Midras Yesaya 64:11: Midrash Tehillim

“For the conductor, a psalm of David, a song. Silence is praise to You, O God in Zion…” (Psalms 65:1-2) This is what Scripture says “I was silent from time immemorial; I am still, I restrain Myself. Like a travailing woman will I cry…” (Isaiah 42:14) And it says “Concerning these will You restrain Yourself, oh Lord…”(Isaiah 64:11) He said to them “I have no wrath…” the aspect of judgment dictates that I stay silent, “…would that I were thorns and brier in war!” (Isaiah 27:4) Thus said the Holy One: I am able to act, but the aspect of judgment constrains Me to silence. This is why it says ‘silence is praise to You’. You are able to hold silent and everyone praises You for being silent for that which was done to You in Zion and for the voice that was raised against Your Sanctuary, as it says “…they raised a clamor in the House of the Lord, as on a day of a festival.” (Lamentations 2:7) What voice did they raise? They said “Our hand was triumphant!” (Deuteronomy 32:27) and “Then He will say, "Where is their deity, the rock in which they trusted.” (Deuteronomy 32:37) This is ‘silence is praise to You’. You are silent and I am silent, as it says “Sit silent for the Lord and hope for Him…” (Psalms 37:7)

"For the conductor, a psalm of David. My God, do not be silent about my praise. As it is written (Deuteronomy 10:20), "You shall fear the LORD your God; you shall serve Him and cling to Him." If you do so (Psalms 22:4), He is your praise and He is your God. Israel has no praise except for the Holy One, blessed be He, and the Holy One, blessed be He, has no praise except for Israel, as it is written (Isaiah 43:21), "This people I have formed for Myself; they shall relate My praise." David said before the Holy One, blessed be He, "You are my praise and You are silent. My God, do not be silent about my praise." For the mouths of wicked and deceitful men have opened against me, and so it says (Psalms 37:13), "The LORD laughs at him, for He sees that his day is coming." And You are silent about all this. Thus it says (Psalms 83:2), "O God, be not silent; be not deaf and be not still, O God." And You are silent about what they did in Your Temple, as it says (Isaiah 64:10-11), "Our holy and beautiful house, where our fathers praised You, has become a burning waste." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them (Jeremiah 7:16), "I have been silent from the day your fathers left Egypt, and you have not listened to Me." Now Edom is acting like a woman in labor. For the mouths of wicked and deceitful men have opened. And what did they say? They opened the gates and entered the Holy of Holies and said, "Where is their God, that He may come and fight with us?" As it says (Deuteronomy 32:37-38), "And he will say, 'Where are their gods, the rock in which they sought refuge, who ate the fat of their sacrifices and drank the wine of their libation? Let them rise up and help you! Let them be your protection!'" And they said in the Temple (Psalms 115:2-3), "Why should the nations say, 'Where is their God?' Our God is in the heavens; He does whatever He pleases." Therefore, it is said, "For the mouths of wicked and deceitful men have opened against me." These are words of hatred that surround me. What is the hatred that is spoken in hatred? It is that which Esau did to Jacob, as it is written (Genesis 27:41), "And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him." And they take revenge and contend with me for no reason. Israel said, "When we sent to him in peace, we dealt with him peacefully," as it says (Numbers 20:14), "And Moses sent messengers from Kadesh to the king of Edom: 'Thus says your brother Israel...'" But he (Esau) said, "No, I will go out with the sword" (Genesis 32:31). Israel said, "I am for peace; but when I speak, they are for war" (Psalm 120:7). God said, "I did not leave you for that" (Amos 1:11), as it says, "Thus says the Lord, 'For three transgressions of Edom, and for four, I will not revoke the punishment; because he pursued his brother with the sword, and cast off all pity, and his anger tore perpetually, and he kept his wrath forever'" (Amos 1:11). God said, "Lest I come with the sword and they attack me without cause" (Exodus 20:22). If Esau hated Jacob and took the birthright from him to drink and eat, what did he do?

A Song of Ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains, etc. David said a song of ascents that raises us up to a level from which we will never again descend to the subjugation of the kingdom of Esau. As it is said, "And saviors shall go up to Mount Zion to judge the mountains of Esau." (Obadiah 1:21) The people of Israel say to God, "We will sing to You a song about that level to which You raised us up from the kingdom." Therefore, it is said, "I lift my eyes to the mountains." What are the mountains? On the day when God comes to judgment, and Israel looks to their forefathers who will speak in their favor, there will be no father who can save his son, and no man who can save his brother from that calamity. At that moment, they will lift their eyes to their Father in heaven and say, "For You are our Father, for Abraham did not know us, etc." (Isaiah 63:16) God will say to them, "You know who helps you make heaven and earth. Let not your foot slip." What is meant by "let not your foot slip?" When everyone else is slipping into Gehenna, you will not be among them. As it is said, "The steps of the righteous are guarded by God." (1 Samuel 2:9) And it is written, "Bless our God, O nations, etc." (Psalm 66:8) What are you blessing God for? "Our soul waits for God; He is our help and our shield." (Psalm 33:20) "Behold, He neither slumbers nor sleeps." (Psalm 121:4) Is there sleep in heaven? Heaven forbid! Thus, the verse says, "I saw a dream, and it made me afraid, etc." (Daniel 4:5) And it is written, "According to the decree of the watchmen, etc." (Daniel 4:14) From here, we learn that there is no sleep in heaven. "Let not your foot slip," refers to the troubles that will come upon Israel in this world. The Lord may cause such troubles, but the righteous must not lose faith. As Asaph said, "Awake, why do You sleep, O Lord?" (Psalm 44:24) The prophets prophesy and weep, saying, "The Lord said, "I cannot forget you." As Isaiah says (Isaiah 49:15), "Can a woman forget her nursing child?" Therefore it is said, "If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither!" (Psalm 137:5) Not only Jerusalem, but Zion is also mentioned in our memory. As it says, "If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I do not set Jerusalem above my highest joy." (Psalm 137:6) Wherever one stands in prayer, he must mention Jerusalem, as it says, "Pray for the peace of Jerusalem; may they prosper that love thee." (Psalm 122:6) In the grace after meals, one must say, "May the builder of Jerusalem be praised." In the Prophets, Jerusalem is also mentioned. Therefore it is said, "If I do not remember you, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth." (Psalm 137:6) This is like the ashes placed on the heads of the groom and bride during their wedding celebration. Therefore it is said, "If I do not elevate Jerusalem above my highest joy." (Psalm 137:6) Remember, O Lord, the children of Edom. Why does it say "Edom" when Babylon destroyed the Temple first? Because it was prophesied that the Temple would be rebuilt, but Edom would destroy it. Therefore it is said, "Remember, O Lord, against the children of Edom." (Psalm 137:7) God said to him, "How shall I remember?" He replied, "Remember the day when the son of Titus' sister entered the Temple with a sword in his hand and proceeded to drag it around until blood flowed out and he left boasting that he had killed." (Isaiah 63:1-6) "For these things I weep; my eyes flow with tears; for a comforter is far from me, one to revive my courage; my children are desolate, for the enemy has prevailed." (Lamentations 1:16) "If it is not for our sake, remember for your own sake. (Psalm 115:21) Remember your reproach from the fool. Therefore, it is said, 'Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites.' (Psalm 137:7) The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, 'You say to Me, "Remember," but I say to you, "You are also to remember," as it is written, "Remember what Amalek did to you."' (Deuteronomy 25:17) For one who forgets himself does not seek to be remembered. This can be compared to a king whose kingdom existed as long as he was healthy, but when he fell ill, his kingdom ceased to exist. Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'You are in exile, and like a sick person, it appears that My kingdom does not exist. When will I be king? When you emerge from exile, and My kingdom is restored, as it is written, 'And saviors shall ascend Mount Zion to judge the mount of Esau, and the kingdom shall be the Lord's' (Obadiah 1:21). Another explanation of 'Remember, O Lord, against the Edomites,' is that He said to Israel, 'Under one day, I will bring upon them ten days of distress,' as it is said, 'Blow the shofar in Zion...for the day of the Lord is coming.' (Joel 2:1) 'For the day of the Lord is near.' (Obadiah 1:15) 'Why do you long for the day of the Lord? It is darkness, not light.' (Amos 5:18) For all these days, I will bring upon them days of distress in one day, which they brought upon themselves. Therefore, we say, 'The day of Jerusalem,' and we say, 'Wake up, wake up,' etc. A fool would act like a thief who sneaks in to steal, or like an army that enters a country, and then asks if they are being searched for only after they have gone to the depths. But you did not do so. Instead, you said, 'Wake up, wake up,' etc." Therefore it is said, "Awake, awake, etc." "O devastated daughter of Babylon, etc." Why was Edom called the daughter of Babylon? Just as Babylon destroyed the Temple, so did Edom. Therefore, it is said, "daughter of Babylon." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her, "Fortunate are you who will be rewarded for what you have done to us." "What have you done to us?" They asked. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied, "You and they were both rewarded together, and not only Israel was rewarded for the evils, but you and they were rewarded together." Therefore it is said, "Fortunate is he who seizes and dashes your children against the rock." (Psalm 137:8) The Lord said, "I myself will dash your children, just as in this world your children were dashed. We did not hear that in the destruction of the Temple, the children of Israel were dashed, but we heard that they were taken captive and burned with the women. We did not hear that the children were dashed. However, the Lord said, "As they did, so I will do to them" (Nahum 3:10-11), "Cush and Egypt were your strength," "You too will go into exile," "You will benefit as well." Therefore it is said, "Fortunate is he who seizes and dashes your children against the rock." The Lord said, "Just as you dashed My children, who crowned Me as their King first and said, 'The Lord will reign,' so it says, 'From the mouths of babes and infants, You have established strength.'" Why is Edom called the daughter of Babylon? Babylon destroyed the Temple, and so did Edom. What one did, the other did. Therefore, it is called the daughter of Babylon. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to her (Psalms 137:8), "Happy is he who repays you for what you have done to us." What have you done to us? God said to them, "You and they have both repaid, not just Israel. All the evil you did was also to me and to them." Therefore it is said (ibid. 9), "Happy is he who seizes and smashes your infants against the rock." God said, "I will personally smash your infants just as in this world your infants are smashed. We did not hear that in the destruction of the Temple, their infants were smashed. We heard that they went out in chains, burned the Temple, and lay with the women. We did not hear that the infants were smashed. But God said, just as they did, so will I do to them (Nahum 3:10-11), "And you, O Nineveh, shall be a heap of ruins." "But with me," said the Holy One, "were the Philistines and the Arabs." (Ibid. 11) "You too shall become drunk." Therefore it is said, "Happy is he who seizes and smashes your infants against the rock." God said, just as you smashed my infants, whom I had enthroned over you and they said (Exodus 15:18), "The Lord will reign," as it is said (Psalms 8:3), "From the mouths of infants and nursing babes." Therefore it is said, "Happy is he who seizes and smashes your infants against the rock." No more and no less. In the custom of the world, if someone strikes the son of a pharaoh or a king, his head is taken and he is burned or crucified. But God is not like that, rather "according to their deeds, so will he repay" (Isaiah 59:18). Therefore it is said, "according to your deeds" (Jeremiah 21:14). Similarly, in the book of Jeremiah it is written, "You will give them their due reward" (Lamentations 3:64). And it is written, "Give them according to their deeds" (Psalm 28:4). And it is written, "They will be caught in their own schemes" (Psalm 10:2). What is meant by "their own schemes"? They said, "Come, let us destroy them from being a nation" (Psalm 83:5). You shall do likewise to them, as it says, "Pursue them in anger, and destroy them from under the heavens of the Lord" (Lamentations 3:66). God said, "And so I will do to them" (Obadiah 1:18), as it says, "There shall be no survivor of the house of Esau" (Obadiah 1:18). They said to Him, "But surely, will You not punish Pharaoh of Edom and Babylon?" He said to them, "Now I will punish them, as it says, 'And I will repay Babylon and all the inhabitants of Chaldea for all the evil they have done' " (Jeremiah 51:24).