אֲשֶׁ֛ר עוֹד־בִּקְשָׁ֥ה נַפְשִׁ֖י וְלֹ֣א מָצָ֑אתִי אָדָ֞ם אֶחָ֤ד מֵאֶ֙לֶף֙ מָצָ֔אתִי וְאִשָּׁ֥ה בְכָל־אֵ֖לֶּה לֹ֥א מָצָֽאתִי׃
Lo que aun busca mi alma, y no encuentro: un hombre entre mil he hallado; mas mujer de todas éstas nunca hallé.
Vayikra Rabbah
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When a man among you sacrifices an offering to the Lord, you shall bring your offering from the animals, from the herd or from the flock you shall bring your offering” (Leviticus 1:2).
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When a man among you brings an offering to the Lord” – that is what the verse says: “Is Ephraim a precious [yakir] son to Me?” (Jeremiah 31:20). Ten were called precious [yekarim], and they are: Torah, prophecy, understanding, knowledge, foolishness, wealth, the righteous, the death of the pious, kindness, and Israel. Torah, from where is it derived? As it is stated: “It is more precious [yekara] than pearls” (Proverbs 3:15). Prophecy, from where is it derived? “The word of the Lord was rare [yakar] in those days” (I Samuel 3:1). Understanding, from where is it derived? “A man of understanding is noble of [yekar] spirit” (Proverbs 17:27). Knowledge, from where is it derived? “Lips of knowledge are a precious [yakar] vessel” (Proverbs 20:15). Foolishness, from where is it derived? “A little foolishness outweighs [yakar] wisdom and honor” (Ecclesiastes 10:1). Wealth, from where is it derived? “A diligent man has precious [yakar] wealth” (Proverbs 12:27). The righteous, from where is it derived? “How precious [yakeru] are Your friends to me, God” (Psalms 139:17). The death of the pious, from where is it derived? “Precious [yakar] in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His pious ones” (Psalms 116:15). Kindness, from where is it derived? “How precious is Your kindness, God” (Psalms 36:8). Israel, from where is it derived? “Is Ephraim a precious [yakir] son to Me?” (Jeremiah 31:20). Israel’s standing with Me is precious. The way of the world is that one thousand enter to study Bible, from whom one hundred emerge.1One hundred emerge proficient enough in the Bible to progress to the study of Mishna. One hundred enter to study Mishna, from whom ten emerge. Ten enter to study Talmud, from whom one emerges.2In Kohelet Rabba (8:28) the midrash clarifies that one emerges who is sufficiently knowledgeable to issue halakhic rulings. That is what is written: “One of one thousand I have found” (Ecclesiastes 7:28).3Israel is precious in that at least some of them, one in a thousand, emerge as true Torah scholars. Alternatively, just as among individuals only one in a thousand become outstanding scholars, so too Israel as a whole, on a national level, is unique in its spiritual standing.
Another matter, “one of one thousand I have found,” this is Abraham. “But a woman among all these I did not find” (Ecclesiastes 7:28), this is Sarah.4Although Sarah was exceedingly righteous, her righteousness was not as perfect as that of Abraham. When informed that they would have a child, Abraham believed the prophecy but Sarah did not (see Genesis 18:10–15). Another matter, “one of one thousand I have found,” this is Amram. “But a woman among all these I did not find,” this is Yokheved. Another matter, “one of one thousand I have found,” this is Moses. “But a woman among all these I did not find,” these are the women of the generation of the wilderness. Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] says: The women of the generation of the wilderness were upright. When they heard that they were forbidden to their husbands, they immediately locked their doors.5When Moses introduced the laws of forbidden relations, and the laws of nidda, the men mourned, but the women accepted these laws and refrained from engaging in relations in these circumstances.
The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Israel’s standing with Me is precious.’ Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Yitzḥak, Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Had Pharaoh requested the weight of each and every one of Israel in gems and pearls,6Had Pharoah requested great wealth in return for releasing the Israelites. would I not have given it to him? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Did He not take them for a price? Do hordes upon hordes of lice, hordes upon hordes of beasts not have a price?7God generally maintains the rules of nature and prefers not to bring open miracles, but for the sake of redeeming Israel He performed great miracles. This displays His love for Israel (Etz Yosef). That is, ‘Israel’s standing with Me is precious.’
“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: When a man among you brings an offering to the Lord” – that is what the verse says: “Is Ephraim a precious [yakir] son to Me?” (Jeremiah 31:20). Ten were called precious [yekarim], and they are: Torah, prophecy, understanding, knowledge, foolishness, wealth, the righteous, the death of the pious, kindness, and Israel. Torah, from where is it derived? As it is stated: “It is more precious [yekara] than pearls” (Proverbs 3:15). Prophecy, from where is it derived? “The word of the Lord was rare [yakar] in those days” (I Samuel 3:1). Understanding, from where is it derived? “A man of understanding is noble of [yekar] spirit” (Proverbs 17:27). Knowledge, from where is it derived? “Lips of knowledge are a precious [yakar] vessel” (Proverbs 20:15). Foolishness, from where is it derived? “A little foolishness outweighs [yakar] wisdom and honor” (Ecclesiastes 10:1). Wealth, from where is it derived? “A diligent man has precious [yakar] wealth” (Proverbs 12:27). The righteous, from where is it derived? “How precious [yakeru] are Your friends to me, God” (Psalms 139:17). The death of the pious, from where is it derived? “Precious [yakar] in the eyes of the Lord is the death of His pious ones” (Psalms 116:15). Kindness, from where is it derived? “How precious is Your kindness, God” (Psalms 36:8). Israel, from where is it derived? “Is Ephraim a precious [yakir] son to Me?” (Jeremiah 31:20). Israel’s standing with Me is precious. The way of the world is that one thousand enter to study Bible, from whom one hundred emerge.1One hundred emerge proficient enough in the Bible to progress to the study of Mishna. One hundred enter to study Mishna, from whom ten emerge. Ten enter to study Talmud, from whom one emerges.2In Kohelet Rabba (8:28) the midrash clarifies that one emerges who is sufficiently knowledgeable to issue halakhic rulings. That is what is written: “One of one thousand I have found” (Ecclesiastes 7:28).3Israel is precious in that at least some of them, one in a thousand, emerge as true Torah scholars. Alternatively, just as among individuals only one in a thousand become outstanding scholars, so too Israel as a whole, on a national level, is unique in its spiritual standing.
Another matter, “one of one thousand I have found,” this is Abraham. “But a woman among all these I did not find” (Ecclesiastes 7:28), this is Sarah.4Although Sarah was exceedingly righteous, her righteousness was not as perfect as that of Abraham. When informed that they would have a child, Abraham believed the prophecy but Sarah did not (see Genesis 18:10–15). Another matter, “one of one thousand I have found,” this is Amram. “But a woman among all these I did not find,” this is Yokheved. Another matter, “one of one thousand I have found,” this is Moses. “But a woman among all these I did not find,” these are the women of the generation of the wilderness. Rabbi [Yehuda HaNasi] says: The women of the generation of the wilderness were upright. When they heard that they were forbidden to their husbands, they immediately locked their doors.5When Moses introduced the laws of forbidden relations, and the laws of nidda, the men mourned, but the women accepted these laws and refrained from engaging in relations in these circumstances.
The Holy One blessed be He said: ‘Israel’s standing with Me is precious.’ Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Yitzḥak, Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Had Pharaoh requested the weight of each and every one of Israel in gems and pearls,6Had Pharoah requested great wealth in return for releasing the Israelites. would I not have given it to him? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Did He not take them for a price? Do hordes upon hordes of lice, hordes upon hordes of beasts not have a price?7God generally maintains the rules of nature and prefers not to bring open miracles, but for the sake of redeeming Israel He performed great miracles. This displays His love for Israel (Etz Yosef). That is, ‘Israel’s standing with Me is precious.’
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
(Fol. 45) The daughters of R. Nachman would stir a hot pot with their naked hands. R. Illis thereupon raised a question of the following passage (Ecc. 7, 28) One man among a thousand did I fiind; but a woman among a thousand, this did I not find. Behold, there are the daughters of R. Nachman [who are so pious that they can even stir a hot pot with their hands and not be burned.] It happened once that the daughters of R. Nachman were captured [by Arabians], among whom R. Illis was also a captive. One day a man who understood the signs of the raven's language was sitting near him. Later a raven came and began chirping. "What does that chirping mean?" asked R. Illis, The man answer that she means, "Illis escape, Illis escape." "A raven may tell a false thing, and I do not want to rely upon it," remarked R. Illis. In the meantime a dove came and began to chirp. Illis again asked the man what she was chirping, and the man answered him: "She said, 'Illis escape, Illis escape.'" "The congregation of Israel is likened unto a dove," remarked R. Illis. It is therefrom understood that a miracle will happen to me and I shall obey her words." "Before going," remarked R. Illis, "I want to see what the daughters of R. Nachman are doing, whether they are still as pious as they were before." He went and overheard a secret conversation: "In Nahardais are our Jewish husbands, and these Arabians are also our husbands. What does it matter to us, let us ask our captors to send us further away from here so that no one should come and redeem us." Illis then ran away together with the man who understood the bird's language. To Illis, however, a miracle happened, that he crossed the river with the ferry, but the man was caught and executed. When R. Nachman's daughters came back from their captivity Illis remarked that they were stirring the pot with their naked hands by magic and not because they were so pious. [Hence the above mentioned words of Solomon are correct.]
Bereshit Rabbah
“I will obliterate [emḥe]” – I impose My will [mamḥe] upon My creations, but My creations do not impose their will [mamḥim] upon Me.
Rabbi Elazar said: This is analogous to a king who had storehouses of inferior grain. The residents of the province began slandering the king, saying that he had a bad disposition.7They said he was stingy, because he never opened the storehouses, which they assumed were full of good produce. What did the king do? He opened for them the best of them, and they filled the entire province with rotten produce. They [the residents] began gathering it up and discarding it into the river. So too, if these, the most notable among them, did so, the iniquitous among them all the more so.8If the generation of the Flood, which was composed of the best of all the possible men that God considered creating, were so corrupted, it was all the more so the case that the generations that were not created would have been corrupted.
“One man out of one thousand [elef] I have found” (Ecclesiastes 7:28) – this is like what we learned: The primary source [alfa] for wine.9This is from Menaḥot 86b, and the verse thus means: I have found one superior man, i.e., Noah.
“I will obliterate man whom I have created”10The implication is that there were also men whom God did not create, though He had intended to. – it was God’s original thought to create one thousand generations. How many of them were obliterated?11How many were not actually created? Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: Nine hundred and seventy-four generations. What is his source? “He commanded the word for one thousand generations” (Psalms 105:8) – this is the Torah.12There were twenty-six generations from the creation of the world until the Torah was given, but it was originally intended to be given to the thousandth generation. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Nine hundred and eighty. What is his source? “He commanded the word for one thousand generations, [the covenant that He sealed with Abraham]” (Psalms 105:8–9) – this is circumcision.13Which was commanded to Abraham, who was the twentieth generation from Adam.
Rabbi Elazar said: This is analogous to a king who had storehouses of inferior grain. The residents of the province began slandering the king, saying that he had a bad disposition.7They said he was stingy, because he never opened the storehouses, which they assumed were full of good produce. What did the king do? He opened for them the best of them, and they filled the entire province with rotten produce. They [the residents] began gathering it up and discarding it into the river. So too, if these, the most notable among them, did so, the iniquitous among them all the more so.8If the generation of the Flood, which was composed of the best of all the possible men that God considered creating, were so corrupted, it was all the more so the case that the generations that were not created would have been corrupted.
“One man out of one thousand [elef] I have found” (Ecclesiastes 7:28) – this is like what we learned: The primary source [alfa] for wine.9This is from Menaḥot 86b, and the verse thus means: I have found one superior man, i.e., Noah.
“I will obliterate man whom I have created”10The implication is that there were also men whom God did not create, though He had intended to. – it was God’s original thought to create one thousand generations. How many of them were obliterated?11How many were not actually created? Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: Nine hundred and seventy-four generations. What is his source? “He commanded the word for one thousand generations” (Psalms 105:8) – this is the Torah.12There were twenty-six generations from the creation of the world until the Torah was given, but it was originally intended to be given to the thousandth generation. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Nine hundred and eighty. What is his source? “He commanded the word for one thousand generations, [the covenant that He sealed with Abraham]” (Psalms 105:8–9) – this is circumcision.13Which was commanded to Abraham, who was the twentieth generation from Adam.