Honor the LORD with your wealth and with the first of all your produce" (Proverbs 3:9), like the first of all your produce. Rabbi Gamliel bar Inyana inquired before Rabbi Mana: If it is a fifth every year, then over five years he loses all of it. He said to him: At the outset it is from the principal; from there onward it is from the profit. Rav Huna said: For commandments, just as for all commandments it is up to one-third; they thought to say, for all commandments up to one-third. Rabbi Avin said: even for a single commandment. Rabbi Chanina in the name of the Rabbis there: a third of the price. How so? A person buys one commandment-object and then sees another, finer one; up to how much do they impose upon him? Up to a third. Rabbi Ishmael taught: "This is my God, and I will glorify Him": beautify yourself before Him with the commandments, and so on.

"My father's God, and I will exalt Him" (Exodus 15:2): I am a queen, daughter of kings; a beloved, daughter of beloved ones; holy, daughter of holy ones; pure, daughter of pure ones. A parable: of a man who went to betroth a woman; sometimes he is ashamed of her, sometimes ashamed of her family, sometimes ashamed of her relatives. But I am not ashamed: a queen, daughter of kings; a beloved, daughter of beloved ones. "My father's God, and I will exalt Him": Rabbi Shimon ben Elazar says, When Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, His name is magnified in the world, as it is said, "And it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites heard" (Joshua 5:1); and so Rahab the harlot said, "For we have heard how the LORD dried up" (Joshua 2:10) "and we heard, and our hearts melted" (Joshua 2:11). But when Israel does not do the will of the Omnipresent, His name is profaned in the world, as it is said, "And when they came to the nations where they came, they profaned My holy name, in that men said of them, These are the people of the LORD, and they are gone forth out of His land. But I had pity for My holy name which they had profaned... Therefore say to the house of Israel, Thus says the Lord GOD: I do not do this for your sake... and I will sanctify My great name" (Ezekiel 36:20-23). "My father's God, and I will exalt Him": Not for the miracles You did for me alone do I speak before You song and praise, but for the miracles You did for me and for my fathers, and that You do for me in every generation: "My father's God, and I will exalt Him."

"The LORD is a man of war, the LORD is His name" (Exodus 15:3): Rabbi Yehudah says, This is a verse rich in many places. It tells that the Holy One, blessed be He, revealed Himself to them with every weapon of war. He revealed Himself as a mighty man girded with a sword, as it is said, "Gird Your sword upon Your thigh, O mighty one" (Psalms 45:4). He revealed Himself as a horseman, as it is said, "And He rode upon a cherub" (Psalms 18:11). He revealed Himself in armor and helmet, as it is said, "And He put on righteousness as a coat of mail" (Isaiah 59:17). He revealed Himself with a spear, as it is said, "At the shining of Your glittering spear" (Habakkuk 3:11), and it is written, "Draw out also the spear" (Psalms 35:3). He revealed Himself with bow and spear and arrows, as it is said, "Your bow is made quite bare" (Habakkuk 3:9), and it is written, "And He sent out His arrows and scattered them" (Psalms 18:15). He revealed Himself with buckler and shield, as it is said, "His truth is a shield and buckler" (Psalms 91:4), and it says, "Take hold of shield and buckler" (Psalms 35:2). Or I might hear that He needs one of these qualities; therefore Scripture says, "the LORD is His name": by His name He wages war, and He needs none of these qualities. And if so, why must Scripture detail each one by itself? Only that if Israel needs them, it teaches you that the Holy One, blessed be He, makes war for them. Woe to the nations of the world: what do they hear with their ears? That the One who spoke and the world came to be is destined to make war upon them. "The LORD is a man of war, the LORD is His name": Why is this said? Because He revealed Himself at the sea as a mighty man waging war, as it is said, "The LORD is a man of war." He revealed Himself at Sinai as an elder full of mercy, as it is said, "And they saw the God of Israel" (Exodus 24:10), and when they were redeemed what does it say, "And like the very heaven for clearness" (Exodus 24:10). And it says, "I beheld till thrones were placed, and one that was ancient of days did sit" (Daniel 7:9), so as not to give the nations of the world an opening to say there are two powers; rather, "The LORD is a man of war, the LORD is His name." He in Egypt is He at the sea; He in the past is He in the future to come; He in this world is He in the world to come, as it is said, "See now that I, even I, am He" (Deuteronomy 32:39). And it is written, "Thus says the LORD, the King of Israel and his Redeemer, the LORD of hosts: I am the first and I am the last" (Isaiah 44:6), "and with the last I am He" (Isaiah 41:4). There is a mighty man in the province who has all the weapons of war upon him, yet he has neither strength nor might nor strategy nor warcraft. But the One who spoke and the world came to be is not so; rather He has strength and might, strategy and warcraft, as it is said, "For the battle is the LORD's" (1 Samuel 17:47), and it is written, "Of David: Blessed be the LORD my rock, who trains my hands for war" (Psalms 144:1). There is a mighty man in the province whose strength is upon him, but a man of forty is not like a man of sixty, and a man of sixty is not like a man of seventy; rather, the more he goes on, the more his strength diminishes. But the One who spoke and the world came to be is not so; rather, "I the LORD do not change" (Malachi 3:6). There is a mighty man in the province who, when jealousy and fury clothe him, strikes even his father, even his kinsman, and goes on in his wrath. But the One who spoke and the world came to be is not so; rather, "The LORD is a man of war," who waged war in Egypt; "the LORD is His name," who has mercy on His creatures, as it is said, "The LORD, the LORD, God, merciful and gracious" (Exodus 34:6). There is a mighty man in the province who, once the arrow leaves his hand, cannot bring it back, for it has already gone forth. But the One who spoke and the world came to be is not so; rather, when Israel does not do the will of the Omnipresent, as it were a decree goes forth from before Him, as it is said, "If I whet My glittering sword" (Deuteronomy 32:41); but if they repent, immediately He brings it back, as it is said, "And My hand takes hold on judgment" (Deuteronomy 32:41). I might hear that He brings it back empty; therefore Scripture says, "I will render vengeance to My adversaries" (Deuteronomy 32:41). Against whom does He bring it back? Against the nations of the world who deny the LORD, as it is said, "And I will recompense them that hate Me" (Deuteronomy 32:41). A king of flesh and blood goes out to war, and the nearby provinces come and ask their needs of him, and he says to them, "He is enraged, he is at war; when he returns and is victorious you may come and ask your needs of him." But the One who spoke and the world came to be is not so; rather, "The LORD is a man of war," who waged war in Egypt; "the LORD is His name," who hears the cry of all who come into the world, as it is said, "O You that hear prayer, to You does all flesh come" (Psalms 65:3). A king of flesh and blood standing in war cannot feed his troops nor provide them lodging. But the One who spoke and the world came to be is not so; rather, "The LORD is a man of war," who waged war in Egypt; "the LORD is His name," who feeds and sustains all His creatures, as it is said, "To Him who divided the Red Sea into parts" (Psalms 136:13), and it is written, "Who gives food to all flesh" (Psalms 136:25). "The LORD is a man of war": Is it possible to say so? Has it not already been said, "Do I not fill heaven and earth, says the LORD" (Jeremiah 23:24), and it is written, "And one called to another and said" (Isaiah 6:3), and it says, "And behold, the glory of the God of Israel" (Ezekiel 43:2)? Then what does Scripture mean by "a man of war"? Because of My love for you and because of My nearness to you, I will sanctify My name through you. "The LORD is His name": by His name He wages war and needs none of all these qualities. And so David says, "You come to me with a sword and a spear" (1 Samuel 17:45), and it is written, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses... they are brought down and fallen" (Psalms 20:8-9); what does it say, "O LORD, save" (Psalms 20:10). And so Asa says, "And Asa cried to the LORD" (2 Chronicles 14:10). The measure of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like the measure of flesh and blood. The measure of flesh and blood: when he goes out to war he goes out with many men, and when he goes out in peace he comes only with few men. But the One who spoke and the world came to be is not so; rather, when He goes out to war He goes out alone, as it is said, "The LORD is a man of war," and so it says, "And the LORD came down in a pillar of cloud and stood at the door of the tent" (Numbers 12:5); and when He comes in peace He comes with thousands and ten thousands, as it is said, "The chariots of God are twice ten thousand" (Psalms 68:18).

"Pharaoh's chariots and his host He has cast into the sea" (Exodus 15:4): By the measure with which a person measures, it is measured out to him. They said, "Who is the LORD that I should hearken to His voice?" (Exodus 5:2), and so You too measured out to them by that same measure; therefore it is said, "He has cast into the sea." One verse says "yarah" [He cast] and one verse says "ramah" [He hurled], and so on.

Another interpretation of "the chariots of Pharaoh" and so on: By the very measure with which they measured, You measured out to them. They had said, "Every son that is born you shall cast into the Nile" (Exodus 1:22) and so on; You too measured out to them by that same measure. Therefore it is said, "the chariots of Pharaoh and his host He has cast into the sea."

Another interpretation: They said, "and he took six hundred chariots" (Exodus 14:7); You too, "the chariots of Pharaoh and his host." They said, "and captains over all of them" (ibid.); You too, "the choicest of his captains were sunk in the Sea of Reeds." They embittered their lives with mortar; You too, by that same measure, did to them, for You made the waters like mortar, and they kept sinking into them. Therefore it is said, "sunk in the Sea of Reeds," and "sinking" refers to nothing but mortar, as it is said, "and Jeremiah sank into the mire" (Jeremiah 38:6), and it says, "I have sunk in deep mire" (Psalms 69:3). Therefore it is said, "sunk in the Sea of Reeds."

"The deeps covered them" (Exodus 15:5). But are there deeps there? Is it not a shallow place? Rather, this teaches that the upper deep and the lower deep rose up, and the waters fought against them with every kind of punishment. Therefore it is said, "the deeps covered them."

Another interpretation: the lower deep rose up over the upper deep and covered the firmament over them, and it darkened the stars over them, and "all the bright lights in the heavens" (Ezekiel 32:8). For what reason? "And I will set darkness upon your land, says the LORD" (ibid.). And so it says, "For the stars of heaven and their constellations shall not give their light" (Isaiah 13:10). For what reason? "The sun is darkened at its going forth, and the moon does not shed its light" (ibid.). And so it says, "And at Tehaphnehes the day is darkened, when I break there the yokes of Egypt, and the pride of her strength ceases in her" (Ezekiel 30:18). For what reason? Because "a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity" (ibid.). And so it says, "And I will punish the world for its evil, and the wicked for their iniquity" (Isaiah 13:11). Jonah went down to one deep, as it is said, "the deep surrounded me" (Jonah 2:6); but they went down to two deeps, as it is said, "the deeps covered them." Jonah went down to one watery depth, as it is said, "You cast me into the depth" (Jonah 2:4); but they went down to two depths, as it is said, "they went down into the depths," and "depth" means nothing but mighty waters, as it is said, "You cast me into the depth," and it is written, "and their pursuers You hurled into the depths like a stone into mighty waters." And are there depths there? Is it not a shallow place? Rather, this teaches that the Great Sea broke into it, and the waters fought against them with every kind of punishment. Therefore it is said, "they went down into the depths." By the measure they measured, He measured out to them. They said, "and you shall look upon the birthstool" (Exodus 1:16), and You too made the waters for them like stones, and the waters kept striking upon the place of the stones. Therefore it is said, "like a stone."

Another interpretation of "like a stone": this was a middling death. The most wicked among them were tossed about like straw; the middling ones like a stone; the cleverest among them "sank like lead in the mighty waters" (Exodus 15:10, verse 10 below). [Plain-sense note: the song describes the Egyptians sinking variously like straw, like a stone, and like lead; the rabbis read these three images as three grades of death matched to three grades of guilt.]

Another interpretation of "like a stone": because they hardened their heart like a stone. But You, Your kindness and Your goodness and Your abundant mercy, and Your right hand which is stretched out to all who come into the world, as it is said, "Your right hand, O LORD, Your right hand, O LORD" twice, "for it was Your right hand and Your arm and the light of Your face, because You favored them." "By Myself I have sworn, righteousness has gone forth from My mouth" (Isaiah 45:23). "Glorious in power": You are lovely and mighty in power, for You granted a respite to the generation of the Flood to repent, and they did not, as it is said, "And the LORD said, My spirit shall not contend with man" and so on (Genesis 6:3); and You did not decree their utter destruction until they had completed their wickedness before You. So too you find with the men of the Tower, to whom You granted a respite, as it is said, "And the LORD said, Behold, they are one people" and so on (Genesis 11:6); and "now" means nothing but repentance, as it is said, "And now, Israel, what does the LORD ask of you" (Deuteronomy 10:12); You did not decree their destruction until they had completed their wickedness before You. So too you find with the men of Sodom, to whom You granted a respite to repent, and they did not, as it is said, "And the LORD said, The outcry of Sodom... I will go down now and see" (Genesis 18:20-21); what is said there? "And the LORD rained upon Sodom" and so on; if they repent there is rain, and if not there is brimstone and fire; and You did not decree against them, and so on. "Your right hand, O LORD": When Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, they make the left hand a right hand, as it is said, "Your right hand, O LORD" twice; and when they do not do the will of the Omnipresent, they make the right hand a left hand, as it is said, "He has drawn back His right hand" (Lamentations 2:3). When Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, there is no sleep before Him, as it is said, "Behold, He who keeps Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps" (Psalms 121:4); and when they do not do His will, there is, as it were, sleep before Him, as it is said, "Then the LORD awoke as one who had slept" (Psalms 78:65). When Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, there is no wrath before Him, as it is said, "Wrath is not in Me" (Isaiah 27:4); and when they do not do His will, there is, as it were, wrath before Him, as it is said, "And the anger of the LORD will be kindled" (Deuteronomy 11:17). When Israel does the will of the Omnipresent, He fights for them, as it is said, "The LORD will fight for you" (Exodus 14:14); and when they do not do His will, He fights against them, as it is said, "He turned to be their enemy, and He fought against them" (Isaiah 63:10); and not only that, but they make the Merciful One cruel, as it is said, "The LORD has become like an enemy" (Lamentations 2:5). "You shatter the enemy": it does not say here "You have shattered the enemy" but "You will shatter the enemy" in the time to come, as it is said, "In indignation You march through the earth" and so on (Habakkuk 3:12). "You shatter the enemy": this is Pharaoh, as it is said, "The enemy said" (Exodus 15:9, verse 9 below).

Another interpretation: this is Esau, as it is said, "Because the enemy said" (Lamentations, cf. the verse). Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa raised a contradiction: it is written, "the Almighty, we cannot find Him out, great in power" (Job 37:23), and it is written, "Your right hand, O LORD, is glorious in power." There is no difficulty: here it speaks of the time of judgment, there of the time of war.

"And in the greatness of Your majesty" and so on (Exodus 15:7). You greatly exalted Yourself against those who rose up against You. And who are they that rose up against You? Those who rose up against Your children. "You overthrow those who rise against us" is not said, but "You overthrow those who rise against You"; Scripture tells that whoever rises up against Israel is as one who rises up against Him who spoke and the world came to be. And so it says, "Forget not the voice of Your adversaries, the tumult of those who rise up against You ascends continually" (Psalms 74:23); "For behold, Your enemies are in an uproar" (Psalms 83:3), for what reason? "Against Your people they take crafty counsel and conspire against Your treasured ones"; "Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD," for what reason? "With perfect hatred I hate them; they have become my enemies." And so it says, "For he who touches you touches the apple of His eye" (Zechariah 2:12). Rabbi Yehuda says: it does not say "the apple of an eye" but "the apple of His eye"; as it were, Scripture speaks of what is above, but Scripture used a euphemism. Likewise you say, "and you say, Behold, what a weariness, and you have sniffed at it" (Malachi 1:13), but Scripture used a euphemism. Likewise, "for the iniquity which he knew, that his sons were blaspheming themselves" (1 Samuel 3:13), but Scripture used a euphemism. Likewise, "Are You not from of old, O LORD my God, my Holy One, we shall not die" (Habakkuk 1:12), but Scripture used a euphemism. And so with the other instances, Scripture used a euphemism. So too here you say, "for whoever touches you" and so on. And whoever helps Israel is as one who helps the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, "Curse Meroz, said the angel of the LORD" and so on (Judges 5:23). You greatly exalted Yourself against those who rose up against You; and who are they that rose against You? Those who rose against Your beloved ones. And what was their nature? "against Chedorlaomer king of Elam" and so on (Genesis 14:9); "and he divided himself against them by night" (Genesis 14:15); "Who raised up one from the east... he gives his sword as dust... he pursues them and passes on safely" (Isaiah 41:2-3); and so it says, "The LORD said to my lord, Sit at My right hand... the LORD will send the rod of Your strength out of Zion... Your people will offer themselves freely in the day of Your power... the LORD has sworn and will not relent" (Psalms 110:1-4). You greatly exalted Yourself against those who rose up against You; and who are they? Those who rose against Your children: Pharaoh and all his host, as it is said, "and he took six hundred chariots," of whom it says, "the chariots of Pharaoh and his host." Sisera and all his chariots, as it is said, "and Sisera summoned all his chariots" (Judges 4:13), of whom it says, "from heaven they fought" and so on. Sennacherib and all his troops, as it is said, "By the hand of your servants you have reproached the LORD, and have said, with my many chariots I have come up... and I have dug and drunk water" (Isaiah 37:24-25), of whom it says, "And the LORD sent an angel who cut off every mighty warrior" and so on (2 Chronicles 32:21). Nebuchadnezzar and all his multitude, as it is said, "And you said in your heart, I will ascend to heaven" and so on (Isaiah 14:13). Nebuchadnezzar said, I will make myself a small cloud and dwell within it, as it is said, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: You wished to separate yourself from human beings; in the end human beings will be separated from you, as it is said, "at the end of twelve months... the king spoke and said... while the word was in the king's mouth... and they shall drive you from men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field... in that very hour the thing was fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar... all this came upon King Nebuchadnezzar" (Daniel 4:26-30). "Belshazzar the king made a great feast... he commanded, while he tasted the wine... they brought the vessels of gold... they drank wine and praised the gods of gold and silver... in that hour the fingers of a hand came forth... then the king's countenance was changed in him" (Daniel 5:1-9). And so it says, "Woe to him who gives his neighbor drink... you are filled with shame instead of glory" (Habakkuk 2:15-16); "in that night Belshazzar was slain." "You overthrew those who rose against You" is not written here, but "You will overthrow those who rise against You" in the time to come, as it is said, "O God, break their teeth in their mouth" (Psalms 58:7), for what reason? "because they do not regard the works of the LORD" and so on (Psalms 28:5); "He will break them down" in this world "and not build them up" in the world to come. "You send forth Your wrath" is not written here, but "You will send forth Your wrath" in the time to come, as it is said, "Pour out Your indignation upon them" and so on (Psalms 69:25), and it says, "Pour out Your wrath upon the nations," for what reason? "because they have devoured Jacob and laid waste his habitation" (Psalms 79:6-7), a peaceful habitation. "It consumes them like stubble," in the time to come, as it is said, "And the house of Jacob shall be a fire" (Obadiah 1:18), and it says, "In that day I will make the chiefs of Judah" and so on. All other wood, when it burns, its sound does not carry, but stubble, when it burns, its sound carries; so the sound of Egypt carried because of the punishment You brought upon them. All other wood, when it burns, has substance, but stubble, when it burns, has no substance, as it is said, "and he took six hundred chariots." I might think there was substance in them; Scripture teaches, "it consumes them like stubble": just as stubble when it burns has no substance, so they had no substance because of the punishment You brought upon them. And so it says, "they lie down together, they shall not rise; they are extinguished, quenched like a wick" (Isaiah 43:17). This teaches that Egypt's dominion was nothing of its own, but it took rule for a moment for the sake of the honor of Israel. And when Scripture compares the kingdoms, it compares them only to cedars, as it is said, "Behold, Assyria was a cedar in Lebanon with fair branches," and it says, "Yet I destroyed the Amorite before them, whose height was like the height of the cedars" (Amos 2:9), and it says, "The tree that you saw, which grew" (Daniel 4:17). But when it compares the Egyptians, it compares them only to stubble, as it is said, "it consumes them like stubble." When it compares the kingdoms, it compares them only to silver and gold, as it is said, "You are the head of gold" (Daniel 2:38); but when it compares Egypt, it compares it only to lead, as it is said, "they sank like lead." When it compares the kingdoms, it compares them only to beasts, as it is said, "and four great beasts" (Daniel 7:3); but when it compares the Egyptians, it compares them only to foxes, as it is said, "Catch us the foxes." Antoninus asked our Rabbi: I wish to go to Alexandria; perhaps one will arise against me and defeat me. He said to him: I do not know; in any case it is written for us that the land of Egypt is unable to raise up either ruler or prince, as it is said, "It shall be the lowliest of kingdoms, neither shall it exalt itself any more above the nations" (Ezekiel 29:15).

"And with the breath of Your nostrils the waters were piled up [ne'ermu]" (Exodus 15:8). With the very measure by which they measured, You measured back to them. They said, "Come, let us deal shrewdly [nit'chakkemah] with him" (Exodus 1:10); so You too placed cunning [armumit] into the waters, and the waters waged war against them with every kind of punishment. Therefore it is said, "And with the breath of Your nostrils the waters were piled up."

Another interpretation: He made them into a kind of heaps. "They stood up like a wall [ned]" (Exodus 15:8). Just as a flask [nod] is bound shut and lets nothing out and takes nothing in, so was the breath of the Egyptians bound up within them. And for Israel, the sea let out for them sweet water from within the salty water, as it is said, "He brought streams [nozlim] out" (compare Psalms 78:16). "Streams" means nothing other than living water, as in the matter that is said, "a fountain of gardens, a well of living waters" (Song of Songs 4:15), and it is written, "Drink water from your own cistern" (Proverbs 5:15).

Another interpretation: "They stood up like a wall [ned]." Just as a flask is bound and stands, letting nothing out and nothing in, so was the breath of Egypt bound up within them, neither giving out nor taking in, fainting from the smell of the waters, as it is said, "He makes the deep boil like a pot" (Job 41:23). And for Israel the sea made every kind of spice, as it is said, "He makes the sea like an ointment-pot," and it says, "Awake, O north wind, and come, O south" (Song of Songs 4:16). "The depths congealed in the heart of the sea" (Exodus 15:8). He made them like a kind of dome. "In the heart of the sea": just as a person's heart is set from the second portion upward, so the sea congealed for them from its second portion upward. The sea had no heart, and a heart was given to it, as it is said, "in the heart of the sea." The oak [terebinth] had no heart, and a heart was given to it, as it is said, "in the heart of the oak" (2 Samuel 18:14). The heavens had no heart, and a heart was given to them, as it is said, "unto the heart of heaven" (Deuteronomy 4:11). Let the sea, which had no heart, come and exact punishment from the Egyptians, who had a heart and enslaved Israel with every kind of cruelty, as it is said, "And the Egyptians made the children of Israel serve with rigor" (Exodus 1:13). Let the oak, which had no heart and was given a heart, come and exact punishment from Absalom, who had a heart and stole three hearts: he stole the heart of his father, the heart of the court, and the heart of the men of Israel, as it is said, "And Absalom stole the heart of the men of Israel" (2 Samuel 15:6). Let the heavens, which had no heart and were given a heart, come and bring down the manna for Israel, who had a heart and busied themselves with the Torah with all their heart and all their soul, as it is said, "And you shall love the LORD your God" (Deuteronomy 6:5). And not the heavens alone rejoice in the redemption of Israel, but also the mountains and the hills, the fruit tree and all cedars, as it is said, "Sing, O heavens, for the LORD has done it" (Isaiah 44:23). For what reason? "For the LORD has redeemed Jacob." "Sing, O heavens, and be glad, O earth, and break forth into singing, O mountains, for the LORD has comforted His people and will have compassion on His afflicted" (Isaiah 49:13).

"The enemy said" (Exodus 15:9). This was the beginning of the passage, and why was it written here? To teach you that there is no strict earlier and later in the Torah. Similarly, "And it came to pass on the eighth day that Moses called Aaron and his sons" (Leviticus 9:1) was the beginning of the passage; why was it written here? Because there is no strict earlier and later in the Torah. Similarly, "In the year that King Uzziah died" (Isaiah 6:1) is the beginning of the passage; why is it written here? Because there is no strict earlier and later. Similarly, "Son of man, stand upon your feet," and some say, "Son of man, put forth a riddle" (Ezekiel 17:2), this was the beginning of the passage. Similarly, "Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem" (Jeremiah 2:2), this was the beginning. Similarly, "I, Koheleth, was king" (Ecclesiastes 1:12), this was the beginning. "The enemy said": this is Pharaoh. And from where did Israel know what Pharaoh had thought concerning them in Egypt? Rather, the Holy Spirit rested upon Israel, and they knew what Pharaoh had thought concerning them in Egypt. When Pharaoh saw that Israel had gone out, he said, It would be enough for us to go and pursue Israel only for the sake of the silver and gold they took from us; that alone is worth it. When part of the people saw that they had lost a little money, they said, We were better off before; let us pursue Israel. When Pharaoh saw this, he said, We are all equal in the plunder, as it is said, "I will divide the spoil." And not only that, but I will open to you storehouses of silver and gold, and distribute to you precious stones and pearls.

Another interpretation: "The enemy said," and he did not know what he was saying, "The arrangements of the heart belong to a person, but from the LORD comes the answer of the tongue" (Proverbs 16:1). It is not written here, "We will pursue, we will overtake, we will divide," but rather, "I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil" [erdof, assig, achallek] which can be read: I am pursued by them, I am seized by them, I distribute to them spoil and my own wealth. It does not say here "You shall fill them," but "My soul shall fill them" [timla'emo], they fill their souls from me. It does not say "My hand shall dispossess them," but "shall dispossess them for them" [torishemo], I bequeath my wealth and my honor to them. In the past you used to plunder them, and I would demand it back from your hand by the laws of the kingdom; but here, "I will draw my sword, my hand shall dispossess them." In the past you wished to force their wives and daughters, and I would demand it from your hand; but here, "I will draw my sword." And some say it is not written "I will give my sword," but "I will draw [arik] my sword," as in the matter that is said, "and they shall draw their swords against the beauty of your wisdom" (Ezekiel 28:7). Because it is said "your heart was haughty," correspondingly the Omnipresent brought him low, and all the nations of the world came upon him. Three factions did Egypt form against Israel at the sea. One said, Let us take their money and not kill them. One said, Let us kill them and not take their money. And one said, Let us kill them and take their money. The one that said, Let us take their money and not kill them, corresponds to "I will divide the spoil." The one that said, Let us kill them and not take their money, corresponds to "My soul shall fill itself with them." The one that said, Let us kill them and take their money, corresponds to "My hand shall dispossess them." Five things did Pharaoh stand and blaspheme within the land of Egypt, as it is said, "The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil," and so on. And corresponding to these five things, the Holy Spirit answered him and said, "You blew with Your wind"; "Your right hand, O LORD, dashes the enemy in pieces"; "And in the greatness of Your majesty"; "You send forth Your wrath."

"You stretched out Your right hand" (Exodus 15:12). A parable: to what is the matter comparable? To a bandit who stood and reviled the palace of a king, saying, If I get hold of the king's son, I will seize him and kill him and impale him and put him to the most severe of deaths. So did wicked Pharaoh stand and revile within the land of Egypt, saying, "The enemy said, I will pursue, I will overtake, I will divide the spoil." And the Holy Spirit mocked him and said to him, "You blew with Your wind," and it says, "You stretched out Your right hand." And so it says, "Why do the nations rage... The kings of the earth set themselves... Let us break their bands... He who sits in the heavens" (Psalms 2:1-4). And it says, "Behold, they belch out with their mouth" (Psalms 59:8), and after it what is written? "But You, O LORD, shall laugh at them" (Psalms 59:9). And so it says, "Sheba and Dedan and the merchants of Tarshish and all its young lions" (Ezekiel 38:13), and it says, "And it shall come to pass in that day, on the day that Gog comes against the land of Israel... the fish of the sea and the birds of the heaven shall shake before Me... and the mountains shall be thrown down and the steep places shall fall" (Ezekiel 38:18-20). Behold, all those thousands and all those myriads sank like lead. Four were called "mighty."

"Who is like You among the gods, O LORD" (Exodus 15:11). When Israel saw that Pharaoh and his host were destroyed in the sea, and the kingdom of Egypt was abolished, and judgments were executed upon their gods, they all opened their mouths and said, "Who is like You," and so on. And not Israel alone said the song, but also the nations of the world: when they heard that he was destroyed and so on, they all renounced their gods and said, "Who is like You," and so on. You find that the nations of the world are destined to renounce their gods, as it is said, "O LORD, my strength and my stronghold and my refuge in the day of trouble" (Jeremiah 16:19), and it says, "Shall a man make gods for himself?" (Jeremiah 16:20). And it says, "In that day a man shall cast away" his idols (Isaiah 2:20), and it says, "to go into the clefts of the rocks" (Isaiah 2:21), and what is written there? "And the idols shall utterly pass away" (Isaiah 2:18).

Another interpretation: "Who is like You," in the miracles and mighty deeds You performed at the sea, as it is said, "awesome things at the Sea of Reeds" and "He rebuked the Sea of Reeds and led them through the depths" (Psalms 106:7-9). "Who is like You among the mighty ones [ba'elim]": who is like You, who sees the disgrace of Your children and is silent, as it is said, "I have long held My peace" (Isaiah 42:14), in the past, "I have been still and restrained Myself"; from here onward, "now I will cry like a travailing woman, I will gasp and pant together... I will lay waste mountains and hills... and I will lead the blind by a way they knew not" (Isaiah 42:14-16). "Who is like You among the mighty ones": like those who minister before Him on high, as it is said, "For who in the sky can be compared to the LORD" (Psalms 89:7), and it says, "a God greatly feared in the council of the holy ones" (Psalms 89:8), and it says, "O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O LORD?" "Who is like You among the mighty ones": who is like You among those who call themselves divinity. Pharaoh called himself a god, as it is said, "My river is my own, and I have made myself" (Ezekiel 29:3). Sennacherib called himself a god, as it is said, "Who among all the gods of the lands" (2 Kings 18:35). Nebuchadnezzar called himself a god, as it is said, "I will ascend above the heights of the clouds" (Isaiah 14:14). The prince of Tyre called himself a god, as it is said, "Say to the prince of Tyre" (Ezekiel 28:2). "Who is like You" not like those whom others call divinity though there is nothing real in them, of whom it is said, "they have mouths but they do not speak... they make no sound in their throat" (Psalms 115:5-7). These have mouths but do not speak; but the One who spoke and the world came into being is not so. Rather, He said two things in a single utterance, which is impossible for flesh and blood to do, as it is said, "God has spoken once, twice have I heard this" (Psalms 62:12), and "Is not My word like fire?" (Jeremiah 23:29). "Who is like You, glorious in holiness": comely are You and majestic in holiness. The quality of the Holy One, blessed be He, is unlike the quality of flesh and blood. Flesh and blood cannot say two things as one, but the One who spoke and the world came into being said the Ten Commandments in a single utterance, which is impossible for flesh and blood, as it is said, "And God spoke all these words, saying" (Exodus 20:1). The way of flesh and blood is that one cannot listen to two people when they cry out at once; but the One who spoke and the world came into being, even if all who come into the world come and cry out before Him, He hears their cry, as it is said, "O You who hear prayer, to You all flesh shall come" (Psalms 65:3). "Awesome in praises": not from now, but from of old awesome in praises.

Another interpretation of "awesome in praises" (Exodus 15:11): In the way of flesh and blood, a person's awe falls more upon those who are far from him than upon those who are near. But the measure of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. Rather His awe rests upon those who are near Him more than upon those who are far, as it is said, "Through those near to Me I will be sanctified" (Leviticus 10:3), and it is written, "And around Him it storms mightily" (Psalms 50:3); and it says, "A God dreaded in the great council of the holy ones"; and it says, "O LORD God of hosts, who is mighty like You, O LORD?" (Psalms 89:9). The measure of flesh and blood: a hired worker labors for the householder, plowing with him and sowing with him, weeding with him and hoeing with him, and the master gives him a single coin and he goes off. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. Rather, one who longs for children, He gives them to him, as it is said, "Behold, children are the LORD's inheritance" (Psalms 127:3). One who longs for wisdom, He gives it to him, as it is written, "For the LORD gives wisdom" (Proverbs 2:6). One who longs for possessions, He gives them to him, as it is said, "Both riches and honor come from before You" (1 Chronicles 29:12). The measure of flesh and blood: when a man builds, he builds the lower story first and only afterward builds the upper. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so; He created the upper realm first and afterward the lower, as it is said, "In the beginning God created" (Genesis 1:1). The measure of flesh and blood: when one roofs a house he roofs with wood and stones and earth, but surely not with water. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so; He roofed His world with water, as it is said, "He who roofs His upper chambers with water" (Psalms 104:3). The measure of flesh and blood: a man cannot fashion a form in water, but the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so; He fashions a form in water, as it is said, "Let the waters swarm" (Genesis 1:20). The measure of flesh and blood cannot fashion a form in earth, but the Holy One, blessed be He, fashions a form in earth, as it is said, "When I was made in secret, embroidered in the depths of the earth" (Psalms 139:15). The measure of flesh and blood: when one comes to fashion a form, he begins at its head or at one of its sides and only afterward completes it; but the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so; He fashions the whole form at once, as it is said, "For He is the Fashioner of all" (Jeremiah 10:16), and it says, "There is no rock [tzur] like our God" (1 Samuel 2:2) [read it: there is no fashioner (tzayyar) like our God]. Flesh and blood goes to a maker of images and says to him, "Make me my father's likeness," and the maker says, "Let your father come and stand before me, or bring me his portrait, and I will make his likeness for him." But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so; rather He gives a man a son from a drop of water, and the son resembles the likeness of his father.

"Doer of wonders" (Exodus 15:11). It is not written here "He did a wonder," but "doer of wonders" [in the present tense], referring to the time to come, as it is said, "Therefore, behold, days are coming, says the LORD, when it shall no longer be said, As the LORD lives who brought up [the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt]" and so forth (Jeremiah 16:14).

Another interpretation of "doer of wonders" (Exodus 15:11): He did a wonder with us, and He does with us in every generation, as it is said, "Wondrous are Your works, and my soul knows it well" (Psalms 139:14); "Many things have You done, O LORD, Your wonders" (Psalms 40:6). Another interpretation of "doer of wonders": with the fathers, and He is destined to do with the children, as it is said, "As in the days of your going out from the land of Egypt I will show him wonders" (Micah 7:15) "I will show him" what I did not show the fathers, for the signs and wonders that I am destined to do with the children are greater than the wonder and the wonders that I did with the fathers. And so it says, "To Him who alone does great wonders, for His kindness endures forever" (Psalms 136:4); "Blessed is the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does wonders, and blessed is His glorious name forever, and may His glory fill the whole earth, Amen and Amen" (Psalms 72:18-19). Rabbi Ishmael taught: "Who is like You among the mighty [ba-elim]" (Exodus 15:11) [read it: ba-illemim] who is like You among the mute, who hears the reviling and the blasphemy of that wicked one and keeps silent. Abba Chanan says: "Who is like You, mighty One, O LORD" (Psalms 89:9), "mighty" meaning hard [steadfast], for You hear the reviling and the cursing of that wicked one and keep silent. "And he said, Where is their God, the rock in whom they trusted" (Deuteronomy 32:37) this is the wicked Titus, who reviled and blasphemed toward Heaven above. What did he do? He seized a harlot by the hand and entered the Holy of Holies, and so forth.

"You stretched out Your right hand" (Exodus 15:12). This teaches that all souls are in the palm of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, "In whose hand is the soul of every living thing" (Job 12:10), "into Your hand I entrust my spirit" (Psalms 31:6). "The earth swallowed them." By what merit did the Omnipresent grant them burial? By the merit that they said, "The LORD is righteous" (Exodus 9:27). The Omnipresent said to them: You declared the judgment against yourselves to be just; I too will not withhold your reward, and I will give you a place of burial, as it is said, "You stretched out Your right hand."

Another interpretation of "You stretched out Your right hand" (Exodus 15:12): this teaches that the sea cast them onto the dry land and the dry land cast them back into the sea. The dry land said: If, when I received only the blood of Abel alone, it was said to me, "Cursed are you from the ground" (Genesis 4:11) ["Cursed are you from the ground"], now how can I receive the blood of all these multitudes? until the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to her that He would not bring her to judgment, as it is said, "You stretched out Your right hand" and "right hand" means nothing other than an oath, as it is said, "The LORD has sworn by His right hand" (Isaiah 62:8).

"You stretched out Your right hand" (Exodus 15:12). The verse teaches that when the Omnipresent tilts His hand, the wicked perish from the world, as it is said, "And He will stretch out His hand against the north and destroy Assyria" (Zephaniah 2:13); and it says, "Behold, I am stretching out My hand against the Philistines" (Ezekiel 25:16); and it says, "And I will stretch out My hand against Judah"; and it says, "And I will stretch out My hand against Edom" (Ezekiel 25:13). A parable: to what may the matter be compared? To eggs that are set in a person's hand, so that if he tilts his hand even a little, they all fall and shatter, as it is said, "And the LORD will stretch out His hand, and the helper will stumble and the helped one will fall, and together all of them will perish" (Isaiah 31:3).