Midrasch zu Daniel 11:46

(Gen. 21, 33) And Abraham planted a tamarisk-tree in Beer'sheba. Said Resh Lakish: "Infer from this that he made an orchard and planted in it every kind of delicacies." R. Juda and R. Nechemia both differ as to the explanation of this passage. One says that the passage refers to an orchard and the other says that it refers to an inn. It is evidently right according to the one who explains it an orchard; for the passage says, Vayita, (and he planted) but as to the one who explains it an inn, what is the meaning of Vayita? (and he planted)? Such an expression we find in the following passage (Dan. 11, 45) Vayita, he will pitch the tents of his palace between seas and glorious holy mountains. (Gen. 12, 33) And called there on the name of the Lord. Said Resh Lakish: "Do not read Vayikra and he called it, but Vayakri (Ib. b) and he caused it to be called." Infer from this that Abraham caused every traveler to call the name of the Holy One, praised be He! How was this done? After they had eaten and drunk they would stand up to bless Abraham, whereupon Abraham would say to them: "Have you then eaten from mine? You have eaten from that which belongs to the God of the Universe; therefore praise and bless Him who spoke and the world came in existence."

Job said (in Job 14:4), “Who can produce something clean out of something unclean, no one.” After the Holy One, blessed be He, permitted the cow and forbade the camel, who could declare clean or declare unclean? Who has done so? Is it not the One? Is it not the singular One of the world? Come and see: Originally at the creation of the world, everything was permitted, as stated (in Gen. 9:3), “as with the green grass, I have given you everything.” And it states (in Gen. 1:31), “And God saw everything that He had done, and behold, it was good.” Then after Israel stood by Mount Sinai, He increased Torah and commandments for them in order to give them a good reward. But if so, why did He not so command the first Adam? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “When I ordained an easy commandment for him, he transgressed against it. How could he fulfill all these commandments? On the very day on which it was commanded, on that day he transgressed against it. He was unable to remain obedient to the command for a single hour. How did the Holy One, blessed be He, create Adam? R. Judah ben Pedayah said, “[Twelve hours make up the day.] In the first hour the first Adam arose in the thought of the Holy One, blessed be He, [with a view] to creation.⁴⁵PRK 23:1; PR 46:2; M. Pss. 92:3; Lev. R. 29:1; cf. Sanh. 38b; ARN, A, 1; PRE 11. In the second He consulted with the ministering angels and said (in Gen. 1:26), ‘Let us make man in our image.’ In the third He gathered his dust. In the fourth He kneaded him. In the fifth He shaped him. In the sixth He stood him up as a golem. In the seventh He blew breath into him. In the eighth He brought him into the Garden of Eden. In the ninth He commanded him, ‘Eat of this, and do not eat of that.’ In the tenth [Adam] sinned. In the eleventh he was judged. In the twelfth he was expelled.” Thus you must conclude that he did not remain obedient to the commandment for even a single hour. R. Judah ben Pedayah said, “Would that someone remove the dust from your eyes, O first Adam, you who could not persevere in your temptation for even a single hour, while here your children are keeping all the commandments which were given to them and persevering in them!”⁴⁶Gen. R. 21:7; cf. Lev. R. 25:2. One of them rises to plant, till, weed, prune, take pains to irrigate, and see the fruits of his plantings when they produce first fruits. Then he folds his hands and does not taste them, in order to fulfill what is stated (in Lev. 19:23), “three years it shall be [forbidden] to you….” But in the case of the first Adam, it was told him, “Eat of this, and do not eat of that,” and he was not able to remain obedient to the commandment for a single hour. Instead (according to Gen. 3:6), “then she also gave some to her husband, and he ate,” but [when] your children were commanded to eat this and not to eat that, [they remained obedient to those commandments]. And [this obedience is] especially [evident] when someone from Israel takes a bovine, an ox, or a lamb, slaughters it ritually, skins it, washes it, and inspects its health. When it is found to be unfit, he holds back and does not eat it. Ergo (in II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. 18:31, cont.), “the word of the Lord is pure.” For that reason, the first Adam was not commanded, because it was revealed to the Holy One, blessed be He, that he could not remain obedient to many commandments; as behold, he was commanded [only] one commandment, and he did not persevere with it. But in the case of Israel, when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave them many commandments, they observed them. He therefore expanded the Torah and commandments for them, and said to them (in Lev. 11:2-7), “These are the creatures that you may eat…. These, however, you may not eat…: the camel […]; the rock badger […]; the hare […]; and the pig.” Another interpretation of (Lev. 11:4-7). The camel (rt.: gml) represents the kingdom of Babylon, since it is stated (in Ps. 137:8), “O Daughter of Babylon, who are to be destroyed, fortunate is the one who repays you the recompense (rt.: gml) [with which you recompensed (rt.: gml) us].” The rock badger represents the kingdom of Media, since it made Israel into a corner and ownerless (as in Esth. 3:6), “to exterminate, to kill and to destroy all [the Jews]…”;⁴⁷The exact relation of the rock badger (ha’arnevet) to Media is unclear. One possibility is suggested by Lev. 11:6, according to which the rock badger has marks of both uncleanness and cleanness. Lev. R. 13:5 reports two versions of such an interpretation. The Rabbis interpreted this mix to mean that Media produced a righteous as well as a wicked person (perhaps Haman and Mordecai or Haman and Darius the Mede of Dan. 11:1). According to R. Judah b. R. Simon, the last Darius was clean on the side of his mother Esther and unclean on his father’s side. and likewise, the name of Ptolemy’s wife was rock badger (arnevet). The hare alludes to Greece, since it brought low the Torah from the mouth of the prophets.⁴⁸Probably because prophecy ceased under Greek rule; but according to Lev. R. 13:5, “hare” alludes to the Greek kingdom, because Ptolemy’s mother was named “Hare.” Cf. yMeg. 1:11 (71d), according to which the Greek translators of Lev. 11:6 emended “hare” to “short-legged one” for the same reason. Cf. also Meg. 90b, according to which it was Ptolemy’s wife who was named Hare. In actuality the person named “Hare” (Gk.: Lagos) was Ptolemy’s father. As it is stated (in Amos 8:11), “Behold days are coming says the Lord, God, and I will send a hunger…”; and it is written (in Amos 8:12), “And they shall wander from sea to sea….” How is this? In the future to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will issue a proclamation: Whoever has been engaged in such and such a commandment may come and receive his reward. Then the gentiles also will say, “Give us our reward, for we have performed a commandment.” The Holy One, blessed be He, [however] has said, “Whoever has observed the [commandments of the] Torah may come and receive his reward.”

The eighth king was Alexander of Macedonia, who ruled from one end of the world to the other, as it is said, "And as I was considering, behold, an he-goat came from the west over the face of the whole earth" (Dan. 8:5). "Over the earth" is not written here, but "over the face of the whole earth." And not only that, but he wished to ascend to heaven in order to know what is in heaven, and to descend into the depths in order to know what is in the depths, and not only that, but he attempted to go to the ends of the earth in order to know what was at the ends of the earth. The Holy One, blessed be He, divided his kingdom among the four corners (or winds) of the heavens, as it is said, "And when he shall stand up, his kingdom shall be broken, and shall be divided towards the four winds of the heaven" (Dan. 11:4).

ADAM IN PARADISE
WITH love abounding did the Holy One, blessed be He, love the first man, inasmuch as He created him in a pure locality, in the place of the Temple, and He brought him into His palace, as it is said, "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15). From which place did He take him? From the place of the Temple, and He brought him into His palace, which is Eden, as it is said, "And he put him into the garden of Eden to dress it" (ibid.). Perhaps thou wilt say: To plough (the fields) and cast out the stones from the ground. But did not all the trees grow up of their own accord?

(Lev. 11:4–7:) < THESE, HOWEVER, YOU MAY NOT EAT…: > THE CAMEL < … >; THE ROCK BADGER< … >; THE HARE< … >; AND THE PIG.⁶¹Tanh., Lev. 3:8; cf. Lev. R. 13:5. THE CAMEL (rt.: GML) represents the kingdom of Babylon, since it is stated (in Ps. 137:8): O DAUGHTER OF BABYLON, WHO ARE TO BE DESTROYED, [BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO REPAYS YOU THE RECOMPENSE (rt.: GML) WITH WHICH YOU RECOMPENSED (rt.: GML) US. THE ROCK BADGER represents the kingdom of Media, since it is stated (in Esth. 3:6): SO HAMAN SOUGHT TO DESTROY < ALL THE JEWS >….⁶²The exact relation of the rock badger (ha’arnevet) to Media is unclear. One possibility is suggested by Lev. 11:6, according to which the rock badger has marks of both uncleanness and cleanness. Lev. R. 13:5 reports two versions of such an interpretation. The Rabbis interpreted this mix to mean that Media produced a righteous as well as a wicked person (perhaps Haman and Mordecai or Haman and Darius the Mede of Dan. 11:1). According to R. Judah b. R. Simon, the last Darius was clean on the side of his mother Esther and unclean on his father’s side. THE HARE alludes to Greece, because it brought low the Torah from the mouth of the prophets.⁶³Probably because prophecy ceased under Greek rule; but according to Lev. R. 13:5, “hare” alludes to the Greek kingdom, because Ptolemy’s mother was named “Hare.” Cf. yMeg. 1:11 (71d), according to which the Greek translaters of Lev. 11:6 emended “hare” to “short-legged one” for the same reason. Cf. also Meg. 90b, according to which it was Ptolemy’s wife who was named Hare. In actuality the person named “Hare” (Gk.: Lagos) was Ptolemy’s father. THE PIG represents the evil kingdom of Edom (i.e., Rome), since it is stated (in Ps. 80:14 [13]): THE PIG OF THE FOREST GNAWS AT IT (i.e., at Jerusalem).⁶⁴See ARN, A, 34. Why is it compared to the pig (rt.: HZR)? Because the Holy One is going to pay it back (rt.: HZR) with strict judgment. How? In the age to come the Holy One will issue a proclamation: Whoever has been engaged in the Torah may come and receive his reward. Then the gentiles also will say: Give us our reward, for we also have performed such and such a commandment. The Holy One < however > has said: Whoever has not eaten abhorrent creatures and creeping things may receive his reward. At that time they < will > receive their judgment,⁶⁵Gk.: apophasis. as stated (in Is. 66:17): THOSE WHO EAT THE FLESH OF THE PIG, THE ABHORRENT CREATURE, AND THE MOUSE SHALL BE CONSUMED TOGETHER, SAYS THE LORD.

Rabbi Jonathan said: The last of the kings of Media was Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, and he reigned thirty-two years, as it is said, "But in all this time I was not in Jerusalem; for in the two and thirtieth year of Artaxerxes, king of Babylon, I went unto the king" (Neh. 13:6).

Rabbi Tachanah said: Come and see how wealthy Ahasuerus was, for he was wealthier than all the kings of Media and Persia, and concerning him the Scripture saith, "And the fourth shall be far richer than they all" (Dan. 11:2). What was the wealth of Ahasuerus? He erected couches of gold and silver in the streets of the city, to show all the peoples how rich he was, as it is said, "The couches were of gold and silver" (Esth. 1:6). All the vessels used by Ahasuerus were not vessels of silver, but vessels of gold. He brought the vessels of the Temple, and all the vessels of his palace were changed in appearance, so that they became like lead, as it is said, "The vessels being diverse one from another" (Esth. 1:7).