Midrash for I Chronicles 1:27

“It was during the days of Aḥashverosh; that [hu] Aḥashverosh who reigned from India to Kush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces” (Esther 1:1). Hu [appears] five [times] for evil, and five for good. Five for evil: “He [hu] was a mighty hunter”⁴Nimrod. (Genesis 10:9); “he is [hu] Esau, father of Edom” (Genesis 36:43); “this is [hu] Datan and Aviram” (Numbers 26:9); “he is [hu] King Aḥaz” (II Chronicles 28:22); “that [hu] Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1). Five for good: “Abram, he is [hu] Abraham” (I Chronicles 1:27); “that [hu] Aaron and Moses…that [hu] Moses and Aaron” (Exodus 6:26–27); “David was [hu] the youngest” (I Samuel 17:14); “he [hu], Yeḥizhiyahu” (II Chronicles 32:30); “he [hu], Ezra, came up from Babylon” (Ezra 7:6). Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of the Rabbis from there: We have one that is better than all of them: “He is [hu] the Lord our God; His judgments are throughout the land” (Psalms 105:7), whose attribute of mercy is forever.

The same Ahasuerus; i.e., he was the same in his wickedness from beginning to end. (Gen. 36, 43) This is Esau; i.e., the same in wickedness from beginning to end; (II Chr. 28, 22) He, King Ahaz; i.e., the same in wickedness always; and so is meant (Num. 26, 9) These are that Dathan and Abriam. And so it is also with the righteous (I Chr. 1, 27) Abram — the same is Abraham; i.e., Abraham was the same in righteousness from the beginning to the end; (Ex. 6, 26) These are that Aaron and Moses; i.e., they were the same in righteousness from beginning to end; (I Sam. 17, 14) And David was the youngest, that means he conducted himself from beginning to end, as in his youth; as in his youth he humbled himself before one greater than he in order to learn the Torah, so also when he was a king he was modest before a man superior to him in wisdom and tried to learn the Torah from him.

Abram, the same is Abraham. (I Chr. 1, 27.) i.e., at first he was the father (progenitor) of Aram but later he became the father (progenitor) of the entire world. And Sarai, the same is Sarah (lb.), i,e., at first she was a princess of her own nation but later she became a princess of the entire world. Bar Kappara recited: "Whoever calls him Abram instead of Abraham transgresses a positive commandment, for it is said (Gen. 17, 5.) But thy name shall be Abraham." R. Eliezer said: "He transgresses the prohibitory law which says: (Ib. ib. ib.) Neither shall thy name any more be called Abraham." But according to this, if one calls Sarai instead of Sarah, would you also say [that he transgresses the positive law]? Nay: In this case the Holy One, praise be He! said to Abraham only: As for Sarai thy wife, thou shall not call her name Sarai. but Sarah shall her name be. But according to this, if one calls Jacob "Jacob" instead of Israel, should we also say [that he transgresses the positive law]? Nay: The latter is different because the Scripture itself repeats his name later as Jacob, for it is written (Ib. 46, 2.) And God said to Israel in the vision of the night saying "Jacob, Jacob." R. Jose b. Abin and according to others R. Jose b. Zebida raised the following contradiction: Thou art indeed the Lord the (true) God, who didst choose Abram (Neh. 9, 7). [Hence he calls; him Abram]? There the prophet renewed the praises of the Lord by referring to the past [when Abraham's name was still Abram].

(Devarim 1:3) "And it was, in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first of the month, that Moses spoke to the children of Israel": What does this ("in the eleventh month") come to teach us? If that a year has eleven months, is it not written (Esther 3:13) "on the thirteenth day of the twelfth month, the month of Adar"? And thus is it written (I Kings 4:7) "And Solomon had twelve commissioners over all of Israel … (Ibid. 19) and one commissioner over the land." For which month? The intercalated month, whereby we are taught that the year (itself) is twelve months. R. B'na'ah says: Now before Solomon did we not know that the year was twelve months? Is it not written (I Chronicles 1:27) "… month by month throughout all the months of the year … the twelfth (marshal), for the twelfth month, etc." — But it ("the eleventh month") comes to teach us that in thirty-six days (from the first of Shvat ["the eleventh month"] to the sixth of Adar) Moses explained the entire Torah, as it is written (Devarim 34:8) "And they mourned Moses thirty days" and (Joshua 1:11) "for in three more days you will be crossing this Jordan," and (Ibid. 4:19) "And the people ascended from the Jordan on the tenth of the first month (Nissan)." Subtract thirty-three days retroactively and it is found that Moses died on the seventh of Adar. (And whence is it derived that Moses was born on the seventh of Adar? From (Devarim 31:2) "And he said to them: I am one hundred and twenty years old this day." Let "this day" not be written. Why is it written? (To signify) this day (the full circuit of) my years and days have been completed — whence it is derived that the Holy One Blessed be He "sits" and fills out the years of the righteous from day to day and from month to month and from hour to hour, as it is written (Shemoth 23:26) (If you are righteous) "the number of your days shall I complete." — whence it is derived that in thirty-six days Moses explained the entire Torah.

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana began: “Tremble [rigzu] and do not sin…” (Psalms 4:5). David said before the Holy One, blessed be He: ‘How long will they be provoking [mitragzim] me, and saying: Does he not have flawed lineage? Does he not descend from Ruth the Moavite?’ ‘“…Say in your heart, on your bed…” (Psalms 4:5) – you also, do you not descend from two sisters?²⁵⁸You also have lineage that could be considered questionable, as Jacob married two sisters, Leah and Rachel. This would later be prohibited by the Torah. This is stated by David as a response to the elders of Judah, who had been taunting him due to his lineage. You, see what are your roots! “…and be silent, Sela” (Psalms 4:5). Tamar, too, whom Judah your grandfather took as a wife, is that not flawed lineage?²⁵⁹Judah married Tamar, who had previously been his daughter-in-law. This relationship too would later be prohibited by the Torah. And she was the daughter of Shem ben Noah.²⁶⁰The Sages identify him with Malkitzedek king of Shalem, who was a priest, and the Torah severely punishes the daughter of a priest who engages in licentiousness. Consequently, the lineage of her children Peretz and Zeraḥ were compromised by her act of having relations with Judah. What, do you have pedigree?’
Rabbi Yaakov bar Aviya said: Confront [argiz] your evil inclination and you will not sin. The Rabbis said: Anger your evil inclination and you will not sin.
“These are the generations of Peretz: Peretz begot Ḥetzron” (Ruth 4:18).
“These [eleh] are the generations of Peretz.” Rabbi Abba said: Anywhere that eleh is stated, it rejects what preceded it; ve’eleh, it adds to what preceded it. Bereshit Rabba 12 until “informed him that Ishmael repented,” end of quote>.
“Ḥetzron begot Ram and Ram begot Aminadav” (Ruth 4:19).
“Ḥetzron begot Ram.” But wasn’t Yeraḥme’el a previous son, [as it is stated:] “the sons of Ḥetzron who were born to him: Yeraḥme’el, Ram, and Keluvi” (I Chronicles 2:9)? Rather, he married a Canaanite woman in order to exalt himself [lehitater] through her, as it is written: “Yeraḥme’el had another wife, and her name was Atara” (I Chronicles 2:26).²⁶¹Since Yeraḥme’el married a Canaanite woman, the line of kingship did not come through him.
“Aminadav begot Naḥshon and Naḥshon begot Salma. Salmon begot Boaz and Boaz begot Oved” (Ruth 4:20–21).
“Ram begot Aminadav…and [Naḥshon begot…] Salmon.” To this point, they were the ladder for the princes;²⁶²Of the tribes. from this point on they were ladders to kings.²⁶³The name Salma, or Salmon, is similar to sulam, ladder. It appears in two different forms in these verses to allude to the change in status of the family: To this point, its members were tribal princes; from Boaz, Salmon’s son, the family was moving toward establishing the Israelite monarchy (Midrash HaMevoar). Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “Then [az] I said, behold, I have entered” (Psalms 40:8). I should have sung a song when I came.²⁶⁴When I was accepted into the congregation. Az means nothing other than song, as it is stated: “Then [az] Moses sang” (Exodus 15:1). I was included in “shall not enter,” and [yet] I entered.²⁶⁵David is cited as saying that he was assumed to be included within the prohibition against a Moavite convert entering the congregation, as he was a descendant of Ruth, but he was able to enter the congregation because of the acceptance of the halakha that this prohibition applies only to male converts.
“Oved begot Yishai and Yishai begot David” (Ruth 4:22).
“In the scroll of a book it is written about me” (Psalms 40:8). “In the scroll” – “whom You commanded that they should not enter into Your congregation” (Lamentations 1:10). “Of a book” – “An Ammonite and a Moavite shall not enter [into the assembly of the Lord]” (Deuteronomy 23:4). Not only did I enter, but in a scroll and a book it is written about me. In the scroll: Peretz, Ḥetzron, Ram, Aminadav, Naḥshon, Oved, Yishai, David.²⁶⁶The reference is to the verses in Ruth 4:18–22. In a book – “the Lord said: Arise, anoint him; for this is he” (I Samuel 16:12). Rabbi Huna says: It is written: “The Lord has provided me another [aḥer] offspring” (Genesis 4:25), an offspring that comes from another [aḥer] place, and who is this? It is the messianic king.²⁶⁷The messianic king is a descendant of David, and thus David is alluded to in the Torah itself.
Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Simon [said]: This is analogous to a king who would pass from place to place and a pearl fell from [the crown] on his head. The king and his entire entourage stopped there, and passersby would say: ‘What is the nature [of the stay] of the king and his entourage here?’ They saw and said: ‘A pearl fell from upon his head.’ What did he do? He piled up the dirt, and brought sifters, and sifted one pile but did not find it; the second, but did not find it; and the third, and he found it. They said: ‘The king found his pearl.’ So too, the Holy One blessed be He said to Abraham: “Go for yourself [lekha]” (Genesis 12:1) – It was you [lekha] that I was anticipating. What need was there to delineate the lineage: “Shem, Arpakhshad, Shelaḥ, Ever, Peleg… Naḥor, Teraḥ” (I Chronicles 1:24–26)? It was only for you. “Abram is [hu] Abraham” (I Chronicles 1:27)²⁶⁸It was he [hu] that God was anticipating, and for whom all the previous generations were listed. – “and You found his heart faithful before You” (Nehemiah 9:8). So too, the Holy One blessed be He said to David: ‘What need was there for Me to delineate the lineage: Peretz, Ḥetzron, Ram, Aminadav, Naḥshon, Oved, Yishai? Was it not for you?’ – “I have found David My servant” (Psalms 89:21).