Midrash sur Les Nombres 20:13
הֵ֚מָּה מֵ֣י מְרִיבָ֔ה אֲשֶׁר־רָב֥וּ בְנֵֽי־יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל אֶת־יְהוָ֑ה וַיִּקָּדֵ֖שׁ בָּֽם׃ (ס)
Ce sont là les eaux de Meriba, parce que les enfants d’Israël contestèrent contre le Seigneur, qui fit éclater sa sainteté par elles.
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
(Ex. 2, 6) And she opened it, and saw him [the child]. It should have been written Vatereh (and she saw) and not she saw him? Said R. Josi b. R. Chanina: "This intends to inform us that she saw the Shechina with him." (Ib., ib., ib.) And Behold, it was a weeping boy. In the beginning she calls him child and afterward she calls him boy. We are taught that he was indeed a child, but his voice sounded like that of a boy. Such is the opinion of R. Juda. Whereupon R. Nechemia said to him: "If so then you attribute a blemish to our teacher, Moses." Therefore said he: "From this we may infer that his mother made a canopy for him and deposited it in that box, remarking: 'Lest I will not be able to see his wedding I will [therefore make it now].'" (Ib.) And she had compassion on him, and said: 'This is one of the Hebrews' children.' Whence did she know this? Said R. Jose, the son of R. Chanina: "From this it might be inferred that she saw that he was circumcized." (Ib.) This. Said R. Jochanan: "Infer from this that she prophesied not knowing the meaning of it. 'This will fall in the river, but no one else.'" And this is meant by R. Elazar, who said: "What is meant by the passage (Is. 8, 19) And when they shall say unto you inquire of those that have familiar spirits, and of the wizards, that whisper, and that mutter: They see and do not know what they see, they whisper and do not know what they whisper. When they [the astrologers of Pharaoh] saw that the redeemer of Israel would be punished through water they issued a decree, 'Every son that is born, he shall be cast into the river.' As soon as Moses was thrown into the river they said: 'We see no more of that sign any more.' Hence they repealed the decree, but they did not know that the sign being punished by water refers to the Memeriba." This is the interpretation of R. Chani b. Chanina, who said: "What is the meaning of the following passage (Num. 20, 13) There are the waters of Meriba, where the children of Israel strove with the Lord, i.e., this is the water concerning which the astrologers of Pharaoh saw and erred thereby." And this was meant by Moses, when he said (Ib. 11, 21) Six hundred thousand men on foot are the people in the midst of whom I am; i.e., Moses said to Israel: "On account of me were you saved."
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Shir HaShirim Rabbah
“Your head is upon you like the Carmel, and the locks of your head are like purple wool; the king is bound in the tresses” (Song of Songs 7:6).
“Your head is upon you like the Carmel,” the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: “Your head [roshekh] is upon you like the Carmel”—the indigent [rashim] among you are as dear to Me as Elijah who climbed Mount Carmel, as it is stated: “Elijah climbed to the peak of the Carmel and he placed his face between his knees” (I Kings 18:42). Why did he place his face between his knees? He said before the Holy One blessed be He: We have no merit, look to the covenant.40He put his head between his knees as an allusion to the covenant of circumcision.
“And the locks [dalat] of your head [roshekh] are like purple wool.” The Holy One blessed be He said: The poor [dalim] and the indigent [rashim] in Israel are as dear to me as David, as it is stated: “The feeble among them will on that day be like David” (Zechariah 12:8). Some say like Daniel, about whom it is written: “They clothed Daniel in purple wool” (Daniel 5:29).
“The king is bound in the tresses,” this is the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He, in whose regard it is written: “The Lord reigns, He is clothed in grandeur” (Psalms 93:1). “Bound in the tresses [barehatim],” as He bound Himself with an oath that He would rest His Divine Presence in the midst of Israel, in the beams [barehatim] of Jacob our patriarch. By whose merit? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Levi, one said: By the merit of Abraham our patriarch, as it is stated: “Abraham ran41The Aramaic translation of “ran” is rahat. to the cattle” (Genesis 18:7). And one said: By the merit of Jacob our patriarch, in whose regard it is written: “He displayed the rods [that he had peeled in the troughs [barehatim]]” (Genesis 30:38).
Rabbi Berekhya said: “King,” this is Moses, as it is stated: “He became king in Yeshurun” (Deuteronomy 33:5). “In the tresses [barehatim],” as it was decreed upon him that he would not enter the Land of Israel.42In that sense Moses was “bound” by the decree against him. For what reason? It was due to the water troughs [barehatim] of the waters of contention. That is what is written: “They are the waters of contention” (Numbers 20:13). Rabbi Neḥemya said: “King,” this is Moses, as it is stated: “He became king in Yeshurun” (Deuteronomy 33:5). The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘I appointed you king over Israel and it is the way of a king to issue decrees and have others fulfill them. Thus, you shall issue decrees upon Israel and they will fulfill them.’ That is what is written: “Command the children of Israel” (Leviticus 24:2).
“Your head is upon you like the Carmel,” the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: “Your head [roshekh] is upon you like the Carmel”—the indigent [rashim] among you are as dear to Me as Elijah who climbed Mount Carmel, as it is stated: “Elijah climbed to the peak of the Carmel and he placed his face between his knees” (I Kings 18:42). Why did he place his face between his knees? He said before the Holy One blessed be He: We have no merit, look to the covenant.40He put his head between his knees as an allusion to the covenant of circumcision.
“And the locks [dalat] of your head [roshekh] are like purple wool.” The Holy One blessed be He said: The poor [dalim] and the indigent [rashim] in Israel are as dear to me as David, as it is stated: “The feeble among them will on that day be like David” (Zechariah 12:8). Some say like Daniel, about whom it is written: “They clothed Daniel in purple wool” (Daniel 5:29).
“The king is bound in the tresses,” this is the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He, in whose regard it is written: “The Lord reigns, He is clothed in grandeur” (Psalms 93:1). “Bound in the tresses [barehatim],” as He bound Himself with an oath that He would rest His Divine Presence in the midst of Israel, in the beams [barehatim] of Jacob our patriarch. By whose merit? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana and Rabbi Levi, one said: By the merit of Abraham our patriarch, as it is stated: “Abraham ran41The Aramaic translation of “ran” is rahat. to the cattle” (Genesis 18:7). And one said: By the merit of Jacob our patriarch, in whose regard it is written: “He displayed the rods [that he had peeled in the troughs [barehatim]]” (Genesis 30:38).
Rabbi Berekhya said: “King,” this is Moses, as it is stated: “He became king in Yeshurun” (Deuteronomy 33:5). “In the tresses [barehatim],” as it was decreed upon him that he would not enter the Land of Israel.42In that sense Moses was “bound” by the decree against him. For what reason? It was due to the water troughs [barehatim] of the waters of contention. That is what is written: “They are the waters of contention” (Numbers 20:13). Rabbi Neḥemya said: “King,” this is Moses, as it is stated: “He became king in Yeshurun” (Deuteronomy 33:5). The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘I appointed you king over Israel and it is the way of a king to issue decrees and have others fulfill them. Thus, you shall issue decrees upon Israel and they will fulfill them.’ That is what is written: “Command the children of Israel” (Leviticus 24:2).
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Midrash Tanchuma
"Those are the Waters of Merivah [...]" (Numbers 20:13). From here you learn that it was set from before that Moshe would be punished at [these] Waters. See what is written, "And they returned and they came to En-mishpat (literally, the Spring of Judgment), which is Kadesh" (Genesis 14:7). That is the spring of Moshe's judgement, which is Kadesh. "Those are the Waters of Merivah and He was sanctified through them" (Numbers 20:13). And it is called Kadesh, on account of that which is stated (Numbers 20:12), "to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Children of Israel. "Those are the Waters of Merivah." There is a parable: To what is this comparable? To the son of a king that took a stone and blinded his [own] eye. Upon each and every stone, his father would say, "This is the stone that blinded my son's eye." Hence it is stated, "Those are the waters upon which the Children of Israel contended."
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