Midrash su Salmi 72:5

Another interpretation (of Ps. 36:7 [6]): YOUR RIGHTEOUSNESS IS LIKE THE MIGHTY MOUNTAINS: These are the deeds of the righteous. As the mountains are < clearly > visible, so are the deeds of the righteous < clearly > visible, as stated (in Ps. 72:5): < BECAUSE > THEY FEAR YOU, THEY ARE IN THE SUN. (Ps 36:7 [6], cont.:) YOUR JUDGMENTS ARE LIKE THE GREAT DEEP. These are the deeds of the wicked. As the deep is darkness, so are the works of the wicked, as stated (in Is. 29:15): AND THEIR WORKS ARE IN DARKNESS.

(Deut. 25:19:) “And it shall come to pass when the Lord your God grants you rest [… you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek].” R. Azariah and R. Judah bar Simon said in the name of R. Judah bar Il'ay, “Israel was given three commandments on their entrance to the land:⁵⁸PRK 3:14; PR 12:13; Sanh. 20b (bar.) To appoint a king over themselves, as written (in Deut. 17:15), ‘You shall surely place a king over yourself.’ To build the Temple, as written (in Exod. 25:8), ‘And make Me a sanctuary.’ To cut off the seed of Amalek, as stated (in Deut. 25:19), ‘[…] you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek.’” R. Joshua ben Levi [said] in the name of R. Alexandri, “One text says (in Deut. 25:19), ‘you shall blot out the remembrance of Amalek,’ while another text says (in Exod. 17:14), ‘I will utterly blot out the remembrance of Amalek.’⁵⁹PRK 3:15. How are these two texts to be harmonized? Before [the Amalekites] raised their hands against the [heavenly] throne, ‘you shall blot out.’ When they had raised their hands against the [heavenly] throne, ‘I will blot out.’” Can flesh and blood possibly raise its hand against the throne of the Holy One, blessed be He? It is simply because they destroyed Jerusalem, since it is written (in Jer. 3:17), “For at that time they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord.” It is therefore written (in Exod. 17:14), “I will utterly blot out.” And it is stated (Exod. 17:16), “Because a hand is upon the throne of the Lord, the Lord has a war [with Amalek from generation to generation].” It is taught in the name of R. Il'ay: The Holy One, blessed be He, swore an oath and said, “[By] My right hand, [by] My right hand, [by] My throne, [by] My throne, [I swear that] if gentiles come from any of the peoples, them I will accept; but those from the seed of Amalek I will not accept.”⁶⁰PRK 3:16; PR 12:9; Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, ‘Amaleq, 2. And David also acted in this way, as stated (in II Sam. 1:13), “And David said unto the young man who had told him, ‘Where do you come from?’ Then he said, ‘I am the son of an Amalekite proselyte.’”⁶¹GeR. The word denoted a resident alien in biblical times, but in rabbinic literature the word denotes a proselyte. R. Isaac said, “He was the son of Doeg the Edomite.” (II Sam. 1:16:) “Then David said to him, ‘Your blood be upon your own head […].’” [This is what one reads, but] the written text (ketiv) is “Your bloods,” [meaning] You shed a lot of bloods; you killed [the inhabitants of] Nob, the city of priests .(Exod. 17:16:) “From generation to generation.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “’From generation to generation,’ I am [keeping] after them (i.e., after the Amalekites) for generations of generations.” R. Eliezer, R. Joshua, and R. Jose differ. R. Eliezer says, “From the generation of Moses to the generation of Samuel.” R. Joshua says, “From the generation of Samuel to the generation of Mordecai and Esther.” And R. Jose says, “From the generation of Mordecai and Esther to the generation of the messianic king, which itself equals three generations.” And where is it shown that the generation of the messianic king equals three generations?⁶²See Sanh. 99a. Where it is stated (of the messianic king in Ps. 72:5), “Let them fear You as long as the sun endures and as long as the moon, for a generation and generations.” [The singular] generation equals one, [and the plural] generations equals two, for a total of three. R. Berekhyah said in the name of R. Abba bar Kahana, “As long as the seed of Amalek remains alive in the world, it is as though a wing (kanaf) is hiding the [divine] face.⁶³See Is. 6:2. When the seed of Amalek has passed from the world, (in Is. 30:20), “your Teacher (i.e., the Holy One, blessed be He,) will no longer be hidden (yikanef).” R. Levi says in the name of R. Hama bar Hanina, “As long as the seed of Amalek is in the world, the [divine] name will not be at peace (literally, whole) and the [divine] throne will not be at peace. When the seed of Amalek passes from the world, the throne will be at peace, and the name will be at peace.” What is the evidence? That which is stated (in Ps. 9:7), “The enemy is no more, in everlasting ruins, [and you have uprooted their cities, their very memory has perished].” What is written after that (in vs. 8), “But the Lord sits [enthroned] forever; He has established His throne for judgment.” Ergo, the name is at peace, and the throne is at peace. Amen, and so may it be His will!

R. Simlai lectured: "What does the passage (Am. 5, 18) Woe unto you that long for the day of the Lord, mean? For what do you wish the day of the Lord? It is [one of] darkness and not of light. This might be likened unto a cock and a bat, which were waiting for daybreak. The cock said to the bat, 'I look out for the light, because the light is mine (I see it), but for what purpose do you wait for it?'" Ib. 33) And this is what a Sadducee said to R. Abahu: "When will your Messiah appear?" And he answered: "When your people will be surrounded with darkness." "Art thou trying to curse me?" asked the Sadducee. He answered: "No, it is written so (Isa. 60, 2) For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and a gross darkness the people; but over thee will shine forth the Lord, and His glory will be seen over thee?" We are taught in a Baraitha that R. Elazar says: "Forty years will be the Messianic period, as it is said (Ps. 95, 10) Forty years did I feel loathing on this generation." R. Elazar b. Azaryah says: "Seventy years, as it is said (Is. 23, 15) And it shall come to pass on that day that Tyre shall be forgotten for seventy years, like the days of one king; i.e., who is meant by the one king? The Messiah is meant." Rabbi, however, says: "It will continue for three generations," as it is said (Ps. 72, 5) They shall fear thee, as long as the sun shineth, and in the presence of the moon throughout all generations." R. Hillel, however, says: "Israel has no more Messiah to expect, for they have already enjoyed him in the days of Hezekiah." R. Joseph said: "May the Lord forgive R. Hillel [for his statement] for Hezekiah was there at the time of the first Temple, and Zacharyah, who prophesied at the time of the second Temple, said (Zech. 9, 9) Be exceedingly glad, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, thy king will come unto thee, righteous and victorious, lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a call the foal of a she-ass."

R. Eliezer says: The L rd swears by His throne of glory: If there comes a man of all the nations to be proselytized, he will be accepted; but Amalek and his household will not be accepted, viz. (II Samuel 1:13) "And David asked the youth who told him: Where are you from? And he said: I am the son of an Amalekite convert." David remembered at that time what had been told to Moses our teacher, that if there comes a man of all the nations of the world to be proselytized, he should be accepted, but if he is of the house of Amalek, he should not be accepted, whereupon (II Samuel , Ibid.) "David said to him: Your blood is on your own head, for your mouth testified against you." This is the intent of (Exodus 17:17) "from generation to generation." Variantly: "from generation to generation": R. Yehoshua says: "from generation" — the life of this world: "to generation" — the life of the world to come. R. Eliezer Hamodai says: from the generation of Moses and from the generation of Samuel, (who commanded that revenge be taken of Amalek.) R. Eliezer says: "from the generation of the Messiah" — two generations. And whence is it derived that the generation of the Messiah is two generations? From (Psalms 72:5) "They will fear You (in the time of the Messiah) with the sun and before the moon, generation, generations."

R. Jose said: "O, that my lot fall among those who eat three meals on the Sabbath." Again R. Jose said: "O, that my lot fail among those who finish Hallel every day." Is it so? Has not the master said that he who finished Hallel every day is a scorner and a blasphemer? We mean that one should say it only as reciting the Psalms. Again R. Jose said: "O, that my lot fall among those who pray at dawn and sunset." R. Chiya b. Abba said in the name of R. Jochanan: "It is a meritorious act to pray at dawn and [evening] at sunset." R. Zeira said: "What is the passage for this? It is said (Ps. 72, 5.) They shall fear Thee as long as the sun shineth and in the presence of the moon throughout all generations." Again R. Jose said: "O, that my lot fall among those who die of stomach trouble." Again R. Jose said: "O, that my lot fall among those who die while performing a meritorious act." Again R. Jose said: "O, that my lot fall among those who usher in the Sabbath at Tiberia and dismiss it at Sephori." Again R. Jose said: "O, that my lot fall among those who cause the resumption of study in the house of learning but not among those who cause a cessation of study in the house of learning." Again R. Jose said: "O, that my lot fall among those who solicit charity but not among those who distribute it." Again R. Jose said: "O, that my lot fall among those who are suspected without cause." R. Papa said: "I was once suspected without cause." Again R. Jose said: "I never said a word [about a fellowman] which I repudiated [when confronted by him"]." Again R. Jose said: "I never acted contrary to the words of my colleagues. Although I. know I am not a priest, still when my colleagues had asked me to go upon the platform, I did so." Again R. Jose said: "I never said a thing that I afterwards repented having said it." R. Nachman said: "May it be credited to me, that I fulfilled the obligation of three meals on the Sabbath." And R. Juda said: "May it be credit to me that I fulfilled [the duty of] devotion in my prayers." R. Huna, the son of R. Joshua, said: "May it be credited to me that I never walked four cubits with an uncovered head." R. Shesheth said: "May it be credited to me that I fulfilled the commandment of Tephilin." And R. Nachman said: "May it be credited to me that I fulfilled the commandment of Tzitzith." R. Joseph asked R. Joseph, the son of Rabba, "Which commandment did thy father observe most strictly?" "The commandment of Tzitzith," was his reply; "for, one day when my father was ascending the staircase, a thread of his Tzitzith was torn off, and he did not leave the place until the thread was replaced." Abaye said: "May it be credited to me that whenever I noticed that a young scholar had finished a treatise of the Talmud (Fol. 119a) on that day I gave a banquet for the Rabbis." Raba said: "May it be credited to me that I always respected a learned man; whenever he came before me with a case, I never rested before I examined every possible defence." Mar b. R. Ashi said: "I feel that I am unfitted to judge a learned man because I love him as much as I do myself; and no man. of course, can see himself unjust." R. Chanina was accustomed to wrap himself on the Sabbath eve and arising would say: "Come with me and let us go out to meet Queen Sabbath."

(Exod. 17:16:) FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION. David said: The Holy One said: FROM GENERATION TO GENERATION, and I am <keeping> after them (i.e., after the Amalekites) for generations of generations. R. Eliezer, R. Joshua, and R. Jose differ: R. Eliezer says: From the generation of Moses to the generation of Samuel. R. Joshua says: From the generation of Samuel to the generation of Mordecai and Esther. And R. Jose says: From the generation of Mordecai and Esther to the generation of the Messianic King, which itself equals three generations. And where is it shown that the generation of the Messianic King equals three generations?⁷³See Sanh. 99a. Where it is stated (of the Messianic King in Ps. 72:5): LET THEM FEAR YOU AS LONG AS THE SUN ENDURES AND AS LONG AS THE MOON, A GENERATION AND GENERATIONS. <The singular> GENERATION equals one, <and the plural> GENERATIONS equals two, for a total of three. R. Berekhyah [said] in the name or R. Abba bar Kahana: As long as the seed of Amalek remains alive in the world, it is, as it were, as though a wing is hiding the <divine> face.⁷⁴See Is. 6:2. When the seed of Amalek has passed from the world, the wing is removed, as stated (in Is. 30:20): YOUR TEACHER (i.e., the Holy One) WILL NO LONGER HIDE HIMSELF.

"Reflect upon the years of generation upon generation": This is the generation of the Messiah, which contains three generations, viz. (Psalms 72:5) "They (Israel, in the days of the Messiah) will fear You before the sun and the moon, generation (1) generations (2)."