Midrash su Giudici 13:18

It is written (in Ps. 50:14): SACRIFICE A THANK OFFERING TO GOD. When Jacob left his father's house, he left with nothing but his staff, as stated (in Gen. 32:11 [10]): WITH ONLY MY STAFF I CROSSED THIS JORDAN. Immediately Jacob had made a vow before the Holy One, as stated (in Gen. 28:20): THEN JACOB VOWED A VOW. What is written at the end of the passage (in vs. 22)? AND OF ALL THAT YOU GIVE ME. But, when he enriched him, as stated (in Gen. 30:43): SO THE MAN (Jacob) BECAME VERY VERY PROSPEROUS, he forgot his vow. Immediately he provoked Laban against him, as stated (in Gen. 31:23): SO HE (Laban) TOOK HIS RELATIVES WITH HIM < AND PURSUED HIM (Jacob) SEVEN DAYS' JOURNEY >. When he had escaped from Laban, Esau was incited against him. Immediately the angel appeared to him. He said to him: Are you not aware of all this trouble? Why has all the trouble come over you? Because you have been late with your vow. Jacob said to him (in Gen. 32:30 [29]) {WHAT IS} [PLEASE TELL] YOUR NAME. He said to him (ibid.): WHY IS IT THAT YOU ARE ASKING FOR MY NAME? Sometimes the angel is made into a spirit, as stated (in Ps. 104:4): HE HAS MADE HIS ANGELS SPIRITS. Sometimes he is made a into lightning bolt, as stated (in Job 38:35): CAN YOU SEND FORTH LIGHTNINGS SO THAT THEY GO? But as for the miracles (of transformation), he (God) acts himself. And so the angel said to Manoah (in Jud. 13:18): YOU ARE NOT TO ASK MY NAME. (Gen. 32:30 [29]:) WHY IS IT THAT YOU ARE ASKING FOR MY NAME?⁷⁴Yalqut Shim‘oni, Jud., 69, explains that names are useless because the angel would not know into what form God might change him. Immediately the angel blessed him, as stated (in Gen. 32:30 [29]): AND HE BLESSED HIM THERE. (Hos. 12:5 [4]:) SO HE STROVE WITH AN ANGEL AND PREVAILED. What did he say to him? Go, fulfill your vow. (Eccl. 5:4 [5]:) IT IS BETTER NOT TO VOW < THAN TO VOW AND NOT FULFILL >. What did Simeon and Levi do immediately? TWO OF JACOB'S SONS, [SIMEON AND LEVI, BROTHERS OF DINAH, EACH TOOK HIS SWORD] … < AND KILLED EVERY MALE >. < Jacob > immediately fell on his face and did not get up until < the Holy One > gave him permission (in Gen. 35:1): ARISE, GO UP TO BETHEL. So also with Joshua (according to Josh. 7:6 & 10): [AND HE FELL ON HIS FACE] < .. . > THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO JOSHUA: ARISE, GO. WHY IS IT THAT YOU FALL UPON YOUR FACE? So also with David (according to I Chron. 21:16): SO DAVID AND THE ELDERS, COVERED IN SACKCLOTH, FELL UPON THEIR FACES. Then what was said to him (in II Sam. 24:18)? GO UP, ERECT AN ALTAR TO THE LORD ON THE THRESHING FLOOR OF ARAUNAH. It is therefore stated (in Gen. 35:1): ARISE, GO UP TO BETHEL. He immediately journeyed with his whole house; and the Holy One put his fear upon all about him, as stated (in Gen. 35:5): AND, AS THEY JOURNEYED, A TERROR FROM GOD CAME < UPON THE CITIES THAT WERE ROUND ABOUT THEM >. It is also stated (in Deut. 28:10): AND ALL THE PEOPLES OF THE EARTH SHALL SEE THAT THE NAME OF THE LORD IS PROCLAIMED OVER YOU, AND THEY SHALL BE AFRAID OF YOU.

One verse states (Ibid. 3) "Is there any number to His angelic hosts?" and another (Daniel 7:10) "A thousand thousands were serving Him, and myriad myriads were standing before Him." How are these two verses to be reconciled? Before they were exiled from their land — "Is there any number to His angelic hosts?" After they were exiled from their land — "A thousand thousands were serving Him." As it were, the celestial retinue was diminished. Rebbi says in the name of Abba b. Yossi: One verse states: "Is there any number to His angelic hosts?" and another, "A thousand thousands were serving Him." How are these two verses to be reconciled? "A thousand thousands were serving Him" — this is one host. And how many hosts are there? — "Is there any number to His angelic hosts?" One verse states (Psalms 147:4) "He counts the number of the stars, (which implies that He calls each by name), and another (Isaiah 40:26) "Raise your eyes on high and see who created these. He brings forth their legions by number; he calls to all of them by name," (which implies that He calls all of them as one). (How is this to be understood?) When the Holy One Blessed be He calls, all answer, something impossible for flesh and blood, to call two names at the same time. Similarly, (Shemot 20:1) "And G-d spoke all of these things (in one utterance) saying, etc.", and (Psalms 62:12) "One thing has G-d spoken; these two have I heard," and (Jeremiah 23:29) "Is My word not like fire, says the L-rd, and like a hammer shattering rock?" Rebbi says in the name of Abba Yossi b. Dostai: One verse states "He brings forth their legions by number, etc.", and another "He counts the number of the stars." How are these two verses to be reconciled? We are hereby taught there is no changing of the (essential) name there. The name that it is called by now is not the name that it will be called by later, (but its "name" is simply a function of its embassy.) And thus is it written (Judges 12:18) "And the angel of the L-rd said to him: Why do you ask my name? It is hidden." I do not know what "name" I will be converted to (in the future). One verse states (II Samuel 24:24) "And David bought the threshing floor and the cattle for fifty silver shekels," and another (I Chronicles 21:25) "And David gave Arnon for the place gold shekels weighing six hundred." How are these two verses to be reconciled? For the place of the threshing floor, six hundred; for the place of the altar, fifty. Rebbi says, in the name of Abba Yossi b. Dostai: One verse states "And David bought the threshing floor, etc." and another verse states "And David gave Arnon for the place gold shekels weighing six hundred." How are these two verses to be reconciled? There were twelve tribes, and he took from each fifty shekels, six hundred shekels in all. R. Elazar says "And David bought the threshing floor," as explained elsewhere. Where? "And David gave Arnon for the place, etc." But the cattle for the burnt-offering and the threshing sledges and the cattle gear for the wood for fifty shekalim. One verse states (I Kings 5:6) "And Solomon had forty thousand stables of horses for his chariots," and another, (II Chronicles 9:28) "four thousand stables of horses." How are these two verses to be reconciled? Four thousand stables for forty thousand (horses). One verse states (Ibid. 4:5) "Its capacity was three thousand bath measures," and another (I Kings 7:26) "Its capacity was two thousand bath measures." How are these two verses to be reconciled? Two thousand in wet measure, which are three thousand in dry measure — whence the sages ruled: Forty sa'ah in wet measure is equal to two kor in dry measure.