Midrash sobre Job 6:17

“For anyone who is joined to any of the living there is hope, as a living dog is better than a dead lion” (Ecclesiastes 9:4).
“For anyone who is joined [yeḥubar],” Rabbi Aḥa said: “Chooses [yivḥar]” is written. Who will choose the good inclination over the evil inclination? These are the righteous. Who will choose the evil inclination over the good inclination? These are the wicked. “To any of the living there is hope” – even those who extended their hands against God’s dwelling⁸Those who aided in the destruction of the Temple. have hope.⁹To avoid Gehenna, if they repented. To resurrect them¹⁰In the revival of the dead. is impossible, as they already extended their hand against God’s dwelling, but to eliminate them is impossible because they already repented. In their regard it says: “They will sleep an eternal slumber” (Jeremiah 51:39). The Rabbis say: The minors among the wicked of the nations, they and the armies of Nebuchadnezzar¹¹Those who were forced to participate in the destruction of the Temple but did not do so willfully, or those who repented (Midrash HaMevoar). are not resurrected, and not judged. In their regard it says: “They will sleep an eternal slumber.” Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Each and every drop that the Holy One blessed be He rained on the Generation of the Flood, He boiled it and then rained it on them, as it is stated: “When they are seared they vanish” (Job 6:17); their searing was for eternity.

Another interpretation (of Lev. 6:2), “Command Aaron.” What is the function of Aaron here? Israel was bringing offerings whereas Aaron is mentioned, and Scripture says here, “Command Aaron.” But note, it is written (in Numb. 28:2), “Command the Children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘My offering, My bread,’” but here it says (in Lev. 6:2), “Command Aaron […], ‘This is the Torah of the one who ascends (h'lh).’”⁴The masoretic text vocalizes this word as ha’olah, which means, THE BURNT OFFERING, but the midrash interprets the word as though it were vocalized ha’oleh, which means, “The one who ascends,” with the ascending implying self-exaltation. So also Lev. R. 7:6. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (to warn Aaron and his sons), “Whenever someone raises (rt.: 'lh) himself up, his end is to go in the fire.”⁵M.Ps. 11:5. It is so stated (in Lev. 6:2, cont.), “that is the one which ascends upon the burning place.” The generation of the flood [suffered] because of what they said (in Job 21:15), “What is the Omnipresent that we should serve Him?” For that reason they were sentenced to the fire (of Gehinnom), as stated (Job 6:17), “at the time that they were heated, they were burnt in His heat,” and it is written (Job 22:20), “and the fire consumed their remnant.” And likewise the Sodomites, [as stated] (in Gen. 19:24), “Then the Lord rained down upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire.” When Pharaoh said (in Exod. 5:2), “Who is the Lord, [that I should heed His voice],” he exalted (rt.: 'lh) himself and said (in Ezek. 29:3), “my Nile is my own and I made it myself.” [He is] therefore (in the words of Lev. 6:2) “upon the burning place.” For so it says (in Ps. 18:14), “The Lord thundered in the heavens,” (Ps. 18:13), "From the illumination in front of Him, His clouds were pierced by hail and coals of fire.” And also when Sennacherib exalted (rt.: 'lh) himself and said (in II Kings 19:23 = Is. 37:24), “it is I who have ascended (rt.: 'lh) the mountain heights to the remotest parts of Lebanon.” And what happened to him? (II Kings 19:35:) “The angel of the Lord went out and smote [one hundred and eighty-thousand] in the camp of Assyria.” He had blasphemed (according to II Kings 19:23: cf. 18:17–35) through a messenger (mal'akh);⁶The parallel in Is. 37:24 reads “servant” instead of “messenger.” therefore (in II Kings 19:35 = Is. 37:36 // II Chron. 32:21) “the angel (mal'akh) of the Lord went out and smote.” What did he do to him? (Is. 10:16), “And under his glory there shall burn a burning like the burning of fire.” What is the meaning of “under his glory?” That it burned them from within and left alone their clothes on the outside, since a person's glory is his garment.⁷Cf. Sanh. 94a. And why did the Holy One, blessed be He, leave their clothes behind? Because they were descendants of Shem, as stated (in Gen. 10:22), “The sons of Shem are Elam, Asshur (Assyria)….” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I am indebted to their father Shem, because he took the garment and covered his father's nakedness, as stated (in Gen. 9:23), “Then Shem and Japheth took the garment… [and they covered their father's nakedness].”⁸Cf. Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 2:21, which interprets the verse to show that Shem took the lead in this act. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, left their clothes alone and burned [only] their body. This is as it is written (Lev. 6:2), “that (i.e. the person who exalts himself) is the one which ascends (ha'oleh) upon the burning place.” And so too Nebuchadnezzar exalted (rt.: 'lh) himself and said (in Is. 14:14), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) upon the heights of a cloud; I will become like the Most High (rt.: 'lh).” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Upon your life, was it not enough that you said in your heart (in vs. 13), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) to the heavens; above the stars of God I will set my throne,” but that you should say (in vs. 14), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) upon the heights of a cloud, I will become like the Most High (rt.: 'lh)?” And so he (i.e., Nebuchadnezzar) said to Hananiah and his friends (in Dan. 3:15), “’Now who is the God who shall deliver you out of my hand?’ I have burned His house and exiled His people. He did not stand against me in His house; so will He overcome me in my house?” What did he do? He threw them into the fiery furnace. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He gave a sign to the furnace and it became a highway.⁹PLTYA, from the Gk.: plateia. Buber suggests emending to PLNTYH, from the Gk.: planetes, i.e., “planets.” Whoever was designated to be burned was not burned and whoever was not designated to be burned was burned. So the fire went forth and burned half of the peoples. Thus you find, when they assembled for the dedication of the image, at first there were eight peoples, as stated (in Dan. 3:3), “Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the provincial officials assembled.” That makes eight peoples; but when they came in to see Hananiah and his friends, there were only four peoples written there (in vs. 27), “The satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the royal companions assembled.” So where were [the other] four peoples?] It is simply that (in vs. 22) “the flame of the fire slew them.” Now Nebuchadnezzar also was burned by the fire, and the fright (i.e., repulsiveness) of [a body disfigured by] burning was put upon him.¹⁰For this interpretation, Jastrow, s.v., ‘immus. Why was all of him not burned? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Leave this evil man half of himself so that he may know against Whom he blasphemed.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “O wicked one, did you not say, ‘I do not want to live with the children of Adam, but (in Is. 14:14), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) upon the heights of a cloud?”’ By your life, (according to Dan. 4:22) ‘You shall be driven away from humans and your domicile will be with the wild animals outside.’” Just as He brought the plagues upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt, so did He bring [punishment] upon Nebuchadnezzar. It is so stated (in Dan. 3:32), “The signs and wonders which the most high God has worked for me [it seemed good to me to make known].” This fright of [a body disfigured by] burning fell upon him. Therefore it is stated (in Lev. 6:2), “that is the one which ascends (h'lh) upon the burning place.” (Lev. 6.2) “That is the one which ascends upon the burning place.” This is the kingdom of Edom (Rome), which exalted (rt.: 'lh) itself, as stated (in Obad. 1:4), “Though you make [your abode] as high as the eagle, and though [your nest is set] among the stars,” and will be judged by fire, as stated (in Dan. 7:11), “I looked on until the beast was slain and its body destroyed, given over for burning in the fire.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Obad. 1:18), “The House of Jacob shall be fire, and the House of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau shall be straw; [… for the Lord has spoken].” And what did he say? Through Moses (in Lev. 6:2), “that is the one which ascends (ha'olah, rt.: 'lh) upon the burning place.” Then after that [Scripture says] (in Obad. 1:21), “Then saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mountain of Esau.” Sisera also [was punished by fire] because he blasphemed. Thus it is written about him (in Jud. 4:3), “and he oppressed the Children of Israel with might,” [i.e.] with blasphemies and invectives.¹¹See M. Ps. 2:1, which derives this interpretation of WITH MIGHT (rt.: HZQ) from Mal. 3:13: YOUR WORDS HAVE BEEN MIGHTY (rt.: HZQ) AGAINST ME. See also below, 9:7. He was therefore punished by fire, as stated (in Jud. 5:20), “The stars fought from the heavens; from their courses they fought with Sisera.”¹²See Pes. 118b, according to which the stars descended and heated the iron implements in Sisera’s army. And in the world to come, when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to exact retribution from Esau, what [will] Esau do? Wrapped in a prayer shawl like an elder, he comes and takes his seat beside Jacob. It is so stated, (in Obad. 1:4), “and though your nest is set among the stars.” Stars can only mean Israel, since it is stated (in Gen. 15:5), “look toward the heavens and count the stars …; so shall your seed be.” Jacob says to him, “My brother ('hy), you shall not be like me.” Thus it is stated (in Hos. 13:14), “my brother ('hy),¹³The unemended reading below, given in braces, shows that the midrash is reading the he in ‘HY as a het, so that the WHERE of the Masoretic Text cited here is to be interpreted as MY BROTHER. your words¹⁴Devarekha. YOUR WORDS is the translation required by the midrash. In the biblical context devarekha should be rendered, YOUR PLAGUES. are death; my brother ('hy), your descent (qtb) is to Sheol.”¹⁵A traditional translation of the line would read: WHERE IS YOUR PESTILENCE, O SHEOL? Your words are decrees which you decreed over me. You decreed two-edged decrees against me, that I should serve idols. If I had done so, I would have been condemned to death at the hands of Heaven; and if I had not served them, you would have killed me. Ergo (in Hos. 13:14), “my brother, your words are death.” (Ibid., cont.) “My brother ('hy), your descent (qtb) is to Sheol.” [Qtb] is a Hellenistic¹⁶From the Gk. adverb: Hellenisti. word, meaning to descend to Sheol.¹⁷Thus QTB is understood as coming from the Greek, kataba, an aorist imperative meaning, “descend.” When Esau descends to Sheol, Jacob will remain by himself. It is therefore stated (in Zech. 13:8), “And it shall come to pass throughout all the land, says the Lord, that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall remain in it.” Now the one-third can only be Israel, since it is stated (in Is. 19:24), “Israel shall be a third.” So Israel – because they made themselves despised and lowly, as stated (Malachi 2:9), “And I also made you despised and lowly” – are avenged and redeemed by fire; as stated (in Zech. 2:9), “And I Myself, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire around it (i.e., around Jerusalem).” When Esau departs from the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, and Israel remain, as stated (in Cant. 6:9), “[Only] one is my dove, my perfect one.” It also says (in Deut. 32:12), “The Lord alone did lead him, and there was no foreign God with Him.”

Noah said to them: Turn from your ways and evil deeds, so that He bring not upon you the waters of the Flood, and destroy all the seed of the children of men. They said to him: Behold, we will restrain ourselves from multiplying and increasing, so as not to produce the offspring of the children of men. What did they do? When they came to their wives they spilled the issue of their seed upon the earth so as not to produce offspring of the children of men, as it is said, "And God saw the earth, and behold it was spilled" (Gen. 6:12). They said: If He bring from heaven the waters of the Flood upon us, behold, we are of high stature, and the waters will not reach || up to our necks; and if He bring the waters of the depths against us, behold, the soles of our feet can close up all the depths. What did they do? They put forth the soles of their feet, and closed up all the depths. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He heated the waters of the deep, and they arose and burnt their flesh, and peeled off their skin from them, as it is said, "What time they wax warm, they vanish; when it is hot, they are consumed out of their place" (Job 6:17). Do not read thus ("When it is hot," בחֻמו), but (read) "in his hot waters" (בחמימיו).

(Gen. 6:5:) AND THE LORD SAW THAT HUMAN EVIL HAD BECOME GREAT ON THE EARTH. Let our master instruct us: How great is the judgment against the wicked in Gehinnom? Thus have our masters taught (in 'Eduy. 2:10): THE SENTENCE of the wicked in Gehinnom IS TWELVE MONTHS. These < words> are from the Mishnah.⁹⁷See ySanh. 10:3 (29b); PRK 10:4. Where is it shown from Scripture? Where it is written (in Is. 66:23): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS WHENEVER A MONTH < FALLS > IN ITS MONTH, i.e., from that month to the same month < in the following year >. Ergo: twelve months. Thus it is stated (in Esth. 3:7): FROM DAY TO DAY AND FROM MONTH TO MONTH < EQUALS > [TWELVE MONTHS]. How were they judged? By fire and by snow, since it is stated (in Prov. 31:21): SHE IS NOT AFRAID FOR HER HOUSEHOLD BECAUSE OF SNOW. This is Gehinnom.⁹⁸Perhaps because Mount Zalmon, a name which means “darkness” and can designate Gehinnom, is a place of snow in Ps. 68:15 [14]. Cf. M. Pss. 68:9. Now they take that < wicked one > out of the snow and cast him into the midst of the fire. David said (in Ps. 40:3 [2]): AND HE RAISED ME UP FROM THE PIT OF DESOLATION, FROM THE MIRY MUD. And why is it called by the name MIRY MUD (YWN)? Because when they take them and cast them into the fire, they cry: Vay (WY). Then after that they cast them into the snow, and they cry: Vay. Its name is therefore called MUD (YWN), a place where they say: Vay, vay (WY)! And where do they deliver their souls? Hezekiah the son of R. Hiyya said:⁹⁹See M. Prov. 21. In the midst of the snow, as stated (in Ps. 68:15 [14]): IT SNOWS IN ZALMON. And what basis is there for you to compare the sentencing of the wicked to Gehinnom with the sentencing of the generation of the flood?¹⁰⁰See Gen. R. 28:8; 33:7; Lam. R. 1:14 (40); Seder ‘Olam R. 4. < The basis is > that, just as the judgment of the former is to fire and to snow, [so the judgment of the latter was to fire and snow. Where is it shown that it was to fire?] Where it is stated (in Job 6:17): THROUGH ITS HEAT THEY ARE OBLITERATED FROM THEIR PLACE. And where is it shown that it was to snow? Where it is stated (in Gen. 7:12): AND THERE WAS RAIN UPON THE EARTH. And why so? Because by the measure with which a person measures one will measure out for him.¹⁰¹Sot. 1:7; TSot. 3:1; Matthew 7:2 // Luke 6:38; cf. Gal. 6:7. See what is written (in Gen. 6:2):¹⁰²See Gen. R. 26:5; Lev. R. 33:9. THE SONS OF GOD SAW THE HUMAN DAUGHTERS: These were the virgins. (Ibid., cont.:) THAT THEY WERE FAIR: These were the unmarried. (Ibid., cont.:) THEY TOOK WIVES FOR THEMSELVES: These were the married. (Ibid., cont.:) WHOMEVER THEY CHOSE, even including males and cattle. R. Huna said in the name of R. Idi: The verdict against the generation of the flood was not sealed until they wrote gamika¹⁰³The word is Greek. {i.e., marriage contracts} for males and cattle. For that reason the waters came over them in the form of a woman. Thus it is stated (in Job 6:18): THE WAYS OF THEIR COURSE¹⁰⁴These words may also denote ways of living. TURN ASIDE. Now TURN ASIDE must imply a woman, since it is stated (in Ruth 3:8): < NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT > THAT THE MAN WAS STARTLED. SO TURNED HE ASIDE, AND HERE WAS A WOMAN. And WAYS < can > only < denote > {a woman} [women], since it is stated (in Gen. 18:11): THE WAY OF WOMEN < HAD CEASED FOR SARAH >. So also THEIR COURSE (derekh), since it is stated (in Gen. 31:35): FOR THE PERIOD (derekh) WOMEN IS UPON ME. Hence one may say: In the manner that they sinned retribution was exacted from them. You know yourself that it is so. See what is written (in Gen. 7:11): ON THAT DAY ALL THE SPRINGS OF THE GREAT ABYSS BURST FORTH. What is the meaning of GREAT? < That > the Holy One said: Just as they have sinned greatly, so I have exacted retribution from them greatly. Where is it shown? From what they read on the matter (in Gen. 6:5): AND THE LORD SAW THAT < HUMAN EVIL > HAD BECOME GREAT….