Midrash su Isaia 25:8

“From on high He sent fire into my bones, and He crushed them; He spread a net for my feet, He turned me back. He rendered me desolate, suffering all day” (Lamentations 1:13).
“From on high He sent fire into my bones.” Rabbi Ami asked Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani, he said to him: ‘Because I heard about you, that you are a master of aggada, what is [the meaning of] that which is written: “For Your righteousness [vetzikatekha], God, reaches on high”?’ (Psalms 71:19). He said to him: ‘Just as those below are required to perform charity [tzedaka] with one another, so those on high are required to perform charity with one another.’
Rabbi Yoḥanan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai: Any place where it is stated: “He said, he said,”¹⁵¹Wherever the term “he said” appears twice in the introduction to a single statement. it is stated only to be expounded. That is what is written: “He said to the man clothed in linen, and He said: Come to between the galgal [beneath the cherub, and fill your hands with smoldering coals from between the cherubs, and cast them upon the city]” (Ezekiel 10:2). What is “He said,” “He said,” twice? It is that the Holy One blessed be He spoke to the angel, and the angel [then] said to the cherub: ‘Even though the Holy One blessed be He decreed upon me to take the coals, I am not allowed to enter behind your partition. Rather, perform an act of kindness and give me two of your coals so I will not be burned.’ That is what is written: “He carried it and placed it into the cupped hands of the one clothed in linen” (Ezekiel 10:7). What is “he carried it and he placed it”? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: He cooled them and placed them in his hand.
Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi: For six years the coals were dimly smoldering in Gabriel’s hand, and he believed that Israel would repent. When they did not repent, he sought to cast them upon them in rage. The Holy One blessed be He summoned him and said to him: ‘Gabriel, Gabriel! Slowly, slowly, for there are among them those who perform charity with one another.’ That is what is written: “On the cherubs the form of a man’s hand was seen beneath their wings” (Ezekiel 10:8).¹⁵²The hand represents the Holy One blessed be He preventing Gabriel from casting the coals on them.
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi Levi: What holds up the supernal and the earthly? It is the charity that Israel performs with the hand. That is what is written: “For Your righteousness, God, reaches on high” (Psalms 71:19).¹⁵³The verse is interpreted to mean that the merit of the charity that God commanded Israel to perform “reaches on high,” in that it supports even the heavens.
Similarly, “The man of God approached and said to the king of Israel, and said: So said the Lord: [Because Aram said: The Lord is a God of mountains and not a God of lowlands, I will deliver all this great multitude into your hand, and you will know that I am the Lord]” (I Kings 20:28). What is “and said” twice? It is that in the first statement he said to him: ‘If ben Hadad comes under your control, have no pity on him.’ In the second statement, he said to him: ‘How many traps have I laid, how many signals have I sent, how many conquests did I perform before I subdued him before you, and now you have freed him in peace?’ Therefore, “your life shall be in place of his life, and your people instead of his people” (I Kings 20:42).
Similarly, “King Aḥashverosh said and he said to Queen Esther” (Esther 7:5). What is “he said,” “he said,” twice? Rav said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Before he sensed that she was Jewish, he would speak to her directly. Once he sensed that she was Jewish, King Aḥashverosh spoke to the translator and the translator spoke to Queen Esther.
Similarly, “The Lord said to Moses: Speak to the priests, sons of Aaron, and say to them” (Leviticus 21:1). Why do I need these two sayings? It is that in the first saying, He said to him: “He shall not become impure from a corpse among his people” (Leviticus 21:1). In the second, He said to him: ‘If you come upon a corpse that it is a mitzva to bury, impurify yourself for it.’¹⁵⁴Although a priest is forbidden from becoming impure from a corpse, if there is a corpse that has no one to bury it, it is a mitzva for anyone, even a priest, to see to the burial. Since in this world you impurify yourself for a corpse that it is a mitzva to bury, in the future you will not become impure from any corpse, for there will be no death in the future, as it is stated: “He will eliminate death forever” (Isaiah 25:8).
Alternatively, “for Your righteousness, God, reaches on high, [for the great deeds You have done]” these are the two luminaries.¹⁵⁵This refers to the sun and the moon. “God, who is comparable to You” (Psalms 71:19), in that You suppress the attribute of justice. At that moment, the accuser leapt before the Throne of Glory and said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, will this wicked one arrogantly say: I destroyed the house of the Lord and burned His Temple? If it is so,¹⁵⁶If the Temple must be destroyed. let fire descend from on high and burn it.’ Immediately, what is written: “From on high He sent fire into my bones.” Rabbi Yehoshua said: That is why the prophet rebukes Babylon and says to it: “Take a millstone and grind flour” (Isaiah 47:2). Everyone grinds wheat, yet it says “grind flour”? Rather, Jerusalem said to the daughter of Babylon: Had war not been waged against me from on high, could you have waged war against me? Had fire not been sent against me from on high, could you have overcome me? Rather, you killed a dead lion. You ground already ground flour. You set fire to a burned city. That is why it says: “From on high He sent fire into my bones and He crushed them [vayirdena].” What is “and He crushed them [vayirdena]”? Moved them, just as you say: “He scooped [vayirdehu] it into his hands” (Judges 14:9).¹⁵⁷The midrash is interpreting the word vayirdena to mean “he moved them” rather than “He crushed them.” Thus, the verse is interpreted to mean that God sent fire from on high against the Temple, and the enemy merely moved the burned bones.
Alternatively, vayirdena [means] ruled, just as it says: “He will rule [veyerd] from sea to sea” (Psalms 72:8). Alternatively, vayirdena [means] subjugated, just as it says: “For he subjugated [rodeh] the entire region beyond the River” (I Kings 5:4). Alternatively, vayirdena [means] plowing [radya], as it is taught: Rufus plowed the Sanctuary. Rabbi Beiva of Rangaya said: Vayirdena, he saw [vayar] the attribute of justice [din] harming it.
“He spread a net for my feet.” Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: If you see benches filled with Babylonians situated in the Land of Israel, anticipate the footsteps of the Messiah. What is the source? “He spread [paras] a net for my feet.”¹⁵⁸This is expounded as a reference to Persia [paras]. When the Persians, whose empire included Babylon, spread their net in the Land of Israel, it will be a harbinger of the Messiah. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: If you see a Persian horse tied in the Land of Israel, anticipate the footsteps of the Messiah. What is the source? “This will be peace: When Assyria [will come into our land and when it will tread in our palaces, we will raise against it seven shepherds, and eight princes of men]” (Micah 5:4). “He turned me back,” away from the priesthood, away from the kingdom. “He rendered me desolate,” set for destruction; “suffering all day,” [sent] to the gallows.

(Lev. 21:1:) “Then the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Say unto the priests […], and say unto them.”¹⁷A somewhat awkward translation of this verse and others that follow is necessary, because the midrash is concerned with the double use of the verb “say/said” (rt.: ‘MR). R. Johanan said, “Wherever it says, ‘say […,]’ and ‘say,’ it must be interpreted.”¹⁸Lev. R. 26:8; see Lam. R. 1:13 (41); Meg. 16a. (Esth. 7:5:) “Then said King Ahasuerus, and he said to Queen Esther.” Why “said […]” and “he said?” He said to her, “If this (Haman) is the man, well and good; but if not, say that he is [regardless].” Another interpretation: Before [the king] came to know about her being Jewish, he talked with her through an interpreter; when he came to know about her, he began to talk with her [by himself]. Similarly (in I Kings 20:28), “Then the man of God approached and said unto the king of Israel and said, ‘Thus says the Lord.’” “Why “said […,]” and “said?”¹⁹ySanh. 11:7/5 (30c). He was saying to him (with the first said), “When Ben-Hadad falls into your hand, you shall not take pity on him.” A second saying: He said to him, “Be aware of how many nets and enticements I set out for him before he comes into your hand. So now, if he is missing (according to vs. 42), it will be your life for his life and your people for his people.” [Similarly (in Ezek. 10:2),] “Then he said unto the person clothed in linen, and said, ‘Go in among the wheel work, [under the cherub].’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said unto the angel, and the angel said to the cherub. He said to him, “The Holy One, blessed be He, has commanded me, but I do not have the authority to enter your section [of heaven]; so do me a favor and give me two burning coals.” Immediately (in vs. 7), “he took some and put them into the hands of the one who was clothed in linen.” R. Pinhas said, “He cooled them and gave them to him.”²⁰Cf. Yoma. 77a. R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi, “Two burning coals were being quenched in Gabriel's hand. He was thinking that Israel would repent. When they did not do so, he sought to hurl them and destroy them. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘Gabriel, slowly, slowly. There are among them people who are doing acts of charity with each other.’ Thus it is stated (in vs. 8), ‘And there the cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand²¹A symbol of the almsgiving. under their wings.’” So also here (in Lev. 21:1), “Say unto the priests…, and say.” The first saying is for the unclaimed corpse, for which [a priest] must become unclean; and the second is for other [corpses], for which he may not become unclean. Ergo, “say […,]” and “say.” Since in this world, a priest becomes unclean for an unclaimed corpse, but in the future you will not become unclean at all. Why? As there will be no death in the future. That is as written (in Isaiah 25:8), “He will swallow death forever.”

But when I sleep with my fathers (Gen. 47:30). Jacob said to Joseph: “If you will do as I have asked, well and good, but if not, my soul shall depart at once.” “I shall do it,” he answered. “Swear unto me,” said Jacob. And he swore unto him. And Israel bowed down before the Shekhinah that hovered over him. What is written after he passed away? His sons did unto him as he commanded them (ibid. 50:12). The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Death does not permit man to rejoice in this world, but in the world-to-come He will swallow up death forever (Isa. 25:8). When He does swallow up death, then I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in My people; and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying (Isa. 65:19).

Another matter, “I crushed and I will heal” – Rabbi Ḥanina in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan, and Rabbi Levi in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan [said]: “I smote” is not written here, but rather, “I crushed [maḥatzti]” – the rift [meḥitza] that I established between the heavenly and the earthly, that the heavenly live and the earthly die, [holds true only] in this world. But in the World to Come there is no death at all, as it is stated: “He will eliminate death forever” (Isaiah 25:8). Rabbi Abba said [the verse means]: ‘That rift, too, I will then heal, maḥatzti, meḥitzati [My rift] I will heal.’

Rabbi Abba bar Kahana [said], and some say it in the name of Rabbi Ada bar Ḥunya: The generation that comes should be in your eyes like the generation that has passed, so you should not say: ‘Were Rabbi Akiva alive, I would study Bible before him; were Rabbi Zeira and Rabbi Yoḥanan alive, I would study Mishna before them.’ Rather, the generation that comes during your lifetime and the Sage that is in your lifetime are the equivalent of the generation that passed and the early Sages who preceded you.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: It is written: “The Lord who made Moses and Aaron…” (I Samuel 12:6), and it is written: “The Lord sent Yerubaal, Bedan, Yiftaḥ and Samuel” (I Samuel 12:11). Yerubaal, this is Gideon; Bedan, this is Samson; Yiftaḥ as its plain meaning. And it is written: “Moses and Aaron among his priests, and Samuel among those who call His name” (Psalms 99:6) – the verse parallels three of the insignificant people of the world to three of the prominent people of the world,²⁰The verse in I Samuel (12:11) refers to Gideon, Samson, and Yiftah in the same listing as Samuel, thus equating them, and the verse in Psalms is understood to equate Samuel to Moses and Aaron. to teach you that Yerubaal’s court is as great and significant before the Holy One blessed be He as Moses’s court; Samson’s court is the equivalent of Aaron’s court; and Yiftaḥ’s court is the equivalent of Samuel’s court. This teaches you that anyone who is appointed a leader of the community, even if he is extremely insignificant, he is like the noblest of their noble predecessors, as it is stated: “You shall come to the priests, the Levites, and to the judge who will be in those days…” (Deuteronomy 17:9). I have [the ability to come] only to the judge that is in your generation; where [would you be able to find] the judge that is not in your generation? Why does the verse state: “To the judge who will be in those days”?²¹Clearly, one can go only to a judge who is in his generation. It teaches that the judge in your generation, in his time, is the equivalent of the judge who was in earlier days, and so, it says: “Do not say: How was it that the former days were better than these?” (Ecclesiastes 7:10).
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: You should heed only the judge that is in your generation, as it is written: “The heads of the fathers [ha’avot] of the family of the children of Gilad, son of Makhir, son of Manasseh [came near and spoke before Moses and before the princes; the heads of the fathers’ [avot] houses of the children of Israel]” (Numbers 36:1). Rabbi Yudan said: “The fathers [ha’avot],” “fathers [avot].”²²Regarding the family of Gilad, the verse uses the definite article ha’avot, while regarding the leaders of entire tribes, the verse writes simply avot, without the definite article. Rather, these entered into leadership and these were removed from leadership, and that is why the verse presented then deficiently.²³The heads of the families of Gilad were from the younger generation, and were entering leadership positions, whereas the tribal princes were from the older generation and were concluding their terms of leadership.
Rabbi Berekhya said: It is written: “Yehoyada was the leader of Aaron” (I Chronicles 12:28). Was Yehoyada the leader of Aaron? Rather, had Aaron been alive in the generation of Yehoyada, Yehoyada would have been greater than he was at the time.²⁴The verse is interpreted to mean that Yehoyada was greater than Aaron. However, that is impossible, as Aaron was in fact greater than Yehoyada. The midrash therefore explains that had Aaron been alive in the generation when Yehoyada was the leader of the priests, Aaron would have been subordinate to him and accepted his leadership despite Aaron’s personal superiority. Rabbi Simai said: It is written: “Aaron and his sons were offering on the altar of the burnt offerings…” (I Chronicles 6:34). Were Aaron and his sons alive? Was it not Tzadok and his sons who were [offering these offerings]? Rather, had Aaron and his sons been alive, Tzadok would have been greater than he was at the time.²⁵Aaron and his sons would have accepted Tzadok’s leadership because he was the High Priest at the time. Rabbi Hillel derived it from here: “The entire congregation that returned from captivity made booths, and they dwelled in the booths, as since the days of Joshua [Yeshua] bin Nun, to that day, the children of Israel had not done so. There was very great rejoicing” (Nehemiah 8:17). The verse compromised the honor of the deceased righteous one for the sake of so-and-so at the time.²⁶The verses minimizes the honor of Joshua by writing his name in a deficient manner, Yeshua, instead of the common spelling of his name, Yehoshua. This is in order allude to the fact that the then leader, Ezra, had to be accorded more honor than Joshua, the great leader of the past. The Rabbis derive it from here: “The son of Avishua, son of Pinḥas ben Elazar, [son of Aaron the priest, the chief;] he, Ezra, ascended from Babylon…” (Ezra 7:5–6). Rather, had Aaron been alive, Ezra would have been greater than he was at the time.²⁷The simple reading of the verse is that the word chief refers to Aaron, and thus identifies him as the High Priest. The midrash reads the verse as though the word chief refers not to Aaron but to Ezra, because he was the leader in his generation.

(Gen. 47:30:) WHEN I SLEEP WITH MY ANCESTORS. Jacob said to Joseph: If you do for me as I tell you, well and good; but, if not, my soul shall depart from me. He said to him: I am doing so for you! He said to him (in vs. 31): SWEAR < … >! AND HE SWORE TO HIM. When he had departed, what is written (in Gen. 50:12)? SO HIS CHILDREN DID FOR HIM [JUST] AS HE HAD COMMANDED THEM. The Holy One said: In this world death does not allow one to rejoice, but in the world to come (according to Is. 25:8): HE WILL SWALLOW UP DEATH FOREVER…. When death departs, what is written (Is. 65:19)? I WILL ALSO SHOUT FOR JOY IN JERUSALEM AND REJOICE IN MY PEOPLE. THEN NEVER AGAIN SHALL BE HEARD THERE THE SOUND OF WEEPING AND THE SOUND OF CRYING OUT.

The Holy One, blessed be He, said: Because of the evil inclination one’s years are shortened in this world, but in the world-to-come He will swallow up death forever; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from all faces (Isa. 25:8).

(Exodus 12:25) "And it shall be, when you come to the land": The service is contingent upon their entering the land and thereafter. (In the desert they were obliged to observe only one Pesach, in the second year, by Divine command.) "as He has spoken": And where did He speak it? (Ibid. 6:8) "and I shall bring you to the land, etc." Similarly, (Ibid. 16:23) "This is what the L rd has spoken: 'A resting, a holy Sabbath, etc.'" And where did He speak it? (Ibid. 5) "And it shall be on the sixth day that they shall prepare, etc." Similarly, (Leviticus 10:3) "This is as the L rd spoke: With My near ones I will be sanctified." And where did He speak it? (Exodus 29:43) "And I will be appointed there for the children of Israel and it (the mishkan) will be sanctified by My glory" (i.e., by My glorifiers). Similarly, (Devarim 11:25) "The L rd your G d will put the dread and fear of you over the whole land … as He spoke to you." And where did He speak it? (Exodus 23:27) "My fright shall I send before you, and I shall confound all the people, etc." (Devarim 12:20) "When the L rd your G d broadens your boundary, as he spoke to you, etc." And where did He speak it? (Exodus 34:24) "for I shall drive out nations from before you and I shall broaden your boundary," (Ibid. 23:31) "And I shall set your boundary from the Red Sea, etc." Similarly, (Devarim 15:6) "for the L rd your G d will bless you as He spoke to you." And where did He speak it? (Ibid. 7:14) "Blessed shall you be over all other peoples." Similarly (Ibid. 26:18) "and the L rd has affirmed this day to make you His chosen people as He spoke to you." And where did He speak it? (Exodus 19:5) "then you shall be to Me chosen above all the peoples." Similarly (Devarim 26:19) "and to place you higher than all the nations … as He spoke." And whence did He speak it? (Ibid. 28:13) "And the L rd will make you the head, and not the tail. Similarly, (Isaiah 1:2) "Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth, as the L rd has spoken." And where did He speak it? (Devarim 32:1) "Hear, O heavens, and I shall speak." Similarly, (Isaiah 40:5) "The glory of the L rd shall appear, and all flesh will behold as one, for the mouth of the L rd has spoken." And where did He speak it? (Devarim 32:39) "See, now, that I — I am He, and there is no god beside Me." Similarly, (Isaiah 1:19-20) "If you acquiesce and pay heed, the good of the earth will you eat. But if you refuse and rebel, the sword will devour you; for the mouth of the L rd has spoken." And where did He speak it? (Leviticus 26:25) "… I will bring against you an avenging sword, etc." Similarly, (Isaiah 25:8) "He will destroy death forever … for the L rd has spoken." And where did He speak it? (Devarim 32:39) "I put to death and I bring to life, etc." Similarly, (Isaiah 58:14) "then you will rejoice in the L rd, and I will 'ride' you on the heights of the earth, etc." And where did He speak it? (Devarim 32:13) "He will 'ride' him on the heights of the earth, etc." Similarly, (Ezekiel 39:8) "Behold, it has come; it has arrived, says the L rd G d. This is the day of which I spoke." And where did He speak of it? (Devarim 32:42) "I will make My arrows drunk with blood, etc." Similarly, (Michah 4:4) "and each man will sit under his grapevine … for the mouth of the L rd of hosts has spoken." And where did He speak it? (Leviticus 26:6) "And I will place peace in the land, etc." Similarly, (Ovadiah 1:18) "And there will be no survivor of the house of Esav, for the mouth of the L rd has spoken." And where did He speak it? (Numbers 24:18-19) "And Edom (Esav) will become an inheritance … and a victor will issue from Jacob and will destroy all trace of Ir." Similarly, (Genesis 21:1) "And the L rd remembered Sarah (for motherhood) as He had said." "And where did He say it? (Ibid. 17:19) "And G d said: But Sarah your wife will bear, etc." Similarly, (Ibid. 21:1) "And the L rd did for Sarah as He had spoken." And where did He speak it? (Ibid. 15:4) "And the 'speaking' of the L rd was to him. This one (Ishmail) will not inherit you, etc." Similarly, (Yoel 4:8) "and I will sell your sons and your daughters, etc." And where did he speak it? (Genesis 9:25) "And he (Noach) said: Cursed is Canaan. A servant of servants will he be to his brothers." Similarly, (Devarim 17:16) "And the L rd said to you: You will not go back this way (to Egypt) again." And where did He say it? (Exodus 14:13) "For your seeing Egypt is (only) this day. You will see them no more forever." Similarly, (Isaiah 65:25) "The wolf and the lamb will graze together…said the L rd." And where did He say it? (Leviticus 26:6) "I will cut off wild beasts from the land." Similarly, (I Kings 11:2) "… of the nations of which the L rd said … You shall not come among them, etc." And where did He say it? (Devarim 7:3) "And you shall not intermarry with them, etc." Similarly, (I Kings 8:12) "The L rd has said that He will dwell in a thick cloud." And where did He say it? (Leviticus 16:2) "For in a thick cloud will I appear upon the (ark) cover." Similarly, (Malachi 3:17) "'and they will be Mine,' said the L rd." And where did He say it? (Exodus 19:5) "And you will be unto Me, chosen, etc." Similarly, (Yoel 3:5) "And all who call in the name of the L rd … as the L rd said." And where did He say it? (Devarim 28:10) "And all the peoples of the earth will see that the L rd's name is called upon you, etc." Similarly, (Isaiah 66:20-21) "And they will bring all your brothers from all the nations as an offering to the L rd … And also from them will I take Cohanim and Levites, the L rd said." And where did He say this? (Devarim 29:28) "What is concealed (from us [e.g., who is a Cohein and who, a Levite]) is known to the L rd our G d." Here, too, (Exodus 12:25) "And it shall be, when you come to the land that the L rd will give you, as He has spoken, etc." And where did He speak it? (Ibid. 6:8) "And I shall bring you to the land, etc." (Exodus 12:26) "And it shall be, when your sons say to you, etc.": At that time, Israel was receiving bad tidings, that the Torah was destined to be forgotten. Others say they were receiving good tidings, that they were destined to see sons and sons of sons. (Exodus 12:27) "And the people bowed down and prostrated themselves": Why did they bow down? For it is written (Ibid. 13:18) "And the children of Israel went out of Egypt chamushim" — one out of five ("chamishah"). Others say one out of fifty ("chamishim"). And others say one out of five hundred ("chamesh me'oth"). R. Nehorai says; Upon my oath, not one in five hundred went out. For it is written (Ezekiel 16:7) "Numerous as the spouts of the field did I make you" (in Egypt), and (Exodus 1:7) "And the children of Israel were fruitful, and teemed" — One woman would bear six in one womb. And you say one in five hundred went out? And when did they die? In the three days of darkness, of which it is written (Exodus 10:23) "One man could not see another." The Jews buried their dead, and they were thankful and praised (the L rd) that their foes could not see (the dead) and rejoice in their downfall. (Ibid. 12:27) "Then you shall say that it is a Paschal sacrifice to the L rd.": R. Yossi Haglili said: The Jews would have deserved to die in Egypt (if not for the merit of the Paschal sacrifice) whereby the last of them consummated his sacrifice (and lived.) "Then you shall say that it is a Paschal sacrifice." We are hereby apprised that all who hear of or see the miracles that the Holy One Blessed be He wrought in Egypt must give praise. And thus is it written (Exodus 18:8-9) "And Moses related to his father-in-law all that the L rd did to Pharaoh and to Egypt. And Yithro rejoiced, etc." (Ibid. 28) "And the children of Israel went and they did": Reward is given for both the going and the doing. "and they did": Now did they already do? __ Their taking it upon themselves to do is regarded as their doing. "as the L rd commanded": We are hereby apprised of their eminence. Exactly as Moses and Aaron commanded them thus did they do. What is the intent of (the seemingly superfluous) "Thus did they do"? Moses and Aaron, too, did thus.