Midras Mazmur 2:4: Midrash Tehillim, Midrash Tanchuma, Midrash Tanchuma Buber & Bamidbar Rabbah

“The One who sits in heaven laughs” (Psalms 2:4). Rabbi Yitzhak [rejected a straightforward reading of this verse, with its picture of God engaging in levity, and] said, “All of God’s activities are conducted in [a spirit of] holiness. His speech is [conducted] in holiness, as it is said, “God has spoken in His holiness” (Psalms 60:8). He is praised in [terms of] holiness, as it is said, “holy, holy, holy” (Isaiah 6:3). His [heavenly] procession [moves] in holiness, as it is said, “the processions of my God, my king, [move] in holiness” (Psalms 68:25). His majesty is [saturated] in holiness, as it said, “Who is like unto You, majestic in holiness” (Exodus 15:11).” Alternatively: “The One who sits in heaven laughs” (Psalms 2:4) [shouldn’t be taken to mean that God actually laughs. Rather] the Holy One, blessed be He, [sits up in the heavens, observes, and] says, “these ones [i.e., the enemies of Israel] laugh at those ones [i.e., at Israel]” [This causes Him, in the next verse of Psalms to speak to the nations in anger]. Rabbi Acha said, in the name of Rabbi Shmuel, [that God does indeed laugh. In fact, he notes that] there are four [occasions for heavenly] laughter. (1) “The One who sits in heaven laughs” (Psalms 2:4); (2) “But You, O Lord, shall laugh at them” (Psalms 59:9); (3) “the Lord laughs at him” (Psalms 37:13); (4) “I will also laugh at your calamity” (Proverbs 1:26).

(Numb. 5:12:) “If anyone has his wife go astray (tisteh).” Our masters have taught, “The adulterers do not commit adultery, until a spirit of madness (shetut)³¹In the unpointed Hebrew text, shetut and tisteh appear to have the same root. enters them. Thus it is stated (ibid.), ‘If anyone has his wife go astray.’” [Here] we have learned about the woman. Where is it shown about the man? Where it is stated (in Prov. 6:32), “The one who commits adultery with a woman is has no sense (literally, is lacking heart).”³²Cf. Numb. 9:6. Another interpretation (of Numb. 5:12), “If anyone has his wife go astray.” This text is related (to Jer. 23:24), “If someone hides in secret places, [shall I not see him?]” See, is it not already written (Psalms 16:3), “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the bad and the good.”³³Numb. R. 9:9. And so too is it written (in Zech. 4:10; cf. II Chron. 16:9), “the eyes of the Lord; they roam around all the earth.” [So] what do we learn to say (in Jer. 23:24), “Shall I not see Him (ar'ennu)?” [Interpret these words³⁴In the Hebrew text this question and the one which follows each consists of the one word, ar’ennu. as follows:] Shall I not show him (ar'ennu) to the people and publish his works? (Jer. 23:24, cont.), “’Do I not fill the heavens and the earth,’ says the Lord.” I fill the realms above and the realms below, as stated (Is. 66:1), “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool.” Another interpretation of (Jer. 23:24), “[If someone hides in secret places], shall I not see him? It is comparable to an architect³⁵Gk.: architekton; cf. Lat.: architectus. The parable appears in Numb. R. 9:1; Gen. R. 24:1. [who] went out as a katarikos (tax official) over a certain province. The inhabitants of the province began hiding their silver and gold within the very caves [that he had built]. The architect said to them, ‘I built the province, and I made the hidden treasuries. Will you hide [anything] from me?” Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, has said to adulterers, “Will you hide yourselves from me?” [It is as in (Jer. 23:24),] “If someone hides in secret places, I have created you and made your every cavity (mehilim mehilim).” [It is so stated (in Deut. 32:18),] “but you forgot the God who generated you (meholelekha).” Nothing will be useful to you, wherever you hide yourselves, because (according to Jer. 17:10:) “I the Lord search the heart, probe the kidneys, to render to each according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” I am the one who brings (rt.: qrb) you to judgment, as stated (in Mal. 3:5), “Then I will draw near (rt.: qrb) unto you in judgment; and I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers […].” Therefore, you shall not go astray after the evil drive, so that none of you have his wife go astray, according to what is stated (in Numb. 5:12), “If anyone has his wife go astray.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 5:12), “If anyone (literally, if a man a man) [has his wife go astray].” [These words are] to teach you that she is going astray and being false with two, with the “Man of war” (as in Exod 15:3) above and with her man (husband) below.³⁶Numb. R. 9:2. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to her, “You lie to your husband, can you perhaps lie to Me? A parable: To what is the matter comparable?³⁷Numb. R. 9:9. To someone who was imprisoned within two houses, one inside the other. Now two guards were there, one on the inside and one on the outside. [The prisoner] opened [the door of] the inner [house] and left, and the guard did not notice him. When he came to leave the outer one, [the guard] did notice him. He seized him and said to him, “At that [guard] on the inside you laughed, but at me you cannot laugh.” Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, has said to the adulterous woman, “At your husband you laugh, but at me you cannot laugh. Rather I sit and laugh at My creatures.” It is so stated (in Ps. 2:4), “The One sitting in the heavens shall laugh […].

R. Hama bar Hanina said: What is the meaning of (Is. 43:9): ALL THE NATIONS ARE GATHERED TOGETHER. In the world to come the Holy One brings the book of Torah and puts it on his lap.³⁸Tanh., Deut. 5:9, cont.; ‘AZ 2a-3b. Then he says to everyone who has been occupied with Torah: Let him come and receive his reward.³⁹Cf. Matthew 25:31–46. Immediately all the peoples gather in confusion, as stated (ibid.): ALL THE NATIONS ARE GATHERED TOGETHER [….] The Holy One says to them: Do not be gathered in confusion, but <have> every nation <come> with its scribe, [as stated] (ibid, cont.): AND LET THE PEOPLES ASSEMBLE. The Roman Empire entered. The Holy One said to them: With what were you occupied? They say: We have established a lot of marketplaces, produced a lot of baths, and multiplied silver and gold. Everything was <done> so that Israel would <have leisure to> be occupied with Torah. He said to them: Everything that you did you did for your own needs. Marketplaces are for settling harlots in. Baths are to refresh yourselves. Silver and gold are mine, as stated (in Hag. 2:8): THE SILVER IS MINE, AND THE GOLD IS MINE. The Persian Empire entered. He said to them: With what were you occupied? They say: We have {established} [conquered] a lot of cities, established a lot of bridges, waged a lot of wars. Everything was <done> for the sake of Israel. He said to them: Everything that you did you did for the sake of yourselves. Cities were for producing forced labor⁴⁰Gk.: angareia; Lat.: angaria. in them. Bridges were for collecting tolls. Wars <are what> I have waged, as stated (in Exod. 15:3): THE LORD IS A MAN OF WAR. Are there any among you declaring this? It is so stated (in Is. 43:9, cont.): WHO AMONG THEM WILL DECLARE THIS? Now THIS can only be Torah, since it is stated (in Deut. 4:44): AND THIS IS THE TORAH WHICH MOSES SET <BEFORE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL>. They say to him: Did you give us anything that we have not accepted? [It says about them (in Deut. 33:2): THE LORD CAME FORTH FROM SINAI, AND SHONE UPON THEM FROM SEIR. <This> teaches that the Holy One caused <the light of Torah> to shine over all the peoples of the world, but they did not accept it.] They say to him: Sovereign of the World, give it to us in advance, and we will carry it out. He says to them: I am giving you an easy commandment. If you observe it, I will give [you a reward] like <that of> Israel. He says to them: Go and build a sukkah. Immediately each and every one goes and builds a sukkah for himself. But when the Holy One brings out the sun from its case,⁴¹Gk. and Lat.: narthex, where it originally denoted a shrub. each one tramples down his sukkah and goes away, as stated (in Ps. 2:3): LET US BREAK THEIR BONDS ASUNDER. Then the Holy One laughs at them, as stated (in vs. 4): THE ONE SITTING IN THE HEAVENS WILL LAUGH; THE LORD WILL DERIDE THEM.