Midrasch zu Bereschit 28:2

Another interpretation (of Cant. 2:10): <ARISE,> MY DARLING (rt.: R'H). <She is> the daughter of Abraham, the one who was my companion (rt.: R'H), as stated (in Is. 41:8): THE SEED OF MY FRIEND ABRAHAM. (Cant. 2:10, cont.:) MY FAIR ONE (rt.: YPH), by virtue of Isaac, who beautified (rt.: YPH) me in the world as he laid his neck upon the altar. (Ibid., cont.:) AND COME AWAY (rt.: HLK), by virtue of Isaac whose mother said to him (in Gen. 28:2): ARISE, GO (rt.: HLK) TO PADDAN-ARAM, <TO THE HOUSE OF BETHUEL>…. (Cant. 2:11:) FOR NOW THE WINTER IS PAST, [THE RAINS ARE OVER AND GONE]. What is the meaning of THE WINTER and THE RAINS? THE WINTER is merely six months, and during it there are no hardships except when THE RAINS come down.³¹Cant. R. 2:11:1 connects this interpretation with the following and thereby suggests that like the winter, Israel’s stay in Egypt was not unrelieved hardship.

You know this to be so from the fact that Abraham sought a wife for his son Isaac: And Abraham said unto his servant, the elder of his household, etc. (Gen. 24:2), and it is written also: I will make thee swear by the Lord, the God of heaven … that thou shalt go unto my country (ibid., vv. 3–4). Hence, it is apparent that Abraham was concerned with the observance of the law of Increase and multiply. Similarly, Isaac told Jacob: Arise! Go to Padan-aram (Gen. 28:2), to seek a wife proper for him. He did not wish him to be like the men of the generation of the flood, who wallowed in unchastity and indulged in sexual intercourse with species other than their own. Observe what is written concerning them: The sons of God saw the daughters of men … and took them wives, whomsoever they chose (Gen. 6:2). That was the reason they were obliterated from the earth.

(Gen. 9:18:) AND THE CHILDREN OF NOAH < WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK > WERE < SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH >.⁵⁸Tanh. Gen. 2:12. [Let our master instruct us: Who is the one commanded about being fruitful and multiplying, the man or the woman? Thus] have our masters taught (in Yev. 6:6): THE MAN IS COMMANDED ABOUT BEING FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLYING BUT NOT THE WOMAN. R. Johanan ben Baroqah says: It says concerning both of them (in Gen. 1:28): AND GOD BLESSED THEM, [AND GOD SAID TO THEM: BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY].⁵⁹yTa‘an. 7:9 (69c); yMeg. 1:6 (70c); Gen. R. 8:12. However, the man is commanded more than the woman. You know yourself that it is so. Look at how Abraham showed a lot of determination in taking a wife for his son Isaac; for thus it says (in Gen. 24:2-4): SO ABRAHAM SAID UNTO THE SENIOR SERVANT OF HIS HOUSE … AND I WILL MAKE YOU SWEAR BY THE LORD, THE GOD OF THE HEAVENS … THAT YOU < GO > UNTO MY LAND < WHERE I WAS BORN >…. Thus Abraham showed determination about being fruitful and multiplying. So also Isaac sent Jacob, as stated (in Gen. 28:2): ARISE, GO TO PADDAN-ARAM, TO THE HOUSE OF BETHUEL. He sent him to take a wife who was suitable for him. < In doing so he was > unlike the people of the flood generation, who were lecherous, who were going for what was indecent for them. See what is written (in Gen. 6:2): THE DIVINE SONS SAW < HOW BEAUTIFUL THE HUMAN DAUGHTERS WERE AND TOOK WHOMEVER THEY CHOSE AS THEIR WIVES >. The Holy One said: Inasmuch as they have done this, let them perish from the earth. But why were the cattle destroyed with them, as stated (in Gen. 7:23): BOTH HUMAN AND CATTLE? Because the cattle also were acting immorally and going with species that were not their own, the horse with the donkey, the lion with the bull, the snake with the lizard.⁶⁰Cf. Sanh. 108a. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 6:12): THEN GOD SAW THE EARTH, AND, BEHOLD, IT WAS CORRUPT; [FOR ALL FLESH HAD CORRUPTED ITS WAY UPON THE EARTH]. It does not say "Every person," but ALL FLESH, < i.e., > even the cattle, the wild beasts, and the fowl. Therefore, they were blotted out along with them. R. Pinhas bar Hama the Priest said: Just as none but the righteous entered the ark,⁶¹See Sanh. 108b. so the cattle, wild beasts, and fowl who were with them were righteous, as stated (in Gen. 8:19): < THEY WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK > BY THEIR FAMILIES. Do cattle have families? Only those cattle who had not joined themselves to another species entered the ark; therefore, the Holy One ascribed a lineage for them. So, if cattle, wild beasts, and fowl, who are nothing, were ascribed a lineage, was it not proper for Noah and his sons to be ascribed a lineage? The Holy One immediately ascribed them a {lineage, according to what is written} [lineage. Where is it shown? In what we have read] on the matter (in Gen. 9:18): AND THE SONS OF NOAH WHO WENT FORTH FROM THE ARK WERE < SHEM, HAM, AND JAPHETH >….

(Exodus 12:31) "And he called for Moses and Aaron": We are hereby apprised that Pharaoh made the rounds of Egypt, asking "Where is Moses to be found? Where is Aaron to be found?" "And he said: Arise, go out" — to which Moses replied: We are exhorted to go out only in a throng, viz. (Ibid. 22) "And you, do not go out, etc." Variantly: "And he called to Moses and to Aaron": What is the intent of this? Pharaoh had said to him (Ibid. 10:28) "Go from me." (29) "And Moses said: "True have you spoken" (and in the proper time. Indeed,) "I shall not see your face again." (11:8) "And all these servants of yours will come down to me (Moses), etc." What is the intent of "these"? You (Pharaoh) are destined to be at their head and to come down first — whereby we are taught that Moses accorded honor to the ruler, ("these" being euphemistic for "you"). And thus do we find that the Holy One Blessed be He (Himself) accorded honor to the ruler, viz. (6:13) "And the L rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron and he charged them … to Pharaoh." He charged them to accord honor to the ruler. For thus do we find with Joseph, that he accorded honor to the ruler, viz. (Genesis 41:16) "G d will answer (for) the peace of Pharaoh." And thus with Jacob, viz. (Genesis 28:2) "And Israel strengthened himself and sat up on the bed" (to accord honor to Joseph, the ruler at that time). And thus with Eliyahu, viz. (I Kings 18:46) "And he girded his loins and ran before (King) Achav." And thus with Chananiah, Mishael, and Azaryah, viz. (Daniel 3:26) "Then Nevuchadnezzar approached the door of the burning, fiery furnace and called out: 'Shadrach, Meshach, and Aved-Nego, servants of the Most High — Come out! (Only) then (at the behest of the ruler) Shadrach, Meshach, and Aved-Nego came out of the fire?" And thus with Daniel, viz. (Daniel 6:21) "And when he (the king) approached the den, he cried to Daniel in a mournful voice … (22) (Only) then did Daniel speak with the king, etc." "And he said: Arise and go out": I (Pharaoh) said (Ibid. 10:8) "Who and who are the goers?" and you said (Ibid. 9) "With our youth and with our elders will we go" — "Arise go out from the midst of my people, both you (the adults) and the children of Israel." I said (Ibid. 24) "Only your flocks and herds leave in place," and you said (Ibid. 25) "You, too, shall place in our hands sacrifices and burnt-offerings" — (Ibid. 12:32) "Take as you have spoken and go, etc." "and bless me, too": Pray that this calamity depart from me.