Midrash su Salmi 18:29

(Numb. 8:2:) “When you set up the lamps.” This text is related (to Ps. 18:29), “For You light up my lamp.” Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, are You saying that we should give light before You?¹¹Numb. R. 15:5; Exod. R. 36:2. [But] You are the light of the world and the light [dwells] with You, as it is written (in Dan. 2:22), ‘He reveals the deep and secret things, He knows what is in the darkness, and the light dwells within Him.’ And [now] You are saying (in Numb. 8:2 cont.), ‘let the seven lamps give their light in front of the menorah.’” Ergo (in Ps. 18:29, “For You light up my lamp.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “It is not because I need [your light]. Rather it is so that you may give light to Me just as I have given light to you in order to exalt you in the presence of all the nations; so that they will say, ‘See how Israel is giving light to the One who gives light to everyone!’” To what is the matter comparable? To a sighted person and a blind person who were walking on a road (... as in Tanchuma, Tetzaveh 4). The Holy One, blessed be He, was leading them and giving them light, as stated (in Exod. 13:21), “And the Lord went before them by day [in a pillar of cloud to guide them on the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light].” When the tabernacle was set up, the Holy One, blessed be He, called to Moses and said to him, “Tell them to give Me light.” It is so stated (in Numb. 8:2), “Speak unto Aaron […], ‘When you set up [the lamps].’” Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He, (in Ps. 18:29), “’For You light up my lamp.’ And [now] You say that we are to give You light?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “It was in order to exalt (lehaalot) you that I told you to give light to Me, just as I had given light to you on the way.” It is therefore stated (in Numb. 8:2), “When you set up (beha'alotekha) [the lamps].”

“The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world did not believe that an adversary and enemy would enter the gates of Jerusalem” (Lamentations 4:12).
“The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world.” There were four kings, what this one demanded that one did not demand, and these are: David, Asa, Yehoshafat, and Hezekiah. David said: “I will pursue my enemies and overtake them…” (Psalms 18:38). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘I will do so.’ That is what is written: “David smote them from twilight until the evening of their next day” (I Samuel 30:17). What is “of their next day”? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: For two nights and one day. The Holy One blessed be He would illuminate for him with comets and lightning, as we learned there: Over comets, over earthquakes, and over lightning.³⁰On any of these phenomena one recites the blessing “Whose strength and power fill the world” (Mishna Berakhot 9:2). That is what is written: “For you will illuminate my lamp…” (Psalms 18:29).
Asa arose and said: ‘I do not have the power to kill them, but I will pursue them and You do [the killing].’ He said to him: ‘I will do so,’ as it is stated: “Asa…pursued them…as they were broken before the Lord and before His camp; they carried a great many spoils” (II Chronicles 14:12). “Before Asa” is not written here, but rather, “before the Lord and before His camp.”
Yehoshafat arose and said: ‘I have the power neither to kill nor to pursue; rather, I will recite song and You do so.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘I will do so,’ as it is stated: “At the time that they began with song and praise, [the Lord set ambushes against the children of Amon, Moav, and the highlands of Se'ir]” (II Chronicles 20:22).
Hezekiah arose and said: ‘I have the power neither to kill, nor to pursue, nor to recite song; rather I will sleep in my bed and You do so.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘I will do so,’ as it is stated: “It was on that night that an angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians” (II Kings 19:35).
How many remained of them? Rav said: Ten, as it is stated: “A child will record them” (Isaiah 10:19), as it is typical of a child to write yod.³¹Yod is the smallest letter and its numerical value is ten. Rabbi Elazar says: Six, as it is typical of a child to scratch a line.³²The letter vav is a straight vertical line. Its numerical value is six. Rabbi Yehoshua said: Five, as it is stated: “Two, three berries at the treetop” (Isaiah 17:6).³³The two were Nebuchadnezzar and Nevuzaradan, who were officers, and the three were Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, and his two sons. They were the survivors. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: Nine. That is what is written: “Four, five on its flourishing branches” (Isaiah 17:6).³⁴Four and five are nine. Rabbi Tanḥum ben Ḥanilai said: Fourteen. That is what is written: “Two, three berries at the treetop, four, five on its flourishing branches.”
Both according to statement of these, and according to the statement of those, Nebuchadnezzar was one of them. When the Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Ascend and destroy the Temple,’ he said: ‘He seeks only to eliminate me. He will do to me what he did to my grandfather.’³⁵Nebuchadnezzar is identified as the grandson of Sennacherib. What did he do? He came and encamped at Daphne in Antioch and sent Nevuzaradan, captain of the guard, to destroy Jerusalem. He stayed there three and a half years. Each day he would circle Jerusalem, but was unable to conquer it. Since he was unable to conquer it, he sought to return. The Holy One blessed be He introduced [an idea] into his mind and he began measuring the wall and it was sinking two and a half handbreadths each day until it was completely sunk. Once it completely sunk, the enemies entered Jerusalem. Regarding that moment, it states: “The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world did not believe that an adversary and enemy would enter the gates of Jerusalem.”

(Numb. 8:2:) WHEN YOU SET UP THE LAMPS. This text is related (to Ps. 18:29 [28]): FOR YOU LIGHT UP MY LAMP; <THE LORD MY GOD LIGHTS UP MY DARKNESS>…. Israel said to the Holy One: Sovereign of the World, are you saying that we should give light before you?¹⁴Tanh. Numb. 3:4; Numb. R. 15:5; Exod. R. 36:2. You are the light of the world and the light [dwells] with you, as it is written (in Dan. 2:22): HE REVEALS THE DEEP AND SECRET THINGS, HE KNOWS WHAT IS IN THE DARKNESS, AND THE LIGHT DWELLS WITHIN HIM. Now you are saying (in Numb. 8:2 cont.): LET <THE SEVEN LAMPS GIVE THEIR LIGHT IN FRONT OF THE MENORAH. Ergo (in Ps. 18:29 [28]): FOR YOU LIGHT UP MY LAMP. The Holy One said to them: It is not because I have need of your light. Rather it is so that you may give light to me just as I have given light to you in order to exalt you in the presence of all the nations. Then they say: See how Israel is giving light to the one who gives light to everyone! To what is the matter comparable? To a sighted person and a blind person who were walking on a road. The sighted person said to the blind person: Come and I will support you. So he supported him as he walked. When they entered the city and came into the house, the sighted person said to the blind person: Go out and light this lamp for me in order to give me light. The blind person said to him: When I was on the road you supported me until I entered the house, and you accompanied me. But now you are saying to me: Go out and light this lamp for me in order to give me light! The sighted person said to him: <It was> so that you would not be under obligation to me for accompanying you on the road. I therefore said to you: Light <this lamp> for me. Now the sighted person is the Holy One, as stated (in Zech. 4:10 cf. II Chron. 16:9): <THESE SEVEN> ARE THE EYES OF THE LORD. THEY ROAM AROUND ALL THE EARTH. And the blind person is Israel, as stated (in Is. 59:10): WE GROPE LIKE BLIND PEOPLE ALONG A WALL. Moreover the Holy One was leading them and giving them light, as stated (in Exod. 13:21): AND THE LORD WENT BEFORE THEM BY DAY <IN A PILLAR OF CLOUD TO GUIDE THEM ON THE WAY AND BY NIGHT IN A PILLAR OF FIRE TO GIVE THEM LIGHT>…. When the tabernacle was set up, the Holy One called to Moses and said to him: Tell them to give me light. It is so stated (in Numb. 8:2): SPEAK UNTO the children of Israel <…>: WHEN YOU SET UP <THE LAMPS>…, Israel said to the Holy One (in Ps. 18:29 [28]): FOR YOU LIGHT UP MY LAMP. Now you say that we are to give you light. The Holy one said to them: It was in order to exalt you that I told you to give light to me, just as I had given light to you. It is therefore stated (in Numb. 8:2): WHEN YOU SET UP <THE LAMPS>.

David declared: For Thou dost light my lamp (Ps. 18:29). R. Berechiah BeRabbi⁶A title of honor. said: No eye is able to look at the birth of fire Above, as it is said: And there was brightness to the fire, and out of the fire went forth lightning (Ezek. 1:13). And no eye is able to look at the lightning though it needs light. R. Johanan said: In your eyes there is a white part, through which you are not able to see, and a dark part in the middle of the eye, by means of which one does see. In other words, one sees out of the dark part of the eye and not out of the white part. You are unable to survive by means of the light part of your own eyes (through which you cannot see), yet you desire to survive by means of the light of the Holy One, blessed be He. Why is this so? Your first inclination might lead you to err and say: “He requires your light.” R. Abin the Levite BeRabbi:⁷See above, note 6. You find that when a man constructs windows, he builds them wide on the inside and narrow on the outside. Why? He does this so that the light may spread throughout the house. The windows in the Temple, however, were constructed wide on the outside and narrow within, so that the light of the Temple might spread forth to illumine the world. Therefore He demanded the lamps only for our sake. David said: Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart (Ps. 97:11).

... Teach us, oh master – may one light a lamp for personal use from the Channukah lights? Our masters taught us – R’ Acha said in the name of Rav ‘it is forbidden to light a lamp to use from the Channukah lights, but one may light a Channukah light from a Channukah light.’ From where did they learn that it is permissible to light a Channukah light (from it)? R’ Yaakov ben Aba said, they learned it from the menorah that was in the Holy of Holies, as our rabbis taught that if one found they had gone out, they should be cleaned out and re-lit from those that are still lit. (Tamid 3) If we would relight an extinguished lamp of the menorah, which was placed in the innermost sanctum, from the lamps still burning all the more so it is permissible to light a Channukah light from the lights still burning.’ The Holy One said, just as in this world lamps were lit in the Holy of Holies, so too I will do when I rebuild Jerusalem. From where do we know this? From the words of the prophet “And it shall come to pass on that day, that I will search Jerusalem with candles…” (Tzephaniah 1:12)

5 (Numb. 8:2) “When you set up the lamps”: This text is related (to Ps. 18:29), “For You light up my lamp.” Israel said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, are You saying that we should give light before You?⁶Exod. R. 36:2. [But] You are the light of the world and the light [dwells] with You, as it is written (in Dan. 2:22), ‘[He reveals the deep and secret things, He knows what is in the darkness,] and the light dwells within Him.’ And [now] You are saying (in Numb. 8:2 cont.), ‘[let the seven lamps give their light] in front of the menorah.’” Ergo (in Ps. 18:29, “For You light up my lamp.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “It is not because I need [your light]. Rather it is so that you may give light to Me just as I have given light to you in order to exalt you in the presence of all the nations; so that they will say, ‘See how Israel is giving light to the One who gives light to everyone!’” To what is the matter comparable? To a sighted person and a blind person who were walking on a road. The sighted one said to the blind one, “When we enter into the house, go ahead and light this lamp and make light for me.” The blind one said to him, “In your goodness – when I was on the road, you supported me; until we entered the house you guided me; and now you say to me, ‘Light this lamp and make light for me?’” The sighted one said to him, “So that you do not owe me a favor for my guiding you on the road – hence I said to you, ‘Make light for me.’” Thus this sighted one is the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated (Zachariah 4:10), “the eyes of the Lord, ranging over the whole earth.” And the blind one is Israel, as stated (Isaiah 59:10), “We grope, like blind men along a wall.” The Holy One, blessed be He, was leading them and giving them light, as stated (in Exod. 13:21), “And the Lord went before them by day [in a pillar of cloud to guide them on the way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light].” When the tabernacle was set up, the Holy One, blessed be He, called to Moses and said to him, “Tell them to give Me light.” It is so stated (in Numb. 8:2), “When you set up [the lamps]” - in order to exalt (lehaalot) you.

Zavdi ben Levi began: “The kings of the earth did not believe…” (Lamentations 4:12). There were four kings; what this one demanded that one did not demand, and they are: David, Asa, Yehoshafat, and Hezekiah. David said: “I will pursue my enemies and overtake them…” (Psalms 18:38).¹¹⁶This verse is generally translated “I have pursued my enemies” or “I pursue my enemies.” However, a more literal translation is “I will pursue my enemies” or “let me pursue my enemies,” which is how the midrash understands it here. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘I will do so.’ That is what is written: “David smote them from twilight until the evening of the next day” (I Samuel 30:17). What is “of the next day”? Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: For two nights and one day. The Holy One blessed be He would illuminate for him with comets and lightning, as we learned there: Over comets, over earthquakes, and over lightning.¹¹⁷Mishna Berakhot 9:2. The mishna continues: One recites: Blessed…whose strength and power fill the world. That is what is written: “For You will illuminate my lamp…” (Psalms 18:29).
Asa arose and said: ‘I do not have the power to kill them, but I will pursue them and You do [the killing].’ He said to him: ‘I will do so,’ as it is stated: “Asa…pursued them…[and Kushites were falling…before the Lord and before His camp]” (II Chronicles 14:12); it is not written here, “before Asa,” but rather, “before the Lord and before His camp.”
Yehoshafat arose and said: ‘I have the power neither to kill nor to pursue; rather, I will recite song, and You do so.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘I will do so,’ as it is stated: “At the time that they began with song and praise, [the Lord set ambushes against the children of Amon, Moav, and the highlands of Seir]” (II Chronicles 20:22).
Hezekiah arose and said: ‘I have the power neither to kill, nor to pursue, nor to recite song; rather I will sleep in my bed and You do so.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘I will do so,’ as it is stated: “It was on that night that an angel of the Lord went out and smote in the camp of the Assyrians [one hundred eighty-five thousand]” (II Kings 19:35).
How many remained of them? Rav said: Ten, as it is stated: “A child will record them” (Isaiah 10:19), as it is typical of a child to write a yod.¹¹⁸Yod is the smallest letter and is very easy to write. Its numerical value is ten. Rabbi Elazar says: Six, as it is typical of a child to make a line.¹¹⁹The letter vav is a straight vertical line. Its numerical value is six. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Five, as it is stated: “Two, three berries at the treetop” (Isaiah 17:6).¹²⁰The two are Nebuchadnezzar and Nevuzaradan, who were officers, and the three were Sennacherib, the Assyrian king, and his two sons. They were the survivors (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Simon said: Nine. That is what is written: “Four, five on its flourishing branches” (Isaiah 17:6).¹²¹Four and five are nine. Rabbi Tanḥum ben Ḥanilai said: Fourteen. That is what is written: “Two, three berries at the treetop, four, five on its flourishing branches” (Isaiah 17:6). Both according to the statement of these and according to the statement of those, Nebuchadnezzar was one of them. When the Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Ascend and destroy the Temple,’ he said: He seeks only to eliminate me. He will do to me what he did to my grandfather.¹²²The midrash identifies Nebuchadnezzar as a grandson of Sennacherib, king of Assyria during Hezekiah’s time. Alternatively, the midrash employs the term grandfather in the sense of predecessor. What did he do? He came and encamped at Daphne in Antioch and sent Nevuzaradan, captain of the guard, to destroy Jerusalem. He stayed there three and a half years. Each day he would circle Jerusalem but was unable to conquer it. He sought to return. The Holy One blessed be He introduced into his mind and he began measuring the wall, and it was sinking two and a half handbreadths each day until it was completely sunk. Once it completely sunk, the enemies entered Jerusalem. Regarding that moment, it states: “The kings of the earth and all the inhabitants of the world did not believe that an adversary and enemy would enter the gates of Jerusalem” (Lamentations 4:12). When they sinned they were exiled. When they were exiled, Jeremiah began lamenting over them, eikha.

Another interpretation of "Command the Children of Israel" (Leviticus 24:2): Bar Kapparah opened [his discourse]: "It is You who light my lamp" (Psalms 18:29) - the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Adam, "Your light is in My hands and My light is in your hands." Your light is in My hands, as it is stated (Proverbs 20:27), "The lamp of the Lord is the soul of man"; and My light is in your hands, as it is stated (Leviticus 24:2), "to light a continual lamp." Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "If you light My lamp, I will certainly light your lamp." This is [the understanding of] "Command the Children of Israel" (Leviticus 24:2). This is [the understanding of] that which is written (Song of Songs 7:6), "Your head (roshekha) upon you is like crimson wool (karmel), the locks of your head are like purple" - the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "The poor (rashim) among you are as beloved to Me as Eliyahu, when he went up to [Mount] Carmel." This is [the understanding of] "and Elijah climbed to the top of Mount Carmel, crouched on the ground, and put his face between his knees." And why did he put his face between his knees? He said, "Master of the world, if we do not have any merit, look to the covenant of circumcision." "The locks (dalat) of your head are like purple" (Song of Songs 7:6) - the Holy One, blessed be He, said, "The indigent (dalim) among you are beloved to me like David, as it is stated (Zechariah 12:8), 'and the feeblest of them shall be in that day like David.'" And some say, "Like Daniel, as it is stated (Daniel 5:29), 'they clothed Daniel in purple.'" "A king is held captive in the tresses (rehatim)" (Song of Songs 7:6) - the Holy One, blessed be He, bound Himself with an oath that he has His Divine Presence dwell within the boards (rehitin) of Yaakov our father. In whose merit? Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said, "In the merit of Avraham our father, as it is written (Genesis 30:38), 'And Avraham ran (which in Aramaic is rahat) to the cattle.'" Rabbi Levi said, "In the merit of Yaakov, as it is written (Geneis 30:38), 'The rods that he had peeled he set up in the troughs (rehatim).'" Rabbi Berakhiah said, "'A king is held captive in the tresses'" - that is [referring to] Moshe. For about him is it written (Deuteronomy 33:5), 'And he was a king in Yeshurun'; 'in the tresses (rehatim),' as the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed upon him that he would not enter the land. Because of [what]? Because of the troughs of the Waters of Merivah. This is [the understanding of] that which is written (Numbers 20:13) 'These are the waters of Meribah upon which the Children of Israel quarreled.'" Rabbi Yehudah [said], "They compared this to a parable: To what is this thing similar? To a king that made a decree and said, 'Anyone who plucks and eats fruits of the seventh-year [that are forbidden] will be placed upon the [town] platform.' A women of noble lineage came and plucked and ate from fruits of the seventh-year. [So] they began to place her on the platform. She was [then] yelling out, 'I plead with you, my master the king, hang these unripe figs from my neck so that the creatures do not say, "It appears to us that there is a matter of licentiousness or a matter of sorcery with her." Rather from that which they see the unripe figs on my neck, they will know that I am placed [here] on account of them.' So did Moshe say in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. 'Master of the world, write in Your Torah why I am not entering the Land, so that Israel will not say, "It appears to us that Moshe forged the Torah or said something that he was not commanded."' The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'By your life, I shall write that it was only for the water.'" This is [the understanding of] that which is written (Numbers 27:14), "as you rebelled against My [word] in the Wilderness of Tsin." Rabbi Shimon [said], "They compared this to a parable: To what is this thing similar? To a king, when the king was on the road and his son was with him in a carriage. When they reached a narrow place, the carriage overturned on his son. His eye was blinded, his hand was cut off [and] his foot was broken. When the king would reach that place, he would remember and say, 'His eye was blinded here; his hand was cut off here, his foot was broken here.' So [too] the Holy One, blessed be He, mentions the Waters of Merivah three times in His Torah, meaning to say, 'I killed Moshe here; I killled Aharon here; I killed Miriam here.'" This is [the understanding of] that which is written (Psalms 141: 6), "May their judges slip on the rock, but let my words be heard, for they are sweet." Rav Nachman said, "'A king' - that is [referring to] Moshe, as it is written (Deuteronomy 33:5), 'And he was a king in Yeshurun.' The Holy One, blessed be He, said 'I have appointed you king over Israel. The way of a king is to decree and others observe [his decree]. So [too] shall you decree and Israel observe [it].'" This is [the understanding of] that which is written, "Command the Children of Israel" (Leviticus 24:2).