Midrash su Salmi 63:11
יַגִּירֻ֥הוּ עַל־יְדֵי־חָ֑רֶב מְנָ֖ת שֻׁעָלִ֣ים יִהְיֽוּ׃
Saranno scagliati contro il potere della spada; Devono essere una porzione per le volpi.
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
“Catch foxes for us, little foxes that ruin the vineyards, as our vineyards are in bloom” (Song of Songs 2:15).
“Catch foxes for us.” When [God] analogizes the kingdoms, He analogizes them only to fire; that is what is written: “I will direct My attention against them; they have emerged from the fire, but fire will consume them” (Ezekiel 15:7). But when He analogizes the Egyptians, he analogizes them with something that is consumed by fire. That is what is written: “It dwindled and extinguished like flax” (Isaiah 43:17). When He analogizes the kingdoms, He analogizes them only to silver and gold, is that not what is written: “That image, its head was of fine gold” (Daniel 2:32). When He analogizes the Egyptians, He analogizes them only to lead, as it is stated: “They sank like lead” (Exodus 15:10).
When He analogizes the kingdoms, he analogizes them only to cedars, is that not what is written: “Behold, Assyria is a cedar in Lebanon” (Ezekiel 31:3); and it is written: “The tree that you saw that grew [and was strong, whose height reached to heaven]” (Daniel 4:17); and it is written: “I destroyed the Emorite from before them, [whose height was like the height of cedars]” (Amos 2:9). When He analogizes the Egyptians, He analogizes them only to straw, as it is stated: “He will consume them like straw” (Exodus 15:7).
When He analogizes the kingdoms, He analogizes them only to beasts, as it is stated: “Four great beasts arose from the sea, each different from the other” (Daniel 7:3); and it is written: “The first was like a lion” (Daniel 7:4). When He analogizes the Egyptians, He analogizes them only to foxes, as it is stated: “Catch [eḥezu] foxes for us.”135The verse is interpreted by the midrash to mean: “Foxes would catch us.” Thus, the Egyptians are compared to foxes. [The Egyptians] monitored them to cast them into the Nile.
Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon said: The Egyptians were cunning; therefore He likens them to foxes. Just as the fox looks behind itself, so the Egyptians would look to their end and say: ‘How shall we destroy them? [If] we destroy them in fire, is it not already stated: “For the Lord will judge with fire”? (Isaiah 66:16). [If] we destroy them by the sword, is it not written: “And with His sword all flesh”? (Isaiah 66:16). Rather, let us destroy them in water, as the Holy One blessed be He has already taken an oath that He will never again bring a flood to the world, as it is written: “For this is for Me like the waters of Noah; [as I took an oath that the waters of Noah would no longer pass over the earth]”’ (Isaiah 54:9). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘By your lives, I will drag each and every one of you to his own flood,’ as it is stated: “They will be hurled [yagiruhu] to the sword [ḥarev]; they will be a portion for the foxes [shualim]” (Psalms 63:11).“They will be hurled to the sword [ḥarev],” these are the wicked, who will be dragged to the dry seabed.136The midrash interprets the verse to mean: He will entice [yegareh] them with dry land [ḥorev], into the waters of the sea [sha’al yam]. “They will be a portion for the foxes,” let this portion be designated for the foxes.137The Egyptians. Rabbi Berekhya said: The first instance of foxes [shualim] is written full and the second defective;138The first instance is written with a vav, and the second is written without a vav. However, it should be noted that traditionally the text appears with both words missing the vav. the foxes [shualim] will descend to the seabed [shaal yam].139The first appearance of the word includes the vav so that it must be read shualim¸ whereas the second time it does not include the vav so that it may be read shaalim, or sha’al yam.
“Catch foxes for us.” When [God] analogizes the kingdoms, He analogizes them only to fire; that is what is written: “I will direct My attention against them; they have emerged from the fire, but fire will consume them” (Ezekiel 15:7). But when He analogizes the Egyptians, he analogizes them with something that is consumed by fire. That is what is written: “It dwindled and extinguished like flax” (Isaiah 43:17). When He analogizes the kingdoms, He analogizes them only to silver and gold, is that not what is written: “That image, its head was of fine gold” (Daniel 2:32). When He analogizes the Egyptians, He analogizes them only to lead, as it is stated: “They sank like lead” (Exodus 15:10).
When He analogizes the kingdoms, he analogizes them only to cedars, is that not what is written: “Behold, Assyria is a cedar in Lebanon” (Ezekiel 31:3); and it is written: “The tree that you saw that grew [and was strong, whose height reached to heaven]” (Daniel 4:17); and it is written: “I destroyed the Emorite from before them, [whose height was like the height of cedars]” (Amos 2:9). When He analogizes the Egyptians, He analogizes them only to straw, as it is stated: “He will consume them like straw” (Exodus 15:7).
When He analogizes the kingdoms, He analogizes them only to beasts, as it is stated: “Four great beasts arose from the sea, each different from the other” (Daniel 7:3); and it is written: “The first was like a lion” (Daniel 7:4). When He analogizes the Egyptians, He analogizes them only to foxes, as it is stated: “Catch [eḥezu] foxes for us.”135The verse is interpreted by the midrash to mean: “Foxes would catch us.” Thus, the Egyptians are compared to foxes. [The Egyptians] monitored them to cast them into the Nile.
Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon said: The Egyptians were cunning; therefore He likens them to foxes. Just as the fox looks behind itself, so the Egyptians would look to their end and say: ‘How shall we destroy them? [If] we destroy them in fire, is it not already stated: “For the Lord will judge with fire”? (Isaiah 66:16). [If] we destroy them by the sword, is it not written: “And with His sword all flesh”? (Isaiah 66:16). Rather, let us destroy them in water, as the Holy One blessed be He has already taken an oath that He will never again bring a flood to the world, as it is written: “For this is for Me like the waters of Noah; [as I took an oath that the waters of Noah would no longer pass over the earth]”’ (Isaiah 54:9). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘By your lives, I will drag each and every one of you to his own flood,’ as it is stated: “They will be hurled [yagiruhu] to the sword [ḥarev]; they will be a portion for the foxes [shualim]” (Psalms 63:11).“They will be hurled to the sword [ḥarev],” these are the wicked, who will be dragged to the dry seabed.136The midrash interprets the verse to mean: He will entice [yegareh] them with dry land [ḥorev], into the waters of the sea [sha’al yam]. “They will be a portion for the foxes,” let this portion be designated for the foxes.137The Egyptians. Rabbi Berekhya said: The first instance of foxes [shualim] is written full and the second defective;138The first instance is written with a vav, and the second is written without a vav. However, it should be noted that traditionally the text appears with both words missing the vav. the foxes [shualim] will descend to the seabed [shaal yam].139The first appearance of the word includes the vav so that it must be read shualim¸ whereas the second time it does not include the vav so that it may be read shaalim, or sha’al yam.
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Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Exod. 12:31:) AND HE CALLED MOSES AND AARON <IN THE NIGHT>. He (Pharaoh) went <about> calling them during the night in every single street and was saying: Where is Moses, and where does he live?77Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Pisha 13. But the children of Israel were mocking him and saying to him: Where are you going, Pharaoh? When he said to them: I am looking for Moses, they said to him: Here is where he lives. So they mocked him until he stood before him (i.e., Moses). [Pharaoh said to him] (ibid., cont.): ARISE AND GO AWAY FROM AMONG MY PEOPLE. Moses said to him: Are we thieves? The Holy One has said (in Exod. 12:22): NONE OF YOU SHALL GO OUTSIDE THE DOOR OF HIS HOUSE UNTIL MORNING. Pharaoh said to him: Will you please arise <and> leave! Moses said to him: Why are you going to so much trouble? He said to him: Because I am a first-born, and I am afraid I may die. Moses said to him: Do not be afraid of <this> thing. You are destined for something greater than this. Now you are not to say that Pharaoh alone was urging < Israel to leave >; rather all the Egyptians were urging <them to leave>. It is so stated (in Exod. 12:33): AND THE EGYPTIANS PRESSED <THE PEOPLE ON, TO SEND THEM OUT OF THE LAND IN HASTE>…. The Holy One said to them: By your life, none of you shall die here but in the sea. Why did all of them not die from the plague of the first-born, but in the sea? R. Samuel bar Nahman said: <It> was through guile <that> the Egyptians came upon Israel. They said: If we enslave them by fire, their God will be able to bring fire upon us from above just as he brought it upon the Sodomites. He has, however, sworn never again to bring a flood into the world. {By your life,} come and let us enslave them through water. The Holy One said: I have sworn never again to bring a flood into the world. By your life, those people have gone into the flood. It is so stated (in Ps. 63:11 [10]): THEY SHALL BE DRAGGED78Interpreting yaggiruhu as coming from the root GRR instead of from NGR. TO THE POWER OF THE DRYNESS79Interpreting HRB as horev instead of herev. A more usual translation would read: THEY SHALL BE DELIVERED TO THE POWER OF THE SWORD. For interpretation of the verse given here, see Exod. R. 22:1; Cant. R. 2:15:1. (of the sea bed). These people (i.e. these Egyptians) were dragged and went into the sea on their own. (Ibid., cont.:) THEY SHALL BE A PORTION FOR THE FOXES. Solomon said (Cant. 2:15): TAKE US <TO> THE FOXES (ShW'LYM)…. R. Samuel has said: {They saw THE DEPTH OF THE SEA (Sh'L HYM).} [DEPTH OF SEA (Sh'L YM) is written <here>.]
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