Midrash su Genesi 25:19

And these are the names of the Sons of Israel that came into Egypt with Yaakov, every man came with his household – There it is written (Mishlei 13, 24): “He who spares the rod hates his son; but he who loves him disciplines him in his youth.” Ordinarily in the world, if a person says to his friend: “So-and-so hit your son”, he would be ready to reduce his livelihood. And why is it taught “ He who spares the rod hates his son”?! In order to teach you, that anyone who refrains from disciplining his son in the end causes him to fall into evil ways and will hate him. This is what we have found with Yishmael, who behaved wickedly on Avraham his father but did not rebuke him, with the result that he fell into evil ways and he hated him and he left from his house with nothing. What did Yishmael do when he was fifteen years old? He started to bring idols from the market and he would play with them and worship them as he had seen others do, immediately (Bereishit 21, 9) “And Sarah saw the son of the Egyptian Hagar that she had given birth for Avraham was fooling around etc…” And there is no fooling except for idol worship, like that it says (Shemot 32,6): And they rose up to fool around. Immediately (Bereishit 21,10): And she said to Avraham , Send out this maid-servant and her son, perhaps my son will learn from him. Immediately, (Bereishit 21,11) And this thing was very bad in the eyes of Avraham etc...on account of his son because he had become evil. (Bereshit 21,12) And G-d said to Avraham, do not let it be evil in your eyes etc... From here you can learn, that Avraham was secondary to Sarah in prophecy, following on, (Bereishit 21,14): And Avraham got up in the morning and he took bread and a bottle of water, to teach you, that he hated Yishmael because of his evil ways, and sent him and his mother Hagar empty-handed and expelled them from his house because of this. Do you really think that Avraham, of whom it is written (Bereishit 13,2): And Avraham was very rich in cattle etc... that he would send his wife and his son from his house empty-handed, without clothes or means of a livelihood?! Rather, this is to teach you, since he turned evil, he stopped thinking about him. What was his end? After he had been expelled, he sat at the cross-roads and was a bandit, as it says (Bereishit 16,12): And he was a wild man. And similar to this (Bereishit 25,28): And Yitzchak loved Esav, therefore he turned to evil ways, because he was not rebuked, like we were taught: Five transgressions the evil Esav transgressed on that day: He seduced an engaged lady, and killed a man, denied resurrection, and rejected the fundamentals of religion and spurned his birthright, that he desired the death of his father, and sought to kill his brother, as it says (Bereishit 27,41):May the days of mourning for my father be brought close etc.. And he forced Ya'acov to flee from his father. And he even went with Yishmael, to learn from his evil ways and to add to his wives, as it says (Bereshit 28,9): And Esav went to Yishmael. Similarly with David, that he did not rebuke or chastise his son Avshalom, he turned to evil ways and sought to kill his father, and he lay with concubines, and becoming the cause if his wandering, bare-footed and crying, and many thousands and myriads of Israelites were slaughtered, and he caused much suffering upon them which did not end. As it is written (Psalms 3,1): A song of David, when he fled from Avshalom his son, just as it was written after (Psalms 3,2) How great in number have my enemies become etc. And cultural evil is harsher on one's home than the war of Gog and Magog, for regarding the war of Gog and Magog it says: (Tehilim 2:1) "Why do the nations stir?" and later it is written: (Tehilim 3:2) "God, how many my enemies are!" And similarly David behaved with Adoniyah, he did not beat him in punishment, and did not get angry at him, and therefore he left to cultural evil, as is written: (Kings 1 1:6) "And his father never scolded him...and she bore him after Avshalom." Wasn't Avshalom the son of Maacha, while Adoniyahu was the son of Chagit? What does it mean, "she bore him after Avshalom"? Instead- since he [Avshalom] left to cultural evil, and his father never beat him, and it is written about Adoniyahu "his father never scolded him," he too left to cultural evil, and therefore it is written: "and she bore him after Avshalom." (Proverbs 13:24) "But he who loves him disciplines him in his youth" refers to the Holy Blessed One, who loves Israel, as it is written (Malachi 1:2) "I have loved you, says God," who increases their suffering. One can find three good gifts that the Holy Blessed One gave to Israel, and they were each given only by means of suffering: the Torah, the Land of Israel, and life in the World to Come. The Torah, as it is written: (Psalms 94:12) "How lucky is the man who You discipline, God, and to whom You teach Your Torah." The Land of Israel, as it is written: (Deuteronomy 8:5) "Bear in mind that the LORD your God disciplines you just as a man disciplines his son." What is written next? (Deuteronomy 8:7) "For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land..." The World to Come, as it is written: (Proverbs 6:23) "For the commandment is a lamp, the teaching is a light, and the way to life is the rebuke that disciplines." And when anyone rebukes his son, the son increases his love for his father, and he honors him, as it is said: (Proverbs 29:17) "Discipline your son and he will give you peace." And it says: (Proverbs 19:18) "Discipline your son while there is still hope." And he increases his love for him, as it says: "But he who loves him disciplines him early," meaning because he disciplines him early, therefore he loves him. You find that Abraham disciplined Isaac his son and taught him Torah and guided him in his ways, as is written about Avraham: (Genesis 26:5) "In return for Avraham's obedience to my voice" and it is written: (Genesis 25:19) "These are the descendants of Isaac, son of Abraham," which teaches you that he was similar to his father in all ways- in beauty, in wisdom, in wealth, and in good deeds. You should know that he [Isaac] was thirty-seven years old when his he was bound by his father, and it is written: (Genesis 24:1) "And Abraham was old, advanced in age" and yet he bound him and positioned him like a lamb, and he did not refuse. Therefore: (Genesis 25:5) "Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac," Which is to say, "he who loves him disciplines him early." In the same manner, Isaac would discipline Jacob early, for Isaac taught him Torah and disciplined him in his house of study, as it says: (Genesis 25:27) "but Jacob was a mild man who stayed home." And he learned what his father taught him, and then he separated from his father and hid in the house of Ever to study Torah. Therefore he merited blessing and inherited the land, as it says: (Genesis 27:1) "Jacob lived in the land of his father's residence, in the land of Canaan." And even our Patriarch Jacob disciplined his sons, and beat them and taught them his ways, so that none of them would be disposable, as it is written: (Exodus 1:1) "These are the names of the sons of Israel who arrived to Egypt..." The verse equates them all to Jacob, for they were all righteous as he had been. This resolves: "But he who loves him disciplines him early."

And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son (Gen. 25:19). May it please our master to teach us why peace-offerings (sacrifices) were instituted?¹There are three kinds of peace-offerings: the thanks offering, in gratitude for blessings received; the votive offering, upon making a vow; and the free-will offering, as an act of piety. R. Hiyya the son of Abba taught in the name of R. Judah: They were instituted because anyone who brings a peace-offering brings peace to the world.

(Gen. 25:19:) THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF ISAAC BEN ABRAHAM.¹Except for most of the last section (# 24), Toledot is not found in Buber’s Oxford MS. Buber has filled in the gap mostly from Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34. This text is related (to Prov. 17:6): GRANDCHILDREN ARE A CROWN FOR ELDERS, AND THE GLORY OF CHILDREN IS THEIR PARENTS.²Cf. Gen. R. 63:2; Tanh., Gen. 6:4. Who caused Abraham to be magnified? Jacob, as stated (in Is. 29:22): THUS SAYS THE LORD UNTO THE HOUSE OF JACOB, WHICH REDEEMED ABRAHAM. Why? Because, if one is meritorious as a Torah scholar together with his son and his grandson, it will never again be cut off from him. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 4:9f.): AND MAKE THEM (the statutes and ordinances) KNOWN TO YOUR CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN AS ON THE DAY THAT YOU STOOD < BEFORE THE LORD YOUR GOD AT HOREB >. Just as the gift of < the > Torah did not become cease on the day it was given; so for one who teaches his son and his grandson Torah, it shall never again depart from him. And so it was when the Holy One saw Abraham was busy with the Torah. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Gen. 26:5): BECAUSE ABRAHAM HEEDED MY VOICE < AND KEPT MY CHARGE: MY COMMANDMENTS, MY STATUTES, AND MY LAWS >. It is also written (above, in 18:19): FOR I HAVE KNOWN HIM. Then Jacob arose up and did not move from the Torah, as stated (in Gen. 25:27): BUT JACOB WAS A PERFECT MAN WHO SAT IN THE TENTS (i.e., in the academies).³For this interpretation, see Gen. R. 63:10; Targum Onqelos, Gen. 25:27; PRK 5:7. What stipulation did the Holy One make with them? (According to Josh. 1:8:) < THIS > BOOK OF THE LAW SHALL NOT DEPART < FROM YOUR MOUTH >…. It is also written (in Prov. 10:1): A WISE SON SHALL MAKE A FATHER GLAD. This is Isaac, since it is stated (in Gen. 21:12): FOR IN ISAAC SHALL YOUR SEED BE NAMED. (Prov. 10:1, cont.:) BUT A FOOLISH SON. This is Ishmael. Thus it is written (in Gen. 25:12): NOW THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF ISHMAEL BEN ABRAHAM. There are children who suffer disgrace through their parents. Josiah suffered disgrace through his father, as stated (in II Chron. 33:23): FOR AMON INCURRED A LOT OF GUILT. Hezekiah suffered disgrace through < his father > Ahaz, as stated (in Is. 8:16): BIND UP THE TESTIMONY.⁴According to Gen. R. 42:3; Lev. R. 11:7; Ruth R., proem 7; and Esther R., proem 11, this verse alludes to Ahaz, who had seized (ahaz) the synagogues and the academies. There are also parents who suffer disgrace through their children. Eli suffered disgrace through his sons, [as stated (in I Sam. 2:12): NOW ELI'S SONS WERE SCOUNDRELS. And Samuel also suffered disgrace through his sons], as stated (in I Sam. 8:3): BUT HIS SONS DID NOT WALK IN HIS WAYS. It did not, however, turn out in this way for Abraham. Instead he was magnified through Isaac, as stated (in Gen. 25:19, cont.): ABRAHAM SIRED ISAAC. Did he sire no one but Isaac? Now look, it is written {(in Gen. 25:19): THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF ISHMAEL.} [(in Gen. 16:15): SO HAGAR BORE A SON TO ABRAM.] And in addition < there are > the sons of Keturah: Zimran and Jokshan, < etc. > (cf. Gen. 25:2). But it does not say that Abraham sired anyone but Isaac, simply because Isaac was righteous. It is therefore stated (in Gen. 25:19): ABRAHAM SIRED ISAAC.

Come and observe the importance of peace: Between the time that Sarah left the control of Pharaoh and when she came under the authority of Abimelech, Isaac was conceived. Whereupon people asserted: “It is hardly likely that this centenarian could father a son, she must have conceived either from Pharaoh or Abimelech.” In fact, Abraham also had some misgivings. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He ordered the angel responsible for the formation of embryos to fashion this embryo in the exact likeness of his father, so that everyone would be forced to acknowledge that he was Abraham’s son. We know that this was so from the verse These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:19). Since the verse states Isaac, Abraham’s son, could we not know from those words that Abraham begot Isaac? Why then does Scripture add the words Abraham begot Isaac? Because everyone who looked at Abraham would exclaim: “Without doubt Abraham begot Isaac, since their countenances are so much alike.” Hence Scripture says: Abraham begot Isaac.

And he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes (Prov. 13:24). This alludes to Abraham, who punished Isaac, taught him the law, and guided him in his ways, as it is written of him: Because that Abraham harkened to My voice, and kept My charge (Gen. 26:5). And it is also written elsewhere: And these are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac (ibid. 25:19). This teaches us that he resembled his father in every respect; in beauty, wisdom, strength, riches, and (the performance of) good deeds. You know this to be so from the fact that though Isaac, at the time of the sacrifice, was thirty-seven years of age, and Abraham was an old man, yet he bound him and tied him as though he were a sheep, and Isaac did not resist. Scripture states: And Abraham gave all that he had unto Isaac, but unto the sons of the concubines that Abraham had, Abraham gave gifts (ibid., v. 5); that is to say, he distanced them from Isaac (so that he would have undisputed possession of the land). Hence, And he that loveth him chasteneth him betimes.

These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:19). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice; and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him (Prov. 23:24). Concerning whom did Solomon make this statement? He said it about Isaac. When Isaac was born, the entire universe rejoiced; the heavens and the earth, the sun and the moon, the stars and the planets. Why did they rejoice? Because the world would not have survived had Isaac not been born, as it is said: If My covenant be not with day and night, if I have not appointed the ordinance of heaven and earth (Jer. 33:25). My covenant refers to Isaac, as it is said: I will establish My covenant with Isaac (Gen. 17:21).

These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:19). Why does Scripture repeat itself by adding: Abraham begot Isaac? There were some men who whispered among themselves: “It is impossible that this centenarian and this woman of ninety gave birth to a son. This cannot be her offspring, she must have purchased him in the marketplace.” Hence, you find that when Isaac was weaned, Abraham arranged a banquet to which he invited the influential men of the government, while Sarah invited their wives. What did the women do? They said to each other: “Now we shall be able to prove whether or not he is actually her son.” Each of them brought her own son along but neglected to bring the child’s nurse. Soon, the children began to cry and the mothers exclaimed: “I have forgotten to bring the child’s nurse.” Whereupon, milk began to flow from Sarah’s breast, and she took the children and nursed them, as it is said: That Sarah should give children suck (Gen. 21:7). Then they all proclaimed: “In truth, Sarah gives children suck.” Hence it is said: Abraham begot Isaac.

And a desparate struggle ensued between Esau and the two men that were with Nimrod, and ‎they yelled terribly at Esau; when Esau turned suddenly upon them smiting them to death ‎with his sword. And all the great men of Nimrod, who were out hunting with Nimrod in the ‎wilderness, when they heard the terrible yelling recognized at once the voices of those two ‎men, and they hastened to ascertain the cause thereof, and behold the king and the two men ‎that were with him lay dead in the wilderness. And when Esau saw from a distance the mighty ‎men of Nimrod coming towards him, he fled and escaped; and Esau took along with him the ‎costly garments of Nimrod, bequeathed to Nimrod by his father, and by virtue of which ‎garments Nimrod prevailed over all the people of the earth; and Esau ran hastily and ‎concealed those garments in his house. And Esau ran very swiftly with those garments. ‎towards the city, to escape Nimrod's men, and when he reached his father's house Esau was ‎wearied and exhausted and almost dead with excitement, as he approached his brother, ‎Jacob, and sat down before him; and he said unto his brother Jacob: Behold, I shall surely die ‎this day, and what profit shall this birthright do to me? And Jacob acted cunningly with Esau in ‎this matter, and Esau sold his birthright unto Jacob, for thus it was the pleasure of the Lord. ‎And the share of Esau in the cave, which is in the field of Machpelah which Abraham had ‎bought from the Hittites for the possession of a burying place, Esau sold unto Jacob likewise, ‎and Jacob became the owner thereof for a consideration. And Jacob wrote down the whole ‎transaction in a book, and he had it testified to by witnesses and he annexed a seal thereto, ‎and the book remained in Jacob’s possession. And when Nimrod, the son of Cush, was dead, ‎his men took him up and carried him away midst great consternation, and they buried him in ‎his city. And all the days that Nimrod lived were two hundred and fifteen years when he died, ‎and the days of his reigning over the people of the earth were one hundred and eighty five ‎years. Thus Nimrod died by the sword of Esau in shame and disgrace, and his death was ‎caused by the seed of Abraham, as he himself foresaw it in his dreams. And after Nimrod's ‎death his kingdom became divided into many provinces, and all the countries ruled over by ‎Nimrod were restored to their previous kings who recovered them after Nimrod's death. And ‎all the people of Nimrod's household were enslaved for many days by the other kings of the ‎earth.

These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:19). It is written in Scripture: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their due reward from Me, saith the Lord (Isa. 54:17). You find that Israel cried unto the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, observe how the idolatrous nations persecute us, they do nothing but sit and conspire against us, as it is said: Behold Thou their sitting down and their rising up; I am their deliverer (Lam. 3:63). The Holy One, blessed be He, responded: To what avail are their conspiracies against you? I will void their decisions and destroy them, as it is said: I am their deliverer, and it is elsewhere written: Blessed be God the Most High, who delivered thine enemies into thine hands (Gen. 14:20).

Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:19). R. Isaac stated; No generation lacks scoffers. While Nabal was shearing his flock, David sent some of his young men to him with the request: Give, I pray thee, whatsoever cometh to thy hand, unto thy servants, and to thy son David (I Sam. 25:8). But Nabal retorted: Who is David? And who is the son of Jesse? There are many servants nowadays that break away every man from his master; shall I then take my bread and my water and my flesh that I have killed for my shearers and give it unto men of whom I know not whence they are? (ibid., vv. 10–11). When David’s men returned and repeated Nabal’s words, he armed himself and his soldiers, and with their weapons started out to destroy Nabal. But one of the young men told Abigail, Nabal’s wife, saying: “Behold, David sent messengers out of the wilderness to salute our master; but he hath spoken rudely to them” (ibid., v. 14). As soon as she heard what had transpired, she prepared a gift which she took to David, as it is said: Then Abigail made haste, and took two hundred loaves, and two bottles of wine, and five sheep ready dressed, and five measures of corn … and she said unto her men: “Go on before me; I come after you.” But she told not her husband Nabal (ibid., vv. 18–19). Later on Scripture states: And it came to pass about ten days later, that the Lord smote Nabal so that he died…. and David sent and spoke unto Abigail to take her to him to wife (ibid. 38:39). After he had her brought to him, David stayed apart from her for three months to determine whether or not she had conceived with Nabal. After the third month, David had intercourse with her and she became pregnant. The scoffers in that generation asserted that she had actually conceived from Nabal. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He ordered the angel in charge of the formation of embryos to fashion that embryo in the likeness of its father so that everyone would be forced to acknowledge that David was the father. We know that this is so from the verse And his firstborn was Amnon, of Ahinoam the Jezreelitess, and his second, Chileab, of Abigail, the wife of Nabal the Carmelite (II Sam. 3:2). Why does Scripture call him Chileab (khilav)? Because he was completely like his father (kulo av), and everyone who saw him said: “David is this child’s father.”

(Gen. 18, 12) After I am waxed old, etc. R. Chisda said: "After her body was wrinkled, and the folds increased, the body was again smooth, the wrinkles of age were straightened out, and beauty returned once more." It is written (Ib) My lord being old. And further it is written: I am old. Hence, the Holy One, praised be He! did not refer to Abraham, when he said this. Regarding this the disciples of R. Ishmael said: "So great is peace, that even the Holy One, praised be He! changed her words for the purpose of peace, as it is said: She said my lord is old. And it is further written: And the Lord said unto Abraham… since I am old." Who would have said unto Abraham that Sarah should suckle her children? (Ib.) How many children did Sarah suckle? R. Levi said: "That day on which Abraham weaned Isaac, he made a great banquet; and his neighbors of all nations murmured, saying: 'Behold, an old man and an old woman took a child from the market, proclaiming him for their own son. And this is not enough for them, but they are giving banquets, to convince the people that it is as they say.' What did our father Abraham do? He proceeded to invite all the great men of his generation, and Sarah our mother, invited their wives, and everyone of them brought her child along, but without their nurses, and a miracle occured to Sarah, that her breasts opened like two springs, and she nursed all the children there. But it was still murmured and said: 'As Sarah was ninety years old, it is possible that she had borne a child; but Abraham, who is over a hundred years, how is it possible that he should be able to beget children?' Then the face of Isaac at once changed, and resembled the face of Abraham, so that everyone proclaimed: 'Abraham begot Isaac' "

And they brought the tabernacle unto Moses (Exod. 39:32). It is written elsewhere in reference to the verse: He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous; but with kings upon the throne He setteth them forever, and they are exalted (Job 36:7). What does this verse signify? That the Holy One, blessed be He, does not deny the righteous man the realization of his plans. Therefore He withdraweth not His eyes from the righteous. You may know this to be so from Abraham, who begot Isaac, who resembled him closely, as it is said: These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:19). And Jacob begot Joseph, who resembled him, as is said: These are the generation of Jacob: Joseph (ibid. 37:2). Reuben, Simeon, et al., are not mentioned here but only Joseph. It says also: Because he was the son of his old age (ibid., v. 3).¹⁷Word-play on zikunim (“old age”) and kunim (“features”). Hence, He draweth not His eyes from the righteous.

[(Gen. 35:9, 11:) NOW GOD APPEARED UNTO JACOB AGAIN]… < AND GOD SAID TO HIM: I AM GOD ALMIGHTY >. This text is related (to … Ps. 61:6 [5]): FOR YOU, O GOD, HAVE HEARKENED TO MY VOWS; < YOU HAVE GRANTED THE HERITAGE OF THOSE WHO FEAR YOUR NAME >. Isaac had a face with a visage like < that of > his father.⁸²Gk.: prosopon. On Isaac’s face being like that of Abraham, see Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 25:19; BM 87a. (Gen. 25:19:) THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF ISAAC BEN ABRAHAM: ABRAHAM SIRED ISAAC. What is the meaning of ABRAHAM SIRED ISAAC? That he had a face with a visage like that of his father. Ergo (in Ps. 61:6 [5]): YOU HAVE GRANTED THE HERITAGE OF THOSE WHO FEAR YOUR NAME.⁸³According to BM 87a, Isaac’s visage miraculously became like that of Abraham and thereby demonstrated his paternity, i.e., that Isaac had a heritage. Just as Abraham had the Holy One speak with him at the age of ninety-nine years (in Gen. 17:1), so did Jacob have the Holy One speak with him at the age of ninety-nine years. Just as Abraham had the Holy One say to him (in Gen. 17:1): I AM GOD ALMIGHTY; BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY;⁸⁴These last four words are not found in the Masoretic Text. so did JACOB have him speak with him as God Almighty. It is so stated (in Gen. 35:9, 11:) NOW GOD APPEARED UNTO JACOB AGAIN … < AND GOD SAID TO HIM >: [I AM GOD ALMIGHTY); BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY.