Midrash sobre Génesis 14:13

(Ibid.) "If you buy (lit.,) a servant Hebrew": Is Scripture speaking of a servant who is a Hebrew, or the servant of a Hebrew? And how am I to understand (Leviticus 25:46) "And you shall hold them as an inheritance for your sons after you, etc."? As referring to (a gentile servant) bought from a gentile; but if he were bought from a Jew, (I would say that) he serves six years and goes free on the seventh. It is, therefore, written (Devarim 15:12) "If there be sold to you (by beth-din for his theft) your brother, the Hebrew man or the Hebrew woman, etc." Let it not be written "Hebrew man" or "Hebrew woman," for it is already written "your brother." Why is it written? It is deliberately superfluous to signal a gezeirah shavah (i.e., "identity"), viz.: It is written here (in Exodus) "Hebrew," and there (in Devarim) "Hebrew." Just as there, "Hebrew" refers to the servant (and not to the master); here, too, "Hebrew" refers to the servant (and not to the master). And though there is no proof for this (i.e., that "servant Hebrew" is to be understood as "a servant who is a Hebrew" (and not as "the servant of a Hebrew"), there is support for it, viz. (Exodus 5:3) "The G d of the Hebrews revealed Himself to us" — (the G d) of "Avram the Hebrew" (Genesis 14:13).

(Exodus 12:6) "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Why does the taking of the Pesach precede its slaughtering by four days? R. Matia b. Charash says: It is written (Ezekiel 16:8) "And I passed by you and I saw you, and behold, your time was the time for love": There had arrived the (time for the fulfillment of the) oath that the Holy One Blessed be He had sworn to our father Abraham to redeem his children. But they had no mitzvoth to engage in, which would enable their redemption, viz. (Ibid. 7) "Your breasts were firm" (an allusion to Moses and Aaron), "and your hair had sprouted" (an allusion to the elders), but you were naked and bare" (of mitzvoth). And the Holy One Blessed be He gave them two mitzvoth — the blood of the Paschal lamb and the blood of circumcision to engage in for their redemption. Thus (Ibid. 6) "And I passed by you and I saw you steeped in your blood." And it is written (Zechariah 9:11) "You, too — By the blood of your covenant I have sent forth your bound ones from the waterless pit." Therefore, the Holy One Blessed be He commanded the taking of the Pesach four days before its slaughtering, for reward is given only for the act. R. Eliezer Hakappar Berebbi says: Did Israel not have four mitzvoth surpassing the worth of all the world? — not being suspect of illicit relations or of slander, not changing their names and not changing their language? Whence is it derived that they were not suspect of illicit relations? From (Leviticus 10:10) "And there went out the son of an Israelite woman, the son of an Egyptian man," the verse apprising us of Israel’s eminence, this being the only instance of its kind, wherefore Scripture singles it out. And it is said of them in the tradition (Song of Songs 4:12) "A locked garden is my sister, my bride, a fountain locked.": "a locked garden" — the women: "a fountain locked" — the men. R. Nathan says: "a locked garden" — the married women; "a fountain locked, a sealed up spring" — the betrothed women. Variantly: "a locked garden, a fountain locked" — an allusion to the two types of cohabitation. And whence is it derived that they were not suspect of slander and that they loved each other? From (Exodus 3:22) "And a woman shall ask of her neighbor, etc." Twelve months had already passed, and we do not find an instance of one informing against another. And whence is it derived that they did not change their names? Just as they were called in their descent (to Egypt) — Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehudah (viz. Ibid. 1:2) — so, they were called upon their ascent (viz. Numbers 1:18). And it is written (Genesis 48:16) "The angel who redeems me … and let there be called in them my name and the name of my fathers, etc." And whence is it derived that they did not change their language? From (Ibid. 45:12) "… for the mouth that speaks to you" (speaks in the holy tongue), and (Exodus 5:3) "The G d of the Hebrews revealed Himself to us, etc." and (Genesis 14:13) "And the survivor came and he told Avram the Hebrew, etc." And why did the taking of the Pesach precede its slaughtering by four days? Because Israel was stepped in idolatry in Egypt, which countervails all of the mitzvoth, as it is written (Numbers 15:24) "And if from the eyes of the congregation it (idolatry) were done unwittingly, etc." Scripture singled out this (idolatry, as tantamount to transgression of all of the mitzvoth [viz. Ibid. 22]). He said to them (viz. Exodus 12:21) "Withdraw" from idolatry (The sheep was the idolatry of Egypt), and cleave to mitzvoth. R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: It is written (Exodus 6:9) "And they would not hearken to Moses (as to G d's delivering them), for shortness of spirit, etc." Now is there anyone who is given glad tidings and does not rejoice? (viz. Jeremiah 20:14) "A son has been born to you — Rejoice him!" His Master is freeing him from bondage and he does not rejoice? What, then, is the intent of "And they would not hearken to Moses, etc."? It was difficult for them to abandon their idolatry, viz. (Ezekiel 20:7) "And I said to them (in Egypt): Let every man cast away the detestations of his eyes and not defile himself with the idols of Egypt." This is the intent of (Exodus 6:13) "And the L rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and He charged them to the children of Israel. He charged them to abandon idolatry. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": What is the intent of this? It is written (Ibid. 12:21) "Draw forth and take for yourselves sheep, etc." Israel said to Moses (Ibid. 8:22) "Will we slaughter the abomination of Egypt before their eyes and they (the Egyptians) not kill us?" He said to them: From the miracle that He will perform for you in your drawing them forth (i.e., their not protesting), you can rest assured (that no ill will befall you) in slaughtering them. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Keep it until the fourteenth (of Nissan) and slaughter it on the fourteenth. You say this, but perhaps (the meaning is) keep it and slaughter it until the fourteenth? It is, therefore, written (Numbers 9:5) "And they offered the Pesach in the first (month [Nissan]) on the fourteenth day of the month." Scripture specified it (the fourteenth day) as mandatory. It is not the second assumption, then, that is to be accepted, but the first. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Scripture hereby apprises us that it was inspected (for possible blemishes) for (a period of) four days before being slaughtered. From here you learn (the same for) the tamid (the daily offering), viz. "keeping" is stated here, and "keeping" is stated in respect to the tamid. Just as the Pesach is observed four days before slaughtering, so, the tamid. From here they ruled: There are not to be fewer than six inspected lambs in the "chamber of lambs" (in the Temple), enough to suffice for a Sabbath accompanied by two festival days of Rosh Hashanah; and they are constantly replenished (as needed).

“A locked garden is my sister, my bride; a locked fountainhead, a sealed spring. Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates, with delicious fruit, henna with nard” (Song of Songs 4:12–13).
“A locked garden is my sister, my bride” – Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: [This is analogous] to a king who had two daughters, one older and one younger, and he did not devote attention to arranging their marriages. The king left them for many years and went overseas. The girls arose and asserted themselves and married themselves to men. Each of them would take her husband’s seal and his signet. Years later, the king returned from overseas and he heard the voices of the people slandering his daughters and saying that the king’s daughters had engaged in licentiousness. What did he do? He issued a proclamation and said: The entire people shall go out to the assembly hall. He came and sat in the vestibule. He said to them: ‘My daughters, is this what you have done; have you tainted yourselves?’ Immediately, each of them produced her husband’s seal and his signet. He called his son-in-law and said to him: ‘To whom are you a bridegroom?’ He said to him: ‘I am your first son-in-law, [married] to your older daughter.’ He said to him: ‘What is this?’ He said to him: ‘This is my seal and this is my signet,’ and likewise [occurred with] the second [son-in-law].
At that moment, the king said: My daughters are sheltered from immorality and you slander and demean them? By your lives, I will administer justice against you. So it is with the nations, because they would taunt Israel and say: “Egypt enslaved the children of Israel [with harshness]” (Exodus 1:13); if they compelled them to perform labor, all the more so [they must have dominated] their bodies and their wives. At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said: My sister, My bride, a locked garden. What is a locked garden? The Holy One blessed be He said: My garden is locked and it is being condemned?¹³³This is a metaphor meaning: The women of Israel have not had relations with anyone other than their husbands, and yet they are being maligned? Rabbi Pinḥas said: At that moment the Holy One blessed be He called the angel appointed over pregnancy and said: Go and shape [the children] with all the features of their fathers. Who did the fathers themselves resemble? The paterfamilias of the families. That is what is written regarding Reuben: “The families of the Reubenites [haReuveni]” (Numbers 26:7). Rabbi Hoshaya said: Reuben, Reubenite [haReuveni], Simeon, Simeonite [haShimoni].¹³⁴See Numbers 26:14. The members of the tribes are referred to in this way in order to imply that they looked like Reuben and Simeon. This was proof that they were actually the descendants of their fathers. Rabbi Marinos ben Rabbi Hoshaya said: Like you say: Baronite, Savronite, Sivoyite.¹³⁵These were names common at the time of the writing of the midrash. Just as Baronite means a member of the Baron family, the same is true of Reubenite. Alternatively, Rabbi Marinos is disputing Rabbi Hoshaya’s point and saying that just as members of any family can be referred to in this manner, the term Reubenite does not mean anything special (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Huna in the name of Rabbi Idi: Heh at the beginning of the word and yod at the end; God [yod-heh] attests for them that they were indeed the sons of their fathers.
Rabbi Pinḥas said: “A locked garden” – these are the virgins. “A locked fountainhead” – these are the non-virgins.¹³⁶Although there is an opening – gal means door in Aramaic – it remains locked before men other than her husband. “A sealed spring” – these are the males.¹³⁷They did not engage in illicit sexual activity. It was taught in the name of Rabbi Natan: “A locked garden, a locked fountainhead” – why was it [written] twice? Rather, it connotes two acts of intercourse for the woman; one in the typical manner and one in the atypical manner.¹³⁸Vaginal intercourse and anal intercourse.
Rabbi Huna said in the name of bar Kappara: By virtue of four matters, Israel was redeemed from Egypt: That they did not change their name, they did not change their language, they did not speak slander, and not one of them was steeped in licentiousness. They did not change their name: Reuben and Simeon descended [to Egypt]; Reuben and Simeon ascended. They did not call Reuben Rufus, they did not call Simeon Luleyani, Joseph, Listis, or Benjamin, Alexandra.
They did not change their language. There, it is written: “The survivor came and told Abram the Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13), and here it is written: “The God of the Hebrews has called upon us” (Exodus 5:3), and it is written: “That it is my mouth speaking to you” (Genesis 45:12), in the sacred tongue.
They did not speak slander, as it is stated: “Speak now in the ears of the people, and let them ask each man from his neighbor” (Exodus 11:2). You find that this matter had been entrusted to them for twelve months, and not one of them was found to have informed on his counterpart.¹³⁹The Israelites knew twelve months before the Exodus that they would ask to borrow goods from the Egyptians and that they would then leave Egypt never to return. Nonetheless, none of them told the Egyptians about this plan.
Not one of them was steeped in licentiousness, as it is stated: “The son of an Israelite woman, [whose father was an Egyptian.…] the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed” (Leviticus 24:10–11), to apprise in praise of Israel that not one of them was found except for this one, and the verse publicized her.¹⁴⁰The verse specifies that this woman had conceived from an Egyptian man in order to emphasize that she was the exception; no other Israelite women had intercourse with Egyptian men.
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Sarah descended to Egypt¹⁴¹See Genesis 12:10–20. and sheltered herself from licentiousness, and all the [Israelite] women were sheltered by her merit. Joseph descended to Egypt and sheltered himself from licentiousness, and all the males were sheltered by his merit.
Rabbi Pinḥas in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya: The sheltering from licentiousness was itself sufficient that by its merit Israel would have been redeemed from Egypt. What is the reason? “A locked garden is my sister, my bride.” What is written thereafter? “Your branches [shelaḥayikh]¹⁴²They merited to be sent [lehishalaḥ] from Egypt. are an orchard of pomegranates.”
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: [This is analogous] to one to whom an inheritance fell at the site of a garbage dump. The heir was indolent and he sold it at a minimal price. The purchaser went and industriously excavated there and found a treasure. He built a large palace. The purchaser began walking in the marketplace with servants following him [all due] to the treasure that he had purchased there. The seller saw and was sorrowful, saying: Woe is me over what I lost. So too, when Israel was in Egypt, they were enslaved in mortar and bricks and they were contemptible in the eyes of the Egyptians. When they saw their flags encamped at the sea in the array of a royal army, the Egyptians became sorrowful, saying: Woe are we, what did we send from our land? This is as it is stated: “It was [vayhi] when Pharaoh sent (Exodus 13:17).¹⁴³Pharaoh shouted woe [vay] is me.
Rabbi Yonatan said: [This is analogous] to one who had a field capable of producing a kor, and he went and sold it at a minimal price. The purchaser went and excavated springs and planted gardens and orchards there. The seller saw and was sorrowful, saying: Woe is me over what I lost. So too, when Israel was in Egypt, they were enslaved in mortar and bricks and they were contemptible in the eyes of the Egyptians. When they saw their flags encamped at the sea in the array of a royal army, the Egyptians became sorrowful, saying: Woe are we, what did we send from our land? This is as it is stated: “It was [vayhi] when Pharaoh sent” (Exodus 13:17).
Rabbi Yosei said: [This is analogous] to one who had chopped-down cedars, and he sold it at a minimal price. The purchaser went and crafted from them trunks, closets, chests, and wagons. The seller saw and was sorrowful, saying: Woe is me over what I lost. So too, when Israel was in Egypt, they were enslaved in mortar and bricks and they were contemptible in the eyes of the Egyptians. When they saw their flags encamped at the sea in the array of a royal army, the Egyptians became sorrowful, saying: Woe are we, what did we send from our land? This is as it is stated: “It was [vayhi] when Pharaoh sent” (Exodus 13:17).