Midrash su Deuteronomio 16:19

Rabbi asked Rabbi Betzalel: What is that which is written: “For their mother has committed harlotry” (Hosea 2:7)? Is it possible that Sarah our matriarch was a harlot? He said to him: ‘Heaven forbid; rather, when are matters of Torah rendered contemptible before the common people? It is when their owners debase them.’ Rabbi Yaakov bar Avdimi came and rendered it a [midrashic] dictum: When do matters of Torah become like harlots before the common people? When their owners debase them. Rabbi Yoḥanan derives it from here: “The poor man’s [misken] wisdom is contemptible” (Ecclesiastes 9:16). Was the wisdom of Rabbi Akiva, who was poor, contemptible? Rather, what is a misken? It is one who is contemptible in his words, like an elder who sits and teaches: “You shall not pervert justice” (Deuteronomy 16:19), and he perverts justice; “you shall not show partiality” (Deuteronomy 16:19), and he shows partiality; “you shall not afflict any widow or orphan” (Exodus 22:21) and he afflicts them. Samson followed his eyes, as it is stated: “Take her for me, as she is fitting in my eyes” (Judges 14:3). Gideon worshipped idols, as it is stated: “Gideon made it into an ephod” (Judges 8:27). Woe to a judge who shows partiality in judgment.
Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: “You shall not do injustice in judgment” (Leviticus 19:15) – this teaches that a judge who corrupts judgment is called by five names: unjust, hated, detestable, proscribed, abomination. The Holy One blessed be He calls him five: wicked, blasphemer, violator of the covenant, one who infuriates, and defiant. He causes five results in the world; he defiles the land, desecrates the Name, expels the Divine Presence, causes Israel to fall by the sword, and exiles them from their land. Woe to the generation that is corrupted in this way.
Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: “You shall not do injustice in judgment [in measure, in weight, or in volume]” (Leviticus 19:35) – in a judicial ruling. If it is about judicial rulings, it is already stated about judicial rulings!³⁵In the verse cited above, Leviticus 19:15: “You shall not do injustice in judgment.” If so, why is it stated, “…in judgment in measure [in weight, or in volume]”? It teaches that one who measures is called a judge, and if he falsifies, he is called five names and he causes five results. Woe is the generation whose measures are false, as Rabbi Benaya said in the name of Rabbi Huna: If you see a generation whose measures are false, a kingdom comes and besets that generation. What is the reason? “Scales of deceit are an abomination to the Lord” (Proverbs 11:1), and it is written: “Pride comes, shame comes” (Proverbs 11:2).
Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Abba: It is written: “Will I find merit with scales of wickedness, [or with a pouch of deceitful weights?]” (Micah 6:11). Is it possible that a generation whose measures are false will find merit? Rather, “in a pouch of deceitful weights.”³⁶They will be left with a purse filled with counterfeit coins. The midrash is reading the second half of the verse, “or with a pouch of deceitful weights” not as the continuation of the rhetorical question, but as the answer to “Will I find merit with scales of wickedness?” Rabbi Levi said: Moses indeed alluded this to Israel in the Torah: “You shall not have in your purse [alternate weights]” (Deuteronomy 25:13); “you shall not have in your house alternate measures” (Deuteronomy 25:13), and if he did so, ultimately, a kingdom will come and beset them, as it is written: “As it is an abomination to the Lord anyone who does [oseh] so, anyone who does [oseh] injustice” (Deuteronomy 25:16), and it is written: “Remember what Amalek did [asah] to you, on the way, as you were leaving Egypt” (Deuteronomy 25:17).

“On his royal throne” – Rabbi Kohen in the name of Rabbi Azarya: “On his royal throne [kisse malkhuto],” malkhuto is written [without the vav]. He sought to sit on Solomon’s throne but they did not allow him to do so. They said to him: Any king who is not ruler of the world may not sit on it. He arose and made a throne of his own, in his image. That is what is written: “On his royal throne [kisse malkhuto],” malkhuto is written [without the vav].¹⁶The defective spelling symbolizes the incompleteness of his reign.
What throne was it? “The king [Solomon] made a great throne of ivory” (I Kings 10:18; II Chronicles 9:17). Rabbi Aḥa said: But isn’t it written: “Ahab had seventy sons in Samaria” (II Kings 10:1). Rabbi Hoshaya said: Just as he had seventy sons in Samaria, so he had seventy sons in Yizre’el. Each and every one had two palaces, one for the winter and one for the summer. That is what is written: “I will strike the winter house with the summer house” (Amos 3:15). Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon said: Four, as it is stated: “And the ivory houses will be demolished” (ibid.). The Rabbis said: Six, as it is stated: “And many houses will be destroyed – the utterance of the Lord” (ibid.). And here it says: “A great throne of ivory”? (I Kings 10:18; II Chronicles 9:17).
Rabbi Hoshaya the Great said: It was made according to the specifications of the chariot of the One who spoke and the world came into existence, the Holy One blessed be He. And so it says: “There were six stairs to the throne” (I Kings 10:19; II Chronicles 9:18) – six stairs corresponding to six heavens. But aren’t there seven? Rabbi Avun said: That where the King resides is separate.
Six [stairs] corresponding to six lands [i.e., types of lands]: Land, Ground, Earth, Valley, Desert, Desolation, and World,¹⁷World is the seventh ‘land,’ and is the place from which God judges the others. and it is written: “He will judge the world in righteousness, He will administer fair judgment to the nations” (Psalms 9:9).
Six corresponding to the six orders of the Mishna: Zera’im – Seeds; Moed – Appointed times; Nashim – Women; Nezikin – Damages; Kodashim – Consecrations; Teharot – Purities.
Six, corresponding to the six days of Creation.
Six corresponding to the six matriarchs: Sarah, Rebecca, Leah, Rachel, Bilha, Zilpa.
Rav Huna said: Six corresponding to the six mitzvot about which the king is cautioned and commanded, as it is written: “He shall not amass wives for himself” (Deuteronomy 17:17); “he shall not amass horses for himself” (Deuteronomy 17:16); “and silver and gold, he shall not amass greatly” (Deuteronomy 17:17); “You shall not distort judgment, you shall not give preference, and you shall not take a bribe” (Deuteronomy 16:19).
When he [Solomon] ascended the first step, the herald would proclaim and say to him: “He shall not amass wives for himself.” On the second, he would proclaim: “He shall not amass horses for himself.” On the third, he would proclaim: “And silver and gold, he shall not amass.” On the fourth, “you shall not distort judgment.” On the fifth, “you shall not give preference.” On the sixth, “you shall not take a bribe.” And so it says [about the throne which was on the sixth step]: “There were arm rests on this side and that side of the place of the seat” (I Kings 10:19). When he came to sit, he [the herald] would say to him: Know before whom you sit, before the He who spoke and the world came into existence.
They said: Once Solomon died, Shishak, king of Egypt, came and took it [the throne] from them. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Shishak is Pharaoh, and why is he called by the name Shishak? Because he came against Israel with enthusiasm [bishkikut] and said: I am taking it in payment for my daughter’s marriage contract. He waged war with Zeraḥ the Kushite and he took it from him. Asa waged war with Zeraḥ the Kushite who fell by his hand and he took it from him. It was taught: Asa and all the kings of Judah sat upon it. When Nebuchadnezzar came up and destroyed Jerusalem, he exiled it to Babylon, and from Babylon to Media, from Media to Greece, and from Greece to Edom [Rome]. Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei said: I saw its fragments in Rome. Nebuchadnezzar sat upon it, Cyrus sat upon it, Aḥashverosh sought to sit upon it but they did not allow him to do so. They said to him: Any king who has not become ruler of the world may not sit on it. He arose and made one of his own like it; that is what is written: “On his royal throne [kisse malkhuto],” malkhuto is written [without the vav].”
“And there was a round top to the throne, at its back” (I Kings 10:19) – Rabbi Aḥa said: Like this round headrest of an armchair. “There were arm rests on this side and that side of the place of the seat” (ibid.). He ascends the first step, and the lion extends its foreleg to him. On the second, the eagle extends its leg to him. “Of the place of the seat,” this is how they greeted him, and at the place of the seat, there was a golden scepter behind it, and a dove was set in its top with a golden crown in its mouth, so that the king would be sitting on the seat with a golden crown [suspended just above him], touching but not touching.

(Deut. 26:16:) WITH ALL YOUR HEART. R. Eliezer ben Jacob says: The text has come to warn Israel with regard to something else.⁷Cf. the parallel in Tanh., Deut. 7:2: “To warn the priests when they perform a service not to have two hearts, one in the presence of the Holy One and one for something else.” (Ibid., cont.:) AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL (nafsheka), even though <someone> takes your life (nafsheka). On one occasion <the Romans>⁸Although the parallel in the traditional Tanhuma identifies the persecution with the Greek kingdom, the mention of R. Aqiva suggests the persecution under Hadrian. decreed a religious persecution <against Israel>, in which they were not to occupy themselves with the Torah.⁹See Ber. 61b for a fuller version of this story. R. Aqiva proceeded to sit down and occupy himself with the Torah. When Pappus ben Judah found him, he said to him: See here, Rabbi, you are endangering yourself, when you transgress against a decree of the King. R. Aqiva said to him: Let me illustrate for you in a parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a fox. As he was walking near a river, he saw <some> fish there.¹⁰Ber. 61b explains that the fish were fleeing the nets of fishermen. He said to them: Get yourselves to me, and I will hide you in the clefts of the rocks. Then you shall not be afraid. They said to him: Are you the most clever of the animals? You are only a fool. All our lives have been <spent> only in the water. So would you tell us to walk onto the dry land! Similarly all the life of Israel exists only in the Torah, of which it is written (in Deut. 30:20): FOR THAT IS YOUR LIFE AND YOUR LENGTH OF DAYS; yet you are saying: You are endangering yourself. In a few days they arrested the both of them. He said to him: It would have been better for you to be arrested for the words of Torah.¹¹Cf. I Peter 3:17. Woe to that Pappus, who was arrested for vain words. Subsequently when they brought out R. Aqiva for execution, it was time to recite the Shema'. While they combed his flesh,¹²Tanh. 7:2; Ber. 61b adds: “With combs of iron.” he was calling out the recitation of the Shema'. About them David has said (in Ps. 17:14): OF THOSE WHO DIE BY YOUR HAND, O LORD < … THEIR PORTION IS LIFE.>¹³This interpretation of the verse is assumed by the midrash. R. Hanina bar Pappa said: Do not read: OF THOSE WHO DIE, but: "Those who kill,"¹⁴In Hebrew the difference between the two renderings is a matter of how one vowels the written text. because they kill themselves for the sake of the Torah, which was given <by your hand>. Therefore, when the children of Adam see them, they say to each other: They have sins on their hand; that is the reason they were killed. But they do not know that their portion is among the living in the world to come and that everything good is being kept in store for them. It is so stated (Ibid. cont.): MAY YOU FILL THEIR BELLY WITH WHAT YOU HAVE KEPT IN STORE FOR THEM. And not only that, but they attain merit for their children after them. Moreover, because <the children of> Israel lay down their lives for the Torah and for the sanctification of the name of the Holy One, for that reason the Holy One provides them with a blessing in the world, as stated (in Deut. 26:17): TODAY YOU HAVE HAD THE LORD PROMISE. Just as Israel declares [its love] for the Holy One, so does the Holy One declare [his love] for them, as stated (in vs. 18): THE LORD HAS PROCLAIMED YOU TODAY <TO BE FOR HIM A TREASURED PEOPLE….> R. Joshua ben Levi said: Just as the <collapsing> upper story crushes, so is Israel going to crush four empires. It is so stated (in Deut. 16:19): AND TO SET YOU ON HIGH OVER ALL THE NATIONS THAT HE HAS MADE IN PRAISE, IN NAME, AND IN HONOR.