La Genèse 49:6 Midrash : Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Midrash Mishlei, Midrash Tanchuma & Midrash Tanchuma Buber

(Fol. 9) R. Juda said: "Even though our sages permitted the use of Greek they referred merely to the translation of the Pentateuch, but not to anything else. And this was also allowed only because of what occurred to Ptolemy, the king." What was it? We are taught: It happened that Ptolemy the king took seventy-two elders from Jerusalem, and placed them in seventy-two separate chambers, and did not inform them for what purpose he had brought them there. He afterward visited each chamber, and said to them: "Translate me the Torah of Moses, your teacher, [by heart.]" The Holy One, praised be He! sent into the heart of each of them a counsel which caused them to think as one mind, and [instead of, In the beginning God created the world] they wrote God created the world in the beginning; [instead of, Let us make a man, they wrote] I will make a man in an image; [instead of, And it was finished, they write] And God finished on the sixth day, and rested on the seventh day; [instead of. He created them, they wrote] Created him; [instead of. Let us go down, they wrote] Let Me go down; [instead of Sarah laughed within herself (Ib. 18, 12) they wrote] And Sarah laughed among her relatives; [instead of (49, 6) For in their anger they slew a man, and in their self-will they honged an ox, and in their self-will hanged a fattened ox; [instead of (Ex. 4, 20) Set them on a donkey, they wrote] Set them on a porter (man-carrier); [instead of (Ib. 12, 40) Dwelt in Egypt, they wrote] Dwelt in Egypt and in other lands was four hundred and thirty wears; [instead of (24, 5) And he then sent the youth, they wrote] The respectable men of Israel; [instead of (Num. 16, 15) I have not taken one ass of them, they wrote] Not one precious thing I took away; [instead of (Deut. 4, 19) Which the Lord thy God hath assigned unto all nations under the whole heaven, they wrote] Assigned to light for all nations; [instead of (Ib. 17, 3) Which I have not commanded, they wrote] Which I have not commanded to worship; [and instead of (Lev. 11, 6) The Arnebeth (the hare) they wrote], The slender footed, because Ptolemy's wife was named Arnebeth, and they were afraid lest he say that the Judaeans laughed at him by inserting his wife's name in the Torah. MISHNAH: Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel says, etc., R. Abahu, in the name of R. Jochanan, said: "The Halacha prevails according to Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel." And R. Abahu said again: "What reason does Rabban Simon b. Gamaliel advance? Because it is written (Gen. 9, 27) May God enlarge the boundaries of Japheth, and may he dwell in the tents of Shem; i.e., the most beautiful thing which Japheth has — (the Greek language) shall dwell in the tents of Shem."

[9] "If they say, 'Come with us, let us lie in wait for blood; let us lurk secretly for the innocent without cause'" - These are the brothers of Joseph, who were lurking and saying, 'When will the end come, and we will kill him?' And when he came to them, they began to say to one another, 'This is the hour; this is the season,' and the Divine Presence (Shechinah) was jesting and saying, 'Woe to them for the blood of this righteous one.' Therefore, it is said, "We will lurk secretly for the innocent without cause." And of them all, none wanted to save him except Reuben, as it is said, "Reuben heard, and he saved him from their hand." He said to them, 'Come, and I will give you advice,' They said to him, 'What advice are you giving us?' He said to them, 'Let us throw him into the pit while he is alive, and our hand will not be upon him,' From where [do we learn this]? As it is stated: (Proverbs 1:12): "We will swallow them up alive as the grave, and whole, as those that go down into the pit" - that he went down to the pit in his innocence, and he did not know what they were going to do to him. Rabbi Levi ben Zavdai said: "Who lowered [Joseph] into the pit from among all his brothers? You must say it was Simeon and Levi, as it is said (Genesis 49:6), 'Into their council let my soul not enter.' But Reuben intended to save him and return him to his father, as it is said (Genesis 37:22), 'That he might save him from their hand, to restore him to his father.' (Genesis 37:29): 'And Reuben returned to the pit' - where was he? Rabbi Judah and Rabbi Nehemiah [disagreed]: Rabbi Judah said, 'The burden of the household was thrust upon him, and as soon as he was free from his burden, he came and looked into the pit and did not find him. This is the meaning of "And Reuben returned to the pit, and behold, Joseph was not in the pit, and he tore his clothes."' Rabbi Nehemiah said, 'He was occupied in his sackcloth and fasting over the incident that occurred, and he did not turn [from it], and as soon as he was free from his sackcloth and fasting, he came and looked into the pit and did not find him, as it says "And Reuben returned to the pit, etc." ' Not only that, but once they sold him, the Divine Presence (Shechinah) mocked them and said to them (Isaiah 55:8), 'For my thoughts are not your thoughts, etc.,' not with the thought that you think, 'nor your ways my ways,' and not in the way that you say, for if there were not a decree from before Me, your counsel would be nothing. (Proverbs 1:13): 'All precious substance shall we find, our houses shall be filled with spoil' - this is the sale of Joseph, who was a precious son to his father, as it is said (Genesis 37:3), 'For he was the son of his old age,' he was found to sustain them, as it is written (Genesis 45:5), 'For God sent me before you to preserve life.' 'Our houses shall be filled with spoil' - that they filled their houses with silver and gold from Joseph's treasures. Rabbi Joshua ben Levi said: The ten martyrs were drawn [to their deaths] only by the sin of selling Joseph. Rabbi Avin said: You must say that ten were exacted from every generation, and still, that sin persists. (Proverbs 1:14): 'Your lot shall be cast among us' - when Joseph sat down, he took the key and was calling out: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Issachar, Zebulun - they are sons of one mother, let them come and sit; Dan and Naphtali - they are sons of one mother, let them come and sit; Gad and Asher - they are sons of one mother, let them come and sit; and he went back and hit with the key and said: Benjamin is an orphan, and I am an orphan, it is fitting for an orphan to sit with an orphan, 'One purse shall be ours' - for they all ate at one table at the banquet. How did he do it? He gave each one one portion, and to Benjamin five portions, how? He took his portion, and Benjamin's portion, and Ephraim's portion, and Manasseh's portion, and the portion of Asenath, Joseph's wife, and gave it to Benjamin, as it is said (Genesis 43:34): 'And he took and sent portions to them from before him, but Benjamin's portion was five times as much as any of theirs, and they drank and were merry with him.' Rabbi Shmuelai said in the name of Rabbi Isaac from Magdala: From the day that Joseph separated from his brothers he did not taste the taste of wine until that day, as it is written (Genesis 49:26), 'And the crown of the head of his brothers' Nazirite.' Rabbi Yosei bar Hanina said: They also did not taste the taste of wine, as it is said, 'And they drank and were merry with him.' Another explanation, 'Your lot shall be cast among us' - this is the Torah, which was the lot of the Holy One, Blessed be He, and given to Israel; 'One purse shall be ours' - at the time when they stood at Mount Sinai and said (Exodus 24:7), 'All that the Lord has spoken we will do and we will hear.'"

(Numb. 16:1:) “[Korah who is] the son of Izhar [who is] the son of Kohath [who is] the son of Levi betook himself.” But there is not written "the son of Jacob" [or] "the son of Israel."¹⁸Numb. R. 18:5; cf.Gen. R. 98:5. This text is related (to Gen. 49:6), “Let not my soul come into their council,” i.e., that of the spies; “and let not my glory be joined with their congregation,” i.e., that of Korah. Jacob said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, with reference to the spies and with reference to the dissension of Korah, let not my name be mentioned [in connection with] those evil men, who are going to cause provocation. So when should my name (Israel) be joined upon them? When they are joined together to stand on the dais (as Levitical singers), as stated (I Chron. 6:[17,] 22–23) ‘[These are the ones whom David put in charge of song in the house of the Lord….] The son of Assir [who is] the son of Ebiasaph [who is] the son of Korah [who is] the son of Izhar [who is] the son of Kohath [who is] the son of Levi [who is] the son of Israel.’” (Numb. 16:1, cont.:) “Along with Dathan and Abiram.” From here the sages said, “Woe to the wicked one, [and] woe to his neighbor.”¹⁹Numb. R. 18:5, cont.; see Neg. 12:6; Sifra to Lev.14:40 (157: Metsora‘, pereq 4); ARN, A, 9; cf. ARN, B, 16; Numb.R. 3:12; Suk. 56b; above, Numb.1:13. As see that Dathan and Abiram were destroyed by the dissent of Korah, because they were neighbors of Korah. As he was dwelling to the south (of the tabernacle), as stated (in Numb. 3:29), “The families of the Children of Kohath were to camp along the side of the tabernacle to the south.” The standard of Reuben was near them, as stated (in Numb. 2:10), “The standard of the camp of Reuben shall be to the south.” However, the standard of Judah was in the east, and with him were Issachar and Zebulun, as stated (in Numb. 2:3), “Now these camping in front to the east shall be the standard of the camp of Judah.” And near them were Moses, Aaron, and his children, as written (in Numb. 3:38), “Those who camped before the tabernacle, in front before the tent of meeting to the east, were Moses, Aaron, and his children.” Because these were near the Torah, they were therefore worthy to be Torah scholars, as written (in Ps. 60:9), “Judah is my lawgiver.”²⁰Mehoqeq. Most translations render the word as scepter, since kingship was what Judah actually attained. And it is [also] written (in I Chron. 12:33), “And from the Children of Issachar, those who had an understanding of the times.” And it is [also] written (in Jud. 5:14), “and from Zebulon those who wield the scribal pen.” But Dathan and Abiram, who were neighbors to Korah – the one responsible for the dissent – were struck with him and perished from the world. (Numb. 16:19:) “And Korah gathered [the whole community] against them.” He said to them (in Numb. 16:3), “’You have gone too far, for all the congregation are holy, every one of them.’²¹Numb. R. 18:6. Moreover, every one of them heard on Sinai (in Exod. 20:2 = Deut. 5:6), ‘I am the Lord your God.’ (Numb. 16:3, cont.:) ‘So why do you elevate yourselves?’” Immediately Moses trembled, because it was already the fourth transgression on their hands. It is comparable to a king's son who had transgressed against his father. Now his friend effected a reconciliation with him once,²²Rt.: PSY. See the Gk.: peithein, peisai in the aorist. twice, and three times. When he transgressed a fourth time, the king's friend became discouraged. He said, “How many times shall I bother the king?” So also [it was with] Moses towards Israel. They had sinned with the calf, and (according to Exod. 32:11) “Moses implored.” In the case of the murmurers, (according to Numb. 11:2) “Moses prayed.” In the case of the spies, (according to Numb. 14:13), “Moses said unto the Lord, when the Egyptians hear [what happened].” [So] in the case of Korah's dissension, he became discouraged. He said, “How often can I bother the Omnipresent?” Therefore (in Numb. 16:4), “When Moses heard this, he fell on his face.”