Midrash su Ecclesiaste 3:78

Resh Lakish said: "What is meant by the passage (Is. 33, 6.) And the stability of thy times and the strength of thy happiness shall be wisdom and knowledge; the fear of the Lord is his treasure, i.e., The stability, alludes to the Order of Zerain. Of thy time, refers to the Order of Moed; The strength, refers to the Order of Nashim; Of thy happiness, alludes to the Order of Nezikin; Shall be wisdom, refers to the Order of Kadshim; And knowledge, alludes to the Order of Taharoth. And after all these, The fear of the Lord [shall be] his treasure." Rabba said: "When a man is brought to Judgment [after he dies] he is asked: 'Hast thou dealt honestly? Hast thou had regular time for the study of the Torah? Hast thou married? Hast thou waited for salvation (Messiah)? Hast thou been a searcher after wisdom? Hast thou [cultivated thy mind to] conclude (to bring out one thing from another)?' And after all these if The fear of the Lord is his treasure, it (His Torah) counts; if not, it does not count. It is likened to the man who said to his messenger: 'Bring up to the upper floor a Kur of wheat.' The messenger went and when he had brought it up the man asked of him: 'Hast thou mixed a Kab of the Sand of Chumta in it?' 'No,' answered the messenger. Whereupon the master said: 'It were better if thou hadst not brought it up altogether.' " It was taught in the academy of R. Ishmael that a man has the right to mix a Kab Chumtin in every Kur of crop and he need not worry [in fear of doing wrong, for the sand preserves the crop]. Rabba b. R. Huna said: "Whoever possesses knowledge of the Torah without having (Ib. b) fear of the Lord is likened unto a treasurer who has been entrusted with the inner keys [of the treasury] but from whom the outer keys were withheld." R. Janai announced: "Oh, for him who has no courtyard but makes a gateway for his court!" R. Juda said: "The world would not have been created by the Holy One, praised be He! if not for the purpose that people should fear Him, for it is said (Ecc. 3, 14.) And God hath so made it that man should be afraid of Him." R. Simon and R. Elazar were sitting; they noticed that R. Jacob b. Acha was walking and passing by them. "Let us stand up before a man who fears sins." said one, to which the other replied: "Let us get up before a man who is a great scholar." Whereupon the former remarked to the latter: "I tell thee to get up before a man who fears sins and thou sayest to me to get up before a man who is a great scholar." It may be deduced [from the following] that the one who said "For a man who fears sins," was R. Elazar, for R. Jochanan in the name of R. Elazar said: "The Holy One, praised be He! has nothing [better] in His world but fear of Heaven, as it is written (Deu. 10, 12.) And now, Israel, what doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God. It is also written (Job 21, 28.) And he said unto the man. Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom. And in Greek Hen means one. The deduction is correct.

"When a person incurs guilt accidentally by [transgressing one among] all of the commandments of YHVH": This is that of which the Bible says: "And indeed I have witnessed under the sun the place of judgment..." (Ecclesiastes 3:16). Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Joshua [in conversation]...

(Exod. 18:1:) NOW JETHRO PRIEST OF MIDIAN, <…>, HEARD. He was a priest for idolatry.¹⁷Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Amaleq, 3. (Exod. 18:9:) AND JETHRO REJOICED (rt.: YHD), in that he professed (YHD) the name of the Holy One. Another interpretation (of Exod. 18:9:) AND JETHRO REJOICED (rt.: YHD). <It was> that he became a Jew (rt.: YHD). (Vs. 10:) SO JETHRO SAID: BLESSED BE THE LORD. Jethro said: I did not leave a deity alone without serving him, but I have found no deity like the God of Israel. (Vs. 11:) NOW I KNOW THE LORD IS GREATER THAN ALL GODS. Four children of Adam said four things. If someone else had said them, they would have laughed at them.¹⁸Eccl. R. 3:11:1. And who were they? Moses, Jethro, Solomon, and Nebuchadnezzar. Moses said (in Deut 32:4): THE ROCK!—HIS WORK IS PERFECT, [BECAUSE ALL HIS WAYS ARE JUSTICE]. [If someone else had said it, they would have laughed at him, saying: From where does this one know the ways of the Holy One? However,] because it is written (in Ps. 103:7): HE MADE HIS WAYS KNOWN TO MOSES, it is therefore stated (in Deut. 32:4): THE ROCK!—HIS WORK IS PERFECT, BECAUSE ALL HIS WAYS ARE JUSTICE. Then Solomon said (in Eccl. 3:11): HE HAS MADE EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME. If someone else had said it, they would have laughed at him, saying: Who has made known to this one what is beautiful and what is not beautiful? But, <in the case of> Solomon, whose table lacked nothing, he knew what was beautiful. R. Jose bar Hanina said: Solomon's table did not even lack bitter herbs¹⁹Tanh., Exod. 5:7, and Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34 read “ice” here. of Tammuz nor melopepones {i.e., radish and lettuce}²⁰The Greek word means “melons.” of Tishri. Nebuchadnezzar said (in Dan. 4:32 [35]): ALL THE INHABITANTS OF THE EARTH ARE OF NO ACCOUNT. If another had said it, they would have laughed at him: Over what does this man rule? He does not even rule over a gnat. But in the case of Nebuchadnezzar it was fitting for him to say so, since it is stated concerning him (in Dan. 2:38): AND [INTO YOUR HAND HE HAS GIVEN] THE CHILDREN OF ADAM, [THE WILD BEASTS OF THE FIELD, AND THE FOWL OF HEAVEN,] WHEREVER THEY MAY DWELL; [AND HE HAS HAD YOU RULE OVER ALL OF THEM]. Jethro said (in Exod. 18:11): NOW I KNOW THE LORD IS GREATER THAN ALL GODS, because among all his gods he did not see one as great as the Lord. (Ibid., cont.:) YES, BY THE THING WHICH <THE EGYPTIANS> PLOTTED AGAINST THEM.²¹PRK 11:5. R. Eleazar said: By that with which the Egyptians intended to destroy Israel, <i.e.,> by water, by that they were destroyed. So they were drowned in the midst of the sea.

(Lev. 4:1–2:) “And the Lord spoke unto Moses, saying, … ‘When a soul sins [by mistake]….’” Let our master instruct us: Is it right for one to enter the Temple Mount with his staff or his money girdle?²³Lat.: funda (“moneybag”). Thus have our masters taught (in Ber. 9:5): One may not enter the Temple Mount with his staff, his money girdle, or with dust on his feet,²⁴Eccl. R. 4:17:1; cf. Mark 11:16; Josephus, Contra Apionem, 8:106; see Ber. 62a. lest he treat it with disrespect – even in its destruction. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Lev. 26:2), “You shall keep My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary.” And what was the reason for comparing keeping the Sabbath with the sanctuary? Thus did R. Hiyya the Great teach: Just as keeping the Sabbath is forever so is reverence for the sanctuary forever. Now Solomon cried out (in Eccl. 3:16), “To the place of justice, thither [came] wickedness.” Solomon was observing how the wicked subverted justice in the sanctuary. Solomon said, “The place where the Sanhedrin²⁵Gk.: Synedrion. sat to judge criminal law, civil law, decisions on scourgings, and decisions on clean and unclean, there they defiled it.”²⁶Cf. Lev. R. 4:1; Eccl. R. 3:16:1. See what is written (in Jer. 39:3), “Then all the officers of the king of Babylon came and sat in the middle gate: Negral-sarezer, Samgar-nebo, Sarsechim the Rab-saris ….” (Lam. 5:18:) “Because of Mount Zion, which lies desolate, the jackals walk over it.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You name those entering, but you do not name those leaving, (in Eccl. 3:16) ‘to the place of justice, thither [came] wickedness.’” (Lam. 2:20:) “Should priest and prophet be slain in the sanctuary of the Lord?” Here is the blood of Zechariah shed on the stones, as stated (in Ezek. 24:7), “For her blood was in her midst; she set it upon bare rock.” Another interpretation (of Eccl. 3:16), “to the place of justice, thither [came] wickedness”: This is the central gate in which the great Sanhedrin sat. “Thither [came] wickedness,” (in Lam. 2:9) “Her gates have sunk into the ground.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Eccl. 3:16), “To the place of justice, thither [came] wickedness (rsh').” There was one place for the Righteous One of the world, the holy Temple, which was set apart for the Divine Presence. Then Manasseh wronged (rt.: rsh') it, and brought an image into its midst .Another interpretation (of Eccl. 3:16), “to the place of justice.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I created the soul, and it is delivered into My hand, as stated (in Job 12:10), ‘In Whose hand is every living soul.’ And justice also is delivered into My hand, as stated (in Deut. 32:41), “My hand lays hold on justice.’ But I only delivered the soul next to judgment [in My hand] so that it might see what is fitting for it and not sin; yet it does sin. (Eccl. 3:16:) “Thither [came] wickedness”; “When a soul sins,” for the soul is placed next to judgment (Lev. 4:2:) . That which Scripture stated (Prov. 19:2), “Also, a soul without knowledge is not good; and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner,” [is to say that] when someone sins, even by mistake, it is not a good sign²⁷Gk.: semeion. for him.²⁸Lev. R. 4:3; Eccl. R. 12:14:1. How so? There were two stores before him, one belonging to a stranger and one belonging to Israel. If he entered the one belonging to the stranger without knowing, it is not good. If he entered deliberately, he is called a sinner, as stated (in Prov. 19:2), “and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner.” Rav Isaac bar Samuel bar Martha said, “There were two ways before him, one long and one short. The short one was full of pebbles, but the long one did not have a pebble in it. He left the long one and went by the short one on the Sabbath. Concerning him it was stated (in Prov. 19:2), ‘and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner.’” Our masters have taught (in Avot. 4:2): One good deed/commandment (mitzvah) leads to another, and one transgression leads to another. A person should not worry about a sin which he commits by mistake, but rather that an opening has been made for him to sin [again], even deliberately. Moreover, one should not rejoice over a good deed which comes to him (for fulfillment), but rather that many good deeds are going to come to him [as a result].²⁹Cf. Avot. 4:2: THE RECOMPENSE FOR A GOOD DEED IS A GOOD DEED. Therefore, if one has sinned by mistake, this is not a good sign, as stated, “Also, a soul without knowledge is not good.” How much the more so if he sins deliberately! About him it has been stated, “and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner.” So also (in Prov. 6:16-19), “Six things the Lord hates…: Haughty eyes, …. A heart plotting thoughts of deceit, feet quick to run to evil, […]” This refers to Ahab ben Kolaiah and Zedekiah ben Maaseiah (the false prophets of Jer. 29:21-23), who sinned in Jerusalem.³⁰Sanh. 93a; PRK 24:15. And that was not enough for them, but after they had gone into exile in Babylon, they added to their sin. And what had they done in Jerusalem? They were false prophets. Moreover, they did not forsake their trade in Babylon. Now they would pimp for each other. Ahab would go to visit [one of] the great ones in the kingdom and would say to him, “I am so-and-so, a prophet. The Holy One, blessed be He, has sent me to say something to your wife.” [So his interlocutor] would say to him, “Here she is before you. Go on in.” When he was alone with her, he would say to her, “The Holy One, blessed be He, wants to raise up prophets from you. Simply go, have intercourse with Zedekiah, and give birth to prophets from him.” So he would come and have intercourse with her. Then Zedekiah would similarly pimp for Ahab. And this was their trade for several years. Come and see how wicked they were: They gave themselves a reputation in Babylon for being great prophets. When some woman became pregnant and saw one of them, she would say to him, “If you are a prophet, what is in my womb? A male or a female?” He would say, “A male.” Then he would go to her neighbors and say, “So-and-so will bear a female.” If she bore a male, she would say, “So-and-so, the prophet, told me.” If it was a female, the neighbors would say, “Thus did so-and-so, the prophet, tell us; but he did not want to worry you.” Now they acted in this way until they came to Shemirah, the wife of Nebuchadnezzar. Zedekiah said to her, “The Holy One, blessed be He, has sent me to you. Simply go, have intercourse with Ahab, and give birth to prophets from him.” She said to him, “I may not do [this] without the agreement of my husband. Rather, let him come and let him inform us that he wants this thing.” She went to her husband and told [the matter] to Nebuchadnezzar. [So] he called for them and they both came. And he said to them, “Is this what you said to my wife?” They said, “Yes, as the Holy One, blessed be He, wants to raise prophets from her.” He said to them, “But have I not heard about your God that He hates licentiousness; and that as a result of that which Zimri breached sexual mores, twenty-four thousand [men] fell? And you tell me this? Perhaps He recanted? I don’t know if you are false prophets or true prophets, but I have already tested Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah and I burned the fiery finance for them for seven days and threw them inside, and they came out alive and well. But for you, I will only burn it for one day and throw you inside. If you are saved from the furnace, I will know that you are certainly true prophets and we will do whatever you say, according to your testimony.” They said to him, “Hannaniah, Mishael and Azariah were three and we are two; and the miracle is [only] done for three.” He said to them, “Is there a third [person] like you?” They said, Yehosuha the High Priest,” thinking in their hearts that they would be saved by his merit. They brought Yehoshua the High Priest and threw him into the furnace with them. The two of them were burnt [to death], and Yehoshua the High Priest was saved, as stated (Zech. 3:2), “Is this not a brand pulled out of the fire?” (Jer. 29:22:) “And from Ahav and Zedekiah, a curse was taken for all of the exile of Judah in Babylon, saying, ‘May God make you like Zedekiah and Ahab, whom the king of Babylon consigned to the flames!‘“3 Who caused these wicked ones to be burned? It was because they ran with their feet towards abominations and sins. It is therefore stated (in Prov. 19:2), “and one who hastens with the feet is a sinner.” Nevertheless (ibid.,) “Also, a soul without knowledge is not good.” Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “Say unto Israel (in Lev. 4:2), ‘When a soul sins by mistake’” – the soul sins. The verse (Eccl. 3:16) says, “[….] to the place of justice (tsedeq), thither [came] wickedness.” The place is [the source of] the soul, which has been given out of righteousness (tsedeq), [i.e.] out of a place where there is no iniquity or sin.³¹Exod. R. 4:1. [When] it does sins, the verse (Lev. 4:2) cries out in surprise, “When a soul sins by mistake?” (Eccl. 3:16:) “To the place of justice (tsedeq), thither [came] wickedness.” To what is the matter comparable? To two people who sinned against the king. One was a country bumpkin, and one a person from the palace.³²Lat.: palatium; Gk.: palation. [When] he saw that both of them had committed a single offense, he released the country bumpkin but rendered a [guilty] verdict³³Gk.: apophasis. against the person from the palace. His palace people said to him, “Both of them committed a single offense; [yet] you released the country bumpkin [and] gave a verdict against the person from the palace.” He said to them, “I released the country bumpkin because he did not know the laws³⁴Gk. nomos. of the kingdom, but the person from the palace is with me every day and knows what the laws of the kingdom are, and what verdict will be pronounced against one who sins towards me?” So also the body is a country bumpkin, (according to Gen. 2:7) “Then the Lord God formed the human out of dust from the ground.” But the soul is a palace person from above, (according to ibid., cont.) “and blew into his nostrils the breath of life.” Yet both of them sinned. Why? Because it impossible for the body to exist without the soul.³⁵Cf. Lev. R. 4:5. Thus, if there is no soul, there is no body, and if there is no body, there is no soul. So both of them sinned, as stated (in Ezek. 18:20), “the soul that sins shall die.” Therefore the verse (Lev. 4:2) wonders, “When a soul sins by mistake against any of the Lord's commandments?” What is the significance of “by mistake (rt.: shgg) [against any of the Lord's commandments]?” [It is] to teach you that when anyone sins by mistake, [it is as if] one transgresses [intentionally] against the Lord's commandments. And so it says (in Numb. 15:22), “And when you sin unintentionally (rt.: shgg) and do not fulfill all these commandments….”³⁶The next verses explain how atonement is made. So also David has said (in Ps. 19:13–14), “Who can discern mistakes? Cleanse me from hidden faults. Also restrain Your servant from willful sins…, and I shall be clean of great transgression,” [i.e.] from the great sin which I have committed. But if you do so act (according to Ps. 19:15), “Let the words of my mouth be acceptable.” From here you learn that everyone who sins, even by mistake, is called a sinner. Our masters have said, “A mistake in study is accounted as willful sin.” It is therefore written (in Lev. 4:2), “When a soul sins,” because it is from [man’s soul, which is from] above; and it is not written, "[when] a person (Adam)." In the world to come the Holy One, blessed be He, will bring in the soul and say to it, “Why have you transgressed against the commandments?” Then it will say, “The body transgressed against the commandments. From the day that I left it, have I ever sinned?” [Then] He will go back and say to the body, “For what reason did you transgress the commandments?” It will say to Him, “The soul sinned. Since the soul left me, have I ever sinned?” What will the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He will bring them both in and judge them as one. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had an orchard in which were ripened grapes, figs and pomegranates.³⁷Sanh. 91ab; Lev. R. 4:5; Mekhilta deRabbi Simeon b. Johay, edited by J.N. Epstein and E.Z. Melamed (Jerusalem: Mekize Nirdamim, 1955), pp. 76–77 (on Exod. 15:1); Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Shirata 2; The Apocryphon of Ezekiel, cited in Epiphanius, Panarion (Haereses), 64:70 (Origen), K. Holl edition in GCS31(1922), pp. 236–243 (not in the Migne edition), translated by J.R. Mueller and S.E. Robinson in The Old Testament Pseudepigrapha, vol. I, edited by J.H. Charlesworth (Garden City, NY: Doubleday, 1983), p. 492; see Tertullian, De resurrectione carnis, 15–17. The king said (to himself), “If I post someone there who can see and walk, he will eat the ripening fruit for himself. He [therefore] posted two guards, one lame and one blind. They stayed and watched the orchard. They smelled the ripened fruit. The lame one said to the blind one, “I see lovely ripened fruit in the orchard. Come and give me a ride, so we can get them and eat them.” The lame one rode upon the back of the blind one, so that he got them, and they ate them. One day the king came. He sought the ripened fruit, but he did not find any. He said to the blind one, “Did you eat them?” He [answered], “Do I have any eyes?” He said to the lame one. “Have you eaten them?” He said, “Do I have any feet?” He [therefore] mounted the lame person on the blind person's back and judged them as one. So the Holy One, blessed be He, will take a soul and toss it into a body, as stated (in Ps. 50:4), “He summoned the heavens above,” i.e., the soul; “and the earth to judge His people,” i.e., the body.” David foresaw how the Holy One, blessed be He, would judge His creatures. [So] he began to seek mercy for his soul. He said, “Master of the world, when you judge Your creatures, do not judge me like them. [(Ps. 143:2), ‘And do not enter into judgment with Your servant, for no one living shall be justified before You.’ Rather act charitably with me, as stated (in Ps. 17:15), ‘As for me, I will behold Your face in charity.’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In this world because the evil drive rules in you, you have sinned; but in the world to come I will root it out from you, as stated (in Ezek. 36:26), ‘I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.’”

Solomon said: He hath made everything beautiful in its time (Eccles. 3:11). If any other man had made this statement, they would have laughed at him, saying: “Who told him what is beautiful in its time and what is not beautiful?” Solomon, however, could properly make such a remark since nothing was lacking from his table.

(Lev. 19:23:) “When you come into the land and plant.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, Even though you find it (i.e., the land) full of all bounty, you shall not say, ‘Let us settle down and not plant.’ Rather, be careful in planting, as stated (ibid., cont.), ‘and plant any tree for food.’ Just as you came in and found plantings which others had planted, so you shall plant for your children, lest someone say, ‘Since I am old and tomorrow I shall die, why should I toil for others.’” Solomon said (in Eccl. 3:11), “He has made everything beautiful in its time; He also has put eternity into their heart.” “Hidden ('lm)” is what is written (without the w of the normal spelling, i.e., 'wlm, eternity). Why? If the Holy One, blessed be He, had not hidden (rt.: 'lm) the day of [one's] death from people, a person would neither build nor plant; for he would have said, “Tomorrow I shall die. Why should I persist in toiling for the sake of others?” The Holy One, blessed be He, therefore, hid death from (rt.: 'lm) human hearts, so that one would build and plant. [If] he is worthy, [it will be] for himself; [if] unworthy, [it will be] for others. There is a story about the emperor Hadrian; that he was going to war and traveling with his troops to fight with a certain country for having rebelled against him.²²Cf. Lev. R. 25:5; Eccl. R. 2:20:1. Now he found a certain old man who was planting fig saplings. Hadrian said to him, “You are an old man. [Why are you] persisting in taking the trouble to toil for others?” He said to Hadrian, “My lord king, here I am planting. If I am worthy, I shall eat of the fruit of my saplings; but if not, my children will eat.” [Hadrian] spent three years at war, and after three years he returned. What did that old man do? He took a fruit basket, filled it with the firstfruits of beautiful figs, and drew near to Hadrian. He said to him, “My lord king, take these figs, for I am the same old man whom you found when you were on your way [to the war] when you said, ‘You are an old man; why are you taking the trouble to toil for others?’ See, the Holy One, blessed be He, has already found me worthy to eat some fruit from my saplings. Now this [fruit] in my fruit basket is your portion from those [saplings].” Hadrian said to his servants, “Take it from him and fill it with gold coins.” And so they did. The old man took the fruit basket full of gold coins and began to go about his house, boasting to his wife and children. So he told them the story. Now a woman neighbor of his was there. She heard what the old man had said. She said to her husband, “When all the people go [through life], the Holy One, blessed be He, gives to them and prepares bounty for them. But you dwell in your dark house in the gloom. See, our [neighbor] honored the emperor with a fruit basket of figs; and he filled it with gold coins for him. Now you get up, take a large basket, and fill it with varieties of choice fruit, with apples, figs, and the other varieties of beautiful fruit, since he loves them a lot. Go and honor him with them. Perhaps he will fill it with gold for you, as he did for our old neighbor.” He went and heeded his wife. So he took a large basket, filled it with apples and figs, and loaded it on his shoulder. Then he approached the emperor on a side road²³Lat.: compendairia. and said to him, “My lord king, I heard that you love fruit, I have come to honor you with figs and apples.” The emperor said to his officers,²⁴Gk.: stratiotai (“soldiers”). “Take the basket and hit²⁵Rt.: TPH. This root is similar to the root for “apples,” and both are transliterated identically. The only difference is that the root for “apples” is spelled with a tav, while the root for “hit” is spelled with a tet. him on his face.” And so they did. They hit him on his face until his face swelled up; stripped him naked; smashed his eyes; and made an example²⁶Gk.: deigma. of him. So he went home, as one of whom an example had been made, and crying. Now she (i.e., his wife) thought that he was coming with a basket full of gold coins. So when she saw him with his face swollen and with his body shattered and beaten, she said to him, “What is the matter with you?” He said to her, “When I heeded you and went to honor him with this gift,²⁷Gk.: doron. they hit me on my face. If I had listened to you and put varieties of hard fruit in the basket, they would already have pelted my face and my whole body with them.” And why all this? In order to teach you that evil women destroy their husbands with evil [counsel]. Therefore one should not cease from planting. Rather, just as he found, one should still continue to plant even though he is old. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “Learn from Me. Do I need [fruits], as it were?” [And yet] it states (Gen. 2:8), “And the Lord God planted a garden in Eden, in the east.”

(Lev. 19:23:) WHEN YOU COME INTO THE LAND AND PLANT. The Holy One said to Israel: Even though you find it (i.e., the land) full of all bounty, you shall not say: Let us settle down and not plant.²⁸Tanh., Lev. 7:8. Rather, be careful in planting, as stated (ibid., cont.): AND PLANT ANY TREE FOR FOOD. Just as you came in and found plantings which others had planted, so you shall plant for your children, lest someone say: Since I am old and tomorrow I shall die, why should I toil for others. Solomon said (in Eccl. 3:11): HE HAS MADE EVERYTHING BEAUTIFUL IN ITS TIME. HE ALSO HAS PUT ETERNITY INTO THEIR HEART. ETERNITY ('LM) is what is written (without the W of the normal spelling, i.e., 'WLM.) Why? If the Holy One had not hidden (rt.: 'LM) the day of < one's > death from the children of Adam, a person would neither build nor plant; for he would have said: Tomorrow I shall die. Why should I persist in toiling for the sake of others? The Holy One, therefore, shut off (rt.: 'LM) human hearts from death, so that one would build and plant. < If > he is worthy, [it will be] for himself; < if > unworthy, < it will be > for others. There is a story about the emperor Hadrian, that he was going to war and traveling with his troops to fight with a certain country for having rebelled against him.²⁹Cf. Lev. R. 25:5; Eccl. R. 2:20:1. Now he found a certain old man who was planting fig saplings. Hadrian said to him: You are an old man. < Why are you > persisting in taking the trouble to toil for others? He said to Hadrian: My Lord Emperor, here I am planting. If I am worthy, I shall eat of the fruit of my saplings; but if not, my children will eat. < The emperor > spent three years at war, and after three years he returned. What did that old man do? He took a fruit basket, filled it with the firstfruits of beautiful figs, and drew near to Hadrian. He said to him: My Lord Emperor: Take these figs, for I am the same old man whom you found when you were on your way < to the war >, when you said: You are an old man. Why are you taking the trouble to toil for others? See, the Holy One has already found me worthy to eat some fruit from my saplings. Now this < fruit > in my fruit basket is from those < saplings >. Hadrian said to his servants: Take it from him and fill it with gold coins. And so they did. The old man took the fruit basket full of gold coins and began to go about his house boasting to his wife and children. So he told them the story. Now a woman neighbor of his was there. She heard what the old man had said. She said to her husband: When all the children of Adam go < through life >, the Holy One gives to them and prepares bounty for them. But you dwell in your dark house in dark misfortune. See, our [neighbor] honored the emperor with a fruit basket of figs; and he filled it with gold coins for him. Now you get up, take a large basket, and fill it with varieties of choice fruit, with apples, figs, and the other varieties of beautiful fruit, since he loves them a lot. Go and honor him with them. Perhaps he will fill it with gold for you, as he did for our old neighbor. He went and heeded his wife. So he took a large basket, filled it with apples and figs, and loaded it on his shoulder. Then he approached the emperor on a side road³⁰Lat.: compendairia. and said to him: My Lord Emperor, I heard that you love fruit, I have come to honor you with figs and apples. The Emperor said to his officers:³¹Gk.: stratiotai (“soldiers”). Take the basket and hit³²rt.: TPH. This root is similar to the root for “apples,” and both are transliterated identically. The only difference is that the root for “apples” is spelled with a tav, while the root for “hit” is spelled with a tet. him on his face. And so they did. They hit him on his face, until his face swelled up; smashed his eyes; and made an example³³Gk.: deigma. of him. So he went home as one of whom an example had been made and crying. Now she (i.e., his wife) thought that he was coming with a basket full of gold coins. So when she saw him with his face swollen and with his body shattered and beaten, she said to him: What is the matter with you? He said to her: When I heeded you and went to honor him with this gift,³⁴Gk.: doron. they hit me on my face. If I had listened to you and put varieties of hard fruit in the basket, they would already have pelted my face and my whole body with them. And why all this? In order to teach you that evil women destroy their husbands. Therefore one should not cease from planting. Rather, just as he found, one should still continue to plant even though he is old. The Holy One said to Israel: Learn from me. He spoke < by example >, as it were. (Gen. 2:8): AND THE LORD GOD PLANTED A GARDEN IN EDEN, IN THE EAST.

(Lev. 4:1–2:) AND THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING: <SPEAK UNTO THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, SAYING: WHEN A SOUL SINS <BY MISTAKE >…. Let our master instruct us:²⁹Tanh., Lev. 1:6. Is it right for one to enter the Temple mount with his staff or his money girdle?³⁰Lat.: funda (“moneybag”). Thus have our masters taught (in Ber. 9:5): ONE MAY NOT ENTER THE TEMPLE MOUNT WITH HIS STAFF, HIS MONEY GIRDLE, OR WITH DUST ON HIS FEET,³¹Eccl. R. 4:17:1; cf. Mark 11:16; Josephus, Contra Apionem, 8:106; see Ber. 62a. lest he treat it with disrespect, even in its destruction. The Holy One said (in Lev. 26:2): YOU SHALL KEEP MY SABBATHS AND REVERENCE MY SANCTUARY: I AM THE LORD. And what was the reason for comparing keeping the Sabbath with the Sanctuary? Thus did R. Hiyya the Great teach: Just as keeping the Sabbath is forever so is reverence for the Sanctuary forever. Now Solomon cried out (in Eccl. 3:16): TO THE PLACE OF JUSTICE, THITHER <CAME> WICKEDNESS. Solomon was observing how the wicked subverted <justice>³²The bracketed word is found in the traditional Tanh., Lev. 1:6. in the Sanctuary. Solomon said: The place where the Sanhedrin³³Gk.: Synedrion. sat to judge criminal law, [civil law,] decisions on scourgings, and decisions on clean and unclean, there they defiled it.³⁴Cf. Lev. R. 4:1; Eccl. R. 3:16:1. See what is written (in Jer. 39:3): THEN ALL THE OFFICERS OF THE KING OF BABYLON CAME AND SAT IN THE MIDDLE GATE: NEGRAL-SAREZER, SAMGAR-NEBO, SARSECHIM THE RAB-SARIS, <NERGAL-SAREZER THERAB-MAG>…. (Lam. 5:18:) BECAUSE OF MOUNT ZION, WHICH LIES DESOLATE, THE JACKALS WALK OVER IT. The Holy One said to him: You name those entering, but you do not name those leaving. (Eccl. 3:16:) TO THE PLACE OF JUSTICE, THITHER <CAME> WICKEDNESS. (Lam. 2:20:) SHOULD PRIEST AND PROPHET BE SLAIN IN THE SANCTUARY OF THE LORD? Here is the blood of Zechariah shed on the stones,³⁵Cf. Matthew 23:35 // Luke 11:51. as stated (in Ezek. 24:7): FOR HER BLOOD WAS IN HER MIDST; SHE SET IT UPON BARE ROCK.

And He called to Moshe: And why does it say, "And He called?" Rather it is is because it stated above (Exodus 40:35), "and Moshe could not come to the Tent of Meeting" - when the Divine Presence rested upon the Tent of Meeting. And he could not come since the cloud [of glory] was resting upon it. Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, called him. "Saying": What is "saying?" To say to the Children of Israel. "A man from you that brings a sacrifice": Why does it state, "a man (adam)" and it does not say, "eesh?" It wants to say, when a man sins like Adam (the first man) started to sin - he should bring a sacrifice. Why does it state, "from the beast," when it [also] states, "from the cattle or the sheep?" Rather, it wanted to say [that we should] distinguish them from the beast; that his soul does not descend to the lowest pit like the beast, the soul of which descends below to the earth - as it is stated (Ecclesiastes 3:21), "Who knows if the [soul] of man ascends above, and the [soul] of the beast is the one that descends below." And truly does a man not know? Rather it is like the verse stated (Joel 2:14), "Who knows, [God] may turn and regret" - and this is its understanding: He "who knows" that he is a sinner, should "turn" to "God," and He will atone for him for all of his iniquities. What is "and regret?" Rather, He will relent about the bad that He planned to do to him. And likewise it is saying [here], "Who is the one that knows and understands and has intelligence and understanding - he will understand and know that the soul of man ascends above to the place from which it was fashioned, and the spirit of the beast descends below to earth." As so did King Shlomo, peace be upon him, state (Ecclesiastes 12:7), "and the spirit returns to God who gave it." And which spirit returns to "God who gave it?" These are the spirits of the righteous ones, the pious ones and the penitents who stand in front of Him in great stature. And that is the life that has no death with it, and the good which has [nothing] bad with it. This is the [meaning of] that which is written in the Torah (Deuteronomy 22:7), "so that it shall be good for you," forever. And we learned from the heard tradition, "'so that is shall be good to you,' in the world that is completely good; 'and you shall have length of days,' in the world that is completely long." And the reward of the righteous is that they will merit and live for the good. Happy is the man that merited good and delight; may the Omnipresent have us merit it with the righteous! And the early sages have already informed us that man does not have the ability to investigate and speak [about] the goodnesses of the world to come, as it has no measure, nor comparison nor model. And so did the verse state (Isaiah 64:3), "no eye has seen, God, but You, who acts for those who wait for Him" - meaning to say, the good that no eye has seen besides You, God. And that which they called it, "the world to come," is not because it is not found now. [Rather,] for us who are in this world now, it is [still] to come. And hence he says, the world to come - after a man leaves this world. And one who says that [first] this world is destroyed, and afterwards comes the world to come - the matter is not like that. Rather, when the righteous depart from the world, they immediately ascend and stand in this stature, as it is stated (Psalms 31:20), "How great is Your goodness that You have stored for those that fear You, that You have done for those that take refuge in You." But [the souls] of the evildoers float throughout the whole world and do not find rest for the soles of their feet. And they only ascend to the place from which they were fashioned [after] twelve months. What does it do [during this time]? It goes to the grave and comes back, and its seeing the body rotten and that it is maggots and worms is difficult for it. To what is the thing comparable? To a man that had a nice house and it fell. He goes to see it every day, that thorns are growing on it, brambles are covering its face and its stone fence is destroyed - and he cries and mourns over it, since he sees it like this. And so is the spirit floating throughout all of the world and coming back to the grave. And so did our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, say (Berakhot 18b), "Maggots are as harsh for the dead as a needle for the flesh of the living." And from where [do we know] that the soul mourns over it? As it is stated (Job 14:22), "But his flesh pains him, and his soul mourns over it." That is [the meaning of] "the beast" - and it is destroyed like a beast. And therefore it stated, "from the beast," and it stated "from the cattle and from the sheep" - since they will offer from the cattle and from the sheep, so that his soul not descend below like a beast. And why do we offer sacrifices from fowl, from lambs, from sheep and from goats, but not from fish - as it is stated, "if from the fowl is his burnt-offering sacrifice?" Rather, since they are flesh and blood like man and they come out of the belly of their mothers like man, [so too, do] they atone for a man. But fish are eggs - they come out of them and live. Our Rabbis, may their memory be blessed, said "Any image that the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the dry land, He [also] created in the ocean with fish." Rabbi Tarfon said, "The fish was designated from the six days of creation to swallow Yonah, as it is stated (Jonah 2:1), 'And the Lord designated a great fish.'" Yonah fled from his God on the fifth day. And why did he flee? Rather the first time, [God] sent him to restore the border of Israel; and his words were fulfilled, as it is stated (II Kings 14:25), "He restored the border of Israel." The second time, He sent him to Jerusalem to destroy it; but the Holy One, blessed be He, worked up His great mercies and relented from the bad, and did not destroy it. And [so] they would call him a false prophet. The third time, He sent him to Nineveh to destroy it. Yonah judged the case between him and himself - Yonah said: I know that the [other] nations are close to repentance. Now if I go on my mission, they will repent immediately and the Holy One, blessed be He, is long-suffering and of great kindness - at the time that they repent, He will immediately have mercy [on them]. And the Holy One, blessed be He will [resultantly] become enraged towards Israel, as He did at the time of Sancheriv. When Ravshakeh came to blaspheme the living God, he said, "You are saying that mere words of the lips is counsel and valor for war; now, on whom are you relying, that you have rebelled against me? And if you tell me, 'we are relying on the Lord, our God,' He is the one whose shrines and altars Hizkiyahu did away with" (II Kings 18:20, 22) - what did Hizkiyahu do at that time? "And Hizkiyahu prayed to the Lord and said, 'Lord, God of Israel, enthroned on the cherubs - You alone are God of all the kingdoms of the earth; You made the heavens and the earth. Lord, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see - hear the words that Sancheriv has sent to blaspheme the living God!' And Yishayahu son of Amots sent to Hizkiyahu, saying, 'Thus said the Lord, God of Israel, "I have heard that which you prayed to Me concerning King Sancheriv of Assyria. I will [delude] him, etc."' (II Kings 19:15-16, 20, 7)." And four hundred angels armed with swords and spears came and drove him away, etc. - "And it was on that night that an angel of the Lord went out and smote one hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp, and the following morning behold, they were all dead corpses. And King Sancheriv of Assyria moved and went and returned, and he stayed in Nineveh" (II Kings 19:25-26). He said to [his] sages, "Why is the love of the Holy One, blessed be He, with Israel more than all the nations of the world?" They said to him, "They had an ancient father and his name was Avraham, and he went to slaughter his son to bring up as a burnt-offering." He said to them, "Did he slaughter him?" They said to him, "No." He said to them, "[With] him, it was because it was his will to slaughter [his son, that] there was [such] love between him and his God." He said, "I will [then actually] slaughter my son and bring him up as a burnt-offering." And so did he do, as it is stated (II Kings 3:27), "And he took his first-born son, who was to reign in his place, and brought him up as a burnt-offering." [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "How much do the nations of the world, to whom I did not give statutes and judgments, do for My name; as it is stated (Malachi 1:11), 'and everywhere incense is presented for My name.'" [And] immediately, "and a great wrath came upon Israel" (II Kings 3:27). Therefore Yonah said, "The nations will repent and the anger of the Holy One, blessed be He, will be upon Israel; as He will say, 'The nations, to whom I did not give statutes and judgments - when I make a decree upon them and they know [about it], they immediately repent. But Israel is not like this, as I send them My prophets all the time, yet they are stiff-necked.' And therefore, 'a great wrath [will come] upon Israel.'" And not only does Israel call him a false prophet, but even the nations of the world [will] call him so. Yonah said, "I am fleeing from in front of Him to a place where His glory is not [found]. What shall I do? If I ascend to the heavens, His glory is there, as it is stated (Psalms 113:4), 'upon the heavens is His glory.' And if upon the earth, His glory is there [too], as it is stated (Isaiah 6:3), 'the whole earth is full of His glory.' Behold, I will flee to the sea, as His glory is not stated there." [So] he went down to Jaffa, but he did not find a ship to board there. And the ship that Yonah would board upon was two days' journey away from Jaffa, in order to test Yonah. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brought a great storm in the sea and brought [the ship quickly] to Jaffa. And Yonah saw this and rejoiced in his heart and said, "Now, I know that my path is straight in front of me." And he did not know that the Holy One, blessed be He, was causing the thing to let him know that His glory was there (in the sea). He said to [the boatsmen], "I will come with you." And the way of all ships is that when a man exits from them, he gives his payment. But in the joy of Yonah's heart, He preceded and gave his wage [right away], as it is stated (Jonah 1:3), "And Yonah arose to flee to Tarshish from in front of the Lord [... and he gave its pay]." And they traveled the distance of a day, and a great storm came upon them in the sea from their right and from their left. And the way of all ships is to come and go in peace and quiet. And the ship upon which Yonah boarded was in great distress to break apart, as it is stated (Jonah 1:4), "And the Lord placed a great wind upon the sea." Rabbi Chaninah said, "[Men of all] the seventy languages were in the ship, and each and every one had his god in his hand." They said, "The god that answers and saves us from this distress, he is the [true] God." And they stood and each man cried out in the name of his god, but they did not help. [Meanwhile,] Yonah dozed off and was sleeping in the distress of his soul; and the captain came to him. He said to him, "Behold, we are standing between death and life, and you are dozing off? From which people are you?" He said to them, "I am a Hebrew." They said to him, "And have we not heard that the God of the Hebrews is great? 'Cry out to your God' (Jonah 1:6). Maybe He will do for us like all of His wonders at the Red Sea." He said to them, "This distress has come upon you because of me, as I am fleeing from in front of Him, as I thought that His glory was not in the sea, and now I see that His glory is on the dry land and in the sea." He said to them, "Because of me; 'Lift me and put me in the sea, and the sea will be quiet upon you' (Jonah 1:12)." Rabbi Shimon said, "The men did not accept from Yonah to drop him into the sea; and [so] they cast lots, as it is stated (Jonah 2:7), 'and they cast lots, and the lot fell upon Yonah.'" What did they do? They took the vessels that were on the ship and threw them to the sea to make themselves lighter, but it did not help a bit. They sought to return to dry land, but they were not able, as it is stated (Jonah 1:13), "And the men rowed, etc." What did they do? They took Yonah and stood him upon the edge of the ship and said, "God of the world, Lord, 'do not put innocent blood upon us' (Jonah 1:14), as we do not know what is the nature of this man; yet he says to us with his mouth, 'because of me has this distress come upon you.'" They placed him [into the sea] until his knees, and the sea stopped from its fury. They [then] took him back towards them, and the sea stormed against them. They placed him [into the sea] until his navel, and the sea stopped from its fury. They [then] took him back towards them, and it stormed against them. They placed him completely [in the sea, and] the sea was immediately quiet from its fury, as it is stated (Jonah 1:15), "And they lifted Yonah and placed him, etc." "And the Lord designated a great fish to swallow Yonah, and Yonah was in the innards of the fish three days and three nights"(Jonah 2:1) - and Yonah entered its mouth, like a man that enters a large synagogue, and the two eyes of the fish were like opened windows giving light to Yonah. Rabbi Meir said, "A pearl was hanging in the innards of the fish, and it would give light to Yonah, like the sun lights up in its strength in the afternoon. And Yonah could see everything that was in the sea and that was in the depths, as it is stated (Psalms 97:11), "Light is planted for the righteous, and joy for the righteous of heart." The fish said to Yonah, "Do you not know that my time has come to be eaten into the mouth of the Leviathan?" He said to it, "Take me there and I will save you, and my soul." It took him to the Leviathan. He said to the Leviathan, "Because of you have I come to see your dwelling place in the sea. And not only that, but in the future I will come down to put a rope on your neck and to bring you up for the great meal of the righteous ones." He showed it his seal from Avraham, our father (his circumcision). The Leviathan saw it and fled the journey of two days from before Yonah. He said to the fish, "Behold, I saved you from the mouth of the Leviathan; [now] show me all that is in the sea and in the depths." And [so] it showed him the great river of the waters of the ocean, as it is stated (Yonah 2:6), "up to my soul was the deep." And it showed him the paths of the Red (literally Reed) Sea, as it is stated, "reeds are twined around my head." And it showed him the place from where the breakers of the sea and its waves go out, as it is stated (Yonah 2:4), "all Your breakers and waves passed over me." And it showed him the pillars of the Earth in its foundation, as it is stated (Jonah 2:7), "the bars of the earth were around me forever." And it showed him Geihinnom, as it is written (Jonah 2:3), "from the belly of the pit I cried out; You heard my voice." And it showed him under the Chamber of God, as it is stated (Jonah 2:7), "I descended to the bases of the mountains." From here we learn that Jerusalem stands on seven mountains. And he saw the Stone of the Foundation there, set in the depths. And he saw the sons of Korach, standing and praying upon it. It said to Yonah, "Behold, you are standing under the Chamber of the Lord; pray and you shall be answered." Immediately Yonah said to the fish, "Stand in the place that you are standing, as I would like to recite a prayer." And the fish stopped. And Yonah began to pray in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the Universe, You have been called the One that brings down and raises up - behold, I have gone down, [now] raise me up; You have been called the One that brings death and that brings life - behold, my soul has reached death, [now] bring me life." And he was not answered until [this] came out from his mouth (Jonah 2:10): "that which I have vowed, I will fulfill, etc." - "That which I have vowed" to bring up the Leviathan in front of You, "I will fulfill" on the day of Israel's salvation, as it is stated, "But I, with loud thanksgiving, will sacrifice to You that which I have vowed." And immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, indicated [to the fish], and it spewed Yonah out to the dry land, as it is stated (Jonah 2:11), "And the Lord said to the fish, and it spewed Jonah out to the dry land." When the sailors saw all of the great miracles, signs and wonders that the Holy One, blessed be He, did with Yonah, they got up and every man cast away his god, as it is stated (Jonah 2:9), "They who preserve the vanities of emptiness forsake their kindness." And they went back to Jaffa and went up to Jerusalem, and they circumcised the flesh of their foreskin, as it is stated (Jonah 1:15), "And the men feared a great fear of the Lord, and they slaughtered a sacrifice to the Lord and they made vows" - and did they slaughter a sacrifice? Rather, [this was] circumcision, which is like the blood of a sacrifice. And each man of them vowed to bring his children and everything that he had to the God of Yonah. And they vowed and they fulfilled [it]. And about them is it said, the converts were righteous converts.

At that time, etc. (Deuteronomy 10:1): This is what the verse stated (Ecclesiastes 3:1), "A time and season is set for everything, for every experience under heaven." There was a time for the world to be created; there was a time for the generation of the flood to be destroyed in water. There was a time to go into the ark, and a time to exit from it. And there was a time for Avraham to be created, and so too with all the forefathers. There was a time that our fathers were to go down to Egypt, and a time for them to exit from there. And there was a time that they were to be subjugated. And there was a time for the tablets to be broken, and there was a time when others would do that act [of the golden calf]. Hence, "Carve out two tablets of stone." Shlomo said (Ecclesiastes 3:5), "A time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones." "A time for throwing stones," these are the first tablets; "and a time for gathering stones," the time to carve out other tablets of stone, as it is stated, "Carve out (pesal) two tablets of stone." Rabbi Yehoshua said, "That he destroy the idols of (pesilei) their gods." Another interpretation: "Carve out (pesal) for yourself," that the remnant (pesolet) be for yourself. Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yochanan say, "From where did he carve them?" One [answered], "From under [God's] throne of glory." And the other said, "[God] created a quarry in the midst of his tent, and he quarried two tablets of stone from there. And he took the remnants from there and he became wealthy from there, since they were from sapphire." This is what Shlomo stated (in Song of Songs 5:14), "His hands are rods of gold, studded with beryl [...] adorned with sapphires.""His hands are rods of gold," these are the tablets. And how many [commandments] were on each tablet? Five commandments were on [each] tablet. And they were made with a type of rods between them, as it is stated, "His hands are rods of gold." "Adorned with sapphires," as they were made of sapphire. Another explanation: "Carve out for yourself," in your merit, and it shall be yours. He said, Moshe, [I have given it to you] (you have given it to Me), and you are behaving generously [by] giving it to them, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:1), "Carve out (pesal) for yourself." By your life will I make you a king. And you shall (pesol) whoever you want, and you shall bring close whoever you want.

(Lev. 22:27:) “When a bull or a sheep or a goat.” This text is related] (to Eccl. 3:15), “That which is has already happened.” R. Judah and R. Nehemiah [differ].⁴⁸PRK 9:4; Lev. R. 27:4; Eccl. R. 3:15 (1). R. Judah says, “If someone says to you that if the first Adam had not sinned, he would have remained alive forever, you say to him, ‘Look at Elijah. Since he did not sin, he has remained alive forever.’ (Ibid., cont.:) ‘And that which is to be has already happened.’ If someone says to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, will be raising the dead, say to him, ‘Look, He has already done so through Elijah, through Elisha, and through Ezekiel.’” [But] Rabbi Nehemiah says, “If someone says to you that the whole world was water within water, you say to him, ‘The ocean is all water within water.’ (Ibid., cont.:) ‘And that which is to be has already happened.’ If someone says to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to make the sea into dry ground, say to him, ‘He has already done so in the days of Moses, as stated (in Exod. 14:29), “But the Children of Israel went through the sea on dry ground, and the waters were a wall for them to the right and to the left.”’” [Moreover,] R. Aha said in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahman, “Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to do in the world to come He has already anticipated and partly done at the hands of the righteous in this world. In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to raise the dead; He has already done so at the hands of Elijah, at the hands of Elisha, and at the hands of Ezekiel. In the future, He is going to make the sea into dry ground; He has already done so (ibid.), “But the Children of Israel went through the sea on dry ground.” In the future, He is going to open the eyes of the blind; He has already done so, as stated (in II Kings 6:17), ‘so the Lord opened the eyes of the servant [and he saw].’ In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to going visit barren women; He has already done so through Abraham and Sarah, as stated (in Gen. 21:1), ‘Then the Lord visited Sarah […].’ The Holy One, blessed be He, said, (in Is. 49:23), ‘Kings shall be your guardians [… they shall bow down before you, nose to the ground, and lick the dust of your feet].’ It has already happened at the hands of Daniel, when the wicked Nebuchadnezzar bowed down to Daniel, as stated (in Dan. 2:46), ‘Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, [paid homage to Daniel].’” This is what Scripture stated (in Eccl. 3:15, cont.), “then God seeks the pursued.” R. Huna said in the name of R. Joseph, “In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to claim the blood of the pursued from the hand of those who pursue them.⁴⁹Lev. R. 27:5. When a righteous person pursues a righteous person, God seeks the pursued. When a wicked person pursues a wicked person and when a wicked person pursues a righteous person, then God seeks the pursued. It comes out that you will say that even when a righteous person pursues a wicked person, in any case, then God seeks the pursued.”⁵⁰Cf. PR 48:2. You know that this is so. Note that Abel was pursued by Cain; and therefore (in Gen. 4:4), “and the Lord paid heed unto Abel and unto his offering.” Noah was pursued by his generation, but (according to Gen. 6:8), “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Abraham was pursued by Nimrod; and it is written (Neh. 9:7) “You are the Lord, the God who chose Abraham […].” Isaac was pursued by the Philistines; and it is written (Gen. 26:28), “And [they] said, ‘We see plainly that the Lord has been with you […].’” Jacob was pursued by Esau; and it is written (Ps. 135:4) “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself.” Joseph was pursued by his brothers; and it is written (Gen. 39:2) “And the Lord was with Joseph […].” Moses was pursued by Pharaoh; and it is written (Ps. 106:23), “therefore He said He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen [stood in the breach before Him…].” Israel is being pursued by the nations of the world; and it is written (Deut. 7:6), “the Lord your God has chosen you […].” R. Judah bar Simon said in the name of R. Nehoray, “Here also (in the case of sacrificial animals), the bull is pursued by the lion; the sheep is pursued by the wolf; the goat is pursued by the leopard. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘You shall not bring me a sacrifice from the pursuer but from the pursued.’ [Thus it is stated] (Lev. 22:27), ‘When a bull or a sheep or a goat […].’”

At that time, etc. (Deuteronomy 10:1): This is what the verse stated (Ecclesiastes 3:1), "A time and season is set for everything, for every experience under heaven." There was a time for the world to be created; there was a time for the generation of the flood to be destroyed in water. There was a time to go into the ark, and a time to exit from it. And there was a time for Avraham to be created, and so too with all the forefathers. There was a time that our fathers were to go down to Egypt, and a time for them to exit from there. And there was a time that they were to be subjugated. And there was a time for the tablets to be broken, and there was a time when others would do that act [of the golden calf]. Hence, "Carve out two tablets of stone." Shlomo said (Ecclesiastes 3:5), "A time for throwing stones and a time for gathering stones." "A time for throwing stones," these are the first tablets; "and a time for gathering stones," the time to carve out other tablets of stone, as it is stated, "Carve out (pesal) two tablets of stone." Rabbi Yehoshua said, "That he destroy the idols of (pesilei) their gods." Another interpretation: "Carve out (pesal) for yourself," that the remnant (pesolet) be for yourself. Rabbi Levi and Rabbi Yochanan say, "From where did he carve them?" One [answered], "From under [God's] throne of glory." And the other said, "[God] created a quarry in the midst of his tent, and he quarried two tablets of stone from there. And he took the remnants from there and he became wealthy from there, since they were from sapphire." This is what Shlomo stated (in Song of Songs 5:14), "His hands are rods of gold, studded with beryl [...] adorned with sapphires.""His hands are rods of gold," these are the tablets. And how many [commandments] were on each tablet? Five commandments were on [each] tablet. And they were made with a type of rods between them, as it is stated, "His hands are rods of gold." "Adorned with sapphires," as they were made of sapphire. Another explanation: "Carve out for yourself," in your merit, and it shall be yours. He said, Moshe, [I have given it to you] (you have given it to Me), and you are behaving generously [by] giving it to them, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 10:1), "Carve out (pesal) for yourself." By your life will I make you a king. And you shall (pesol) whoever you want, and you shall bring close whoever you want.

2. Alternately, "And God saw all that He had made, and behold it was very good." Rabbi Tanchuma began: (Eccl. 3:11) "He brings everything to pass precisely at its time." Rabbi Tanchuma said: The world was created at its time; the world was not appropriate for creation before this. Rabbi Abahu said: From this we learn that the Holy Blessed One was creating worlds and destroying them, creating worlds and destroying them, until he created these. He said, "This is good for me; those are not good for me." Rabbi Pinchas explained Rabbi Abahu's reasoning: "And God saw all (pl.) that He had made, and behold it was very good (sing.)." THIS is good for me; THOSE are not good for me.

R. Chisda said: "Every dream is good except that of fasting." Further said R. Chisda: "Of a bad dream the worry is sufficient [to dissipate it], and of a good one the joy is sufficient [to dissipate it]." R. Joseph said: "Even to me [though blind] the humor of a good dream causes it to dissipate." Further said R. Chisda: "A bad dream is much better than a good one [because it may result in repentance]." Further said R. Chisda: "Neither a good dream nor a bad one is fully fulfilled." Again said R. Chisda: "A dream not interrupted is like a letter not read." Further said R. Chisda: "A bad dream is more severe than being lashed, for it is said (Ecc. 3, 14.) And God hath so made it that men should be afraid of Him, and Rabba b. b. Chana said in the name of R. Jochanan: 'This refers to a bad dream.' " The prophet that hath had a dream, let him relate his dream; and he that hath received my word, let him speak my word of truth. What hath the straw to do with the corn? Saith the Lord (Jer. 23, 28). What relation has corn and straw to a dream? R. Jochanan in the name of R. Simon b. Jochai said: "Just as it is impossible for corn to be without straw, so it is impossible for a dream to be without absurdities."

(Lev. 4:2:) WHEN A SOUL SINS BY MISTAKE. Is it the soul that sins? The Scripture verse (Eccl. 3:16) says: TO THE PLACE OF JUSTICE (tsedeq), THITHER <CAME> WICKEDNESS. THE PLACE is <the source of> the soul, which has been given out of righteousness (tsedeq), <i.e.> out of a place where there is no iniquity or sin.⁴²Tanh., Lev. 1:6; Exod. R. 4:1. <When> it does sins, the Scripture verse (Lev. 4:2) cries out in surprise: WHEN A SOUL SINS BY MISTAKE?! (Eccl. 3:16:) TO THE PLACE OF JUSTICE (tsedeq), THITHER <CAME> WICKEDNESS. To what is the matter comparable? To two children of Adam who sinned against the king. One was a country bumpkin, and one a person from the palace.⁴³Lat.: palatium; Gk.: palation. <When> he saw that both of them had committed a single offense, he released the country bumpkin but rendered a <guilty> verdict⁴⁴Gk.: apophasis. against the person from the palace. His palace people said to him: Both of them committed a single offense; <yet> you released the country bumpkin <and> gave a verdict against the person from the palace. He said to them: I released the country bumpkin because he did not know the laws⁴⁵Gk. nomos. of the kingdom, but the person from the palace is with me every day and knows what the laws of the kingdom are. Now for the one close to me who sinned, [what verdict] will be pronounced against him? So also the body is a country bumpkin. (Gen. 2:7:) THE LORD FORMED THE HUMAN [OUT OF DUST FROM THE GROUND]. But the soul is a palace person from above. (Ibid., cont.:) AND BLEW INTO HIS NOSTRILS THE BREATH OF LIFE. Yet both of them sinned. Why? Because it impossible for the body to exist without the soul.⁴⁶Cf. Lev. R. 4:5. Thus, if there is no soul, there is no body, and if there is no body, there is no soul. So both of them sinned. (Ezek. 18:20:) THE SOUL THAT SINS SHALL DIE. Therefore the scripture verse (Lev. 4:2) cries out in surprise: WHEN A SOUL SINS BY MISTAKE <AGAINST ANY OF THE LORD'S COMMANDMENTS >! What is the significance of BY MISTAKE (rt.: ShGG) AGAINST ANY OF THE LORD'S COMMANDMENTS? <It is> to teach you that, when anyone sins BY MISTAKE, [it is as if] one transgresses against THE LORD'S COMMANDMENTS. And so it says (in Numb. 15:22): AND WHEN YOU SIN UNINTENTIONALLY (rt.: ShGG) AND DO NOT FULFILL ALL THESE COMMANDMENTS….⁴⁷The next verses explain how atonement is made. [So also David has said (in Ps. 19:13–14 [12–13]): WHO CAN DISCERN MISTAKES? CLEANSE ME FROM HIDDEN FAULTS]. ALSO RESTRAIN YOUR SERVANT FROM WILLFUL SINS…, AND I SHALL BE CLEAN OF GREAT TRANSGRESSION, <i.e.> from the great sin which I have committed. But if you do so act (Ps. 19:15 [14]:), LET THE WORDS OF MY MOUTH <AND THE MEDITATIONS OF MY HEART> BE ACCEPTABLE <BEFORE YOU>. From here you learn that everyone who sins, even by mistake, is called a sinner. Our masters have said: A mistake in study is accounted as willful sin. It is therefore written (in Lev. 4:2:) WHEN A SOUL SINS. <It is> because it is from above that "a person (adam)" is not written here.

He brought forth from the earth all kinds of abominations and creeping things, all of them are unclean. Such (creatures) which have been created from the earth, their life (or soul) and body are from the earth, and when they return they touch their dust at the place whence they were created, as it is said, "Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust" (Ps. 104:29); and it is written, "And the spirit of the beast goes downward to the earth" (Eccles. 3:21).

[Another interpretation of (Lev. 22:27): WHEN A BULL OR A SHEEP OR A GOAT < IS BORN… >. This text is related] (to Eccl. 3:15): THAT WHICH IS HAS ALREADY HAPPENED. R. Judah and R. Nehemiah differ.⁵⁷Tanh., Lev. 8:9; PRK 9:4; Lev. R. 27:4; Eccl. R. 3:15 (1). R. Judah says: If someone says to you that, if the first Adam had not sinned, he would have remained alive forever, you say to him: Look at Elijah. {Did he sin?} [Since he did not sin,] he has remained alive forever. (Ibid., cont.:) AND THAT WHICH IS TO BE HAS ALREADY HAPPENED. If someone says to you that the Holy One will be raising the dead, say to him: Look, he has already done so through Elijah, through Elisha, and through Ezekiel. [But Rabbi Nehemiah says: If someone says to you that the Holy One is going to make the sea into dry ground, say to him: He has already done so in the days of Moses, as stated (in Exod. 14:29): BUT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WENT THROUGH THE SEA ON DRY GROUND, AND THE WATERS WERE A WALL FOR THEM TO THE RIGHT AND TO THE LEFT.] Moreover, R. Aha said in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahman: Everything that the Holy One is going to do in the world to come he has already anticipated and partly done at the hands of the righteous in this world. The Holy One said: I am going to raise the dead. I have already done so at the hands of Elijah, at the hands of Elisha, and at the hands of Ezekiel. The Holy One said: I am going to make the sea into dry ground. I have already done so (ibid.): BUT THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WENT THROUGH THE SEA ON DRY GROUND. The Holy One said: I am going to open the eyes of the blind. It has already happened, as stated (in II Kings 6:17): < THEN ELISHA PRAYED AND SAID: LORD, PLEASE OPEN HIS EYES AND LET HIM SEE. > SO THE LORD OPENED THE EYES OF THE SERVANT < AND HE SAW >. The Holy One said: I am going visit barren women. It has already happened, as stated (in Gen. 21:1): THEN THE LORD VISITED SARAH…. The Holy One said: [I am going to make kings bow down to you, as stated] (in Is. 49:23): KINGS SHALL BE YOUR GUARDIANS…. < THEY SHALL BOW DOWN BEFORE YOU, NOSE TO THE GROUND, AND LICK THE DUST OF YOUR FEET. > It has already happened at the hands of Daniel, when Nebuchadnezzar bowed down to Daniel, as stated (in Dan. 2:46): < THEN KING NEBUCHADNEZZAR FELL ON HIS FACE, > PAID HOMAGE TO DANIEL, < AND SAID… >.

(Eccl. 3:15:) THEN GOD SEEKS THE PERSECUTED. R. Huna said in the name of R. Joseph: The Holy One is going to claim the blood of the persecuted from the hand of those who persecute them.⁵⁸Lev. R. 27:5. When a righteous person persecutes a righteous person, GOD SEEKS THE PERSECUTED. When a wicked person persecutes a wicked person, GOD SEEKS THE PERSECUTED. [When a wicked person persecutes a righteous person, THEN GOD SEEKS THE PERSECUTED. Even if you come back and say: When a righteous person persecutes a wicked person, in every case, THEN GOD SEEKS THE PERSECUTED.]⁵⁹Cf. PR 48:2. You know that this is so. Note that Abel was persecuted by Cain; therefore, it is stated (in Gen. 4:4): AND THE LORD PAID HEED UNTO ABEL AND UNTO HIS OFFERING. Noah was persecuted by his generation, BUT (according to Gen. 6:8): NOAH FOUND FAVOR < IN THE EYES OF THE LORD >. As for his generation, (cf. Gen. 7:23): AND HE BLOTTED OUT ALL EXISTENCE. Abraham was persecuted by Nimrod; (cf. Neh. 9:7:) YOU ARE THE LORD, THE GOD WHO CHOSE ABRAHAM. Isaac was persecuted by Philistines; (cf. Gen. 26:28:) AND THEY SAID: WE SEE PLAINLY < THAT THE LORD HAS BEEN WITH YOU >. Jacob was persecuted by Esau; (cf. Ps. 135:4:) FOR THE LORD HAS CHOSEN JACOB FOR HIMSELF. Joseph was persecuted by his brothers; (cf. Gen. 39:2:) AND THE LORD WAS WITH JOSEPH. Moses was persecuted by Pharaoh; (cf. Ps. 106:23:) THEREFORE HE SAID HE WOULD DESTROY THEM, HAD NOT MOSES HIS CHOSEN < STOOD IN THE BREACH BEFORE HIM >. Israel is being persecuted by the nations of the world; (cf. Deut. 7:6:) THE LORD YOUR GOD HAS CHOSEN YOU. R. Judah bar Simon said in the name of R. [Jose bar] Nehoray. Here also (in the case of sacrificial animals) the bull is persecuted by the lion; the sheep is persecuted by the wolf; the goat is persecuted by the leopard. The Holy One said: You shall not bring me a sacrifice from the persecutor but from the persecuted. Thus it is stated (Lev. 22:27): WHEN A BULL OR A SHEEP OR A GOAT….

By five names is the soul/nefesh called: nefesh, ru’ach, n’shamah, chayah (living one), y’chidah (unique one). Nefesh – this is the blood . . . Ru’ach – for she rises and falls, [as in:] “Who knows if the ru’ach of human beings goes upward?” [Ec 3:21]. N’shamah – this is the visage/character/ofah. . . Chayah – that all the limbs die and (i.e., unless) she lives in the body. Y’chidah – that all the limbs are two by two [but] she is singular in the body.

(Lev. 22:27), “And from the eighth day on [it shall be acceptable for an offering by fire to the Lord].” So that your [evil] drive not lead you astray by saying that there is eating and drinking in front of Him. Who sacrificed to Him before Israel arose? David said (in Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies is comparable (ya'arokh) to the Lord?” [This is to mean], who offered sacrifices to Him? R. Abbin the Levite said, “[This verse means,] who is like unto the Holy One, blessed be He, in sustaining orphans and feeding the hungry? After all, this word (ya'arokh) can only be a word concerning sustenance, since it is stated (in Lev. 24:8), ‘On [every] Sabbath day he shall [regularly] arrange (ya'arokh) it (i.e., the bread).’” Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies is comparable (ya'arokh) to the Lord”: Who is like unto the Holy One, blessed be He, in bringing light to the eyes of those in the dark?⁷⁵Below, 10:6. After all, this word (ya'arokh) can only be a word denoting light, since it is stated (Lev. 24:4), “He shall set up (ya'arokh) the lamps upon the unalloyed lampstand.” Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies is comparable (rt.: 'rk) to the Lord”: Who is like unto the Holy One, blessed be He, in clothing the naked? After all, this word (rt.: 'rk) can only be a word denoting a garment, since it is stated (in Jud. 17:10), “a suit (rt.: 'rk) of clothes and [your] maintenance.” Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies [is comparable (ya'arokh) to the Lord]”: Who is like unto the Holy One, blessed be He, in waging war for Israel? After all, the word, ya'arokh, can only be a word denoting war, since it is stated (in Gen. 14:8), “and they marshalled (ya'arokh in the plural) for battle with them.” Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord”: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If your [evil] drive comes and says to you, ‘Who sacrificed to (fed) the Holy One, blessed be He, before the world was created,’⁷⁶See PR 48:3. say to him, ‘Consider that Moses ascended to the sky and spent a hundred and twenty days there. Let him tell you whether they were sacrificing to the Holy One, blessed be He. And in addition he was accustomed to eat; but when he ascended to Me, he saw that there is no eating and drinking in front of Me, and so he also did not eat, as stated (in Exod. 34:28), “And he was there with the Lord [forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water].”’” R. Simeon ben Laqish said, “If your [evil] drive comes to say to you, ‘If there were no eating and drinking before Him, He would not have told me to sacrifice and offer libations to Him’; [then ponder] what is written (in Numb. 28:6), ‘The continual burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai’: Did they offer sacrifices on Mount Sinai? [No.] Rather observe that it was Moses who went up onto Mount Sinai. Let him tell you whether there were food and drink before Me. And so why did I trouble you and tell you to bring a daily sacrifice? In order to benefit you.” R. Hiyya bar Abba said, “When a mighty man who is walking on the road is thirsty and goes to drink water, how much does he drink with his hands? Ten handfuls? Six handfuls? Four handfuls? Less than two he does not drink. Now all the water that is in the world would be a filling for the hollow of the Holy One, blessed be He's, hand, as stated (in Is. 40:12), ‘Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?’ [It is so written] in order to make known that for Him there is no eating or drinking. [Then] why did He tell me to offer a sacrifice? In order to benefit you.” Ergo (in Lev. 22:27), “When a bull or a sheep or a goat [is born… and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable for an offering by fire to the Lord].” (Lev. 22:27), “And from the eighth day.” This text is related (to Eccl. 3:19), “As for the fate of humans and the fate of beasts, [they have the same fate; as the one dies, so does the other die. They all have the same lifebreath, but the superiority of the human over the beast is nil ('yn)].”⁷⁷This is the translation required by the latter part of this section. A more traditional translation would be AND THE HUMAN IS NO BETTER THAN THE BEAST. It is written concerning the human (in Deut. 22:11), “You shall not wear interwoven stuff, wool and flax together.” It is also written concerning the beast (ibid., vs. 10), “You shall not plough with an ox and an ass together.” (Eccl. 3:19:) “[They] all have the same fate.” Just as the human contracts uncleanness, the beast also contracts uncleanness. It is written concerning the human (in Numb. 19:11), “One who touches the corpse of any human being shall be unclean.” Also concerning the beast (in Lev. 11:39), “whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean [...].” (Eccl. 3:19:) “As the one dies, so does the other die.” Concerning the human (in Lev. 20:16), “you shall kill the woman”; and concerning the beast (in vs. 15), “and you shall kill the beast.” (Eccl. 3:21:) “Who knows the lifebreath of a human that rises upward and the lifebreath of a beast that goes down into the earth?”⁷⁸This translation is required by the midrash. A more traditional translation in the biblical context would be this: WHO KNOWS WHETHER IT IS THE LIFEBREATH OF A HUMAN THAT RISES UPWARD, WHILE IT IS THE LIFEBREATH OF A BEAST THAT GOES DOWN INTO THE EARTH? Because the lifebreath of the human is given from above, concerning it, a rising up is written. And because the beast is given from below, concerning it, a going down is written. (Eccl. 3:19, cont.:) “But the superiority of the human over the beast is 'yn (i.e., nil).” What is the meaning of 'yn?⁷⁹Eccl. R. 3:19(1). That [the human] speaks, but [the beast] does not ('yn) speak. And moreover, while there is knowledge in the human, in the beast there is no ('yn) knowledge. And moreover, while the human knows the difference between good and evil, the beast does not ('yn) know the difference between good and evil. And moreover, the human gets a reward for his works, but the beast does not ('yn) get a reward for its work. And moreover, when the human dies they care for him and he is buried, while the beast is not ('yn) buried. Ergo (in Eccl. 3:19), “but the superiority of the human over the beast is 'yn.” What is written concerning the human (in Lev. 12:2-3)? “When a woman emits her seed…. And on the eighth day [the flesh of his foreskin] shall be circumcised.” But about the beasts it is written (in Lev. 22:27), “When a bull or a sheep or a goat… and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable [for an offering by fire to the Lord].”

[Another interpretation] (of Lev. 22:27): AND FROM THE EIGHTH DAY. This text is related (to Eccl. 3:19): AS FOR THE FATE OF HUMANS [AND THE FATE OF BEASTS, THEY HAVE THE SAME < FATE >: AS THE ONE DIES, SO DOES THE OTHER DIE. THEY ALL HAVE THE SAME LIFEBREATH, BUT THE SUPERIORITY OF THE HUMAN OVER THE BEAST IS NIL ('YN)].⁸⁷This is the translation required by the latter part of this section. A more traditional translation would be AND THE HUMAN IS NO BETTER THAN THE BEAST. It is written concerning the human (in Deut. 22:11): YOU SHALL NOT WEAR INTERWOVEN STUFF, WOOL AND FLAX TOGETHER. It is also written concerning the beast (ibid., vs. 10): YOU SHALL NOT PLOUGH WITH AN OX AND AN ASS TOGETHER. (Eccl. 3:19): {ALL} [THEY] HAVE THE SAME FATE. Just as the human contracts uncleanness, the beast also contracts uncleanness. It is written concerning the human (in Numb. 19:11): ONE WHO TOUCHES {A CORPSE SHALL BE UNCLEAN} [THE CORPSE OF ANY HUMAN BEING SHALL BE UNCLEAN FOR SEVEN DAYS]. Also concerning the beast (in Lev. 11:39): WHOEVER TOUCHES ITS CARCASS SHALL BE UNCLEAN. (Eccl. 3:19:) AS THE ONE DIES, SO DOES THE OTHER DIE. Concerning the human (in Lev. 20:16): YOU SHALL KILL THE WOMAN; and concerning the beast (in vs. 15): AND YOU SHALL KILL THE BEAST. (Eccl. 3:21:) {AND} WHO KNOWS THE LIFEBREATH OF A HUMAN THAT RISES UPWARD AND THE LIFEBREATH OF A BEAST THAT GOES DOWN INTO THE EARTH?⁸⁸This translation is required by the midrash. A more traditional translation in the biblical context would be this: WHO KNOWS WHETHER IT IS THE LIFEBREATH OF A HUMAN THAT RISES UPWARD, WHILE IT IS THE LIFEBREATH OF A BEAST THAT GOES DOWN INTO THE EARTH? Because the lifebreath of the human is given from above, concerning it a rising up is written. And because the beast is given from below, concerning it a going down is written. (Eccl. 3:19, cont.:) BUT THE SUPERIORITY OF THE HUMAN OVER THE BEAST IS 'YN (i.e., NIL). What is the meaning of 'YN?⁸⁹Eccl. R. 3:19(1). That < the human > speaks, but < the beast > does not ('YN) speak. And moreover, while there is knowledge in the human, in the beast there is no ('YN) knowledge. And moreover, while the human knows the difference between good and evil, the beast does not ('YN) know the difference between good and evil. And moreover, the human gets a reward for his works, but the beast does not ('YN) get a reward for its work. And moreover, when the human dies they care for him and he is buried, while the beast is not ('YN) buried. Ergo (in Eccl. 3:19): BUT THE SUPERIORITY OF THE HUMAN OVER THE BEAST IS 'YN. What is written concerning the human (in Lev. 12:2–3)? WHEN A WOMAN EMITS HER SEED…. AND ON THE EIGHTH DAY < THE FLESH OF HIS FORESKIN > SHALL BE CIRCUMCISED. But about the beasts it is written (in Lev. 22:27): WHEN A BULL OR A SHEEP OR A GOAT IS BORN, [….AND FROM THE EIGHTH DAY ON IT SHALL BE ACCEPTABLE] < FOR AN OFFERING BY FIRE TO THE LORD >.

(5) And God seeks that which is pursued (Eccl. 3:15). Always ‘God seeks that which is pursued’. You find a case where a righteous man pursues a righteous man, ‘And God seeks that which is pursued’; where a wicked man pursues a righteous man, ‘And God seeks that which is pursued’; where a wicked man pursues a wicked man, ‘And God seeks that which is pursued’; even where a righteous man pursues a wicked man, ‘And God seeks that which is pursued.’ Whatever the case, ‘And God seeks that which is pursued.’ …

The Holy One demands satisfaction for the blood of the pursued at the hands of the pursuers. Abel was pursued by Cain and the Holy One chose Abel... Noah was pursued by his generation, and the Holy one chose Noah. Abraham was pursued by Nimrod, and the Holy One chose Abraham. Isaac was pursued by the Philistines, and the Holy One chose Isaac. Jacob was pursued by Esau, and the Holy One chose Jacob. Joseph was pursued by his brothers, the Holy One chose Joseph.

Moses was pursued by Pharoah, and the Holy One chose Moses. David was pursued by Saul, and the Holy One chose David. Saul was pursued by the Philistines, and the Holy One chose Saul. Israel are pursued by the nations, and the Holy One chose Israel.

Rabbi Ẓe'era said: All the souls go forth and are gathered, each man's soul to the generation of his fathers and to his people. The righteous with the righteous, and the wicked with the wicked, for thus spake the Holy One, blessed be He, to Abraham: "But thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace" (Gen. 15:15). And when the soul goes forth from the body, then the righteous come to meet them, and say to them: Come unto peace ! One verse says, "Therefore, behold, I will gather thee to thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered to thy grave in peace" (2 Kings 22:20).

Another opinion: 'To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose (Eccl. 3:1): there was a time for Noah to enter the ark, as it is written: 'come you and all your house into the ark (Gen. 7:1), and a time for him to leave it: Go forth from the Ark. This may be compared to an administrator/parnas who departed for a certain spot, putting someone in his place. When he returned, he said to the other, ‘Leave your position.’ This may be compared to a scribe/sofer who departed for a certain spot, putting someone in his place. When he returned, he said to the other, ‘Leave your position.’ So too Noach: 'go forth from the ark'. But he [Noach] did not accept the order to go out, saying, ‘Am I to go out and be fruitful and multiply for a curse?’ Until the Holy One, blessed be He, swore to him that He would not bring another flood upon the world, as it says, 'For this is the waters of Noach to Me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noach should no more go over the earth (Isa. 54:9)'

36) (Vayikra 10:3): "And Moses said to Aaron: This is what the L–rd spoke, saying: With My near ones will I be sanctified, and before all the people will I be slaughtered. And Aaron kept his peace." This (in essence) was spoken to Moses on Sinai, and he did not know it (i.e., its intent) until what it spoke of (the deaths of Nadav and Avihu) materialized before him. And when it came to pass Moses said to Aaron: Aaron, my brother, your sons died only to sanctify the Name of the Holy One Blessed be He, as it is written (Shemoth 29:43): "And I shall be appointed there (in the tent of meeting), and it will be sanctified with My glory," (the death of Aaron's sons there, intensifying its awe in the eyes of the people). When Aaron saw how exalted were his sons in the eyes of the L–rd, he kept his peace and was rewarded for doing so, (by G d's addressing to him exclusively the following section [viz. Shemoth 10:8-11]). From here it was derived: All who accept (G d's decrees) upon themselves and remain silent — it is an auspicious sign for them. As expressed by David (Tehillim 37:7): "Be silent in the L–rd, and hope to Him." And, as expressed by Solomon (Koheleth 3:7): "a time to be silent and a time to speak." There are times for all (things). There are times when a man remains silent, and there are times when a man speaks.

And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, etc. It is written, To everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven (Eccl. 3:1). There was a season when circumcision should be given to Abraham In the self same day was Abraham circumcised (Gen. 17:26); there was a season when his descendants were to neglect it as it is written, For all the people that came out were circumcised; but all the people that were born in the wilderness by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, had not been circumcised (Josh, 5:5). Why should he not have circumcised himself at the age of forty-eight, when he recognised his Creator? In order not to discourage proselytes. Then why not be circumcised at the age of eighty-five, when [God] spoke with him between the pieces? In order that Isaac might issue from a holy source. Then let him be circumcised at the age of eighty-six, when Ishmael was born? Said R. Simeon b. Lakish : [God said] : ' I will set up a cinnamon tree in the world: just as the cinnamon tree yields fruit as long as you manure and hoe around it, so [shall Abraham be] even when his blood runs sluggishly and his passions and desires have ceased.