Midrash su Salmi 106:4
זָכְרֵ֣נִי יְ֭הוָה בִּרְצ֣וֹן עַמֶּ֑ךָ פָּ֝קְדֵ֗נִי בִּישׁוּעָתֶֽךָ׃
Ricordati di me, o Eterno, quando favorisci il tuo popolo; O pensa a me alla tua salvezza;
Esther Rabbah
“Happy are those who observe the law, who act with righteousness at all times” (Psalms 106:3). They were counted1They assembled to vote to decide matters of halakha. in the loft of Rabbi Tarfon and said: Who is the one who acts with righteousness at all times? If you say that these are scribes2Those who teach Bible. and Mishna teachers; do they not eat, drink, and sleep? Rather, are they writers of phylacteries and mezuzot; do they not eat, drink, and sleep? Rather, who is the one who acts with righteousness at all times? You must say: This one, who raises an orphan in his house.3This is an allusion to Mordekhai, who raised Esther after her parents died. Wouldn’t you say that he doesn’t turn over naked at night?4When the orphan who is sleepingturns over and is uncovered, he is not benefiting from the kindness of his foster parent. They said: We still need the moda’i [from Modi’in], as Rabbi Elazar HaModa’i came and taught: The Torah referred only to the slice of bread that he eats in his house.5Since the orphan is sustained by the food he eats in his foster parent’s house, righteousness is being done for him at all times.
Alternatively, “happy are those who observe the law” – that is Mordekhai; “who act with righteousness at all times” – because he raised an orphan girl in his house. David said before the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe: “Remember me, Lord, when You favor Your people” (Psalms 106:4) – when You bring salvation for Israel by means of Mordekhai and Esther, when Haman sought to destroy Israel and weighed out ten thousand silver talents by means of the king’s craftsmen, as it is written: “And ten thousand talents of silver…” (Esther 3:9). What is written there? “There was a Judean man in the Shushan citadel, and his name was Mordekhai…” (Esther 2:5).
Alternatively, “happy are those who observe the law” – that is Mordekhai; “who act with righteousness at all times” – because he raised an orphan girl in his house. David said before the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe: “Remember me, Lord, when You favor Your people” (Psalms 106:4) – when You bring salvation for Israel by means of Mordekhai and Esther, when Haman sought to destroy Israel and weighed out ten thousand silver talents by means of the king’s craftsmen, as it is written: “And ten thousand talents of silver…” (Esther 3:9). What is written there? “There was a Judean man in the Shushan citadel, and his name was Mordekhai…” (Esther 2:5).
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Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition)
Let us see! All which is written in the book of Ezra was said by Nechemiah to Chacklayah. Why, then, was it not named after him? R. Jeremiah b. Aba said: "Because he claimed credit for it, as it is said (Nech. 5, 19) Remember for me, my God for good, all that I have done for this people." But did not David also say similar to this (Ps. 106, 4) Remember me, O Lord, when thou favorest thy people? This was said only as a prayer. R. Joseph said: "The book was not named after him because he slandered the former governors, as it is said (Neh. 5, 15) Former governors … had made it heavy … had taken of them bread and wine, besides forty shekels. And even Daniel, who was greater than he, was included in this slander [being a governor long before Nechemiah]." And whence do we know that Daniel was greater than he? From the following passage (Dan. 10, 7) And I, Daniel, saw alone this appearance; but the men that were with me did not see the appearance; nevertheless a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves. Who were these men? R. Jeremiah, and according to others, R. Chiya b. Aba said: "Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi. (Fol. 94) In one respect they were greater than he and in another he was greater than they; in one respect they were greater than he, as they were prophets, while he was not, and in another respect he was greater than they, for he saw the appearance and they did not see it. But if they saw nothing why were they shocked? Though they did not see it, their guardian angels did. "Infer from this," said Rabina, "that if a man is shocked, although he sees nothing, nevertheless his guardian angel must have seen it." What is the remedy for it? Let him move four cubits from that place, or read the portion of Sh'ma. And if he stands in a dirty place, where it is not allowed to recite the portion of Sh'ma Israel, he may say, "The goats of the butcher are fatter than I am."
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