Midrasch zu Schemot 29:39

R. Bisna asserted: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel: My sons, do for Me what I have done for you: I fed you in the desert, therefore you must sacrifice a lamb unto me: Thou shalt offer in the morning (Exod. 29:39). Then washed I thee with water; yea, I cleansed away thy blood from thee, and I anointed thee with oil. I clothed thee also with richly woven work, and shod thee with sealskin, and I wound fine linen about thy head, and covered thee with silk. I decked thee also with ornaments, and I put bracelets upon thy hands, and a chain on thy neck. And I put a ring upon thy nose, and earrings in thy ears, and a beautiful crown upon thy head (Ezek. 16:9–12).

Thus did R. Tanhuma interpret (Exod. 12:1–2): THEN THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES AND UNTO AARON IN THE LAND OF EGYPT, SAYING: THIS MONTH SHALL BE FOR YOU THE BEGINNING OF THE MONTHS…. This text is related (to Cant. 2:10–12): MY BELOVED ANSWERED AND SAID TO ME: ARISE, MY DARLING, MY FAIR ONE, AND COME AWAY. FOR NOW THE WINTER IS PAST,…. THE BLOSSOMS HAVE APPEARED IN THE LAND….²⁹PRK 5:9; PR 15:10; Cant. R. 2:9:5. MY BELOVED ANSWERED through Moses AND SAID TO ME through Aaron: ARISE, MY DARLING (rt.: R'H), O daughter of Abraham, who befriended (rt.: R'H) me in the world. MY FAIR ONE (rt.: YPH), O daughter of Isaac, who beautified (rt.: YPH) me in the world, when his father bound him upon the altar. AND COME AWAY, O daughter of Jacob, the one who (according to Gen. 28:7) heeded HIS FATHER AND HIS MOTHER [AND WENT TO PADDAN-ARAM]. R. Aqiva says: The text <reads> ARISE<…,> [COME AWAY] (both of which are feminine imperatives with the letter yod at the end). The < extra > yod stands for ten, [due to] the ten commandments which you are going to receive on Sinai. ARISE, MY DARLING, MY FAIR ONE <AND COME AWAY>…. R. Johanan said: MY DARLING (R'YTY) <belongs in the context of> what is written (in Exod. 29:39): THE ONE LAMB YOU SHALL OFFER IN THE MORNING….³⁰The Masoretic text of Cant. 2:10 vowels R‘YTY as ra‘yati (MY DARLING). R. Johanan would revowel R‘YTY as re‘iyyati (MY PASTURING), a word which refers especially to the pasturing of sacrificial animals. Hence the reference to the sacrificial lambs of Exod. 29:39.

Another explanation of Benjamin is a wolf that raveneth. It alludes to sacrifice. In the morning he devoureth prey: The one lamb shalt thou offer in the morning (Exod. 29:39). At even he divideth the spoil: And the other lamb thou shalt offer at even (ibid.).

“…seventy shekels according to the holy shekel…” (Numbers 7:13) Seventy in parallel to the seventy nations which descended from him (from Adam). Another explanation. Why seventy? In parallel to the seventy verses from the beginning of the book of Genesis to the curse of the snake. R’ Pichas said: there are two enemies who were not cursed until seventy verses had been completed about them – the snake and Haman the wicked. Regarding the snake, from “In the beginning…” (Genesis 1:1) until “…cursed be you more than all the cattle…” (Genesis 3:14) is seventy verses. Regarding Haman, from “After these events, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman…” (Esther 3:1) until “And they hanged Haman…” (Esther 7:10) is seventy verses. For the purpose of seventy he was hanged on fifty (cubits of wood). Another explanation. In parallel to the seventy holy names from ‘In the beginning’ until the story of the snake. And if you say there is one more (than seventy) “…and you will be like gods…” (Genesis 3:5) is not a holy name. Another explanation. In parallel to the seventy years before Terach gave birth to Avraham, as it says “And Terach lived seventy years…” (Genesis 11:26) Two people lived in two generations for seventy years. Kenan in the first generation, “And Kenan lived seventy years…” (Genesis 5:12) and Terach in the second generation. Another explanation. Parallel to the seventy days which they wept over Yaakov the pious, as it says “…and the Egyptians wept over him for seventy days.” (Genesis 50:3) Another explanation. Parallel to the seventy days of goodness which the Holy One gave to Israel – seven days of Passover, eight days of Sukkot, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Shavuot and the fifty two days of Shabbat in the solar year make seventy. Another explanation. Parallel to the seventy names of the Holy One, the seventy names of Israel, the seventy names of the Torah, the seventy names of Jerusalem. Another explanation. Parallel to the seventy years that Adam took away from his life and gave to David ben Yishai. It was fit that he live for a thousand years, as it says “…for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) And a day to the Holy One is a thousand years, as it says “For a thousand years are in Your eyes like yesterday, which passed, and a watch in the night.” (Psalms 90:4)