Midrasch zu Bereschit 27:39
וַיַּ֛עַן יִצְחָ֥ק אָבִ֖יו וַיֹּ֣אמֶר אֵלָ֑יו הִנֵּ֞ה מִשְׁמַנֵּ֤י הָאָ֙רֶץ֙ יִהְיֶ֣ה מֽוֹשָׁבֶ֔ךָ וּמִטַּ֥ל הַשָּׁמַ֖יִם מֵעָֽל׃
Da antwortete sein Vater Isaak und sprach zu ihm: Sieh, fern vom fetten Boden wird dem Wohnsitz sein Und fern vom Tau des Himmels droben!
Esther Rabbah
It is written: “You have seen, for You behold mischief and spite; to requite is in Your hand: the helpless man commits himself to You; You are the helper of the orphans” (Psalms 10:14). The congregation of Israel said before The Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the Universe, You saw that Esau the wicked came, and is destined to destroy the Temple, exile Israel from its land, and shackle them in collars – “You behold…to requite is in Your hand” – yet you rested Your Divine Presence upon Isaac, who said to him [Esau]: “Behold, the fat of the earth shall be your dwelling, and from the dew of the heavens from above” (Genesis 27:39). “The helpless man commits himself to You” – the next day he [Esau/Rome] comes and takes orphans and widows and incarcerates them in prison, and says to them: Will He about whom it is written: “The father of orphans and the judge of widows” (Psalms 68:6), come and rescue you from me? Rather, You helped his [Esau’s] orphan. Two orphans who remained from him, that is Remus and Romulus, you allowed the wolf to nurse them, and ultimately, they arose and constructed two great towers in Rome.’
Another matter: “You have seen, for You behold mischief and spite…” the congregation of Israel said before The Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the Universe, You saw Nebuchadnezzar the wicked, who came and destroyed the Temple, and exiled Israel, and shackled them in collars. “To requite is in Your hand” – yet You rested Your Divine Presence on Jeremiah, who said to us: “All the nations will serve him [Nebuchadnezzar] and his son and his son's son...” (Jeremiah 27:7). “The helpless man commits himself to You” – the next day he comes and takes Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya and puts them in the fiery furnace, and says to them: “Who is the God who will save you from my hands?” (Daniel 3:15). Rather, it is not, “You are the helper of the orphans,” but one orphan girl remained from him [Nebuchadnezzar] and you made her an empress in a kingdom that was not hers, and who was that? Vashti.’
Another matter: “You have seen, for You behold mischief and spite…” the congregation of Israel said before The Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the Universe, You saw Nebuchadnezzar the wicked, who came and destroyed the Temple, and exiled Israel, and shackled them in collars. “To requite is in Your hand” – yet You rested Your Divine Presence on Jeremiah, who said to us: “All the nations will serve him [Nebuchadnezzar] and his son and his son's son...” (Jeremiah 27:7). “The helpless man commits himself to You” – the next day he comes and takes Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya and puts them in the fiery furnace, and says to them: “Who is the God who will save you from my hands?” (Daniel 3:15). Rather, it is not, “You are the helper of the orphans,” but one orphan girl remained from him [Nebuchadnezzar] and you made her an empress in a kingdom that was not hers, and who was that? Vashti.’
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Kohelet Rabbah
“If you see exploitation of the poor, and the perversion of justice and integrity in the state, do not marvel at the purpose; for one higher than high is watching, and there are high ones over them” (Ecclesiastes 5:7).
“If you see exploitation of the poor” – if you see one exploiting the poor and the indigent, and the Righteous One, who lives forever, bestows tranquility and good upon him, “see…in the state [bamedina],” see in him the sentence29Bamedina is expounded as a portmanteau of bam dina, they will be sentenced. of Gehenna. “For one higher” – these are the angels; “and there are high ones over them” – this is the Holy One blessed be He.
Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina interpreted the verse regarding Esau. If you saw Esau in the great city of Rome30The Sages considered the Romans to be descendants of Esau. exploiting the poor and robbing the indigent, and the Holy One blessed be He bestows tranquility upon him, you will [yet] see in him the attribute of justice.31Rome will eventually be punished. “Do not marvel” regarding what the old man32Isaac said and his wish was fulfilled, as it is stated: “Behold, of the fat of the earth will be your dwelling” (Genesis 27:39). “For one higher” – these are the ministers, governors, and commanders. “And there are high ones over them” – this is the King who lives forever. Rabbi Aḥa said: From the “behold” of flesh and blood you learn of the “behold” of the Holy One blessed be He. Just as the “behold” of flesh and blood provided life for an entire people in this world, as it is stated: “Behold, I have given Haman’s house to Esther” (Esther 8:7), when the “behold” of the Holy One blessed be He comes, as it is stated: “Behold, a day of the Lord is coming, [and your spoil shall be divided in your midst]” (Zechariah 14:1), all the more so.33If the “behold” of Aḥashverosh granted the Jews great wealth from Haman, who was a descendant of Esau, all the more so that the Jews will benefit when God upholds His prophecy beginning with “behold.”
“If you see exploitation of the poor” – if you see one exploiting the poor and the indigent, and the Righteous One, who lives forever, bestows tranquility and good upon him, “see…in the state [bamedina],” see in him the sentence29Bamedina is expounded as a portmanteau of bam dina, they will be sentenced. of Gehenna. “For one higher” – these are the angels; “and there are high ones over them” – this is the Holy One blessed be He.
Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥanina interpreted the verse regarding Esau. If you saw Esau in the great city of Rome30The Sages considered the Romans to be descendants of Esau. exploiting the poor and robbing the indigent, and the Holy One blessed be He bestows tranquility upon him, you will [yet] see in him the attribute of justice.31Rome will eventually be punished. “Do not marvel” regarding what the old man32Isaac said and his wish was fulfilled, as it is stated: “Behold, of the fat of the earth will be your dwelling” (Genesis 27:39). “For one higher” – these are the ministers, governors, and commanders. “And there are high ones over them” – this is the King who lives forever. Rabbi Aḥa said: From the “behold” of flesh and blood you learn of the “behold” of the Holy One blessed be He. Just as the “behold” of flesh and blood provided life for an entire people in this world, as it is stated: “Behold, I have given Haman’s house to Esther” (Esther 8:7), when the “behold” of the Holy One blessed be He comes, as it is stated: “Behold, a day of the Lord is coming, [and your spoil shall be divided in your midst]” (Zechariah 14:1), all the more so.33If the “behold” of Aḥashverosh granted the Jews great wealth from Haman, who was a descendant of Esau, all the more so that the Jews will benefit when God upholds His prophecy beginning with “behold.”
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Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Gen. 27:28:) SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU. What is the meaning of GOD? < That he acted > in justice. If you were worthy, he will give to you; but if not, he will not give to you. To Esau, however, he did not say this; but (according to Gen. 27:39): OF THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH < SHALL BE YOUR DWELLING >…. Whether you are righteous or wicked, he will give to you. Why? Isaac simply said this: Esau is wicked, and Jacob is righteous. Even though he performs a commandment and is afflicted, he does not voice a complaint [against divine justice. However, if the wicked one performs one commandment or prays, and is not answered, he begins to say]: Just as I have prayed to idols and found nothing tangible, [so I have prayed to God and found nothing tangible]. Solomon also said so. When he built the Temple, he prayed to the Holy One, as stated (in I Kings 8, beginning with vs. 12): THEN SOLOMON SAID: THE LORD SAID THAT HE WOULD DWELL IN THICK DARKNESS. He began reciting his prayers and said: Sovereign of the World, when someone from Israel comes to pray in the future and asks for sons or for something else, if he is worthy, give to him; but if not, do not give to him. Thus it is stated (in vs. 39): AND GIVE TO EACH ONE ACCORDING TO ALL HIS WAYS, SINCE YOU KNOW HIS HEART. But if a foreigner should come to pray there, give to him whatever he asks. Thus it is stated (in vss. 41 & 43): AND ALSO UNTO THE FOREIGNER … YOU SHALL {ALSO} HEARKEN IN HEAVEN…. For perhaps, if you do not do for him all that he asks, he will talk and say to himself: So it is with this house of Solomon. I have gone from one end of the world to the other and have been worn out from so many journeyings. Then I came and prayed in here and have found nothing tangible in here, just as I did not find it in idolatry. Ergo (in Gen. 27:39): SEE, OF THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH < SHALL BE YOUR DWELLING >…. Why? Because he is lacking faith. But to Jacob, since he possessed faith and was righteous, he said (in Gen. 27:28): SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU, < i.e., > injustice.
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