Midrash (rabbinic interpretive commentary) Sheni Ketuvim In the beginning God created etc. - To declare the might of the acts of creation to creatures, and to make it known to them is impossible, so Scripture is vague. From here they said one should not expound on incest before three [people], nor on the acts of creation before two, nor on the Chariot before one individual unless he is wise and understands on his own. Anyone who contemplates four matters, it would be fitting for his innards to spill out over his face, and he did not go out and did not see the world - to know what is above and what is below, what is before and what is behind, and anyone who has no shame for the honor of his Creator, it would be fitting for him not to have come into the wor Why should a person not say what is above? A parable to one who was drinking wine at a feast, water from a jug, and it turns out the wine was suspended in the air. So the Holy One Blessed Be He created the world and suspended it in the wind, as it says "For behold, He who forms mountains and creates the wind" (Amos 4:13). Is it possible the Holy One Blessed Be He created in His world only wind? Behold, He created everything, as it says "For He who made everything, He is the Lord" (Jeremiah 10:16). What is the meaning of "He who forms mountains and creates wind"? Rather, so said the Holy One Blessed Be He to man: My son, you wish to know how My world stands - learn from your wind and body. For as long as the wind is in the body, the wind bears it up. The wind leaves the body - others bear it, as it says "His breath departs, he returns to his dust" (Psalms 146:4). Therefore one should not say what is above. And why should one not say what is below? A parable to a king who had a cesspit for excrement underneath, and built a palace on top of it. If a person were to say to his fellow how beautiful and exalted is this palace, except it stands on a cesspit - would he not be insulting the king's palace? So the Holy One Blessed Be He created His world spread out on the water, as it says "He spread out the earth on the waters" (Psalms 136:6). What is below the water you do not know, and something you do not know what it is, you have no right to expound or investigate. Therefore one should not say what is below. And why should one not say what is before? Rabbi Shimon ben Gamliel said: A parable to a king who built a palace and perfected it, and the previous place of the palace had been a garbage dump and pile of stones. Now that the king built the palace and perfected it, he does not want the beginning of the palace's previous state mentioned before him. So the world was originally tohu vavohu (without form and void). Now that the Holy One Blessed Be He created the world and perfected it, He does not want the beginning of the world's creation mentioned before Him. Therefore one should not say what is before. And why should one not say what is behind? A parable to a king who contemplates in his heart but does not want to say it with his mouth. If a person were to say to his fellow, "I know what is in the king's heart" - does this praise the king? So the Holy One Blessed Be He created the world and put it in His heart, as it says "For the day of vengeance is in my heart" (Isaiah 63:4). And if a person were to say to his fellow "I know when He will judge, when is the end, when the Messiah comes, when the redemption comes" - his days are shortened. For others sought to know the end-time and had their souls taken away. Therefore one should not say what is behind. The heretics asked Rabbi Shmelai: They said to him, "How many gods created the world?" He said to them, "I and you will be asked for the first days", as it says "For ask now regarding the early days" (Deuteronomy 4:32) etc. One verse says "The Torah of Hashem is perfect" (Psalms 19:8) and it is written "Remember the Torah of Moses My servant" (Malachi 3:22). You find in every... advantage. Moses gave his soul for three matters which were called by his name: For the Torah, for the laws, and for Israel. He gave his soul for the laws and they were called by his name, as it says "Judges and officers shall you place for yourself" (Deuteronomy 16:18). It does not say "shall you place" but "for yourself", and behold they belong only to the Omnipresent, as it says "For judgment is God's" (Deuteronomy 1:17). But Moses gave his soul for them and they were called by his name. He gave his soul for Israel and they were called by his name, as it says "If this is how You treat me, then kill me now" (Numbers 11:15). The Omnipresent said to him, "By your life, you gave your soul for them - I will call them by your name", as it says "Go down, for your people whom you brought up from Egypt have corrupted themselves" (Exodus 32:7). Behold they belong only to the Omnipresent, as it says "But they are Your people" (Deuteronomy 9:12). But Moses gave his soul for them and they were called by his name. He gave his soul for the Torah, as it says "And he was there with Hashem forty days" (Exodus 34:28). The Omnipresent said, "By your life, I will not call it except by your name", as it says "Remember the Torah of Moses My servant" (Malachi 3:22). Behold the Torah belongs to the Omnipresent, as it says "The Torah of Hashem is perfect." But Moses gave his soul for it and it was called by his name... One Torah... (Exodus 12:49). And it is written "You shall not eat any carcass; you shall give it to the stranger in your gates and he shall eat it" (Deuteronomy 14:21). You find the Holy One Blessed Be He shows affection for converts and commands about them everywhere. And here He says to give the carcass to the stranger? Rabbi Bunai said in the name of Rabbi Nehorai: In forty-eight places the Holy One Blessed Be He warned about converts, and commanded them [correspondingly] in forty-eight places about idolatry... Rabbi Antonikius said in the name of Yehuda ben Simon: The Holy One Blessed Be He said: I take vengeance upon... the idolater, and this one separated from it and came to convert. Therefore I warn about him [to Israel] corresponding to idolatry. Until now... wise Haman "The stranger" (that is Abraham, see below) (Psalms 88), and similarly "I called an eagle from the east" (Isaiah 46:11). "You shall not eat any carcass; you shall give it to the stranger in your gates and he shall eat it" - the verse does not speak about a convert who converted, but about a stranger who is outside... You find that one who is doubtful about converting... Therefore it says "to the stranger in your gates" - one who comes and goes through your gates. You find four types of converts: One corresponds to the Levite, "And you shall give to the Levite, to the stranger, to the orphan, and to the widow" (Deuteronomy 26:12). One corresponds to the poor, as it says "And you shall leave them for the poor and the stranger" (Leviticus 19:10). And one corresponds to an animal, as it says "Both your animals and the stranger in your gates" (Exodus 20:10). And one corresponds to the maidservant, as it says "so that your manservant and stranger may rest" (Exodus 23:12). Why? For these four converts convert for the sake of something different each. And therefore He compares each one to that thing he converted for the sake of. The Holy One Blessed Be He said: There is nothing beloved before Me like one who converts for the sake of My holy name. Just as among all the tribes there is nothing as beloved to Me as the tribe of Levi, so among all converts there is nothing as beloved before Me as you. Therefore He compares him to Abraham, as it says "The stranger shall be like the native" (Leviticus 24:22). "Seraphim were standing above Him; each one had six wings" (Isaiah 6:2) and it is written "And each one had four faces and four wings" (Ezekiel 1:6). You find Isaiah saw when the Temple stood and Israel was inside it, and saw them with six wings. But Ezekiel, after it was destroyed and Israel exiled from it, he saw them with four. And why did Isaiah see six for each seraph? With two he covers his face so as not to gaze upon the Divine Presence, as it says "For man cannot see Me [and live]" (Exodus 33:20) - even the angels about whom it says "and the likeness of their faces was human faces" (Ezekiel 1:10), with two he covers his legs - these are their feet which are like a calf's hoof, so they will not mention the sins of your fathers [with the calf], and with two he flies, for with these they praise the Omnipresent - behold six. But after the Temple was destroyed, they came to praise before the Holy One Blessed Be He. He takes hold of them and says "My house lies in ruins, My children are exiled - and you seek to praise before me?" Therefore Ezekiel saw four, and Isaiah saw six. "He commanded it as a testimony for a thousand generations" (Psalms 105:8), and it is written "And He performs kindness for two thousand [generations]" (Exodus 20:6). You find that one who performs Torah and mitzvot (commandments) out of self-motivated love, "performs kindness for two thousand" - for those who love Him do so out of love. But one who performs out of fear - [it endures only] "for a thousand generations." Therefore it says "And for those who keep My commandments for a thousand generations" (Deuteronomy 7:9). "I said in my haste 'All men are deceitful'" (Psalms 116:11), and it is written "My eyes are on the faithful of the earth" (Psalms 101:6). If there are faithful people on earth, how are all people deceitful? You find the faithful... the rest is missing.