Midrasch zu Schemot 20:8
זָכ֛וֹר֩ אֶת־י֥֨וֹם הַשַּׁבָּ֖֜ת לְקַדְּשֽׁ֗וֹ
Gedenke des Schabbattages, ihn zu heiligen:
Midrash Tanchuma
You find that not all the eighteen benedictions (of the Amidah) recited each day are in praise of the Holy One, blessed be He. In fact, only the first three and the final three are in praise of Him, while the twelve intervening prayers allude to human needs. It is for this reason that we do not say the eighteen benedictions on the Sabbath.3On Sabbaths and holy dayss the thirteen intervening blessings are omitted lest the holiness of the day be marred by references to mundane affairs; a single benediction describing the characteristic feature of the day is inserted, in their place. For, if it should happen that a loved one was ill at home at the time of praying, the worshipper would be reminded of it while reciting the prayer “Who healeth the ills of His people” and would become depressed. Inasmuch as the Sabbath was given to Israel for sanctification, for joy and rest and not for sorrow, one must recite the first three blessings and the final three blessings (of the Amidah) and replace the intervening ones with the prayer of Rest. Hence, David proclaimed: Seven times a day do I praise Thee, because of Thy righteous ordinances (Ps. 119:164). The word seven in this verse refers to the seven benedictions recited on the Sabbath. What other day could this verse refer to, if not the day of rest, which is unlike any other? For it is said: Remember the Sabbath day and keep it holy (Exod. 20:8)—in every respect, even from in the pursuit of thy business and speaking thereof (Isa. 58:13).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Eikhah Rabbah
“Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her wretchedness, all her delights that she had from the days of old; with the fall of her people into the hand of the adversary, with no one helping her, the adversaries saw her, mocked her over her deficiencies” (Lamentations 1:7).
“Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her wretchedness.” In the days of her affliction, she remembered the rebellions that she rebelled against the Holy One blessed be He. “All her delights [maḥamudeha],” these are words of Torah, just as it says: “They are more desirable [haneḥemadim] than gold, than much fine gold” (Psalms 19:11).
“With the fall of her people into the hand of the adversary,” the Rabbis there124In Babylon. say: When a bull falls its slaughterers are many. The Rabbis here125In Israel. say: When a bull falls, sharpen the knives.126These are expressions that were common in Babylon or the Land of Israel. The point is that when one is weak and vulnerable, it is much more common for people to rush to take advantage of that weakness than to provide protection.
“With no one helping her.” The Rabbis there say: When you insult a bride, she remembers the seven days of rejoicing. The Rabbis here say: When a son goes barefoot, he remembers the tranquility of his father’s home.127Similarly, when the residents of Jerusalem were suffering, they thought back to the comforts of earlier times.
“The adversaries saw her, mocked her over he deficiencies [mishbateha],” over her Shabbatot, just as it says: “Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it” (Exodus 20:8).128The midrash interprets the verse as saying that the gentiles mocked the Jews for the fact that they observed Shabbat, and attempted to coerce them to violate Shabbat (Etz Yosef). Alternatively, “over her deficiencies [mishbateha],” over her Sabbatical years [shemitoteha], just as it says: “In the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest [for the land]” (Leviticus 25:4). Alternatively, “over her deficiencies [mishbateha],” this is Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, who ceased [sheshavat] to be in her.129The midrash interprets the phrase “mocked [saḥaku] it over its deficiencies [mishbateha]” to mean that they rejoiced [saḥaku] over he who ceased [sheshavat] to be in it. When they saw that Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai left the city, they knew that it would be conquered (Etz Yosef).
“Jerusalem remembered in the days of her affliction and her wretchedness.” In the days of her affliction, she remembered the rebellions that she rebelled against the Holy One blessed be He. “All her delights [maḥamudeha],” these are words of Torah, just as it says: “They are more desirable [haneḥemadim] than gold, than much fine gold” (Psalms 19:11).
“With the fall of her people into the hand of the adversary,” the Rabbis there124In Babylon. say: When a bull falls its slaughterers are many. The Rabbis here125In Israel. say: When a bull falls, sharpen the knives.126These are expressions that were common in Babylon or the Land of Israel. The point is that when one is weak and vulnerable, it is much more common for people to rush to take advantage of that weakness than to provide protection.
“With no one helping her.” The Rabbis there say: When you insult a bride, she remembers the seven days of rejoicing. The Rabbis here say: When a son goes barefoot, he remembers the tranquility of his father’s home.127Similarly, when the residents of Jerusalem were suffering, they thought back to the comforts of earlier times.
“The adversaries saw her, mocked her over he deficiencies [mishbateha],” over her Shabbatot, just as it says: “Remember the Shabbat day to sanctify it” (Exodus 20:8).128The midrash interprets the verse as saying that the gentiles mocked the Jews for the fact that they observed Shabbat, and attempted to coerce them to violate Shabbat (Etz Yosef). Alternatively, “over her deficiencies [mishbateha],” over her Sabbatical years [shemitoteha], just as it says: “In the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of complete rest [for the land]” (Leviticus 25:4). Alternatively, “over her deficiencies [mishbateha],” this is Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai, who ceased [sheshavat] to be in her.129The midrash interprets the phrase “mocked [saḥaku] it over its deficiencies [mishbateha]” to mean that they rejoiced [saḥaku] over he who ceased [sheshavat] to be in it. When they saw that Rabban Yoḥanan ben Zakai left the city, they knew that it would be conquered (Etz Yosef).
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy
Midrash Tanchuma
Our masters have said in the name of R. [Hanina] (Huna) the father of R. Aha, “The adulterer and adulteress transgress the Ten Commandments.”13Numb. R. 9:12. [They] said to [him], “In the case of nine, we concede [his transgressing them].” How is this? In the case of (Exod. 20:2 = Deut. 5:6:) “I [am the Lord your God],” because anyone who commits adultery with the wife of his acquaintance is, as it were, denying the Holy One, blessed be He. It is so stated (in Jer. 5:8, 12), “They have denied the Lord and said, ‘He does not exist.’” (Exod. 20:5 = Deut. 5:7:) [“You shall have no other Gods”], since it is written of Him (in Exod. 20:5 = Deut. 5:9), “for [I] the Lord your God am a jealous God.” Also it is stated two times concerning the adulteress (in Numb. 5:14), “If the spirit of jealousy came over him, and he is jealous of his wife.” But why two times? Because it (i.e., the meal offering of the next verse)14So Rashi on Numb. 5:15. excites jealousy for the Holy One, blessed be He, and for her husband, as stated (in Numb. 5:15), “for it is a meal offering of jealousies.” Thus it is a case of two jealousies. (Exod. 20:7 = Deut. 5:11:) “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God [in vain].” [One breaks this commandment] because he commits adultery and swears in vain that he has not done so. (Exod. 20:12 = Deut. 5:16:) “Honor your father.” When one commits adultery with the adulteress, she becomes pregnant from him. Then she says to her husband, “I am pregnant from you.” When the fetus is grown, it honors her husband, [since it] thinks that he is its father. Moreover, [the grown child] passes through the market and hits the adulterer, since he thinks that he is not his father. (Exod. 20:13 = Deut. 5:17:) “You shall not murder.” The adulterer goes in on condition that, if he is caught, he will kill or be killed. (Exod. 20:13, cont. = Deut. 5:17, cont.:) “You shall not commit adultery.” Obviously [this commandment is broken], because he is committing adultery. (Exod. 20:13, cont. = Deut. 5:17, cont.:) “You shall not steal.” [This commandment is broken] because he is stealing his neighbor's source (i.e., his wife's womb), and so it says (in Prov. 9:17), “Stolen waters are sweet […].” (Exod. 20:13, cont. // Deut. 5:17, cont.:) “You shall not bear [false witness] against your neighbor.” [The commandment is broken] in that [the adulteress] bears false witness [to her husband] and says, “I am pregnant from you.” (Exod. 20:14; cf. Deut. 5:18:) “You shall not covet your neighbor's house, and you shall not covet your neighbor's wife […].” [The commandment is broken] because whoever covets his friend's wife and commits adultery with her, covets everything that belongs to his friend.15Cf. Lev. R. 23:12. How? When the husband comes to depart from the world, he thinks that this son is his and writes him a will16Gk.: diatheke. of all his assets. So he bequeaths to him whatever he has without knowing that he is not his son. It turns out that the adulterer covets whatever belongs to his friend.
They said to R. Hanina, “Here we have told you nine [commandments]. In regard to] (Exod. 20:8; cf. Deut. 5:12:) ‘Remember [the Sabbath (day)],’ how does he transgress against it?” He said to them, “I will tell you: Sometimes when a priest has a priestly wife, and a [lay] Israelite adulterer has sexual intercourse with her, such that she bears [a child] from him, they consider him (i.e., the child) to be the son of a priest. Then when the baby goes on to minister in the Temple, arrange wood, and sacrifice on the Sabbath, he is found to be profaning the Sabbath. Hence the Ten Commandments are violated by the adulteress with the adulterer. Solomon also has said concerning her (in Eccl. 7:26), “And I find [the woman] more bitter than death, [(the woman) who has snares and nets (in her heart)].” What is the meaning of “snares (rt.: tswd)?” She lies in wait (rt.: tswd) in this world and for the world to come.17The inference is from the fact that SNARES is plural and implies a minimum of two. And “nets?” The net catches [prey] in the water but does not catch [any] on dry land. The woman, however, catches [her prey] in the sea and on the dry land.18Eccl. R. 7:26:3. (Eccl. 7:26:) “And I find [the woman] more bitter than death.” Not to be loud, arrogant of gait, or bawdy in laughter: This is the way of the daughters of Israel. But if [a woman] was bawdy in the presence of one of them, one would warn her on the evidence of two [witnesses] and say to her, “Why should you be laughing with so and so? Why should you be speaking with him?” If she has [merely] spoken [with him] up to now, she is allowed into her house and may eat the terumah. [If] she has entered with him in secret and lingered to be defiled, she is forbidden her house and eating the terumah.
They said to R. Hanina, “Here we have told you nine [commandments]. In regard to] (Exod. 20:8; cf. Deut. 5:12:) ‘Remember [the Sabbath (day)],’ how does he transgress against it?” He said to them, “I will tell you: Sometimes when a priest has a priestly wife, and a [lay] Israelite adulterer has sexual intercourse with her, such that she bears [a child] from him, they consider him (i.e., the child) to be the son of a priest. Then when the baby goes on to minister in the Temple, arrange wood, and sacrifice on the Sabbath, he is found to be profaning the Sabbath. Hence the Ten Commandments are violated by the adulteress with the adulterer. Solomon also has said concerning her (in Eccl. 7:26), “And I find [the woman] more bitter than death, [(the woman) who has snares and nets (in her heart)].” What is the meaning of “snares (rt.: tswd)?” She lies in wait (rt.: tswd) in this world and for the world to come.17The inference is from the fact that SNARES is plural and implies a minimum of two. And “nets?” The net catches [prey] in the water but does not catch [any] on dry land. The woman, however, catches [her prey] in the sea and on the dry land.18Eccl. R. 7:26:3. (Eccl. 7:26:) “And I find [the woman] more bitter than death.” Not to be loud, arrogant of gait, or bawdy in laughter: This is the way of the daughters of Israel. But if [a woman] was bawdy in the presence of one of them, one would warn her on the evidence of two [witnesses] and say to her, “Why should you be laughing with so and so? Why should you be speaking with him?” If she has [merely] spoken [with him] up to now, she is allowed into her house and may eat the terumah. [If] she has entered with him in secret and lingered to be defiled, she is forbidden her house and eating the terumah.
Ask RabbiBookmarkShareCopy