Midrash su Deuteronomio 28:55
מִתֵּ֣ת ׀ לְאַחַ֣ד מֵהֶ֗ם מִבְּשַׂ֤ר בָּנָיו֙ אֲשֶׁ֣ר יֹאכֵ֔ל מִבְּלִ֥י הִשְׁאִֽיר־ל֖וֹ כֹּ֑ל בְּמָצוֹר֙ וּבְמָצ֔וֹק אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָצִ֥יק לְךָ֛ אֹיִבְךָ֖ בְּכָל־שְׁעָרֶֽיךָ׃
così che non darà a nessuno di loro la carne dei suoi figli che mangerà, perché non gli ha lasciato nulla; nell'assedio e nello stretto, con cui il tuo nemico ti stringerà in tutte le tue porte.
Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
Martha, the daughter of Beithus, was of one of the richest families in Jerusalem. She sent a messenger with instructions to buy fine flour. Before he came it was sold out, so he came back and informed her that there was ordinary flour, but no fine flour. Whereupon she said to him: "Go and bri me the usual flour." When he came there he found that his also was sold. He said: "I saw dark flour in the market." She asked him to bring that, but before he came this, too, was sold. He informed her that the dark flour was there no more, but that there was a barley flour, and again it happened that this, too, was sold out before he arrived. She put her shoes on and said she herself would try to find something to eat. While walking in the street dirt infected her foot and it caused her death. R. Jochanan b. Zakkai then applied to her the following passage (Deut. 28, 56) The woman, the most tender among thee, etc. According to others, she ate the fig that was thrown away by K. Zadok, which caused her death, for R. Zadok fasted forty years that Jerusalem might not be destroyed, [and so emaciated was he] that when he ate something it would be seen going down his throat. At the end of a fast he would take a fig and suck its juice and throw it away. When she was dying she took all the gold and silver and threw it in the streets, saying: "What do I need this for?" By this action the following passage was fulfilled (Ez. 7, 19) Their silver shall they cast into the streets.
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