Midrash sobre Números 11:12

The great Rabbi Hoshaya opened [with the verse (Mishlei 8:30),] "I [the Torah] was an amon to Him and I was a plaything to Him every day." Amon means "pedagogue" (i.e. nanny). Amon means "covered." Amon means "hidden." And there is one who says amon means "great." Amon means "nanny," as in (Bamidbar 11:12) “As a nanny (omein) carries the suckling child." Amon means "covered," as in (Eichah 4:5) "Those who were covered (emunim) in scarlet have embraced refuse heaps." Amon means "hidden," as in (Esther 2:7) "He hid away (omein) Hadassah." Amon means "great," as in (Nahum 3:8) "Are you better than No-amon [which dwells in the rivers]?" which the Targum renders as, "Are you better than Alexandria the Great (amon), which dwells between the rivers?" Alternatively, amon means "artisan." The Torah is saying, "I was the artisan's tool of Hashem." In the way of the world, a king of flesh and blood who builds a castle does not do so from his own knowledge, but rather from the knowledge of an architect, and the architect does not build it from his own knowledge, but rather he has scrolls and books in order to know how to make rooms and doorways. So too Hashem gazed into the Torah and created the world. Similarly the Torah says, "Through the reishis Hashem created [the heavens and the earth]," and reishis means Torah, as in "Hashem made me [the Torah] the beginning (reishis) of His way" (Mishlei 8:22).

The host of Rab had to try a case before him, and when he entered he said to Rab: "Do you remember that you were my guest?" "Yea," answered he, "but why did you come here?" He said: "I have a case to try." Thereupon Rab said (Fol. 8) "I am not fit to be a judge for your case." And he appointed R. Cahana to judge the case. R. Cahana, observing that he relied too much upon Rab, said to him: "If you listen to my decision, well and good; but if not, I will put Rab out of your mind" (i.e., I will put you under the ban). The small as well as the great shall ye hear. Resh Lakish said: "This means you shall treat a case of one peruta with the same exactness as you would treat a case involving a hundred manas." To what purpose was this said? Is this not self-evident? It means, if two cases come before you, one of a peruta and one of one hundred manas, you shall not say: "This is a small case, and I will see to it later." Ye shall not be afraid of any man. R. Chaniu said: "This means that the judge shall not withhold his words out of respect to a man;" for the judgment belongeth to God. R. Chama b. R. Chanina said: '"The Holy One, praised be He! said: 'It is not sufficient for the wicked to take away money from one and give it to another illegally; but they trouble Me even to return the money to its owner.' " Atid I commanded your judges at that time. Further it reads: I commanded you at that time. R. Elazar in the name of R. Simlai, said: "This is a warning for the congregation, that they should respect their judges; and, also, a warning to the judges that they should bear with the congregation." To what extent? R. Chanin (according to others R. Sabthai) said: "Even as a nursing father carrieth the sucking child." (Num. 11, 12).

(Exodus 17:4) "and Moses cried out to the L rd": We are hereby apprised of the eminence of Moses. He did not say: Since they are quarreling with me I will not implore mercy for them, but "And Moses cried out to the L rd." "saying: What can I do to this people?" Moses said before the Holy One Blessed be He: L rd of the universe, between You and them I will be killed! And You tell me not to be harsh with them, viz. (Numbers 11:12) "For You say to me: "Bear them in your bosom as a nurse bears a nursling, etc." — when they want to kill me! Here the L rd "lowers" (Himself) and Moses "raises" himself (in protest). And elsewhere the L rd "raises" (Himself) and Moses "lowers" himself, viz. (Exodus 32:10) "And now leave Me and I will annihilate them, etc.", followed by (Ibid. 11) "And Moses prayed before the L rd, etc."

Ye shall hear the small and the great alike (ibid., v. 17). R. Simeon the son of Lakish said: A lawsuit involving a perutah must be considered as important as one involving a hundred maneh. Why need this be stated? Is this not a matter of course? It is mentioned simply to remind you to consider a case only in its proper order. One verse says: And I charged your judgments (Deut. 1:16), while another verse says: And I command you (ibid., v. 18). R. Simlai stated: These verses are a warning to the community to act respectfully to the judges who preside over it, and a warning to the judges to bear patiently with the community. To what extent? R. Hanan said that R. Shabbetai stated: As the nursing father carrieth the suckling child (Num. 11:12). Who is a shrewd scoundrel? R. Hanina says: One who explains his case to the judge before the other litigant arrives.

A song of ascents. I will lift up mine eyes to the mountains (Ps. 121:1). Scripture alludes here to the verse Who art thou, O great mountain before. Zerubbabel? Thou shalt become a plain (Zech. 4:7). This verse refers to the Messiah, the descendant of David. Why was he called a great mountain? Because he will be greater than the patriarchs, as is said: Behold, My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high (Isa. 52:13). He shall be exalted above Abraham; lifted up above Isaac; and shall be very high above Jacob. He shall be exalted above Abraham, concerning whom it is said: I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord (Gen. 14:22); lifted up above Moses, of whom it is said: That thou shouldst say unto me: Carry them in thy bosom (Num. 11:12); and shall be very high like the ministering angels, concerning whom it is said: As for their wings, they were high (Ezek. 1:18). Hence Scripture says: Who art thou, O great mountain?

It is written (in Ps. 121:1): A SONG OF ASCENTS. I WILL LIFT UP MY EYES UNTO THE MOUNTAINS. FROM WHERE WILL MY HELP COME? It is also written (in Zech. 4:7): WHO ARE YOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN, BEFORE ZERUBBABEL? BECOME LEVEL GROUND.⁸²Tanh., Gen. 6:14. What is the meaning of WHO ARE YOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN? This is the Messianic King. Then why does it call him GREAT MOUNTAIN? Because he is greater than the ancestors, as stated (in Is. 52:13): BEHOLD, MY SERVANT SHALL BRING LOW.⁸³The Masoretic Text reads: SHALL PROSPER. HE SHALL BE EXALTED, LIFTED UP, AND BECOME EXCEEDINGLY TALL. HE SHALL BE EXALTED (rt.: RWM) more than Abraham, LIFTED UP more than Moses, AND BECOME EXCEEDINGLY TALL, more so than the ministering angels. < HE SHALL BE EXALTED > more than Abraham, of whom it is written (in Gen. 14:22): I HAVE RAISED (rt.: RWM) MY HAND UNTO THE LORD. < He shall be > LIFTED UP more than Moses, of whom it is stated (in Numb. 11:12): THAT YOU (the LORD) SHOULD SAY TO ME (Moses): LIFT THEM UP IN YOUR BOSOM AS THE NURSE LIFTS UP A SUCKLING CHILD. AND < he shall > BECOME… TALL (rt.: GBH), more than the ministering angels, of whom it is stated (in Ezek. 1:18): THEIR (the angelic wheels') RIMS (rt.: GBB) WERE BOTH TALL (rt.: GBH) < AND AWESOME >…. From whom did he arise? From [Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel < arose >] from David. Thus it is stated (in I Chron 3:10-24): AND SOLOMON'S SON WAS REHOBOAM, ABIJAH HIS SON, ASA HIS SON, JEHOSHAPHAT HIS SON, JORAM HIS SON, AHAZIAH HIS SON, JOASH HIS SON, AMAZIAH HIS SON, AZARIAH HIS SON, [JOTHAM HIS SON], AHAZ HIS SON, HEZEKIAH HIS SON, MANASSEH HIS SON, AMON HIS SON, AND JOSIAH HIS SON. NOW THE SONS OF JOSIAH WERE JOHANAN THE FIRST-BORN, JEHOIAKIM THE SECOND, ZEDEKIAH THE THIRD, AND SHALLUM THE FOURTH. THE SONS OF JEHOIAKIM WERE HIS SON JECONIAH AND HIS SON ZEDEKIAH. AND THE SONS OF JECONIAH, THE CAPTIVE, WERE SHEALTIEL HIS SON, MALCHIRAM, PEDAIAH, SHENAZZAR, JEKAMIAH, HOSHAMA, AND NEDABIAH. THE SONS OF PEDAIAH WERE ZERUBBABEL AND SHIMEI. THE SONS OF ZERUBBABEL WERE MESHULLAM AND HANANIAH, AND SHELOMITH WAS THEIR SISTER; ALSO HASHUBAH, OHEL, BERECHIAH, (HASARIAH) [HASADIAH], JUSHABHESED: FIVE (from after the exile). AND THE SONS OF HANANIAH WERE (PELITIA) [PELATIAH] AND JESHAIAH. AND THE SONS OF < JESHAIAH >: REPHAIAH; THE SONS OF < REPHAIAH >: ARNAN; THE SONS OF < ARNAN >: OBADIAH; THE SONS OF < OBADIAH >: SHECANIAH; THE SONS OF SHECANIAH: SHEMAIAH. THE SONS OF SHEMAIAH WERE HATTUSH, IGAL, [BARIAH], NEARIAH, AND SHAPHAT: SIX. THE SONS OF NEARIAH WERE ELIOENAI, HIZKIAH, AND AZRIKAM: THREE. AND THE SONS OF ELIOENAI WERE HODAVIAH, ELIASHIB, PELAIAH, AKKUB, JOHANAN, DELAIAH, AND ANANI: SEVEN. Now up to here the Scripture has given [you] detail. Who is Anani? This is the Messianic [King], as stated (in Dan. 7:13): AS I WAS LOOKING ON (IN A VISION AT NIGHT) [IN THE NIGHT VISIONS], BEHOLD, ALONG WITH ANANI⁸⁴The Masoretic Text vocalizes ‘anani as ‘anane, which means “clouds.” OF < HEAVEN, ONE LIKE A HUMAN BEING >…. What is the meaning of the SEVEN (in I Chron. 3:24)? [What is] that which is written about the Messiah? That which is stated (in Zech. 4:10): FOR WHOEVER HAS DESPISED THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS SHALL REJOICE TO SEE THE PLUMMET IN THE HAND OF ZERUBBABEL, < EVEN > SEVEN: (BEHOLD), [THESE ARE] THE EYES ('ene) OF THE LORD. THEY ROAM AROUND ALL THE EARTH. It is therefore stated (in Zech. 4:7): WHO ARE YOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN, BEFORE ZERUBBABEL? BECOME LEVEL GROUND. This is what is written about him (in Is. 11:4): SO HE SHALL JUDGE THE POOR WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS AND DECIDE WITH EQUITY < FOR THE MEEK ('anawi) OF THE EARTH >….

Behold, I will stand before thee there upon the rock in Horeb (Exod. 17:6). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Wherever you find the imprint of a man’s foot, there I stand before you. And thou shalt smite within the rock. It does not say “upon the rock (al ha-tsur),” but within the rock (batsur). And there shall come water out of it, that the people may drink … and the name of the place was called Massah. R. Joshua stated: Moses named it Massah, as it is said: And he called the name of the place Massah. R. Eleazar of Modi’im said: And the Omnipresent called it Massah and Meribah. Because of this the Great Court is called the place.¹⁵Massah and Meribah means “trial and strife,” and the since Great Court was a place of massah and meribah, it is that which is referred to here. It is also called the place in Deut. 17:8. And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying: “What shall I do unto this people? They are almost ready to stone me” (Exod. 17:4). Moses cried to the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the world, I shall be slain, for I am trapped between you and them. You commanded me not to be angry at them, when you said to me: Carry them in thy bosom (Num. 11:12), but now they wish to stone me. In this instance the Holy One, blessed be He, had suppressed His anger, while Moses increased his, but elsewhere the Holy One, blessed be He, increased (his anger), while Moses suppressed his, as is said: Now therefore, let Me alone that My anger may wax hot against them, and that I may consume them; and Moses besought the Lord (Exod. 32:10–11). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: You said They are almost ready to stone me, now Pass on before the people (ibid. 17:5), and let Me see who will stone you. He began to walk before them, and all the Israelites arose and treated him with honor and deference. The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: Many times I commanded you not to lose patience with them, but to lead them as a shepherd does his flock. It was for their sake that I elevated you, and it was because of them that you found grace, life, and honor in My sight.