Midrash sur Le Deutéronome 5:28

(Fol. 21) MISHNAH: Whoever reads the Megilla standing or sitting has fulfilled his duty. GEMARA: We are taught in a Baraitha: "It is not so with the reading of the Torah, [which can be read only while the reader is] standing. Whence do we infer this? R. Abahu said: "The passage says (Deut. 5, 28) But as for thee, stand thou here by me. From this we infer that the reader should stand, and the congregation sit." R. Abahu said again: "Whence do we know that the master should not teach the disciple when he sits on the bed, and the disciple on the floor? Because it is written But as for thee, stand thou here by me. (Just as I stand so you should stand. ) " Our Rabbis were taught: From the time of Joshua till Rabban Gamaliel the Torah was studied standing. When Rabban Gamaliel the elder died, sickness became prevalent, and they began to study sitting. And this is the meaning of the Mishnah: "Since Rabban Gamaliel the elder died the dignity of the Torah has ceased." One passage says (Deut. 9, 9) I sat on the mount forty days and forty nights; and another (Ib. 10, 10) I stood on the mount. Said Rab: "He stood when he studied, and he sat when he repeated." R. Chaninah said: "He was neither standing nor sitting, but bending." R. Abba, however, said: "Sitting means nothing else but abiding, as it is said (Deut. 1, 46) Ye sat in Kadesh [which means dwelt]." Raba said: "The easy things he studied while standing, and the difficult things while sitting."

(Jud. 18, 3) And they turned in thither and said unto him who brought thee hither (halom), and what dost thou in the place and whom has thou there (Poh)? They said this to him: "Are you not a descendant of Moses, of whom it is written (Ex. 3, 5) Draw not nigh hither (halom)? Are you not a descendant of Moses, of whom it is written (Ib.) What is that in your hand (Ma ze)? And are you not a descendant of Moses, of whom it is written (Deut. 5, 28) But as for thee, remain thou here (Poh)?" And he answered: "Thus have I a tradition from the house of my grand-father: A man should rather hire himself out to idolatry than to be dependent on men." He thought it meant real idolatry, but in reality it means "for labor strange to him" (below his dignity), just as Rab said to Cahana: "Flay a carcass in the street [and earn a living if you are in need] and say not I am a noble priest, [and it does not befit me]." As soon as David saw that he was so fond of money he appointed him treasurer for the government, as it is said (I Chron. 26, 24) Shebuel, the son of Gershom, the son of Menashe, superintendent of the treasuries. Was then his name Shebuel? Behold, it was Jonathan. R. Jochanan said: "This means that he repented to God with all his heart."

And in Moshe's coming to the tent of meeting to speak with Him: It is learned (Deuteronomy 34:10), “And no other prophet arose in Israel like Moshe” - in Israel, none did arise, but among the nations of the world, one did arise; so that there not be a claim open to the nations to say, “If we had a prophet like Moshe, we would have worshiped the Holy One, blessed be He. And which prophet did they have [that was] like Moshe? This was Bilaam the son of Beor. However there is a difference between the prophecy of Moshe and the prophecy of Bilaam: Three characteristics were in the hand of Moshe that were not in the hand of Bilaam. Moshe would speak with Him, standing; as it is stated (Deuteronomy 5:28), “And you stand with Me and I will speak to you, etc.” And with Bilaam, He would only speak with him prostrate, as it is stated (Numbers 24:4), “fallen and of open eyes.” Moshe would speak to Him 'mouth to mouth,' as it is stated (Numbers 13:8), “'Mouth to mouth' I speak to him.” And with Bilaam [it is written,] “Speaks the one who hears the speeches of God” – as He did not speak to him 'mouth to mouth.' Moshe would speak to him face to face, as it is stated (Exodus 33:11), “And the Lord spoke to Moshe face to face.” And with Bilaam, He only spoke in parables, as you say (Numbers 24:15), “And he started his parable, etc.” Three characteristics were in the hand of Bilaam that were not in the hand of Moshe: Moshe did not know who was speaking with him. Bilaam knew who was speaking with him, as it is stated, “Speaks the one who hears the speeches of God, who gazes upon the vision of the Almighty.” Moshe did not know when the Holy One, blessed be He, would speak to him, and Bilaam did know when the Holy One, blessed be He, would speak to Him; as it is stated, “and who knows the mind of the Most Elevated.” They [accordingly] told a parable about the king's butcher who knows what the king brings to his table and knows how much is spent for [what goes] on the king's table. So it was that Bilaam knew what the Holy One, blessed be He, would say to him in the future. Bilaam would speak with Him any time he wanted, as it is stated, “fallen and of open eyes” - he would prostrate himself on his face and immediately, his eye would be revealed about what he was asking; and Moshe did not speak to Him anytime he wanted. Rabbi Shimon says, “Moshe too would speak to Him anytime he wanted, as it is stated, 'And in Moshe's coming to the tent of meeting to speak with Him' - immediately, 'and Moshe heard the Voice speaking to him.'”

Another interpretation (of Prov. 22:29:) HE SHALL STAND BEFORE KINGS. This refers to the Holy One, of whom it is written (in Deut. 5:28 [31]): BUT AS FOR YOU, STAND HERE WITH ME. (Prov. 22:29, cont.:) HE SHALL NOT STAND BEFORE THE OBSCURE. This is Pharaoh, [since it is written <of Moses>] (in Exod. 9:13): GO EARLY IN THE MORNING <TO PRESENT YOURSELF BEFORE PHARAOH>. All the wicked ones become corrupt during their lifetimes. You find in the case of Zedekiah, king of Judah, that all the kings were subjugated to Nebuchadnezzar. What is written about him (in Jer. 27:6)? {ALL} [AND EVEN] THE BEASTS OF THE FIELD HAVE I GIVEN HIM TO SERVE HIM. Zedekiah went up to offer a gift.¹⁰⁰Gk.: doron. Nebuchadnezzar said: Dine with me at noon. So he made a dinner. Now a Babylonian dinner is not like a dinner in the land of Israel. He brought him meat which he had roasted. He saw Nebuchadnezzar eating with his spittle running down onto his beard. Zedekiah looked at him in astonishment and said: Is it to this one that the whole world is subjugated? He ate with him. What did he do? After he had dined, he took Zedekiah and made him take an oath. He said to him: <Swear> that you shall not go to your land and leave me. He got free and came to the land of Israel. He began to scorn (rt.: BZH) him, and he revoked that oath <which he had taken >. So Ezekiel cried out concerning him (in Ezek. 17:16): {BECAUSE HE SCORNED (BZH) AN OATH} [WHOSE OATH HE SCORNED (BZH)]. The kings who were reclining with him heard him. They sent and said to him (to Nebuchadnezzar): Zedekiah is sitting <here> laughing at you. Where is it shown that they sent to him and said < this > to him? R. Samuel said: It is written (in Is. 16:1): SEND A LAMB (KR) TO THE RULER OF THE LAND. What is the meaning of KR? It is like someone who says to his comrade: Find out (HKR) for whom he is ruling the land. Where is it shown that he had sworn an oath to him? Where it is stated (in II Chron. 36:13): AND HE ALSO REBELLED AGAINST KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR WHO HAD MADE HIM TAKE AN OATH BY GOD. What did he do? He immediately sent and had him come. Then he fed him barley, stood him up, and scorned (rt.: BZH) him shamefully. The Holy One said (to Nebuchadnezzar): So you have shamed (rt.: BZH) him. By your life, you shall not depart from this world until all creatures laugh at you. Thus it is stated (in Dan. 4:29 [32]): YOU SHALL BE DRIVEN AWAY FROM HUMANKIND. Moreover, just as you have shamed (rt.: BZH) him, so you shall be shamed (rt.: BZH) before all creatures. What is written (in Hab. 2:17)? AND THE VIOLENCE OF THE BEASTS WILL TERRIFY THOSE FEMALES (rt.: HTT+N)….¹⁰¹This translation of Hab. 2:17 fits the context of the midrash. In the biblical translations shod is usually rendered DESTRUCTION rather than VIOLENCE. Moreover, since the midrash is concerned with sexual acts, it is necessary to translate the femimine verbal suffix meaning “them” as THOSE FEMALES. R. Abba bar Kahana said that he became a bridegroom (HTN) to all cattle and wild beasts. And what caused him this shame (rt.: BZH)? It was simply because he had shamed (BZH) Zedekiah.

And it came to pass, "When ye hear the sound of the trumpet" (2 Sam. 15:10). Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, cause His voice to be heard out of the midst of the darkness, and not out of the midst of the light? A parable: to what is the matter to be likened? To a king who was having his son married to a woman, and he suspended in the wedding chamber of his son black curtains, and not white curtains. He said to them: I know that my son will not remain with his wife except for forty days; so that on the morrow they should not say the king was an astrologer, but he did not know what would happen to his son. So with the King, who is the Holy One, blessed be He, and His son is Israel, and the bride is the Torah. The Holy One, blessed be He, knew that Israel would not remain (loyal) to the commandments except for forty days, therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, caused them to hear His voice out of the midst of darkness, and not out of the midst of light, therefore it is said, "And it came to pass, when ye heard the voice" (Deut. 5:28).

(Devarim, Ibid. 10) "And there shall not arise in Israel again a prophet such as Moses": But among the nations, there did arise. And who was he? Bilam the son of Beor. But there is a difference between the prophecy of Moses and the prophecy of Bilam. Moses did not know who was speaking to him, and Bilam did know, viz. (Bamidbar 24:16) "The speech of the hearer (Bilam) of the words of the Almighty." Moses did not know when He would speak to him until He did so. Bilam did know, viz. "and the knower of the knowledge of the Most High." Moses did not speak with Him unless he was standing, viz. (Devarim 5:28) "And you, here, stand with Me." And Bilam spoke with Him when he was fallen, viz. (Bamidbar 24:4) "The vision of the Almighty shall he see, fallen and his eyes uncovered."