Midrasch zu Zechariah 3:13

When Pharaoh shall speak unto you, saying: “Show a wonder for you” (Exod. 7:9). He will be making a reasonable request to you. You find in the case of Noah, that though He said to him, after He saved him from the flood, Neither shall there be anymore a flood (Gen. 9:11), Noah demanded a sign, and God assured him: I have set my bow in the cloud (ibid., v. 13). Similarly, when Hezekiah was sick, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent Isaiah to him and he said: Thus saith the Lord, the God of David, thy father: “I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears; behold, I will heal thee; on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord” (II Kings 20:5). But he replied: What shall be the sign? (ibid., v. 8), and He answered: This shall be the sign unto thee from the Lord, that the Lord will do the thing that He hath spoken: shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? (ibid., v. 9). Likewise, Joshua, the high priest, was told: Hear now, O Joshua the high priest, … for they are men that are a sign (Zech. 3:8). Since the righteous demanded signs, how much more did the wicked Pharaoh (have the right to do so). Hence, when Pharaoh says unto you: Show a wonder for you (he will be making a reasonable request).

(Fol. 13b) Our Rabbis were taught: If it happened that he, his teacher and his father were in captivity [and he was able to redeem only one] he himself has the preference over the teacher, and his teacher has the preference over his father. His mother, however, has the preference over all. A sage has the preference over a king of Israel, for if a sage dies, we have no equal to him, but if a king dies all Israel is fit for the throne. A king has the preference over a High-priest, as it is said (I Kings 1, 33) Take with you the servants of your lord. A High-priest has the preference over a prophet, as it is said (Ib.) And let Zadok the priest with Nathan the prophet, hence the priest precedes the prophet, and there is another passage (Zech. 3, 8) Hear now, O Joshua the High-priest, thou and thy fellows, etc. One might say that they were ignorants therefore the priest precedes them. The verse therefore says (Ib.) For they are men that are a sign (Mofeth). The word Mofeth is applied to prophecy, as it is said (Deut. 13, 2) And he gives thee a sign (Mofeth) or a wonder.

“I arose to open for my beloved; my hands were dripping with myrrh, and my fingers with myrrh passing onto the handles of the latch” (Song of Songs 5:5).
“I arose to open for my beloved” – I arose, and not the nations of the world. Rabbi Yaakov bar Avuna interpreted before Rabbi Yitzḥak: It is written: “[Then arose] the heads of the patrilineal families of Judah and Benjamin, and the priests and the Levites…[to go up to build the house of the Lord, which is in Jerusalem]” (Ezra 1:5); “of Judah” – as he is king; “and Benjamin” – as the Temple is in his portion; the priests because of the Temple service; and the Levites because of the platform.²⁵The verse specifies these groups for the reasons mentioned above, but in fact Israelites of all types went up to build the Second Temple. This is in contrast to the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin (see Ezra 4:2), who presented themselves as wanting to assist in building the Temple but in fact had malicious intentions. “To open for my beloved” – in repentance.
“My hands were dripping with myrrh [mor]” – bitterness [merarim]. Cyrus issued a decree: Whoever has crossed the Euphrates has crossed, and whoever has not crossed shall not cross. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is written: “The sun will be dark when it rises” (Isaiah 13:10) – if only it had been dark on that day and did not shine. Cyrus emerged to walk in the province, and he saw that the province was deserted. He said: Why is this province deserted? Where are the goldsmiths, where are the silversmiths? They said to him: Are you not the one who decreed and said: Let all the Jews go out and build the Temple? It was they who were the goldsmiths and the silversmiths, and they have ascended to build the Temple. At that moment he decreed: Whoever has crossed the Euphrates has crossed, and whoever has not crossed shall not cross.
Daniel and his associates and his comrades ascended. At that time they said: It is preferable for us to eat a meal of the Land of Israel and recite the blessing of the Land of Israel. Ezra and his associates and his comrades did not ascend at that time. Why did Ezra not ascend at that time? It was because he needed to clarify his studies before Barukh ben Neriya. So let Barukh ben Neriya ascend. Rather, they said: Barukh ben Neriya was a large, elderly man, and he could not even be loaded onto a sedan chair.
Reish Lakish said: It was due to the sanctity of the Temple that Ezra did not ascend at that time, as had Ezra ascended at that time, the accuser would be able to incite strife and say, it would be preferable to have Ezra serve in the High Priesthood rather than have Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak serve as the High Priest.²⁶The heavenly accuser was already accusing Yehoshua (see Zechariah 3:1), and this would have added to his accusations. But Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak was a High Priest son of a High Priest, and although Ezra was a righteous man, he was not as worthy to serve in the High Priesthood as [Yehoshua] was. Rabbi Simon said: Abolishing hereditary rights is problematic before the Holy One blessed be He. “Onto the handles of the latch” – it was from there that the Euphrates was blocked before them.
Another matter: “I arose to open for my beloved” – I arose and not the nations of the world. “To open for my beloved” – in repentance. “My hands were dripping with myrrh [mor]” – bitterness [merarim], this is the sin of the Golden Calf, “this is your god, Israel” (Exodus 32:4). “And my fingers with myrrh passing” – nevertheless “myrrh passing [mor over],” He overlooked my bitterness [avar al merari], as it is stated: “The Lord reconsidered the evil…” (Exodus 32:14). “Onto the handles of the latch” – it was from there that it was locked before them so that they would not enter the Land of Israel.

(Lev. 4:1–2:) “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, … ‘When a soul sins [by mistake]….’” Let our master instruct us: Is it right for one to enter the Temple Mount with his staff or his money girdle?²³Lat.: funda (“moneybag”). Thus have our masters taught (in Ber. 9:5): One may not enter the Temple Mount with his staff, his money girdle, or with dust on his feet,²⁴Eccl. R. 4:17:1; cf. Mark 11:16; Josephus, Contra Apionem, 8:106; see Ber. 62a. lest he treat it with disrespect – even in its destruction. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Lev. 26:2), “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary.” And what was the reason for comparing keeping the Sabbath with the sanctuary? Thus did R. Hiyya the Great teach: Just as keeping the Sabbath is forever so is reverence for the sanctuary forever. Now Solomon cried out (in Eccl. 3:16), “To the place of justice, thither [came] wickedness.” Solomon was observing how the wicked subverted justice in the sanctuary. Solomon said, “The place where the Sanhedrin²⁵Gk.: Synedrion. sat to judge criminal law, civil law, decisions on scourgings, and decisions on clean and unclean, there they defiled it.”²⁶Cf. Lev. R. 4:1; Eccl. R. 3:16:1. See what is written (in Jer. 39:3), “Then all the officers of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Negral-sarezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the Rab-saris ….” (Lam. 5:18:) “Because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate, the jackals walk over it.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You name those entering, but you do not name those leaving, (in Eccl. 3:16) ‘to the place of justice, thither [came] wickedness.’” (Lam. 2:20:) “Should priest and prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?” Here is the blood of Zechariah shed on the stones, as stated (in Ezek. 24:7), “For her blood was in her midst; she set it upon bare rock.” Another interpretation (of Eccl. 3:16), “to the place of justice, thither [came] wickedness”: This is the central gate in which the great Sanhedrin sat. “Thither [came] wickedness,” (in Lam. 2:9) “Her gates have sunk into the ground.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Eccl. 3:16), “To the place of justice, thither [came] wickedness (rsh').” There was one place for the Righteous One of the world, the holy Temple, which was set apart for the Divine Presence. Then Manasseh wronged (rt.: rsh') it, and brought an image into its midst .Another interpretation (of Eccl. 3:16), “to the place of justice.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I created the soul, and it is delivered into My hand, as stated (in Job 12:10), ‘In Whose hand is every living soul.’ And justice also is delivered into My hand, as stated (in Deut. 32:41), “My hand lays hold on justice.’ But I only delivered the soul next to judgment [in My hand] so that it might see what is fitting for it and not sin; yet it does sin. (Eccl. 3:16:) “Thither [came] wickedness”; “When a soul sins,” for the soul is placed next to judgment (Lev. 4:2:) . That which Scripture stated (Prov. 19:2), “Also, a soul without knowledge is not good; and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner,” [is to say that] when someone sins, even by mistake, it is not a good sign²⁷Gk.: semeion. for him.²⁸Lev. R. 4:3; Eccl. R. 12:14:1. How so? There were two stores before him, one belonging to a stranger and one belonging to Israel. If he entered the one belonging to the stranger without knowing, it is not good. If he entered deliberately, he is called a sinner, as stated (in Prov. 19:2), “and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner.” Rav Isaac bar Samuel bar Martha said, “There were two ways before him, one long and one short. The short one was full of pebbles, but the long one did not have a pebble in it. He left the long one and went by the short one on the Sabbath. Concerning him it was stated (in Prov. 19:2), ‘and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner.’” Our masters have taught (in Avot. 4:2): One good deed/commandment (mitzvah) leads to another, and one transgression leads to another. A person should not worry about a sin which he commits by mistake, but rather that an opening has been made for him to sin [again], even deliberately. Moreover, one should not rejoice over a good deed which comes to him (for fulfillment), but rather that many good deeds are going to come to him [as a result].²⁹Cf. Avot. 4:2: THE RECOMPENSE FOR A GOOD DEED IS A GOOD DEED. Therefore, if one has sinned by mistake, this is not a good sign, as stated, “Also, a soul without knowledge is not good.” How much the more so if he sins deliberately! About him it has been stated, “and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner.” So also (in Prov. 6:16-19), “Six things the Lord hates…: Haughty eyes, …. A heart plotting thoughts of deceit, feet quick to run to evil, […]” This refers to Ahab ben Kolaiah and Zedekiah ben Maaseiah (the false prophets of Jer. 29:21-23), who sinned in Jerusalem.³⁰Sanh. 93a; PRK 24:15. And that was not enough for them, but after they had gone into exile in Babylon, they added to their sin. And what had they done in Jerusalem? They were false prophets. Moreover, they did not forsake their trade in Babylon. Now they would pimp for each other. Ahab would go to visit [one of] the great ones in the kingdom and would say to him, “I am so-and-so, a prophet. The Holy One, blessed be He, has sent me to say something to your wife.” [So his interlocutor] would say to him, “Here she is before you. Go on in.” When he was alone with her, he would say to her, “The Holy One, blessed be He, wants to raise up prophets from you. Simply go, have intercourse with Zedekiah, and give birth to prophets from him.” So he would come and have intercourse with her. Then Zedekiah would similarly pimp for Ahab. And this was their trade for several years. Come and see how wicked they were: They gave themselves a reputation in Babylon for being great prophets. When some woman became pregnant and saw one of them, she would say to him, “If you are a prophet, what is in my womb? A male or a female?” He would say, “A male.” Then he would go to her neighbors and say, “So-and-so will bear a female.” If she bore a male, she would say, “So-and-so, the prophet, told me.” If it was a female, the neighbors would say, “Thus did so-and-so, the prophet, tell us; but he did not want to worry you.” Now they acted in this way until they came to Shemirah, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah said to her, “The Holy One, blessed be He, has sent me to you. Simply go, have intercourse with Ahab, and give birth to prophets from him.” She said to him, “I may not do [this] without the agreement of my husband. Rather, let him come and let him inform us that he wants this thing.” She went to her husband and told [the matter] to Nebuchadnezzar. [So] he called for them and they both came. And he said to them, “Is this what you said to my wife?” They said, “Yes, as the Holy One, blessed be He, wants to raise prophets from her.” He said to them, “But have I not heard about your God that He hates licentiousness; and that as a result of that which Zimri breached sexual mores, twenty-four thousand [men] fell? And you tell me this? Perhaps He recanted? I don’t know if you are false prophets or true prophets, but I have already tested Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah and I burned the fiery finance for them for seven days and threw them inside, and they came out alive and well. But for you, I will only burn it for one day and throw you inside. If you are saved from the furnace, I will know that you are certainly true prophets and we will do whatever you say, according to your testimony.” They said to him, “Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah were three and we are two; and the miracle is [only] done for three.” He said to them, “Is there a third [person] like you?” They said, Yehosuha the High Priest,” thinking in their hearts that they would be saved by his merit. They brought Yehoshua the High Priest and threw him into the furnace with them. The two of them were burnt [to death], and Yehoshua the High Priest was saved, as stated (Zech. 3:2), “Is this not a brand pulled out of the fire?” (Jer. 29:22:) “And from Ahav and Zedekiah, a curse was taken for all of the exile of Judah in Babylon, saying, ‘May God make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon consigned to the flames!‘“3 Who caused these wicked ones to be burned? It was because they ran with their feet towards abominations and sins. It is therefore stated (in Prov. 19:2), “and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner.” Nevertheless (ibid.,) “Also, a soul without knowledge is not good.” Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Say unto Israel (in Lev. 4:2), ‘When a soul sins by mistake’” – the soul sins. The verse (Eccl. 3:16) says, “[….] to the place of justice (tsedeq), thither [came] wickedness.” The place is [the source of] the soul, which has been given out of righteousness (tsedeq), [i.e.] out of a place where there is no iniquity or sin.³¹Exod. R. 4:1. [When] it does sins, the verse (Lev. 4:2) cries out in surprise, “When a soul sins by mistake?” (Eccl. 3:16:) “To the place of justice (tsedeq), thither [came] wickedness.” To what is the matter comparable? To two people who sinned against the king. One was a country bumpkin, and one a person from the palace.³²Lat.: palatium; Gk.: palation. [When] he saw that both of them had committed a single offense, he released the country bumpkin but rendered a [guilty] verdict³³Gk.: apophasis. against the person from the palace. His palace people said to him, “Both of them committed a single offense; [yet] you released the country bumpkin [and] gave a verdict against the person from the palace.” He said to them, “I released the country bumpkin because he did not know the laws³⁴Gk. nomos. of the kingdom, but the person from the palace is with me every day and knows what the laws of the kingdom are, and what verdict will be pronounced against one who sins towards me?” So also the body is a country bumpkin, (according to Gen. 2:7) “Then the Lord God formed the human out of dust from the ground.” But the soul is a palace person from above, (according to ibid., cont.) “and blew into his nostrils the breath of life.” Yet both of them sinned. Why? Because it impossible for the body to exist without the soul.³⁵Cf. Lev. R. 4:5. Thus, if there is no soul, there is no body, and if there is no body, there is no soul. So both of them sinned, as stated (in Ezek. 18:20), “the soul that sins shall die.” Therefore the verse (Lev. 4:2) wonders, “When a soul sins by mistake against any of the Lord's commandments?” What is the significance of “by mistake (rt.: shgg) [against any of the Lord's commandments]?” [It is] to teach you that when anyone sins by mistake, [it is as if] one transgresses [intentionally] against the Lord's commandments. And so it says (in Numb. 15:22), “And when you sin unintentionally (rt.: shgg) and do not fulfill all these commandments….”³⁶The next verses explain how atonement is made. So also David has said (in Ps. 19:13–14), “Who can discern mistakes? Cleanse me from hidden faults. Also restrain Your servant from willful sins…, and I shall be clean of great transgression,” [i.e.] from the great sin which I have committed. But if you do so act (according to Ps. 19:15), “Let the words of my mouth be acceptable.” From here you learn that everyone who sins, even by mistake, is called a sinner. Our masters have said, “A mistake in study is accounted as willful sin.” It is therefore written (in Lev. 4:2), “When a soul sins,” because it is from [man’s soul, which is from] above; and it is not written, "[when] a person (Adam)." In the world to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring in the soul and say to it, “Why have you transgressed against the commandments?” Then it will say, “The body transgressed against the commandments. From the day that I left it, have I ever sinned?” [Then] He will go back and say to the body, “For what reason did you transgress the commandments?” It will say to Him, “The soul sinned. Since the soul left me, have I ever sinned?” What will the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He will bring them both in and judge them as one. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had an orchard in which were ripened grapes, figs and pomegranates.³⁷Sanh. 91ab; Lev. R. 4:5; Mekhilta deRabbi Simeon b. Johay, edited by J.N. Epstein and E.Z. Melamed (Jerusalem: Mekize Nirdamim, 1955), pp. 76–77 (on Exod. 15:1); Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Shirata 2; The Apocryphon of Ezekiel, cited in Epiphanius, Panarion (Haereses), 64:70 (Origen), K. Holl edition in GCS31(1922), pp. 236–243 (not in the Migne edition), translated by J.R. Mueller and S.E. Robinson in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. I, edited by J.H. Charlesworth (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983), p. 492; see Tertullian, De resurrectione carnis, 15–17. The king said (to himself), “If I post someone there who can see and walk, he will eat the ripening fruit for himself. He [therefore] posted two guards, one lame and one blind. They stayed and watched the orchard. They smelled the ripened fruit. The lame one said to the blind one, “I see lovely ripened fruit in the orchard. Come and give me a ride, so we can get them and eat them.” The lame one rode upon the back of the blind one, so that he got them, and they ate them. One day the king came. He sought the ripened fruit, but he did not find any. He said to the blind one, “Did you eat them?” He [answered], “Do I have any eyes?” He said to the lame one. “Have you eaten them?” He said, “Do I have any feet?” He [therefore] mounted the lame person on the blind person's back and judged them as one. So the Holy One, blessed be He, will take a soul and toss it into a body, as stated (in Ps. 50:4), “He summoned the heavens above,” i.e., the soul; “and the earth to judge His people,” i.e., the body.” David foresaw how the Holy One, blessed be He, would judge His creatures. [So] he began to seek mercy for his soul. He said, “Master of the world, when you judge Your creatures, do not judge me like them. [(Ps. 143:2), ‘And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living shall be justified before You.’ Rather act charitably with me, as stated (in Ps. 17:15), ‘As for me, I will behold Your face in charity.’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In this world because the evil drive rules in you, you have sinned; but in the world to come I will root it out from you, as stated (in Ezek. 36:26), ‘I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.’”

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R. Tanchum b. Chanilai said: "When Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah came out of the furnace, the nations came and slapped Israel in the face, saying: 'Ye have such a God, and ye bowed yourselves to the images!' They (Israel) immediately confessed, saying (Ib. 9, 7) Thine, O Lord, is the righteousness, but unto us belongeth confusion of faces, as it is this day." R. Samuel b. Nachmeni, in the name of R. Jochanan, said: "What does the passage (Songs 7, 9) I thought, I wish to climb up the palm-tree, I wish to take hold of its boughs, mean? The Holy One, praised be He! said, 'I will take hold of the whole tree, (Israel) but now I claim only one branch — that of Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah'." R. Jochanan said: "What does the passage (Zech. 1, 8) I saw this night, and behold there was a man (ish) riding upon a red horse, etc., mean? This night, i.e., the Lord intended to turn the entire world into night. Behold there was a man (ish), — this refers to the Holy One, praised be He! as it is said (Ex. 15, 3) The Eternal is a man (ish) of war. Upon a red horse — i.e., the Holy One, praised be He! intended to plunge the entire world into blood, but after looking upon Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah, he felt satisfied (cooled off), as it is said, And he was standing among the myrtle-trees (hadasim). And myrtle-trees refers to the upright, as it is said (Esth. 2, 7) And he brought up Hadassah. And deep valley refers to Babylon, as it is said (Is. 44, 27) That saith to the deep, Be dry, and thy rivers will I dry up; immediately the red which were filled with anger became pale, and the red became white." R. Papa said: "Infer from this that if one sees a white horse in his dream, it is a good sign." But what became of Chananyah, Mishael, and Azaryah after they came out of the furnace [as there is no further mention of them]? Rab said: "They died from an evil eye"; and Samuel said: "They were drowned in the spittle [caused by the nations when they slapped Israel in the face, mentioned above.]" R. Jochanan, however, said: "They returned to Palestine, married, and begat children." Concerning the same the Tannaim of the following Baraitha differ: R. Eliezer says: "They died from an evil eye." R . Joshua says: "They were drowned in the spittle," and the sages say: "They returned to Palestine, married aud begat children," as it is said (Zech. 3, 8) Do but hear, O Joshua the high-priest, thou and thy fellows that sit before thee, for men of wonder are they, i.e., who were the men to whom wonder was done? We must say, Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah. But where was Daniel at the time that they were thrown into the kiln? Rab said: "He went to dig a river in the city of Tiberius." And Samuel said: "He was sent by Nebuchadnezzar to bring a certain kind of grass [from Palestine, to be planted in Babylon]." And R. Jochanan said: "He was sent to bring swine from Alexandria of Egypt." But was it not said above by Tudus the physician that no swine left Alexandria without having its womb first removed so that they should not multiply in other countries? He brought little ones, and the Egyptians were not aware [that he took them that they should multiply in Babylon].

(Jer. 29, 21, 23) Thus hath said the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, concerning Achab, the son of Kolayah, and of Zedekiah, the son of Maasseyah, who prophesy unto you in my name of false-hood… . And of them there shall be taken up a curse by all the captivity of Judah who are in Babylon, saying: May the Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Achab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire. "It does not read (Sarfam), whom he burned, but it says (Kalan) whom he roasted," said R. Jochanan in the name of R. Simon b. Jochai: Infer from this that they were roasted as people roast grain. (Ib. ib, 23) Because they have done scandalous deeds in Israel, and have committed adultery with the wives of their neighbors. What had they done? They went to the daughter of Nebuchadnezzar. Achab said to her: "The Lord has commanded me to tell thee that thou shalt listen to Zedekiah." And the latter said the same — that she should hearken to Achab. And she straightway went and told this to her father. To which he answered: "It is known to me that their God abhors incest. When they shall come to you again, send them to me. When they did come, she sent them to her father; Nebuchadnezzar asked them: "Who told you to do so?" The Holy One, praised be He!" they said. "But Chananyah and his colleagues told me that such a thing is prohibited," said he. And they answered: "We are also prophets as they are, and this command, although not given to them, was, nevertheless, given to us." Then said the king: "I would try you as I did Chananyah and his colleagues." And to their claim, "They were three, and we are only two," he said: "You may choose a third one, whomever you like." And they selected Joshua, the high-priest, thinking that his merit was so great that it would save them also. Joshua was then brought, and all three were thrown into the kiln. They were burned, but Joshua was saved; only his garments were singed. And this is what is meant by the passage (Zech. 3, 1-3) And he showed me Joshua the high-priest standing before the angel of the Lord. And the Lord said unto the accuser, the Lord rebuke thee, O accuser, etc. Satan said to him: "I know that you are an upright man, but why did the fire affect your garments, which was not the case with Chananyah, Mishael and Azaryah?" And he answered: "They were three, and I one." "But was not Abraham the patriarch also only one when he was thrown into the kiln," Satan asked. "With Abraham," said he, "there were no wicked whom the fire was granted permission to affect, but with me were two wicked, and such permission was given to the fire." And this is what people say: "If there are two dried pieces of wood, and a green one between, the green piece will burn with the dry ones." But why was he punished? R. Papa said: "Because his sons married such wives as were not fit for the priesthood, and he did not protest against it; and this is what is meant by the passage (Ib. 3, 3) And Joshua was clothed with filthy garments. Was it then the habit of Joshua to wear filthy garments? But infer from this that his sons married such wives as were not fit for the priesthood and he did not protest agninst it."

Rabbi Tachanah said: Israel was exiled to Babylon, and did not forsake their evil deeds. Ahab, son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah, son of Maaseiah, became lying healers, and they healed the wives of the Chaldeans, and came unto them for coition. The king heard thereof, and commanded that they should be burnt. They both said: Let us say that Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, was with us, and he will save us from the burning with fire. They said to him: O our lord, O king, this man was with us in every matter. The king commanded that the three should be burnt by fire. And the angel Michael descended and saved Joshua from the fiery flames, and brought him up before the throne of glory, as it is said, "And he shewed me Joshua, the high priest" (Zech. 3:1); and the other two were burnt by fire, as it is said, "And of them shall be taken up a curse…. The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire" (Jer. 29:22). It is not written here "whom the king of Babylon burnt with fire," but "whom he roasted," hence we learn || that his hairs were singed on account of their sins, as it is said, "In the pride of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued" (Ps. 10:2). Whence do we know that he was delivered? Because it is said, "And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan.… Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" (Zech. 3:2).

Rabbi Tachanah said: Israel was exiled to Babylon, and did not forsake their evil deeds. Ahab, son of Kolaiah, and Zedekiah, son of Maaseiah, became lying healers, and they healed the wives of the Chaldeans, and came unto them for coition. The king heard thereof, and commanded that they should be burnt. They both said: Let us say that Joshua, the son of Jehozadak, was with us, and he will save us from the burning with fire. They said to him: O our lord, O king, this man was with us in every matter. The king commanded that the three should be burnt by fire. And the angel Michael descended and saved Joshua from the fiery flames, and brought him up before the throne of glory, as it is said, "And he shewed me Joshua, the high priest" (Zech. 3:1); and the other two were burnt by fire, as it is said, "And of them shall be taken up a curse…. The Lord make thee like Zedekiah and like Ahab, whom the king of Babylon roasted in the fire" (Jer. 29:22). It is not written here "whom the king of Babylon burnt with fire," but "whom he roasted," hence we learn || that his hairs were singed on account of their sins, as it is said, "In the pride of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued" (Ps. 10:2). Whence do we know that he was delivered? Because it is said, "And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan.… Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" (Zech. 3:2).

"And the angel of Ad-nai called to Avraham a second time from heaven, and said: 'By Myself I have sworn" (Gen. 22:15-16). Why was this oath needed? He [Avraham] said to Him: ‘Swear to me not to test me ever again, nor my son Itzchak.’ This is similar to one who was saving his basin from being swallowed by the river, and his son jumped into it with him. Another interpretation: why was this oath needed? Rabbi Chama ben Rabbi Chanina said: He said to Him ‘swear to me not to test me ever again’ This is similar to a king who was married to a noble lady, she gave birth to her first son and he divorced her; [he remarried her and then she gave birth to] a second son, and he divorced her; a third son, and he divorced her; and when she gave birth to the tenth son, they all assembled and demanded of him: ‘Swear to us not to divorce our mother ever again.’ So too when our father Avraham was tested the tenth time, he said to Him: ‘Swear to me that You will not to test me ever again.’ Rabbi Chanin said: "Because you have done [asita] this thing" (Gen. 22:17) — it was the tenth [asiri] trial, and you say "because you have done this thing!" Rather, this is the last test, which was as weighty as all the rest together, and if he had not accepted to [do] it, all would have been lost. [A different version: all that he did would have been lost.] "I will verily bless you, etc." (Gen. 22:17) a blessing for the father and a blessing for the son. "And I will verily multiply"(Gen. 22:17) : increase for the father and increase for the son. "And your seed shall inherit the gate of his enemies"(Gen. 22:17). Rabbi said: This is Tadmor, happy is anyone who sees the downfall of Tadmor which took part in both destructions. Rabbi Yudan and R. Chanina — one of them said 'at the destruction of the first Temple it supplied eighty thousand archers.[A different version: truth tellers (?)] and in the second destruction it supplied eight thousand archers. "And Avraham returned to his young men (Gen. 22:19) And where was Itzchak? Rabbi Berechiah said in the name of the Rabbis from there: he sent him to Shem to study Torah. This is similar to a woman who became wealthy through her spindle, she said: ‘Since I have become wealthy through this spindle, it will never leave my hand.’ So too Avraham said: ‘All that has happened to me is only because I engaged in Torah and mitzvot; so I do not want it to ever depart from my seed.’ Rabbi Chanina said: He sent him [home] at night, for fear of the [evil] eye, because from the moment that Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah came out unscathed from the fiery furnace they aren't mentioned anymore, and where did they go? Rabbi Eleazar said: They died through the spittle. Rabbi Yosei said: They died through an [evil] eye. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: They changed their place and went to Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak to study Torah, since it is written "Hear now, Yehoshua the high priest, you, and your companions that sit before you [for they are men that are a sign] (Zech. 3:8). Rabbi Chanina said: For this Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah went down to the fiery furnace, that a sign should be done through them.