מדרש על ירמיהו 3:19

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(Numb. 34:1–2:) THEN THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING: COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND SAY UNTO THEM: WHEN YOU COME INTO THE LAND OF CANAAN, <THIS IS THE LAND THAT SHALL FALL TO YOU AS AN INHERITANCE>…. Let our master instruct us: Before they entered the land, how did they say the blessing over the food?¹³Tanh., Numb. 10:6; Numb. R. 23:7. Thus have our masters taught: Before they entered the land, they used to say a single blessing, Who Sustains All.¹⁴Cf. Philip Birnbaum, Daily Prayer Book (Hebrew Publishing Co., 1949), p. 759/760. After they had entered the land, they said the blessing, For the Land and for the Food.¹⁵Birnbaum, p. 763/764. After Jerusalem was destroyed, they added Builder of Jerusalem.¹⁶See Birnbaum, p. 765/766. The prayer also occurs as the fourteenth blessing in the Shemoneh ‘Esreh (Birnbaum, p. 89/90), as well as in other contexts. For the various versions of the prayer, see Joseph Heinemann, Prayer in the Talmud, trans. Richard S. Sarason (“Studia Judaica, IX; Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1977), pp. 48-50, 70-76. After those slain at Bethther¹⁷During the Bar Cochba war, 132-135. were buried, they added Who is Good and Does What is Good:¹⁸Cf. Birnbaum, p. 765/766. Who is Good, because they did not decay, and Who Does What is Good, because they were given burials. None of them, however, is more dear to you than the blessing of the land. The sages therefore instruct: In the blessing of the food, whoever does not mention For the Land and for the Food; A Desirable, Good, and Spacious Land; the covenant <of circumcision>; Torah; life; and food¹⁹A Desirable, Good, and Spacious Land plus the elements that follow all form part of a single prayer to be found in Birnbaum, p. 761/762. has not satisfied his obligation.²⁰See Ber. 48b-49a. The Holy One said: the land of Israel is more dear to me than everything. I am the one who sought it out, as stated (in Ezek. 20:6): <ON THAT DAY I SWORE (literally: RAISED MY HAND) TO THEM THAT I WOULD BRING THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT> UNTO {THE} [A] LAND WHICH I HAD SOUGHT OUT FOR THEM. So also it says (in Jer. 3:19): <HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN> AND GIVE YOU A DESIRABLE LAND <THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE OF THE NATIONS>. You find <the same love for the land>, when Joshua slew those kings. R. Jannay the Priest said: There were sixty-two kings, thirty-one at Jericho and thirty one with Sisera. When he went to fight with Israel they also were slain along with him. Why? Because they along with him yearned to drink water from the waters of Israel. They made a request of Sisera and said to him: If you please, let us come with you for free, because we yearn to fill our stomachs with water from the land of Israel. Thus it is stated (in Jud. 5:19): THE KINGS CAME, THEY FOUGHT; <THEN FOUGHT THE KINGS OF CANAAN, AT TAANACH, ON ACCOUNT OF²¹Heb.: ‘al. The more usual translation here is BY. THE WATERS OF MEGIDDO;> THEY TOOK NO GAIN OF MONEY. <This verse serves> to inform you of the esteem in which the land of Israel was held. The Holy One had said to Moses: This land is dear to me, as stated (in Deut. 11:12): A LAND FOR WHICH THE LORD YOUR GOD CARES. Israel also is dear to me, as stated (in Deut. 7:8): BECAUSE THE LORD LOVES YOU…. The Holy One said: [Because Israel] is dear to me, I will bring [them] into a land that is dear to me. {Thus it is stated} [Where is it shown? From what they read on the subject] (in Numb. 34:2): WHEN YOU COME INTO THE LAND <OF CANAAN, THIS IS THE LAND THAT SHALL FALL TO YOU AS AN INHERITANCE>….

(Lam. 2, 2) The Lord hath swallowed up unsparingly all the habitations of Jacob. When Ravin came to Babylon he said in the name of Jochanan: "These refer to the sixty myriads of cities which King Jannai possessed on the royal mount; for R. Juda said in the name of R. Assi that King Jannai had sixty myriads of cities on the royal mound, the population of each equalled the number that went out of Egypt, except that of three cities in which that number was doubled. And these three cities were K'far Bish (the village of evil), K'far Shichlayim (village of water-cresses), and K'far Dichraya (the village of male children). K'far Bish it was called because there was no hospice for the reception of strangers therein; K'far Shichlaiim, it was called, because the inhabitants derived their support from that herb; K'far Dichraya, it was called, according to the opinion of Jochanan, because its women first gave birth to boys and afterwards to girls, and then left off bearing. "I have seen that place," said Ulla, "and am sure that it could not hold even sixty myriads of sticks." When a Sadducee remarked to Chanina concerning the above: "Ye do not speak the truth," the latter's response was: "It is written (Jer. 2, 19) The inheritance of a deer; i.e., as the skin of a deer [if once flayed off] cannot again cover its body (it shrinks), so also the land of Israel unoccupied by its rightful owners contracts."

When the Lord cuts down, etc. (Deuteronomy 12:29): "Look to the Lord and keep to His way" (Psalms 37:34). As they were thinking to enter the Land immediately. [Moshe] said to them, "You are thinking to inherit their land. [So] keep the way of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is stated (Psalms 37:34), 'Look to the Lord and keep to His way, and He will raise you high that you may inherit the land; when the wicked are cut off, you shall see it.'" That is [the meaning of] that which Moshe said, "When the Lord, your God, cuts down." What is [the meaning of] "When (ki, which can also mean, if) He cuts down?" It is on condition; such that if they keep the Torah, they will enter the Land. And in every place that you find ki, it is conditional: "Ki along the road, you chance upon a bird’s nest [...]. You shall surely send" (Deuteronomy 22:6-7); "Ki you take up the head (make a census) of the Children of Israel, each man shall give a ransom" (Exodus 30:12);" Ki you build a new house, you shall make a parapet" (Deuteronomy 22:8). Here too, the Holy One, blessed be He stipulated with them that He would only cut down the [Canaanite] nations on condition that [the Israelites] would keep the Torah. Beloved is the Land of Israel, as the Holy One, blessed be He, chose it. You find that when He created the world, He apportioned the lands to the ministering angels of the nations, and He chose the Land of Israel [for Himself]. From where [do we know this]? As so did Moshe say (Deuteronomy 32:8), "When the Most High gave nations their inheritances, etc." And He chose [the people of] Israel as His portion, as stated (Deuteronomy 32:9), "For the Lord’s portion is His people, Yaakov His allotment." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Let Israel, who has come to be My portion, inherit the land that has come to be My portion." Hence it is written, "When the Lord cuts down." Yirmiyahu the prophet cried out and said (Jeremiah 3:19), "I had resolved to adopt you as My child, and I gave you a desirable land," a land that the fathers of the world desired. Avraham wanted it, as so does it state (Genesis 15:8), "And he said, 'O Lord God, how shall I know that I am to possess it?'" Yitschak wanted it, as it was stated to him (Genesis 26:3), "Reside in this land, and I will be with you and bless you, for I will assign all these lands to you and to your seed." And Yaakov wanted it, as it is stated (Genesis 28:20-21), "If God will be with me, etc. I will return to my father’s house." Rabbi Yehudah said, "Moshe also wanted it, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 3:23-25), 'I pleaded with the Lord at that time, "[...]. Let me, I pray, cross over and see, etc."' And also David wanted it, as it is stated (Psalms 84:11), 'I would rather stand (histofef) at the threshold of [my God’s] house.'" What is [the meaning of] histofef? Rabbi Tanchum beRabbi Chanilai and Rav [differed on the matter]. One said, "David said in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, 'Master of the world, even if I have palaces and a castle outside of the Land, and I only have a veranda (saf) in the Land of Israel, I would rather stand [there].'" And [the other] said [that David said], "Even if I only have lateling (sifsuf) carobs to eat in the Land of Israel, I would rather stand [there]." Hence, "and I gave you a desirable land," a land that the fathers desired. "An inheritance of beauty (tsvi, literally, a gazelle)" (Jeremiah 3:19). Just like a gazelle is light in its running, so does the Land of Israel run its fruits, such that it gives fruit first. Another interpretation: Just like the skin of a gazelle cannot hold its flesh, so [too], when Israel merits, the Land of Israel cannot hold its fruit. "Of the beauties (tsivaot) of the nations" (Jeremiah 3:19). That the delights (tsivionot) of the nations are in it. It is written (Joshua 12:9), "The king of Yericho one; the king of Ai, near Bethel, one." There is only three [mil] between the one and the other, and it states, "The king of Yericho one; the king of Ai, etc., one?" Rabbi Parnakh said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "Any king that was outside the Land that did not acquire a city in the Land of Israel was not called a king. See what is written about Akhan (Joshua 7:21), 'I saw among the spoil a fine Shinar mantle.' [That is] Babylonian velvet. And from where was there Babylonian velvet in Yericho? Rather it was that the King of Babylonia was there and acquired a city in the Land of Israel." Hence, the land that the delights of the nations of the world are in it. And He gave it to Israel. Therefore, it is written, "When the Lord, your God, cuts down, etc."

(Exod. 23:20:) BEHOLD, I AM SENDING AN ANGEL <BEFORE YOU TO GUARD YOU ON THE WAY>…. This text is related (to Jer. 3:19): THEN I SAID: HOW WOULD I⁴¹This translation fits the context of the midrash. PUT (rt.: ShYT) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN,… !⁴²Tanh., Exod. 6:17; see below, Tanh. (Buber), Numb. 4a:15. R. Eleazar ben Pedat says: What is this <expression>: WOULD I PUT (rt.: ShYT) YOU? It had occurred to me that we, I and you, would be < alone > in the world.⁴³Tanh., Exod. 6:17, adds, “I as father and you as children.” How did you manage for me to bring the peoples of the world in among you?⁴⁴Cf. Tanh., Exod. 6:17: “How did you manage to bring the peoples of the world in between me and you?” This expression is nothing but an expression of setting apart (as in Gen. 30:40): AND HE PUT (rt.: ShYT) HIS OWN FLOCKS <APART>…. R. Hama bar Hanina said: What is the meaning of WOULD I PUT (rt.: ShYT) YOU?⁴⁵Cf. Exod. R. 32:2. There was a great love between me and you.⁴⁶Below, Tanh. (Buber), Lev. 7:12; Numb. 4a: 15; Exod. R. 32:2. How did you manage that I should hate you? (Jer. 3:19:) HOW WOULD I PUT (rt.: ShYT) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN! This expression is nothing but an expression of hatred, as used (in Gen. 3:15): I WILL PUT (rt.: ShYT) ENMITY <BETWEEN YOU AND THE WOMAN>. Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19:) HOW WOULD I PUT (ShYT) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN ! R. Joshua ben Levi said: I spoke in <your> defense.⁴⁷Gk.: synegoria. You behaved toward me so that I denounced you and pronounced you guilty (rt.: HYB). The expression (rt.: ShYT) is nothing but an expression of guilt (rt.: HYB), as used (concerning one guilty of negligence in Exod. 21:30): IF A RANSOM IS PUT (rt.: ShYT) UPON HIM, <HE SHALL GIVE WHATEVER IS PUT (rt.: ShYT) UPON HIM TO REDEEM HIS LIFE>. Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19:) HOW WOULD I PUT (ashit; rt.: ShYT) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN! R. Berekhyah the Priest said: You were as dear to me as someone who has a single field, which he fertilizes, cultivates, and weeds. So dear were you to me. Your behavior toward me was for you to commit lawlessness. Now this word (ashit) is nothing but an expression for lawlessness, as used (in Is. 5:6): AND I WILL MAKE (ashit) IT (i.e., the Holy One's vineyard) A DESOLATION. (Jer. 3:19, cont.:) AND GIVE YOU A DESIRABLE LAND, a land that the great ones of the world (i.e., the patriarchs) desired.⁴⁸Below, Tanh. (Buber), Numb. 4a: 16. Abraham said to the Hittites (in Gen. 23:4): GIVE ME A BURIAL SITE. The Holy One also endeared it to {the children of} Isaac, as stated (in Gen. 26:3): RESIDE IN THIS LAND, <AND I WILL BE WITH YOU AND BLESS YOU>…. Jacob said (according to Gen. 50:5): IN MY GRAVE WHICH I DUG FOR MYSELF <IN THE LAND OF CANAAN, THERE YOU SHALL BURY ME>. Ergo (in Jer. 3:19): A DESIRABLE LAND. (Ibid., cont.:) <THE MOST> [BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE] <OF ALL THE NATIONS>. What is the meaning of <THE MOST> BEAUTIFUL (tsevi) HERITAGE? Just as in the case of a deer (tsevi), when one slaughters it, strips off its hide, and tries to return the flesh into the hide, it does not contain it, so the land of Israel does not contain its produce. What is written (in Is. 30:24)? AS FOR THE OXEN AND ASSES THAT WORK THE GROUND, THEY SHALL EAT FERMENTED FODDER, WHICH HAS BEEN WINNOWED WITH SHOVEL AND PITCH FORK. First they winnow with the SHOVEL and after that with the PITCH FORK. Why? Because there was more grain than straw. Even so there was produce in <further> winnowing the straw. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (ibid.): FERMENTED MASH, WHICH HAS BEEN WINNOWED WITH SHOVEL AND PITCH FORK. Mashes are from produce. Ergo (in Jer. 3:19): [A DESIRABLE LAND,] <THE MOST> BEAUTIFUL (tsevi) HERITAGE (understood in the sense of THE MOST DEERLIKE HERITAGE), a land which does not contain its produce, a land which was so good that all the kings of the world desired it. It is written (in Josh. 12:9): THE KING OF JERICHO, ONE; THE KING {FOR AI} [OF AI WHICH IS BESIDE BETHEL], ONE. Now there are only three miles⁴⁹Lat.: mille. between Jericho and Ai; yet it says: THE KING OF JERICHO. It is simply that whoever has a possession outside of the land without having a possession in the land of Israel was not called a king.⁵⁰Sifre, to Deut. 7:12 (37); Gen. R. 85:14. Why? Because they longed for the land of Israel. R. {Isaac} [Johanan] said: What is written (in Josh. 7:21): I SAW AMONG THE SPOILS A <FINE> SHINAR MANTLE, <i.e.> a Babylonian⁵¹Gk.: Babylonikon; Lat.: Babylonicum. robe of royal purple,⁵²Gk.: porphura; Lat.: purpura. which the king of Babylon wore to rule in Jericho. Ergo (in Jer. 3:19): THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE OF THE NATIONS.⁵³According to this reasoning, the various kingships were so close to each other in Israel because every king needed a seat in Israel in order to be regarded as a king. (Ibid., cont.:) AND I SAID YOU SHALL CALL ME FATHER. Just as a father is obliged <to provide > for his daughter's enjoyments, so did I bring down rain for you. (Exod. 16:14:) WHEN THE LAYER OF DEW HAD GONE UP, <THERE ON THE FACE OF THE EARTH LAY SOMETHING FINE AND FLAKY>…. (Jer. 3:20:) SURELY AS A WOMAN BREAKS FAITH WITH HER LOVER <SO YOU HAVE BROKEN FAITH WITH ME, O HOUSE OF ISRAEL>. R. Judah bar Simon said: Oh that <you were> like an unfaithful wife. This <kind of> a woman, who has a lover, gives him food, drink, and love. When his power is diminished, she leaves him and goes away. SURELY AS A WOMAN BREAKS FAITH WITH HER LOVER. I have not done so to you. The manna came down for you, and the well rose up. I did not deprive you of anything when you were unfaithful with me. See, I gave you an angel who watched over you. (Exod. 23:20:) SEE, I AM SENDING YOU AN ANGEL <TO WATCH OVER YOU>. When you became worthy and received the Torah, I went before you in person. But now, when you have been found guilty, here I am <merely> (ibid.:) SENDING AN ANGEL BEFORE YOU. [Another interpretation:]⁵⁴Tanh., Exod. 6:18. The Holy One said to Moses: I am sending <an angel> before you but not before them. He said: If you send <him> out before me, I do not want <him>; but Joshua saw the angel and fell down before him. What did he say to him (in Josh. 5:13)? ARE YOU FOR US OR FOR OUR ADVERSARIES? When he said to him: ARE YOU FOR US? he began to cry in great anguish.⁵⁵Literally: “From under the nails of his feet.” (Ibid., vs. 14:) Then he said: NO, BUT [I] AM THE CAPTAIN OF THE LORD'S HOST. NOW I HAVE COME.⁵⁶Gen. R. 97:3 (traditional text only). Here are two times that I have come to give Israel an inheritance. I am the one who came in the days of your master, Moses; but he rejected me. (Ibid., cont.:) NOW I HAVE COME. THEN JOSHUA FELL ON HIS FACE. He saw him and fell on his face, but when Moses saw <him>, he rejected him. The Holy One said (in Exod. 23:20): SEE, I AM SENDING AN ANGEL BEFORE YOU, to you and to whomever observes the Torah [as you <do>. Resh Laqish said: It is written (in Ps. 91:4): HE WILL COVER YOU WITH HIS PINIONS AND YOU WILL FIND REFUGE UNDER HIS WINGS, <i.e.> all who observe the Torah.] (Ibid., cont.:) HIS FIDELITY IS A SHIELD AND BUCKLER. Therefore (in Exod. 23:20): < I AM SENDING MY ANGEL BEFORE YOU > TO GUARD YOU ON THE WAY….

Another interpretation (of Lev. 19:23), “When you come into the land.” This text is related (to Jer. 3:19), “But I said how I would put you among the children and give you a desirable land!” The situation is comparable to a king who had concubines and had a lot of children. But he had one child by a certain matron,³⁵Lat.: matrona. and he loved him to excess. The king gave fields and vineyards to all the children of the concubines, and after that he gave his [beloved] son a garden³⁶Pardes, which can also denote paradise. from which all his food³⁷This Latin words mean “food provisions,” “food receptacle,” or “larder.” The passage uses the word in more than one of these senses. came. The son sent and said to his father, “To the children of the concubines you have given fields and vineyards, but to me you have [only] given one garden?” The king said to him, “By your life, all my food (cellaria) comes to me from this garden; and because I love you more than your brothers, I have given it to you.” Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, created the peoples of the world, just as it is stated (in Cant. 6:8), “There are sixty queens and eighty concubines and damsels without number,” these are the peoples; (vs. 9), “[Only ] one is my dove, my perfect one,” this is the congregation of Israel. Now the Holy One, blessed be He, has distributed fields and vineyards to the peoples of the world, as stated (in Deut. 32:8), “When the Most High gave the gentiles an inheritance”; but to Israel He has given the Land of Israel, the larder (cellaria) of the Holy One, blessed be He. The offerings come from it; the shewbread comes from it; the first fruits come from it; the omer comes from it; all the good things in the world come from it. Why all this? In order to make a distinction between the son of the matron and the children of the concubines, as stated (in Jer. 3:19), “But I said how I would put you among the children and give you a desirable land!” There was great love between the Holy One, blessed be He, and Israel; so how did they bring in the enmity.³⁸Above, Exod. 6:10; below, Numb. 4a: 15. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (ibid.), “how I would put (ashit) you,” and this language can only be the language of enmity. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 3:15), “I will put (ashit) enmity between you and the woman.” Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19), “how I would put (ashit) you.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “I have spoken in your defense.³⁹Gk.: synegoria, “advocacy”. How have you made Me bring charges⁴⁰QTRG. Cf. Gk.: kategorein. against you?” Now this can only be the language of an accuser,⁴¹Gk.: kategor. as stated (concerning one guilty of negligence in Exod. 21:30), “If a ransom is put (rt.: shyt) upon him.”

(Lev. 19:23:) WHEN YOU COME INTO THE LAND. This text is related (to Jer. 3:19): BUT I SAID: HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN AND GIVE YOU A DESIRABLE LAND! < The situation > is comparable to a king who had concubines and had a lot of children.⁴⁴Tanh., Lev.7:12. But he had one child by a certain matron,⁴⁵Lat.: matrona. and he loved him to excess. The king gave fields and vineyards to all the children of the concubines, and after that he gave his < beloved > son one garden⁴⁶Pardes, which can also denote paradise. from which all his food⁴⁷This Latin words mean “food provisions.” “food receptacle,” or “larder.” The passage uses the word in more than one of these senses. came. The son sent and said to his father: To the children of the concubines you have given fields and vineyards, but to me you have given one garden. The king said to him: By your life, all my food (cellaria) comes to me from this garden; and because I love you more than your brothers, I have given it to you. Similarly the Holy One created the peoples of the world, just as it is stated (in Cant. 6:8): THERE ARE SIXTY QUEENS: These are the peoples. (Vs. 9): < ONLY > ONE IS MY DOVE, < MY PERFECT ONE >: This is the congregation of Israel. Now the Holy One has distributed [fields and vineyards] to the peoples of the world, as stated (in Deut. 32:8): WHEN THE MOST HIGH GAVE THE GENTILES AN INHERITANCE; but to Israel he has given the land of Israel, the larder (cellaria) of the Holy One. The offerings come from it; the shewbread comes from it; the first fruits come from it; the omer comes from it; all the good things in the world [come from it]. Why all this? In order to made a distinction between the son of the matron and the children of the concubines, as stated (in Jer. 3:19): BUT I SAID: HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN < AND GIVE YOU A DESIRABLE LAND >… ! There was great love between the Holy One and Israel; so how did they bring in the enmity.⁴⁸Above, Exod. 6:10; below, Numb. 4a: 15. The Holy One said (ibid.): HOW I WOULD PUT (ashit) YOU, and this language can only be the language of enmity. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 3:15): I WILL PUT (ashit) ENMITY BETWEEN YOU AND THE WOMAN.

Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19): HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN. The Holy One said to them: I have spoken in your defense.⁴⁹Gk.: synegoria, “advocacy”. How have you made me bring charges⁵⁰QTRG. Cf. Gk.: kategorein. against you? (Ibid.:) HOW I WOULD PUT (rt.: ShYT) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN. Now this can only be the language of an accuser,⁵¹Gk.: kategor. as stated (concerning one guilty of negligence in Exod. 21:30): IF A RANSOM IS PUT (rt.: ShYT) UPON HIM….

We are taught in a Baraitha, R. Jose said: One S'ah wheat if planted in Juda would yield five S'ah — pollen — one S'ah fine flour, one S'ah medium flour, one S'ah fine Hour, one S'ah course bran and one S'ah black meal." A certain Sadduce said unto R. Chanina: "Well, are you praising your land, for a space of one S'ah was left to me by my father. From that little space I derive oil, wine, grain, and peas; I also feed my cattle."' An Emorite once said to a Judaean: "Of that palm tree which stands on the other side of the Jordan, how many palms do you take off?" "Sixty Khorim," came the reply. Whereupon the Emorite remarked: "It is not as perfect as it should have been, for we used to take one hundred and twenty from it." "I only said from one of their sides." the Judaean explained. Said R. Chisda: "What does the passage (Jer. 3, 19) And give thee a Z'bi land the goodliest heritage of the nations, mean? Why is the land of Israel likened unto Z'bi (deer)? Just as the skin of a deer [when once, taken off] cannot cover its body, so also cannot the land of Israel retain all its fruits. It may be explained in another way. Just as the deer is the swiftest of animals, so docs Israel's fruit ripen sooner than all other lands. One might think that just as the deer is swift but its flesh is not fat, so also the land of Israel ripens fruit sooner than other countries, but does not yield fat fruit. It is thereupon written (Ex. 3, 8) Unto a land of flowing with milk and honey; i.e., a land which is even fatter than milk and even sweeter than honey.

(Numb. 15:1-2:) “Now the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, ‘Speak unto the Children of Israel ….’” Let our master instruct us: How many things is a father obligated to do for a son?⁵⁸Numb. R. 17:1. Thus have our masters taught: A father is obligated to do five things for a son: to circumcise him, to teach him Torah, to redeem him (according to the redemption of the first-born), to teach him a trade, and to take a wife for him.⁵⁹See TQid. 1:11; yQid. 1:7 (61a); Qid. 29a; Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, Pisha, 18 (on Exod. 13:13); Eccl. R. 9:9:1. The father is the Holy One, blessed be He, and the son is Israel. Just as a [human] father is obligated to his son, so does the Holy One, blessed be He, do for Israel. The [human] father is obligated to circumcise his son. Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, circumcised Israel at the hands of Joshua (according to Josh. 5:2), “And he made for himself….” The father is obligated to redeem his son. Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, did so for Israel. He redeemed them, as stated (in I Chron. 17:21), “And who is like Your people Israel, a unique nation on earth, whom God went to redeem as a people for Himself.” [The father is obligated] to teach him Torah, as stated (in Deut. 11:19), “And you shall teach them to your children by talking about them.” And the Holy One, blessed be He, also taught Torah to Israel, as stated] (in Is. 48:17), “I am the Lord your God, teaching you for your own good.” [The father is obligated] to teach him commandments. The Holy One, blessed be He, taught the commandments to Israel (in Lev. 27:34), “These are the commandments which the Lord commanded.” [Regarding marriage,] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to the Children of Noah (in Gen. 1:28), “Be fruitful and multiply.” [Moreover,] just as a father has a responsibility to his son to feed him, to give him drink, to wash him, to anoint him and to dress him, so does the Holy One, blessed be He, do for Israel, as stated (in Ezek. 16:9-10), “I bathed you in water, and washed the blood off you […]. I clothed you with embroidered garments, and gave you sandals of dolphin leather (tahash) to wear.” To feed him, as stated (Ezek. 16:19), “And My bread that I had given to you.” To give him to drink, as stated (in Numb. 21:17), “Spring up O well, answer it.” Just as a father bequeaths his properties to his son, so did the Holy One, blessed be He, do for Israel, as stated (in Jer. 3:19), “and I gave you a desirable land, the fairest heritage of all the nations.” Just as the father wills his property to his son, and [as] his son also is obligated to offer him a gift⁶⁰Gk.: doron.; so also did the Holy One, blessed be He, say to Israel (in Numb. 15:2-3), “When you come unto the land of your habitations [….] You shall make a burnt offering to the Lord […].” R. Tanhuma bar Abba opened [his discourse] in the name of R. Hanina the father of R. Aha bar Hanina [as follows]:⁶¹Numb. R. 17:2. This parashah concerns libations. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 15:6–7), “Or for a ram you shall make a meal offering […]. And for the oblation [you shall offer] a third of a hin of wine.” See it is about libations. From here on, it is in regard to the hallah, as stated (in vss. 19-20), “And it shall be that, when you eat from the bread of the land, [you shall set aside an offering for the Lord]. Of the first of your dough you shall set aside a loaf (hallah) as an offering….” Thus hallah [is mentioned] last, and libations first. For this reason R. Hanina opened (with Eccl. 9:7), “Go, eat your bread with gladness, [and drink your wine with a joyful heart].”⁶²Cf. below, Numb. 4a:17. What is the meaning of (Eccl 9:7, cont.), “God has already approved your works?” It is with reference to Abraham. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (in Gen. 22:2), “Please take your son,” Abraham rose early, took him promptly, led him on, and brought him up to Mount Moriah. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (in Gen. 22:12), “Do not raise your hand against the lad.” Abraham said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, did you tell me (in vs. 2), ‘Please take your son,’ for no reason?” He said to him, “No! Rather [it was] to make your character known in the world.” Thus it is stated (in Gen. 18:19), “For I have made him known,⁶³This sense is required by the midrash. A more traditional translation would begin the verse: FOR I HAVE KNOWN HIM, or FOR I HAVE CHOSEN HIM. so that he may charge [his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord].” R. Simeon ben Johay said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘By your life, I ascribe [your obedience] to you [as proof] that, if I had told you to take your own life, you would not have refrained [from doing so] for the sake of My name, and would have obeyed [the command] to be killed for the sake of My name.’” Where is it shown? R. Simeon ben Johay said, “As so is it written (in Gen. 22:16), ‘and you have not withheld your son, your only one.’ See, [‘your son’] has already specified Isaac. [So] what is the meaning of ‘your only one?’ It is to imply Abraham's life. Thus the soul is called only one, where it is stated (in Ps. 22:21) ‘Deliver my life from the sword, [my only one from the power of the dog].’” Abraham said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Is it possible for me to go from here with no sacrifice?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, “Here is your sacrifice. [It has been] prepared for you from the six days of creation.” (According to Gen. 22:13), “Then Abraham lifted his eyes to look, and there was a ram […].” As so did our masters teach, “The ram of Abraham was created from the six days of creation on the Sabbath eve at twilight.” So at that time, Abraham took it and (according to Gen 22:13, cont.) “he offered it up as a burnt offering in place of his son.” Once it said, “he offered it up as a burnt offering,” was the verse missing anything? [So] what is the meaning of “in place of his son?” At that time Abraham said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, see that I am slaughtering the ram; You should so see it as if my son is slaughtered in front of You.” When he took its blood, he said, “You should so see it as if the blood of Isaac is sprinkled before You.” When he took the ram and flayed it, he said to Him, “You should so see it as if Isaac is flayed in front of You on the altar.” When he burnt it, he said to Him, “You should so see it as if his ashes were gathered in front of You on the altar.” [Once it said,] “he offered it up as a burnt offering,” was the verse missing anything? [So] what is the meaning of “in place of his son?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “By your life, it is your son that is sacrificed first, but it is simply that this ram is after him.” At that time Abraham said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, I am not moving from here until You swear to me that You will never test me again; for if, heaven forbid, I had not obeyed you, I should have destroyed everything I had accomplished during my lifetime.” R. Hanin said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘By your life, so it is; for if you had not obeyed Me, you would have possessed nothing.’” At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to him that He would never test him again. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 22:16), “And he said, ‘I by Myself have sworn,’ says the Lord.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “By your life, severe afflictions and other trials had been designated to come upon you, but now they shall not come.” These were the same afflictions which came upon Job.⁶⁴ySot. 5:8 (or 5) (20c); Gen. R. 57:4. They had been designated to come upon Abraham, for the following has been joined to the parashah (in Gen. 22:20–21), “And it came to pass after these things, that it was told to Abraham [saying, ‘Behold Milcah, she also has borne sons to your brother Nahor,] Uz his first-born….’” And this is Job, according to what is stated (in Job 1:1), “There was a man in the land (belonging to) Uz.”⁶⁵So the midrash interprets LAND OF UZ. See BB 15a. At that time, The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham (in Eccl. 9:7), “Go, eat your bread with gladness, [… for God has already approved your works].”

(Numb. 15:1–3:) NOW THE LORD SPOKE <UNTO MOSES, SAYING>: SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL AND SAY UNTO THEM: WHEN YOU COME UNTO THE LAND OF YOUR HABITATIONS WHICH I AM GIVING YOU AND WOULD MAKE AN OFFERING TO THE LORD, A BURNT OFFERING OR A SACRIFICE TO FULFILL A VOW…. This text is related (to Jer. 3:19): <THEN I SAID:> HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN AND GIVE YOU A DESIRABLE LAND, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE OF ALL THE NATIONS! AND I SAID: YOU SHALL CALL ME FATHER AND NOT TURN FROM FOLLOWING ME. What is the meaning of HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN? How should I compare you with love of children? R. Jose bar Hanina said: What is the meaning of HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN? There was great love between me and you. How did you introduce enmity between me and you?²⁹Above, Exod. 6:10; Lev. 7:12; Tanh., Exod. 6:17; Lev. 7:12; Exod. R. 32:2. HOW I WOULD PUT (ashit) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN! Now this language can only be the language of enmity, since it is stated (in Gen. 3:15): AND I WILL PUT (ashit) ENMITY BETWEEN YOU AND THE WOMAN.

Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19): HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN! R. Joshua the Levite said: The Holy One said: I argued in your defense³⁰Gk.: synegoria., but you made me one who argues your prosecution.³¹Gk.: kategoria. HOW I WOULD PUT (rt.: ShYT) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN? This language can only be the language of guilt, since it is stated (concerning one found guilty of negligence in Exod. 21:30): IF A RANSOM IS PUT (rt.: ShYT) UPON HIM, <HE SHALL GIVE WHATEVER IS PUT (rt.: SHYT) UPON HIM TO REDEEM HIS LIFE>.

Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19): HOW I WOULD I PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN! R. Hiyya said: The Holy One said: For which people did I do what I did for you? For which people did I part the sea? To which people did I give the Torah? Which people did I set apart, just as I have set you apart. HOW I WOULD PUT (rt.: ShYT) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN! This language can only be the language of setting apart, since it is stated (in Gen. 30:40): AND HE PUT (rt.: ShYT) HIS OWN FLOCKS APART….

Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19): HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN! R. Eliezer said: the Holy One said: For what people did I do what I have done for you? Have I not made you a special people in the world and separated you from all the <other> peoples? Thus it is stated (in Deut. 7:3): YOU SHALL NOT INTERMARRY WITH THEM…. (Jer. 3:19:) HOW I WOULD PUT (rt.: ShYT) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN … ! This language can only be the language of separation, since it is stated (in Gen. 4:25): FOR GOD HAS APPOINTED (rt.: ShYT) ANOTHER SEED FOR ME.

Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19): HOW I WOULD PUT (ashit, rt.: ShYT) YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN? R. Berekhyah the Priest [Berabbi] said: You were dear to me. <The Holy One was> like a person who had a single vineyard.³²In allegory the vineyard normally represents Israel. See. e.g., Is. 5:3–7; Cant. 8:11. Cf. Mark 12:1–12 // Matthew 21:33–46 // Luke 20:9–19, where a failure to understand the vineyard as representing Israel usually leads to a ministerpretation that condemns Judaism. So Philip L. Culbertson, A Word Fitly Spoken (Albany: State Univ. of NY Press, 1995), pp. 219–255. So he hoed it, weeded it, and did everything necessary for it. How did you get me to make you unclaimed property? This language can only be the language of unclaimed property, since it is stated (of the Holy One's vineyard in Is. 5:6): AND I WILL MAKE (ashit, rt.: ShYT) IT A WASTE LAND. IT SHALL NEITHER BE PRUNED NOR HOED; AND THERE SHALL ARISE BRIERS AND THORNS (ShYT).

Jer. 3:19): <HOW I WOULD PUT YOU AMONG THE CHILDREN> AND GIVE YOU A DESIRABLE LAND, a land that the ancestors of the world³³Literally: “fathers of the world.” According to Ber. 16b and Rashi, ad loc., the title father should be limited to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Similarly the title mother should apply only to Sarah, Rebekah, Leah, and Rachael. found desirable. <The first of these ancestors was> Abraham, of whom it is stated (in Gen. 12:9): THEN ABRAM JOURNEYED AS HE WENT ON AND TRAVELED TOWARDS THE NEGEB. And so it says (in Gen. 23:4): I AM AN ALIEN AND TRANSIENT AMONG YOU; GIVE ME A BURIAL PLACE AMONG YOU. <The second was> Isaac. {He also found it desirable when he was departing from <this> world. What did he say to his children (in Gen. 49:29)? BURY ME WITH MY ANCESTORS IN THE FIELD OF EPHRON BEN ZOHAR THE HITTITE.}³⁴Note that Gen. 49:1, 28 attributes these words to Jacob. [The Holy One also endeared it to Isaac (in Gen. 26:3): RESIDE IN THIS LAND, <AND I WILL BE WITH YOU AND BLESS YOU>…. ] <The third was> Jacob. This <is what> he commanded (in Gen. 50:5): IN MY GRAVE WHICH I DUG FOR MYSELF IN THE LAND OF <CANAAN, THERE YOU SHALL BURY ME>…. Ergo (in Jer. 3:19): A DESIRABLE LAND, THE MOST BEAUTIFUL (rts: TsBH TsB') HERITAGE OF THE NATIONS, in that it is a land of delights (rt.: TsBH) for the peoples of the world.

Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19): THE MOST BEAUTIFUL (tsevi) HERITAGE. <It is> a land like a deer (tsevi), in that it hastens to bring forth its fruit.³⁵Sifre to Deut. 7:12 (37).

Another interpretation (of Jer. 3:19): THE MOST BEAUTIFUL (TsBY) HERITAGE OF THE NATIONS. <It is> a land in which all the peoples of the world delight (rt.: TsBY).

It is written (in Josh. 12:9): THE KING OF JERICHO, ONE; THE KING OF AI WHICH IS BESIDE BETHEL, ONE. Now there are not <even> three miles³⁶Lat.: mille. between the one <city> and the other; yet it says: THE KING OF JERICHO …; THE KING OF AI.³⁷I.e., why should two kings rule fortified cities so close to each other? R. Parnakh said: R. Johanan said: Every king who was outside the land and did not procure for himself one city within the land of Israel was not called a king. What is written (in Josh. 7:21)? I SAW AMONG THE SPOILS A FINE SHINAR MANTLE. What is a SHINAR MANTLE?³⁸Gen. R. 85:14. A Babylonian³⁹Gk.: Babylonikon; Lat.: Babylonicum. robe of royal purple.⁴⁰Gk.: porphura; Lat.: purpura. It is simply that <its owner was> the one who was the king of Babylon, and he was encamped in the land of Israel. Ergo (in Jer. 3:19): THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HERITAGE OF THE NATIONS. (Ibid., cont.:) AND I SAID: YOU SHALL CALL ME FATHER. What is a father's concern? To love the son? What is a son's concern? He is responsible for his father's comfort, for giving him food and drink? Ergo, you also are responsible for your father who is in the heavens.

Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee (Exod. 23:20). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: But I said: “How would I put thee among the sons, and give thee a pleasant land, the goodliest inheritance of the nations!” And I said: “Thou shalt call Me, My father, and shall not turn away from following Me” (Jer. 3:19). How would I put thee among the sons. R. Eleazar the son of Pedat stated: The expression put thee is employed to indicate “to be set apart.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is my opinion that you and I must be together in this world, since I am the Father and you are My son. Why, then, do you allow other nations to come between us? Hence I would put thee is an expression that indicates “to set apart,” as in the verse: And put his own droves apart (Gen. 30:40).

(1) "When you come to the land of your dwellings": What is the halacha of how many things a person is obligated to do for his son? Our rabbis taught: A person is obligated to do five things for his son. G-d can be compared to a father and the Jewish people to His son. Just like a father is obligated to circumcise his son, G-d did so for the Jews by circumcising them by the hand of Yehoshua as it says (Joshua 5:2) "Make for yourself stone knives." A father is obligated to redeem his son [if he is a firstborn] and G-d redeemed the Jews, as it says [II Samuel 7:23) "to redeem it as a nation." [A father is obligated] to teach [his son] Torah, [and] G-d taught the Jews Torah as it says (Deuteronomy 11:19) "Teach them to your children" and it is written "I am G-d your teacher." [A father is obligated] to teach [his son] mitsvot, [and] G-d taught the mitsvot to the Jews. [A father is obligated] to marry [his son] to a woman, [and] G-d told mankind: "Be fruitful and multiply." A father is obligated to his son [in the following ways]: to give him food and drink, to bathe him, to give him ointments, and to clothe him, and thus did G-d for the Jews, as it is written (Ezekiel 16: 9) "And I washed you in water, and I washed away your blood...and I clothed you with embroidered clothing...and My bread which I gave you..." [and in Numbers 21:17] "Arise, o well, sing to it." What does a father give to a son? Possessions. Thus G-d did for the Jews, as it says in Jeremiah 3:18, "And I gave you a beloved land." And what must a son give to his father? A gift. Thus G-d said to the Jews, "When you come to the land...and bring an olah-offering to G-d."

And give thee a pleasant land (Jer. 3:19). It was a land greatly coveted by all the mighty men of the world. Abraham said of it: Give me a possession of a burying-place with you (Gen. 23:4). Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, made it precious to Isaac, as it is said: Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee and will bless thee (ibid. 26:3). And Jacob said: In my grave which I have digged for me in the land of Canaan, there shalt thou bury me (ibid. 50:5). Hence it says: And give thee a pleasant land, the goodliest heritage of the deer (Jer. 3:19). What is indicated by the use of the word deer? Just as the flesh of a deer cannot be restored into its skin when they attempt to recover it after it has been slaughtered and its skin has been stripped away, so the land of Israel is not able to contain its fruit (when it is worthy). A proof of this is written in the verse: The oxen likewise and the young asses that till the ground shall eat savory provender, which hath been winnowed with the shovel and with the fan (Isa. 30:24). At first they winnowed the grain with a shovel, but later they winnowed it with a fan. Why? because the grain was more plentiful than the straw, though the grain grows within the straw. Whence do we know this was so? For it is written: Shall eat savory provender. The savory provender was the fruit (of the straw). Hence, And give thee a pleasant land, the goodliest heritage of the deer indicates that like the deer the land of Israel could not contain its fruits.

Another explanation of the goodliest heritage of the nations (Jer. 3:19). It was a land so good that the kings of the world coveted it. It is written: The king of Jericho, one; the king of Ai, which is beside Beth-el, one; etc. (Josh. 12:9). Scripture mentions this though the distance between Jericho and Ai was only three mils (6,000 cubits). It does so to show that every king who ruled outside of the land of Israel would have not been called a king if he did not possess a strip of the land of Israel. Why did they covet the land of Israel? Because of its fruits. Therefore it was The goodliest heritage of the nations.

Scripture says also: Thou shalt call Me “my Father”; and shalt not turn away from following Me (Jer. 3:19). As the father feels constrained to provide for his daughter’s comfort, so I felt obliged to provide for you, as it is said: Behold, I will cause bread to rain from heaven for you (Exod. 16:4), and it says: And when (like a daughter) the layer of dew is gone up (ibid., v. 14). It says: Thou shalt call Me “my Father”; and shall not turn away from following Me (Jer. 3:19).

Surely as a wife treacherously departeth from her husband, so have you dealt treacherously with Me, O house of Israel (ibid., v. 20). R. Judah the son of R. Shalum²⁸In text: R. Judah of the school of R. Shalum stated: Israel acted like a woman who departs treacherously from her husband. While her husband feeds her and supplies her with drink, she loves him, but when he is less attentive, she leaves him. Therefore it says: As a wife treacherously departeth from her friend. I did not act toward you in that fashion. Instead manna descended for you, a well opened up, and you lacked nothing, yet you rebelled against Me. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: When the nations rebelled against Me, I sent guardian angels to serve them, but when you did so, I sent an angel to keep you, as it is said: Behold, I sent an angel before thee, to keep thee (Exod. 14:20). When you are worthy, and accept the Torah, and fulfill My wishes, I shall go before you, as it is said: And the Lord went before them by day and night (Exod. 13:21), but now that you practice idolatry like the other peoples of the world, I will not go before you but shall send only an angel before you.

7 (Numb. 34:2) “When you come into the land of Canaan”: A legal teaching: Before Israel entered the land, how did they say the blessing over the food? Thus have our masters taught: Before they entered the land, they used to only say a single blessing, “who sustains all.”⁸Cf. Philip Birnbaum, Daily Prayer Book (Hebrew Publishing Co., 1949), p. 759/760. After they had entered the land, they ordained the blessing, “for the land and for the food.”⁹Birnbaum, p. 763/764. After Jerusalem was destroyed, they added “builder of Jerusalem.”¹⁰See Birnbaum, p. 765/766. The prayer also occurs as the fourteenth blessing in the Shemoneh ‘Esreh (Birnbaum, p. 89/90), as well as in other contexts. For the various versions of the prayer, see Joseph Heinemann, Prayer in the Talmud, trans. Richard S. Sarason (“Studia Judaica, IX; Berlin: Walter de Gruyter, 1977), pp. 48-50, 70-76. After those slain at Bethther¹¹During the Bar Cochba war, 132-135. were buried, they added “who is good and does what is good.”¹²Cf. Birnbaum, p. 765/766. “Who is good,” because they did not decay; and “who does what is good,” because they were given burials. None of them, however, is more dear to you than the blessing of the land. The sages [therefore] said, “Whoever does not mention ‘for the land and for the food; a desirable, good, and spacious land; the covenant [of circumcision]; Torah; life; and food’¹³A Desirable, Good, and Spacious Land plus the elements that follow all form part of a single prayer to be found in Birnbaum, p. 761/762. has not satisfied his obligation.”¹⁴See Ber. 48b-49a. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “The land of Israel is more dear to Me than everything. I am the one who sought it out, as stated (in Ezek. 20:6), ‘On that day I swore (literally, raised My hand) to them that I would bring them out of the land of Egypt unto a land which I had sought out for them […].’” And similarly it states (in Jer. 3:19), “And I gave you a desirable land – the fairest heritage of all the nations.” You find [the same love for the land], when Joshua slew those kings. R. Jannay the Priest said, “There were sixty-two kings, thirty-one at Jericho and thirty one in the days of Sisera. When he went to fight with Israel they also were slain along with him. Why? Because they yearned to drink water from the waters of Israel. They made a request of Sisera and said to him, ‘If you please, let us come with you to war.’ And every king that requested to go to war sent and hired other workers with silver, so that they would help him. They said to Sisera, ‘We do not request anything from you, but rather we will come for free, because we yearn to fill our stomachs with water from that land.’ Thus it is stated (in Jud. 5:19), ‘The kings came, they fought; [...] on account of¹⁵Heb.: ‘al. The more usual translation here is BY. the waters of Megiddo; they took no gain of silver.’ [This verse serves] to inform you that nothing was more beloved than the land of Israel.” The Holy One, blessed be He, had said to Moses, “This land is dear to Me, as stated (in Deut. 11:12), ‘A land for which the Lord your God always cares.’ Israel also is dear to Me, as stated (in Deut. 7:8), ‘Because the Lord loves you….’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I will bring Israel, who are beloved to Me, into a land that is beloved to Me, as stated (in Numb. 34:2), “when you come into the land of Canaan.”

It is written (Jeremiah 3:19) "And I gave you a cherished land, the heritage coveted by the multitudes of nations." "a cherished land": a land which was populated with palaces by kings and rulers. For any king or ruler who had not acquired palaces in Eretz Yisrael said "I have done nothing."