Les Proverbes 1:31 Midrash : Midrash Mishlei, Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition) & Pesikta Rabbati

[13] (Proverbs 1:22): "'How long, you simple ones, will you love simplicity?' - These are the generation of the wilderness; 'and scoffers delight in their scoffing' - These are the congregation of Korah; 'and fools hate knowledge' - This refers to the wicked kingdom that did not accept the yoke of Heaven and the yoke of Torah. (Proverbs 1:23): 'Turn to my reproof' - These are Israel, whom Moses rebuked for the Golden Calf incident. 'Behold, I will pour out my spirit to you' - When he explained to them the Mishnah Torah. 'I will make my words known to you' - This teaches that he made known to them the particulars and explanations of the Torah, purity and impurity, prohibition and permission. (Proverbs 1:24): 'Because I have called and you refused' - This is the Holy One, Blessed be He, who sounded His voice to Israel, and they sinned against Him again, as it is said (Exodus 16:28): 'How long do you refuse to keep My commandments and My laws?' Another interpretation: 'Because I have called' - This is Moses, who was calling them words of Torah, and they were not believing, as it is said 'How long do you refuse?' Another interpretation: 'Because I have called' - This is Jeremiah, who was calling to Israel in Jerusalem to repent, and they did not believe him, as it is said (Zechariah 7:11): 'But they refused to hearken, and pulled away the shoulder, etc.' 'I have stretched out my hand, and no one regards' - This is Gabriel, whose hand was stretched out over Jerusalem for six and a half years, with coals in his hand, and he wished to throw them in anger, but he waited for them to repent, and they did not heed. Another interpretation: 'I have stretched out my hand, and no one regards' - This is the Holy One, Blessed be He, whose hand was stretched out for six and a half years that they might return in repentance, but they did not return. Until when? Rabbi Jeremiah said: Until His anger returned, as it is said (Hosea 14:5): 'I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for My anger is turned away from him.' (Proverbs 1:25): 'But you have ignored all my counsel' - This is Moses, who was advising Israel, and they would turn away from him and cancel his counsel. 'And would have none of my reproof' - This is Jeremiah, that every reproof and reproof that he was reproving Israel, they were scorning him and ridiculing him. Jeremiah said to them: By your lives, a day is coming, just as you were ridiculing me and playing with me, to mock and ridicule you, from where? From what is written after it: (Proverbs 1:26): 'I also will laugh at your calamity,' and it says: (Proverbs 1:27): 'When your fear comes as destruction, etc.' (Proverbs 1:28): 'Then they will call me, but I will not answer' - And why all this? Rabbi Ishmael said: The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them through my prophets (Isaiah 55:6): 'Seek the Lord while He may be found,' by your lives, a day will come when you will call Me, and I will not answer you, the proof is 'Then they will call me, but I will not answer,' and why all this - (Proverbs 1:29): 'Because they hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear of the Lord.' (Proverbs 1:30): 'They would none of my counsel, they despised all my reproof' - said the Holy One, Blessed be He: I said to you through my prophets (Ezekiel 33:11): 'Turn back, turn back from your evil ways,' by your lives, a day will come when I will punish you according to your ways, as it is said: (Proverbs 1:31): 'Therefore they shall eat the fruit of their own way, etc.' And why all this: (Proverbs 1:32): 'For the waywardness of the naive will kill them, etc.' But whoever listens to my words of Torah, I will seat him in tranquility and security, as it is said: (Proverbs 1:33): 'But whoever listens to me will dwell securely.'"

(Fol. 40) Raba raised the following objection before R. Nachman: "We are taught in a Mishnah, these are the things of which a man enjoys the interest for his reward in this world, while the principal remaineth for him in the world to come. They are: honoring his father and mother, the practice of loving kindness, hospitality, making peace between man and his associates, and above all the study of the Torah. Concerning honoring father and mother, it is written (Deut. 5. 16) In order ihat thy days may be prolonged, and in order that it may go well with thee; concerning loving kindness it is written (Pr. 21, 21) He that pursueth righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness and honor; and concerning bringing peace, it is written (Ps. 34, 15) Seek peace and pursue it. And R. Abahu explained that we infer this from the similar words R'dipha R'dipha (pursue); it is written here, seek peace and pursue it, (rod-phrhu); and again it is written (Pr. 21, 21) He that pursueth (rodeph) righteousness and kindness will find life, righteousness and honor; [Hence both hare the same merits]. Concerning studying the Torah, it is written (Deut. 30, 20) For it (the Torah) is thy life, and the length of thy days. If so, tlien concerning the sending away of the bird, it is also written (Ib. 22, 7) in order that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayest live many days. Then why did not the Mishnah count this also? "The Tanna left it out," [was R. Nachman's reply]. Is this then possible, since our Tannah states: "These are the things." How can you say he left something unmentioned?" Therefore said Raba: "R. Idi explained this to me [with the following verse]: (Is. 3, 10) Say it to the righteous, that he has done well; for the fruit of their deeds shall they eat. Is there then a righteous man that is good and a righteous man that is not good? We must therefore say that a righteous man who is good towards heaven and also towards man is a righteous that is good; who is good towards heaven but conducts himself badly towards man is a righteous man that is not good. Similar to this case (Ib., ib. 11) Woe unto the wicked who doth evil; for the recompense of his hands shall be bestowed on him. Are there then wicked who do evil and wicked who do not evil? We must therefore say that the wicked who act wickedly towards heaven and towards man, this is a wicked man who does evil; but a wicked man who acts wickedly towards heaven and not towards man, this is a wicked who doeth not evil." [Hence wherever the passage does not state for the fruit … shall they eat, it yields no fruit in this world]. Meritorious rewards have a capital and also the fruit bearing on the principal, as it is said Say it to the righteous that he hath done well; for the fruit, etc; while iniquities have merely principal but no fruit yielding, as it is said Woe unto the wicked who does evil, etc. If so, then how will the following passage (Pr. 1, 31) Therefore shall they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be filled with their own devices, be explained? This means that a crime which bears fruit [if it is carried out] it will also yield fruit [in the punishment], but a crime which bears no fruit [is not carried out] it will yield no fruit in the punishment. The merit of a good intention does the Holy One, praised be He! [in rewarding] add to that of a good deed, as it is said (Mal. 3, 16) Then conversed those that fear the Lord; one with another, and the Lord listened and heard it; and there was written a book of remembrance before Him, over those that feared the Lord and for those who respected His name. Said R. Assi: What does and for those who respected His name, mean? "Even when one intended to observe a commandment, but was incidentally prevented from doing so. Scripture credits him as if he had actually observed it." Bad intentions, the Holy One, praised be He, however, does not add to deeds, as it is said (Ps. 66, 18) If I had looked on wickedness with my heart, the Lord would not have heard. But how will the following passage (Jer. 6, 19) Behold, I will bring evil upon these people, the fruit of their thoughts, be explained? This means that an evil intention which bears fruit (is carried out), the Holy One, praised be He! adds to deeds; but such evil thoughts which bear no fruit, the Holy One, praised be He! does not add to deeds, but is there not a passage (Ez. 14, 5) In order that I may grasp the house of Israel by their heart? Said R. Acha b. Jacob: "The last passage refers to idolatry, for the master said elsewhere: The crime of idolatry is so severe that whoever denies it is as he admits the truthfulness of the entire Torah." Ulla said: "The last passage means as R. Huna explained it, for R. Huna said: 'As soon as a man commits a crime once, and twice, it becomes to him a privileged thing.' How can one think that it is a privilege? We must therefore say that it appears to him like a privileged thing." R. Abahu, in the name of R. Chanina, said: "It is preferable for a man to commit a transgression secretly, but not to profane Heaven's name," etc. [Fully explained in Volume 3, page 29].

From Ephraim, who wrote in Amalek after you, Benjamin (Judges 5:14). May our Rabbis teach us what a person should say when he reads the Book of Esther. The Talmud teaches us that our Sages should say when he comes to read the Book of Esther, saying in the Book of Esther, "The Great God is our Lord and the Avenger of our vengeance, the Redeemer and the Savior from the hand of tyrants, in the Book of God, the Savior." And why not remember the salvation that the Blessed One performed in the days of Haman through Mordecai and Esther when Haman sought to destroy Israel, as it is said, "To destroy, to kill, and to destroy," etc. (Esther 3:13)? And not for himself did he intermarry with Israel, but also with Amalek, our ancestor, who provoked Israel when they came out of Egypt, as it is said, "And Amalek came" (Exodus 17:8)? And what would Amalek do to them? The wicked Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnan, in the name of Rabbi Levi, would cut off their memorials and throw them up and say, "This is what you desire, for it is given to you. Where did it come from?" It is written, "Return to our neighbors seven times to their lap" (Psalms 99:12). This is the word that is given in the lap of their disgrace, which the Lord has disgraced you (ibid.). And so he says, "And he will strike you with his tail" (Deuteronomy 25:18). He did not strike the tail except because the Holy One, blessed be He, commands Israel and says, "Remember" (ibid., 17). They said to him, "Remember, O Lord, as it is written, "Remember the Lord for the children of Edom the day of Jerusalem" (Psalms 137:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "Do your own thing. You will blot out the memory of Amalek" (Deuteronomy 139:19). And I will do mine, for I will blot out the memory of Amalek" (Exodus 17:14). He did not do it except because King Saul said, "The Holy One, blessed be He, will not let the seed of Amalek fall except in the hand of Rachel's son." Thus you find in the Rephidim. It fell into the hands of Joshua, as it is said, And Joshua defeated Amalek (Isa. 13), the Blessed One said to the world, "This tribe is ready to be redeemed from Amalek, from what He completed in the prophet, from Ephraim, who recorded Amalek after you, Benjamin: From Ephraim, thus began Rabbi Tanchuma in my Rabbi, and he descended from Jacob and destroyed a remnant from the city (Numbers 24:19). What is it, and he descended, the Holy One, blessed be He, said when the ruler who will arise from Jacob at that time and destroy a remnant from the city: [Another thing] What is it, and he descended, this is the king of the Messiah, as it is said, and he descended from water to sea (Psalms 22:8), as it is said that he descended on all sides of the river (1 Kings 5:4). Alas, the rule is not given to a wicked nation except until the Messiah comes and descends from Jacob: 21. And he descended, the Blessed One said, not from the great sons of Jacob, but from the lowly sons of Jacob. Who was the lowest of all the tribes, and the lowest of all, this is Joseph? And Benjamin said, The Holy One, blessed be He, in the hand of the lowly and in the hand of the little ones of Jacob, I deliver the wicked kingdom. And why is it so? But the Blessed One said, I know what I do. I have counseled this counsel, as it is said, Who has counseled this against Tyre? (Isaiah 23:8) I am the one who has counseled them, the Lord of hosts has counseled them. (Isa. 9:1) From Ephraim. What is from Ephraim? Our rabbis say, The Holy One, blessed be He, said, [From me] [From me] This was from the days of Moses, as it is said, And Moses said to Joshua, Choose [and] (Exodus 17:9) And if he knew it himself, he said to him, No, but from the mouth of the word, Joshua could have blotted out the seed of Amalek from that time from Ephraim, which he recorded in Amalek: Isa. From Ephraim. Why did the sons of Joseph rebel against Esau? But Joseph was hated by his brothers, as it is said, And they hated him (his brothers) (Genesis 37:4) And he turned the hatred into love, and Esau turned the love of Jacob into hatred, saying, The Blessed One will come and redeem him. After Joseph's words, his brothers sinned against him and cursed him, and his brothers believed that they were cursed just as they had done to him, if Joseph had cursed them (ibid. v. 15). He did not do so to them, but rather returned good to them in exchange for evil. But they did it when they cursed Jacob, and Esau cursed Jacob (ibid. 27:41). Jacob did not do so to him, but said to him [about] that blessing, you who curse me, it is given to you. Take my blessing that was brought to you (ibid. 33:11). Nevertheless, he did not uproot the hatred from his heart, said the Holy One, blessed be He. Joseph came and uprooted the hatred from his heart and redeemed Esau, who had hidden the enmity in his heart (from Ephraim, who recorded it): Why did Joseph have all those evils that his brothers did to him, since When he saw them in trouble, he could not restrain his pity for them, but his eyes flowed with tears for them, and Joseph could not help himself, for his pity for his brother was aroused, and he sought to weep, and he went into the chamber and wept there (Genesis 43:30). But Esau did not arouse his pity for his brother, as it is said about his pursuing his brother with the sword (Amos 1:11): [Another thing] From Ephraim (DA) What is from Ephraim except that from the days of Jacob this tribe was prepared to be torn away from Esau forever, except when Jacob came from Paddan Aram, Esau began to go ahead of him and his sons to kill them, and when Jacob saw this, he began to be distressed, and Jacob was greatly afraid, and he was distressed (Genesis 32:8). At that time, the Blessed One appeared to him and said to him, "Are Rachel's sons with you, and you fear for your life? They are destined to be torn away from him every time he stands over your sons." When Jacob saw this, he stood and guarded Rachel and her sons. And from what he did, you know that this is so. He said to him, the Holy One, blessed be He, who makes them camps of camps, that if Esau comes to the camp [one], the camp that remains will be a refuge (Ibid. 9:11). And He makes them four camps and gives Rachel first of all, as it is said, "And He put the handmaids and their children first" (Ibid. 33:2). You see that the handmaids were first, and then their sons, and then Leah and her children last (Ibid.). And after that, and Rachel and Joseph (Ibid.) Jacob said, "If all his sons are killed, and Rachel's son remains, that I am saved by Rachel's son, and the camp that remains will be a refuge." And why is this, except that Rachel's sons were counted to be redeemed from this evil seed from Ephraim, which was recorded in Amalek: 1. From Ephraim [and] "Who is after you, Benjamin?" God, blessed be He, said, "Forever after you, Benjamin, to claim from the seed of Amalek, and you shall know that there was a man from the seed of Amalek who stood and intermarried with Israel, and none stood against him except from the seed of Benjamin. And who was this wicked Haman? As it is said, King Ahasuerus honored Haman the son of Hammedatha the Haggai (Esther 3:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Your life [is] ready for you to come and cut off your roots." And who is this? This was Mordecai. As it is said, "There was a Jew in Shushan the capital, whose name was Mordecai the son of Yair, the son of Shimei, the son of Kish, a man of the right hand" (ibid. 2:5): "From Ephraim, thus began Rabbi Tanhuma, in my name Rabbi, "A stone and a stone, where and where is an abomination to the Lord, both of them?" (Proverbs 20:10). "False scales are an abomination to the Lord." (ibid. 11:1). What is written after it? Malice came and disgrace came. (ibid. 2:2). At a time when Israel is weighed (in scales) [in scales] of justice and with stones of justice and with scales of truth, there is no nation or kingdom that rules over them. And at a time when they are weighed in the balances by the hands of their enemies, deceitful scales, an abomination to the Lord, come upon them." And what is written after it? Malice came and disgrace came: [From Ephraim and the rest], and my ribs rejoiced and were gathered (Psalms 35:15) When Israel came to the hand of the Lord, they rejoiced and were gathered to kill them. In my ribs they rejoiced and were gathered. What is it? The cripples were gathered to me, and I did not know (there). At the Ascent of the House of Netza in Lod, they said, "When I am a cripple, they rejoice and are gathered to provoke, because they are cripples and lame. There is one who executes judgment on the lame, and my ribs [and the rest] were torn and did not bleed (there). Tear after tear. Israel said to him, "Master of the world, cripples execute judgment on the lame, sitting and waiting for the father to come to my rib [to come] [to come] upon me." [Another thing] And my ribs rejoiced and were gathered in Aaron. And all the congregation saw that Aaron was angry (in Numbers 20:29). What was written after him? And the Canaanite king of Arad heard (there 28:1) Even at the time (when we came out) [when we came out] of Egypt, what was written about the quarrel of the children of Israel? [and the rest] is the Lord among us. (Exodus 17:7) Rabbi Yehuda says: Thus they said: If He is Lord over all nations, as He is Lord over us, we will serve among us; and if not, we will not serve. And Rabbi Nehemiah says: What is the meaning of the Lord among us? They said: If we have enough food, we will serve; and if not, we will not serve. I.e. Is the Lord among us? Rabbi Abbahu: If we are among us, we will serve. And if we are among us, we will serve. And if not, we will not serve. As the saying goes: And the breast and the thighs shall be washed with water (Leviticus 1:13). See the foolishness that was in their hands. The Divine Presence would have borne them, carried on clouds of glory and surrounded by them, and the pillar of cloud went before them, and in the wilderness which you saw that the Lord your God carried you (Deuteronomy 1:31). And they say: Is the Lord among us? The Lord is among us, Rabbi Barachiah the priest, in the book of Rebbe, a man who was walking on the road with his son on his shoulder, and he was leading him in the market. The son saw something he wanted and said to his father, "Take it for me," and he took it for him once, the first, the second, and the third, and his son on his shoulder. Finally, he saw one and said to him, "You saw my father immediately take it and throw it to the ground." He said to him, "This is the way. I would carry you on my shoulders. Now you said, "You saw my father thus." Israel was carried on clouds of glory. And in the wilderness, where you saw that the Lord your God carried you as a man carries his son (there), they said, "Is the Lord among us immediately?" And Amalek came. And because of the transgression of their sins, Amalek came. He said to them, "Remember what Amalek did to you." He did not have to say so, but "Remember what you did to Rephidim." And why did he say to them, "Remember [and]"? Rather, Rabbi Acha spoke of a man who went in at night to steal grapes from the vineyard. And the watchman loved him because he was watching him. The watchman saw that he loved him. What did he do that the dog that was standing there chewed on him? He stood and opened his mouth. From that day, when the watchman wanted to remind his lover who had come to steal grapes, he would say to him, "Remember, you, how I have scattered the dog." This is how it should have been said, "Remember what you did in the Rephidim." What is "remember"? Hearing them from the side, the Blessed One said, "Even though you angered (him) [me], and the wicked one came to provoke (you) [with you], but I will uproot his seed from the world, from Ephraim, which he wrote about Amalek: "And they ate of the fruit of their way" (Proverbs 1:31). Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, see to it that he dealt with Amalek with such cruelty that he would wipe out the memory of Amalek (Deuteronomy 25:19) and that death would come from man to woman, from child to suckling (1 Samuel 15:3). But the Blessed One said (in advance) to him, "From what he is about to do, it is clear and foreseeable before him, that he is about to cut off from youth to old age, children and women in one day" (Esther 1:15). 3:13) Therefore, the death of man and woman (Samuel there) will wipe out the memory of Amalek (Deuteronomy there) Why did they eat the fruit of their way? It is written that Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the troubler of all the Jews, cast the lot, and it was the lot to smite and destroy them. And when he came before the king (Esther 9:24-25) before the Holy One, blessed be He, he said with the book, “Return [and see]” (ibid.) What book is written is this, a remembrance in the book [and see]? For I will wipe out the memory of Amalek (Exodus 17:14) Why did they eat the fruit of their way and their counsels, they will be satisfied (Proverbs there) with what they advised and thought about us? David said to him, “They did to us what was possible, they condemned the circumcision, which you chose, and burned your house and your Torah, and you wrote in the Torah, and you said, “Remember what Amalek did to you, O Lord, remember that there is no forgetfulness before you.” And if you do not seek to remember what they did to us, remember what they did to Jerusalem on the day they entered it. Remember the Lord to the children of Edom on the day Jerusalem (Psalms 137:7) The Blessed One said, "I will not forget before me, but I will remember what you have done, you who are flesh and blood, and you are common. O remember what Amalek has done to you, that his name may be blotted out from the world. Remember what Amalek has done to you. [And] blot out the memory of Amalek. The Lord said to him, "Blot out the memory of Amalek." The Lord said to him, "For us, to blot out his name." He said to them, "It is not known and foreseeable before me when I will deliver Amalek into the hand of Saul your king, who is about to leave a remnant of his seed, that he will spare him and will have mercy on Agag." (1 Samuel 15:9) Therefore I command you to blot out. And although Saul spared Agag, Samuel came and killed him with a strange death. And Samuel cut off Agag (I Samuel 33) Agag said to him, "In this death the prophets kill." Samuel said to him, "As your sword devoured women (I Samuel)," what is it? As it devoured? He said to him, "As Amalek did to your elders, and you destroyed their memory, and made their wives widows and widows, as it devoured." [And] "So shall your mother be wiser than women," said the Holy One, blessed be He, in the 7th chapter. "I told them to blot out the name of Amalek, but in the future the tribe that I have prepared for him will depart from him and root out his offspring from the world, from Ephraim."