Midrasch zu Tehillim 139:21

(Numb. 16:1:)¹This supplement comes from Codex Vaticanus, Ebr. 34. It is found neither in Buber’s primary Oxford manuscript nor in the traditional version of the Tanhuma. NOW KORAH BEN IZHAR BEN KOHATH BEN LEVI BETOOK HIMSELF (literally: TOOK)…. Let our master instruct us: Is it legitimate to save the Holy Scriptures on the Sabbath? Thus have our masters taught (in Shab. 16:1): IN THE CASE OF ALL HOLY SCRIPTURES,²I.e., Torah, Prophets, and Writings, all three. ONE SHOULD SAVE THEM FROM THE FIRE WHETHER ONE READS FROM THEM OR DOES NOT READ FROM THEM.³According to Sanh. 115a, the Prophets are what one reads from and the Writings are what one does not read from. As for the books of the minim, however, one does not save them from the fire on the Sabbath.⁴TShab. 13(14):5 mentions gilyonim in this context. While gilyonim properly refers to the unwritten portions of a scroll, it became a term for the Christian Gospels and seems to have this meaning here and in Shab. 116a. R. Jose the Galilean says: If I find the books of the minim, I cut out their Divine Names and burn the rest.⁵See yShab. 16:1 (15c); Sifre to Numb. 5:23 (16); Numb. R. 9:36; also Sanh. 110b. R. Tarfon said to him: May I bury my children, if the books of the minim should fall into my hands, I should burn them together with their Divine Names. Moreover, if someone were pursuing me, I should flee into an idolatrous temple, but I should not flee to a house of the minim. <The reason is> that idolaters do not know the Holy One when they deny him, [while these do know him when they deny him]; and it is concerning them that David said (in Ps. 139:21): DO I NOT HATE THOSE WHO HATE YOU O LORD? AND LOATHE THOSE WHO RISE UP AGAINST YOU …? What caused Korah to disappear from the world? It could only be that he withdrew into heresy (minut) and sided against Moses and Aaron. Where is it shown? From what they read on the matter (in Numb. 16:1): NOW KORAH <BEN IZHAR BEN KOHATH BEN LEVI> TOOK (heretical texts)….

And in the greatness of Thine excellence (Exod. 15:7). You have increased Your excellency against all who rose up against You. Who were those that rose up against You? They were the ones that turned against Your children. It is taught that all who rise up against Israel are considered as rising up against the Shekhinah. Thus it says: Forget not the voice of thine adversaries (Ps. 74:23), and For, lo, Thine enemies are in an uproar; and they hate Thee have lifted up the head. They hold crafty converse against Thy people, and take counsel against Thy treasured ones (ibid. 83:3–4). It is also written: Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate Thee, and do not I strive with those that rise up against Thee? (ibid. 139:21). Why so? I hate them with the utmost hatred, I count them mine enemies (ibid.).

We are taught: "Blank parchment and also the Sadducean books should not be saved from a fire [on the Sabbath]. R. Jose said: 'On the week days the Holy names should be taken out and preserved and the rest left to be burnt.' R. Tarphon said: 'May I burn my children, if I would not burn such books together with the Holy names they contain, should I obtain possession of them; for even when a man is pursued by a murderer intent upon killing him, or followed by a snake aiming to bite him, he should rather seek for refuge in a temple of idols than to enter the home of a Sadducee; for these [the heathens] serve their idols, unaware of God, while the Sadducees, however, know God, but deny Him; and concerning them, Scripture says (Is. 47, 8.) And behind the door and the door-post hast thou placed thy (mark of) remembrance R. Ishmael said to R. Tarphon: 'We may learn this from the inference drawn from the minor to the major; if, for the sake of bringing about peace between a man and his wife, the Torah says that the Holy name which was inscribed with sanctification may be erased with the (bitter) water, how much more then shall it be permitted that these books of the Sadducees which cause discord and enmity between Israel and their Heavenly Father, be eradicated or destroyed? Concerning them David said (Ps. 139, 21.) Behold, those that hate Thee, I ever hate, etc., with the utmost hatred, etc. And just as they should not be saved from a fire, so also should they not be saved from either a ruinous heap, or water, or from any other thing that may destroy them.' "