מדרש על בראשית 15:19

(Fol. 56) R. Acha b. Ivya was sitting before R. Assi, and said in the name of R. Assi b. Chanina, that a chazuba makes an intervention, in the estate of a proselyte. What is a chazuha? Said R. Juda in the name of Rab: "With it (the chazuha) did Joshua form the landmarks [among the tribes] of Israel." R. Juda said again in the name of Rab: "Joshua counted [in the Book of Joshua] only the cities which were placed on the boundaries." R. Juda said again in the name of Samuel: "All that the Holy One, blessed be He! had shown to Moses from the land of Israel was subject to tithes. (From the products growing in those places tithes must be separated according to the Bible)." What does it mean to exclude? The land of the Kenites, Kenizites, and Kadmonites (Gen. 15, 19).

(Lev. 12:3:) “And on the eighth day the flesh of his foreskin shall be circumcised.” It is not written here that one lays out expenses over circumcision. See how much Israel loves the commandments, how many expenses they lay out in order to observe them! The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “You make the commandments joyful; I am increasing your joy, as stated (in Is. 29:19), ‘Then the humble shall increase their joy in the Lord.’” Beloved is circumcision, such that the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to Avraham that anyone who is circumcised will not descend to Geihinnom, as stated (Genesis 15:18), “On that day, the Lord made a covenant with Avram, saying.” And who does descend there? See what is written below (Gen. 15:19), “The Kenite, the Kenizzite ….” And so did Ezekiel see, as stated (Ezekiel 32:18-30), “Son of man, wail upon the masses of Egypt and make it descend, and the daughters of mighty nations, to the lowest lands and those that fall in the pit. Who do you surpass in pleasantness, go down and lay with the uncircumcised…. Assyria is there with all of her congregation, its graves are around it…. Meshech and Tubal and all their masses are there, its graves are surrounding it, they are all uncircumcised…. The princes of the North are there….” And so does Isaiah says (Isaiah 5:14), “And so does the pit widen itself and opened wide its mouth without measure (chok),” to he that doesn't have a statute [the words — "without measure" — can also be rendered "to he that doesn't have a statute"]. And where [do we see that] it (the commandment to circumcise) is called a statue? As it says (Ps. 105:10) "And He established it unto Jacob for a statute, to Israel for an everlasting covenant," because the Holy One, blessed be He, placed His name with Israel. And what is the name and the seal that He placed in them? It is Shaddai, the shin is placed on the nose, the dalet on the hand, and the yud on the circumcision. Therefore when he goes to his eternal home, there is an angel appointed in the Garden of Eden who takes him and brings him into the Garden of Eden. And regarding the heretics and sinners, The Holy One, “blessed be He, commands the angel to pull his foreskin (i.e. reverse his circumcision), as it says (Ps. 55:21) "He hath put forth his hands against them that were at peace with him; he has profaned his covenant." It happened that Tyrannus Rufus the wicked asked R. Aqiva, “Which works are the more beautiful? Those of the Holy One, blessed be He, or those of flesh and blood?” He said to him, “Those of flesh and blood are the more beautiful.” Tyrannus Rufus the wicked said to him, “Look at the heavens and the earth. Are you able to make anything like them?” R. Aqiva said to him, “Do not talk to me about something which is high above mortals, things over which they have no control, but about things which are usual among people.” He said to him, “Why do you circumcise?” He said to him, “I also knew that you were going to say this to me. I therefore anticipated [your question] when I said to you, ‘A work of flesh and blood is more beautiful than one of the Holy One, blessed be He.’ Bring me wheat spikes and white bread.”¹⁶Qeluska’ot, from the Gk.: kollikes (“long rolls of coarse bread”) or kollikia (the diminutive of kollikes). He said to him, “The former is the work of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the latter is the work of flesh and blood. Is not the latter more beautiful?” Tyrannus Rufus said to him, “Inasmuch as He finds pleasure in circumcision, why does no one emerge from his mother's belly circumcised?” R. Aqiva said to him, “And why does his umbilical cord come out on him? Does not his mother cut his umbilical cord? So why does he not come out circumcised? Because the Holy One, blessed be He, only gave Israel the commandments in order to purify them. Therefore, David said (in II Sam. 22:31 = Ps. 18:31), ‘the word of the Lord is pure.’”

(Lev. 17:3:) “If any single person from the House of Israel slaughters.” R. Aqiva says, “When Israel was in the desert, they would slaughter cattle by stabbing and eat them; but here the Torah has forbidden it and says to them (ibid.), ‘If any single person from the House of Israel….’⁶⁹Lev. R. 22:7; see Hul. 16b-17a; Sifre, Deut. 12:20 (75). Then it told them, ‘You are forbidden to slaughter apart from the tent of meeting (cf. vs. 4).’” R. Ishmael says, “When Moses said this to them, they were craving to eat meat. At that time, they were cautioned⁷⁰Hizhiru ‘atsman. The verbal expression is used for an explicit biblical prohibition. away from slaughtering, i.e., not to slaughter apart from the tent of meeting.” And why so? It is simply that up to then they had been lusting after idols. Where is it shown that they were slaughtering to idols? Where it is stated (in Lev. 17:7), “And they shall no longer offer sacrifices [to the goat demons after whom they went whoring]….”⁷¹Lev. R. 22:8. When they wished to enter the Land of Israel, they came to Moses. They said to him, “O our master, if we wish to eat flesh, how shall we do so?” He said to them, “In the past, when you were in the desert, you were forbidden to slaughter apart from the tent of meeting; but when you enter the land, you are permitted to slaughter in any place,” as stated (in Deut. 12:20), “When the Lord your God enlarges your territory, as He promised you, [and you say, ‘Let me eat meat, because your soul longs to eat flesh,’ you may eat flesh to your soul's desire].” He said to them, “When I shall have permitted you to slaughter, you may [nonetheless] not take from your flock and slaughter.” Solomon said (in Prov. 27:27), “And there will be enough goat's milk for your food, for the food of your household.” Moses was teaching Israel by saying to them, “If you have sheep, that which you shear is for your clothing,” as stated (in Prov. 27:26), “The sheep will be for your clothes, and the he-goats the reward of a field.” What is the meaning of “and the he-goats the reward of a field?” That whatever you gain as reward from the he-goats that procreate the herd, you are to buy fields with it (i.e., the offspring).⁷²But cf. Hul. 84a. (Prov. 27:27:) “And there will be enough goat's milk,” [meaning] you will have enough goat's milk “for your food, for the food of your household.” R. Aqiva said, “See how the Holy One, blessed be He, cares for the assets of Israel. See what is written (in Deut. 12:21), ‘then you may slaughter from your cattle or flock,’ from what they bear.⁷³T‘Arakh. 4:26. You shall only take and sacrifice from what they give birth to.” Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Deut. 15:19), “[You shall consecrate to the Lord] all the male firstlings which are born in your herd and in your flock.” You are permitted to sacrifice from what they give birth to. R. Eleazar ben Azariah said, “The Torah has taught you a rule of conduct:⁷⁴T‘Arakh. 4:26; Hul. 84a. If someone from Israel should have ten pounds⁷⁵Gk.: litrai. of silver, let him eat green vegetables in the pot; if he has twenty, let him eat them in a casserole;⁷⁶Gk.: lopas (“flat dish”). if he has thirty, let him eat a pound of meat from Sabbath to Sabbath; and if he has fifty, let him eat meat on each [and every] day.” Now why all this? In order to care for the assets of Israel. R. Eleazar ben Shammua' said, “And when he buys from Sabbath to Sabbath, he should not buy until he consults within his household.” Where is it shown? Because it is so written (in Deut. 12:20), “and you say, ‘Let me eat meat,’” For this reason Moses warned them and gave them a hint (in vs. 21), so that they would not do too much slaughtering.

"as He spoke to you": (that He would give you the lands of) "the Keini, the Kenizi, and the Kadmoni."

Rebbi says: These have already been stated (viz. Bereshith 15:19). What is being spoken of now? (Ezekiel 48:1-7) "from the eastern side to the west — Dan, one (portion), etc."