Midrash su Geremia 49:20

R. Joshua b. Levi, in the name of Rabbi, said: "A time will come, when those who have destroyed the second Temple will fall into the hands of the Persians, as it is said (Jer. 49, 20) Therefore hear the counsel of the Lord, that He hath resolved against Edom; and his purposes, that He hath devised against the inhabitants of Theman. Surely the least of the flocks shall drag them away; surely He will devastate their habitation." Raba b. Ulla, however, raised the following objection: "How do we know that the least of the flocks refers to Persia? Shall we assume that it is based upon the passage (Dan. 8, 20) The ram that thou hast seen, him with the two horns, signifies the kings of Media and Persia? Why not say that it refers to Greece, concerning whom it is written (Ib. lb., 21) And the rough he-goat is the king of Greece." When R. Abba came to Palestine, he told the objection of Raba b. Ulla to one of the Rabbis there, whereupon the latter remarked: "Only one who cannot explain the meaning of the verses could dare bring forth such an objection in opposition to Rabbi." What is meant by The least of the flock? The youngest of the brothers (that is, Thirass); as R. Joseph has said, Thirass is Persia.

(Gen. 32:5 [4]:) AND HE INSTRUCTED THEM, SAYING: THUS YOU SHALL SAY TO MY LORD ESAU. He called him MY LORD. Jeremiah has said (in Jer. 13:21): WHAT WILL YOU SAY WHEN HE SHALL APPOINT AS YOUR HEADS THOSE WHOM YOU HAD TAUGHT TO BE YOUR FRIENDS? R. Pinhas said: Antoninus gave Our Rabbi (Judah the Prince) the highest honors; but, when Our Rabbi sent me to him, he wrote him a letter and wrote in it: Your servant Judah asks about your welfare. But it displeased Antoninus, namely, that he called himself a servant. He said to him: Do not write again like this. Our Rabbi said to him: I write in such a way to you because I am no better than the patriarch Jacob. When he sent away to Esau, what did he say to him (according to Gen. 32:5 [4])? THUS SAYS YOUR SERVANT JACOB: I have not become an independent authority.¹⁶Gk.: authentes. (Ibid., cont.:) I LIVED WITH LABAN. Not one of the blessings with which your father blessed me has reached me.¹⁷Cf. Gen. R. 75:11. Your father blessed me (in Gen. 27:28): SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU OF THE DEW OF HEAVEN AND THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH; yet, I do not have one of them in hand. Rather (according to Gen. 32:6 [5]), I HAVE OX AND ASS, SHEEP, which are neither of the heavens nor of the earth. Do you hate me merely because of the blessings, [even though one has yet to reach me]? Did he have < only > one ox and one ass, in that it says (ibid.): I HAVE OX AND ASS … (in the singular)?¹⁸Cf. Gen. R. 75:6. R. Judah and R. Nehemiah differ. R. Judah says: It is a figure of speech, as in the case of one who says in a collective sense: Ass went; cock crowed.¹⁹This is the interpretation of modem translations. But R. Nehemiah said: < He spoke > to him, saying: Here am I, your servant Jacob, humbling myself before you. If you desire it, see, it is fine. But, if not, (ibid.:) I HAVE < AN > OX AND < AN > ASS < … >. [AN OX:] This is Joseph, as stated (of him in Deut. 33:17): LIKE A FIRSTLING OX HE HAS MAJESTY, < AND HIS HORNS ARE THE HORNS OF A WILD OX…. SUCH ARE THE MYRIADS OF EPHRAIM, AND SUCH ARE THE THOUSANDS OF MANASSEH >. There is an aggadic tradition that Esau will only fall at the hands of Rachel's children. Why? Because it is stated (in Jer. 49:20): SURELY THE YOUNGEST OF YOUR FLOCK SHALL DRAG THEM AWAY. These < youngest > are the children of Rachel. (Gen. 32:6 [5], cont.:) AND < AN > ASS. This is the Messianic King, as stated (in Zech. 9:9): REJOICE GREATLY, O DAUGHTER OF ZION, SHOUT ALOUD, O DAUGHTER OF JERUSALEM; < behold your king comes > … HUMBLE AND RIDING UPON AN ASS. (Gen. 32:6 [5], cont.:) A FLOCK. This is Israel, as stated (in Ezek. 34:31): FOR YOU, MY FLOCK, THE FLOCK OF MY PASTURE, YOU ARE HUMANS. (Gen. 32:6 [5], cont.:) MALE AND FEMALE SLAVES. This < also > refers to Israel, about which it is stated (in Ps. 123:2): BEHOLD, AS THE EYES OF MALE SLAVES < LOOK TO THEIR MASTER'S HAND, AS THE EYES OF A FEMALE SLAVE TO THE EYES OF HER MISTRESS, SO DO OUR EYES LOOK TO THE LORD OUR GOD >….

(Deut. 25:18, cont.:) And he cut off (rt.: znb) all who were lagging behind you. He smote them with a blow to the tail (rt.: znb).⁵¹The word can also denote the penis. See PR 7:3; 12:10, 13; 13:1. And this agrees with what R. Hanina bar Shilqa, said, “What did the House of Amalek do to Israel?⁵²Below, section 14. They cut off their penes and flung them heavenward, as they said, ‘This is what You have chosen, take for Yourself what You have chosen.” As Israel did not know what the nature of spit was, until Amalek came and taught them, as stated (with reference to Ezek. 8:17), “here they were sending the spit in their faces.” From whom did he learn it? From his grandfather Esau, as stated (in Gen. 27:36), “And he said, ‘Is he not (hky) rightly named Jacob?’”⁵³Gen. R. 67:4. He rubbed (rt.: hkk) his throat and brought out the spit. (Deut. 25:18), “All who were lagging behind you.” R. Judah, R. Nehemiah, and the masters [differed]. R. Judah said, “They said, ‘If He is master over all of out deeds, we will serve Him; but if not, we will revolt against Him.’” R. Nehemiah said, “They said, ‘If He furnishes us with our food like a king who is living in the province, such that the province lacks nothing at all, we will serve Him; but if not, we will revolt against Him.’” And the masters said, “They said, “’If we have a thought in our hearts and He knows what we are thinking, we will serve Him; but if not, we will revolt against Him.’” R. Berekhyah said in the name of R. Levi, “In their heart they had a thought, and the Holy One, blessed be He, granted them their request.” And what is the evidence? (Ps. 78:18:) “They tested God in their heart by asking food for themselves.” See what [else] is written there (in vs. 29), “So they ate and were very full.” Another interpretation (of Deut. 25:18), “all who were lagging behind you”: R. Judah, R. Nehemiah and the masters [differ].⁵⁴PRK 3:12; PR 12:13, cont.; PRE 44; Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Exod. 17:8 and Deut. 25:18. R. Judah says, “Whoever was overcome was discarded.” R. Nehemiah says, “Whomever the cloud vomited up was discarded.” And the rabbis say, “It was the tribe of Dan that the cloud vomited up, [as] they all served idols, as stated⁵⁵The reference is to the idol which the Danites took from Micah. See Jud. 17–18. (Deut. 25:18, cont.), ‘when you were tired and weary, and did not fear God.’” [You were] tired from thirst and weary from the road, and you did not fear God.⁵⁶Above, Gen. 7:15; 8:5; 12:13; Tanh., Gen. 12:14; Deut. 6:10, cont.; PRK 3:13; PR 13:4; Gen. R. 73:7; cf. BB 123b. R. Pinhas said in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahman, “It is a transmitted aggada [that] Esau will fall at the hand of the children of Rachel (Joseph and Benjamin), as stated (in Jer. 49:20), ‘Surely the youngest of the flock shall drag them away.’ Why does it call them the youngest of the flock? Because they were the youngest of the tribes.” Hence, Moses said to Joshua (Exod. 17:9), “Choose men for us.” As he was [descended from] Joseph, about whom it is written (Gen. 42:18), “I fear God.” And about Esau, it is written (Deut. 25:18), “and did not fear God.” Youth is written with reference to the one and small is written with reference to the other (i.e., with reference to Esau). Youth is written with reference to the one (in Gen. 37:2), “since he (Joseph) was a youth with the children of Bilhah [and with the children of Zilpah].” And small is written with reference to the other (in Obad. 1:2), “I will surely make you (Edom) smallest among the nations.” The one (Esau) grew up with two who were righteous (i.e., with Isaac and Rebekah) and did not learn from their deeds, while the other grew up with two who were wicked (i.e., Potiphar and Pharaoh) and did not learn from their deeds. The one received the birthright as a result of his good deeds, while the other lost his birthright from his evil deeds. The one supported his brothers, while the other sought to kill his brother. The one fenced himself away from sexual immorality and from the spilling of blood, while the other sullied himself with sexual immorality and the spilling of blood. The one conceded to the revival of the dead, as stated (Gen. 50:24), “God will surely remember you”; while the other denied the revival of the dead, as stated (Gen. 25:32), “Behold, I am going to die.” The one offered his life for his mother’s honor, as stated (Gen. 33:7), “and after, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed”; while the other sought to kill his mother, as stated (Amos 1:11), “and he destroyed his uterus.”⁵⁷This is a homiletical translation of the verse, which would otherwise be translated as, AND HE REPRESSED HIS PITY. Therefore, the one (Esau) will fall by the hand of the other (Jospeh). And R. Johanan said, “All of the ministering angels sought to battle with the ministering angel of Esau, but he would not fall by their hand, as he would remove each and every one with a response: To Reuben, he says, ‘You were suspected about your father’s concubine.’ To Simeon and Levi, ‘You also killed [the inhabitants of] Shekhem.’ To the other tribes, ‘You sold your brother and sought to kill him.’ To Judah, ‘You were also suspected about your daughter-in-law, Tamar.’ To Benjamin he said, ‘You were suspected about the concubine in Giveah.’ When the ministering angel of [Joseph] came and battled with him, he immediately fell in front of him, as he had no response to answer him. This is what is written (Obad 1:18), “And the House of Jacob shall be fire, and the House of Joseph flame, and the House of Esau shall be straw.”