Midrash Tanchuma, Ki Tisa 3 | Jewish Mythology

When thou takest the sum of the children of Israel (Exod. 30:12). R. Tanhuma the son of Abba began the discussions with the verse Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man, whether he eat little or much; but the satiety of the rich will not suffer him to sleep (Eccles. 5:11). They said to Solomon after he spoke these words: Surely you must be jesting, inasmuch as it is written concerning you: For he was wiser than all men (I Kings 5:11). And now you say: Sweet is the sleep of a laboring man, whether he eat little or much. Is it not a fact that anyone who is hungry because he ate only a little cannot sleep, while one who eats much sleeps well? He replied: I am speaking here only of righteous men and those who labor in (study) of the law. For example, a man who lives only thirty years may have devoted himself from his tenth year until the day of his death to the law and the commandments, while another man, who lives eighty years, may have devoted himself to the law and the commandments from his tenth year to the day of his death. You might say: Woe to the first one, who labored only twenty years in the law, while the other devoted himself to it for seventy years. Surely the Holy One, blessed be He, will give him a greater reward than He will give to him who labored in the law only twenty years. Hence I said: Whether he eat little or much. For the one who had devoted twenty years to the Torah might well say to the Holy One, blessed be He: “If you had not removed me from this world in the prime of my life, I would have had additional years to devote to the law and the commandments.” Therefore I repeat: Whether he eat little or much, the reward of one is equal to the reward of the other.

R. Hanina said: A proof of this is the fact that though Moses served Israel in Egypt and in the desert for forty years and lived one hundred and twenty years, while Samuel lived only fifty-two years, and bore the burdens and pains of Israel (for only part of that time), Scripture treats them equally, as it is said: Moses and Aaron among His priests, and Samuel among them that called upon His name (Ps. 99:6). Hence, Sweet is the sleep of the laboring man, whether he eat little or much.

R. Levi stated: This may be compared to a king who pays his workers for the labor they perform. The king called one of them from the work he was performing to take a stroll. That evening, when the workers came for their pay, the worker who had taken the stroll with the king also came for his. If the king should say to him: “You worked with the others for only two hours; go finish your time,” he could reply: “If you had not interrupted and taken me from my work, my pay would have been even greater than theirs.” Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, may His name be blessed, is a King, and those who labor in the Torah are His workers. One who has devoted himself to the Torah for fifty or thirty or twenty years is able to say: “If you had not taken me from this world, I would still be occupied in the study of the Torah.” Hence Solomon said: Whether he eat little or much his reward is the same.

Then they said to him: You declared also that The satiety of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. What can this mean? Certainly it permits him to sleep. In fact, a man sated with food falls asleep more quickly (than others). Solomon replied: I was speaking about those who possess the riches of the Torah and not material possessions. For example, a man who is distinguished and wealthy in the knowledge of the Torah will teach many students and disseminate his knowledge among the masses, and he is satisfied (in his knowledge) of Torah. And when he dies, the disciples he raised do not permit him to be forgotten. They sit and labor in the Torah, the Talmud, the law, and the Aggadah, quoting the law in his name and recalling him to mind constantly. They do not permit him to sleep undisturbed in his grave.

R. Simeon the son of Lakish, R. Akiba, and R. Simeon the son of Yohai said: His disciples do not permit him to sleep undisturbed in his grave, as it is said: Moving gently the lips of those that are asleep (Song 7:10). Hence, The satiety of the rich will not suffer him to sleep. Similarly, Moses taught the Torah to the Israelites, trained them in the observance of the law, arranged the order of the chapters of the Torah, and assigned the chapters to be read each Sabbath, on Rosh Hodesh, and on holy days. And they call him to mind as they read each Torah portion.

With reference to the portion Shekalim, Moses had said to the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, when I die I shall not be remembered. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: Be assured that just as you stand here now, giving them the portion containing Shekalim, thereby lifting their heads upright,6Lifting up the head signifies to be forgiven. every year when they read it before Me, it will be as though you were standing in that place and lifting their heads upright. How do we know this? From what they shall read concerning this matter in the verse And the Lord spoke to Moses saying: “When thou liftest up the head of the children of Israel” (Exod. 30:11). “Lift up the head” is not said, but rather when thou liftest up.7The future tense of the word “lifting” is used: “they will be forgiven.”

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