Midrash sobre Isaías 3:16

(Numb. 5:12),¹Neither the Buber nor the traditional Tanhuma have a parashah, the beginning of which coincides with the beginning of Naso (Numb. 4:21-7:89) from the annual cycle. Such a parashah is also missing in other sources for the so-called “triennial cycle.” See B.Z. Wacholder, “prolegomenon,” in The Bible as Read and Preached in the Old Synagogue, by Jacob Mann (“Library of Biblical Studies”; New York: Ktav, 1971), p. LX. “If anyone has his wife go astray.” Let our master instruct us: When someone wanted to accuse his wife (of infidelity), how did he accuse her? Thus have our masters taught (in Sot. 1:4-5; 2:2-3.):²The Mishnah quotation has several variants from the standard text. See also TSot. 1:3-4. One accusing his wife brought her to the great court which was in Jerusalem, and they would alarm her in the way that they would alarm witnesses in capital cases.³See Sanh. 4:5. Then afterwards they would bring her up to the eastern gate, to the Gate of Nicanor, where they would purify birthing mothers and lepers and give drink to suspected adulteresses. A priest would bring an earthenware bowl⁴Gk.: phiale; Lat.: fiala. and put a half log of water into it from the basin. He would enter the Temple and turn to his right. Now a place was there one cubit square with a marble flagstone⁵Gk.: tabla (“tablet”); Lat.: tabula. and a ring fixed in it. He would raise it, take dust from underneath, and put it upon the water, as stated (in Numb. 5:17), “and some of the dust which is in the floor of the Tabernacle, [the priest shall put it into the water].” Then he would write the scroll (in the wording of Numb. 5:19), “If no one has slept with you […].” From here our masters have taught, “When one opens capital cases, one begins with [the case for] acquittal.” Then he writes further (in vs. 20), “And if you have gone astray […].” What is written after it (in vs. 21)? “May the Lord make you a curse […].” And so Solomon has said (in I Kings 8:31–32 // II Chron. 6:22–23), “Whenever one sins against his neighbor, and he gives him an oath for him to swear, then when he comes for the oath before Your altar in this house; You will hearken in heaven, take action, and judge Your servant, in order to condemn the wicked so as to set his conduct upon his own head and justify the righteous so as to render to him according to his righteousness.” (Numb. 5:28:) “But if the woman has not defiled herself [and is pure, she shall be guiltless and shall conceive seed].” If she was defiled, (according to Sot. 3:4; 5:1) she would not have finished drinking before her face turns green, her eyes protrude, and she is full of [swollen] veins. Then the priest says, “Take her out, take her out,” so that she does not defile the Temple court. Just as the water tests the woman, so does the water test the man, since it is stated [twice] (in Numb. 5:22 & 24), “And it (i.e., the water that causes the curse] shall go.” Just as she is forbidden to her husband, so is she forbidden to the lover, since it is stated [twice] (in Numb. 5:13 & 14), “she has defiled herself.”⁶The Gemara (Sot. 28a) explains these double usages more fully. Cf. also ibid., 26b. If, however, she drinks [the potion] and is found pure; then if she was barren, she is [now] visited (i.e., given conception).⁷Sot. 26a. If she used [to] give birth in pain, she [now] gives birth with tranquility; if she used [to] bear ugly [children], she [now] bears beautiful ones; [instead of] dark [children], she bears fair ones; [instead of] short [children], she bears tall ones; [instead of] females, she bears males. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 5:28), “But if the woman has not defiled herself [and is pure, she shall be guiltless and shall conceive seed].” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Write a section on the adulteress so that she may know which name the priest blots out for her⁸On the scroll of Numb. 5:23, where the priest put down the curses in writing and then rubbed them off into the bitter water. See also Sot. 2:4. and how it will be made public.”⁹Gk.: parresiazesthai. How is this shown? From what they have read on the matter (in Numb. 5:12), “If anyone has his wife go astray.” If she has merit, it suspends [the effect of the bitter water] a year or two or three.¹⁰The whole section comes from the Mishnah, but again there are several variants from the standard text. R. Simeon says, “Merit does not [suspend the effect of] the [bitter] water; for if you say so, you will be found postponing [the effect] for all women who drink it and spreading slander about undefiled women who have drunk it. [This slander] says, ‘They were [really] defiled, but the merit has suspended [the effect of the water] for them.’” R. Meir says,¹¹The traditional Mishnah text reads “Rabbi says.” “Really, the merit suspends the [effect of] the bitter water. If she was defiled, however, she will never again bear [children] and prosper but degenerate more and more, and in the end she will die of the same death, as stated (in Prov. 6:16), ‘Six things the Lord hates, and seven are an abomination for His soul.’” R. Jose the Galilean says,¹²Numb. R. 9:11. “[These] seven things were said about the adulteress. (Prov. 6:17:) ‘Haughty eyes,’ in that the adulterous woman raises her eyes to another man; and so it says (in Is. 3:16), ‘Because the daughters of Zion are haughty, and walk with extended neck and roving (mesakarot) eyes.’ That is an expression of untruth (sheker), in that she commits adultery with another man and becomes pregnant from him, and then lies and says to her husband, ‘I am pregnant from you.’ (Prov. 6:17, cont.:) ‘Hands that shed innocent blood,’ in that the adulterer goes in on condition that, if he is caught, he will kill or be killed. (Prov. 6:18:) ‘A heart devising wicked thoughts,’ in that the adulterer and the adulteress have thoroughly wicked thoughts all the time, when they sin in telling each other in which place and at what time. (Prov. 6:18, cont.:) ‘Feet quick (memaharot) to run to evil,’ in that they certainly are hastening (memaharim) to commit the sin. (Prov. 6:19:) ‘A false witness that spreads a lie,’ in that, if they are caught, they speak falsely and lie, when they swear and say, ‘We were talking about other things.’ (Prov. 6:19, cont.:) ‘And one that instigates a quarrel among brothers,’ in that all Israel are brothers, as it stated (in Ps. 122:8), ‘For the sake of my brothers and friends’; and in the case of one who commits adultery with his friend's wife, when her husband hears of it, he hates him. Moreover, this adulterer cannot look at [the husband]. Ergo, ‘and one that instigates a quarrel among brothers.’” Ergo, [there are] seven injurious things which the adulteress does.

Why was the first Temple destroyed? Because there were three [evil] conditions: Idolatry, adultery and bloodshed. Idolatry, as it is written (Is. 28, 20) For the bed shall be too short for a man to stretch himself out on it; and the covering too narrow to wrap himself in. What is meant by The bed shall be too short to stretch himself out on it? R. Samuel b. Nachmeini, in the name of R. Jonathan, said: "This couch is too narrow for two lovers [God and the idol] to stretch themselves on." And the covering too narrow to wrap himself in, R. Samuel said in the name of R. Jonathan When R. Jochanan came to this verse, he would cry, saying: "The One, concerning whom it is written (Ps. 33, 7) He gathereth together like heaps the waters of the sea, yet should have too little space [because of an idol]!" [The Temple was destroyed because of] adultery, as it is written (Is. 3, 16) For as much as the daughters of Zion are fraudulent and walk with stretched forth necks casting about their eyes, walking and mincing as they go, and making a tinkling with their feet, etc. [The Temple was destroyed because of] bloodshed, as it is written (II Kings 21, 16) Moreover Menasseh shed very much innocent blood, till he had filled Jerusalem from one end to another, etc. "Although they are all wicked, yet because they put their trust in the Holy One, praised be He!" refers to the people of the first Temple, as it is written (Mican 3, 11) Her chiefs judge for bribes, her priests teach for reward, and her prophets divine for money, and yet they will lean upon the Lord, and say. Is not the Lord among us? Evil cannot come over us. For this, the Holy One, praised be He! brought on them three retributions, for the three sins of which they are guilty, as it is said (Ib. ib., 14) Therefore for your sake shall Zion be ploughed up as a field, and Jerusalem shall become ruinous heaps, and the mount of the house, forest-covered high places.

“Let all their wickedness come before You, and do to them as You did to me for all my transgressions, for my sighs are many and my heart is suffering” (Lamentations 1:22).
“Let all their wickedness come before You, and do to them,” bring upon them what You brought upon me. Be exacting with them as You were exacting with me. “And do [veolel] to them,” pluck their infants [olelateihon] as You plucked my infants.
“For my sighs are many and my heart is suffering.” You find that in the matter that Israel sinned, with that they were punished, and with that they were comforted. They sinned with rosh, they were punished with rosh, and they were comforted with rosh. They sinned with rosh, as it is written: “Let us appoint a leader [rosh] and return to Egypt” (Numbers 14:4). They were punished with rosh, as it is written: “Every head [rosh] is ill” (Isaiah 1:5). And they are comforted with rosh, as it is written: “Their king passed before them, and the Lord is at their head [berosham]” (Micah 2:13).
They sinned with the ear, as it is written: “They made their ears hard of hearing” (Zechariah 7:11). They were punished with the ear, as it is written: “That anyone who hears it, both his ears will ring” (I Samuel 3:11). They are comforted with the ear, as it is written: “Your ears will hear a matter from behind you, saying: [This is the way, walk in it, when you go right and when you go left]” (Isaiah 30:21).
They sinned with the eye, as it is written: “Because the daughters of Zion are haughty and they walk with outstretched necks and painted eyes” (Isaiah 3:16). They were punished with the eye, as it is written: “My eye, my eye sheds water” (Lamentations 1:16). They are comforted with the eye, as it is written: “For with their own eyes they will see the return of the Lord to Zion” (Isaiah 52:8).
They sinned with af, as it is written: “Behold, they extend the branch to their nose [af]” (Ezekiel 8:17). They were punished with af, as it is written: “I, too [af], will walk with them indifferently” (Leviticus 26:41). They are comforted with af, as it is written: “And despite [ve’af gam] this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not have spurned them and will not have rejected them, to destroy them, to violate My covenant with them” (Leviticus 26:44).
They sinned with the mouth, as it is written: “Every mouth speaks depravity” (Isaiah 9:16). They were punished with the mouth, as it is written: “They consumed Israel with every mouth” (Isaiah 9:11). They are comforted with the mouth, as it is written: “Then will our mouths be filled with laughter” (Psalms 126:2).
They sinned with the tongue, as it is written: “They drew their tongues, their bow of falsehood” (Jeremiah 9:2). They were punished with the tongue, as it is written: “The tongue of the suckling cleaved [to the roof of his mouth in thirst]” (Lamentations 4:4). They are comforted with the tongue, as it is written: “And our tongues with song; [then will they say among the nations: The Lord has done great things for them]” (Psalms 126:2).
They sinned with the heart, as it is written: “They made their hearts as adamant, not to hear” (Zechariah 7:12). They were punished with the heart, as it is written: “Every heart is suffering” (Isaiah 1:5). They are comforted with the heart, as it is written: “speak to the heart of Jerusalem” (Isaiah 40:2).
They sinned with the hand, as it is written: “Your hands are filled with blood” (Isaiah 1:15). They were punished with the hand, as it is written: “The hands of merciful women cooked their children” (Lamentations 4:10). They are comforted with the hand, as it is written: “The Lord will continue setting His hand again, a second time [to recover the remnant of His people…]” (Isaiah 11:11).
They sinned with the foot, as it is written: “For their feet run to evil” (Proverbs 1:16). They were punished with the foot, as it is written: “Before your feet stumble on the mountains of the night (Jeremiah 13:16). They are comforted with the foot, as it is written: “How pleasant are the feet of the herald upon the mountains” (Isaiah 52:7).
They sinned with hu, as it is written: “They denied the Lord and said: He [hu] is not” (Jeremiah 5:12). They were punished with hu, as it is written: “He was transformed into their enemy, He [hu] waged war against them” (Isaiah 63:10). They are comforted with hu, as it is written: “I, it is I, who [hu] am your Comforter” (Isaiah 51:12).
They sinned with zeh, as it is written: “For this [zeh] man Moses” (Exodus 32:1). They were punished with zeh, as it is written: “For this [zeh] [our heart] is suffering” (Lamentations 5:17). They are comforted with zeh, as it is written: “Behold, this [zeh] is our God, we hoped to Him [that He would save us; this is the Lord to whom we hoped, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation]” (Isaiah 25:9).
They sinned with fire, as it is written: “The children gather wood, and the fathers kindle the fire...[in order to anger Me]” (Jeremiah 7:18). They were punished with fire, as it is written: “From on high He sent fire into my bones” (Lamentations 1:13). They are comforted with fire, as it is written: “I will be for it,²¹⁶Jerusalem. the utterance of the Lord, a wall of fire all around” (Zechariah 2:9).
They sinned with yesh, as it is written: “Is [hayesh] the Lord among us or not?” (Exodus 17:7). They were punished with yesh, as it is written: “Is there any [yesh] pain like my pain?” (Lamentations 1:12). They are comforted with yesh, as it is written: “To bequeath substance [yesh] to those who love me, and I will fill their storehouses” (Proverbs 8:21).
They sinned doubly, as it is written: “Jerusalem has committed a sin [ḥet ḥata]” (Lamentations 1:8).²¹⁷The Hebrew verse employs the word sin [ḥet] twice, such that a literal translation would be “Jerusalem has sinned a sin.” They were punished doubly, as it is written: “For it has received from the hand of the Lord double for all its sins” (Isaiah 40:2). They are comforted doubly, as it is written: “Comfort, comfort [naḥamu naḥamu] My people” (Isaiah 40:1).
End of the First Alphabetical Acrostic