Midrash su Giosuè 11:78

Another interpretation (of Numb. 31:2:) “Exact vengeance for the Children of Israel.” This text is related (to Job 36:7), “He does not withdraw His eyes from a righteous person […].” What is the meaning of “He does not withdraw His eyes from a righteous person (literally, withdraw from a righteous person his eyes)?” The Holy One, blessed be He, does not keep back from a righteous person what he wants to see with his eyes.¹³Numb. R. 22:5. [The text] teaches that Moses longed to see vengeance on the Midianites before he died, and [so] he requested from the Holy One, blessed be He, about it, that he should [see it] with his eyes. Thus it is stated concerning him (in Ps. 58:11), “A righteous person will rejoice when he sees vengeance, he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked person.” (Ibid.:) “A righteous person will rejoice,” this refers to Moses; “when he sees vengeance,” i.e., vengeance on Midian; “he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked person,” i.e., of Balaam. Moses said to Phinehas and the warring men, “I know that Balaam the Wicked is there, as he went to collect his wage. Before the wolf comes to the flock, spread the trap for him. And if you see that that wicked man is doing magic, show him the diadem, upon which it is written (according to Exod. 28:36), ‘holy to the Lord.’ And [when] he shall [then] fall, kill him.” (Numb. 31:8:) “And upon their [other] corpses they killed the kings of Midian,” as they were doing magic with Balaam and flying in the air; so they showed them the diadem and they fell upon their corpses. The sages said “It is written about Joshua (in Josh 1:5), ‘as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’ So Joshua should have lived a hundred and twenty years like Moshe our teacher. And why were they shortened by ten years? Because at the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (in Numb. 31:2), ‘Exact vengeance for the Children of Israel…,’ even though the announcement of [his] death was [also] announced, he did not say, ‘Tomorrow I will die; what benefit is it to me to exact vengeance from Midian?’ Rather, he showed alacrity in the whole matter, as stated (in Numb. 31:6), ‘And Moses sent them.’ But Joshua did not do like this. When he came to war against thirty-one kings, he said, ‘If I kill them, I will die immediately, as happened to Moshe our teacher.’ What did he do? He began with one and stalled in the war [with the rest], as stated (in Josh. 11:18), ‘Joshua waged war with all those kings over a long period.’ [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘See that I will shorten your years by ten years.’ David said (about this in Prov. 19:21), ‘Many thoughts are in the heart of a man, [but it is the counsel of the Lord that will stand].’”

(Lev. 15:25:) “And when a woman has had a discharge of blood for many days.” But are there not seven days in a menstrual period? So why did it call them “many days?” Simply because she is separated from her husband and they are days of suffering, they are called “many days.” Similarly (in Exod. 2:23), “And it came to pass in the course of those many days [that the king of Egypt died].” It calls them “many days,” because they were days of suffering.³³Cf. Lev. R. 19:5. [Likewise] (I Kings 18:1) “And it came to pass in those many days that the word of the Lord came to Elijah in the third year.” And is it not that there were not [even] three years, but rather a month from the first, the whole second year and a month from the third? Simply because they were years of famine, they are called “many days.” Similarly (in Esther 1:4), “In his displaying the glory of his kingdom and the preciousness of the splendor of his greatness many days, one hundred and eighty days.” Simply because they were days of suffering, it calls them, “many days.” Similarly (in Joshua 11:18), “Joshua made war many days.” Similarly (in II Chronicles 16:3), “Israel has gone many days without the true God, without a priest to give instruction.” And [yet] it is written (Joshua 24:31), “Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all of the days of the elders who had length of days.” It is simply that since they [also] worshipped idolatry, they are called, “many days.” Here too, because she is separated from her husband and they are days of suffering, they are called “many days.”

R. Nachman said in the name of Rab: "What is the meaning of the passage (Prov. 18, 23) The poor speaketh entreatingly, but the rich answereth roughly. The poor speaketh, refers to Moses; and the rich, etc., refers to Joshua." What is the reason [for such an interpretation]? Shall I say because it is written (Josh. 6, 21) And he laid them out before the Lord? And R. Nachman explained this that he laid them down closely upon one another [and pleaded with Him], etc. Did not Pinchas do the same? As it is written (Ps. 106, 30) Then stood up Pinchas, etc. It ought to be written, va-yithpalel, which means, and he prayed, instead of va-ye phalel (debated). R. Elazar said: "Infer from this that he had debated with his Creator. He cast them before the Lord, saying: 'Sovereign of the Universe! were these so worthy that on account of them twenty-four thousand persons of Israel should fall? — as it is written (Num. 25, 9) And those that died in the plague were twenty and four thousand.'" And if you infer it from the passage (Josh. 7, 7) Wherefore hast Thou caused this people to pass over the Jordan?— did not Moses say similar to this (Ex. 5, 22) Wherefore hast thou let so much evil come upon this people? We must therefore say, because Joshua said (Jos. 7, 7) Would that we had been content, and dwelt on the other side of the Jordan. (Ib., ib. 10) And the Lord said unto Joshua: Get thee up. R. Shilla lectured: The Holy One, praised be He! said to him: "Thine [transgressions] is worse than theirs, for I have said (Deut. 27, 4) And it shall be as soon as ye are gone above the Jordan, that ye shall set up these stones, but ye went a distance of sixty miles before ye did this." After Shilla went away, Rab appointed an interpreter and lectured (Jos. 11. 15) As the Lord commanded Moses His servant, so did Moses command Joshua; and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Moses. But why is it written, Get thee up? It means that the Lord said to him: Thou thyself hast caused all the evils, [because thou didst declare as accursed the goods of Jericho]. And this is meant by the passage (Ib. 8, 2) Only its spoil and its cattle shall ye take for booty unto yourselves.

7) R. Shimon b. Gamliel says in the name of R. Shimon b. Lakish: And thus is it written (Joshua 11:15) ("And the name of Chevron of yore was the city of Arba [Abraham]), the great man among the Anakim, and the land had rest from war." Men who honored the tzaddik merited that their land rest (from war).

8) If "As the deed of the land of Egypt and as the deed of the land of Canaan, you shall not do," I might think they should not build or plant as they do; it is, therefore, written (Joshua 11:15) "and in their statutes you shall not walk." I have proscribed for you only those statutes which were instituted for them and for their forefathers and for the fathers of their forefathers. What did they do? A man would wed a man, and a woman, a woman. A man would wed a woman and her daughter, and a woman would wed two — wherefore Scripture states "and in their statutes you shall not walk."

(Fol. 96 b) R. Elazar went and expounded the Halacha in the college and did not say it in the name of R. Jochanan. Upon being informed, R. Jochanan became angry, whereupon R. Ami and R. Assi went to [appease] him. They said to him: "Did it not so happen in the Congregation of Tiberi when there was a dispute between R. Elazar and R. Jassi concerning a doorbolt which had on its top a [movable] fastening contrivance [which may occasionally be used as a pestle,] until they tore a scroll of the Torah in their anger. (How can you possibly think that they tore it? But say that it was torn through their anger.) R. Josi b. Kisma, who was then present, remarked: 'I wonder if that synagogue will become a house of idolatry! And so it did happen. [Hence anger is a very evil passion."] Whereupon R. Jochanan became still more angered and said: "They call me his associate!" He was again visited by R. Jacob b. Idi, who said to him: "It is written (Josh. 11, 15) As the Lord had commanded Moses, His servant, so did Moses command Joshua; and so did Joshua; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord had commanded Moses. How is it possible that Joshua should have said on every little thing: 'Thus said to me Moses?' We must therefore say that Joshua sat and lectured anonymously, yet everybody knew that his Torah was that of Moses. So also is it with R. Elazar thy disciple. Although he sits and lectures anonymously, yet everybody knows that the Torah is [that which he learned] from you." "Why don't you know how to appease in the way Ben Idi our comrade does?" remarked R. Jochanan. But why did R. Jochanan become angry at all? Because R. Juda said in the name of Rab: "What does the passage (Ps. 61, 5) Let me sojourn in thy tent in the worlds (i.e., both worlds) mean? How can a man live in both worlds? We must therefore say that David said thus before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the Universe, may it be Thy will (Fol. 97) that a traditional law should be taught in my name in this world'. And R. Jochanan said in the name of Simon b. Jochai, 'Every [deceased] scholar whose traditional law is repeated in his name in this world, [causes] his lips to move in the grave.' " R. Isaac b. Zeiri, and according to others R. Simon Nezira, said: "Where is the passage to prove this? (Songs 7, 10) And thy palate like the best wine, that glideth down smoothly for my beloved, moving gently the lips of those that are asleep. This means like the mass of heated grapes; just as the mass of heated grapes begins to drip as soon as one puts his finger on it, so also is a scholar. When they [his disciples] repeat a traditional law in his name in this world, his lips begin to move in his grave."

Variantly: When the spies (of Israel) entered the land, whoever said "These are Israeli spies" was struck still as a stone. Variantly: When Israel crossed the Jordan, all the kings of Canaan gathered together and came to fight against Israel, viz. (Joshua 11:1-5) "And it was when Yavin king of Chatzor heard … and to the kings who were in the north … They went out with all their camps … All of these kings gathered together" at that time. Joshua prayed and all of them were struck still as stone....

Our masters said “It is written about Joshua (in Josh. 1:5), ‘as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’ So Joshua should have lived a hundred and twenty years like Moshe our teacher. And why were they shortened by ten years? Because at the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (in Numb. 31:2), ‘Exact vengeance for the Children of Israel […],’ even though the announcement of [his] death was [also] announced, he did not delay the thing. Rather, he showed alacrity, [as stated] (in Numb. 31:6), ‘And Moses sent them.’ But Joshua did not do like this. When he came to war against thirty-one kings, he said, ‘If I kill them, I will die immediately, as happened to Moshe our teacher.’ What did he do? He began to stall in the war with them, as stated (in Josh. 11:18), ‘Joshua waged war with all those kings over a long period.’ [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘This is what you did? See that I will shorten your years by ten years.’ Solomon said (about this in Prov. 19:21), ‘Many thoughts are in the heart of a man, [but it is the counsel of the Lord that will stand].’”

43) "for the anointing oil of the L–rd is upon you": What is the intent of this? I might think that only Aaron and his sons who were exalted with the oil of anointment, if they went out while officiating, would be liable to death — it is, therefore, written "for the anointing oil of the L–rd is upon you" (upon all high-priests, even if not anointed). "and they did according to the word of Moses": They fulfilled in themselves the mitzvah of Moses their teacher. And thus does Scripture praise Israel in the section of the sending (out of the camp) those who had become tamei, viz. (Bamidbar 5:4): "And the children of Israel did so, and they sent them outside the camp." And thus does Scripture praise Joshua, viz. (Joshua 11:15): "As the L–rd had commanded Moses, so had Moses commanded Joshua, and so did Joshua do."