Midrash sur Néhémie 9:20

(Dan. 9:7:) WITH YOU, O LORD, THERE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS, BUT THERE IS A SHAMEFUL FACE WITH US, TO THIS VERY DAY, WITH THE PEOPLE OF JUDAH <AND THE INHABITANTS OF JERUSALEM, WITH ALL ISRAEL>…. R. Judah bar Il'ay said:³⁷Tanh., Deut. 4:16; PRK 10:8; see M. Pss. 101:2. An idol ('avodah zarah) crossed the sea along with Israel, as stated (in Zech. 10:11): A RIVAL WIFE (tsarah)³⁸The midrash understands tsarah in this sense, although most biblical translations follow the other meaning of tsarah, i.e., “affliction,” distress,” or the like. So also above, Numb. 4a:7. SHALL CROSS IN THE SEA. Tsarah can only mean an idolatrous work, since it is stated (in Is. 28:20): AND THE MOLTEN IMAGE WAS A RIVAL WIFE AS WHEN ONE GATHERS ONESELF (in the same bed).³⁹Most translations render the passage quite differently, but what is given here better fits the sense of the midrash. See Sanh. 103b; Lev. R. 17:7. So the sea was rent asunder before them. Ergo (in Dan. 9:7): WITH YOU, O LORD, THERE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS. R. Judan said: It is written (in Jud. 1:22): THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH, FOR THEIR PART, WENT UP AGAINST BETHEL, AND THE LORD WAS WITH THEM. They were going to serve an idol, [yet you say:] AND THE LORD WAS WITH THEM. Ergo (in Dan. 9:7): WITH YOU, O LORD, THERE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS. R. Judah b. R. Simon said: (Jud. 18:27): THEY TOOK THAT WHICH MICAH HAD MADE, [i.e.,] the idol images, AND THE PRIEST THAT HE HAD, [i.e.,] the idolatrous priest, AND CAME {UNTO} [TO] LAISH…. They conducted an idolatrous worship, and it brought them luck.⁴⁰Cf. M. Pss. 3:3. And not only that, but they took some of the manna and offered it to idols, as stated (in Ezek. 16:19): ALSO MY BREAD, WHICH I GAVE YOU, FINE FLOUR, OIL, AND HONEY WHICH I HAD YOU EAT, YOU SET IT BEFORE THEM AS A PLEASING ODOR; AND SO IT WAS, SAYS THE LORD. What is the meaning of AND SO IT WAS (wayehi)? R. Judan said: It is just as you say: And it came to pass (wayehi) on the morrow, nevertheless (in Neh. 9:20): AND YOU DID NOT WITHHOLD YOUR MANNA FROM THEIR MOUTH. Ergo (in Dan. 9:7): WITH YOU, O LORD, THERE IS RIGHTEOUSNESS.

R. Yudan said: It is written: And the house of Joseph, they also went up to Beth-el, and the Lord was with them (Judg. 1:2). They went up to commit adultery, yet Scripture tells us: The Lord was with them. Is there greater charity than this? Hence, Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness, but unto us confusion of face. Similarly, And they took that which Micah had made, and the priest whom he had; and came unto Laish, unto a people quiet and secure (Judg. 18:7). And they took that which Micah had made refers to the idol, and the priest refers to the idolatrous priest. And came unto Laish, which is Paneas.¹⁸A prosperous city despite the fact that the poeple worshipped idols. It was situated in the northern part of Palestine. Unto a people quiet and secure who served idols and prospered with them. And that is why it says: A people quiet and secure. Is there charity greater than this? Hence it says: Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness. You find that on the day that Israel erected the golden calf, manna descended. They took it and brought it as an offering to the calf, as it is said: My bread also which I gave thee, fine flour, and oil, and honey, wherewith I fed thee, thou didst even set it before them for a sweet savor, and thus it was (Ezek. 16:19). What is meant by And thus it was? It means that it descended as well on the next day, as Scripture states: And tomorrow shall be like this day (Isa. 56:12), and the manna did not cease falling. Hence, Unto Thee, O Lord, belongeth righteousness; but to us confusion of face. Despite the golden calf (they erected): Thou withheldest not Thy manna from their mouth (Neh. 9:20).

(Deut. 14:22:) “You shall surely tithe.” This is related to the verse (in Dan. 9:7) “With You, O Lord, there is righteousness, but there is a shameful face with us, to this very day, with the people of Judah [and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, with all Israel].” R. Judah beRabbi Eliezer said,²⁴PRK 10:8; see M. Pss. 101:2. “An idol ('avodah zarah) crossed the sea along with Israel, as stated (in Zech. 10:11), ‘A rival wife (tsarah)²⁵The midrash understands tsarah in this sense, although most biblical translations follow the other meaning of tsarah, i.e., “affliction,” distress,” or the like. So also above, Numb. 4a:7. shall cross in the sea.’ Tsarah can only mean an idolatrous work, since it is stated (in Is. 28:20), ‘And [the molten image was a rival wife] as when one gathers oneself and the bed is too small.’²⁶Most translations render the passage quite differently, but what is given here better fits the sense of the midrash. See Sanh. 103b; Lev. R. 17:7. [Yet] the sea was rent asunder before them.” Ergo (in Dan. 9:7), “With You, O Lord, there is righteousness (zedekah, which also means charity).” R. Judan said, “It is written (in Jud. 1:22), ‘The House of Joseph, for their part, went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.’ They were going to serve an idol, yet you say, ‘And the Lord was with them.’ Ergo (in Dan. 9:7), ‘With You, O Lord, there is righteousness (charity).’” R. Judah b. R. Simon said, “There is even greater righteousness (charity) than this. Behold, it states (Jud. 18:27), ‘they took that which Micah had made,’ [i.e.,] the idol images, ‘and the priest that he had,’ [i.e.,] the idolatrous priest, ‘and came to Laish,’ [i.e.,] Bamias, ‘to a people tranquil and unsuspecting.’ They conducted an idolatrous worship, and it brought them success, such that you say, ‘to a people tranquil and unsuspecting?’ And is there greater righteousness (charity) than that.” Ergo (in Dan. 9:7), “With You, O Lord, there is righteousness.”²⁷Cf. M. Pss. 3:3. R. Samuel bar Nahmani said, “You find that on the very day that Israel made the [golden] calf, manna fell. And not only that, but they took some of the manna and offered it to their idols, as stated (in Ezek. 16:19), ‘”Also My bread, which I gave you, fine flour, oil, and honey which I had you eat, you set it before them as a pleasing odor; and so it was,” says the Lord God.’” What is the meaning of “and so it was (wayehi)?” R. Judan said, “It is just as you say, ‘And it came to pass (wayehi) [like this] on the morrow’; nevertheless (in Neh. 9:20), ‘and You did not withhold Your manna from their mouth.’” Ergo (in Dan. 9:7), “With you, O Lord, there is righteousness (charity).” R. Eleazar said that Rabbi said, “Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah said this verse.” You find that when Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah came up from the fiery furnace, all the kings of the peoples of the world assembled.²⁸See also Sanh. 93a. This is what is written (in Dan. 3:27), “The satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the royal companions assembled [to look on those men.” Then all these king spit in front of them, and said to them, “You know that there is power in your God to perform all these miracles for you; yet you bow down to an idol, and you have caused Him to destroy His house, burn His chamber and exile you until now?” [They did this] until they had produced a mass of spittle. Then Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah raised their faces toward above and said (in Dan. 9:7), “’With you, O Lord, there is righteousness,’ that is justification of the verdict; ‘but there is a shameful face with us,’ because we have provoked You so many times with You enduring us.” It is taught in the name of R. Hiya, “By universal custom, if someone has a certain field, he may let it out for a half or a third or a quarter [of its yield]; but it is not like that with the Holy One, blessed be He. He causes the wind to blow, clouds to rise, rains to descend, dews to flourish, plants to grow, and fruits to become plump; yet he only says to separate out one tenth in front of Him.” For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22), “You shall surely tithe.”

(Numb. 21:4:) “Then they journeyed from Mount Hor by way of the Reed Sea in order to go around the Land of Edom, but the people grew restive on the journey.” But is it not written (of that era in Neh. 9:20), “And You gave Your good spirit to enlighten them?” It is simply that those remnants of Israel which had come out of Egypt over whom death had been decreed, saw neither a peaceful nor agreeable spirit in the desert.¹²²Numb. R. 19:21. Thus it says (in Numb. 14:33), “And your children shall roam in the wilderness....” This was (according to Numb. 21:4) the people who grew restive on the journey. (Numb. 21:5:) “And the people spoke against God and against Moses.” They equated the slave and his Master. (Numb. 21:5:) “Our soul loathes this miserable food,” for that generation was unable to taste any of the fruits of the land at all. R. Aqiva said, “When merchants [even] uncovered a basket with some fruits of the land for them, they died.” It is so stated (in Deut. 1:35), “Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land,” [i.e.,] any good that comes because of the land. That is why the people grew restive on the journey. These are the ones that grumbled (in Numb. 21:5), “Our soul loathes.” (Numb. 21:6:) “Then the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people.” Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, see fit to exact retribution from them through serpents?¹²³Numb. R. 19:22. It is simply that the snake started [the use of] slanderous language at the beginning and was cursed; yet they did not learn from it and spoke slanderous language against the Holy One, blessed be He. [The Holy One, blessed be He, said,] “Let the serpent, which was the first [to use] slanderous language, come and exact retribution from those who [still] speak slanderous language.” This is what is written (in Eccl. 10:8), “the one who breaks through a barrier¹²⁴In general “to break through a barrier” means “to say,” but here the reference may denote more specifically the barrier of one’s teeth, through which slander must pass. will have a snake bite him.” Another interpretation of why retribution was exacted from them through serpents: Even if the serpent eats all the luxury foods of the world, for him they are turned to dust in his mouth. Thus it is stated (in Is. 65:25), “but the serpent's food shall be dust.” Now these people ate the manna, as stated (in Ps. 106:15), “So He gave them what they asked for,” and (in Ps. 78:29), “He gave them their desire.” It also says (in Deut. 2:7), “these forty years the Lord your God has been with you; you have lacked nothing.”¹²⁵I.e., no luxury foods. Let a serpent that eats many species and has [but] one taste in his mouth come and exact the retribution from those who eat one species and taste many species. (Numb. 21:6:) “Fiery serpents (serafim).” [They are called serafim] because they burn (sorefim) the soul. R. Judan says, “[God] sent out the [same] serpents that the cloud of glory would burn and make into a fence for the camp to let them know the miracles that the Omnipresent had done for them.” (Numb. 21:7:) “Then the people came unto Moses and said, ‘We have sinned, since we spoke against the Lord and you.’” [They] knew that they had spoken against Moses, so they fell prostrate before him and said (ibid., cont.), “pray unto the Lord to remove the serpent¹²⁶The use of the singular here may be suggesting to midrashic interpreter that this was the same serpent that sinned in the Garden of Eden. See the parallel in Numb. R. 19:23. from us.” Rabbi says, “There was one serpent.” [(Ibid., cont.:) “And he prayed.” The passage serves] to make Moses' humility known to you, in that he did not hesitate to seek mercy for them. And [it is also] to make the power of repentance known to you. As soon as they said, “We have sinned,” he was immediately reconciled to them. [The passage serves] to teach you that the one who forgives should not be cruel. And so too does it say (in Gen. 20:17), “Abraham then prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech and his wife.” And so does it say (in Job 42:10), “The Lord restored Job’s fortunes when he prayed on behalf of his friends.” And where is it shown that if one has sinned against his companion and says to him, “I have sinned,” without [the companion] forgiving him, that [the unforgiving one] is called a sinner? Where it is stated (in I Sam. 12:23), “As for me also, far be it for me to sin against the Lord by ceasing to pray on your behalf.” When? When they came and said to him, “We have sinned,” [as stated] (in I Sam. 12:10), “and [they] said, ‘We have sinned […].’” And he answered, “Far be it from me to sin.” (Numb. 21:8), “And the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Make a fiery serpent, [and put it on a pole]; then it shall come to pass that, when anyone bitten [looks at it, he shall live],” not only one bitten by a serpent, but anyone bitten, even one bitten by an adder, by a scorpion, a wild beast, or a dog. (Numb. 21:9:) “So Moses made a bronze serpent and set it up by a miracle.”¹²⁷Nes. The usual rendering would read: AND SET IT UP ON A POLE (nes). However, since nes can also mean “miracle,” the midrash is understanding it in the latter sense. He tossed it into the air and it remained there. (Numb. 21:10:) “Then the Children of Israel journeyed on and camped in Oboth (Ovot, rt: 'wb),” because they had become enemies (oyevim, rt: 'yb) to the Omnipresent.¹²⁸Numb. R. 19:24. (Numb. 21:11:) “And they camped at Iye-Abarim ('avarim, rt.: 'br),” because they were full of transgressions ('averot, rt.: 'br). (Numb. 21:12:) “And they camped in the Wadi Zered,” because the wadi was [only] about a full span (zeret) [in width]; but they were unable to cross it for thirty-eight years. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 2:13-14), “Now then arise and cross the Wadi Zered…. And the time that we traveled from Kadesh-Barnea until we crossed the Wadi Zered was thirty-eight years.”(Numb. 21:13:) “From there they journeyed and camped on the other side of (m'br) the Arnon (rt.: rnn),” because the Omnipresent was reconciled to them.¹²⁹The argument seems to depend on the following: M‘BR is close to M‘BRH, which means, “away from transgression” or, with different voweling, “away from wrath”; while the root, RNN, means “sing” or “rejoice.”

21 (Numb. 21:4) “Then they journeyed from Mount Hor [by way of the Reed Sea in order to go around the Land of Edom], but the people grew restive on the journey.” But is it not written (of that era in Neh. 9:20), “And You gave Your good spirit to enlighten them?” It is simply that those remnants of Israel which had come out of Egypt over whom death had been decreed, saw neither a peaceful nor agreeable spirit in the desert. Thus it says (in Numb. 14:33), “And your children shall roam in the wilderness....” This was (according to Numb. 21:4,) the people who grew restive on the journey. (Numb. 21:5) “And the people spoke against God and against Moses”: They equated the slave and his Master. (Numb. 21:5) “Our soul loathes this miserable food,” for that generation was unable to taste any of the fruits of the land at all. R. Aqiva said, “When merchants [even] uncovered a basket with some fruits of the land for them, they died.” It is so stated (in Deut. 1:35), “Not one of these men, this evil generation, shall see the good land,” [i.e.,] any good that comes because of the land. That is why the people grew restive on the journey. These are the ones that grumbled (in Numb. 21:5), “Our soul loathes.”

(Numb. 21:4:) THEN THEY JOURNEYED FROM MOUNT HOR BY WAY OF THE REED SEA IN ORDER TO GO AROUND THE LAND OF EDOM, BUT THE PEOPLE'S TEMPER GREW SHORT ON THE WAY. But is it not written (of that era in Neh. 9:20): AND YOU GAVE YOUR GOOD SPIRIT TO ENLIGHTEN THEM? It is simply that those remnants of Israel which had came out of Egypt, over whom death had been decreed, saw neither a peaceful nor agreeable spirit in the desert.¹⁷⁴Tanh., Numb. 6:19; Numb. R. 19:21. Thus it says (in Numb. 14:33–34): AND YOUR CHILDREN SHALL BE SHEPHERDS IN THE WILDERNESS, <….> [<…,> AND YOU SHALL KNOW MY DISPLEASURE.] This was because (according to Numb. 21:4) THE PEOPLE'S TEMPER GREW SHORT ON THE WAY.