נִשְׁכְּבָ֣ה בְּבָשְׁתֵּ֗נוּ וּֽתְכַסֵּנוּ֮ כְּלִמָּתֵנוּ֒ כִּי֩ לַיהוָ֨ה אֱלֹהֵ֜ינוּ חָטָ֗אנוּ אֲנַ֙חְנוּ֙ וַאֲבוֹתֵ֔ינוּ מִנְּעוּרֵ֖ינוּ וְעַד־הַיּ֣וֹם הַזֶּ֑ה וְלֹ֣א שָׁמַ֔עְנוּ בְּק֖וֹל יְהֹוָ֥ה אֱלֹהֵֽינוּ׃ (ס)
Biarlah kami berbaring dalam rasa malu kami, dan biarlah kehinaan kami menyelubungi kami, sebab kami telah berdosa terhadap Yang Mahakekal, Allah kami, kami dan nenek moyang kami, sejak masa muda kami sampai hari ini, dan kami tidak mendengarkan suara Yang Mahakekal, Allah kami.
Devarim Rabbah
Another matter: “You will return to the Lord your God” – there is nothing greater than repentance. There was incident where our Rabbis, Rabbi Eliezer, Rabbi Yehoshua, and Rabban Gamliel, were in Rome. The Emperor’s ministers issued an edict, saying: Within thirty days there will not be a Jew in the entire world.51This decree, which was not announced to the public, was set to take effect in thirty days. One of the ministers of the king feared Heaven. He came to Rabban Gamliel and revealed the matter to him. The Rabbis were very upset. That one who feared Heaven said to them: ‘Do not be upset. Within thirty days, the God of the Jews will stand with them.’ After twenty-five days, he revealed the matter to his wife. She said to him: ‘Twenty-five days have passed.’ He said to her: ‘Five more days.’ His wife was more righteous than he. She said to him: ‘Do you not have a ring?52The ministers wore rings with a hollow containing poison (see Matnot Kehuna). Suck on it and die. The ministers’ [meetings] will be suspended for thirty more days in your [honor], and the edict will be annulled.’53The Romans had a policy that if one of the ministers died, their meetings would be suspended for thirty days, and any edicts that had been decreed but not yet put into effect would be cancelled (Etz Yosef). He heeded her, sucked his ring, and died. Our Rabbis heard and went to his wife to console her. Our Rabbis said: ‘Pity for a ship that set sail and did not remit the tariff’; in other words, this righteous man was not circumcised. His wife said to them: ‘I know what you are saying, but, as you live, the ship did not pass before it remitted its tariff.’ She immediately entered an inner room and brought out to them a box containing the foreskin with blood-soaked rags placed upon it. Our Rabbis read this verse in his regard: “Ministers of the peoples have assembled, the people of the God of Abraham. For the shields of the earth belong to God; He is greatly exalted” (Psalms 47:10). What is “shields of the earth”? The Holy One blessed be He said to Abraham: ‘I have become a powerful shield,’ as it is stated: “I am a shield for you” (Genesis 15:1) – for this one, I will become many shields.54The Rabbis said this as though from God’s perspective, about the deceased minister, thereby comparing him favorably to Abraham. How so? The Holy One blessed be He said to Abraham: “I will render you a great nation and I will bless you and I will render your name great” (Genesis 12:2), and then he circumcised himself, but to this one I promised nothing. What is, “he is greatly exalted”? He is more greatly exalted than Abraham.
Another matter: “You will return to the Lord your God” – Rabbi Shmuel Peragrita said in the name of Rabbi Meir: To what is the matter comparable? It is to a king’s son who took to evil ways, and the king would send his tutor after him and say to him:55The tutor would speak to the prince on behalf of the king. ‘Repent, my son.’ The son would send him, and said to his father: ‘How can I have the audacity to return? I am ashamed before you.’ His father would send [the tutor] and [have him] say to [his son]: ‘My son, is there a son who is ashamed to return to his father? If you return, will you not be returning to your father?’ So, the Holy One blessed be He sent Jeremiah to Israel when they sinned, and He said to him: ‘Go and say to My children: Repent.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Go, and proclaim these matters…[repent, deviant Israel]” (Jeremiah 3:12). Israel would say to Jeremiah: ‘How can we have the audacity to return to the Holy One blessed be He?’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “We will lie in our shame, and our humiliation will cover us, [as we have sinned to the Lord our God]” (Jeremiah 3:25). The Holy One blessed be He would send [Jeremiah] and say [to Israel]: ‘If you repent, will you not be returning to your Father?’ From where is this derived? “For I have been a Father to Israel…” (Jeremiah 31:8). Rabbi Azarya said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Jeremiah: ‘Go and say to Israel: As you live, I am not renouncing you. You said to Me at Sinai: “My innards yearn for Him” (Song of Songs 5:4); this is what I too say to you.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Is Ephraim a dear son to Me…[My innards yearn for him]” (Jeremiah 31:19).
Another matter: “You will return to the Lord your God” – Rabbi Shmuel Peragrita said in the name of Rabbi Meir: To what is the matter comparable? It is to a king’s son who took to evil ways, and the king would send his tutor after him and say to him:55The tutor would speak to the prince on behalf of the king. ‘Repent, my son.’ The son would send him, and said to his father: ‘How can I have the audacity to return? I am ashamed before you.’ His father would send [the tutor] and [have him] say to [his son]: ‘My son, is there a son who is ashamed to return to his father? If you return, will you not be returning to your father?’ So, the Holy One blessed be He sent Jeremiah to Israel when they sinned, and He said to him: ‘Go and say to My children: Repent.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Go, and proclaim these matters…[repent, deviant Israel]” (Jeremiah 3:12). Israel would say to Jeremiah: ‘How can we have the audacity to return to the Holy One blessed be He?’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “We will lie in our shame, and our humiliation will cover us, [as we have sinned to the Lord our God]” (Jeremiah 3:25). The Holy One blessed be He would send [Jeremiah] and say [to Israel]: ‘If you repent, will you not be returning to your Father?’ From where is this derived? “For I have been a Father to Israel…” (Jeremiah 31:8). Rabbi Azarya said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Jeremiah: ‘Go and say to Israel: As you live, I am not renouncing you. You said to Me at Sinai: “My innards yearn for Him” (Song of Songs 5:4); this is what I too say to you.’ From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Is Ephraim a dear son to Me…[My innards yearn for him]” (Jeremiah 31:19).
Midrash Tanchuma
R. Phinehas stated in the name of R. Joshua: Though it is written concerning Him that He rested from all His labors, it indicates merely that He rested from the work of creation, but not that He rests from considering the deeds of the righteous and the acts of the wicked. Rather, He works with them. He reveals to these (the righteous) the essential character of their deeds and to those (the wicked) the essential nature of their acts. How do we know that the punishment of the wicked is called work? It is said: The Lord hath opened His armory and hath brought forth the weapons of His indignation; for it is a work that the Lord God of hosts hath to do (Jer. 50:25). How do we know that rewarding the righteous is considered work? It is said: Oh, how abundant is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear Thee; which Thou has wrought for them (Ps. 31:20).
Bereshit Rabbah
Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi interpreted the verse regarding the exile. “Jacob departed [vayetze] from Beersheba” (Genesis 28:10) – just as it says: “Send them from My presence, and let them go [veyetze’u]” (Jeremiah 15:1). “And went to Ḥaran” (Genesis 28:10) – just as it says: “With which the Lord has tormented me on the day of His enflamed wrath [ḥaron apo]” (Lamentations 1:12).
“He encountered the place” (Genesis 28:11) – “until there is no more place” (Isaiah 5:8). “And stayed the night there because the sun had set” (Genesis 28:11) – “the one who bore seven is miserable…[her sun set while still day]” (Jeremiah 15:9). “He took from the stones from the place” (Genesis 28:11) – “The sacred stones are spilled at the head of every street” (Lamentations 4:1). “Which he placed beneath his head” (Genesis 28:11) – “[splendor] has come down from your heads” (Jeremiah 13:18). “And lay in that place” (Genesis 28:11) – “we will lie in our shame, and our humiliation will cover us” (Jeremiah 3:25).
“He dreamed, and behold, a ladder [sulam]” (Genesis 28:12) – this is Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. “Behold, a ladder” – this is Nebuchadnezzar’s idol; it is a symbol [semel], and it is a [sulam] – The letters of this are the letters of that.31Sulam – samekh, lamed, mem. Semel - samekh, mem, lamed. “Was set on the earth” (Genesis 28:12) – “he erected it in the valley of Dura” (Daniel 3:1). “Its top was reaching the heavens” – “its height was sixty cubits, and its width six cubits. He erected it in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylonia” (Daniel 3:1). “And behold, the angels of God” – this is Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya. “Were ascending and descending on it” – they were exalting his32Nebuchadnezzar’s. honor and denigrating his honor;33They said to him: ‘You are our king for taxes and land taxes, but as far as engaging in idol worship, you and a dog are equal’ (Bemidbar Rabba 15:14). dancing and leaping before him and denigrating: “Let it be known to you, king, that we will not worship your gods, and we will not prostrate ourselves to the golden image that you have erected” (Daniel 3:18). “Behold, the Lord was standing over him” (Genesis 28:13) – he said to Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya: “Servants of God Most High, emerge and come” (Daniel 3:26).
Another matter, “and behold, the angels of God” (Genesis 28:12) – this is Daniel. “Were ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12) – he ascended and removed what it had swallowed from its mouth. That is what is written: “I will reckon with Bel in Babylon, and I will remove what it swallowed from its mouth” (Jeremiah 51:44). Nebuchadnezzar had a serpent and it would swallow everything that was cast before it. Nebuchadnezzar said to Daniel: ‘How great is its power, in that it swallows everything that is cast before it.' Daniel said to him: 'Give me permission and I will exhaust it.' He gave permission. What did he do? He took straw, concealed nails in it, cast it before it, and the nails perforated its innards. That is what is written: “I will remove what it swallowed from its mouth.”
“He encountered the place” (Genesis 28:11) – “until there is no more place” (Isaiah 5:8). “And stayed the night there because the sun had set” (Genesis 28:11) – “the one who bore seven is miserable…[her sun set while still day]” (Jeremiah 15:9). “He took from the stones from the place” (Genesis 28:11) – “The sacred stones are spilled at the head of every street” (Lamentations 4:1). “Which he placed beneath his head” (Genesis 28:11) – “[splendor] has come down from your heads” (Jeremiah 13:18). “And lay in that place” (Genesis 28:11) – “we will lie in our shame, and our humiliation will cover us” (Jeremiah 3:25).
“He dreamed, and behold, a ladder [sulam]” (Genesis 28:12) – this is Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. “Behold, a ladder” – this is Nebuchadnezzar’s idol; it is a symbol [semel], and it is a [sulam] – The letters of this are the letters of that.31Sulam – samekh, lamed, mem. Semel - samekh, mem, lamed. “Was set on the earth” (Genesis 28:12) – “he erected it in the valley of Dura” (Daniel 3:1). “Its top was reaching the heavens” – “its height was sixty cubits, and its width six cubits. He erected it in the plain of Dura, in the province of Babylonia” (Daniel 3:1). “And behold, the angels of God” – this is Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya. “Were ascending and descending on it” – they were exalting his32Nebuchadnezzar’s. honor and denigrating his honor;33They said to him: ‘You are our king for taxes and land taxes, but as far as engaging in idol worship, you and a dog are equal’ (Bemidbar Rabba 15:14). dancing and leaping before him and denigrating: “Let it be known to you, king, that we will not worship your gods, and we will not prostrate ourselves to the golden image that you have erected” (Daniel 3:18). “Behold, the Lord was standing over him” (Genesis 28:13) – he said to Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya: “Servants of God Most High, emerge and come” (Daniel 3:26).
Another matter, “and behold, the angels of God” (Genesis 28:12) – this is Daniel. “Were ascending and descending on it” (Genesis 28:12) – he ascended and removed what it had swallowed from its mouth. That is what is written: “I will reckon with Bel in Babylon, and I will remove what it swallowed from its mouth” (Jeremiah 51:44). Nebuchadnezzar had a serpent and it would swallow everything that was cast before it. Nebuchadnezzar said to Daniel: ‘How great is its power, in that it swallows everything that is cast before it.' Daniel said to him: 'Give me permission and I will exhaust it.' He gave permission. What did he do? He took straw, concealed nails in it, cast it before it, and the nails perforated its innards. That is what is written: “I will remove what it swallowed from its mouth.”