Midrash su I Cronache 12:35
וּמִנַּפְתָּלִ֖י שָׂרִ֣ים אָ֑לֶף וְעִמָּהֶם֙ בְּצִנָּ֣ה וַחֲנִ֔ית שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וְשִׁבְעָ֖ה אָֽלֶף׃ (ס)
E di Neftali mille capitani, e con loro con scudo e lancia trentasettemila.
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
“My vineyard is before me; the thousand is for you, Solomon, and two hundred for those who guard its fruit” (Song of Songs 8:12).
“My vineyard is before me” – Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: [This is analogous] to a king who became angry at his son, and handed him over to his servant. What did [the servant] do? He began beating him with a stick. He said to him: ‘Do not heed your father.’ [The prince] said to him: ‘You great fool, father placed me in your charge only because I would not heed him, and you say to me: Do not heed your father?’ So too, when the iniquities caused the Temple to be destroyed, and Israel was exiled to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar said to them: ‘Do not heed the Torah of your Father in Heaven, but rather: “Fall and prostrate yourselves to the image that I made”’ (Daniel 3:15). Israel said to him: ‘You great fool, the Holy One blessed be He placed us in your charge only because we would prostrate ourselves to an image, just as it says: “The images of the Chaldeans engraved with vermilion” (Ezekiel 23:14), and you say to us: “Fall and prostrate yourselves to the image that I made”? Woe to that man.’ At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said: “My vineyard is before me.”51Israel is Mine, not Nebuchadnezzar’s. That wicked one said before Him: ‘They were one thousand and they diminished here and became two hundred.’52Nebuchadnezzar argued that the number of those loyal to God had diminished, demonstrating the temporary nature of the Jews’ dedication. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Woe to that wicked one, that putrid drop. They were one thousand, and they increased here and became two hundred thousand.’
“The thousand is for you, Solomon” – Rabbi Hillel son of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman [said]: The Rabbi takes one thousand, and the disciple takes two hundred.53This is the relative reward given to teacher and disciple in the World to Come. What is the source? “The thousand is for you, Solomon, [and two hundred for those who guard its fruit].” Rabbi Alexandri said: The Rabbi does not take a reward for his studies until he conveys it in its entirety to others. What is the source? “The thousand is for you, Solomon.”54Solomon [Shlomo] is expounded to have the connotation of complete [shalem].
Rabbi Ḥiyya son of Rabbi Abba of Yafo said: One who studies Torah with suffering takes one thousand; [one who studies] without suffering takes two hundred as his reward. From whom do you derive this? From the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Naphtali. The tribe of Naphtali, because they would engage in and study Torah with suffering, took a reward of one thousand. That is what is written: “From Naphtali one thousand officials” (I Chronicles 12:35). However, the tribe of Issachar, because they would study Torah without suffering, took a reward of two hundred, as it is stated: “Their heads were two hundred, and all their brethren at their command” (I Chronicles 12:33).55The members of the tribe of Naphtali would have to travel in order to study Torah, as implied by Jacob’s blessing: “Naphtali is a hind let loose” (Genesis 49:21). This involved suffering. Issachar, on the other hand, would study in their own territory (Rabbi David Luria). Additionally, the sages of Issachar were supported by the tribe of Zebulun, whereas Naphtali did not receive outside support (see Bereshit Rabba 99:9).
Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Bon: One who studies Torah not in his place takes a reward of one thousand, and [one who studies] in his place takes a reward of two hundred. From whom do you derive this? From the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Naphtali. The tribe of Naphtali, because they would study Torah not in their place, took a reward of one thousand. That is what is written: “From Naphtali one thousand officials” (I Chronicles 12:35). However, the tribe of Issachar, because they would study Torah in their place, took a reward of two hundred, as it is stated: “Their heads were two hundred, and all their brethren at their command” (I Chronicles 12:33).
“My vineyard is before me” – Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: [This is analogous] to a king who became angry at his son, and handed him over to his servant. What did [the servant] do? He began beating him with a stick. He said to him: ‘Do not heed your father.’ [The prince] said to him: ‘You great fool, father placed me in your charge only because I would not heed him, and you say to me: Do not heed your father?’ So too, when the iniquities caused the Temple to be destroyed, and Israel was exiled to Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar said to them: ‘Do not heed the Torah of your Father in Heaven, but rather: “Fall and prostrate yourselves to the image that I made”’ (Daniel 3:15). Israel said to him: ‘You great fool, the Holy One blessed be He placed us in your charge only because we would prostrate ourselves to an image, just as it says: “The images of the Chaldeans engraved with vermilion” (Ezekiel 23:14), and you say to us: “Fall and prostrate yourselves to the image that I made”? Woe to that man.’ At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said: “My vineyard is before me.”51Israel is Mine, not Nebuchadnezzar’s. That wicked one said before Him: ‘They were one thousand and they diminished here and became two hundred.’52Nebuchadnezzar argued that the number of those loyal to God had diminished, demonstrating the temporary nature of the Jews’ dedication. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Woe to that wicked one, that putrid drop. They were one thousand, and they increased here and became two hundred thousand.’
“The thousand is for you, Solomon” – Rabbi Hillel son of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman [said]: The Rabbi takes one thousand, and the disciple takes two hundred.53This is the relative reward given to teacher and disciple in the World to Come. What is the source? “The thousand is for you, Solomon, [and two hundred for those who guard its fruit].” Rabbi Alexandri said: The Rabbi does not take a reward for his studies until he conveys it in its entirety to others. What is the source? “The thousand is for you, Solomon.”54Solomon [Shlomo] is expounded to have the connotation of complete [shalem].
Rabbi Ḥiyya son of Rabbi Abba of Yafo said: One who studies Torah with suffering takes one thousand; [one who studies] without suffering takes two hundred as his reward. From whom do you derive this? From the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Naphtali. The tribe of Naphtali, because they would engage in and study Torah with suffering, took a reward of one thousand. That is what is written: “From Naphtali one thousand officials” (I Chronicles 12:35). However, the tribe of Issachar, because they would study Torah without suffering, took a reward of two hundred, as it is stated: “Their heads were two hundred, and all their brethren at their command” (I Chronicles 12:33).55The members of the tribe of Naphtali would have to travel in order to study Torah, as implied by Jacob’s blessing: “Naphtali is a hind let loose” (Genesis 49:21). This involved suffering. Issachar, on the other hand, would study in their own territory (Rabbi David Luria). Additionally, the sages of Issachar were supported by the tribe of Zebulun, whereas Naphtali did not receive outside support (see Bereshit Rabba 99:9).
Rabbi Yudan said in the name of Rabbi Bon: One who studies Torah not in his place takes a reward of one thousand, and [one who studies] in his place takes a reward of two hundred. From whom do you derive this? From the tribe of Issachar and from the tribe of Naphtali. The tribe of Naphtali, because they would study Torah not in their place, took a reward of one thousand. That is what is written: “From Naphtali one thousand officials” (I Chronicles 12:35). However, the tribe of Issachar, because they would study Torah in their place, took a reward of two hundred, as it is stated: “Their heads were two hundred, and all their brethren at their command” (I Chronicles 12:33).
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