Midrasch zu Jeschijahu 28:20

Why was the first Temple destroyed? Because there were three [evil] conditions: Idolatry, adultery and bloodshed. Idolatry, as it is written (Is. 28, 20) For the bed shall be too short for a man to stretch himself out on it; and the covering too narrow to wrap himself in. What is meant by The bed shall be too short to stretch himself out on it? R. Samuel b. Nachmeini, in the name of R. Jonathan, said: "This couch is too narrow for two lovers [God and the idol] to stretch themselves on." And the covering too narrow to wrap himself in, R. Samuel said in the name of R. Jonathan When R. Jochanan came to this verse, he would cry, saying: "The One, concerning whom it is written (Ps. 33, 7) He gathereth together like heaps the waters of the sea, yet should have too little space [because of an idol]!" [The Temple was destroyed because of] adultery, as it is written (Is. 3, 16) For as much as the daughters of Zion are fraudulent and walk with stretched forth necks casting about their eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet, etc. [The Temple was destroyed because of] bloodshed, as it is written (II Kings 21, 16) Moreover Menasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, etc. "Although they are all wicked, yet because they put their trust in the Holy One, praised be He!" refers to the people of the first Temple, as it is written (Mican 3, 11) Her chiefs judge for bribes, her priests teach for reward, and her prophets divine for money, and yet they will lean upon the Lord, and say. Is not the Lord among us? Evil cannot come over us. For this, the Holy One, praised be He! brought on them three retributions, for the three sins of which they are guilty, as it is said (Ib. ib., 14) Therefore for your sake shall Zion be ploughed up as a field, and Jerusalem shall become ruinous heaps, and the mount of the house, forest-covered high places.

(Lev. 26:3:) “If you walk in My statutes.” This text is related (to Prov. 1:20), “Wisdom shouts for joy in the street; in the squares she raises her voice.” R. Samuel bar Nahman questioned R. Johanan ben Eleazar, when he was standing in the market. He said to him, “Recite one chapter (of Mishnah) for me.” He said to him, “Go to the house of study, and I will recite it for you there.” He said to him, “Rabbi, did you not teach me (Prov. 1:20), ‘Wisdom shouts for joy in the street?’” He said to him, “You know how to read (Scripture), but you do know how to recite (Mishnah). What is the meaning of ‘Wisdom shouts for joy in the street?’ In the street of Torah. In the case of a pearl,³Gk.: margelis. where is it sold? In [its] street. In the case of jewels and pearls, where are they sold? In the known place. They are not brought to the owners of vegetables, onions and garlic, but rather to the place of merchants. Simply in [its] street. Similarly Torah is said in the street [of Torah], as stated, ‘Wisdom shouts for joy in the street; in the squares.’” And what is the meaning of (Prov. 1:20, cont.) “in the squares (rt.: rhb)?” In the place where one amplifies (rt.: rhb) it. And where do they amplify it? In the synagogues and in the study halls. Therefore it is stated (in Prov. 1:20), “in the squares she raises her voice.” (Prov. 1:21:) “At the head of the roaring hosts she calls (rt.: qr').” At the head (r'sh) of the roaring hosts she is the one calling (rt.: qr'). How so? From the beginning (rt.: r'sh) of Torah, how many hosts⁴Gk. ochloi (“crowds”). does she destroy? The generation of the flood, the generation of the dispersion (i.e., of the tower of Babel) and the generation of Sodom. Hence, from the beginning of Torah she calls. Ergo, “At the head of the roaring hosts she calls.” [(Prov. 1:21:) “At the head of the roaring hosts (as if from mwt)⁵The actual root is HMH. she calls.”] At the head of death (mwt) she is calling concerning the first Adam, as stated (in Gen. 2:17)? “For on the day that you eat from it, you shall surely die.” Ergo (in Prov. 1:21), “At the head of the roaring hosts (as if from mwt) she calls.” (Prov. 1:21, cont.:) “In the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words.” In the beginning they made synagogues on the heights of a city, to fulfill what was said (ibid.), “in the entrance of the city gates she speaks her words.”⁶In the ancient world, it was the city heights that were enclosed in a wall and would therefore be entered through its gates. If you have spoken on matters of Torah, never say, “I have already spoken”; but rather speak again; for it is written (ibid.), “she speaks her words” (which can also be read as a future imperative form, “[you,] speak her words”). R. Abba said, “She speaks what is good and she speaks what is bad. (In Lev. 26:3-4) ‘If you walk in My statutes […] Then I will give you your rains in their season.’ Here is the good. ‘But if you do not heed, […] I will make your skies like iron’ (according to Lev. 26:14, 19). Here is the bad.” Another interpretation (of Lev. 26:3) “If you walk in My statutes”: What is written there (in vs. 11)? “Then I will set My dwelling place in your midst.” If you fulfill My commandments, I will leave the heavenly beings and come down to dwell among you, as stated (in Exod. 29:45), “And I will dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel.” So they came forth from Egypt on this condition: that they build the dwelling place, so that the Divine Presence might dwell among them, as stated (in vs. 46), “And they shall know that I am the Lord their God who brought them out from the land of Egypt, so that I might dwell in their midst.” Now if they have done My will, My Divine Presence shall not move from their midst. Why? R. Samuel bar Abba said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, desired that, just as He has an abode above, so He would have an abode below, for so He said to the first Adam, ‘If you are worthy, just as I am King over the heavenly beings, so I will make you king over the lower beings.’”⁷Cf. Tanh., Numb. 2:16; Gen. R. 3:19. It is so stated (in Gen. 2:15), “Then the Lord God took the human.” Now the word, “took” can only be a word of exaltation, just as you say (in Gen. 12:15), “and the woman was taken to Pharaoh's house.”⁸Cf. Gen. R. 16:5. And it also says (in Esth. 2:16), “So Esther was taken unto King Ahasuerus, unto his royal palace.” But He (the Holy One, blessed be He,) did not do so. Rather, when Adam sinned, He removed his Divine Presence from him. Then when Israel arose, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “You shall only go forth from Egypt on condition that you make a dwelling place for Me, so that My Divine Presence may dwell among you,” as stated (in Exod. 25:8), “Let them make Me a sanctuary [that I may dwell among them].” So also He said to Solomon (in I Kings 6:12–13), “With regard to this house which you are building, if you walk in My statutes […] Then I will dwell in the midst of the Children of Israel [and will never abandon My people Israel].” [However] (in I Kings 9:6-7) “If you and your children turn away from following Me […]. Then I will cut off Israel from upon [the face of] the land.” Why? Because those are [the] terms between Me and them, as stated (in Lev. 26:3. 14), “If you walk in my statutes…. But if you do not heed me;” what is written there (in vs. 31)? “Then I will make your sanctuaries desolate.” What did Solomon do? He had a lot of wives and horses; and it is written (in I Kings 11:4), “Now it came to pass in Solomon's old age that his wives led his heart astray.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “I have given you the Torah [for you] to carry out its commandments, and you have seen the terms which I prescribed to you in it”; and it is written (in Ps. 72:1), “To Solomon, O God, give Your statutes to the king.” And [so] it is written (in I Kings 11:11), “Because this has been with you, and you did not keep My covenant and My statutes.” So what do I do? (According to Is. 55:11) “So shall My word be which goes forth from My mouth: it shall not return unto Me empty.” Manasseh arose to make the image and bring it into the holy of holies, as stated (in II Chron. 33:7; cf. II Kings 21:7), “And he set up a sculptured image, which he had made, in the house [of God].” Then the Holy One, blessed be He, called unto Jeremiah and said to him (in Lam. 4:3), “Even snakes⁹The midrash follows the ketiv (tannin). The qere reads tannim (“jackals”). extend a breast to nurse their young; [the daughter of My people has become cruel].” When the snake (tannin) comes to nurse from its mother, she sees it from afar and extends her breasts for it to nurse; for it would not see her breasts [if] covered, and would not nurse. Now My children do not act like this. Instead, when they saw Me entering the house, Manasseh came and brought in the image in order to force Me out of it. At first they made a single face,¹⁰Gk.: prosopon. and set it up to the west. The Divine Presence went, as it were, to another corner, a place where the image would not be seen. When Manasseh saw that, he made four faces so that the Divine Presence would see them and depart. Thus it is stated (in Is. 28:20), “For the couch is too short for stretching out, and the molten image¹¹Massekhah. Most biblical translations render the word as denoting a kind of covering here and in Is. 25:7, but massekhah generally refers to an image. In any case, the image concept must have suggested the use of the verse in this context. too narrow (tsar) for curling up.” Ergo I would say, “Unlike the snakes (in Lam. 4:3), they did not extend a breast to nurse their young.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “What am I doing here? (Hos. 5:15) ‘I am going. I will return to my place.’” "I will go and return" is not written here, but “I am going. I will return.” Now if had been written, "I will go and return (to the heavenly abode)," there would have been no hope for Israel; however, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Although I am going, let them repent, and I will return.” It is therefore written, “I am going. I will return to my place, until they acknowledge their guilt and seek My face. In their distress (tsar) they will search diligently for Me.” Out of the midst of distress, when it comes upon them, they shall repent, and I will return and they shall seek My face. R. Yehuda says, “If Israel does not repent, they will not be redeemed, since it is stated (in Is. 30:15), ‘In stillness (shuva, which can be read as return or repentance) and calm you shall be saved; [… but you were unwilling ].’”¹²yTa‘an. 1:1 (63d-64a); Sanh. 97b. R. Shimon says, “Whether they repent or do not repent, when the end arrives, they will be redeemed immediately, since it is stated (in Is. 60:22), ‘I the Lord will hasten it in its time.’” R. Elazar said, “If they do not repent on their own, the Holy One, blessed be He, will raise over them an evil king, whose decrees are as harsh as [those of] Haman. Then he shall enslave them, and for that reason they shall repent, since it is stated (in Is. 59:19), ‘for distress shall come like a stream, with the wind of the Lord driving it onward.’ At that time (according to vs. 20), ‘Then a redeemer shall come to Zion.’”

[Another interpretation (of Lev. 26:3:) IF YOU WALK IN MY STATUTES. What is written there (in vs. 11)? THEN I WILL SET MY DWELLING PLACE IN YOUR MIDST. If you fulfill my commandments, I will leave the heavenly beings and come down to dwell among you, as stated (in Exod. 29:45): AND I WILL DWELL IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. So they came forth from Egypt on this condition: That they build the dwelling place, so that the Divine Presence might dwell among them, as stated (in vs. 46): AND THEY SHALL KNOW THAT I AM THE LORD THEIR GOD WHO BROUGHT THEM OUT FROM THE LAND OF EGYPT, SO THAT I MIGHT DWELL IN THEIR MIDST. Now if they have done my will, my Divine Presence shall not move from their midst. Why? R. Samuel bar Abba said: The Holy One desired that, just as he has an abode above, so he would have an abode below, for so he said to the first Adam: If you are worthy, just as I am king over the heavenly beings, so I will make you king over the lower beings.¹⁴Cf. Tanh., Numb. 2:16; Gen. R. 3:19. It is so stated (in Gen. 2:15): THEN THE LORD GOD TOOK THE HUMAN BEING < AND PUT HIM IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN TO WORK IT AND PRESERVE IT >. Now the word TOOK can only be a word of exaltation, just as you say (in Gen. 12:15): AND THE WOMAN WAS TAKEN TO PHARAOH'S HOUSE.¹⁵Cf. Gen. R. 16:5. And it also says (in Esth. 2:16): SO ESTHER WAS TAKEN UNTO KING AHASUERUS, UNTO HIS ROYAL PALACE. But he (the Holy One) did not do so. Rather, when Adam sinned, he removed his Divine Presence from him. Then when Israel arose, the Holy One said to them: You shall only go forth from Egypt on condition that you make a dwelling place for me, so that my Divine Presence may dwell among you, as stated (in Exod. 25:8): LET THEM MAKE ME A SANCTUARY < THAT I MAY DWELL AMONG THEM >. So also he said to Solomon (in I Kings 6:12–13): WITH REGARD TO THIS HOUSE WHICH YOU ARE BUILDING, IF YOU WALK IN MY TORAHS, {IF YOU} CARRY OUT MY ORDINANCES, AND OBSERVE ALL MY COMMANDMENTS TO WALK IN THEM, THEN I WILL {ESTABLISH YOU, AS} [FULFILL MY WORD WITH YOU, WHICH] I SPOKE UNTO YOUR FATHER DAVID. THEN I WILL DWELL IN THE MIDST OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND WILL NEVER ABANDON < MY PEOPLE ISRAEL >. (I Kings 9:6:) IF YOU AND YOUR CHILDREN TURN AWAY FROM FOLLOWING ME…, what will I do? (Vs. 7:) THEN I WILL CUT OFF ISRAEL FROM UPON [THE FACE OF] THE LAND WHICH I HAVE GIVEN THEM, AND I WILL CAST {THIS HOUSE} [THE HOUSE WHICH I HAVE CONSECRATED FOR MY NAME < FROM MY PRESENCE >…. ] Why? < Because > those are < the > terms which are stated (in Lev. 26:3): IF YOU WALK IN MY STATUTES…. THEN I WILL SET MY DWELLING PLACE IN YOUR MIDST…. (Vs. 14:) BUT IF YOU DO NOT HEED ME, what is written there (in vs. 31)? THEN I WILL MAKE YOUR SANCTUARIES DESOLATE. What did Solomon do? He had a lot of wives and horses; and it is written (in I Kings 11:4): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN SOLOMON'S OLD AGE THAT HIS WIVES LED HIS HEART ASTRAY < AFTER OTHER GODS >. The Holy One said to him: I have given you the Torah < for you > to carry out its commandments, and you have seen the terms which I prescribed to you in it, as stated (in Ps. 72:1): TO SOLOMON. O GOD, GIVE YOUR ORDINANCES TO THE KING, AND YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS TO THE KING'S SON. It is also written (in I Kings 11:11): BECAUSE THIS HAS BEEN WITH YOU, AND YOU DID NOT KEEP MY COVENANT AND MY STATUTES WHICH I COMMANDED YOU, I WILL SURELY REND THE {KINGDOMS} [KINGDOM] FROM YOU AND GIVE {THEM} [IT] TO YOUR SERVANT. So what do I do? (According to Is. 55:11) SO SHALL MY WORD BE WHICH GOES FORTH FROM MY MOUTH: IT SHALL NOT RETURN UNTO ME EMPTY. Manasseh arose to make the image and bring it into the Holy of Holies, as stated (in II Chron. 33:7; cf. II Kings 21:7): AND HE SET UP A SCULPTURED IMAGE WHICH HE HAD MADE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD, OF WHICH GOD HAD SAID UNTO DAVID AND UNTO HIS SON SOLOMON: IN THIS HOUSE AND IN JERUSALEM, WHICH I HAVE CHOSEN OUT OF ALL THE TRIBES OF ISRAEL, I SHALL SET MY NAME FOREVER. Then the Holy One called unto Jeremiah and said to him (in Lam. 4:3): EVEN DRAGONS¹⁶The midrash follows the ketiv (tannin). The qere reads tannim (“jackals”). EXTEND A BREAST TO NURSE THEIR YOUNG; < THE DAUGHTER OF MY PEOPLE HAS BECOME CRUEL >. When the dragon (tannin) comes to nurse from its mother, she sees it from afar and extends her breasts for it to nurse; for it would not see her breasts, < if > covered, and would not nurse. Now my children do not act like this. Instead, when they saw me entering the house, Manasseh came and brought in the image in order to force me out of it. [At¹⁷This immediate bracketed section is added from Tanh., Lev. 10:3, and from Buber’s 5th Oxford ms (Hunt 74 Uri Hch NC No. 2337). first they made a single face,¹⁸Gk.: prosopon. and set it up to the west. The Divine Presence went, as it were, to another corner, a place where the image would not be seen. When Manasseh saw that, he made four faces so that the Divine Presence would see them and depart. Thus it is stated (in Is. 28:20): FOR THE COACH IS TOO SHORT FOR STRETCHING OUT, AND THE MOLTEN IMAGE¹⁹Massekhah. Most biblical translations render the word as denoting a kind of covering here and in Is. 25:7, but massekhah generally refers to an image. In any case, the image concept must have suggested the use of the verse in this context. TOO NARROW (tsar) FOR CURLING UP.] Also, unlike the dragons (in Lam. 4:3) they did not EXTEND A BREAST TO NURSE THEIR YOUNG. The Holy One said: What am I doing here? (Hos. 5:15:) I AM GOING. I WILL RETURN TO MY PLACE. "I will go and return" is not written here, but I AM GOING. I WILL RETURN. Now if had been written: "I will go and return (to the heavenly abode)," there would have been no hope; however, the Holy One said: Although I am going, let him repent, and I will return. It is therefore written: I AM GOING. I WILL RETURN TO MY PLACE, UNTIL THEY ACKNOWLEDGE THEIR GUILT AND SEEK MY FACE. IN THEIR DISTRESS (tsar) THEY WILL SEARCH DILIGENTLY FOR ME. Out of the midst of distress, when it comes upon them, they shall repent, and I will restore my Divine Presence. R. Eliezer says: If Israel repents, they will be redeemed; but if Israel does not repent, they will not be redeemed, since it is stated (in Is. 30:15): IN STILLNESS AND CALM YOU SHALL BE SAVED; < IN QUIET AND CONFIDENCE SHALL BE YOUR STRENGTH. BUT YOU WERE UNWILLING >.²⁰yTa‘an. 1:1 (63d-64a); Sanh. 97b. R. Joshua says: Whether they repent or do not repent, when the end arrives, they will be redeemed immediately, since it is stated (in Is. 60:22): I THE LORD WILL HASTEN IT IN ITS TIME. R. Eleazar said: The Holy One will raise over them someone as evil as Haman. Then he shall enslave them, and for that reason they shall repent, since it is stated (in Is. 59:19): FOR DISTRESS SHALL COME LIKE A STREAM, WITH THE WIND OF THE LORD DRIVING IT ONWARD. At that time (according to vs. 20): THEN A REDEEMER SHALL COME TO ZION AND TO THOSE IN JACOB WHO TURN BACK FROM TRANSGRESSION, SAYS THE LORD…. So did R. Tanhuma Berabbi interpret.]

(Dan. 9:7:) WITH YOU, O LORD, THERE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS, BUT THERE IS A SHAMEFUL FACE WITH US, TO THIS VERY DAY, WITH THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH <AND THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM, WITH ALL ISRAEL>…. R. Judah bar Il'ay said:³⁷Tanh., Deut. 4:16; PRK 10:8; see M. Pss. 101:2. An idol ('avodah zarah) crossed the sea along with Israel, as stated (in Zech. 10:11): A RIVAL WIFE (tsarah)³⁸The midrash understands tsarah in this sense, although most biblical translations follow the other meaning of tsarah, i.e., “affliction,” distress,” or the like. So also above, Numb. 4a:7. SHALL CROSS IN THE SEA. Tsarah can only mean an idolatrous work, since it is stated (in Is. 28:20): AND THE MOLTEN IMAGE WAS A RIVAL WIFE AS WHEN ONE GATHERS ONESELF (in the same bed).³⁹Most translations render the passage quite differently, but what is given here better fits the sense of the midrash. See Sanh. 103b; Lev. R. 17:7. So the sea was rent asunder before them. Ergo (in Dan. 9:7): WITH YOU, O LORD, THERE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS. R. Judan said: It is written (in Jud. 1:22): THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH, FOR THEIR PART, WENT UP AGAINST BETHEL, AND THE LORD WAS WITH THEM. They were going to serve an idol, [yet you say:] AND THE LORD WAS WITH THEM. Ergo (in Dan. 9:7): WITH YOU, O LORD, THERE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS. R. Judah b. R. Simon said: (Jud. 18:27): THEY TOOK THAT WHICH MICAH HAD MADE, [i.e.,] the idol images, AND THE PRIEST THAT HE HAD, [i.e.,] the idolatrous priest, AND CAME {UNTO} [TO] LAISH…. They conducted an idolatrous worship, and it brought them luck.⁴⁰Cf. M. Pss. 3:3. And not only that, but they took some of the manna and offered it to idols, as stated (in Ezek. 16:19): ALSO MY BREAD, WHICH I GAVE YOU, FINE FLOUR, OIL, AND HONEY WHICH I HAD YOU EAT, YOU SET IT BEFORE THEM AS A PLEASING ODOR; AND SO IT WAS, SAYS THE LORD. What is the meaning of AND SO IT WAS (wayehi)? R. Judan said: It is just as you say: And it came to pass (wayehi) on the morrow, nevertheless (in Neh. 9:20): AND YOU DID NOT WITHHOLD YOUR MANNA FROM THEIR MOUTH. Ergo (in Dan. 9:7): WITH YOU, O LORD, THERE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

(Ibid. 29) "and the children of Israel walked in the dry land (that had already been made) in the midst of the sea." R. Shimon b. Yochai says: The sun and the moon testify that I have already split the sea for them, viz. (Jeremiah 31:35) "Thus said the L rd who gives the sun for light by day, the laws of moon and stars for light by night, who splits the sea and stuns its waves — the L rd of hosts is His name." R. Bana'ah says: In the merit of the mitzvoth performed by Abraham I will split the sea for them, viz. (Genesis 22:3) "and he split the wood for the burnt-offering" — and here (Exodus 14:21) "and the waters were split." R. Shimon Hatemani says: In the merit of circumcision I will split the sea for them, viz. (Jeremiah 33:25) "If not for My covenant, day and night, I would not have made the statutes of heaven and earth." Which covenant obtains both day and night? Circumcision. R. Avshalom the elder says: An analogy: A man gets angry with his son and drives him from the house. His lover comes in to beseech him to restore him to his house. He responds: Are you beseeching me for my son? I have already come to terms with my son. Thus, the L rd: "Why do you cry out to Me?" I have already come to terms with them." Rebbi says: Last night you said (i.e., you complained to Me) (Exodus 5:23) "And from the time I came to Pharaoh, etc." And now you stand and wax long in prayer? "Why do you cry out to Me?" Rebbi says (Exodus 14:15) "Speak to the children of Israel and have them go forward ('veyisa'u')." Have them retract ('yasiu') the things that they said. Last night they said (Ibid. 11) "Is it for lack of graves, etc.?" and now you stand and wax long in prayer (for them)? "Why do you cry out to Me?" Let them retract what they have said. The sages say: He wrought with them for His name's sake, viz. (Isaiah 48:11) "For My sake, for My sake shall I do, etc." And (Ibid. 63:12) "He split the sea before them." Why? (Ibid.) "To make Himself an eternal name." Rebbi says: Their faith in Me suffices Me to split the sea for them. As it is written (Exodus 14:2) "Let them return and encamp, etc." R. Elazar b. Azaryah says: In the merit of their father Abraham I will split the sea for them, viz. (Psalms 105:42) "For He remembered His holy word to Abraham His servant. (43) And He led out His people with joy, etc." R. Eliezer b. Yehudah of Bortutha says: In the merit of the tribes I will split the sea for them, viz. (Habakkuk 3:14) "You have split (the sea) for his tribes, the heads of his scattered ones, etc." And it is written (Psalms 136:13) "who split the sea into sections." Shmayah says: The faith that Abraham their father had in Me suffices for Me to split the sea for them, viz. (Exodus 4:31) "And the people believed when they heard, etc." Shimon of Kitron says: In the merit of the bones of Joseph I will split the sea for them, viz. (Genesis 39:12) "And he left his garment in her hand and he fled." And it is written (Psalms 114:3) "The sea saw and it fled, etc." R. Nathan says in the name of Abba Yossi Hamechuzi: ("Why do you cry out to Me?") Have I not had it written (Numbers 12:7) "In all of My house he (Moses) is trusted"? You (Moses) are in My dominion and the sea is in My dominion, and I have appointed you a keeper over it. (Therefore, [Exodus 14:16] "Raise your staff, etc.") R. Chanina b. Chachinai says: Have I not had it written (Mishlei 17:17) "A brother is born for (times of) trouble"? I am a brother to Israel in their time of trouble. "Brother" (here) signifies Israel, viz. (Psalms 122:8) "For the sake of My brothers and My friends I will speak for peace in you (Jerusalem)." R. Shimon b. Yehudah says: "Why do you cry out to Me?" Their cries have already preceded yours, viz. (Exodus 14:10) "and the children of Israel cried out to the L rd, etc." R. Acha says: The Holy One Blessed be He said: If not for your outcry, I would have destroyed them for the idolatry in their midst, viz. (Zechariah 10:11) "And tzarah crossed the sea," tzarah (here) being idolatry, as in (Isaiah 28:20) "and the molten image, tzarah, etc." and as in (Leviticus 18:18) "And a woman to her sister do not take litzror" (to be a rival). And because of your outcry I have withdrawn My wrath, as it is written (Psalms 106:22-23) ("… awesome deeds at the Red Sea) and he thought to destroy them if Moses His chosen one had not stood in the breach before Him, to turn His wrath from destruction." R. Eliezer Hamodai says: "Why do you cry out to Me?" I do not have to be commanded for the children of Israel, (Isaiah 45:11) "For My children and the work of My hands would you command Me?" Are they not "readied" before Me from the six days of creation? (Jeremiah 31:36) "Just as these laws (of nature) will not depart from before Me, says the L rd, so the children of Israel will not cease from being a nation before me for all time." Others say: The faith that they had in Me suffices for Me to split the sea for them. They did not say to Moses: How can we go out to the desert without food? But they believed in Moses and followed him. Of this it is written in the Tradition (Jeremiah 2:2) "Go and call out in the ears of Jerusalem, saying … I have remembered for you the lovingkindness of your youth, the love of your espousals, your following Me in the desert, in a land unsown." How were they rewarded for this? (Ibid. 3) "Holy is Israel unto the L rd, the first of His harvest. All of its eaters will be blamed. Evil will come upon them, says the L rd." R. Yossi Haglili says: When Israel entered the sea, Mount Moriah was uprooted from its place, with the altar of Israel built upon it, and its woodpile upon it, and Isaac bound upon it upon the altar, and Abraham stretching out his hand and taking the knife to slaughter his son — whereupon the L rd said to Moses: Moses, My children are in trouble, the sea raging and the foe pursuing them, and you stand and indulge in prayer? Moses: But what can I do? The L rd: "Raise your staff and stretch out your hand over the sea, etc." And you — exalt and praise and accord song and praise and thanks and grandeur and glory and splendor and hallel to the Master of wars!

(Deut. 14:22:) “You shall surely tithe.” This is related to the verse (in Dan. 9:7) “With You, O Lord, there is righteousness, but there is a shameful face with us, to this very day, with the people of Judah [and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with all Israel].” R. Judah beRabbi Eliezer said,²⁴PRK 10:8; see M. Pss. 101:2. “An idol ('avodah zarah) crossed the sea along with Israel, as stated (in Zech. 10:11), ‘A rival wife (tsarah)²⁵The midrash understands tsarah in this sense, although most biblical translations follow the other meaning of tsarah, i.e., “affliction,” distress,” or the like. So also above, Numb. 4a:7. shall cross in the sea.’ Tsarah can only mean an idolatrous work, since it is stated (in Is. 28:20), ‘And [the molten image was a rival wife] as when one gathers oneself and the bed is too small.’²⁶Most translations render the passage quite differently, but what is given here better fits the sense of the midrash. See Sanh. 103b; Lev. R. 17:7. [Yet] the sea was rent asunder before them.” Ergo (in Dan. 9:7), “With You, O Lord, there is righteousness (zedekah, which also means charity).” R. Judan said, “It is written (in Jud. 1:22), ‘The House of Joseph, for their part, went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.’ They were going to serve an idol, yet you say, ‘And the Lord was with them.’ Ergo (in Dan. 9:7), ‘With You, O Lord, there is righteousness (charity).’” R. Judah b. R. Simon said, “There is even greater righteousness (charity) than this. Behold, it states (Jud. 18:27), ‘they took that which Micah had made,’ [i.e.,] the idol images, ‘and the priest that he had,’ [i.e.,] the idolatrous priest, ‘and came to Laish,’ [i.e.,] Bamias, ‘to a people tranquil and unsuspecting.’ They conducted an idolatrous worship, and it brought them success, such that you say, ‘to a people tranquil and unsuspecting?’ And is there greater righteousness (charity) than that.” Ergo (in Dan. 9:7), “With You, O Lord, there is righteousness.”²⁷Cf. M. Pss. 3:3. R. Samuel bar Nahmani said, “You find that on the very day that Israel made the [golden] calf, manna fell. And not only that, but they took some of the manna and offered it to their idols, as stated (in Ezek. 16:19), ‘”Also My bread, which I gave you, fine flour, oil, and honey which I had you eat, you set it before them as a pleasing odor; and so it was,” says the Lord God.’” What is the meaning of “and so it was (wayehi)?” R. Judan said, “It is just as you say, ‘And it came to pass (wayehi) [like this] on the morrow’; nevertheless (in Neh. 9:20), ‘and You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth.’” Ergo (in Dan. 9:7), “With you, O Lord, there is righteousness (charity).” R. Eleazar said that Rabbi said, “Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah said this verse.” You find that when Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah came up from the fiery furnace, all the kings of the peoples of the world assembled.²⁸See also Sanh. 93a. This is what is written (in Dan. 3:27), “The satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the royal companions assembled [to look on those men.” Then all these king spit in front of them, and said to them, “You know that there is power in your God to perform all these miracles for you; yet you bow down to an idol, and you have caused Him to destroy His house, burn His chamber and exile you until now?” [They did this] until they had produced a mass of spittle. Then Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah raised their faces toward above and said (in Dan. 9:7), “’With you, O Lord, there is righteousness,’ that is justification of the verdict; ‘but there is a shameful face with us,’ because we have provoked You so many times with You enduring us.” It is taught in the name of R. Hiya, “By universal custom, if someone has a certain field, he may let it out for a half or a third or a quarter [of its yield]; but it is not like that with the Holy One, blessed be He. He causes the wind to blow, clouds to rise, rains to descend, dews to flourish, plants to grow, and fruits to become plump; yet he only says to separate out one tenth in front of Him.” For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22), “You shall surely tithe.”

Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin began in the name of Rabbi Levi: “Woe, those who join house to house” (Isaiah 5:8). Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish: Rabbi Yoḥanan said: “Woe, those who join house to house” – one who lends another on his house or lends another on his field in order to repossess it.⁶¹The reference is to one who loans another money in order to have a lien on the borrower’s house or field with the intention of repossessing it. The Holy One blessed be He says: What do you think, that you will inherit the land, that “you alone will be settled in the midst of the land” (Isaiah 5:8)? “In my ears, the Lord of hosts: If many houses will not be for desolation, great and excellent, without inhabitant” (Isaiah 5:9). Reish Lakish said: Like one who screams in the ear of another, not in one but in two, so, “in my ears, the Lord of hosts.”
Reish Lakish said: “Woe, those who join house to house” (Isaiah 5:8) – you have caused the first destruction to affect the second destruction. Just as in the first destruction, “Zion will be plowed like a field” (Jeremiah 26:18), so too, in the second destruction, “Zion will be plowed like a field.” “Until there is no room” (Isaiah 5:8) – what caused the place to be destroyed? It was because they did not leave any place where they did not engage in idol worship. Initially, they would worship it clandestinely. That is what is written: “He said to me: Have you seen, son of man, [what the elders of the house of Israel] are doing in the dark?” (Ezekiel 8:12). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so behind the door, as it is stated: “And behind the door and the doorpost you placed your commemoration” (Isaiah 57:8).⁶²Your idol Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so on the roofs, as it is stated: “Those who prostrate themselves on the roofs to the hosts of the heavens” (Zephaniah 1:5). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the gardens, as it is stated: “Sacrificing in the gardens” (Isaiah 65:3). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so on the mountaintops, as it is stated: “They slaughter sacrifices on the mountaintops, and they burn incense on the hills” (Hosea 4:13). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the fields, as it is stated: “Their altars, too, will be as heaps on the furrows of the field” (Hosea 12:12). Rabbi Yudan, Rabbi Aivu, and Rabbi Tavi said in the name of Rabbi Yoshiya: On each and every furrow they would place an idol. Rabbi Pinḥas and Rabbi Ḥilkiya said in the name of Rabbi Hoshaya: Each of them would plow his field on a diagonal and place the idol in the center so that all of the heads of the furrows would point to it.
Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so at the crossroads, as it is stated: “At every crossroad you built your shrine” (Ezekiel 16:25). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the squares, as it is stated: “You built for you a platform, and made for you a shrine in every square” (Ezekiel 16:24). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the cities, as it is stated: “For like the number of your cities were your gods, Judah…” (Jeremiah 2:28; 11:13). Since no one reprimanded them, they began doing so in the streets, as it is stated: “And like the number of streets of Jerusalem you placed altars to the shame” (Jeremiah 11:13).
How far did they go? It was to the extent that they introduced it into the Holy of Holies, as it is stated: “This image of infuriation babia” (Ezekiel 8:5). What is babia? Rabbi Aḥa said: Woe, woe [biya biya] to the lodger because of the Homeowner. Rabbi Berekhya said: “For the mat is too short for stretching” (Isaiah 28:20) – what is “for stretching [mehistare’a]”? For holding [shetaria] a woman [isha], her husband, and her counterpart [vere’ah]. “And the cover [masekha] is too narrow [tsara] for covering [kehitkanes]” (Isaiah 28:20) – you made a cast image [masekha] as a rival [tsara] to the One of whom it is written: “He gathers together [kones] the water of the sea like a mound” (Psalms 33:7). When they sinned they were exiled. When they were exiled, Jeremiah began lamenting over them, eikha.