Yalkut Shimoni on Torah Reader

"You led in Your kindness" (Exodus 15:13). You did kindness with us, for we had no deeds in our hands, as it is said, "I will recount the kindnesses of the LORD, the praises of the LORD" and so forth (Isaiah 63:7), "I will sing of the kindnesses of the LORD forever" (Psalms 89:2). And the world was not built from its beginning except by kindness, as it is said, "I said, the world is built by kindness" (Psalms 89:3). "This people You redeemed." Because the whole world is Yours, and yet You have no people but Israel, as it is said, "This people I formed for Myself" (Isaiah 43:21). (It is written in the verse "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel.")

"You guided them in Your strength" (Exodus 15:13). By the merit of the Torah that they are destined to receive, and "strength" means nothing other than Torah, as it is said, "The LORD will give strength to His people" (Psalms 29:11); and it says, "And the strength of a king who loves justice" (Psalms 99:4).

Another interpretation of "You have led in Your strength" (Exodus 15:13): by the merit of the kingdom of the house of David, which they are destined to receive. And "strength" means nothing other than kingship, as it is said, "O LORD, in Your strength the king rejoices" (Psalms 21:2), and it says, "The LORD is a strength to His people, and a stronghold of salvation to His anointed is He" (Psalms 28:8), and it says, "and He will give strength to His king" (1 Samuel 2:10). "To Your holy habitation" (Exodus 15:13): by the merit of the Temple, which they are destined to build. And "habitation" means nothing other than the Temple, as it is said, "and they have laid waste His habitation" (Jeremiah 10:25), and it says, "Behold Zion, the city of our appointed seasons" (Isaiah 33:20), and so forth.

... R’ Yehoshua of Sachnin said in the name of R’ Levi: “And I placed My words into your mouth…” This refers to the Torah. “…and with the shadow of My hand I covered you…” (Isaiah 51:16) This refers to acts of loving kindness. This comes to teach you that anyone who occupies himself with Torah and acts of kindness merits to take shelter in the shadow of the Holy One. This is what is written “How precious is Your kindness, O God, and the sons of man will take refuge in the shadow of Your wings.” (Psalms 36:8) “…to plant the heavens and to found the earth…” this refers to the offerings, as it says “…and to say to Zion – you are My people.” (Isaiah 51:16) R’ Huna bar Pappa said: we went over all of the Scripture and could not find anywhere that Israel was called Zion. Where did we find it? “…and to say to Zion – you are My people.”

"The peoples heard, they tremble" (Exodus 15:14). Once the nations of the world heard that Pharaoh and his army had perished in the sea, and that the kingdom of Egypt had ceased, and that judgments had been carried out against their idolatry, they began to tremble. Therefore it is said, "The peoples heard, they tremble."

Another interpretation: once the nations of the world heard that the Holy One, blessed be He, had raised up the horn of Israel and was bringing them into the land, they began to rage. The Omnipresent said to them: Fools of the world! How many kings reigned from among you, and the children of Israel did not grow angry, as it is said, "And these are the kings" (Genesis 36:31); how many rulers ruled from among you, and the children of Israel did not grow angry, "the chief of Lotan" (Genesis 36:29); and now you grow angry? I too will give you anger in which there is no favor, as it is said, "The LORD reigns, let the peoples rage" (Psalms 99:1). "Trembling seized the inhabitants of Philistia" (Exodus 15:14). Once they heard that Israel were entering the land, they said: Now they are coming to stir up the rage over the children of Ephraim, as it is said, "And the sons of Ephraim, Shuthelah and Bered his son" (1 Chronicles 7:20), "the sons of Ephraim, armed bowmen" (Psalms 78:9). On account of what? Because "they did not keep the covenant of God and refused to walk in His Torah" (Psalms 78:10) — because they transgressed the appointed end, because they violated the oath.

Another interpretation: they said, they have no road anywhere except over us, for now they are coming and plundering all our possessions and laying waste our land.

"Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed" (Exodus 15:15). If you should say that they were coming to inherit their land — has it not already been said, "You are passing through the border of your brothers, the children of Esau, and so forth, and you shall be very careful, do not provoke them" (Deuteronomy 2:4–5)? Then what does Scripture teach by saying "Then the chiefs of Edom were dismayed"? On account of grief.

Another interpretation: they said, now they are coming to stir up the quarrel that was between our father and their father, as it is said, "And Esau bore a grudge" (Genesis 27:41), and so forth. "Trembling seizes the mighty of Moab" (Exodus 15:15). If you should say that they were coming to inherit their land — has it not already been said, "And the LORD said to me, do not harass Moab" (Deuteronomy 2:9), and it says, "and you shall draw near opposite the children of Ammon" (Deuteronomy 2:19)? Then what does Scripture teach by saying "Trembling seizes the mighty of Moab"? On account of grief.

Another interpretation: they said, now they are coming to stir up the quarrel that was between our father and Abraham, as it is said, "And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's livestock" (Genesis 13:7), and so forth.

"All the inhabitants of Canaan melted away" (Exodus 15:15). Once the inhabitants of Canaan heard that the Omnipresent had said to Moses, "Only from the cities of these peoples," and so forth, "for you shall utterly destroy them," and so forth, they said: these others and those others were afraid only on account of their money and on account of their possessions, but against us they are coming only to annihilate us and to inherit our land. They began to melt, as it is said, "melted away." And "melting" means nothing other than dissolving, as it is said, "the earth and all its inhabitants are dissolved" (Psalms 75:4), and it says, "so that the heart may melt" (Ezekiel 21:20).

"All the inhabitants of Canaan melted away" (Exodus 15:15). "Terror and dread fell upon them" (Exodus 15:16): terror upon those who were far off, and dread upon those who were near. This is the matter of which it is said, "And it came to pass when all the kings of the Amorites heard" and so forth. And so too Rahab said to Joshua's messengers (Joshua 2:10-11), "For we have heard how the LORD dried up [the waters], and when we heard it our hearts melted."

"By the greatness of Your arm they were still as a stone." When Israel came out of the sea, Amalek gathered all the nations of the world and came and made war against Israel. And Moses prayed on behalf of the people, and in that hour they all fell silent as a stone. Therefore it is said, "By the greatness of Your arm they were still as a stone."

Another interpretation: When the spies entered the land, anyone who was about to say "These are the spies of Israel" was struck dumb as a stone.

Another interpretation: When Israel crossed the Jordan, all the kings of Canaan came in and made war against Israel, as it is said (Joshua 11:1, 4), "And it came to pass when Jabin king of Hazor heard, that he sent to Jobab" and so forth, "and to the kings who were in the north, and they went out, they and all their camps with them"; (Joshua 9:2) "and they gathered together to fight with Joshua and with Israel with one accord." In that hour Joshua prayed, and they all fell silent as a stone.

"Until Your people pass over, O LORD" (Exodus 15:16): the sea, until they pass over the Jordan, until they pass over the streams of Arnon. "This people whom You acquired": because the whole world is Yours, and yet You have no people but Israel, as it is said, "This people I formed for Myself" (Isaiah 43:21).

Four things are called an acquisition. Israel, as it is said, "this people whom You acquired." The Land of Israel is called an acquisition, as it is said (Psalms 78:54), "this mountain which His right hand acquired." Abraham is called an acquisition, as it is said, "And he blessed him and said, Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Acquirer of heaven and earth." The Torah is called an acquisition, as it is said (Proverbs 8:22), "The LORD acquired me at the beginning of His way." Let Israel, who are called an acquisition, come to the Land, which is called an acquisition, and build the Temple, which is called an acquisition, by the merit of the Torah, which is called an acquisition. Therefore it is said, "this people whom You acquired." (It is written in the verse, "And Blessed be Abram.")

"You will bring them and plant them" (Exodus 15:17-19). The fathers prophesied and did not know what they prophesied. It is not written here "You will bring us and plant us," but rather "You will bring them and plant them." They said: the children enter, but the fathers do not enter. And so it says, "If you do not know, O fairest among women" and so forth. They said: the kids enter, but the he-goats do not enter. Another interpretation: "You will bring them and plant them" like this vineyard which is planted in rows upon rows, as it is said (see Ezekiel 48:1-7), "From the east side to the west side, Judah one portion, Dan one portion, Naphtali one portion." Another interpretation: "You will bring them and plant them": a planting that has no uprooting, as it is said (Jeremiah 24:6), "And I will build them and not pull down, and I will plant them and not pluck up." (Ezekiel 20:40) "For on My holy mountain, on the mountain height of Israel": on the mountain of Your inheritance, on the mountain that You promised us, as it is said, "on the mountain height of Israel."

Four things are called an inheritance. Israel are called an inheritance, as it is said (Deuteronomy 9:29), "And they are Your people and Your inheritance." The Land of Israel is called an inheritance, as it is said, "in the land which the LORD your God gives you as an inheritance." The Temple is called an inheritance, as it is said, "on the mountain of Your inheritance." The Torah is called an inheritance, as it is said (Numbers 21:19), "and from Mattanah to Nahaliel." The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Let Israel, who are called an inheritance, come to the Land, which is called an inheritance, and build the Temple, which is called an inheritance, by the merit of the Torah, which is called an inheritance. "The place for Your dwelling": this is one of the matters in which the throne below is aligned opposite the throne above. And so it says (Psalms 11:4), "The LORD is in His holy Temple, the LORD's throne is in heaven." And it says, "I have surely built You a house of habitation, a place for Your dwelling forever." "You have made, O LORD": the Temple is beloved before the Omnipresent, for when the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, He created it only by an utterance, as it is said (Psalms 33:6), "By the word of the LORD the heavens were made"; but when He built the Temple, it was, as it were, a labor before Him, as it is said, "You have made, O LORD." Woe to the nations of the world, what do they hear with their ears! Behold, the Temple is called His handiwork, and yet they rose up and destroyed it. They said (Psalms 137:7), "Raze it, raze it, down to its foundation in it." Concerning this, what does it say (Jeremiah 25:30)? "The LORD roars from on high, and roars mightily over His habitation"; "and His habitation they laid waste."

"The sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established" (Exodus 15:17). Beloved is the Temple before the Holy One, blessed be He, for when He created His world He created it with only one hand, as it is said, "My hand also has laid the foundation of the earth" (Isaiah 48:13). But when He created the Temple, He did so, as it were, with both His hands, as it is said, "the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established." When will You build it? With both Your hands. A parable: to what may the matter be compared? To bandits who entered the palace of a king and laid waste the king's palace, plundered it, and killed the king's son. After a time the king sat in judgment over them. He seized some of them, executed some of them, and impaled some of them. Then he took his seat in his palace, and afterward his sovereignty became known throughout the world. Therefore it is said, "the sanctuary, O Lord, which Your hands have established."

"The LORD shall reign forever and ever" (Exodus 15:18). Rabbi Yose says: Had Israel said at the sea "The LORD reigns forever and ever," no nation would ever have ruled over them. But they said, "The LORD shall reign forever and ever," referring to the time to come. "But we are Your people, Your flock, the sheep of Your pasture, the seed of Abraham who loves You, the children of Isaac Your only one, the congregation of Jacob Your son, Your firstborn, the vine that You brought out of Egypt, and the stock that Your right hand planted." Why "The LORD shall reign forever and ever"? Because "the horse of Pharaoh went in," and so on. Rabbi changed [the schedule] for his son, who was at the house of Rabbi Yose ben Zimra. They set for him twelve years to go to the academy. They brought the bride before him, and he said to them, "Let it be six years." They again brought her before him, and he said, "Let me marry her first and then go." He was embarrassed before his father, who said to him: "My son, you have the understanding of your Maker. At first it is written, 'You shall bring them in and plant them' (Exodus 15:17), and only at the end is it written, 'They shall make Me a sanctuary, and I will dwell among them' (Exodus 25:8)." He married her, went and sat twelve years at the academy, and by the time he returned his wife had become barren. Rabbi said: "What shall we do? If he divorces her, people will say this poor woman waited in vain; if he marries another woman, people will say this one is his wife and that one his harlot." He prayed for mercy on her behalf and she was healed. Rabbi Elazar said: Any person in whom there is knowledge, it is as though the Temple were built in his days, for this [knowledge] is set between two divine names, as it is said, "For a God of knowledge is the LORD" (1 Samuel 2:3), and this [the sanctuary] is set between two divine names, as it is said, "You have made, O LORD, the sanctuary of the LORD."

"And Miriam the prophetess took the timbrel in her hand" (Exodus 15:20). Now from where did Israel have timbrels and dances in the wilderness? Rather, the righteous were confident and knew that the Holy One, blessed be He, would perform for them miracles and mighty deeds at the going out from Egypt, so they prepared for themselves timbrels and dances. "And Miriam answered them" (Exodus 15:21). Scripture tells that just as Moses recited the song to the men, so Miriam recited the song to the women, as it is said, "Sing to the LORD, for He has triumphed gloriously" (Exodus 15:21).

"And Moses caused Israel to journey" (Exodus 15:22). Rabbi Simon said: Not everyone who wishes to recite a song recites a song; rather, whoever has a miracle performed for him and recites a song, it is known that he is pardoned for all his iniquities and becomes a new creation. When Israel had a miracle performed for them and recited a song, their iniquities were pardoned, as it is said, "And Moses caused Israel to journey" (Exodus 15:22), that he caused them to journey away from their iniquities. And so you find with Deborah and Barak, for whom a miracle was performed and they recited a song. And how do we know their iniquities were pardoned? Rabbi Aibo in the name of Rabbi Abba: Everywhere it is said, "The children of Israel again did evil," but here it is written, "And the children of Israel did" (Judges 6:1), a beginning of doing. And where is what they had done previously? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, pardoned them for what they had done before. And so you find with David, for whom a miracle was performed and he recited a song. And how do we know he was pardoned for all his iniquities? For it is written after his song, "Now these are the last words of David" (2 Samuel 23:1). Where are the first ones? Rather, this teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, pardoned him.

"And Moses caused Israel to journey" (Exodus 15:22). Rabbi Yehoshua says: This journey Israel set out on by the word of Moses, but all the other journeys they set out on by the word of the Almighty, as it is said, "At the mouth of the LORD they journeyed" (Numbers 9:18). But this journey they set out on only by the word of Moses; therefore it is said, "And Moses caused Israel to journey." Rabbi Eliezer says: They journeyed by the word of the Almighty, for we find in two or three places that they journeyed only by the word of the Almighty. Then what does Scripture teach by saying "And Moses caused Israel to journey"? Only to make known the praise of Israel, that when Moses said to them, "Arise and journey," they did not say, "How shall we journey into the wilderness when we have no provisions for the way?" Rather, they believed and went after Moses. Of them it is explained in tradition, "Go and cry in the ears of Jerusalem, saying: I remember the devotion of your youth, your love as a bride, how you went after Me in the wilderness" (Jeremiah 2:2). And so we find that they turned back three journeys, as it is said, "And they journeyed from Pi-hahiroth and passed through the midst of the sea; and they journeyed from Marah and came to Elim; and they journeyed from Elim and encamped by the Sea of Reeds." And so we find that they went back eight journeys for the honor of Aaron, for his burial, as it is said, "And the children of Israel journeyed from Beeroth-bene-jaakan to Moserah; there Aaron died." Now did he die at Moserah? Did he not die only at Mount Hor, as it is said, "And Aaron the priest went up to Mount Hor" (Numbers 33:38)? Then what does Scripture teach by saying "there Aaron died"? Rather, it teaches that they went back eight journeys for the honor of Aaron, for his burial. Rabbi Eliezer says: They journeyed by the word of the Almighty; then what does Scripture teach by saying "And Moses caused Israel to journey"? It teaches that Moses caused them to journey against their will. For when they saw the corpses of the men who had enslaved them with rigor and harsh labor, all of them dead corpses cast upon the seashore, they said, "It seems to us that not a single man remained in Egypt," as it is said, "Let us appoint a chief and return to Egypt" (Numbers 14:4) and let us make ourselves an idol with it at our head and return to Egypt. Could it be that they only said this and did not act? Scripture says, "But they refused to listen, neither were they mindful of Your wonders that You did among them, but they stiffened their neck." Rabbi Yehudah bar Ilai says: An idol crossed with Israel through the sea, and Moses made them journey away from it at that hour, as it is said, "And Moses caused Israel to journey from the Sea of Reeds," away from the thing that was with them at the Sea of Reeds.

"And Moses caused Israel to journey" (Exodus 15:22). This is what Scripture says: "And He led forth His people like a flock" (Psalms 78:52). Just as the flock scatters in flight and the shepherd gathers them in, so were Israel in the wilderness, quarreling and weeping and complaining, as it is said, "How often did they rebel against Him in the wilderness" (Psalms 78:40). Yet, as it were, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not withdraw from them, but led them like a flock, as it is said, "And Moses caused Israel to journey." Another interpretation: Just as the flock breaks the trees and yet its owner is not strict with it, so it says, "And you, My flock, the flock of My pasture, are men" (Ezekiel 34:31), a flock with respect to punishments and men with respect to the granting of reward. Another interpretation: Why "like a flock"? Just as the shepherd guards his flock by day from the heat and by night from the wolves, so was the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, "The pillar of cloud departed not" (and so on), and it says, "And there shall be a booth for a shadow in the daytime" (Isaiah 4:6), and it says, "You led Your people like a flock" (Psalms 77:21).

What is the meaning of "And he caused them to journey"? That he made them journey against their will. For it is written, "And he took six hundred chosen chariots" (Exodus 14:7). Pharaoh had arisen and adorned those horses with precious stones and pearls, and when they drowned in the sea, the jewels floated upon the surface of the sea. Israel would go down every day and take from them, and they did not wish to move from there. When Moses saw this, he said to them: "What do you think, that every day the sea will bring up for you precious stones and pearls?" He arose and made them journey against their will.

"And they went out into the wilderness of Shur" (Exodus 15:22). This is the wilderness of Kuv. They said concerning the wilderness of Kuv that it was eight hundred parasangs by eight hundred parasangs, all of it full of serpents and scorpions, as it is said, "who led you through the great and terrible wilderness, with its fiery serpents and scorpions" (Deuteronomy 8:15). And it says, "The burden of the beasts of the South: through the land of trouble and anguish, of the lioness and the lion, of the viper" (Isaiah 30:6) and so on, and a viper is none other than the akhas-serpent. They said that when this akhas-serpent sees the shadow of a bird flying in the air, the bird immediately dies and drops down limb by limb. Even so, "They did not say: Where is the LORD who brought us up out of the land of Egypt, who led us through the wilderness, through a land of deserts and of the shadow of death" (Jeremiah 2:6). What is "the shadow of death" (tzalmavet)? A place of shadow (tzel) and death (mavet) with it. Rabbi Abba said: This matter our great teacher related to me. There was a certain man in the Land of Israel, and they used to call him Merutah [the Plucked One]. Once he went to gather wood on the top of the mountain, and he saw a serpent sleeping, but the serpent did not see him. Immediately the hair of his head fell out and no hair grew on him until the day of his death, and so they called him Merutah.

Rabbi Yose said: In the Wilderness of Shur there were serpents as thick as the beam of an olive press, and scorpions as large as would fill a house. There is a story about King Shapur, who was passing through there. The first caravan crossed and the serpent swallowed it; a second crossed, and a third, and it swallowed them. The king sat distressed. With him was a chief of his army. They said to him, "Why do you just stand there? Bring ten mighty men." And he brought them. He said to them, "Let them fill rows of straw." They did so, and they rolled the straw into the serpent's mouth, and it kept swallowing until its belly swelled and it could no longer cope with them, and they rose up and killed it. Rabbi Yose bar Rabbi Hanina said: Great is our God, who saved us from that wilderness.

"And they went three days in the wilderness and found no water" (Exodus 15:22). Rabbi Yehoshua says: According to its plain sense. Rabbi Eliezer says: But was not the water beneath the feet of Israel, since the earth floats only upon the waters, as it is said, "To Him who spread out the earth above the waters" (Psalms 136:6)? Then what does Scripture teach by saying "they found no water"? Only that it was to weary them. Others say: The water that Israel had taken between the partitions of the Sea ran out for them at that hour. Then what does Scripture teach by saying "they found no water"? That even in their vessels they found none, like the matter of which it is said, "and their nobles sent their lads for water" and so forth (Jeremiah 14:3). The expounders of hidden meanings say: "They found no water" means words of Torah, which are compared to water, as it is said, "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come for water" (Isaiah 55:1). Because they had separated from words of Torah for three days, they therefore rebelled. For this reason the prophets and elders instituted that they should read from the Torah on the Sabbath, and on the second day, and on the fifth day. How so? They skip one day after the Sabbath and read on the second day; they skip the third and fourth days and read on the fifth; and they skip the sixth day. Originally they instituted three verses for one man, corresponding to priests, Levites, and Israelites. Ezra came and instituted three verses [per reader], corresponding to the ten men of leisure.

"And they came to Marah" (Exodus 15:23). Rabbi Yehoshua says: Israel came to three places at that time, as it is said, "And they came to Marah," and so forth. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: They came only to one place. "And the people murmured" (Exodus 15:24). Rabbi Yehoshua says: Israel ought to have first taken counsel with the greatest among them, saying, "What shall we drink?" Instead they stood and spoke words of complaint against Moses. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: Israel were accustomed to speaking words of complaint against Moses, and they spoke not against Moses alone, but rather against the Might [on high]. Therefore it is said, "saying, What shall we drink?"

"And he cried out to the LORD" (Exodus 15:25). From here we learn that the righteous are not slow to have their prayer accepted, and incidentally you learn that the prayer of the righteous is short. There is a story about a disciple who passed before the reading desk in the presence of Rabbi Eliezer and shortened his blessings. His students said to him, "Rabbi, did you see So-and-so who shortened his blessings?" And they were saying of him, "This is a curt scholar." He said to them, "He did not shorten more than Moses, as it is said, 'O God, please heal her, please' (Numbers 12:13)." Again there is a story about a disciple who passed before the desk in the presence of Rabbi Eliezer and lengthened his blessings. They said to him, "Rabbi, did you see So-and-so who lengthened his blessings?" And they were saying of him, "This is a long-winded one." He said to them, "He did not lengthen more than Moses our teacher, as it is said, 'And I fell down before the LORD the forty days' (Deuteronomy 9:25)," for he used to say, "There is a time to shorten and a time to lengthen." "And the LORD showed him a tree" (Exodus 15:25). Rabbi Yehoshua says: This was a tree of willow. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: This was a tree of olive, for you have nothing more bitter than olive. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korhah says: This was a tree of oleander. Rabbi Shimon ben Yohai says: He showed him a matter from the Torah, as it is said, "And the LORD showed him a tree," like the matter of which it is said, "And He taught me and said to me, Let your heart hold fast my words" (Proverbs 4:4), and it is written, "It is a tree of life to those who lay hold of it" (Proverbs 3:18). Rabbi Natan says: This was a tree of cedar; and some say the root of a fig tree and the root of a pomegranate. Rabban Shimon ben Gamliel says: Come and see how distinct are the ways of the Omnipresent from the ways of flesh and blood. Flesh and blood heals the bitter with the sweet, but the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so; rather He heals the bitter with the bitter. How so? He puts the thing that damages into the thing that was damaged, in order to work a miracle through it. Similarly, "And Isaiah said, Let them take a cake of figs" (Isaiah 38:21); but surely if you place a cake of figs upon living flesh it immediately festers. How so? He puts the damaging thing into the damaged thing in order to work a miracle within a miracle. Similarly, "And he went out to the spring of water and cast salt there, and said, Thus says the LORD" (II Kings 2:21); but surely the waters were sweet, and once you put salt into them they immediately turn briny. How so? He puts the damaging thing into the damaged thing in order to work a miracle. "And he cast it into the waters." Others say: Israel were pleading and humbling themselves before their Father in heaven like a son who pleads before his father and like a disciple who humbles himself before his master. So Israel were pleading and humbling themselves before their Father in heaven, and they said before Him, "Master of the universe, we have sinned before You, for we complained at the Sea." "And the waters were made sweet." Rabbi Yehoshua says: They were bitter for a moment and then made sweet. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: They were bitter from the start, as it is said, "the waters, the waters," twice. It is written, "Let them make a tree fifty cubits high" (Esther 5:14), and the Holy One, blessed be He, cried out: let it not be in vain. "What shall I do for Abraham, of whom it says, 'And he stood by them under the tree' (Genesis 18:8)? And how shall I appease Moses, of whom it says, 'And the LORD showed him a tree'? That one spoke and shall not carry it out." And Haman was seeking a beam of fifty cubits and did not find it, except a beam that was in his house, for his son Parshandata was governor in Cadronia, and he took one plank from the ark of Noah, which the Holy One, blessed be He, had made as a memorial for the world, so that the generations of the world would know that He brought a flood upon the world, as it is written, "He has made a memorial for His wonders" (Psalms 111:4). And likewise when Sodom and Gomorrah were overturned it is written, "And his wife looked back from behind him," and until now she stands as a pillar of salt. Why? "He has made a memorial for His wonders," so that the generations should recount the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He.

"There He set for them a statute and an ordinance" (Exodus 15:25). There were given to Israel eleven commandments: the seven that the sons of Noah were commanded, and Abraham concerning circumcision, and Jacob concerning the sinew of the thigh, and they added for Israel the Sabbath and the honoring of father and mother. It is taught: Israel were commanded ten commandments at Marah, the seven that the sons of Heth had accepted upon themselves, and they added to them civil laws, as it is written, "There He set for them a statute and an ordinance"; and the Sabbath and honoring father and mother, as it is written, "as the LORD your God commanded you" (Deuteronomy 5:12). Rav Yehuda said in the name of Rav: "as He commanded you" refers to Marah. (It is written in remez 52.)

"There He set for them a statute and an ordinance" (Exodus 15:25). This refers to the honoring of father and mother; these are the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. And Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: "statute" refers to the laws of forbidden unions, as it is said, "that you do not commit any of these abominable customs" (Leviticus 18:30); and "ordinance" refers to punishments, and the laws of fines, and the laws of damages. "And there He tested him" (Exodus 15:25). "There He raised him to greatness," these are the words of Rabbi Yehoshua, as it is said, "[Evil-merodach] lifted up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah" (II Kings 25:27), and it says, "Lift up the head of the sons of Gershon" (Numbers 4:22). Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in said to him: But greatness depends only on a shin [in the word meaning to lift], and here it is written only with a samekh; then what does Scripture teach by saying "and there He tested him"? There the Omnipresent tested Israel.

"And He said, If you will diligently hearken" (Exodus 15:26). Rabbi Zeira said, and some say it was Rabbi Hanina bar Pappa: Come and see that the measure of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like the measure of flesh and blood. The way of flesand blood is that an empty vessel holds, while a full vessel does not hold; but the measure of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. Rather, a full one holds, and an empty one does not hold, as it is said, "And He said, If you will surely hearken" [literally, if hearkening you will hearken], that is to say: if you hearken, you will continue to hearken, and if not, you will not hearken.

Another interpretation: "If you hearken" to the new, "you will hearken" to the old; but if your heart turns away, you will no longer hearken. From here they said: if a person has heard one commandment, they cause him to hear many commandments, as it is said, "if hearkening you will hearken"; if he has forgotten one commandment, they cause him to forget many commandments, as it is said, "if forgetting you will forget" (Deuteronomy 8:19). "To the voice of the LORD your God" (Exodus 15:26), these are the Ten Commandments, which were given mouth to mouth in ten voices. "And you will do what is right in His eyes," these are the praiseworthy aggadot that are heard pleasingly in the ears of every person. "And you will give ear to His commandments," these are the gezerot shavot [verbal analogies of law]. "And keep all His statutes," these are the halakhot. "All the disease that I put upon Egypt I will not put upon you. But if I do, I am the LORD your healer," these are the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: "If you hearken," I might have heard this as optional; the teaching says "you will hearken," obligatory and not optional. "You will hearken," this is the general rule in which the whole Torah is included. "To the voice of the LORD your God" teaches that whoever hearkens to the voice of the Might, it is reckoned to him as though he stands and serves before the One who lives and endures forever. "And you will do what is right in His eyes," this is commerce; it teaches that whoever conducts business in good faith, the spirit of his fellow creatures is pleased with him, and Scripture reckons it to him as though he had fulfilled the whole Torah. "And you will give ear to His commandments," these are the halakhot. "And keep all His statutes," these are the laws of forbidden unions. "All the disease that I put upon Egypt I will not put upon you." And what does Scripture teach by saying, "for I am the LORD your healer"? Rather, the Omnipresent said to Israel: the words of Torah that I have given you are life for you, they are healing for you, as it is said, "for they are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh" (Proverbs 4:22), and it says, "It shall be healing to your navel" and so forth (Proverbs 3:8). Rabbi Yitzhak says: if there is no sickness in them, why do they need healing? Rather, "all the disease that I put upon Egypt I will not put upon you" in this world, and if I do put it, "for I am the LORD your healer" in the world to come. Shimon ben Azzai says: "hearken," what does Scripture teach by saying "you will hearken"? From here they said: if a person wishes to hear, they cause him to hear at once; to forget, they cause him to forget at once. He used to say: if a person wished to hear for his own good, they cause him to hear even not for his own good; [to forget for his own good, they cause him to forget even not for his own good]; permission is granted, as it is said, "if it concerns scorners, He scorns them" (Proverbs 3:34). Others say, "if you surely take a pledge" (Exodus 22:25): if you have inflicted one injury, in the end they will inflict many injuries upon you. Rava said to Rabbah bar Mari: it is written, "all the disease that I put upon Egypt I will not put upon you," and since He does not put the disease, why is healing needed? He said to him: thus said Rabbi Yohanan, this verse expounds itself: if you hearken, I will not put it; and if you do not hearken, I will put it; and even so, "I am the LORD your healer."

"And they came to Elim, where there were twelve [springs of water and seventy palm trees]" (Exodus 15:27). This teaches that this place was praised for its water above all other places. Know that this is so, for there were twelve springs there, and they sufficed only for seventy palm trees; yet when Israel came and encamped upon them, six hundred thousand people, the springs supplied enough for the people and for the trees, and they did so twice and three times over. "And they encamped there beside the water." Israel never encamps except beside water, the words of Rabbi Yehoshua. Rabbi Elazar says: from the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created His world, He created twelve springs corresponding to the twelve tribes, and seventy palm trees corresponding to the seventy elders. And what does the verse teach by saying "and they encamped there beside the water"? It teaches that they were occupying themselves with the words of Torah that had been given to them at Marah.

"And they journeyed from Elim, and all the congregation of the children of Israel came [to the wilderness of Sin]" (Exodus 16:1). Why is the word "day" stated? It teaches that on that very day it happened that a Shabbat fell, for the Shabbat is set in order and comes around from the day the Holy One, blessed be He, created it until He gave it to them on the twenty-second of Iyyar.

Another interpretation: "On the fifteenth day of the month." Why is the word "day" stated? To know on which day the Torah was given to Israel. Nisan, in which Israel went out from Egypt, happened to fall on the fifth day of the week; Nisan was a full month [of thirty days]; Iyyar then happened to fall on a Shabbat; Iyyar was a deficient month [of twenty-nine days]; Sivan then happened to fall on the first day of the week. And it says, "On the morrow of the Passover the children of Israel went out" (Numbers 33:3); and it says, "on the fifteenth day of the second month after they went out from the land of Egypt" (Exodus 16:1); and it says, "in the third month after the children of Israel went out" (Exodus 19:1). When you work it out, you find that you can say: in the third of the months, on the sixth of the month, on the sixth day of the week [the Torah was given].

Another interpretation: "On the fifteenth day of the month." Why is the word "day" stated? To know on which day the manna came down for Israel. The flat cakes that Israel brought out of Egypt, they ate from them thirty-one days, as it is said, "And they baked the dough" (Exodus 12:39); and it says, "in the second month after the children of Israel went out"; and right beside it, what does it say? "Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you." Rabbi Shila says: they were sustained from it sixty days and one meal. "And all the congregation of the children of Israel murmured against Moses and against Aaron in the wilderness" (Exodus 16:2). Rabbi Yehoshua says: Israel should have taken counsel with their greatest one [Moses], asking "What shall we eat?"; instead they arose and spoke words of grievance against Moses. Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: Israel were accustomed to speaking words of grievance against Moses, and not against Moses alone but even against Aaron.

"And the children of Israel said to them, Would that we had died" (Exodus 16:3). They said to them: if only we had died during the three days of darkness in Egypt. "When we sat by the pot of flesh." Rabbi Yehoshua says: were they really so eager to eat? Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: Israel were slaves to kings in Egypt; they would go out to the market and take bread and meat and fish and every thing, and no creature would protest against their hand; they would go out to the field and take figs and grapes and pomegranates, and no creature would protest against their hand. Rabbi Yose says: know this, for in the end they were given only cucumbers; therefore it says (there) "the cucumbers," for these are hard [kashim] on their bellies. "For you have brought us out." They said to them: you have brought us out to this wilderness, a waste with nothing in it. "To kill this whole assembly with hunger." Rabbi Yehoshua says: you have no death harsher than death by hunger, as it is said, "Better were those slain by the sword" (than those slain by famine) (Lamentations 4:9). Rabbi Elazar of Modi'in says: "with hunger" - famine came upon us after famine, plague after plague, darkness after darkness.