Midrasch zu Jirmejahu 9:2

“Let all their wickedness come before You, and do to them as You did to me for all my transgressions, for my sighs are many and my heart is suffering” (Lamentations 1:22).
“Let all their wickedness come before You, and do to them,” bring upon them what You brought upon me. Be exacting with them as You were exacting with me. “And do [veolel] to them,” pluck their infants [olelateihon] as You plucked my infants.
“For my sighs are many and my heart is suffering.” You find that in the matter that Israel sinned, with that they were punished, and with that they were comforted. They sinned with rosh, they were punished with rosh, and they were comforted with rosh. They sinned with rosh, as it is written: “Let us appoint a leader [rosh] and return to Egypt” (Numbers 14:4). They were punished with rosh, as it is written: “Every head [rosh] is ill” (Isaiah 1:5). And they are comforted with rosh, as it is written: “Their king passed before them, and the Lord is at their head [berosham]” (Micah 2:13).
They sinned with the ear, as it is written: “They made their ears hard of hearing” (Zechariah 7:11). They were punished with the ear, as it is written: “That anyone who hears it, both his ears will ring” (I Samuel 3:11). They are comforted with the ear, as it is written: “Your ears will hear a matter from behind you, saying: [This is the way, walk in it, when you go right and when you go left]” (Isaiah 30:21).
They sinned with the eye, as it is written: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and they walk with outstretched necks and painted eyes” (Isaiah 3:16). They were punished with the eye, as it is written: “My eye, my eye sheds water” (Lamentations 1:16). They are comforted with the eye, as it is written: “For with their own eyes they will see the return of the Lord to Zion” (Isaiah 52:8).
They sinned with af, as it is written: “Behold, they extend the branch to their nose [af]” (Ezekiel 8:17). They were punished with af, as it is written: “I, too [af], will walk with them indifferently” (Leviticus 26:41). They are comforted with af, as it is written: “And despite [ve’af gam] this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not have spurned them and will not have rejected them, to destroy them, to violate My covenant with them” (Leviticus 26:44).
They sinned with the mouth, as it is written: “Every mouth speaks depravity” (Isaiah 9:16). They were punished with the mouth, as it is written: “They consumed Israel with every mouth” (Isaiah 9:11). They are comforted with the mouth, as it is written: “Then will our mouths be filled with laughter” (Psalms 126:2).
They sinned with the tongue, as it is written: “They drew their tongues, their bow of falsehood” (Jeremiah 9:2). They were punished with the tongue, as it is written: “The tongue of the suckling cleaved [to the roof of his mouth in thirst]” (Lamentations 4:4). They are comforted with the tongue, as it is written: “And our tongues with song; [then will they say among the nations: The Lord has done great things for them]” (Psalms 126:2).
They sinned with the heart, as it is written: “They made their hearts as adamant, not to hear” (Zechariah 7:12). They were punished with the heart, as it is written: “Every heart is suffering” (Isaiah 1:5). They are comforted with the heart, as it is written: “speak to the heart of Jerusalem” (Isaiah 40:2).
They sinned with the hand, as it is written: “Your hands are filled with blood” (Isaiah 1:15). They were punished with the hand, as it is written: “The hands of merciful women cooked their children” (Lamentations 4:10). They are comforted with the hand, as it is written: “The Lord will continue setting His hand again, a second time [to recover the remnant of His people…]” (Isaiah 11:11).
They sinned with the foot, as it is written: “For their feet run to evil” (Proverbs 1:16). They were punished with the foot, as it is written: “Before your feet stumble on the mountains of the night (Jeremiah 13:16). They are comforted with the foot, as it is written: “How pleasant are the feet of the herald upon the mountains” (Isaiah 52:7).
They sinned with hu, as it is written: “They denied the Lord and said: He [hu] is not” (Jeremiah 5:12). They were punished with hu, as it is written: “He was transformed into their enemy, He [hu] waged war against them” (Isaiah 63:10). They are comforted with hu, as it is written: “I, it is I, who [hu] am your Comforter” (Isaiah 51:12).
They sinned with zeh, as it is written: “For this [zeh] man Moses” (Exodus 32:1). They were punished with zeh, as it is written: “For this [zeh] [our heart] is suffering” (Lamentations 5:17). They are comforted with zeh, as it is written: “Behold, this [zeh] is our God, we hoped to Him [that He would save us; this is the Lord to whom we hoped, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation]” (Isaiah 25:9).
They sinned with fire, as it is written: “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire...[in order to anger Me]” (Jeremiah 7:18). They were punished with fire, as it is written: “From on high He sent fire into my bones” (Lamentations 1:13). They are comforted with fire, as it is written: “I will be for it,²¹⁶Jerusalem. the utterance of the Lord, a wall of fire all around” (Zechariah 2:9).
They sinned with yesh, as it is written: “Is [hayesh] the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7). They were punished with yesh, as it is written: “Is there any [yesh] pain like my pain?” (Lamentations 1:12). They are comforted with yesh, as it is written: “To bequeath substance [yesh] to those who love me, and I will fill their storehouses” (Proverbs 8:21).
They sinned doubly, as it is written: “Jerusalem has committed a sin [ḥet ḥata]” (Lamentations 1:8).²¹⁷The Hebrew verse employs the word sin [ḥet] twice, such that a literal translation would be “Jerusalem has sinned a sin.” They were punished doubly, as it is written: “For it has received from the hand of the Lord double for all its sins” (Isaiah 40:2). They are comforted doubly, as it is written: “Comfort, comfort [naḥamu naḥamu] My people” (Isaiah 40:1).
End of the First Alphabetical Acrostic

(Numb. 13:2:) “Send men for yourself.”⁸The midrash here understands the verse in this more literal sense. This text is related (to Prov. 10:26), “Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy person to those who send him.” The spies were mighty ones, in that they spoke evil speech against the land, as stated (in Jer. 9:2), “For they have bent their tongues as a bow of falsehood, [and it is not for truth that they have grown mighty in the land.]” To what is the matter comparable?⁹Numb. R. 16:4. To a wealthy man who had a vineyard. Whenever he saw that the wine was good, he would say to his tenants, “Put it in my house”; but whenever he saw that it was sour, he would say to his tenants, “Put it in your houses.” So also here. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that the elders were worthy, he called them in His own name, as stated (in Numb. 11:16), “Gather me seventy men [from the elders of Israel].” When He saw that the spies were going to sin, he called them by Moses' name, as stated (in Numb. 13:2), “Send men for yourself.” (Numb. 13:2:) “Send men.” This text is related (to Prov. 26:6), “The one who sends a message through a fool is cutting off [his own] feet and drinking violence.” And were the spies fools? And has it not already been stated (in Numb. 13:2) “Send men (anashim).” And in every place that anashim is used, the men are righteous. Where is this shown? For so it says (in Exod. 17:9), “Then Moses said to Joshua, ‘Choose men (anashim) for us.’”¹⁰Numb. R. 16:5. And so it says (in I Sam. 17:12), “and in the days of Saul the man (Jesse) had come to an elderly age among men (anashim).” And so it [also] says (in I Sam. 1:11), “and if you grant your handmaid the seed of men (anashim).” Now you are calling these [spies] fools (as in Prov. 26:6), “The one who sends a message through a fool?” But these were only called fools because they had uttered malicious slander against the land, as stated (in Prov. 10:18), “and the one who utters slander is a fool.” But nevertheless they had [once] been great human beings, although they had made themselves foolish. So it is on account of them that Moses says (in Deut. 32:20), “for they are a perverse generation, children with no loyalty to them.” Thus they were chosen from all of Israel at the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, and at the command of Moses, as stated (in Deut. 1:23), “Now the plan seemed good in My eyes; so I took [twelve men (anashim)] from you, one for each tribe.” From where do you say that they were righteous? See that Moses did not want to send them until he had consulted with the Holy One, blessed be He, over each and every one. When he had said [for each one], “So-and-so from such-and-such tribe,” the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “They are acceptable.” Thus it is stated (in Numb. 13:3), “So Moses sent them from the Desert of Paran at the command of the Lord.” Then after that, at the end of forty days, they changed and made all that trouble. So they caused that generation to be afflicted with that punishment, as stated (in Deut. 32:20), “for they are a perverse generation.” Because when they were chosen, [they were] righteous. It is therefore stated (in Numb. 13:2, 16), “Send men for yourself […]. And these are the names of the men (anashim).”

(Numb. 13:2:) YOU YOURSELF SEND MEN FOR YOURSELF.⁸The midrash here understands the verse in this more literal sense. This text is related (to Prov. 10:26): LIKE VINEGAR TO THE TEETH AND LIKE SMOKE TO THE EYES, SO IS THE LAZY PERSON TO THOSE WHO SEND HIM. The spies were known to have spoken blasphemy against the land, as stated (in Jer. 9:2): FOR THEY HAVE BENT THEIR TONGUES AS A BOW OF FALSEHOOD, AND IT IS NOT FOR TRUTH THAT THEY HAVE GROWN MIGHTY IN THE LAND. To what is the matter comparable?⁹Tanh., Numb. 4:4; Numb. R. 16:4. To a king who had a vineyard. Whenever he saw that the wine was good, he would say to his tenants: Put it in my house; but whenever he saw that it was sour, he would say to his tenants: Put it in your houses. So also here. When the Holy One saw that the elders were worthy, he called them in his own name, as stated (in Numb. 11:16): GATHER ME <SEVENTY PEOPLE FROM THE ELDERS OF ISRAEL>…. When he saw that the spies were going to sin, he called them by Moses' name, as stated (in Numb. 13:2): YOU YOURSELF SEND <MEN>.

4 (Numb. 13:2) “Send men for yourself”:⁵The midrash here understands the verse in this more literal sense. This text is related (to Prov. 10:26), “Like vinegar to the teeth and like smoke to the eyes, so is the lazy person to those who send him.” The spies were notable, in that they spoke evil speech against the land, as stated (in Jer. 9:2), “For they have bent their tongues as a bow of falsehood, [and it is not for truth that they have grown mighty in the land.]” To what is the matter comparable? To a wealthy man who had a vineyard. Whenever he saw that the wine was good, he would say to his tenants, “Put it in my house”; but whenever he saw that it was sour, he would say to his tenants, “Put it in your houses.” So also here. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw that the elders were worthy, he called them in His own name, as stated (in Numb. 11:16), “Gather me seventy men [from the elders of Israel].” When He saw that the spies were going to sin, he called them by Moses' name, as stated (in Numb. 13:2), “Send men for yourself.”