Midrash su Osea 13:78

Another interpretation (of Lev. 6:2), “Command Aaron.” What is the function of Aaron here? Israel was bringing offerings whereas Aaron is mentioned, and Scripture says here, “Command Aaron.” But note, it is written (in Numb. 28:2), “Command the Children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘My offering, My bread,’” but here it says (in Lev. 6:2), “Command Aaron […], ‘This is the Torah of the one who ascends (h'lh).’”⁴The masoretic text vocalizes this word as ha’olah, which means, THE BURNT OFFERING, but the midrash interprets the word as though it were vocalized ha’oleh, which means, “The one who ascends,” with the ascending implying self-exaltation. So also Lev. R. 7:6. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (to warn Aaron and his sons), “Whenever someone raises (rt.: 'lh) himself up, his end is to go in the fire.”⁵M.Ps. 11:5. It is so stated (in Lev. 6:2, cont.), “that is the one which ascends upon the burning place.” The generation of the flood [suffered] because of what they said (in Job 21:15), “What is the Omnipresent that we should serve Him?” For that reason they were sentenced to the fire (of Gehinnom), as stated (Job 6:17), “at the time that they were heated, they were burnt in His heat,” and it is written (Job 22:20), “and the fire consumed their remnant.” And likewise the Sodomites, [as stated] (in Gen. 19:24), “Then the Lord rained down upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire.” When Pharaoh said (in Exod. 5:2), “Who is the Lord, [that I should heed His voice],” he exalted (rt.: 'lh) himself and said (in Ezek. 29:3), “my Nile is my own and I made it myself.” [He is] therefore (in the words of Lev. 6:2) “upon the burning place.” For so it says (in Ps. 18:14), “The Lord thundered in the heavens,” (Ps. 18:13), "From the illumination in front of Him, His clouds were pierced by hail and coals of fire.” And also when Sennacherib exalted (rt.: 'lh) himself and said (in II Kings 19:23 = Is. 37:24), “it is I who have ascended (rt.: 'lh) the mountain heights to the remotest parts of Lebanon.” And what happened to him? (II Kings 19:35:) “The angel of the Lord went out and smote [one hundred and eighty-thousand] in the camp of Assyria.” He had blasphemed (according to II Kings 19:23: cf. 18:17–35) through a messenger (mal'akh);⁶The parallel in Is. 37:24 reads “servant” instead of “messenger.” therefore (in II Kings 19:35 = Is. 37:36 // II Chron. 32:21) “the angel (mal'akh) of the Lord went out and smote.” What did he do to him? (Is. 10:16), “And under his glory there shall burn a burning like the burning of fire.” What is the meaning of “under his glory?” That it burned them from within and left alone their clothes on the outside, since a person's glory is his garment.⁷Cf. Sanh. 94a. And why did the Holy One, blessed be He, leave their clothes behind? Because they were descendants of Shem, as stated (in Gen. 10:22), “The sons of Shem are Elam, Asshur (Assyria)….” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I am indebted to their father Shem, because he took the garment and covered his father's nakedness, as stated (in Gen. 9:23), “Then Shem and Japheth took the garment… [and they covered their father's nakedness].”⁸Cf. Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 2:21, which interprets the verse to show that Shem took the lead in this act. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, left their clothes alone and burned [only] their body. This is as it is written (Lev. 6:2), “that (i.e. the person who exalts himself) is the one which ascends (ha'oleh) upon the burning place.” And so too Nebuchadnezzar exalted (rt.: 'lh) himself and said (in Is. 14:14), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) upon the heights of a cloud; I will become like the Most High (rt.: 'lh).” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Upon your life, was it not enough that you said in your heart (in vs. 13), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) to the heavens; above the stars of God I will set my throne,” but that you should say (in vs. 14), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) upon the heights of a cloud, I will become like the Most High (rt.: 'lh)?” And so he (i.e., Nebuchadnezzar) said to Hananiah and his friends (in Dan. 3:15), “’Now who is the God who shall deliver you out of my hand?’ I have burned His house and exiled His people. He did not stand against me in His house; so will He overcome me in my house?” What did he do? He threw them into the fiery furnace. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He gave a sign to the furnace and it became a highway.⁹PLTYA, from the Gk.: plateia. Buber suggests emending to PLNTYH, from the Gk.: planetes, i.e., “planets.” Whoever was designated to be burned was not burned and whoever was not designated to be burned was burned. So the fire went forth and burned half of the peoples. Thus you find, when they assembled for the dedication of the image, at first there were eight peoples, as stated (in Dan. 3:3), “Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the provincial officials assembled.” That makes eight peoples; but when they came in to see Hananiah and his friends, there were only four peoples written there (in vs. 27), “The satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the royal companions assembled.” So where were [the other] four peoples?] It is simply that (in vs. 22) “the flame of the fire slew them.” Now Nebuchadnezzar also was burned by the fire, and the fright (i.e., repulsiveness) of [a body disfigured by] burning was put upon him.¹⁰For this interpretation, Jastrow, s.v., ‘immus. Why was all of him not burned? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Leave this evil man half of himself so that he may know against Whom he blasphemed.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “O wicked one, did you not say, ‘I do not want to live with the children of Adam, but (in Is. 14:14), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) upon the heights of a cloud?”’ By your life, (according to Dan. 4:22) ‘You shall be driven away from humans and your domicile will be with the wild animals outside.’” Just as He brought the plagues upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt, so did He bring [punishment] upon Nebuchadnezzar. It is so stated (in Dan. 3:32), “The signs and wonders which the most high God has worked for me [it seemed good to me to make known].” This fright of [a body disfigured by] burning fell upon him. Therefore it is stated (in Lev. 6:2), “that is the one which ascends (h'lh) upon the burning place.” (Lev. 6.2) “That is the one which ascends upon the burning place.” This is the kingdom of Edom (Rome), which exalted (rt.: 'lh) itself, as stated (in Obad. 1:4), “Though you make [your abode] as high as the eagle, and though [your nest is set] among the stars,” and will be judged by fire, as stated (in Dan. 7:11), “I looked on until the beast was slain and its body destroyed, given over for burning in the fire.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Obad. 1:18), “The House of Jacob shall be fire, and the House of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau shall be straw; [… for the Lord has spoken].” And what did he say? Through Moses (in Lev. 6:2), “that is the one which ascends (ha'olah, rt.: 'lh) upon the burning place.” Then after that [Scripture says] (in Obad. 1:21), “Then saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mountain of Esau.” Sisera also [was punished by fire] because he blasphemed. Thus it is written about him (in Jud. 4:3), “and he oppressed the Children of Israel with might,” [i.e.] with blasphemies and invectives.¹¹See M. Ps. 2:1, which derives this interpretation of WITH MIGHT (rt.: HZQ) from Mal. 3:13: YOUR WORDS HAVE BEEN MIGHTY (rt.: HZQ) AGAINST ME. See also below, 9:7. He was therefore punished by fire, as stated (in Jud. 5:20), “The stars fought from the heavens; from their courses they fought with Sisera.”¹²See Pes. 118b, according to which the stars descended and heated the iron implements in Sisera’s army. And in the world to come, when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to exact retribution from Esau, what [will] Esau do? Wrapped in a prayer shawl like an elder, he comes and takes his seat beside Jacob. It is so stated, (in Obad. 1:4), “and though your nest is set among the stars.” Stars can only mean Israel, since it is stated (in Gen. 15:5), “look toward the heavens and count the stars …; so shall your seed be.” Jacob says to him, “My brother ('hy), you shall not be like me.” Thus it is stated (in Hos. 13:14), “my brother ('hy),¹³The unemended reading below, given in braces, shows that the midrash is reading the he in ‘HY as a het, so that the WHERE of the Masoretic Text cited here is to be interpreted as MY BROTHER. your words¹⁴Devarekha. YOUR WORDS is the translation required by the midrash. In the biblical context devarekha should be rendered, YOUR PLAGUES. are death; my brother ('hy), your descent (qtb) is to Sheol.”¹⁵A traditional translation of the line would read: WHERE IS YOUR PESTILENCE, O SHEOL? Your words are decrees which you decreed over me. You decreed two-edged decrees against me, that I should serve idols. If I had done so, I would have been condemned to death at the hands of Heaven; and if I had not served them, you would have killed me. Ergo (in Hos. 13:14), “my brother, your words are death.” (Ibid., cont.) “My brother ('hy), your descent (qtb) is to Sheol.” [Qtb] is a Hellenistic¹⁶From the Gk. adverb: Hellenisti. word, meaning to descend to Sheol.¹⁷Thus QTB is understood as coming from the Greek, kataba, an aorist imperative meaning, “descend.” When Esau descends to Sheol, Jacob will remain by himself. It is therefore stated (in Zech. 13:8), “And it shall come to pass throughout all the land, says the Lord, that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall remain in it.” Now the one-third can only be Israel, since it is stated (in Is. 19:24), “Israel shall be a third.” So Israel – because they made themselves despised and lowly, as stated (Malachi 2:9), “And I also made you despised and lowly” – are avenged and redeemed by fire; as stated (in Zech. 2:9), “And I Myself, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire around it (i.e., around Jerusalem).” When Esau departs from the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, and Israel remain, as stated (in Cant. 6:9), “[Only] one is my dove, my perfect one.” It also says (in Deut. 32:12), “The Lord alone did lead him, and there was no foreign God with Him.”

And so you find that Israel did everything that he had said to them in the days of the judges, as stated (in Jud. 10:6): <AGAIN THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL DID WHAT WAS EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD> AND SERVED THE BAALS AND THE ASTARTES. So also Jeroboam, as stated (in I Kings 12:28–29): SO THE KING TOOK COUNSEL AND MADE TWO CALVES OF GOLD <….> THEN HE SET ONE IN BETHEL AND THE OTHER HE {SET} [PUT] IN DAN. Moreover, he did not allow Israel to go up to Jerusalem. Instead he said: These are your Gods, O Israel. So also Ahab sinned and made Israel sin more than all he wicked ones who came before him. (I Kings 16:30:) AND AHAB [BEN OMRI] DID MORE EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD THAN ALL WHO <HAD COME> BEFORE HIM. You yourself know that he sold himself to idolatrous worship, as stated (in I Kings 21:25): <INDEED THERE WAS NO ONE> LIKE AHAB WHO SOLD HIMSELF TO DO EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD. He also made them forget the name of the Holy One. How? He blotted out the references <to the Divine Name> and wrote in their place, <e.g.,> "And Baal spoke," "In the beginning Baal," "And Baal said." And for all the whole Torah he did likewise. That is what the prophet says (in Jer. 23:27): THE ONES WHO INTEND TO MAKE MY PEOPLE FORGET MY NAME. But Menasseh did more than all of them, as stated (in II Chron 33:7; cf. II Kings 21:7): AND HE SET UP A SCULPTURED IMAGE <WHICH HE HAD MADE IN THE HOUSE OF GOD>…. (II Chron. 33:6 // II KINGS 21:6): AND HE HAD HIS SONS PASS THROUGH FIRE {FOR MOLECH} IN THE VALLEY OF BEN-HINNOM. HE ALSO PRACTICED SOOTHSAYING, AUGURY, [SORCERY,] NECROMANCY, AND WIZARDRY. [HE DID MUCH EVIL IN THE EYES OF THE LORD TO PROVOKE HIM TO ANGER.] And how <did he do it>? Molech was in the valley of Ben-hinnom.⁶Cf. Lam. R. 1:9 (36). It took place outside of Jerusalem and in a remote place. There was also an image <there> with the face of a calf and with its hands extended like a human [whose hands are open to receive] something from one's friend. Then they heated it until its hands became like fire. It also had seven latticed gates,⁷Qanqalim. Probably from the Gk.: kingklis, or the Lat.: cancelli, but Buber, n. 5, suggests the word comes from coenacula, which means “upper rooms.” with <the image> behind the innermost of them. Each and every one would enter in accordance with his offering. Whoever offered a bird entered the first lattice gate. With a goat he entered the second lattice gate; with a lamb, the third; with a calf, the fourth; with a bullock, the fifth; with a bull, the sixth. To whoever was offering his child the idol priests would say that there is none higher than that. He entered within the seventh lattice gate. Then he went and kissed it, as stated (in Hos. 13:2): THOSE WHO SACRIFICE A HUMAN BEING KISS CALVES. Then the idol priests would take his child from him and put the young child⁸Tinoq. “Young child” rather than “infant” here, because a parallel description in Lam. R. suggests that the offering might be an offspring somewhat older than an infant. upon the hands of Molech, while they took the drums and beat on them, so that the father would not hear the voice of his child. Then they pressed the young child's entrails upon it, while the young child screamed until <its spirit> left its body in the hands of <the idol>. R Judah the Levite said: That is what is written (in Jer. 7:31): AND THEY HAVE BUILT THE HIGH PLACES OF TOPHETH, WHICH ARE IN THE VALLEY OF BEN-HINNOM <TO BURN THEIR SONS AND THEIR DAUGHTERS IN THE FIRE>. What is the meaning of TOPHETH? That they beat on their drums (tuppim, sing.: toph). What is the meaning of HINNOM? That the idol priests said to Molech, when the young child screamed (rt.: NHM): May it be pleasing to you! May it be appealing to you! Look at how fervent they were for idolatry! The Holy One said: It is on account of the evil drive (yetser hara) that you have sinned and gone into exile; but in the age to come I am rooting it (i.e., the evil drive) out of you,⁹Cf. Deut. R. 2:30. as stated (in Ezek. 36:26): I WILL REMOVE THE HEART OF STONE FROM YOUR FLESH AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH.

Sisera also < was punished by fire > because he blasphemed. Thus it is written about him (in Jud. 4:3): AND HE OPPRESSED THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WITH MIGHT, < i.e. > with blasphemies and invectives.¹⁶See M. Ps. 2:1, which derives this interpretation of WITH MIGHT (rt.: HZQ) from Mal. 3:13: YOUR WORDS HAVE BEEN MIGHTY (rt.: HZQ) AGAINST ME. See also below, 9:7. He was therefore punished by fire, as stated (in Jud. 5:20): THE STARS FOUGHT FROM THE HEAVENS; FROM THEIR COURSES THEY FOUGHT WITH SISERA.¹⁷See Pes. 118b, according to which the stars descended and heated the iron implements in Sisera’s army. < There is > also < retribution > in the world to come, when the Holy One comes to exact retribution from Esau. What did Esau do to him? Wrapped in a prayer shawl like a lion,¹⁸Cf. the parallel in Tanh., Lev. 2:3, which reads: “Wrapped in a prayer shawl like an elder.” he came and took his seat beside Jacob. It is so stated, (in Obad., vs. 4): AND THOUGH YOUR NEST IS SET AMONG THE STARS. STARS can only mean Israel, since it is stated (in Gen. 15:5): LOOK TOWARD THE HEAVENS AND COUNT THE STARS,…: [SO SHALL YOUR SEED BE.] Jacob says to him: My brother ('HY), you shall not be like me. Thus it is stated (in Hos. 13:14): MY BROTHER ('HY),¹⁹The unemended reading below, given in braces, shows that the midrash is reading the he in ‘HY as a het, so that the WHERE of the Masoretic Text cited here is to be interpreted as MY BROTHER. YOUR WORDS²⁰Devarekha. YOUR WORDS is the translation required by the midrash. In the biblical context devarekha should be rendered, YOUR PLAGUES. ARE DEATH; MY BROTHER ('HY), YOUR DESCENT (QTB) IS TO SHEOL.²¹A traditional translation of the line would read: WHERE IS YOUR PESTILENCE, O SHEOL? {MY BROTHER ('HY), MY BROTHER ('HY).} [WHERE ('HY)? WHERE ('HY)?].²²By emending the het of MY BROTHER to the Masoretic he of WHERE, Buber has obscured some of the meaning of the midrash. < YOUR WORDS > are decrees which you decreed over me. You decreed over me that I should serve idols. If I had done so, I would have been condemned to death at the hands of Heaven; and if I had not served them, you would have killed me. Ergo (in Hos. 13:14): MY BROTHER, YOUR WORDS ARE DEATH. (Ibid., cont.:) MY BROTHER ('HY), YOUR DESCENT (QTB) IS TO SHEOL. < QTB > is a Hellenistic²³From the Gk. adverb: Hellenisti. word.²⁴Thus QTB is understood as coming from the Greek, kataba, an aorist imperative meaning, “descend.” {While Jacob remained, Esau descended to Sheol.} [When Esau descended to Sheol, Jacob remained by himself.] It is therefore stated (in Zech. 13:8): AND IT SHALL COME TO PASS THROUGHOUT ALL THE LAND, SAYS THE LORD, THAT TWO-THIRDS IN IT [SHALL BE CUT OFF AND DIE, BUT ONE-THIRD SHALL REMAIN IN IT.] Now the one-third can only be Israel, since it is stated (in Is. 19:24): {AND} ISRAEL SHALL BE A THIRD < PARTNER WITH EGYPT AND ASSYRIA, A BLESSING IN THE MIDST OF THE EARTH. > So Israel, because they made themselves despised and lowly, was avenged by fire, as stated (in Zech. 2:9 [5]): AND I MYSELF, SAYS THE LORD, WILL BE A WALL OF FIRE AROUND IT (i.e., around Jerusalem), AND I WILL BE A GLORY WITHIN IT. When Esau departed from the world, the Holy One [and Israel remained, as stated (in Cant. 6:9): < ONLY > ONE IS MY DOVE, MY PERFECT ONE. It also says:] {It says:} (in Deut. 32:12): THE LORD ALONE DID LEAD HIM, AND THERE WAS NO FOREIGN GOD WITH HIM.

R. Chiya was taught: "What is the meaning of the passage (Job 28, 23) God alone understandeth her way, and He knoweth her place; i.e., the Holy One, praised be He! knoweth that Israel could not bear the tyrannical behest of the Syrians and Ishmaelites, and for that reason He exiled them into Babylon." R. Elazar said: "The Holy One, praised be He! would not have exiled Israel into Babylon but for the reason that Babylon is as low as the grave; as it is said (Hosh. 13, 14) From the power of the grave would I ransom them, from death would I redeem them." R. Chaninah said: "[They were exiled into Babylon] because the language there is similar to that of the Torah." R. Jochanan said: "Because He sent them into their native country." This may be likened unto a man who became angry at his wife. Where does he send her? to her mother's home; and this is intended to mean, as R. Alexander said, that three things returned unto their origin, viz., Israel, the Egyptians' wealth, and the Script of the Tablets. 'Israel,' as was stated above; concerning 'the Egyptians' wealth, as it is written (I Kings 14, 25) And it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak, the king of Egypt, came up against Jerusalem, and he took away the treasures of the house of the Lord and the treasures of the king's house, etc.; concerning the Tablets, as it is written (Deu. 9, 17) And I broke them before your eyes. It was taught: The Tablets were broken and the letters inscribed therein flew off. Ulla said: "[The reason why Israel was exiled into Babylon is] that they might be able to eat (Fol. 88) dates [cheaply bought] and thus easily study the Torah." Ulla once happened to come into Pumpaditha, and they brought him a basket full of dates. "How many such baskets could be bought for one Zuz? "Three," they answered him. Whereupon Ulla said: "A big basket of honey for one Zuz, and still the Babylonians do not study the Torah [sufficiently]" At night, [after he had eaten too many dates], it proved injurious to him. Thereupon he said: "A whole basket full of poison for one Zuz, and still the Babylonians study the Torah!"

..."And the waters were a wall for them" Made them as a type of wall. "On their right and on their left" On their right due to the merit of the Torah that they would in the future receive through the right, as it is said "From His right, a fiery law to them" (Deut. 33:2). And on their left: this is prayer.

(Exodus 14:21) "And the L rd drove the sea with a strong east wind all the night": the strongest of the winds, the east wind. And thus you find that the L rd exacted punishment of the men of the generation of the flood and of the men of Sodom with a strong east wind, viz. (Iyyov 4:9) "By the breath of G d they go lost, and by the wind of His wrath they perish": "By the breath of G d they go lost" — the generation of the flood; "and by the wind of His wrath they perish" — the generation of Sodom. And thus do you find with the generation of the tower of Bavel, that the L rd exacted punishment of them with a strong east wind, viz. (Genesis 11:8) "And from there the L rd scattered them on the face of all the earth," "scattering" connoting an east wind, viz. (Jeremiah 18:17) "With an east wind I will scatter them." And thus with Egypt, viz. (Exodus 10:15) "And the L rd swept an east wind over the land." And thus do you find with the ten tribes, that the L rd exacted punishment of them with an east wind, viz. (Hoshea 13:15) "For he (Ephraim) flourished among the reeds. (But now) an east wind will come, a wind from the L rd, rising from the desert, and it will dry up his source and parch his spring. It will despoil the source of all his precious vessels." And thus do you find with the tribes of Judah and Benjamin, that the L rd exacted punishment of them with an east wind, viz. (Jeremiah 18:17) "With an east wind I will scatter them." And thus do you find with Tyre, that He exacted punishment of them with an east wind, viz. (Ezekiel 27:26) "and the east wind has broken you in the heart of the seas." And thus you find that the Holy One Blessed be He is destined to exact punishment of "the merry kingdom" (Tarshish), viz. (Psalms 48:8) "With an east wind You will smash the ships of Tarshish." And thus do you find that the Holy One Blessed be He is destined to exact punishment of the wicked in Gehinnom with the east wind, viz. (Isaiah 30:33) "For Tafteh (Gehinnom) is ready from yesterday. It is readied for the king (Sancheriv). He has deepened and widened it. Its pyre has much fire and wood. The breath of the L rd, as a stream of sulfur, burns in it." And it is written (Ibid. 27:8) "He spoke His stern words on the day of the east wind." Here, too, "And the L rd drove the sea with a strong east wind": the strongest of the winds, the east wind.

They were dwelling in security without care and at ease, without the fear of war from all their surroundings, as it is said, "Their houses are safe from fear" (Job 21:9). They were sated with all the produce of the earth, but they did not strengthen with the loaf of bread either the hand of the needy or of the poor, as it is said, "Behold, this was the iniquity of thy sister Sodom; pride, fulness of bread, and prosperous ease was in her and in her daughters; neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy" (Ezek. 16:49). ||

... 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 eighth descent was when He descended into the Tabernacle, as it is said, "And the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the door of the Tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forth" (Num. 12:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: Whosoever speaketh slander against his fellow in secret, hath no cure; if he slander his brother, the son of his father or the son of his mother, how much more so is this the case? The Holy One, blessed be He, was angry with them, and He departed from the Tent, as it is said, "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and he departed" (Num. 12:9). || "And the cloud removed from over the Tent" (Num. 12:10). Forthwith Miriam became leprous. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: If Aaron also be leprous, the High Priest, who is afflicted with a blemish, will not be able to bring an offering upon My altar; but he shall look upon his sister and become astonished, as it is said, "And Aaron looked upon Miriam, and, behold, she was leprous" (ibid.). Aaron went to Moses, and said to him: O our lord, Moses! Brethren do not suffer themselves to be separated one from the other except through death, as it is said, "Though he be fruitful among his brethren" (Hos. 13:15). Our sister, while still among the living, is separated from us, as it is said, "Let her not, I pray, be as one dead" (Num. 12:12). Not only this, but now all Israel will hear and say that the sister of Moses and Aaron is leprous. Half of this infamous report concerns thee. Moses was appeased by the words, and he arose and prayed for her, and He was entreated of him, as it is said, "And Moses cried unto the Lord, saying, Heal her, O God, I beseech thee" (Num. 12:13).