Midrash su Salmi 51:78

(Ib. b) We are taught: The sages made a fence to their words [to protect their ordinances], lest a man coming from the field in the evening, would say: "I will go home, eat a little, drink a little, and sleep a while and then I will read Sh'm'a and pray the evening service." In the meantime he will fall asleep and sleep through the whole night without having read the Sh'm'a or prayed. But [in order to prevent this they say:] "A man coming from the field in the evening shall enter the synagogue, and if he be accustomed to read the Scripture, let him do so; or if he be able to study traditional law, let him do that. After this, he should read the Sh'm'a and pray; then he can eat his meal and recite the Aftermeal Benediction. He who transgresses the words of the wise, deserves the penalty of death." Why docs the Baraitha use the expression here that "He who transgresses the words of the wise is worthy of the penalty of death," and not use it in any other place? If you wish, you may say, because here the force of sleep puts him beyond his own control [and if he is not strongly warned against it, he may transgress the command even though he really desires to fulfill it]; and if you please, you may say, because it is the intention [of the Baraitha] to reverse the opinion of those who say that the evening service is only optional it tells us, therefore, [by its warning,] that it is obligatory. The master said [above]: "He reads the Sh'm'a and prays (the evening service)" This is in support of [the view of] R. Jochanan, who was accustomed to say: "Who is sure to have a share in the world to come? He. who, immediately after the benediction of Geula, says the prayer of the Eighteen Benedictions at the evening service." R. Joshua b. Levi said: "The Eighteen Benedictions were ordained to be said in the middle." On what do they base their difference of opinion? If you please, you may say on a Biblical passage, and if you please, you may say on common sense. As to reason, R. Joshua holds that the redemption (of Egypt) commenced on the evening (towards the fifteenth of Nisan) although the real redemption did not take place until the morning, [therefore the Ge-ula which indicates the redemption should be said immediately before the Eighteen Benedictions in the evening also]; but R. Joshua b. Levi holds that as long as the real redemption did not take place until the morning then the redemption of the evening matters little. As to the Biblical passage they differ in the interpretation of the passage. (Deu. 6, 7.) And when thou lieth down, and when thou riseth up, (referred to Sh'm'a) . R. Jochanan holds: "We compare Lying down [at evening] to arising [in the morning] for the reason that just as the reading of the Sh'm'a in the morning comes before the prayer, so, in the evening, the reading of the Sh'm'a comes first also, and then the prayer of the Eighteen Benedictions." R. Joshua holds: "We compare the reading of the Sh'm'a when lying down to the reading of the Sh'm'a when arising, for the reason that just as in the morning the Sh'm'a is read close upon rising so is the Sh'm'a of the evening read just before lying down." The following objection was raised by Mar b. Rabina: "We have learned (in a Mishnah) 'In the evening, he says two benedictions before the Sh'm'a and two after the Sh'm'a.' If the Eighteen Benedictions should be said immediately after Ge-ula, then the Benedictions of Hash-ki-benu, prevents his having the Ge-ula, (the first one after Sh'm'a) closely after the Eighteen Benedictions?" Since the Rabbis ordained that Hash-ki-benu is to be said [between Ge-ula and the Eighteen Benedictions] then it is considered as one long benediction; for if we do not say so, then in the morning how can we say the Eighteen Benedictions immediately after the Ge-ula? Has not R. Jochanan said: "He should first say, O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise (Ps. 51, 17), and then proceed with the Eighteen Benedictions; and at the conclusion he should say. May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before Thee, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer, (Ib. 19, 15)." But since the Rabbis ordained that the passage [O Lord, open my mouth, etc. ] be said, it is considered one long prayer (part of the eighteen benedictions), so in this instance also, since the Rabbis ordained that the Hash-ki-benu be said between Ge-ula and the Eighteen Benedictions, it is considered a part of Ge-ula

Hezekiah said: "A man's prayer is not heard unless he considers himself as soft-hearted as flesh, [but not hard like a rock]; for it is said (Is. 66, 23) And it shall come to pass that from one new moon to the other new moon, and that from one Sabbath to the other Sabbath, should all flesh come to prositorious act in this world, it proceeds him in trate themselves before Me, Saith the Lord." R. Zera said: "Concerning flesh it is written (Lev. 13, 18) It is healed but concerning man the word 'healed' is not written." R. Jochanan said: "The word Adam means Aphar (dust), daam blood, and mass gall; Bossor (flesh) means busha (disgrace), scrucha (smell) and Zima (worms). According to others it means: Busha (disgrace) (grace), and Rima (worms), for it for it is written with a Shin. R. Ashi said: "Everyman who possesses haughtiness will wane in reputation, as it is said (Ib. 14, 56) And for a swelling for a rising and the word S'eth (rising) refers to haughtiness, as it is said (Is. 2, 14) And over all the high mountains (nissa'ah) and over all the exalted hills and sapachas (swelling) refers to nothing else but an ill-considered thing, as it is said (I Sam. 2, 36) And he will say, 'Attach me, (Safcheni) I pray thee, unto one of the priestly officers that I may eat all bread.'" R. Joshua b. Levi said: "Come and see how greatly are the humble-spirited considered before the Holy One, praised be He, for at the time the Temple was in existence if a man brought a burnt-offering sacrifice, he received the reward of a burnt-offering, and if one brought a meal-offering he received the reward of a meal-offering, but a man who who possesses a humble spirit is considered by Scripture as if he had brought all kinds of sacrifices, as it is said (Ps. 51, 19) The sacrifice of God is a broken spirit. And not only this but even his prayer is not rejected, as it is said further A broken and contrite heart, O God wilt Thou not despise."

(Ib. b) We are taught: The sages made a fence to their words [to protect their ordinances], lest a man coming from the field in the evening, would say: "I will go home, eat a little, drink a little, and sleep a while and then I will read Sh'm'a and pray the evening service." In the meantime he will fall asleep and sleep through the whole night without having read the Sh'm'a or prayed. But [in order to prevent this they say:] "A man coming from the field in the evening shall enter the synagogue, and if he be accustomed to read the Scripture, let him do so ; or if he be able to study traditional law, let him do that. After this, he should read the Sh'm'a and pray ; then he can eat his meal and recite the Aftermeal Benediction. He who transgresses the words of the wise, deserves the penalty of death." Why docs the Baraitha use the expression here that "He who transgresses the words of the wise is worthy of the penalty of death," and not use it in any other place? If you wish, you may say, because here the force of sleep puts him beyond his own control [and if he is not strongly warned against it, he may transgress the command even though he really desires to fulfill it] ; and if you please, you may say, because it is the intention [of the Baraitha] to reverse the opinion of those who say that the evening service is only optional it tells us, therefore, [by its warning,] that it is obligatory. The master said [above] : "He reads the Sh'm'a and prays (the evening service)" This is in support of [the view of] R. Jochanan, who was accustomed to say: "Who is sure to have a share in the world to come? He. who, immediately after the benediction of Geula, says the prayer of the Eighteen Benedictions at the evening service." R. Joshua b. Levi said : "The Eighteen Benedictions were ordained to be said in the middle." On what do they base their difference of opinion? If you please, you may say on a Biblical passage, and if you please, you may say on common sense. As to reason, R. Joshua holds that the redemption (of Egypt) commenced on the evening (towards the fifteenth of Nisan) although the real redemption did not take place until the morning, [therefore the Ge-ula which indicates the redemption should be said immediately before the Eighteen Benedictions in the evening also] ; but R. Joshua b. Levi holds that as long as the real redemption did not take place until the morning then the redemption of the evening matters little. As to the Biblical passage they differ in the interpretation of the passage. (Deu. 6:7) And when thou lieth down, and when thou riseth up, (referred to Sh'm'a) . R. Jochanan holds: "We compare Lying down [at evening] to arising [in the morning] for the reason that just as the reading of the Sh'm'a in the morning comes before the prayer, so, in the evening, the reading of the Sh'm'a comes first also, and then the prayer of the Eighteen Benedictions." R. Joshua holds: "We compare the reading of the Sh'm'a when lying down to the reading of the Sh'm'a when arising, for the reason that just as in the morning the Sh'm'a is read close upon rising so is the Sh'm'a of the evening read just before lying down." The following objection was raised by Mar b. Rabina: "We have learned (in a Mishnah) 'In the evening, he says two benedictions before the Sh'm'a and two after the Sh'm'a.' If the Eighteen Benedictions should be said immediately after Ge-ula, then the Benedictions of Hash-ki-benu, prevents his having the Ge-ula, (the first one after Sh'm'a) closely after the Eighteen Benedictions?" Since the Rabbis ordained that Hash-ki-benu is to be said [between Ge-ula and the Eighteen Benedictions] then it is considered as one long benediction ; for if we do not say so, then in the morning how can we say the Eighteen Benedictions immediately after the Ge-ula? Has not R. Jochanan said : "He should first say, O Lord, open Thou my lips, and my mouth shall declare thy praise (Ps. 51:17), and then proceed with the Eighteen Benedictions; and at the conclusion he should say. May the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart be acceptable before Thee, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer, (Ib. 19, 15)." But since the Rabbis ordained that the passage [O Lord, open my mouth, etc. ] be said, it is considered one long prayer (part of the eighteen benedictions), so in this instance also, since the Rabbis ordained that the Hash-ki-benu be said between Ge-ula and the Eighteen Benedictions, it is considered a part of Ge-ula

(Deut. 32, 4) The God of truth, and without iniquity. God of truth, i.e., just as the wicked will be punished in the world hereafter even for the slightest offense which they may commit here on earth, so also are the righteous to be held to account in this world even for the slightest transgression committed; And without iniquity; i.e., just as the righteous will be rewarded in the future world even for the least meritorious act, so also are the wicked rewarded in this world even for the least meritorious act. (Ib.) Just and right in He. They [Our Rabbis] say that when a man dies and comes into the world beyond, all his deeds are laid open before him in detail, and he is told: "So and so hast thou done in that place and on that day." Whereupon he answers: "Yea," and he is told to sign his name, which he signs, as it is said (Job 37, 7) He sealeth it on the hand of every man. And not this alone, but he also acknowledges the justice of the verdict and says: "You have judged me righteously," to justify the passage (Ps. 51, 6) In order that thou mayest he righteous when thou speakest, be justified when thou judgest.

R. Avira, and according to others, R. Joshua b. Levi, expounded: "There are seven names for the evil inclination. The Holy One, praised be He I calls him evil, as it is said (Gen. 8, 21) The imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; Moses calls him obduracy, as it is said (Deut. 10, 17) Remove the obduracy of your heart; and when he says a clean heart, it must be an unclean one. Solomon calls him enemy, as it is said (Prov. 25, 21) If thy enemy be hungry, give him bread to eat, and if he be thirsty, give him water to drink; for though thou gatherest coals of fire upon his head, yet will the Lord repay it unto thee. Do not read Yeshalem L'cha (repay thee), but read it Yashlimenu L'cha (he will make him peaceful toward thee ). Isaiah calls him stumbling block, as it is said (Is. 57, 14) And he will say. Cast ye up, cast ye up, clear out of the way, lift up every stumbling-block out of the way of my people. Ezekiel names him stone, as it is said (Ex. 36, 26) I will remove the heart of stone out of your body. Joel calls him Z'phoni, as it is said (Joel 2, 20) And the host of the (Z'phoni) north will I remove.

(Ib. b) R. Joshua b. Levi said: "He who mortifies his evil inclination [after he has sinned], and confesses before Heaven, is considered by Scripture as if he glorifies the Holy one, praised be He! in both his world and the world to come, as it is written (Ps. 1, 23) Whose offereth thanksgiving, glorifieth Me." R. Joshua b. Levi said further: "When the Temple was in existence, if one brought a burnt-offering he received the reward for a mere burnt-offering; a meal-offering, he was rewarded for a mere meal-offering; but to him who is humble the Lord accounts it as if he had offered all kinds of sacrifices, as it is said (Ib. 51, 9) Sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. Furthermore, his prayer is never despised, as it is said (Ib.) A broken and a contrite heart, O God, will Thou not despise."

Our Rabbis were taught: "The sins for which one has confessed on one Day of Atonement, need not be confessed again on the next Day of Atonement. This is the case if he has not repeated the sin; but in case the sin was repeated, he should repeat the confession also. If, however, without having sinned again, he confessed again, then to him applies the verse (Prov. 26, 11) As a dog returneth to his vomit, so doth a fool repeat his folly." But R. Elazar b. R. Juda says: "So much the more may he be praised, as it is said (Ps. 51, 5) For of my transgressions I have full knowledge, and my sin is before me continually. But, how should the passage. As a dog returneth to his vomit, be explained? This refers to that which R. Huna said (for R. Huna said): "When a man commits a sin and repeats it, it is permitted to him." How can you think so? We must say that he meant: It appears to him permissible.

(Lev. 17:3:) “If any single person from the House of Israel.” This text is related (to Ps. 51:20–21), “Make Zion prosper in Your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall delight in sacrifices of righteousness, burnt offerings, and whole offerings….” To what is the matter comparable? To a rich and noble man, who has no wife. His house was not [really] a house. Why? When the tenants came, he said to them, “Go rest in another place.” Why? Because he had neither house nor wife. He took a wife. He said to them, “Whatever you bring me, from now on bring them up to the house.” Thus all the days before Moses erected the tent of meeting, they offered sacrifices [in] any place, as stated (in Exod. 24:5), “Then he sent youths of the Children of Israel, and they offered burnt offerings….” And so it says (in Exod. 8:23), “Let us go a distance of three days into the wilderness and sacrifice to the Lord our God.” When the tabernacle was raised, the [Holy One, blessed be He,] said to Moses, “From now on you are only permitted to offer sacrifice in the tent of meeting”; and there they offered up the [gift]⁶⁷Gk.: doron. to the Holy One, blessed be He. It is so stated (in Deut. 12:13-14), “Take heed that you do not offer up your burnt offerings in any place that you see. But only in the place that the Lord will choose.” And where did the Holy One, blessed be He, choose? Jerusalem, as stated (in Ps. 132:13), “For the Lord has chosen Zion; He has desired it for His dwelling.” Moses therefore warns Israel, saying (in Lev. 17:3-4), “If any single person from the House of Israel [slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp]…. And does not bring it unto the entrance of the tent of meeting to offer it as a sacrifice… [bloodguilt shall be imputed to that person].“ The Holy One, blessed be He, foresaw that the Temple was going to be destroyed; so the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “As long as the Temple exists, you shall sacrifice within it, [and] there will be atonement for you; but when the Temple does not exist, how will there be atonement for you? Occupy yourselves with the words of Torah, because they are comparable with offerings, and they will atone for you.” Thus it is stated (ibid.), “This is the thing (literally: word).” So also the prophet says (in Hos. 14:3), “Take words with you, and return unto the Lord.” The words of Torah resemble all the offerings. One offers wine as a libation upon the altar, as stated (in Numb. 15:5), “And a quarter hin of wine for a libation”; and Torah resembles wine, as stated (in Prov. 9:5, where wisdom says), “and drink of the wine I have mixed.” One offers bread upon the altar, as stated (in Numb. 28:2), “My offering, My bread for My fire offering; and so it says (in Exod. 25:30), “And you shall set the [show]bread upon the table before Me always”; and Torah resembles bread, as stated (in Prov. 9:5, where wisdom says), “Come and eat of my bread.” One offers oil upon the altar, as stated (in Lev. 2:5), “fine flour mixed with oil”; and Torah resembles oil, as stated (in Eccl. 9:8), “Always let your clothes be white, and let there be no lack of oil upon your head.”⁶⁸Cf. Eccl. R. 9:8:1, which also understands this verse as referring to Torah.

Raba lectured: "What does the passage (Ps. 11, 1) In the Lord have I put my trust; how can ye say to my soul, flee to your mountain as a bird mean? i.e., David said before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the Universe! forgive me this sin so that people shall not say that your mounatin was lost through a bird'." (Fol. 107) Raba lectured: "What is the meaning of the following passage (Ps. 51, 6) Against Thee, Thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in Thy eyes; in order that Thou mayest be justified when Thou speakest, and be in the right when Thou judgest, i.e., David said before the Holy One, praised be He! 'Sovereign of the Universe, it is known and revealed before Thee, that if I had desired to curb my passion, I would have succeeded, but I did not, so that people should not say that the servant conquered his master'." Raba lectured again: "What is the meaning of the passage (Ib. 38, 18) For I am ready to halt, and my pain is continually before me. Bath Sheba was destined for David since the six days of creation; however, she came to him only through infliction." And so also it was taught at the college of R. Ishmael: Bath Sheba, the daughter of Eliam, was destined for David, but he enjoyed her as an unripe fruit. Raba lectured: "What is the meaning of the passage (Ps. 35, 15) But when I halt they rejoice, and gather themselves together; … they tear me, and cease not. Thus said David before the Holy One, praised be He! "Sovereign of the Universe, it is known and revealed before Thee that if they would tear my flesh the blood would not run. Even when they are occupied in the study of Negaim and Ahaloth they say to me: 'David, who is an adulterer, with what kind of a death must he be punished?' And I answered them: 'He is to be hanged; he, however, has a share in the world to come, but he who exposes his fellowmen to shame in public has no share in the world to come'."

R. Dusthai, of the city of Biri, lectured: "Unto what may be likened the system of David's praver? "Unto a peddler who wanted to sell out his stock little by little. He said before the Holy One, praised be He! (Ps. 19,13-15) 'Sovereign of the Universe, who can guard against errors?' And he was answered, 'They will be forgiven.' (Ib.) 'From secrets (faults) do Thou cleanse me.' 'They will be forgiven.' (Ib.) 'Also from presumptuous sins withhold Thy servants.' 'This will [also] be forgiven.' (Ib.) 'Let them not have dominion over me,' i.e., the Rabbis shall not talk about me. 'This will [also] be allowed to you.' (Ib.) 'Then shall I be blameless,' i.e., my sins shall not be written. And he was answered, 'This is impossible, for, if the Yud which I took away from the name of Sarai complained before me several years, until Joshua came and I added it to his name, as it is said (Num. 13, 16) And Moses called Hoshea; the son of Nun, Joshua, how much more [will there be complaints] if I omit a whole portion of the Torah?' (Ps. 19) Clear from any great transgression, i.e., He said before him: 'Sovereign of the Universe, forgive me the whole sin.' And he was answered, 'It is revealed before Me what Solomon, thy son, will say in his wisdom in the future (Pr. 6, 27-30) Can a man take fire in his bosom, and his clothes not be burnt? Or can one walk upon hot coals, and shall his feet not be scorched? So he that goeth in to his neighbor's wife; whosoever touches her shall not go unpunished.' He then exclaimed, 'If so, then I am lost.' And he was answered: 'Accept affliction upon thyself.' Immediately David accepted affliction upon himself." R. Juda said in the name of Rab: "Six months was David afflicted with leprosy; the Shechina left him, and the Sanhedrin separated themselves from him. He was inflicted with leprosy, as it is written (Ps. 51, 9) Purge me [from sin] with hyssop, etc. The Shechina left him, as it is written (Ib., ib., 14) Restore unto me the gladness of Thy salvation. The Sanhedrin separated themselves from him, as it is written (Ib. 119, 79) Let those that fear Thee return unto me and they that know Thy testimonies. That all this lasted fully six months — when do we learn it? From the following passage (I Kings, 2, 11) And the days that David reigned over Israel were forty years; (Ib. b) In Hebron he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah. Hence we see that the six months more [which are counted in II Samuel] are not counted [in I Kings], and this was because the six months in which he was inflicted with leprosy were not counted." (Ps. 86, 17) Display on me a sign for good, etc. Thus said David before the Holy One, praised be He! "Sovereign of the universe, forgive me this sin [of Bath Sheba]." "Thou art forgiven," answered the Lord. David then said to the Lord: "Show me a sign while I live." Whereupon He answered, "During thy life I shall not make it known but during the life of Solomon, thy son, I shall make it known." When Solomon had built the Temple he desired to place the ark in the holy of holies, but the gates had become fastened to each other [and they could not be opened]. Solomon then offered twenty-four prayer-songs but was not answered. He then said the prayer (Ps. 24, 9) Raise your heads, O ye gates, and raise up, ye everlasting doors, and let the King of glory enter. Who is the King of glory, the Lord of Hosts, He is the King of glory, Selah (II Chr. 6, l2). Still he was not answered; but as soon as he said O Lord God, turn not away the face of Thy anointed, remember the pious deeds of David Thy servant, he was immediately answered. At that moment the faces of David's enemies turned black like the bottom of a pot and then it was known to all that the Holy One, praised be He! had forgiven David that sin.

One silver basin represents the Torah which has been likened to wine, as it is stated, "And drink of the wine which I have mingled" (Mishlei 9:5). Now because it is customary to drink wine in a basin – as you may gather from the text, "They who drink wine in basins" (Amos 6:6) – therefore, he brought a basin. Why "of seventy shekels, after the shekel of the sanctuary"? As the numerical value of yayin (wine) is seventy, so there are shivim panim la’Torah (seventy facets/sides of Torah).

Another interpretation: "Command Aharon [...]" (Leviticus 6:2) This is what is written (Psalms 51:20), "With Your will, do good to Zion," and afterwards (Psalms 51:21), "Then You will desire sacrifices of righteousness, a burnt-offering and a whole-offering." That is to say, if Israel does not offer a burnt-offering before the Holy One, blessed be He, Zion and Jerusalem will not be built. As they are only built through the merit of the burnt-offering which Israel would offer before the Holy One, blessed be He. And why is the burnt-offering different, [so that it is] better than all of the other offerings? Because it is called "sacrifices of righteousness," as it is stated, "Then You will desire sacrifices of righteousness, a burnt-offering and a whole-offering." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, "On account of this, the burnt-offering is so beloved to Me. Hence, 'Command Aharon and his sons,' that they be careful with it, to offer it before Me." Why does it state, "This is the law (Torah) of the burnt-offering?" It means to say, the reading of the Torah. See how beloved the reading of the Torah is in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. As there is an obligation upon a man to give all of his money to teach Torah to himself and his sons, as it is stated, "Command Aharon and his sons, saying" - meaning, that they should say it to the Children of Israel, such that they occupy themselves with the reading of the burnt-offering. As even though they [actually] offer a burnt-offering, they would [also] be occupied with its reading, so that they would get merit in the sacrifice and in its reading. And so did Rav Shmuel bar Abba say, "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, 'Even though the Temple is destined to be destroyed in the future and the sacrifices to be nullified, do not [allow] yourselves to forget the order of the sacrifices; but rather be careful to read about them and review them. And if you occupy yourselves with them, I will count it for you as if you were occupied with the sacrifices [themselves].'" And if you want to know [that this is so], come and see that when the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Yechezkel the form of the [Temple], what did He say? "Describe the [Temple] to the House of Israel; let them be ashamed of their iniquities, and measure the plan" (Ezekiel 43:10). Yehezkel [responded] to the Holy One, blessed be He, "Until now, we are put into exile in the land of our enemies; and You say to me to go and inform Israel [about] the form of the [Temple], and 'write [it] in their eyes, and they should preserve its form and all of its statutes [and do them]' (Ezekiel 43:11). And are they able to do [them]? Leave them until they emerge from the exile, and afterwards, I will go and tell them." [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Yechezkel, "And because My children are in exile, the building of My [Temple] should be idle?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Its reading in the Torah is as great as its building. Go and say it to them, and they will occupy themselves to read the form of the [Temple] in the Torah. And in reward for its reading, that they occupy themselves to read about it, I count it for them as if they were occupied with the building of the [Temple]." And fortunate is the man who involves himself in Torah and gives his money to teach Torah to his son. As on account of the money that he gives to teach, he merits life in the world to come, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 30:20), "as it is your life and the length of your days" - your life, in the world to come; and length of your days, in the world that is long. And know that it is so. Rabbi Assia said, "Why do the infants of the master's schoolhouse begin by studying the book of Leviticus? Rather it is because all the sacrifices are written in it; and because [the infants] are pure until now and do not know what is the taste of sin and iniquity. Hence, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Let them begin first with the order of the sacrifices - let the pure ones come and occupy themselves with the acts of purification. Hence I count it for them as if they were standing and offering sacrifices in front of Me.' And He is informing you that even though the Temple is destroyed and sacrifices are not practiced, were it not for the infants that read the order of the sacrifices, the world would not stand." Hence, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "My children, even thought the Temple is destroyed and the sacrifices are annulled and the sacrifice of the burnt-offering is not practiced, if you occupy yourselves and read the section of the burnt-offering and study the section about sacrifices, I count it for you as if you are offering a sacrifice of a burnt-offering in front of Me, as it is stated, 'This is the Torah of a burnt-offering'" - meaning to say, one who occupies himself with the Torah of the burnt-offering merits life in the world to come. What is written above? "A soul that sins and violates a violation of the Lord, and denies against his kinsman, etc." (Leviticus 5:21); and afterwards, "This is the law of the burnt-offering." Isaiah said (Isaiah 61:8), "Since I the Lord love justice, hate theft in a burnt-offering." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Do not say, 'I will steal and extort, and [then I will] bring a burnt-offering and it will atone for me.' As I hate theft, even with a burnt-offering made for the theft. And if the world wants that I should accept a burnt-offering, return the theft to its master; and afterwards, if he bring up a burnt-offering for it, I will accept it, as it is stated, 'Since I the Lord [...] hate theft in a burnt-offering' - hate the burnt-offering when the theft is still in his hand." And one who reads the Torah of the burnt-offering is as if he brings up and offers a burnt-offering in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. And therefore, fortunate is the one teaches himself Torah and gives his money to teach himself and his sons, as it is stated (Leviticus 7:11), "This is the law of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings" (here read as "This is the Torah of the sacrifice of payments"). Israel said in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the world, behold You command us that we bring all of these sacrifices. When the Temple was still in existence, a man that sins brings a sacrifice and it is atoned for him. And so [too], he brings a meal-offering and it is accepted for him. But now that the Temple was destroyed, what can we do about our sins and about our guilt?" [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "If you want that they should be atoned for you, keep My laws, and I will count it for you as if you did a sacrifice in front of Me." And from where [do we know this]? "This is the law (Torah) for the burnt-offering, for the meal-offering, for the sin-offering, for the guilt-offering, for the induction-offerings and for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings" (Leviticus 7:37) - do not read it so, but rather, "This is the Torah; not for the burnt-offering, not for the meal-offering, not for the sin-offering, not for the guilt-offering, not for the induction-offerings and not for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings." Rather, occupy yourselves with Torah, and it will be considered in front of Me, as if you offered all of the sacrifices in front of Me. Hence, David stated (Psalms 119:97), "How much have I loved Your Torah, it is my speech all of the day." Since I know that occupation with Your Torah atones for iniquities - therefore I have loved Your Torah. What is [the understanding of] "upon its burning on the altar all of the night" (Leviticus 6:2)? This is that they would burn the fats and the limbs the whole entire night, and the prayers were instituted corresponding to the sacrifices. Now that we do not have burnt-offerings, nor sacrifices, nor meal-offerings, nor guilt offerings, they instituted them as prayers. And the evening prayer can be brought the whole night, just as we bring limbs and fats the whole entire night. But the forefathers instituted the prayers, and this means to say, its burning is on the altar all of the night. And why was the burning on the altar and not in another place? Rather the verse states (Exodus 20:21), "Make an altar of earth (adamah) for Me" - why of earth? Because man (Adam) was created from the earth, and his name was called Adam, because he was taken from the adamah. And we bring up burnt-offerings and sacrifices on that altar which is made of earth to atone for the body that is taken from the earth. And from where [do we know] that it atones for the soul? As it is written (Leviticus 17:14), "As the soul of all flesh, its blood is in its soul." And it also states (Leviticus 17:11), "as the blood atones for the soul." "And they shall throw the blood on the altar" (Leviticus 1:5) - meaning to say, they shall throw the blood - which is the soul - upon the altar - which is from earth like the body - and it shall atone for the soul. "A permanent fire shall burn upon the altar; you shall not extinguish" (Leviticus 6:6); but it [also] states (Isaiah 66:24), "They shall go out and gaze on the corpses of the men who rebelled against Me, their worms shall not die, nor their fire be extinguished, etc." [That is referring to] those that deny the Omnipresent. But the fire that is permanently burning on the altar atones for the sins of Israel. And what is [the understanding of] "altar" (mizbeach)? [It is an acronym:] Mem is mechilah (pardon), as it pardons their sins; zayin is zechut (merit), as it gives them merit for the world to come; bet is berakha (blessing), as the Holy One, blessed be He, gives them blessing [through it] in the deeds of their hands; chet is chaim (life), as they merit [through it] to life in the world to come. One who leaves all of these - pardon, merit, blessing and life - and goes and worships idolatry, is burned by His great fire, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:24), "As the Lord, your God, is a consuming fire, He is a jealous God." How is He jealous? As it is stated (Hosea 2:22), "And I will betroth you in faith." [Hence,] just as a husband is jealous about his wife, so too is the Holy One, blessed be He, jealous, as it is stated (Isaiah 62:5), "and the joy of the groom towards the bride, etc." One who leaves all these will be burnt by His great fire, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:24), "as their worms shall not die, nor their fire be extinguished, and they will be a disgrace for all flesh." But if he repents, the fire burning on the altar atones for him and expiates the fire of Geihinnom. Moreover, every one of Israel that is circumcised enters the Garden of Eden, since the Holy One, blessed be He, places His name on the Israelite so that he can enter the Garden of Eden. And what is the name and the seal that He places upon them? It is Shaddai (the Omnipotent): The shin He placed in the nose; the dalet in the hand; and the yod in the circumcision. And therefore at the time that an Israelite goes to his final home, there is an appointed angel in the Garden of Eden who takes every son of Israel that is circumcised and brings him to the Garden of Eden. But those that are not circumcised; even though they have two letters of the name of Shaddai - as they have the shin of the nose and the dalet of the hand - they do not have the yod of Shaddai, [and so, the letters they have form] the expression, sheid (demon), meaning to say that a demon brings him to Geihinnom. And an Israelite who is circumcised but worships idolatry [also] goes to enter the Garden of Eden, but the Holy One, blessed be He, commands the angel, such that he pulls his foreskin and makes his foreskin appear as it it were never circumcised, such that he not enter the Garden of Eden but rather Geihinnom. And circumcision is a great thing and beloved in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. And all the creatures of the world - whether people, beasts, animals or crawling things, all of them - fear an Israelite when he is circumcised. And so do you find with Yonah. As he 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. 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 [so] they called 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 they will repent and the Holy One, blessed be He, will [resultantly] send His rage towards Israel. Moreover, Israel will will call me a false prophet" (etc. in Midrash Tanchuma, Vayikra 8). "And the men feared a great fear" (Jonah 1:8) - [this] teaches that fear is greater than wisdom and understanding. As one who has wisdom and understanding, but does not have fear is not anything. As so did King Shlomo, peace be upon him, state (Ecclesiastes 12:13), "At the end of the matter when all is heard; fear God and observe His commandments, as this is all of man."

Another interpretation: "Command Aharon [...]" (Leviticus 6:2) This is what is written (Psalms 51:20), "With Your will, do good to Zion," and afterwards (Psalms 51:21), "Then You will desire sacrifices of righteousness, a burnt-offering and a whole-offering." That is to say, if Israel does not offer a burnt-offering before the Holy One, blessed be He, Zion and Jerusalem will not be built. As they are only built through the merit of the burnt-offering which Israel would offer before the Holy One, blessed be He. And why is the burnt-offering different, [so that it is] better than all of the other offerings? Because it is called "sacrifices of righteousness," as it is stated, "Then You will desire sacrifices of righteousness, a burnt-offering and a whole-offering." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moshe, "On account of this, the burnt-offering is so beloved to Me. Hence, 'Command Aharon and his sons,' that they be careful with it, to offer it before Me." Why does it state, "This is the law (Torah) of the burnt-offering?" It means to say, the reading of the Torah. See how beloved the reading of the Torah is in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. As there is an obligation upon a man to give all of his money to teach Torah to himself and his sons, as it is stated, "Command Aharon and his sons, saying" - meaning, that they should say it to the Children of Israel, such that they occupy themselves with the reading of the burnt-offering. As even though they [actually] offer a burnt-offering, they would [also] be occupied with its reading, so that they would get merit in the sacrifice and in its reading. And so did Rav Shmuel bar Abba say, "The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, 'Even though the Temple is destined to be destroyed in the future and the sacrifices to be nullified, do not [allow] yourselves to forget the order of the sacrifices; but rather be careful to read about them and review them. And if you occupy yourselves with them, I will count it for you as if you were occupied with the sacrifices [themselves].'" And if you want to know [that this is so], come and see that when the Holy One, blessed be He, showed Yechezkel the form of the [Temple], what did He say? "Describe the [Temple] to the House of Israel; let them be ashamed of their iniquities, and measure the plan" (Ezekiel 43:10). Yehezkel [responded] to the Holy One, blessed be He, "Until now, we are put into exile in the land of our enemies; and You say to me to go and inform Israel [about] the form of the [Temple], and 'write [it] in their eyes, and they should preserve its form and all of its statutes [and do them]' (Ezekiel 43:11). And are they able to do [them]? Leave them until they emerge from the exile, and afterwards, I will go and tell them." [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Yechezkel, "And because My children are in exile, the building of My [Temple] should be idle?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Its reading in the Torah is as great as its building. Go and say it to them, and they will occupy themselves to read the form of the [Temple] in the Torah. And in reward for its reading, that they occupy themselves to read about it, I count it for them as if they were occupied with the building of the [Temple]." And fortunate is the man who involves himself in Torah and gives his money to teach Torah to his son. As on account of the money that he gives to teach, he merits life in the world to come, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 30:20), "as it is your life and the length of your days" - your life, in the world to come; and length of your days, in the world that is long. And know that it is so. Rabbi Assia said, "Why do the infants of the master's schoolhouse begin by studying the book of Leviticus? Rather it is because all the sacrifices are written in it; and because [the infants] are pure until now and do not know what is the taste of sin and iniquity. Hence, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Let them begin first with the order of the sacrifices - let the pure ones come and occupy themselves with the acts of purification. Hence I count it for them as if they were standing and offering sacrifices in front of Me.' And He is informing you that even though the Temple is destroyed and sacrifices are not practiced, were it not for the infants that read the order of the sacrifices, the world would not stand." Hence, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, "My children, even thought the Temple is destroyed and the sacrifices are annulled and the sacrifice of the burnt-offering is not practiced, if you occupy yourselves and read the section of the burnt-offering and study the section about sacrifices, I count it for you as if you are offering a sacrifice of a burnt-offering in front of Me, as it is stated, 'This is the Torah of a burnt-offering'" - meaning to say, one who occupies himself with the Torah of the burnt-offering merits life in the world to come. What is written above? "A soul that sins and violates a violation of the Lord, and denies against his kinsman, etc." (Leviticus 5:21); and afterwards, "This is the law of the burnt-offering." Isaiah said (Isaiah 61:8), "Since I the Lord love justice, hate theft in a burnt-offering." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "Do not say, 'I will steal and extort, and [then I will] bring a burnt-offering and it will atone for me.' As I hate theft, even with a burnt-offering made for the theft. And if the world wants that I should accept a burnt-offering, return the theft to its master; and afterwards, if he bring up a burnt-offering for it, I will accept it, as it is stated, 'Since I the Lord [...] hate theft in a burnt-offering' - hate the burnt-offering when the theft is still in his hand." And one who reads the Torah of the burnt-offering is as if he brings up and offers a burnt-offering in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. And therefore, fortunate is the one teaches himself Torah and gives his money to teach himself and his sons, as it is stated (Leviticus 7:11), "This is the law of the sacrifice of the peace-offerings" (here read as "This is the Torah of the sacrifice of payments"). Israel said in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the world, behold You command us that we bring all of these sacrifices. When the Temple was still in existence, a man that sins brings a sacrifice and it is atoned for him. And so [too], he brings a meal-offering and it is accepted for him. But now that the Temple was destroyed, what can we do about our sins and about our guilt?" [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "If you want that they should be atoned for you, keep My laws, and I will count it for you as if you did a sacrifice in front of Me." And from where [do we know this]? "This is the law (Torah) for the burnt-offering, for the meal-offering, for the sin-offering, for the guilt-offering, for the induction-offerings and for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings" (Leviticus 7:37) - do not read it so, but rather, "This is the Torah; not for the burnt-offering, not for the meal-offering, not for the sin-offering, not for the guilt-offering, not for the induction-offerings and not for the sacrifice of the peace-offerings." Rather, occupy yourselves with Torah, and it will be considered in front of Me, as if you offered all of the sacrifices in front of Me. Hence, David stated (Psalms 119:97), "How much have I loved Your Torah, it is my speech all of the day." Since I know that occupation with Your Torah atones for iniquities - therefore I have loved Your Torah. What is [the understanding of] "upon its burning on the altar all of the night" (Leviticus 6:2)? This is that they would burn the fats and the limbs the whole entire night, and the prayers were instituted corresponding to the sacrifices. Now that we do not have burnt-offerings, nor sacrifices, nor meal-offerings, nor guilt offerings, they instituted them as prayers. And the evening prayer can be brought the whole night, just as we bring limbs and fats the whole entire night. But the forefathers instituted the prayers, and this means to say, its burning is on the altar all of the night. And why was the burning on the altar and not in another place? Rather the verse states (Exodus 20:21), "Make an altar of earth (adamah) for Me" - why of earth? Because man (Adam) was created from the earth, and his name was called Adam, because he was taken from the adamah. And we bring up burnt-offerings and sacrifices on that altar which is made of earth to atone for the body that is taken from the earth. And from where [do we know] that it atones for the soul? As it is written (Leviticus 17:14), "As the soul of all flesh, its blood is in its soul." And it also states (Leviticus 17:11), "as the blood atones for the soul." "And they shall throw the blood on the altar" (Leviticus 1:5) - meaning to say, they shall throw the blood - which is the soul - upon the altar - which is from earth like the body - and it shall atone for the soul. "A permanent fire shall burn upon the altar; you shall not extinguish" (Leviticus 6:6); but it [also] states (Isaiah 66:24), "They shall go out and gaze on the corpses of the men who rebelled against Me, their worms shall not die, nor their fire be extinguished, etc." [That is referring to] those that deny the Omnipresent. But the fire that is permanently burning on the altar atones for the sins of Israel. And what is [the understanding of] "altar" (mizbeach)? [It is an acronym:] Mem is mechilah (pardon), as it pardons their sins; zayin is zechut (merit), as it gives them merit for the world to come; bet is berakha (blessing), as the Holy One, blessed be He, gives them blessing [through it] in the deeds of their hands; chet is chaim (life), as they merit [through it] to life in the world to come. One who leaves all of these - pardon, merit, blessing and life - and goes and worships idolatry, is burned by His great fire, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 4:24), "As the Lord, your God, is a consuming fire, He is a jealous God." How is He jealous? As it is stated (Hosea 2:22), "And I will betroth you in faith." [Hence,] just as a husband is jealous about his wife, so too is the Holy One, blessed be He, jealous, as it is stated (Isaiah 62:5), "and the joy of the groom towards the bride, etc." One who leaves all these will be burnt by His great fire, as it is stated (Isaiah 66:24), "as their worms shall not die, nor their fire be extinguished, and they will be a disgrace for all flesh." But if he repents, the fire burning on the altar atones for him and expiates the fire of Geihinnom. Moreover, every one of Israel that is circumcised enters the Garden of Eden, since the Holy One, blessed be He, places His name on the Israelite so that he can enter the Garden of Eden. And what is the name and the seal that He places upon them? It is Shaddai (the Omnipotent): The shin He placed in the nose; the dalet in the hand; and the yod in the circumcision. And therefore at the time that an Israelite goes to his final home, there is an appointed angel in the Garden of Eden who takes every son of Israel that is circumcised and brings him to the Garden of Eden. But those that are not circumcised; even though they have two letters of the name of Shaddai - as they have the shin of the nose and the dalet of the hand - they do not have the yod of Shaddai, [and so, the letters they have form] the expression, sheid (demon), meaning to say that a demon brings him to Geihinnom. And an Israelite who is circumcised but worships idolatry [also] goes to enter the Garden of Eden, but the Holy One, blessed be He, commands the angel, such that he pulls his foreskin and makes his foreskin appear as it it were never circumcised, such that he not enter the Garden of Eden but rather Geihinnom. And circumcision is a great thing and beloved in front of the Holy One, blessed be He. And all the creatures of the world - whether people, beasts, animals or crawling things, all of them - fear an Israelite when he is circumcised. And so do you find with Yonah. As he 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. 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 [so] they called 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 they will repent and the Holy One, blessed be He, will [resultantly] send His rage towards Israel. Moreover, Israel will will call me a false prophet" (etc. in Midrash Tanchuma, Vayikra 8). "And the men feared a great fear" (Jonah 1:8) - [this] teaches that fear is greater than wisdom and understanding. As one who has wisdom and understanding, but does not have fear is not anything. As so did King Shlomo, peace be upon him, state (Ecclesiastes 12:13), "At the end of the matter when all is heard; fear God and observe His commandments, as this is all of man."

(Numb. 7:1), “So it came to pass on the day that Moses had finished.” This text is related (to Ps. 51:20–21), “Make Zion prosper in Your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall delight in sacrifices of righteousness, burnt offerings, and whole offerings […].” [You will do so] because in this world they offered [only] a trifle. [It is so stated (in Numb. 7:12),] “And the one who offered his sacrifice on the first day [was Nahshon ben Amminadab of the tribe of Judah].” What did he offer as his sacrifice (according to Numb. 7:13–17)? “One silver bowl […]; one ladle […]; one bull […]; one he-goat […]; and for the peace offering, two oxen, five rams, five he-goats […].” [Here was all of the sacrifice.] There is a parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had set out on the road.⁸⁶Lev. R. 7:2. When they brought him a meal befitting the road and befitting the inn,⁸⁷Gk.: pandokeion. the king said to them, “Are you honoring me like this? Are you treating me like this? Am I not a king? Do I not rule the world?” They said to him, “Our lord king, on the road we render according to the road and bring in [food] for you according to the inn. However, let us enter the capital city. Then when you enter your palace,⁸⁸Palterin. Cf. Lat.: praetorium; Gk.: praitorion; also Lat.: palatium. you shall see how we will honor you.” Similarly when the Tabernacle was erected, the princes offered him a gift,⁸⁹Gk.: doron. one ladle, one bull, one ram, one lamb, one he-goat. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “Is that [fitting for] My glory?” They said to him, “Master of the universe, it is in the desert that we are giving you [our gift], and the offerings before You are in keeping with the desert; however, when we enter Your palace, You shall see how many bulls we offer You.” Thus it is stated (in Ps. 51:20–21), “Make Zion prosper in Your good pleasure; rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. Then you shall delight in sacrifices of righteousness, burnt offerings, and whole offerings […].” And not [merely] one bull. So you find this [to have happened] when Solomon built the Temple and wanted to offer sacrifice for the Temple dedication; look at what is written there (in I Kings 8:63 // II Chron. 7:5)! “Solomon sacrificed twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep as peace offerings, which he sacrificed to the Lord.” And likewise in the days of Ezra, what is written there (in Ezra 6:17)? “They offered at the dedication of this house of God one hundred bulls, two hundred rams, four hundred lambs […].” Ergo (in Ps. 51:20 [18]), “Make Zion prosper in your good pleasure….”

[Another interpretation (of Lev. 17:3): IF ANY SINGLE PERSON FROM THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL. This text is related (to Ps. 51:20–21 [18–19]): MAKE ZION PROSPER IN YOUR GOOD PLEASURE; REBUILD THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM. THEN YOU SHALL DELIGHT IN SACRIFICES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, BURNT OFFERINGS, AND WHOLE OFFERINGS….⁸⁰Tanh., Lev. 6:10. To what is the matter comparable? To a rich and noble bachelor, who has no wife. His house was not < really > a house. Why? When the tenants came, he said to them: Go to the store. Why? Because he had neither house nor wife. He took a wife. He said to them: Whatever you bring me, from now on bring them up to the house. Thus all the days before Moses erected the tent of meeting, they offered sacrifices {from} [in] any place, as stated (in Exod. 24:5): THEN HE SENT YOUTHS OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND THEY OFFERED BURNT OFFERINGS…. And so it says (in Exod. 8:23): LET US GO A DISTANCE OF THREE DAYS INTO THE WILDERNESS AND SACRIFICE TO THE LORD OUR GOD. When the Tabernacle was raised, the [Holy One] said to Moses: From now on you are only permitted to offer sacrifice in the Tent of Meeting; and there they offered up the {gifts} [gift]⁸¹Gk.: doron. to the Holy One. It is so stated (in Deut. 12:13–14): TAKE HEED THAT YOU DO NOT OFFER UP YOUR BURNT OFFERINGS [IN ANY PLACE THAT YOU SEE], BUT ONLY IN THE PLACE THAT THE LORD WILL CHOOSE [WITHIN ONE OF YOUR TRIBES. THERE SHALL YOU OFFER UP YOUR BURNT OFFERINGS]. And where did the Holy One choose? Jerusalem, as stated (in Ps. 132:13): FOR THE LORD HAS CHOSEN ZION; [HE HAS DESIRED IT FOR HIS DWELLING]. Moses therefore warns Israel, saying (in Lev. 17:3–4): IF ANY SINGLE PERSON FROM THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL < SLAUGHTERS AN OX, A LAMB, OR A GOAT IN THE CAMP >…, AND DOES NOT BRING IT UNTO THE ENTRANCE OF THE TENT OF MEETING TO OFFER IT AS A SACRIFICE…, < BLOODGUILT SHALL BE IMPUTED TO THAT PERSON >.

“I have spoken with my heart, saying: Behold, I have amassed and added wisdom, beyond all who were before me over Jerusalem; my heart has seen much wisdom and knowledge” (Ecclesiastes 1:16).
“I have spoken with my heart” – the hearts sees, as it is stated: “My heart has seen much.” The heart hears, as it is stated; “Give your servant an understanding [shome’a]¹²⁰Literally, hearing. heart” (I Kings 3:9). The heart speaks, as it is stated: “I have spoken with my heart.” The heart goes, as it is stated: “Didn’t my heart go?” (II Kings 5:26). The heart falls, as it is stated: “Let no man’s heart fall” (I Samuel 17:32). The heart stands, as it is stated: “Will your heart endure [haya’amod]”¹²¹Literally, stand. (Ezekiel 22:14). The heart rejoices, as it is stated: “Therefore, my heart rejoices” (Psalms 16:9). The heart cries out, as it is stated: Their heart cried out to the Lord” (Lamentations 2:18). The heart is consoled, as it is stated: “Speak to the heart of Jerusalem” (Isaiah 40:2).¹²²This verse is preceded by: “Console, console My people, says your God.” The heart grieves, as it is stated: “Your heart shall not be grieved” (Deuteronomy 15:10). The heart hardens, as it is stated: “The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (Exodus 9:12). The heart softens [mitrakekh], as it is stated: “Let your heart not be faint” (Deuteronomy 20:3). The heart is saddened, as it is stated: “He was saddened in His heart” (Genesis 6:6). The heart fears, as it is stated: “From the fear of your heart” (Deuteronomy 28:67). The heart breaks, as it is stated: “A broken and contrite heart” (Psalms 51:19). The heart becomes conceited, as it is stated: “Your heart will grow haughty” (Deuteronomy 8:14). The heart is recalcitrant, as it is stated: “But this people had a revolting and rebellious heart” (Jeremiah 5:23). The heart fabricates, as it is stated: “The month that he fabricated from his heart” (I Kings 12:33). The heart contemplates,¹²³Matters of stupidity as it is stated: “[I will have peace] though I walk in the stubbornness of my heart” (Deuteronomy 29:18). The heart overflows, as it is stated: “My heart overflows with goodly matter” (Psalms 45:2). The heart calculates [meḥashev], as it is stated: “Many are the thoughts [maḥshavot] in the heart of man” (Proverbs 19:21). The heart desires, as it is stated: “The desire of his heart You have granted him” (Psalms 21:3). The heart deviates, as it is stated: “Let your heart not turn aside to her ways” (Proverbs 7:25). The heart strays, as it is stated: “You shall not follow after your heart…[after which you stray]” (Numbers 15:39). The heart is sustained, as it is stated: “And sustain your heart” (Genesis 18:5). The heart is stolen, as it is stated: “Jacob stole the heart of Laban” (Genesis 31:20). The heart is humbled, as it is stated: “Perhaps then their hearts will be humbled” (Leviticus 26:41). The heart is enticed, as it is stated: “He spoke soothingly¹²⁴Literally, “to the heart.” Shekhem was speaking to Dina and attempting to entice her to marry him. to the young woman” (Genesis 34:3). The heart goes astray, as it is stated: “My heart has gone astray” (Isaiah 21:4). The heart trembles, as it is stated: “For his heart was trembling” (I Samuel 4:13). The heart awakens, as it is stated: “I am asleep but my heart is awake” (Song of Songs 5:2). The heart loves, as it is stated: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:5). The heart hates, as it is stated: “Do not hate your brother in your heart” (Leviticus 19:17). The heart envies, as it is stated: “Let your heart not envy…” (Proverbs 23:17). The heart is searched, as it is stated: “I the Lord search the heart…” (Jeremiah 17:10). The heart is rent, as it is stated: “Rend your heart and not your garments” (Joel 2:13). The heart meditates, as it is stated: “The meditation of my heart will be understanding” (Psalms 49:4). The heart is like fire, as it is stated: “My heart will be like fire” (Jeremiah 20:9). The heart is like stone, as it is stated: “I will remove the heart of stone” (Ezekiel 36:26). The heart repents, as it is stated: “Who returned to the Lord with all his heart” (II Kings 23:25). The heart is incensed, as it is stated: “For his heart is incensed” (Deuteronomy 19:6). The heart dies, as it is stated: “His heart died within him” (I Samuel 25:37). The heart melts, as it is stated “The heart of the people melted” (Joshua 7:5). The heart absorbs matters, as it is stated: “These matters that I command you today shall be upon your heart” (Deuteronomy 6:6). The heart absorbs fear, as it is stated: “I will place My fear in their hearts” (Jeremiah 32:40). The heart thanks, as it is stated: “I will thank my Lord with all my heart” (Psalms 111:1). The heart covets, as it is stated: “Do not covet her beauty in your heart” (Proverbs 6:25). The heart is toughened, as it is stated: “And one who toughens his heart” (Proverbs 28:14). The heart becomes merry, as it is stated: “It was when their hearts were merry” (Judges 16:25). The heart deceives, as it is stated: “Deceit is in the heart of those who devise evil” (Proverbs 12:20). The heart speaks from within, as it is stated: “Hannah was speaking in her heart” (I Samuel 1:13). The heart loves a bribe, as it is stated: “Your eyes and your heart [are only on your ill-gotten gain]” (Jeremiah 22:17). The heart writes matters, as it is stated: “Write them on the tablet of your heart” (Proverbs 3:3). The heart devises, as it is stated: “Duplicity is in his heart, he devises evil” (Proverbs 6:14). The heart absorbs mitzvot, as it is stated: “The wise of heart will grasp mitzvot (Proverbs 10:8). The heart acts with malice, as it is stated: “The malice of your heart deceived you” (Obadiah 1:3). The heart arranges, as it is stated: “To a person are the arrangements of the heart” (Proverbs 16:1). The heart glorifies, as it is stated: “Your heart has glorified you” (II Chronicles 25:19). That is, “I have spoken with my heart, saying: Behold, I have amassed…”

(Ibid.) "And Moses entered into the mist": This (his closeness to the L rd) was a function of his humility, viz. (Numbers 12:3) "And the man Moses was extremely humble, etc." Scripture hereby apprises us that if one is (truly) humble, in the end, he will cause the Shechinah to repose upon a man upon the earth, viz. (Isaiah 57:15) "For thus said the High and Exalted, who abides forever and whose name is holy (… I dwell with the oppressed and with the lowly of spirit, etc."), and (Ibid. 61:1) "The spirit of the L rd G d is upon me, for the L rd has anointed me to bring tidings to the humble, etc.", and (Ibid. 66;2) "And all of these things My hand created (… but it is to this that I look, to the poor and broken-spirited, etc."), and (Psalms 51:19) "The sacrifices of G d are a broken spirit. A heart broken and oppressed, G d will not despise." And all who are haughty of heart cause the land to be defiled and the Shechinah to depart, as it is written (Ibid. 101:5) "The haughty of eyes and the broad of heart, him will I not abide." And all the haughty of heart are called "abomination," as it is written (Mishlei 16:5) "The abomination of the L rd are all the haughty of heart." And idolatry is called "abomination," as it is written (Devarim 7:26) "And you shall not bring an abomination into your house." Just as idolatry defiles the land and causes the Shechinah to depart, so do all the haughty of heart. "And Moses entered into the mist": within the three partitions: darkness, cloud, and mist. Darkness, the outermost; cloud, within; mist, the innermost. As it is written "And Moses entered into the mist, where G d was.

Another interpretation (of Numb. 7:1): SO IT CAME TO PASS ON THE DAY THAT <MOSES> HAD FINISHED. This text is related (to Ps. 51:20–21 [18–19]): MAKE ZION PROSPER IN YOUR GOOD PLEASURE; <REBUILD THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM>. [THEN YOU SHALL DELIGHT IN SACRIFICES OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, <BURNT OFFERINGS, AND WHOLE OFFERINGS>….] <You will do so> because in this world they offered <only> a trifle.¹⁰²Tanh., Numb. 2:15. It is so stated (in Numb. 7:12): AND THE ONE WHO OFFERED HIS SACRIFICE ON THE FIRST DAY <WAS NAHSHON BEN AMMINADAB OF THE TRIBE OF JUDAH>. What did he offer as his sacrifice (According to Numb. 7:13–17)? One silver bowl, one ladle, one bull, one ram, one lamb, one he-goat, and for the peace offering, two oxen. Here was all of the sacrifice.¹⁰³The list omits the rest of the peace offering, i.e., five rams, five he-goats, and five yearling lambs. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had set out on the road.¹⁰⁴Lev. R. 7:2. When they brought him a meal befitting the road and befitting the inn,¹⁰⁵Gk.: pandokeion. the king said to them: Are you honoring me like this? Are you treating me like this? Am I not a king? And am I not a temporal ruler? They said to him: Our Lord King, on the road we render according to the road and bring in <food> for you according to the inn. However, let us enter the capital city. Then when you enter your palace,¹⁰⁶Palterin. Cf. Lat.: praetorium; Gk.: praitorion; also Lat.: palatium. you shall see how we will honor you. Similarly when the Tabernacle was erected, the princes offered him a gift:¹⁰⁷Gk.: doron. one ladle, one bull, one ram, one lamb, one he-goat. The Holy One said to them: Is that <fitting for> my glory? They said to him: Sovereign of the Universe, it is in the desert that we are giving you <our gift>,and the offerings before you are in keeping with the desert; however, when we enter your palace, you shall see how many bulls we offer you. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 51:20–21 [18–19]): MAKE <ZION> PROSPER IN YOUR GOOD PLEASURE; <REBUILD THE WALLS OF JERUSALEM>…. THEN WILL <BULLS> BE OFFERED UPON YOUR ALTAR, and not <merely> one bull. So you find this <to have happened the time of> Solomon. [When he built] the Temple <and> wanted to offer sacrifice for the temple dedication, look at what is written there (in I Kings 8:63 // II Chron. 7:5)! SOLOMON SACRIFICED TWENTY-TWO THOUSAND OXEN AND A HUNDRED AND TWENTY THOUSAND SHEEP AS PEACE OFFERINGS, WHICH HE SACRIFICED TO THE LORD. And likewise in the days of Ezra, what is written there (in Ezra 6:17)? THEY OFFERED AT THE DEDICATION OF THIS HOUSE OF GOD ONE HUNDRED BULLS, TWO HUNDRED RAMS, FOUR HUNDRED LAMBS…. Ergo (in Ps. 51:20 [18]): MAKE ZION PROSPER IN YOUR GOOD PLEASURE….

And when Nathan the Prophet came and rebuked David for that act, he said (Ibid. 13) "I have sinned to the L-rd," and (Psalms 51:3) "Be gracious (chaneini) to me, O G-d, according to Your lovingkindness … (6) To You alone have I sinned and what is evil in Your eyes have I done."

(Numb. 7:48:) “On the seventh day it was the prince of the Children of Ephraim.” This text is related (to Ps. 60:9), “Gilead is Mine and Manasseh is Mine; Ephraim also is My chief stronghold; Judah is My scepter.” Resh Laqish said, “If the idolaters should say to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not enliven the dead, say to them, ‘See here, Elijah bears witness that I enlivened the dead through his hand.’¹¹⁰Cf. Numb. R. 14:1. Ergo (in Ps. 60:9), ‘Gilead is mine,’ as Elijah was of the inhabitants of Gilead. (Ibid., cont.:) ‘And Manasseh is Mine.’ If they should say to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not receive repentant sinners, say to them, ‘See here, Manasseh bears witness that I received him through repentance, since it is stated (in II Chron. 33:13), “When he (i.e., Manasseh) prayed unto him, He (i.e., the Holy One, blessed be He,) granted his request, heard his [entreaty,] and restored him to Jerusalem and to his kingdom […].”’ Ergo (in Ps. 60:9), ‘and Manasseh is Mine.’ (Ibid., cont.:) ‘Ephraim also is My chief stronghold.’ And if they say to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not attend to (pqd) barren women, say to them, ‘See here, Elkanah of Mount Ephraim bears witness that I attended to (pqd) his wife Hannah, as stated (in I Sam. 2:21), “For the Lord visited (pqd) hannah; [so she conceived and bore three sons and two daughters].”’ (Ibid., cont.:) ‘Judah is my scepter.’ If they say to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not rescue from the fire, say to them, ‘See here, Hananiah and his friends bear witness that I rescued them from the fire, as stated (in Dan. 1:6), “Now among those from the Children of Judah were Daniel, Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah.”’ Ergo (in Ps. 60:9), ‘Judah is my scepter.’” Another interpretation (of Ps. 60:9), “Gilead is Mine”: If someone says to you, “Why did Elijah build an altar up on Mount Carmel and sacrifice on it, when the Temple existed at that time? For Moses has said (in Lev. 17:3–4), ‘If any single person from the house of Israel slaughters [an ox, a lamb or a goat in the camp]…, And does not bring it unto the entrance of the tent of meeting [to offer a sacrifice to the Lord before the Tabernacle of the Lord, blood guilt shall be imputed to that person],’” say to him, “Everything that Elijah did, he did for the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and by divine command.¹¹¹yTa‘an. 2:8 (65d); Lev. R. 22:9. It is so stated (in I Kings 18:36), ‘And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the oblation (minhah), the prophet Elijah drew near and said […, and that I have done all these things at Your bidding].’” Ergo (in Ps. 60:9), “Gilead is Mine.” (Ibid., cont.:) “And Manasseh is Mine.” If someone says to you, “Why did Gideon sacrifice in a high place (bamah); see here, it was forbidden because there was Shiloh in existence?” [In answer to this question,] R. Abba bar Lahana said, “Gideon did seven [unlawful] things:¹¹²yMeg. 1:14 (or 12) (72c); Zev. 14:6; M. Sam. 13; see Tem. 28b-29a. (1) He sacrificed a bull which had been worshipped, (2) a bull which had been set aside (for idolatry), (3) he built an altar, (4) he cut wood [for it] from the asherah, (5) he sacrificed at night, (6) without the high priest, and (7) he was among idol-serving priests. Yet whatever he did, he did by divine command. It is so stated (in Jud. 6:25-26), ‘And it came to pass during that night that the Lord said to him, “Take the bull ox that belongs to your father […]”’” Ergo (in Ps. 60:9), “and Manasseh is Mine.” (Ibid., cont.:) “Judah is my scepter.” If someone says to you, “See here, David transgressed against a negative commandment,”¹¹³Buber, n. 147, suggests that the allusion is to the Bathsheba incident (II Sam. 11). This interpretation is suggested by citation of Ps. 51:15 which follows, since according to the introduction of this Psalm, David wrote it when Nathan came to him to condemn him for the Bathsheba affair. Cf. also Numb. R. 14:1, which alludes in this context to David building an altar and offering sacrifices on a high place (II Sam. 24:18-25 // I Chron. 21:18-26). the Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Say to him, ‘David taught the penitents, like a scribe teaching children.’” It is so stated (in Ps. 51:15), “Let me teach transgressors your ways and the sinners shall return unto You.” Ergo (in Ps. 60:9), “Judah is My scepter. (Ibid.:) “Ephraim also is My chief stronghold.” If someone says to you, “Why did Joshua profane the Sabbath in Jericho,” say to him, “He acted on divine command.” It is so stated (in Joshua 6:2), “Then the Lord said unto Joshua, ‘See, I have given Jericho into your hand […].’” It is also written (in vss. 3-4), “So you shall go around the city […]; thus shall you do for six days. And seven priests […]; but on the seventh day you shall go around the city seven times, [and the priests shall blow on the shofars].’” And how is it shown that it was on the Sabbath? In that there are never seven days without a Sabbath.¹¹⁴See yShab. 1:3 or 8 (4ab); Gen. R. 14:10; Seder Olam Rabbah 11. Ergo, “Ephraim also is My chief stronghold.” Now Joshua did yet another thing on his own initiative, which was not told to him. When Jericho was conquered, it was Sabbath. He said, “All of the Sabbath is holy, so whatever we conquer on the Sabbath will be holy to the Lord, as stated (in Josh. 6:19), “But all the silver and gold, and vessels of bronze and iron, are holy to the Lord […].” R. Berekhyah the Priest Berabbi said, “He treated it like a city condemned (for idolatry), and in the case of a city condemned (for idolatry) it is forbidden [to derive] benefit [from it]. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 13:17), ‘and you shall burn with fire the city with all its plunder, wholly for the Lord your God.’” R. Judah bar Shallum the Levite said, “[Joshua] taught Israel what the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel (in Numb. 15:20), ‘You shall set aside the first of your dough [as a hallah offering].’ Joshua said, ‘In as much as we conquered it first, we shall dedicate all its booty to the most high.’ The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘In as much as you have done so, see, your offering is supporting your tribe and overriding the Sabbath.’ Thus it is stated (in Numb. 7:48), ‘On the seventh day it was the prince of the Children of Ephraim (who made the offering).’” This text is related (to Eccl. 8:4–5), “For a king's word is supreme […]. Whoever observes a commandment shall not know anything evil.” And so it says (in II Sam. 23:3), “The God of Israel has spoken; the Rock of Israel has said to me, ‘One who governs over a person, who governs righteously the fear of God.” And who is the one who governs over his [evil] drive.¹¹⁵See above, Gen. 5:6. One who does the will of the Omnipresent. And who is this? This was Joseph, the father of [Ephraim], the father of the father of Joshua ben Nun. What is written about him (in Gen. 39:7–8)? “And it came to pass after these things that his master's wife cast her eyes upon Joseph […]. But he refused […].” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You did not heed her. By your life, I am making you king over Egypt. Then they all shall obey you, as stated (in Gen. 41:55), “then Pharaoh said to all Egypt, ‘Go unto Joseph.’” It also says (in vs. 40), “You shall be over my house,” and the children of my palace¹¹⁶Lat.: praetorium; Gk.: praitorion. shall do nothing without your consent. So it says (in Gen. 42:6), “Now Joseph was the governor over the land.” Because he governed his [evil] drive, he became governor over the land. (Gen. 39:2:) “And he was a successful man. It was only necessary to say "righteous man." Why is “successful man,” written? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to [Joseph], “You achieved what the first Adam did not achieve.”¹¹⁷I.e., unlike Adam, Joseph resisted temptation and overcame his evil drive. Successful (rt.: tslh) simply means achievement. Thus it is stated (in II Sam. 19:18), “and they crossed (rt.: tslh) the Jordan ahead of the king.”¹¹⁸The context is the successful return of King David to Jerusalem after his forces had achieved the defeat of Absalom. Cf. also Gen. R. 86:4. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “No sacrifice by an individual overrides the Sabbath; yet by your life, the sacrifice by your son (Ephraim) will override the Sabbath, because of the good work (mitswah) that you did (in resisting temptation).” Ergo (in Numb. 7:48), “On the seventh day it was the prince of the Children of Ephraim, Elishama ben Ammihud.” R. Azariah said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, [i.e.] to Joseph, ‘You have kept the commandment (mitswah) (from Exod. 20:13 = Deut. 5:17), of “You shall not commit adultery.” So you have fulfilled the Torah before I gave it. By your life, no tribe shall come between your two sons with a sacrifice. Instead (according to Numb. 7:48) Ephraim [shall bring an offering] on the seventh day; and (according to Numb. 7:54) Manasseh, on the eighth day.’” R. Meir and R. Joshua ben Qorhah were interpreting the names, “Elishama [means], he (Joseph) heeded (shama') my God (Eli), and he did not heed his mistress. Ben Ammihud (‘MYHWD) means, His glory (HWDW) was with me (‘MY) and not with another. Similarly also in the case of (Numb. 7:54), Gamaliel ben Pedahzur [prince of the Children of Manasseh, means that] Joseph said, God (El) has recompensed (gamal) my people with a good recompense (gemulim).’ Ben pedahzur (pdhtswr) means, the Rock (tswr) redeemed (pdh) me from my distress of the prison. And so is it written (according to Ps. 18:21), ‘The Lord rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the purity of my hands…’” R. Samuel bar Abba said, “What is the meaning of ‘according to the purity of my hands?’ According to the purity of my hands, because I was pure through good works.”¹¹⁹yTa’an. 3:12 (or 10) (67a). (Ps. 18:21:) “The Lord rewarded me.” How? When someone is poor, he trusts in the Holy One, blessed be He; but when he [becomes] wealthy, he trusts in his wealth and has no fear of [God]. However, when Joseph was a slave, he feared the Lord. When his mistress enticed him with words, he said to her (in Gen. 39:9), “then how shall I do this great evil and sin against God?” Also when he became king he added [to his] fear [of the Holy One, blessed be He], as stated (in Gen. 42:18), “And Joseph said to them on the third day, ‘Do this and live, for I fear God.’” And when his brothers came down to him a second time (according to Gen. 43:16), “When Joseph saw Benjamin with them, [he said… ‘Slaughter and prepare (wehakhen) an animal, for the men will eat with me at noon].’”¹²⁰Because this verse uses the word, wehakhen, and because the same word also occurs in Exod. 16:5, it is assumed that the conditions of Exod. 16:5 apply here to Gen. 43:16. Now surely it is not customary for kings to prepare [food] one day ahead for the next. R. Johanan said, “It was the Sabbath, as stated (in Gen 42:16, ‘and prepare.’ And prepare only means [preparation for] the Sabbath, as stated (in Exod. 16:5), ‘And it shall come to pass on the sixth day, that when they prepare.’”¹²¹Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, Beshallah, 1; Numb. R. 14:2; TDER 24 (or 26), p. 131. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You have kept the Sabbath before it was given. By your life, I will have the son of your son offer [his sacrifice] on the Sabbath day, as stated (in Numb. 7:48), “On the seventh day it was the prince of the Children of Ephraim.”

... one who kills a person/nefesh . . . it is as if he removed the icons of the king, and he is sentenced and has no life, for the human is created in the d’mut of the ministering angels

Another interpretation (of Ps. 60:9 [7]): GILEAD IS MINE. Suppose someone says to you: Why did Elijah build an altar up on Mount Carmel and sacrifice on it, when the Temple existed at that time? For Moses has said (in Lev. 17:3–4): IF ANY SINGLE PERSON FROM THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL SLAUGHTERS AN OX, A LAMB <OR A GOAT IN THE CAMP> …, AND DOES NOT BRING IT UNTO THE ENTRANCE OF THE TENT OF MEETING [TO OFFER A SACRIFICE TO THE LORD BEFORE THE TABERNACLE OF THE LORD, BLOOD GUILT SHALL BE IMPUTED TO THAT PERSON ….: Say to him: What Elijah did, he did for the name of the Holy One and by divine command.¹³¹yTa‘an. 2:8 (65d); Lev. R. 22:9. It is so stated (in I Kings 18:36): AND IT CAME TO PASS (ABOUT) [AT] THE TIME OF THE OFFERING OF THE OBLATION (minhah), [THE PROPHET ELIJAH DREW NEAR <AND SAID> …, AND THAT I HAVE DONE ALL THESE THINGS AT YOUR BIDDING]. Ergo (in Ps. 60:9 [7]): GILEAD IS MINE. (Ibid., cont.:) AND MANASSEH IS MINE. Suppose someone says to you: See here, Gideon sacrificed in a high place, and it was forbidden because here was Shiloh in existence. Now R. Abba bar Kahana said: Gideon did seven <unlawful> things:¹³²yMeg. 1:14 (or 12) (72c); Zev. 14:6; M. Sam. 13; see Tem. 28b-29a. (1) He sacrificed a bull which had been worshipped, (2) a bull which had been set aside (for idolatry), (3) He built an altar, (4) he cut wood <for it> from the Asherah, (5) he sacrificed at night, (6) without a priest, and (7) he was among idol-serving priests; yet whatever he did, he did by divine command. It is so stated (in Jud. 6:25): AND IT CAME TO PASS DURING THAT NIGHT THAT THE LORD SAID TO HIM: TAKE THE BULL OX <THAT BELONGS TO YOUR FATHER> [….: Ergo (in Ps. 60:9 [7]): [GILEAD] IS MINE. [(Ibid., cont.:) AND] MANASSEH [IS MINE]. (Ibid., cont.:) [JUDAH IS MY SCEPTER.] Suppose someone says to you: See here, David transgressed against <something> you should not do.¹³³Buber, n. 147, suggests that the allusion is to the Bathsheba incident (II Sam. 11). This interpretation is suggested by citation of Ps. 51:15 [13] which follows, since according to the introduction of this Psalm, David wrote it when Nathan came to him to condemn him for the Bathsheba affair. Cf. also Numb. R. 14:1, which alludes in this context to David building an altar and offering sacrifices on a high place (II Sam. 24:18-25 // I Chron. 21:18-26). The Holy One said: Teach the tribes¹³⁴Cf. the parallel in Tanh., Numb. 2:28: “Say to him: David taught the tribes….”. like a scribe teaching children. It is so stated (in Ps. 51:15 [13]): LET ME TEACH TRANSGRESSORS YOUR WAYS AND THE SINNERS SHALL RETURN UNTO YOU. Ergo (in Ps. 60:9 [7]): JUDAH IS MY SCEPTER. (Ibid.:) EPHRAIM ALSO IS MY CHIEF STRONGHOLD. If someone says to you: Why did Joshua profane the Sabbath in Jericho, say to him: He acted on divine command. It is so stated (in Joshua 6:2): THEN THE LORD SAID UNTO JOSHUA: SEE, I HAVE GIVEN JERICHO INTO YOUR HAND. It is also written (in vss. 3–4): SO YOU SHALL GO AROUND THE CITY…. THUS SHALL YOU DO FOR SIX DAYS WITH SEVEN PRIESTS…. BUT ON THE SEVENTH DAY YOU SHALL GO AROUND THE CITY SEVEN TIMES, AND THE PRIESTS SHALL BLOW ON THE SHOPHARS. And how is it shown that it was on the Sabbath? In that there are never seven days without a Sabbath.¹³⁵See yShab. 1:3 or 8 (4ab); Gen. R. 14:10; Seder Olam Rabbah 11. Now Joshua did yet another thing with <divine> concent, which is not told about him. When Jericho was conquered, it was Sabbath. He said: All of the Sabbath is holy, so whatever we conquer on the Sabbath will be holy to the Lord, as stated (in Josh. 6:19): BUT ALL THE SILVER AND GOLD, AND {ALL} [VESSELS OF] BRONZE AND IRON, ARE HOLY TO THE LORD…. R. Berekhyah the Priest [Berabbi] said: He treated it like a city condemned (for idolatry), and in the case of a city condemned (for idolatry) it is forbidden <to derive> benefit <from it>. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 13:17 [16]): AND YOU SHALL BURN WITH FIRE THE CITY {AND} [WITH] ALL ITS PLUNDER AS A WHOLE BURNT OFFERING TO THE LORD YOUR GOD. R. Judah bar Shallum the Levite said. <Joshua> taught Israel what the Holy One said to Israel (in Numb. 15:20): [YOU SHALL SET ASIDE] THE FIRST OF YOUR DOUGH [AS A HALLAH OFFERING.] Joshua said: In as much as we conquered it first, we shall make it a hallah to the Holy One. We shall dedicate all its booty to the Most High. The Holy One said: In as much as you have done so, see, your offering is supporting your tribe and overriding the Sabbath. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 7:48): ON THE SEVENTH DAY IT WAS THE PRINCE OF THE CHILDREN OF EPHRAIM (who made the offering).

Another comment on write thee (Exod. 34:27). Scripture states elsewhere: Let them be thine only, and not a stranger’s with thee (Prov. 5:17). What does this verse refer to? When they made the golden calf, Moses prayed until the Holy One, blessed be He, became reconciled with them. Moses cried out: My Master, restore the law to them just as David proclaimed: Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation (Ps. 51:14). However, the Holy One, blessed be He, responded: How can I return it to them, when only yesterday they said at Sinai: All that the Lord hath spoken we will do (Exod. 24:17), and now, in the very place in which they committed themselves (to observe the law), they debased themselves, as it is said: They made a calf in Horeb (Ps. 106:19)? Despite all the miracles and wonders that I performed in their behalf in Egypt and at the Red Sea, and even though they beheld My Glory at Sinai, where myriads of angels descended and crowned them, as it is said: A beautiful crown upon thy head (Exod. 16:12), they erected a calf at Horeb. Indeed, within the blinking of an eye they forgot Me.

"For You, You alone, have I sinned . . . That You may be justified when You speak" (Ps. 51:6). To whom may David be compared? To a man who broke a limb, and came to a doctor. The doctor marveled and said: "How great is thy break! I am much distressed on your account." The man with the broken limb said: "Art you distressed on my account? Was not my limb broken for your sake, since the fee is to be yours?" Just so David said to the Holy One, blessed be He: For You, You only, have I sinned: If You receive me, then if You say to transgressors "Why haven't you repented?" all transgressors will submit to You, for all of them will behold me [David], and I shall surely bear witness that You receive the penitent. Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Behold, I have given him [David] for a witness to the peoples (Isa. 55:4). And God gave as a witness not only me, David, but all Israel, since it is said You are My witnesses, said the Lord, and My servant whom 1 have chosen (Isaiah 43:10).

"For You, You alone, have I sinned . . . That You may be justified when You speak" (Ps. 51:6). To whom may David be compared? To a man who broke a limb, and came to a doctor. The doctor marveled and said: "How great is thy break! I am much distressed on your account." The man with the broken limb said: "Art you distressed on my account? Was not my limb broken for your sake, since the fee is to be yours?" Just so David said to the Holy One, blessed be He: For You, You only, have I sinned: If You receive me, then if You say to transgressors "Why haven't you repented?" all transgressors will submit to You, for all of them will behold me [David], and I shall surely bear witness that You receive the penitent. Hence the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Behold, I have given him [David] for a witness to the peoples (Isa. 55:4). And God gave as a witness not only me, David, but all Israel, since it is said You are My witnesses, said the Lord, and My servant whom 1 have chosen (Isaiah 43:10).

"Righteous and just is He." He (the man) vindicates His judgment (of him), saying: "Correctly did You judge me," viz. (Psalms 51:6) "So that You are (found) righteous in Your words, vindicated in Your judgments."