Midrasch zu Michah 5:2

Rabba b. b. Chana, in the name of R. Jochanan, quoting R. Juda b. Ilai, said: "A time will come when the Romans will fall into the hands of Persia. We can infer this through the rule of a fortiori; if the Chaldeans fell into the hands of the Persians, because they destroyed the first Temple, which was built only by the children of Shem, how much more should it apply to the second Temple, built by the Persians themselves, that the destroyers should fall into the hands of the Persians!" Rab, however, said: "On the contrary, a time will come when Persia will fall into the hands of the Romans." Whereupon R. Cahana and R. Assi said (in surprise) to Rab: "The builders [of the Temple] should fall under the dominion of those who have destroyed it?" "Yea," answered he, "such is the decree of the king." Others say that he replied: "The Persians are also guilty of having destroyed a place of worship." We have also a Baraitha to the same effect: A time will come when Persia will fall into the hands of the Romans, first because the former destroyed a place of worship, and secondly, because such is the decree of the king: that the builders [of the Temple] should fall under the dominion of those who have destroyed it, for R. Juda, in the name of Rab, said: "Messiah, the son of David, will not arrive until Rome shall have had dominion over the entire world nine months, as it is said( Micah 5, 2) Therefore He will give them up until the time that she who travaileth hath brought forth; then shall the remnant of his brethren return with the children of Israel."

Whence do we know that this applies to the Torah? Because it is said, "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old" (Prov. 8:22). "Of old" means before the world was created. Whence do we know this with regard to the Garden of Eden? Because it is said, "And the Lord God planted a garden of old" (Gen. 2:8). "Of old," whilst as yet the world had not been created. Whence do we know this with reference to the Throne of Glory? Because it is said, "Thy throne is established of old" (Ps. 93:2). "Of old," whilst as yet the world had not been created. Whence do we know that Repentance (was premundane)? Because it is said, "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world" (Ps. 90:2); and then in close proximity (we read), "Thou turnest man to contrition" (Ps. 90:3). "Before," i.e. before || the world was created. Whence do we know this with regard to the Temple? Because it is said, "A glorious throne, set on high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary" (Jer. 17:12). "From the beginning," whilst as yet the world had not been created. Whence we do know that the name of the Messiah (was premundane)? Because it is said, "His name shall endure for ever; before the sun Yinnôn was his name" (Ps. 72:17). "Yinnôn," before the world had been created. Another verse says, "But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art to be least among the thousands of Judah, from thee shall he come forth unto me who is to be ruler over Israel; whose ancestry belongs to the past, even to the days of old" (Mic. 5:2). "The past," whilst as yet the world had not been created.

Rab said: "Ben David will not arrive until Rome will have dominated over Israel for nine months, as it is said (Micha 5, 2) Therefore will He give them up until the time when she who travaileth has brought forth, then shall the remnant of his brethren return with the children of Israel." Ula said: "May he come soon, but I wish not to see him [when he comes]." R. Joseph, however, said: "I pray for his coming in my days, and that I shall have the honor to sit in the shadow of his ass." Abaye said to Raba: "Why does the master not wish to see the Messiah? Is it because of the suffering which will precede the advent of the Messiah? Is there not a Baraitha that the disciples of R. Elazar questioned him: 'What may one do to be saved from the suffering which is to precede the coming of the Messiah,' and he answered, 'He shall occupy himself with the study of the Torah and with loving kindness'; and you, master, are doing both; you study the Torah and and practice loving kindness; why then are you afraid?" And he answered: "Perhaps sin [will cause me to suffer with the lot]." As R. Jacob b. Idi said, for R. Jacob b. Idi raised the following contradiction: It is written (Gen. 28, 15) And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee wheresoever thou goest. And it is written (Ib. 32, 8) Then Jacob was greatly afraid, and he felt distressed. [Why was he afraid after he was promised by the Lord?] He (Jacob) was afraid because perhaps there was a sin which would serve [to prevent its fulfillment]; as we are taught in a Baraitha concerning the verse: (Ex. 15, 16) Till Thy people pass over, refers to the first entrance [of Palestine]; till this people pass over, refers to the second entrance [of Palestine]. Infer from this that it had been intended that a miracle be performed for Israel in the second entrance as it had been in the first entrance [of Palestine], but sin was the cause [that it was not performed]. R. Jochanan also said: "May he come soon, but I shall not see him." Resh Lakish said to him: "What is your reason?" Is it because of (Amos 5, 19) As if a man were to flee from a lion, and a bear should meet him; and he were to enter the house, and lean his hand against the wall, and a serpent should bite him? Come, and I will show you a similarity to this in the world at this time — e.g., when one goes to his field and meets a bailiff [who tries to contest the title to the field]; is this not equal to his meeting a lion? And when he enters the city a collector from the government meets him; is this not equal to his meeting a bear? And when he enters his house and finds his sons and daughters starving; is this not equal to a serpent's biting him? It must then be because of the following verse (Jer. 30, 6) Ask ye now, and see whether a male doth give birth to a child? Wherefore do I see every man (gever) with his hands on his loins as a woman is giving birth? And why are all faces turned pale? What does I see every man (gever) mean? Rabba b. Isaac, in the name of Rab, said: "Him (God) to whom all the strength belongs." And what does all faces turned pale, mean? R. Jochanan said: "The heavenly house-hold and the household here below, for at that time the Holy One, praised be He! says: 'Both Israel and the nations are my creatures, why then should I destroy the one for the other?'" R. Papa said: "This is what people say: 'If the ox [which is liked by the owner] falls while going on his way, a horse is placed at its (the ox's) crib (i.e., Israel is displaced and other nations feed on his soil).'"

“Flee, my beloved, and be like a gazelle or a young deer on the mountains of spices” (Song of Songs 8:14).
“Flee, my beloved, and be like a gazelle [tzevi]” – [flee] to the hosts [tzava] On High, who praise Your glory with one voice, in one melody; “on the mountains of spices” – in the upper heavens of heavens.⁵⁹In this exposition, the midrash has interpreted the verse as directed toward God.
Another matter: “Flee, my beloved” – from the Diaspora, in which we are located and are sullied with iniquities. “And be like a gazelle” – render us pure like a gazelle;⁶⁰The gazelle is one of the rare undomesticated animals that is “pure,” in the sense that it is permitted to eat it. “or a young deer [haayalim]” – accept our prayers like an offering of goats and rams [eilim]. “On the mountains of spices” – come to have a fine fragrance by the merit of our patriarchs, whose fragrance rises before You like spices. This is the Garden of Eden, which is entirely spices. That is why it is stated: “On the mountains of spices.”
Another matter: “The one who dwells in the gardens, companions” (Song of Songs 8:13) – Rabbi Yirmeya [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great: If two colleagues debate a matter of halakha and yield to one another in halakha, the verse states in their regard: “Then those who fear the Lord spoke [nidberu] one to another, and the Lord listened and heard” (Malachi 3:16); and dibbur is an expression of nothing other than subduing, as it is stated: “He subdues [yadber] peoples beneath us” (Psalms 47:4). Moreover, if they were mistaken, The Holy One blessed be He corrects their error for them. What is the source? “The Lord listened and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him for those who fear the Lord and those who think of His name” (Malachi 3:16). “The Lord… heard and [a book of remembrance] was written” – [this indicates] that He writes it on their hearts, just as it says: “On their heart I will write it” (Jeremiah 31:32). “A book of remembrance [was written] before Him” – that He reminds them of it. For whom? “For those who fear the Lord and those who think of His name.”
Rabbi Yudan said: When Israel is reading the Torah in groups,⁶¹This is based on the similarity of the word groups [ḥavurot] and companions [ḥaverim]. “your voice, let me hear it” (Song of Songs 8:13). If not, “flee, my beloved.” Rabbi Zeira said: When Israel recites Shema in unison, with one voice, with one melody, “your voice, let me hear it.” If not, “flee, my beloved.”
“Flee, my beloved” – Rabbi Levi said: [This is analogous] to a king who made a feast and invited guests. Some of them were eating and drinking and blessing the king, and some of them were eating and drinking and cursing the king. The king sensed it and sought to introduce commotion at his feast and break it up. A noblewoman entered and advocated on their behalf. She said to him: My lord the king: Instead of looking at those who are eating and drinking and cursing you, look at those who are eating and drinking and blessing you and praising your name. So too, when Israel are eating and drinking, blessing, praising, and lauding the Holy One blessed be He, He hears their voices and is appeased. When the nations of the world eat and drink, curse, blaspheme, and scorn the Holy One blessed be He with the licentiousness that they mention, at that moment, the Holy One blessed be He considers even destroying His world. The Torah enters and advocates and says: Master of the universe, instead of looking at those who blaspheme and anger You, look at Your people Israel, who bless, praise, and laud Your great name with Torah, hymns, and praise. The Divine Spirit shouts: “Flee, my beloved”; flee from the nations of the world and cleave to Israel.
“And be like a gazelle” – just as this gazelle, while it is sleeping, one of its eyes is open and one of its eyes is closed, so too: when Israel performs the will of the Holy One blessed be He, He looks upon them with His two eyes; that is what is written: “The eyes of the Lord are to the righteous” (Psalms 34:16). But when they do not perform the will of the Holy One blessed be He, He looks upon them with one of His eyes, as it is stated: “Behold, the eye of the Lord is toward those who fear Him, [toward those who await His mercy, to deliver their souls from death, and to keep them alive in famine]” (Psalms 33:18–19).⁶²Even when they do not sufficiently fulfill the will of God, He still protects them due to whatever fear of God they still do have, although He does so with “one eye.” He protects them from death and famine but does not grant them abundance.
“On the mountains of spices” – Rabbi Simon said: The Holy One blessed be He said: Wait for Me until I sit in judgment on their mountains, that is, their guardian angels, who are situated with Me in Heaven. That is what is written: “On the mountains of spices.”⁶³The word spices [besamim] can also be vocalized to read bashamayim, in Heaven. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Like this: “You shall take for yourself chief spices” (Exodus 30:23) – chief.⁶⁴The word “chief” in the verse is unnecessary, as the continuation of the verse details exactly which spices should be brought. This indicates that the word spices refers to that which is “chief,” of primary importance. Consequently, the verse in Song of Songs can be understood to refer to the guardian angels of the nations, even without reading besamim and bashamayim (Yefe Kol). Camels bearing gold, and “spices”⁶⁵This is based on I Kings 10:2, which describes what the Queen of Sheba brought to Solomon, and states that she brought “camels that bore spices and gold.” – gold and spices.⁶⁶This sentence is difficult to understand, and some commentaries suggest that it does not belong in the text (see Yefe Kol). Some suggest that the midrash is highlighting, based on the verse in Kings, that gold and spices are items associated with royalty and greatness. Therefore, the reference to spices in the verse in Song of Songs can refer to the guardian angels of the nations, which represent their ultimate level of power and greatness.
Rabbi Ḥonya [said] regarding the statement of Rabbi Yitzḥak: The Holy One blessed be He does not exact retribution from a nation below until He humbles its guardian angels above. There are five verses in this regard. One, as it is written: “It will be on that day that the Lord will reckon with the host of the heavens in Heaven” (Isaiah 24:21), and thereafter “with the kings of the earth” (Isaiah 24:21). Two, “how have you fallen from the heavens, shining morning star” (Isaiah 14:12), and thereafter, “you have been felled to the ground” (Isaiah 14:12). Three, “For my sword has been sated in the heavens” (Isaiah 34:5), and thereafter, “it shall descend upon Edom” (Isaiah 34:5). Four, “to bind their kings with fetters” (Psalms 149:8), and thereafter, “and their nobles with iron chains” (Psalms 149:8). Rabbi Tanḥuma said: “To bind their kings with fetters” – these are the guardian angels above, “and their nobles with iron chains,” these are the rulers below. Five, “to execute judgment as it is written” (Psalms 149:9), and thereafter, “this is glory for all His devoted ones, Halleluya” (Psalms 149:9).
The greatness of Israel is likened to four matters: to the grain harvest, to the grape harvest, to spices, and to a birthing mother. To the grain harvest: When a field is reaped before its time, even its straw is no good, but at its time, it is good. That is what is written: “Extend the scythe, as the harvest is ripe” (Joel 4:13). It is likened to the grape harvest: When a vineyard is harvested before its time, even its vinegar is no good, but at its time, it is good. So too, “sing about it, a vineyard of wine” (Isaiah 27:2) – when the vineyard becomes [ready to produce] wine, pluck it. It is likened to spices: Just as spices that are harvested when they are soft and moist, their fragrance does not diffuse; but when they are dry and are then harvested, their fragrance diffuses. It is likened to a birthing mother: When a woman gives birth before her time, the offspring does not survive. When she gives birth at her time, it lives. Thus, it is written: “Therefore, He will give them up until the time that the birthing mother gives birth” (Micah 5:2). Rabbi Aḥa said in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: “I am the Lord, at its time I will hasten it” (Isaiah 60:22) – if you do not merit, at its time. If you merit, I will hasten it.⁶⁷Redemption will come by a particular time, but if Israel merits, it will come sooner. So may it be His will, speedily in our days, amen.