Midrasch zu Ijow 33:27

R. Isaac said: "He who has provoked his neighbor, even by words, must appease him as it is said (Prov. 6, 1) My son, if thou hast become surety for thy friend, etc., go hasten to him and urge thy friend; i.e., it thou hast his money, open thy palm and restore it to him; if not, request some persons to ask him to forgive thee." R. Chisda said: "He must try to appease him three times, and among three circles of persons. He then should assemble men around, and say, as in (Job 33, 27) I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not."

(Gen. 21:1:) THEN THE LORD VISITED SARAH. Let our master instruct us: If there is a quarrel between someone and his friend, how is there atonement for him on the Day of Atonement?¹⁰⁹PR 38. Thus have our masters taught (in Yoma 8:9): FOR TRANSGRESSIONS THAT ARE BETWEEN SOMEONE AND THE OMNIPRESENT, THE DAY OF ATONEMENT ATONES. FOR < TRANSGRESSIONS > THAT ARE BETWEEN HIM AND HIS COMPANION, THE DAY OF ATONEMENT DOES NOT ATONE UNTIL HE MAKES PEACE WITH HIS COMPANION. ¹¹⁰Cf. Matthew 5:22f. If he went to make peace, and he did not accept, what should he do? R. Jose, the son of a Damascene woman, said:¹¹¹As Buber points in a note, R. Jose’s statement belongs further down in the paragraph, where it is found in PR 38. This would be a ready sign¹¹²Gk.: semeion. for you. Every time that you show mercy to your companion, there is one showing mercy (i.e., the Omnipresent) to you. But if you do not show mercy to your companion, there is no one showing mercy to you.¹¹³Mark 11:25; Matthew 6:14-15; 18:23-35; Matthew 6:12//Luke 11:4. What should he do? R. Samuel ben Nahman said: Let him bring ten people and set them in a single line. Then let him say before them: My brothers, there has been a quarrel between me and such and such a person. So I went to make peace with him, but he did not accept. Immediately the Holy One sees that he has humbled himself before him, and he has mercy on him.¹¹⁴yYoma 8:9 (45c); cf. Yoma 87a. Thus it is stated (in Job 33:27): LET HIM DRAW UP A LINE (YShWR)¹¹⁵The midrash understands YShWR as a verb related to the noun shurah (“line”) and vocalized yeshawwer. OF PEOPLE AND SAY: I HAVE SINNED AND PERVERTED THAT WHICH WAS RIGHT (yashar).¹¹⁶This word also is related to YShWR (“line”). What < else > is written there (in vs. 28)? SO HE REDEEMS HIS SOUL FROM GOING INTO THE PIT. It is also written (in Prov. 28:13): BUT WHOEVER CONFESSES AND FORSAKES < HIS TRANSGRESSIONS > SHALL OBTAIN MERCY. R. Judah said: The one who confesses in order to forsake < transgressions > shall obtain mercy. Now you find it to be so (in Scripture). All the days that Job was angry with his companions and his companions with him, strict justice was extended against him. Thus it is stated (in Job 30:4): BUT NOW THOSE WHO ARE YOUNGER THAN I LAUGH AT ME. He said to Eliphaz: And are you not a son of Esau?¹¹⁷The midrash identifies Job’s companion with the Eliphaz mentioned in Gen. 36:4, 10-12, 15-16;I Chron. 1:35-36. If your father had persisted in begging me to have him eat with my dogs, I should have refused him. (Thus Job 30:1 continues:) WHOSE FATHERS I REFUSED TO SET WITH THE DOGS OF MY FLOCK. Then his companions said: Are you the only venerable one? We also have venerable ones, as stated (in Job 15:10): (WE ALSO HAVE) [WITH US ALSO ARE] BOTH THE OLD AND THE VENERABLE, < OLDER THAN YOUR FATHER >. Then, when the Holy one appeared to them and said to them: Why are you persisting? Come and make peace with Job. Thus it is stated (in Job 42:8): NOW THEREFORE, TAKE SEVEN BULLS AND SEVEN RAMS, < GO UNTO MY SERVANT JOB, AND SACRIFICE A BURNT OFFERING FOR YOURSELVES. > THEN LET MY SERVANT JOB PRAY FOR YOU. < When the Holy One had so spoken >, they immediately went and did so. What is written there (in vs. 10)? AND THE LORD RESTORED THE FORTUNES OF JOB. When? (Ibid., cont.:) WHEN HE PRAYED FOR HIS FRIENDS. So < it was with > Abimelech (according to Gen. 20:17): THEN ABRAHAM PRAYED < UNTO GOD; AND GOD HEALED ABIMELECH >…. The Holy One said: Abraham has sought mercy for Abimelech; I will visit him. Immediately (there follows in Gen. 21:1): THEN THE LORD VISITED SARAH.

Teach us, oh teacher – if one has an argument with their friend, how shall they attain atonement on Yom Kippur? This is what our Rabbis taught: transgressions between a person and God, Yom Kippur atones; however, for transgressions between a person and another, Yom Kippur does not atone until he appeases the other person (Mishna Yoma 8:9) And if one goes to appease him and the offended party will not accept the apology, what should one do? R’ Shmuel bar Nachmani says: bring ten people and stand them in a line and say before them – there was an argument between my self and so-and-so, I tried to appease him and he did not want to accept my apology, rather he persists in his refusal. From where do we know one should do thus, it says “He declares to men, “I have sinned; I have perverted what was right; But I was not paid back for it.” (Job 33:27) The Holy One see that you are humbling yourself and gives atonement for your sins, because so long as one holds fast to their refusal to recognize their own behavior they are not forgiven. Do you want proof of this? So long as Job stood against his friends and they against him, the attribute of justice prevailed. So we find that Job said to them “But now those younger than I deride me, [Men] whose fathers I would have disdained to put among my sheep dogs.” (Job 30:1) And they said to him “Among us are gray-haired old men, Older by far than your father.” (Job 15:10) At the very moment when he forgave them and prayed for mercy upon them, the Holy One returned to him, as it says “The LORD restored Job’s fortunes…” (Job 42:10) When? “…when he prayed on behalf of his friends…” (ibid.) This is as it says elsewhere, “…show you compassion, and in His compassion increase you…” (Deuteronomy 13:18) R’ Yose ben Dormaskit said: take this sign in your hand – so long as you are merciful upon your fellows, HaMakom (God) will be merciful upon you. As soon as Avraham prayed for mercy on behalf of Avimelech, he received his own reward, as it says “Abraham then prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife…” (Genesis 20:17) Andwhat was the reward which he received? That his wife became pregnant and bore him a son, as it says “The LORD took note of Sarah as He had promised, and the LORD did for Sarah as He had spoken.” (Genesis 21:1)