מדרש על בראשית 4:13

(Lev. 14:2:) “This shall be the law of the leper.” This text is related (to Prov. 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” Everything depends on the tongue. [If] one is acquitted, he is acquitted for life; [if] one is not acquitted, he is condemned to death. [If] one is engaged in Torah with his tongue, he is acquitted for life, inasmuch as the Torah is a tree of life, as stated (in Prov. 3:18), “[Wisdom] is a tree of life to those who take hold of it.” It (i.e., the Torah) is also one's healing for the evil tongue (i.e., slander), as stated (in Prov. 15:4), “A healing tongue is a tree of life.” But if one is occupied with slander, his soul is condemned to death, since slander is more harmful than the shedding of blood. Thus whoever kills takes only one life, but the one who speaks slander kills three people: the one who tells it, the one who accepts it, and the one about whom it is told.⁹PRK 4:2; Lev. R. 26:2; Numb. R. 19:2; Deut. R. 5:10; M. Pss. 12:2; yPe’ah 1:1 (16a). Doeg spoke slander against Ahimelech; and he (i.e., Ahimelech) was killed, as stated (in I Sam. 22:16), “But the king said, ‘You shall surely die, Ahimelech.’” Saul also was killed, [as stated] (in I Chron. 10:13), “So Saul died for the treachery which he had committed against the Lord.” And thus did Saul say (in II Sam. 1:9, to a young man), “Please stand over me and slay me, for death throes have seized me.” [The young man was] the accuser¹⁰Gk.: kategoros. of Nob, the city of priests [against Saul]. Now death throes (shbts) can only denote priesthood, since it is stated (in Exod. 28:13 with reference to high-priestly dress), “And you shall make gold brocade (rt.: shbts).” Doeg also was uprooted (shrsh) from the life of this world and from all life in the world to come. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 52:7), “God will also tear you down for ever; He will seize you, tear you away from your tent, and uproot (shrsh) you from the land of the living. Selah,” [i.e., He will uproot you] from life in the world to come. Who is more severe? One who smites with the sword or [one who] smites with the dart? Say the one who smites with the dart. The one who smites with the sword is only able to kill his companion if he draws near to him and touches him; but in the case of one who smites with the dart, it is not so. Rather one throws the dart wherever he sees him. Therefore, one who speaks slander is comparable to the dart, as stated (in Jer. 9:7), “Their tongue is a sharpened dart; it speaks deceit.” It also says (in Ps. 57:5), “people, whose teeth are spears and darts, and whose tongue a sharp sword.” See how harmful slander is, in that it is more harmful than adultery, shedding blood and idolatry.¹¹M. Pss. 52:2. Of adultery it is written (in Gen. 39:9, where Joseph is addressing Potiphar's wife), “then how shall I do this great evil and sin against God?” Of shedding blood it is written (in Gen. 4:13), “My sin is greater than I can bear.” Of idolatry it is written (in Exod. 32:31, with reference to the golden calf), “Alas, this people has sinned a great sin.” But when it (i.e., Scripture) mentions slander, it does not say "great" (in the masculine singular, as in Gen. 4:13), or "great" (in the feminine singular, as in Gen. 39:9 and Exod. 32:31), but "great" (in the feminine plural). Thus it is written (in Ps. 12:4), “The Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, [every] tongue speaking great things (in the feminine plural).” It is therefore stated (in Prov. 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue.” [Another interpretation (of Prov. 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”: Do not say, “Since I have license to speak, I am therefore speaking whatever I want.” See, the Torah has already warned you (in Ps. 34:14), “Keep your tongue from evil [and your lips from speaking deceit].” Perhaps you will say that you are suffering a loss. Are you not profiting instead? So the holy spirit proclaims (in Prov. 21:23), “The one who guards his mouth and his tongue guards his soul from trouble (tsarot).” Do not read this as “from trouble.” Instead [read it as], "from leprosy (tsar'at).” Another interpretation (of Prov. 18:21), “Death and life are in the power of the tongue”: Slander is so harmful that one does not produce it from his mouth without denying the Holy One, blessed be He.¹²M. Ps. 52:2. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 12:5), “Those who say, ‘By our tongues we shall prevail; our lips are with us, who is to be our Lord?’” The Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, cried out against those who speak slander (in Ps. 94:16), “Who will stand for Me against evildoers…?” Who can stand against them? And who will stand against them? Geihinnom? But Geihinnom also cries out, “I am unable to stand against them.” [Then] the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I [will come at them] from above and you (Geihinnom), from below. I will hurl darts from above; and you will turn on them with burning coals from below.” Thus it is stated (in Ps. 120:4), “Sharp darts of the warrior along with burning coals of broom wood.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “Do you want to be delivered from Geihinnom? Keep yourselves far away from the deceitful tongue. Then you will be acquitted in this world and in the world to come.” Thus it is stated (in Ps. 34:13), “Who is the one who desires life….” And it is [then] written (in vs. 14), “Keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking deceit […].” Thus it is stated (in Lev. 14:2), “This shall be the law of the leper,” to teach you that one who speaks slander will have blemishes come to him, as it is stated, “This shall be the law of the leper (metsora'),” [i.e.] the one who proclaims evil (motsi' ra')¹³Above, 5:1; ySot. 2:1 (17d); ‘Arakh. 15b; Cf. Lev. R. 16:1. will find evil, in that he will have leprosy come upon him. See what is written about Miriam (in Numb. 12:1), “Then Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses.” Therefore (in vs. 10), “then Aaron turned unto Miriam, and there was [Miriam] with leprosy like the snow.” What is written elsewhere (in Deut. 24:9)? “Remember what the Lord your God did to Miriam […].” And is it not all the more so? For if Miriam had this happen, when she only spoke against her beloved brother when he was absent¹⁴I.e., she spoke privately to Aaron with no desire to be hostile to Moses. Cf. Sifre, Numb. 12:1 (99:2). and was only intending to return him to his wife, how much the more so in the case of one who utters slander against his colleague? What is written above on the matter (in Deut. 24:8)? “Take care with the plague of leprosy [to watch diligently and do according to all that the priests and Levites shall teach…].” So the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, also afflicted with it Aaron, who was high priest. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 12:9), “And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, [i.e.] against Aaron and against Miriam.” Aaron, however, was healed immediately; but Miriam, after seven days, as stated (in Numb. 12:15), “So Miriam was shut up [outside of the camp] for seven days.” Ergo (in Lev. 14:2), “This shall be the law of the leper (metsora').” The one who proclaims evil (motsi' ra') is the one who finds evil (motse' ra'). And thus you find with the primeval serpent, because he spoke slander [to Eve] against his Creator, for that reason he became leprous.¹⁵Cf. Gen. R. 19:4. What did he say? R. Joshua ben Levi said (citing Gen. 3:5), “’For God knows that on the day that you eat from it, your eyes shall be opened and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ He said to her, ‘Every artisan hates his fellow [artisan].¹⁶The saying is proverbial. See Gen. R. 32:2; M. Pss. 11:6. Now when [the Holy One, blessed be He,] wanted to create His world, He ate from this tree. So he created His world. You [two] also eat from it. Then you will be able to create like Him.’ The Holy One, blessed be He, said to [the serpent], ‘You have spoken slander. Your end is to be stricken with leprosy.’” It is so stated (in Gen. 3:14), “So the Lord God said unto the serpent, “Because you have done this, more cursed shall you be than all the beasts of the field.” With what did he curse ('araroh) him? With leprosy. Now a curse can only be leprosy, since it is stated (in Lev. 13:52), “for it is a malignant (mam'eret) leprosy.”¹⁷The argument assumes that ‘arirah and mam’eret share the same root. So also Exod. R. 3:13. R. Huna said in the name of R. Joshua ben Levi, “The scales which are on the snake are his leprosy.”¹⁸Gen. R. 20:4. And not only that, but when all the deformed are cured in the world to come, the snake shall not be cured.¹⁹Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 11:9; Tanh., Gen. 11:8; Gen. R. 95:1. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 3:14), “more cursed shall you be than all the beasts.” From here [we learn] that they all shall be healed, but [the serpent] shall not be healed. People shall be healed, as stated (in Is. 35:5), “Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened….” It is also [written about] the wild beasts and the cattle (in Is. 65:25), “The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion like the ox shall eat straw, but the serpent's food shall be dust”; as he will never be healed, because he [was the one who] brought all mortals down to the dust. And what caused him to have [this punishment]? [It happened] because he had spoken slander.

[(Lev. 14:2:) THIS SHALL BE THE LAW OF THE LEPER.] This text is related (to Prov. 18:21): DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE. Everything depends on the tongue.¹⁰Tanh., Lev. 5:2. < If > one is acquitted, he is acquitted for life; < if > one is not acquitted, he is condemned to death. < If > one is engaged in Torah with his tongue, he is acquitted for life, inasmuch as the Torah [is called life, according to what is stated] (in Prov. 3:18): < WISDOM > IS A TREE OF LIFE TO THOSE WHO TAKE HOLD OF IT. It (i.e., the Torah) is also one's healing for the evil tongue (i.e., slander), as stated (in Prov. 15:4): A HEALING TONGUE IS A TREE OF LIFE. But if one is occupied with slander, his soul is condemned to death, since slander is more harmful than the shedding of blood. Thus whoever kills takes only one life, but the one who speaks slander kills three people: the one who tells it, the one who accepts it, and the one about whom it is told.¹¹PRK 4:2; Lev. R. 26:2; Numb. R. 19:2; Deut. R. 5:10; M. Pss. 12:2; yPe’ah 1:1 (16a). Doeg spoke slander against Ahimelech; and he (i.e., Ahimelech) was killed, [as stated] (in I Sam. 22:16): BUT {SAUL} [THE KING] SAID: YOU SHALL SURELY DIE, AHIMELECH. Saul also was killed, [as stated] (in I Chron. 10:13): < SO SAUL DIED > FOR THE TREACHERY WHICH HE HAD COMMITTED AGAINST THE LORD. And thus did Saul say (in II Sam. 1:9, to a young man): PLEASE STAND OVER ME AND SLAY ME, FOR DEATH THROES HAVE SEIZED ME. < The young man was > the accuser¹²Gk.: kategoros. of Nob, the city of priests. Now DEATH THROES (ShBTs) can only denote priesthood, since it is stated (in Exod. 28:13 with reference to high-priestly dress): AND YOU SHALL MAKE GOLD BROCADE (rt.: ShBTs). Doeg also was uprooted (ShRSh) from the life of this world and from all life in the world to come. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 52:7 [5]): GOD WILL ALSO TEAR YOU DOWN FOR EVER; HE WILL SEIZE YOU, TEAR YOU AWAY FROM YOUR TENT, AND UPROOT (ShRSh) YOU FROM THE LAND OF THE LIVING. SELAH. < I.e., he will uproot you > from life in the world to come. Who is more severe? One who smites with the sword or < one who > smites with the dart? [Say: The one who smites with the dart.] The one who smites with the sword is only able to kill his companion if he draws near to him and touches him; but in the case of one who smites with the dart, it is not so. Rather one throws the dart wherever he sees him. Therefore, one who speaks slander is comparable to the dart, as stated (in Jer. 9:7 [8]): THEIR TONGUE IS A SHARPENED DART; IT SPEAKS DECEIT. It also says (in Ps. 57:5 [4]): THE CHILDREN OF ADAM, WHOSE TEETH ARE SPEARS AND DARTS, [AND WHOSE TONGUE A SHARP SWORD]. See how harmful slander is, in that it is more harmful than adultery, blood shedding, and idolatry.¹³M. Pss. 52:2. Of adultery it is written (in Gen. 39:9, where Joseph is addressing Potiphar's wife): THEN HOW SHALL I DO THIS GREAT EVIL AND SIN AGAINST GOD? Of blood shedding it is written (in Gen. 4:13): AND CAIN SAID TO THE LORD: MY SIN IS GREATER THAN I CAN BEAR. Of idolatry it is written (in Exod. 32:31, with reference to the golden calf): ALAS, THIS PEOPLE HAS SINNED A GREAT SIN. But when it (i.e., Scripture) mentions slander, it does not say "great" (in the masculine singular, as in Gen. 4:13), "great" in the feminine singular, as in Gen. 39:9 and Exod. 32:31), but "great" (in the feminine plural). Thus it is written (in Ps. 12:4 [3]): THE LORD SHALL CUT OFF ALL FLATTERING LIPS, < EVERY > TONGUE SPEAKING GREAT THINGS (in the feminine plural). It is therefore stated (in Prov. 18:21): DEATH AND LIFE ARE IN THE POWER OF THE TONGUE.

Law: A Jewish person who does not pray the morning prayer, or the Musaf prayer, or the afternoon prayer, many times; that he didn't have time for prayer, or he abridged it to take care of his [toilet] needs, or he had traveled and forgot to pray: Which time is permitted for him to pray and fulfill his obligation? What is he required to do? So taught the sages: The morning prayer is til midday, the afternoon prayer til nightfall, evening prayer has no fixed [time]. But for the Musaf [prayers], all day. Rabbi Elazar said: [If] he forgot and did not pray the Musaf prayer, and he came to pray the afternoon prayer, he should pray the afternoon prayer and afterward the Musaf prayer. Why? For everything was created for its time. The evening prayer has no fixed [time], until dawn. Why? As it is written, (Proverbs 8:17), "I love those who love me and those who seek me find me." And all those who pray and set their hearts [in concentration] for prayer, it is a good sign that his prayer is accepted, as it says, (Psalms 10:17) "You hear the desire of the afflicted..." Great is prayer before the Holy One, blessed be He. Rabbi Elazar said, "Do you want to know the power of prayer? If it does not accomplish the whole [request], it accomplishes half of it. [To illustrate, when] Cain overtook his brother Abel and murdered him, a [divine] decree went out, (Genesis 4:12) 'You will be a restless wanderer (na v'nad) on earth.' Immediately, he stood and confessed before the Holy One, blessed be He, as it says, (Genesis 4:13) 'My punishment is more than one can bear.' He said before Him: Master of the World! You bear the whole world, yet my sin You cannot bear? You wrote, (Micah 7:18) 'Who bears sin and forgives the transgression,' forgiving the great sinner. Immediately, he found kindness before the Holy One, blessed be He, and He held back the "restlessness" (na), half the decree, and so it is written (Genesis 4:16) 'And he dwelled in the land of Nod [wandering, but not na, restlessness]. From here you learn that prayer is held great before the Holy One, blessed be He. And so for Hezekiah, when He told him, (II Kings 20:1) 'Put your house in order, because you are going to die...' immediately (II Kings 20:2) 'Hezekiah turned his face to the wall [and prayed to God]...' The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: (II Kings 20:5-6) 'I have heard your prayer... I have added 15 years for your life...' So is it written, (Psalms 145:19) 'He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them.'"

Thereupon Cain cried out: “O Lord of the universe, do You have informers who denounce men to You? My father and mother are the only living human beings on earth, and they do not know that I slew him; how do You, who abidest in heaven, know?” The Holy One, blessed be He, answered: “Fool! I bear the entire world as it is said: I have made and I will bear; yea, I will carry and will deliver (Isa. 46:4).” Forthwith, Cain cried out: “You bear the entire world, yet my sin You are unable to bear. My sin is greater than I can bear (Gen. 4:13).” “Since you have confessed and repented,” said the Holy One, blessed be He, “go into exile from this place.” Thus it is said: And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelled in the land of Nod (ibid., v. 16). Wherever he wandered, the earth would quake beneath his feet; the animals and the beasts would tremble in fright, and would inquire of each other: “What is this?” And they would whisper: “He is Cain, who murdered his brother, Abel. The Holy One, blessed be He, has decreed concerning him: A fugitive and a wanderer you shall be.” Then they would say to each other: “Let us devour him.” They would gather together to attack, but as they approached, tears would well up in his eyes and he would cry out: Whither shall I go from Thy spirit, or whither shall I flee from Thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, Thou art there; if I make my bed in the netherworld, behold, Thou art there. If I take the wings of morning and dwell in the uttermost part of the sea, even there would Thy hand lead me and Thy right hand hold me (Ps. 139:7–10).

Our Rabbis were taught: Three men came evasively (instead of praying in a straight-forward manner), and they were Cain, Esau and Manasseh. Cain, as it is written (Gen. 4, 13) My sin is greater than I can bear; i.e., he said before Him: "Sovereign of the Universe, is then my sin greater than that of the six hundred thousand Israelites who will sin before Thee in the future, and Thou wilt forgive them?" Esau, concerning whom it is written: (Ex. 27, 38) "Hast thou then but one blessing, my father?" And Manasseh, who at the beginning called to many gods, and only [after he had not been answered by them] finally called to the God of his parents.

Cain spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all the worlds ! "My sin is too great to be borne" (Gen. 4:13), for it has no atonement. This utterance was reckoned to him as repentance, as it is said, "And Cain said unto the Lord, My sin is too great to be borne" (ibid.); further, Cain said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Now will a certain righteous one arise on the earth and mention Thy great Name against me and slay me. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He took one letter from the twenty-two letters, and put (it) upon Cain's arm that he should not be killed, as it is said, "And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain" (Gen. 4:15). The dog which was guarding Abel's flock also guarded his corpse from all the beasts of the field and all the fowl of the heavens. Adam and his helpmate were sitting and weeping and mourning for him, and they did not know what to do (with Abel), for they were unaccustomed to burial. A raven (came), one of its fellow birds was dead (at its side). (The raven) said: I will teach this man what to do. It took its fellow and dug in the earth, hid it and buried it before them. Adam said: Like this raven will I act. He took || the corpse of Abel and dug in the earth and buried it. The Holy One, blessed be He, gave a good reward to the ravens in this world. What reward did He give them? When they bear their young and see that they are white they fly from them, thinking that they are the offspring of a serpent, and the Holy One, blessed be He, gives them their sustenance without lack, as it is said, "Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God, and wander for lack of meat" (Job 38:41). Moreover, that rain should be given upon the earth (for their sakes), and the Holy One, blessed be He, answers them, as it is said, "He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry" (Ps. 147:9).

"And Kayin said to Ad-nai: My sin/punishment is too great to bear" (Gen. 4:13) - You tolerate the upper ones and the lower ones, but my transgression you don't tolerate?! Another interpretation: My sin is greater than my father's, my father transgressed a light/easy commandment and was expelled from the garden of Eden, this is a heavy/serious transgression, spilling of blood, all the more so my sin is greater. Behold, You have driven me out (Gen. 4:14) - yesterday You drove out my father, and now You drive me out, behold, today You drive me out, is it possible that I hide from Your face and I become a vagrant in the land?!

(Gen. 3:24, cont.:) TO KEEP THE WAY [TO THE TREE OF LIFE. R. Samuel bar Nahman said: TO KEEP THE WAY] comes before THE TREE OF LIFE. The Holy One said to < Adam >: I put you in the Garden of Eden so that you would labor in the Torah⁷⁵PRE 12. and eat from the tree of life; but now that you have sinned, what are you doing here? Get out! So he drove out the human. The Holy One said to him: You should have uttered songs before me about how I created you and about what I did with you, but you did not speak. Here I was talking to myself, as stated (in Is. 5:1): LET ME SING TO MY BELOVED….⁷⁶In the biblical context both the singer and the beloved are God. What did the Holy One do? He drove him from this world, as stated (in Job 14:19): ITS TORRENTS WASH AWAY THE DUST OF THE EARTH.⁷⁷According to Gen. 2:7; 3:19, Adam is dust. R. Simon said: Even the first Adam was washed away in water.⁷⁸Cf. Gen. R. 28:3. R. Simeon ben Judah the man of Kefar 'Akko said in the name of R. Simeon ben Johay: The radiance of the first Adam's face was unchanged, and < its > lights were not eclipsed until the Sabbath ended; for when he had judged him, he kept the Sabbath holy. Therefore, he utters (according to Ps. 92:1): A PSALM, A SONG FOR THE SABBATH DAY.⁷⁹Cf. Gen. R. 22:13. You find that when Cain killed Abel, the Holy One appeared to him and said to him (in Gen. 4:9): WHERE IS YOUR BROTHER ABEL? He sought to deceive the one above. The Holy One said to him (in Gen. 4:10): WHAT HAVE YOU DONE? YOUR BROTHER'S BLOOD CRIES OUT UNTO ME. When Cain heard < that >, he began to make a fraudulent repentance, as stated (in Gen. 4:13): AND CAIN SAID TO THE LORD: MY SIN IS GREATER THAN I CAN BEAR. He said to him: Sovereign of the World, since you bear with the heavenly and the earthly ones, can you not bear my sin?

Another interpretation: He said to him: Sovereign of the World, you have been proclaimed (in Micah 7:18): WHO IS A GOD LIKE YOU, FORGIVING SIN AND PASSING OVER TRANSGRESSION? (Gen. 4:13:) MY SIN IS GREATER THAN I CAN BEAR. The Holy One said to him: You have repented. By your life, I am revoking one decree from you. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 4:16): AND CAIN WENT OUT FROM BEFORE THE LORD AND DWELT IN THE LAND OF NOD. While he was going away, the first Adam met him. He said to him: What happened about your sentence. He said: If I had not confessed, I should already have disappeared from the world. Adam said at that time (in Ps. 92:2 [1]): IT IS GOOD TO CONFESS TO THE LORD. In this world individuals confess to the Holy One, but in the world to come they all confess to him. So it is stated (in Is. 12:1): I WILL CONFESS TO YOU, O LORD; FOR, THOUGH YOU WERE ANGRY WITH ME, YOUR ANGER IS TURNED AWAY, AND YOU COMFORT ME.

(Gen. 21:1:) THEN THE LORD VISITED SARAH. What is written above on the matter (in Gen. 20:17)? THEN ABRAHAM PRAYED < UNTO GOD; AND GOD HEALED ABIMELECH >…. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a friend and loved him exceedingly; so he did everything that his friend asked of him. Since everybody knew that the king loved him exceedingly, anyone who sought an office came to him. Then he would make a request of the king, and he would fulfill his desire for him. Yet, to that friend he did not give any office at all. The people of his palace¹³⁰Gk.: palation; Lat.: palatium. said to him: Our Lord King, this friend of yours makes requests for others, but for himself he requests nothing. Who is this friend? This is Abraham, of whom it is stated (in Is. 41:8): THE SEED OF MY FRIEND ABRAHAM. When Abimelech took Sarah, the Holy One closed up all their springs, as stated (in Gen. 20:18): FOR THE LORD HAD COMPLETELY RESTRAINED < EVERY WOMB IN THE HOUSE OF ABIMELECH >. When, however, Abimelech made a request of Abraham, he was healed because he had prayed for him. It is so stated (in Gen. 20:17): THEN ABRAHAM PRAYED UNTO GOD; < AND GOD HEALED ABIMELECH >…. The ministering angels said to the Holy One: Sovereign of the World, Abraham is healing others, but he < himself > needs healing. He healed Abimelech and his house, so that they bore < children >. Thus it is stated (ibid.): AND GOD HEALED < ABIMELECH >. So are you not healing him? The Holy One said: He is worth having me give him children. Look at the work of the Holy One! It is not like the work of flesh and blood. A human promises to give a gift to his companion. Sometimes he gives it; sometimes he does not give it. But the Holy One is not like that. When he promises to do something good, he immediately does something good. Balaam said (in Numb. 23:19): GOD IS NOT A HUMAN THAT HE SHOULD LIE. And again he said (ibid.): WHEN HE HAS PROMISED, HE WILL NOT ACT.¹³¹Unlike other interpretations of this verse, the midrash does not interpret these words as an interrogative. R. Samuel bar Nahman said: In this verse the end does not correspond to the beginning, nor the beginning to the end. Thus he says < at the beginning of the verse >: GOD IS NOT A HUMAN THAT HE SHOULD LIE…. Yet again he says < at the end of the verse >: WHEN HE HAS PROMISED, HE WILL NOT ACT; < AND WHEN HE HAS SPOKEN, HE WILL NOT FULFILL IT >. It is simply that, in the case of a descendant of Adam, WHEN HE HAS PROMISED, HE WILL NOT ACT. But, when the Holy One promises, he acts; when he decrees, he fulfills.¹³²Cf. yTa‘an. 2:1 (65b); Gen. R. 53:4; Tanh., Gen. 4:13; M. Pss. 13:1. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 21:1:) THEN THE LORD VISITED SARAH < AS HE HAD PROMISED >.