Midrash su Isaia 8:7
וְלָכֵ֡ן הִנֵּ֣ה אֲדֹנָי֩ מַעֲלֶ֨ה עֲלֵיהֶ֜ם אֶת־מֵ֣י הַנָּהָ֗ר הָעֲצוּמִים֙ וְהָ֣רַבִּ֔ים אֶת־מֶ֥לֶךְ אַשּׁ֖וּר וְאֶת־כָּל־כְּבוֹד֑וֹ וְעָלָה֙ עַל־כָּל־אֲפִיקָ֔יו וְהָלַ֖ךְ עַל־כָּל־גְּדוֹתָֽיו׃
Ora dunque ecco, il Signore fa apparire su di loro Le acque del fiume, potenti e molte, persino il re di Assiria e tutta la sua gloria; E salirà su tutti i suoi canali e supererà tutte le sue sponde;
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
“Much water cannot extinguish love, and rivers cannot wash it away; if a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, he would be scorned” (Song of Songs 8:7).
“Much water cannot extinguish love”; “Much water” – these are the nations of the world, as it is stated: “Ah, the uproar of many peoples” (Isaiah 17:12). “Cannot extinguish love” – the love that the Holy One blessed be He has for Israel, as it is stated: “I loved you, said the Lord” (Malachi 1:2). “And rivers cannot wash it away” – these are the nations of the world, just as it says: “On that day, the Lord will shave with a great razor those who are from across the River…” (Isaiah 7:20); “therefore, behold, the Lord is raising [upon them] the waters of the River, [mighty and many, the king of Assyria]” (Isaiah 8:7).
“If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love” – even if all the nations of the world open all their treasuries and give their money for the sake of one matter of the Torah,16Even if they would donate all their money in an attempt to gain atonement for causing Israel to fail to fulfill even one mitzva (Rabbi David Luria). they will never thereby gain atonement.
Another matter: “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love” – even if all the nations of the world open all their treasuries and give their money for the sake of one matter of the Torah, and give all their money for the blood of Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues,17Even if they would donate all their money in an attempt to atone for the execution of Rabbi Akiva and others by non-Jewish authorities in times of persecution. they will never thereby gain atonement.
Rabbi Yoḥanan was strolling and ascending from Tiberias to Tzippori, and Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba was next to him. They arrived at a certain agricultural estate. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: ‘This agricultural estate was mine, and I sold it in order to engage in Torah study.’ They arrived at a certain vineyard. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: ‘This vineyard was mine and I sold it in order to engage in Torah study.’ They arrived at a certain olive grove. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: ‘The same is true regarding this.’ Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba began crying. [Rabbi Yoḥanan] said to him: ‘Why are you crying?’ He said to him: ‘I am crying because you did not leave anything for your old age.’ He said to him: ‘Ḥiyya my son, is it inconsequential in your eyes what I did, that I sold something that was given in six days, as it is stated: “For in six days the Lord made” (Exodus 20:11)?18Was it not worthwhile to sell something created in six days in order to gain something far more valuable? But the Torah was given in forty days, as it is stated: “He was there with the Lord forty days” (Exodus 34:28), and it is written: “I remained on the mountain forty days”’ (Deuteronomy 9:9). When Rabbi Yoḥanan died, his generation read in his regard: “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love,” the love that Rabbi Yoḥanan had for the Torah, “he would be scorned [boz yavuzu lo].”19He will gain a portion of the plunder [biza] of the war of Gog and Magog (Yefe To’ar).
When Rabbi Oshaya of Teraya died, they saw his bier floating in the air. His generation read in his regard: “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love,” that the Holy One blessed be He loved Rabbi Oshaya of Teraya, he would be scorned.20He would be scorned for thinking that money is sufficient to attain this love.
“Much water cannot extinguish love”; “Much water” – these are the nations of the world, as it is stated: “Ah, the uproar of many peoples” (Isaiah 17:12). “Cannot extinguish love” – the love that the Holy One blessed be He has for Israel, as it is stated: “I loved you, said the Lord” (Malachi 1:2). “And rivers cannot wash it away” – these are the nations of the world, just as it says: “On that day, the Lord will shave with a great razor those who are from across the River…” (Isaiah 7:20); “therefore, behold, the Lord is raising [upon them] the waters of the River, [mighty and many, the king of Assyria]” (Isaiah 8:7).
“If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love” – even if all the nations of the world open all their treasuries and give their money for the sake of one matter of the Torah,16Even if they would donate all their money in an attempt to gain atonement for causing Israel to fail to fulfill even one mitzva (Rabbi David Luria). they will never thereby gain atonement.
Another matter: “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love” – even if all the nations of the world open all their treasuries and give their money for the sake of one matter of the Torah, and give all their money for the blood of Rabbi Akiva and his colleagues,17Even if they would donate all their money in an attempt to atone for the execution of Rabbi Akiva and others by non-Jewish authorities in times of persecution. they will never thereby gain atonement.
Rabbi Yoḥanan was strolling and ascending from Tiberias to Tzippori, and Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba was next to him. They arrived at a certain agricultural estate. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: ‘This agricultural estate was mine, and I sold it in order to engage in Torah study.’ They arrived at a certain vineyard. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: ‘This vineyard was mine and I sold it in order to engage in Torah study.’ They arrived at a certain olive grove. Rabbi Yoḥanan said: ‘The same is true regarding this.’ Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba began crying. [Rabbi Yoḥanan] said to him: ‘Why are you crying?’ He said to him: ‘I am crying because you did not leave anything for your old age.’ He said to him: ‘Ḥiyya my son, is it inconsequential in your eyes what I did, that I sold something that was given in six days, as it is stated: “For in six days the Lord made” (Exodus 20:11)?18Was it not worthwhile to sell something created in six days in order to gain something far more valuable? But the Torah was given in forty days, as it is stated: “He was there with the Lord forty days” (Exodus 34:28), and it is written: “I remained on the mountain forty days”’ (Deuteronomy 9:9). When Rabbi Yoḥanan died, his generation read in his regard: “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love,” the love that Rabbi Yoḥanan had for the Torah, “he would be scorned [boz yavuzu lo].”19He will gain a portion of the plunder [biza] of the war of Gog and Magog (Yefe To’ar).
When Rabbi Oshaya of Teraya died, they saw his bier floating in the air. His generation read in his regard: “If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love,” that the Holy One blessed be He loved Rabbi Oshaya of Teraya, he would be scorned.20He would be scorned for thinking that money is sufficient to attain this love.
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Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
R. Jochanhan said: "What is the meaning of the passage (Prov. 3, 33) The curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked, but the habitation of the righteous will be blessed? i.e., the curse of the Lord is in the house of the wicked refers to Peckach b. Remalyahu, who used to consume forty s'ahs of pigeon as a dessert. But the habitation of the righteous will be blessed, refers to Hezekiah, King of Judah, whose whole meal consisted of a litra of meat. (Isa. 8, 7)… . The king of Assyria … and he shall penetrate into Judah, overflood and flood over, even to the neck shall he reach. Now [since he acted in accordance with the prophecy] why then was he punished? The prophet prophesied concerning the ten tribes, and he himself made up his mind to go to Jerusalem. Then came the prophet and said (Ib. ib. 23) And no fatigue overtaketh him that oppresseth them. R. Eleazar b. Breakhya explained the above passage thus: "A people who are occupied with the study of the law will not be delivered over to their oppressor." What is meant (Ib.) In the first time, he made light of the land of Zebulun and of the land of Naphtali, and at the last he will deal hard, with the way by the sea, on the other side of the Jordan (up to) the Galilee of the nations — i.e., Not like the first [exiled] who threw off the yoke of the Torah, but like the latter, who tolerated the heavy yoke of the Torah, and therefore deserved that a miracle should happen to them as it had happened to those who passed the Red Sea and to those who stepped over the Jordan. Hence if he will retract from turning away from Jerusalem, well and good, but if not, I will make him contemptible among the nations.
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