Midrash Tanchuma, Vaetchanan 1

(Deut. 3:23:) “I besought the Lord.” This text is related (to Job 9:22), “It is all one; therefore, I say, ‘He destroys the innocent and the wicked.’” Moses said, “Master of the world, everything is equal before you. There is one determination for the righteous and for the wicked.” Similarly also Solomon says (in Eccl. 9:2), “Since everything [happens] to everyone, the same lot [falls] to the righteous and to the wicked, [to the good, to the clean and to the unclean, to the one who sacrifices and to the one who does not sacrifice; as it is with the good, so it is with the sinner; the one who takes an oath is like one who fears an oath].” (Eccl. 9:2:) “To the righteous” refers to Noah.1Lev. R. 20:1; Eccl. R. 9:2:1; PRK 26:1; cf. Tanh., Lev. 6:1; above, Lev. 6:1. R. Phinehas [said] in the name of R. Johanan, [who spoke] in the name of R. Eliezer the son of R. Jose the Galilean, “When Noah came out of the ark, the lion bit him and maimed him so that he became unfit to offer sacrifice; so his son Shem offered sacrifice in his place.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “And to the wicked” refers to Pharaoh Necho. When he wanted to sit on Solomon's throne [and] did not know its mechanism,2Gk.: manganon. a lion which was on the throne3I Kings 10:19-20 = II Chron. 9:18-19. bit him and maimed him. The former died with a limp, and the latter died with a limp. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “To the good” refers to Moses, as stated (in Exod. 2:2), “And when she saw that he was good,” in that he was born circumcised.4Sot. 12a; Exod. R. 1:20. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “To the clean” refers to Aaron, who would cleanse the sins of Israel. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “And to the unclean,” refers to the spies. The one group (i.e., the spies) uttered slander against the land of Israel, while the other (i.e., Moses and Aaron) uttered praise for the land of Israel; [still] the former did not enter [the land], nor did the latter enter it. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “To the one who sacrifices” refers to Josiah, as stated (in II Chron. 35:7), “Then Josiah donated to the lay people a flock of lambs and kids, all for Passover sacrifices.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “And to the one who does not sacrifice” refers to Ahab, who abolished the sacrifices from upon the altar, since this is what is written (in II Chron. 18:2), “where Ahab slaughtered sheep and cattle for him (i.e., for Jehoshaphat).” “For him” he slaughtered, but for sacrifices he did not slaughter. [Nevertheless] the former died by arrows, as written (in II Chron. 35:23), “Then the archers shot King Josiah,”5Cf. yQid. 1:7 (61a); Ta‘an 23b; MQ 28b; Sanh. 48b. and the latter died by arrows, as written (in I Kings 22:34 = II Chron. 18:33), “But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel….” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “As it is for the good refers to David, of whom it is stated (in I Sam. 16:12), “And they sent and they brought him, and he was ruddy with beautiful eyes and a good appearance.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “So it is with the sinner” refers to Nebuchadnezzar, of whom it is written (in Dan. 4:24), “atone for your sinning through righteousness.” The former built the Temple and reigned forty years. The latter destroyed the Temple and reigned forty years. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “The one who takes an oath (without keeping it)” refers to Zedekiah, of whom it is written (in II Chron. 36:13), “And he also rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar who had made him take an oath by God.” What was his rebellion?6Ned. 65a. Zedekiah discovered Nebuchadnezzar as he was eating a live rabbit. Nebuchadnezzar said to Zedekiah, “Swear to me that you will not reveal it.” He swore to him. In the end he was inwardly sorry, and he had his oath absolved. When the other kings heard [what Nebuchadnezzar did], they disparaged him. [Moreover] they were saying against him, “Be aware of who is ruling the earth, one who eats live rabbit!” When Nebuchadnezzar heard [what they were saying], he sent to have the Sanhedrin7Gk.: Synedrion. and Zedekiah come to him. He said to them, “Have you seen what Zedekiah has done to me; did he not swear to me?” [Zedekiah] said to him, “I had my oath absolved.” He (Nebuchadnezzar) said to the Sanhedrin, “Can an oath be absolved?” They said to him, “One absolves [an oath, if there is] danger to one's life.” He said to them, “When?” They said to him, “On the same day.” He said to them, “In the presence of him [to whom the oath was sworn] or not in his presence?” They said to him, “In his presence.” He said to them, ��And what was the reason you did not say [so] to Zedekiah?” Immediately (in the words of Lam. 2:10), “The elders of the Daughters of Zion sit on the ground in silence.” R. Isaac said, “[This teaches that] they removed the pillows and cushions from beneath them.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “Like one who fears an oath.” This refers to Samson, [as stated (in Jud. 15:12),] “then Samson said to them, ‘Swear to me that you yourselves will not attack me.’” From here [we know] that he feared an oath. [The former died with his eyes gouged out, and the latter died with his eyes gouged out.] The former died with his eyes gouged out according to what is stated (in II Kings 25:7 = Jer. 39:7 = Jer. 52:11), “then he put out Zedekiah's eyes.” This was one of seven who were like the first Adam [in one feature.8Cf. Sot. 10a. In the case of] Zedekiah [it was] because of his eyes. So they thrust iron lances9Gk.: logchai. into his eyes, but his eyes were not put out until they slaughtered his children before his eyes, and then they put out his eyes. It is so stated (II Kings 25:7), “And they slaughtered the children of Zedekiah before his eyes and then he put out Zedekiah's eyes.” Samson also [died with his eyes gouged out, as stated (in Jud. 16:21), “] “So the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes.” Another interpretation (of Eccl. 9:2), “Since everything [happens] to everyone.” Moses said in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, everything is the same for You; You destroy (according to Job 9:22) ‘the innocent and the wicked.’ The spies provoked You with anger by slandering the land, as stated (in Numbers 13:32), ‘And they put out slander against the land,’ while I have served your children forty years in the wilderness. [Yet] the same lot is [in store] for me as for them.” A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who wanted to take a wife. He sent emissaries10Shulahin. The word represents the Hebrew concept behind the Greek and Latin words translated “apostles” and denotes people having the ancient equivalent of a power of attorney. to see whether she was beautiful or not. They went to see her. [Then] they came [back] and said to him, “We have seen her and there is no one more desolate and ugly than she.” When her sponsor heard, he said, “My Lord, there is no one in the world more beautiful than she.” He came to marry her. The father of the young woman said to the king's emissaries, “I swear by the life of the king that not one of you shall come to [the wedding feast], seeing that you humiliated her before the king.” When the sponsor came to enter, he said to him, “You also may not come in.” The sponsor said to him, “I did not see her and [yet] I told the king that there was no one more beautiful than she, while those said, ‘There is no one more ugly than she.’ And now allow me [to enter] and I shall see whether [she is] like my report or like their report.” Similarly Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “My master, the spies uttered slander, [in describing the land (in Numb. 13:32) as] ‘a land that eats up its inhabitants.’ I, however, have not seen it, but I have praised it before Your children (in Deut. 8:7), ‘For the Lord your God is bringing you unto a good land.’ And now I shall see whether [it is] like my report or like their report.” Thus it is stated (in Deut. 3:25), “Please let me cross over and see the good land […].” He said to him (in Deut. 3:27), “For you shall not cross over [this Jordan].” Moshe said to him, “If so, everything is the same for You. You destroy (in accordance with Job 9:22) ‘the innocent and the wicked.’”

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