Midrash su Ezechiele 28:13

Another matter, “who is like the wise man” – this is Adam the first man, as it is written in his regard: “You are the culmination of perfection” (Ezekiel 28:12). “And who knows the meaning of a matter” – who delineated names for all. “The wisdom of a man illuminates his face” – his beauty illuminates his face. Rabbi Levi said: The curve of the heel of Adam the first man outshone the sun. Do not be astonished, as it is the way of the world that when a person crafts for himself two excellent trays, one for him and one for a member of his household, whose will he craft more beautifully? Will it not be his? So too, Adam the first man was created for the service of the Holy One blessed be He, and the sun was created for the service of man. Is it not right that the curve of the heel of man will outshine the sun? This is so regarding the curve of his heel, all the more so regarding his face.
Rabbi Levi [said] in the name of Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina: The Holy One blessed be He tied thirteen canopies for them²Adam and Eve. in the Garden of Eden. That is what is written: “You were in Eden, the garden of God; [every precious stone was your canopy: ruby, topaz and clear quartz, beryl, onyx, and chalcedony, sapphire, carbuncle, emerald and gold]” (Ezekiel 28:13). Reish Lakish said: Eleven. The Rabbis say: Ten. They do not disagree.³They do not disagree about the fact that the verse in Ezekiel, which lists ten precious stones, is the source of the number of canopies that God tied for Adam and Eve. The one who said thirteen interpreted [the phrase] “every precious stone was your canopy,” as three [additional materials]. The one who said eleven interpreted it as one. The one who said ten did not interpret it as any. Yet, after all this praise, [God said to Adam:] “as you are dust” (Genesis 3:19). “And the boldness of his face is changed” – when the Holy One blessed be He said to him: “Did you [eat] from the tree?” (Genesis 3:12),⁴To which Adam responded by blaming God for giving him Eve, who had given him to eat from the tree. the Holy One blessed be He, too, changed the glory of his countenance, and expelled him from the Garden of Eden.

R. Levy opened (with Ps. 75:5), “I say to the merrymakers (la-holelim), ‘Do not make merry;’” [‘la-holelim’ means] those who create confusion (ma'arbavya').¹⁴PRK 26(27):3; Lev. R. 20:2. These are the ones whose heart is full of evil intrigues (holhaliyot).¹⁵Although the main text reads holhaliyot, Buber cites the word in his notes as the more traditional halholiyot. In either case, whatever the spelling, the midrash interprets holelim and holhaliyot as coming from the same root. R. Levi called them "woe-makers";¹⁶Dehonayya’ [zehonayya’]. The word seems coined as a pun on “merrymakers” (holelim). See Jastrow, p. 373, s.v., WYNY’. these are the ones who bring woe (alelay) into the world. (Ps. 75:5, cont.:) “To the wicked, do not lift up the horn.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the evil ones, “The righteous have not been happy in My world, so would you seek to be happy in My world? The first Adam was not happy in My world, so would you seek to be happy in My world?” R. Levi said in the name of R. [Simeon] ben Menasya], “The round of the first Adam's heel outshone¹⁷Literally: Made dim [by comparison]. the sphere of the sun.”¹⁸PRK 4:4; 12:1; 26(27):3; PR 14:10; Lev. R. 20:2. And do not be surprised at this. According to universal custom, when a person makes two small plates,¹⁹Gk.: diskarion. one for himself and one for his household, whose does he make the more beautiful? Is it not his own? So the first Adam was created for the service of the Holy One, blessed be He, but the sphere of the sun was created for the service of mortals. Is it not all the more certain that the round of the first Adam's heel outshone the sphere of the sun? Now if the round of Adam's heel outshone [it], how much the more [must] the countenance²⁰Gk.: charakter; or possibly krystallos; Lat. crystallum. of his face [have outshone it]. R. Levi said in the name of R. Hama bar Hanina, “The Holy One, blessed be He, set up thirteen canopies for the first Adam in the Garden of Eden, as stated (in Ezek. 28:13), ‘You were in Eden, the garden of God, every precious stone was your covering; sapphire, turquoise….’” R. Shimon ben Laquish said, “Eleven.” Our masters said, “Ten.” And they do not disagree. The one that made thirteen of them, makes three out of “every precious stone was your covering”; the one who made them eleven, makes one out of it; and the one that makes ten of them, does not make any from them. Then after all this glory, [he was told] (in Gen. 3:19), “for dust you are and unto dust you shall return.” Abraham was not happy in My world, so would you seek to be happy in My world? Abraham had a son born to him at the end of a hundred years. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (in Gen. 22:2), “Please take your son….” So he journeyed, as written (in vs. 4), “And on the third day [Abraham] lifted [his eyes and saw]….” What did he see? He saw a cloud joined to the mountain. He said to his son, “My son, do you see what I see…?”²¹See Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 4:46, and the note there. This is that which is written (in Gen. 23:2), “and Abraham come to mourn for Sarah and weep for her.” From where had he [just] come? He had [just] come from Mount Moriah.²²Eccl. R. 9:7:2. The Holy One, blessed be He, as it were, was not happy in His world, so should people seek to be happy in His world? "The Lord [was] happy in His works" is not written here (in Ps. 104:31), but “let the Lord be happy [in His works].” And when will He rejoice in His works? When He will rejoice in the actions of the righteous in the world to come.²³See M. Pss. 75:2. Israel was not happy in My world, so would you seek to be happy in My world? "Israel [was] happy in its Maker" is not written here (in Ps. 149:2), but “Let Israel be happy in its Maker,” because it is in the future that they are going to be happy in the Holy One, blessed be He. It is therefore written (in Ps. 75:5), “I say to the merrymakers, ‘Do not make merry.’”

[(Gen. 24:1:) NOW ABRAHAM WAS OLD.] This text is related (to Ps. 25:10): ALL THE PATHS OF THE LORD ARE STEADFAST LOVE AND TRUTH. The beginning of Torah is steadfast love, its middle is steadfast love, and its end is steadfast love.²See above, 4:1 & 4; Eccl. R. 7:2:2. Its beginning is steadfast love in that he has rendered steadfast love to bridegrooms and brides. He rendered steadfast love to Adam and Eve, as stated (in Gen. 2:22): THEN GOD BUILT THE RIB < WHICH HE HAD TAKEN FROM THE MAN INTO A WOMAN >. R. Abbahu said: In Arabia they call the plaited coiffure a "building."³Cf. Ber. 61a; Shab. 95a; Erub. 18a; Nid. 45b; ARN, A, 4; Gen. R. 18:1; M. Pss. 25:11. The Holy One adorned Eve and brought her to Adam.⁴Cf. Gen. R. 8:13. Do you suppose that he brought her to him under an olive tree? Or under a fig tree? Our masters have said: The Holy One made thirteen bridal canopies for Adam and Eve, as stated (in Ezek. 28:13): YOU WERE IN EDEN, THE GARDEN OF GOD; < EVERY PRECIOUS STONE WAS YOUR COVERING: CARNELIAN, CHRYSOLITE, AMETHYST, BERYL, LAPIS LAZULI, JASPER, SAPPHIRE, TURQUOISE, EMERALD, AND GOLD >. And the least of them is gold; for so it is written: EMERALD, AND GOLD (i.e., with gold in last place). Thus < there were > thirteen bridal canopies which were made for Adam and Eve.⁵Since Ezek. lists only nine stones plus gold, according to BB 75a there were only ten canopies; or perhaps eleven, with EVERY PRECIOUS STONE representing the extra one. Lev. R. 20:2 explains the tradition of thirteen by having EVERY PRECIOUS STONE represent three canopies. Similarly Gen. R. 18:2; Eccl. R. 8:1:2; PRK 4:4; PR 14:10. R. Levi said in the name of R. Hama bar Hanina: The Holy One adorned Eve with twenty-four ornaments. And not only that, but he took her by the hand and brought her to Adam. R. Abbin Berabbi the Levite said: Blessed is a provincial who has seen this: the king taking < his bride > by the hand and bringing her to the house for him.⁶Gen. R. 18:3. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 2:22, cont.): AND BROUGHT HER TO ADAM. Ergo (in Ps. 25:10): ALL THE PATHS OF THE LORD ARE STEADFAST LOVE AND TRUTH. Thus the beginning of Torah is steadfast love. Its middle also is steadfast love. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Gen. 35:8): THEN REBEKAH'S NURSE, DEBORAH, DIED. When she had died, what is written (ibid.)? AND ITS NAME (i.e., the name of her burial place) WAS CALLED WEEPING OAK, for Jacob was sitting there and weeping over her. The Holy One said: Jacob is sitting and grieving. He appeared to him visibly, as stated (in vs. 9): NOW THE LORD APPEARED UNTO JACOB AGAIN… < AND BLESSED HIM >.⁷Eccl. R. 7:2:3; see Gen. R. 8:13; 82:1. And its end is steadfast love, < as seen in the case > of Moses; for, when he passed away, he buried him. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 34:6): AND < THE LORD > BURIED HIM IN THE VALLEY IN THE LAND OF MOAB. Ergo (in Ps. 25:10): ALL THE PATHS OF THE LORD ARE STEADFAST LOVE AND TRUTH.⁸Cf. M. Pss. 25:11, which derives from the verse that the Holy One adorns brides (Gen. 2:22), visits the sick (Gen. 18:1), and buries the dead (Deut. 34:6). Abraham persisted in clinging to a measure of steadfast love. The Holy One said to him: This measure was mine and you have taken it. By your life, I am making you < old > like me. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Dan. 7:9): AS I LOOKED, THRONES WERE SET IN PLACE, AND THE ANCIENT OF DAYS TOOK HIS SEAT. HIS GARMENT WAS AS WHITE AS SNOW, < AND THE HAIR OF HIS HEAD WAS LIKE PURE WOOL >.⁹See Gen. R. 58:9. What is written elsewhere on the matter (in Gen. 23:19)? THEN AFTERWARDS ABRAHAM BURIED HIS WIFE SARAH.¹⁰In doing so, Abraham showed his steadfast love. He persisted in clinging to her. The Holy One said to him. You deserve a crown. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 24:1): NOW ABRAHAM WAS OLD (i.e., with a crown of white hair).