Midrash su Genesi 48:16

(Exodus 12:6) "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Why does the taking of the Pesach precede its slaughtering by four days? R. Matia b. Charash says: It is written (Ezekiel 16:8) "And I passed by you and I saw you, and behold, your time was the time for love": There had arrived the (time for the fulfillment of the) oath that the Holy One Blessed be He had sworn to our father Abraham to redeem his children. But they had no mitzvoth to engage in, which would enable their redemption, viz. (Ibid. 7) "Your breasts were firm" (an allusion to Moses and Aaron), "and your hair had sprouted" (an allusion to the elders), but you were naked and bare" (of mitzvoth). And the Holy One Blessed be He gave them two mitzvoth — the blood of the Paschal lamb and the blood of circumcision to engage in for their redemption. Thus (Ibid. 6) "And I passed by you and I saw you steeped in your blood." And it is written (Zechariah 9:11) "You, too — By the blood of your covenant I have sent forth your bound ones from the waterless pit." Therefore, the Holy One Blessed be He commanded the taking of the Pesach four days before its slaughtering, for reward is given only for the act. R. Eliezer Hakappar Berebbi says: Did Israel not have four mitzvoth surpassing the worth of all the world? — not being suspect of illicit relations or of slander, not changing their names and not changing their language? Whence is it derived that they were not suspect of illicit relations? From (Leviticus 10:10) "And there went out the son of an Israelite woman, the son of an Egyptian man," the verse apprising us of Israel’s eminence, this being the only instance of its kind, wherefore Scripture singles it out. And it is said of them in the tradition (Song of Songs 4:12) "A locked garden is my sister, my bride, a fountain locked.": "a locked garden" — the women: "a fountain locked" — the men. R. Nathan says: "a locked garden" — the married women; "a fountain locked, a sealed up spring" — the betrothed women. Variantly: "a locked garden, a fountain locked" — an allusion to the two types of cohabitation. And whence is it derived that they were not suspect of slander and that they loved each other? From (Exodus 3:22) "And a woman shall ask of her neighbor, etc." Twelve months had already passed, and we do not find an instance of one informing against another. And whence is it derived that they did not change their names? Just as they were called in their descent (to Egypt) — Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehudah (viz. Ibid. 1:2) — so, they were called upon their ascent (viz. Numbers 1:18). And it is written (Genesis 48:16) "The angel who redeems me … and let there be called in them my name and the name of my fathers, etc." And whence is it derived that they did not change their language? From (Ibid. 45:12) "… for the mouth that speaks to you" (speaks in the holy tongue), and (Exodus 5:3) "The G d of the Hebrews revealed Himself to us, etc." and (Genesis 14:13) "And the survivor came and he told Avram the Hebrew, etc." And why did the taking of the Pesach precede its slaughtering by four days? Because Israel was stepped in idolatry in Egypt, which countervails all of the mitzvoth, as it is written (Numbers 15:24) "And if from the eyes of the congregation it (idolatry) were done unwittingly, etc." Scripture singled out this (idolatry, as tantamount to transgression of all of the mitzvoth [viz. Ibid. 22]). He said to them (viz. Exodus 12:21) "Withdraw" from idolatry (The sheep was the idolatry of Egypt), and cleave to mitzvoth. R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: It is written (Exodus 6:9) "And they would not hearken to Moses (as to G d's delivering them), for shortness of spirit, etc." Now is there anyone who is given glad tidings and does not rejoice? (viz. Jeremiah 20:14) "A son has been born to you — Rejoice him!" His Master is freeing him from bondage and he does not rejoice? What, then, is the intent of "And they would not hearken to Moses, etc."? It was difficult for them to abandon their idolatry, viz. (Ezekiel 20:7) "And I said to them (in Egypt): Let every man cast away the detestations of his eyes and not defile himself with the idols of Egypt." This is the intent of (Exodus 6:13) "And the L rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and He charged them to the children of Israel. He charged them to abandon idolatry. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": What is the intent of this? It is written (Ibid. 12:21) "Draw forth and take for yourselves sheep, etc." Israel said to Moses (Ibid. 8:22) "Will we slaughter the abomination of Egypt before their eyes and they (the Egyptians) not kill us?" He said to them: From the miracle that He will perform for you in your drawing them forth (i.e., their not protesting), you can rest assured (that no ill will befall you) in slaughtering them. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Keep it until the fourteenth (of Nissan) and slaughter it on the fourteenth. You say this, but perhaps (the meaning is) keep it and slaughter it until the fourteenth? It is, therefore, written (Numbers 9:5) "And they offered the Pesach in the first (month [Nissan]) on the fourteenth day of the month." Scripture specified it (the fourteenth day) as mandatory. It is not the second assumption, then, that is to be accepted, but the first. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Scripture hereby apprises us that it was inspected (for possible blemishes) for (a period of) four days before being slaughtered. From here you learn (the same for) the tamid (the daily offering), viz. "keeping" is stated here, and "keeping" is stated in respect to the tamid. Just as the Pesach is observed four days before slaughtering, so, the tamid. From here they ruled: There are not to be fewer than six inspected lambs in the "chamber of lambs" (in the Temple), enough to suffice for a Sabbath accompanied by two festival days of Rosh Hashanah; and they are constantly replenished (as needed).

R. Jochanan said: "Providential support of man is twice as difficult (wonderful) as the wonders of travail, for while concerning travail it is written (Gen. 3, 16) In pain (singular) shalt thou bring forth (children, concerning support it is written (Ib. ib., 17) In pain (plural) shalt thou eat." R. Jochanan said again: "Providential support of man is much more difficult than the redemption; for at the redemption, it is written (Gen. 48, 16) The angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless the lads, etc., i.e., only an angel is mentioned here, but concerning providential support of man, it is said (Ib.) The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac did walk, the God who fed me from my first being unto this day."

... Teach us o teacher: toward where should one who prays orient his heart? This is what our Rabbis taught: one should orient his heart toward the place of the Holy of Holies (Berachot 4:5). R’ Eliezer ben Yaakov says: if one is praying outside of the land, he should orient his heart to the land of Israel. If one is praying within the land of Israel, he should orient his heart to Jerusalem. If one is praying in Jerusalem, he should orient his heart to the Holy Temple. If one is praying in the Holy Temple, he should orient his heart to the Holy of Holies. R’ Avin the Levi said: “our neck is like the Tower of David, built as a model (talpiyot)…” (Song of Songs 4:4) What does talpiyot mean? The hill (tel) toward which all turns (peniyot) are directed. And after all this praise, it is written “Open your doors, O Lebanon, and let the fire consume your cedars.” (Zechariah 11:1) And so too they said “He has hurled fire into my bones…” (Lamentations 1:13) Israel said to Him: Master of the World! How long will it be like this? Did You not write in Your Torah “…the one who ignited the fire shall surely pay” (Exodus 22:5)? And You are the one who ignited the fire, as it says “From above He has hurled fire into my bones…” (Lamentations 1:13) You need to rebuild it and to console us, not at the hands of an angel but You in Your glory. The Holy One said to them: by your life, so I will do! As it says “The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem; He will gather the outcasts of Israel.” (Psalms 147:2) And I am the one who consoles you. From where do we learn this? From that which they read in the prophets “I, yea I am He Who consoles you…” (Isaiah 51:12)

"The angel who has redeemed me from all harm[...]" (Genesis 48:16) Rabbi Yosei son of Chalafta said, sustenance is doubly difficult, like birth. Of birth it is written (Genesis 3:16) "In pain [עצב] shall you bear children", and of sustenance it is written (Genesis 3:17) "By toil [עצבון] shall you eat of it [the ground] all the days of your life." Rabbi Elazar and Rabbi Shmuel son of Nachman, Rabbi Elazar said, redemption is deduced from sustenance and sustenance from redemption. Just as redemption is doubled, so too is sustenance doubled. Just as sustenance is daily, so too is sustenance daily. Rabbi Shmuel son of Nachman said, and [sustenance] is greater than redemption, for redemption comes at the hand of an angel and sustenance at the hand of the Holy Blessed One. Redemption by the hand of an angel, "the angel who redeemed me" (Genesis 48:16), and sustenance by the hand of the Holy Blessed One, "open Your hand and satisfy all that lives" (Psalms 145:16). Rabbi Yehoshua son of Levi said, the victuals of man are as difficult as the splitting of the Sea of Reeds, as it says "to the One Who split the Sea of Reeds asunder" (Psalms 136:13) and it is written later "Who gives food to all flesh" (Psalms 145:25). "Bless the lads" (Genesis 48:16), these are Yehoshua and Gidon, for there it says "And it was when Yehoshua was in Yericho, and he lifted up his eyes and saw, and behold, a man stood over him... and he [the man] said 'No, but I am captain of the LORD's host and have just arrived...'" (Joshua 5:13-14). Rabbi Yehoshua in the name of Rabbi Chanina son of Yitzchak, he cried out from within his toenails, as it says "And he said, 'I am a captain of the LORD's host'" (ibid.) - a captain of the Lofty Ones am I, and every place that I am seen, the Holy Blessed One is seen. This is a sign that in every place that Rabbi Yosei was set[?], so too Rabbi would appear. "Now I have come" (ibid.) -- with Moshe your teacher I have come, rather that he was praying and said "Unless You go in the lead..." (Exodus 33:15) - I was unable to ascend above, but now that I have not done my mission, I was not able to descend below, that now I pray and say "Unless You go in the lead." Rather, be warned that you should not do as Moshe your teacher did with me, and I was swayed. "And may they be teeming multitudes [וידגו לרב] on the earth..." (Genesis 48:16). Just as the eye does not penetrate/rule over to see these fish [דגים], so your sons will not be seen/ruled over by the [evil] eye. So it is written, "The sons of Yosef spoke to Yehoshua... [saying, 'Why have you assigned as our portion a single allotment and a single district, seeing that we are a numerous people...']" (Joshua 17:14). He said to them, 'Are you not afraid of the [evil] eye?' [i.e. how can you boast of your numbers?]. They responded, 'This was our father's blessing for us, "they shall be teeming multitudes on the earth" (Genesis 48:16).' Just as these fish are only caught in the throat, so your sons will only be caught in the throat. "And they said to him, please say 'shibolet,' and he said 'sibolet'." (Judges 12:6). Just as these fish grow in water, and when one drop descends from above they accept it with thirst like one who had never tasted water in their life, so too Israel grow in the water of Torah, and when they hear one new word of Torah they accept it with thirst as one who had never heard a word of Torah in their life. Rabbi Levi said, the women of Israel became impregnated with sixty thousand foetuses in one night, and all were sent to the Nile, and they ascended [out of the Nile?] in the merit of Moshe, since Moshe said "Six hundred thousand are my feet of the people that I am within" (Numbers 11:21) -- they all went up to my feet. Rabbi Zacai....