Midrasch zu Schir haSchirim 4:2

(Numb. 31:2:) “Exact vengeance [for the Children of Israel on the Midianites; afterward you shall be gathered unto your people].” R. Judah said, “If Moses had wanted to live for several [more] years, he could have remained alive; as the Holy One, blessed be He, had made his death dependent upon the vengeance against Midian.⁷Numb. R. 22:2. It is simply to show you the praise of Moses, as he did not say, ‘For the sake of my remaining alive, I shall delay the Children of Israel's vengeance on Midian.’ [Rather] immediately (in vs. 3), ‘Moses spoke unto the people, saying, “Arm some of your number (anashim) for the army, and let them fall on Midian.”’” [The word,] anashim, [implies that they were] righteous. So also elsewhere (in Exod. 17:9), “Choose anashim for us,”⁸Here also, as in Numb. 31:3, anashim implies that those chosen were righteous. [implies] righteous men. And so too (in Job 4:13), “in the falling of slumber upon anashim.” (Numb. 31:3, cont.:) “To render the vengeance of the Lord against Midian.” The Holy One, blessed be He, had said (in vs. 2), “the vengeance of the Children of Israel”; but Moses says (here in vs. 3), “the vengeance of the Lord.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “It is your judgment that is called for, because they caused Me to harm you.” [But] Moses said, “Master of the world, if we had been uncircumcised or practitioners of star worship or had denied [the binding force of] the commandments, they would not have persecuted us. On the contrary, [they have done so precisely] because of the Torah and commandments which You have given. The vengeance, therefore, is Yours.” Ergo (in Numb. 31:3), “to render the vengeance of the Lord against Midian.” (Numb. 31:4:) “[You shall send to the war] a thousand per tribe [from all the tribes of Israel].” Some say, “He sent two thousand from each and every tribe.” But others say, “Three thousand from each and every tribe, with twelve thousand armed shock troops, twelve thousand to guard the baggage, and about them it is stated (in Cant. 4:2), ‘Your teeth are like a flock of ewes…,’ and twelve thousand for prayer.”⁹Numb. R. 22:3. And where is it shown? Where it is stated (ibid.), “A thousand per tribe (literally, a thousand per tribe; a thousand per tribe).”¹⁰For the third thousand per tribe, Numb. R. 22:3 cites Numb. 31:5, which repeats: A THOUSAND PER TRIBE, for the third time. (Numb. 31:5:) “So from the thousands in Israel there were furnished a thousand per tribe.” What is the meaning of “were furnished?” That they were furnished for each other in pairs.¹¹Gk.: zeuge, zuga; Lat.: jugera. The probable meaning is that for each thousand who fought, there were a thousand replacements. Another interpretation [of “were furnished”]: They were furnished by force. Since Scripture had made the death of Moses dependent upon the vengeance against Midian, they said, “Shall we go against Midian and let Moses die?” They refrained from going. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Cast lots over the tribes, and they will be furnished automatically.” (Numb. 31:6:) “Then Moses sent them, a thousand per tribe [along with Phinehas ben Eleazar].” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (in vs. 2), “’Take vengeance,’ by yourself,” and he sent others?¹²Numb. R. 22:4. It was simply because he had been raised in Midian, he said, “It is not right for me to oppress those who have done good to me.” The proverb says, “Do not cast a stone into a cistern from which you have drunk water.” But some say that this is not the same Midian in which Moses was raised. As this one is next to Moab and it is [still] desolate until now. And why did He send Phinehas (instead of someone else)? He said, “Whoever has begun a commandment should finish it. [Phinehas] has (according to Numb. 25:11) ‘turned around My wrath’ (by executing an Israelite man copulating with the Midianite woman). Let him finish the commandment [that he undertook].” (Numb. 31:6, cont.:) “And the vessels of the sanctuary (haqodesh).” This refers to the ark (and its contents), since it is stated (in Numb. 7:9), “because they (i.e., the Children of Kohath) had the service of the holy (haqodesh) objects, which they carried on the shoulder.” R. Johanan said, “These were the priestly garments, in which were the urim and thummim, as stated (in Exod. 29:29), ‘And the sacred (haqodesh) garments of Aaron.’” (Numb. 31:8:) “They also killed Balaam ben Beor with the sword.” Now what was he doing there? He had simply gone to receive a reward for the twenty-four thousand from Israel that had fallen through his counsel. And about him is it stated (in Prov. 26:27), “He who digs a pit will fall in it.” [It is like the] proverb about the camel that goes to put on and claim horns, while the ears that it had are severed from it. (Numb. 31:11-12:) “Then they took all the plunder…. And they brought unto Moses and Elazar the Priest.” [This text serves] to show their excellence, for they did not want to take the spoils without permission. Rather they had brought all of it before them; and [only] after that, they took [them with his permission]. (Numb. 31:13:) “Then Moses, Elazar the Priest, and the princes of the congregation [went out to meet them.” This text serves] to show Moses' humility, for they all were disciples of his disciples.

Another matter: “Your hair is like a flock of goats” (Song of Songs 4:1) – the mountain from whose midst you took away, I rendered a memorial for the nations of the world. Which is this? This is the Sanhedrin. What is it that you took from its midst? “Your teeth are like a flock of ordered ewes” (Song of Songs 4:2) – defined matters, these exonerate and these convict.⁵⁹The Sanhedrin is compared to “ordered ewes” because there were a specific number of judges and specific guidelines for arriving at a verdict when the judges were split in their decision. “That have come up from bathing” (Song of Songs 4:2) – who exonerate Israel. “That are all paired” (Song of Songs 4:2) – as we learned: If they found in his favor they exonerate him. But if not they delay to the following day, and spend [the time in] pairs (Sanhedrin 40a).⁶⁰In cases of capital punishment, the judges would spend the interval in the case in pairs, deliberating about whether there was any way to exonerate the accused. “And there is none missing among them” (Song of Songs 4:2) – Rabbi Levi said: They infer one matter from another matter. Rabbi Abba said: That the halakha is not unclear to them.
“Your lips are like a scarlet thread” (Song of Songs 4:3) – Rabbi Yudan said: The decree of the court is like the decree of the king; with their mouths they command stoning, burning, beheading, and strangulation. Rabbi Ḥunya said: Blood,⁶¹Rabbi Ḥunya interprets the phrase “your lips are like a scarlet thread” as praising Israel for their observance of the laws of sacrificial offerings. as we learned: A red line encircled in the middle [of the altar] to separate between the blood of the upper part [of the altar] and the blood of the lower part (Midot 3:1). Rabbi Azarya [said] in the name of Rabbi Yuda: Just as the red line separates between the upper and the lower blood, so the Sanhedrin distinguishes between impurity and purity, between the prohibited and the permitted, between exemption and liability.

(Numb. 31:4) “[You shall send to the war] a thousand per tribe [from all the tribes of Israel]”: Some say, “He sent two thousand from each and every tribe.” But others say, “Three thousand from each and every tribe, [with twelve thousand fighters], twelve thousand to guard the baggage, and about them it is stated (in Cant. 4:2), ‘Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that are perfectly matched’; and twelve thousand for prayer.” And where is it shown? Where it is stated (ibid.), “A thousand per tribe (literally, a thousand per tribe; a thousand per tribe).” That is twenty-four thousand. (Numb. 31:5) “So from the thousands in Israel there were furnished a thousand per tribe.” That is twelve thousand others. What is the meaning of “were furnished?” That they were furnished for each other in pairs.⁴Gk.: zeuge, zuga; Lat.: jugera. The probable meaning is that for each thousand who fought, there were a thousand replacements. Another interpretation [of “were furnished”]: They were furnished by force. Since Scripture had made the death of Moses dependent upon the vengeance against Midian, they said, “Shall we go against Midian and let Moses die?” They refrained from going. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Cast lots over the tribes, and they will be furnished automatically.”