Midrash su Salmi 78:18

What is written above on the matter (in Exod. 17:8–16)? The downfall of Amalek. Then afterwards (comes Exod. 18:1): NOW JETHRO <PRIEST OF MIDIAN, MOSES' FATHER-IN-LAW>, HEARD <ALL THAT GOD HAD DONE FOR MOSES….> This text is related (to Prov. 19:25): BEAT THE SCOFFER, AND THE SIMPLETON WILL BECOME CLEVER.⁸PRK 3, at the beginning (according to some texts, including S. Buber’s edition; but cf. Wm. G. Braude, who in his translation of Pesikta de-Rab Kahana, p. 39, n. 1, expresses some doubt over whether the passage, which he numbers 3:a-e, belongs to this Pesiqta). (Ibid.:) BEAT THE SCOFFER. This is Amalek. (Ibid., cont.:) AND THE SIMPLETON WILL BECOME CLEVER. This is Jethro. When Amalek fought with Israel, what is written (in Exod. 17:8)? THEN AMALEK CAME AND FOUGHT WITH ISRAEL AT REPHIDIM. What is the meaning of IN REPHIDIM (RPYDYM)? <It is so named> because their hands YDYM had let go (rt.: RPY)⁹In the Hebrew word order, the root rpy immediately precedes YDYM. of the commandments. And how had their hands let go? It is written (in vs. 7): AND THEY CALLED THE NAME OF THE PLACE MASSAH AND MERIBAH¹⁰MASSAH means “a testing,” and MERIBAH means “a contention.” < BECAUSE THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL WERE IN CONTENTION AND BECAUSE THEY TESTED THE LORD, SAYING: IS THE LORD PRESENT AMONG US OR NOT?>¹¹See Sanh. 106a; Bekh. 5b; cf. Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Wayassa‘, 7. He began to cry out: How long will you test me? How long will you contend with me? And Moses also cried out (in Exod. 17:2): WHY DO YOU CONTEND WITH ME? WHY DO YOU TEST THE LORD? And how did they test <him>? R. Judah and R. Nehemiah disagree.¹²Below, Deut. 6:15. R. Judah says: They murmured and said this: If he satisfies us with food [as a king who, when he enters a province where they praise him and honor him, satisfies them with food], we will serve him; but if not, we will not serve him. R. Nehemiah says: Israel said this: If he does what we need for us [as a king who, when he enters a province where they praise him and honor him, does for them everything they need], we will serve him; but if not, we will not serve him. And our masters have said this: They reflected and said: Here we are reflecting in our heart. If he knows what we are reflecting, we will serve him; but if not, we will not serve him. Thus it is stated [(in Exod. 17:7): <THEY TESTED THE LORD, SAYING: > IS THE LORD PRESENT AMONG US <OR NOT>?] R. Berekhyah said: They may have spoken in their heart, but the Holy One granted them their petition, as stated (in Ps. 78:18): THEY TESTED GOD IN THEIR HEART [BY ASKING FOOD FOR THEMSELVES.] What is written (in vs. 29): SO THEY ATE AND WERE VERY FULL. The Holy One said this: You reflected in your heart. By your life I am informing you: Here is Amalek before you, as stated (in Exod. 17:8): THEN AMALEK CAME.

How did they try Him? R. Judah the son of Nehemiah and the sages differed over this. R. Judah held: They deliberated (amongst themselves) and said: If He supplies us with food, then just as a king is praised and honored by the people when he enters a city, because he satisfies all their needs, so we will serve Him, but if He does not do so, we will rebel against Him. Our sages maintained (that they said to each other): Wė will consider this in our hearts, and if He knows what we are thinking, we will serve Him, but if not we will not serve Him, as it is said: Is the Lord among us, or not? (ibid. 7). R. Berechiah said: While they were still reflecting upon the matter, the Holy One, blessed be He, answered them, as it is said: And they tried God in their hearts by asking for food for their craving (Ps. 79:18). But the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You have been asking, Is the Lord among us or not? Be assured, I will let you know. Hence, Then came Amalek.

(Deut. 25:18, cont.:) And he cut off (rt.: znb) all who were lagging behind you. He smote them with a blow to the tail (rt.: znb).⁵¹The word can also denote the penis. See PR 7:3; 12:10, 13; 13:1. And this agrees with what R. Hanina bar Shilqa, said, “What did the House of Amalek do to Israel?⁵²Below, section 14. They cut off their penes and flung them heavenward, as they said, ‘This is what You have chosen, take for Yourself what You have chosen.” As Israel did not know what the nature of spit was, until Amalek came and taught them, as stated (with reference to Ezek. 8:17), “here they were sending the spit in their faces.” From whom did he learn it? From his grandfather Esau, as stated (in Gen. 27:36), “And he said, ‘Is he not (hky) rightly named Jacob?’”⁵³Gen. R. 67:4. He rubbed (rt.: hkk) his throat and brought out the spit. (Deut. 25:18), “All who were lagging behind you.” R. Judah, R. Nehemiah, and the masters [differed]. R. Judah said, “They said, ‘If He is master over all of out deeds, we will serve Him; but if not, we will revolt against Him.’” R. Nehemiah said, “They said, ‘If He furnishes us with our food like a king who is living in the province, such that the province lacks nothing at all, we will serve Him; but if not, we will revolt against Him.’” And the masters said, “They said, “’If we have a thought in our hearts and He knows what we are thinking, we will serve Him; but if not, we will revolt against Him.’” R. Berekhyah said in the name of R. Levi, “In their heart they had a thought, and the Holy One, blessed be He, granted them their request.” And what is the evidence? (Ps. 78:18:) “They tested God in their heart by asking food for themselves.” See what [else] is written there (in vs. 29), “So they ate and were very full.” Another interpretation (of Deut. 25:18), “all who were lagging behind you”: R. Judah, R. Nehemiah and the masters [differ].⁵⁴PRK 3:12; PR 12:13, cont.; PRE 44; Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Exod. 17:8 and Deut. 25:18. R. Judah says, “Whoever was overcome was discarded.” R. Nehemiah says, “Whomever the cloud vomited up was discarded.” And the rabbis say, “It was the tribe of Dan that the cloud vomited up, [as] they all served idols, as stated⁵⁵The reference is to the idol which the Danites took from Micah. See Jud. 17–18. (Deut. 25:18, cont.), ‘when you were tired and weary, and did not fear God.’” [You were] tired from thirst and weary from the road, and you did not fear God.⁵⁶Above, Gen. 7:15; 8:5; 12:13; Tanh., Gen. 12:14; Deut. 6:10, cont.; PRK 3:13; PR 13:4; Gen. R. 73:7; cf. BB 123b. R. Pinhas said in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahman, “It is a transmitted aggada [that] Esau will fall at the hand of the children of Rachel (Joseph and Benjamin), as stated (in Jer. 49:20), ‘Surely the youngest of the flock shall drag them away.’ Why does it call them the youngest of the flock? Because they were the youngest of the tribes.” Hence, Moses said to Joshua (Exod. 17:9), “Choose men for us.” As he was [descended from] Joseph, about whom it is written (Gen. 42:18), “I fear God.” And about Esau, it is written (Deut. 25:18), “and did not fear God.” Youth is written with reference to the one and small is written with reference to the other (i.e., with reference to Esau). Youth is written with reference to the one (in Gen. 37:2), “since he (Joseph) was a youth with the children of Bilhah [and with the children of Zilpah].” And small is written with reference to the other (in Obad. 1:2), “I will surely make you (Edom) smallest among the nations.” The one (Esau) grew up with two who were righteous (i.e., with Isaac and Rebekah) and did not learn from their deeds, while the other grew up with two who were wicked (i.e., Potiphar and Pharaoh) and did not learn from their deeds. The one received the birthright as a result of his good deeds, while the other lost his birthright from his evil deeds. The one supported his brothers, while the other sought to kill his brother. The one fenced himself away from sexual immorality and from the spilling of blood, while the other sullied himself with sexual immorality and the spilling of blood. The one conceded to the revival of the dead, as stated (Gen. 50:24), “God will surely remember you”; while the other denied the revival of the dead, as stated (Gen. 25:32), “Behold, I am going to die.” The one offered his life for his mother’s honor, as stated (Gen. 33:7), “and after, Joseph and Rachel came forward and bowed”; while the other sought to kill his mother, as stated (Amos 1:11), “and he destroyed his uterus.”⁵⁷This is a homiletical translation of the verse, which would otherwise be translated as, AND HE REPRESSED HIS PITY. Therefore, the one (Esau) will fall by the hand of the other (Jospeh). And R. Johanan said, “All of the ministering angels sought to battle with the ministering angel of Esau, but he would not fall by their hand, as he would remove each and every one with a response: To Reuben, he says, ‘You were suspected about your father’s concubine.’ To Simeon and Levi, ‘You also killed [the inhabitants of] Shekhem.’ To the other tribes, ‘You sold your brother and sought to kill him.’ To Judah, ‘You were also suspected about your daughter-in-law, Tamar.’ To Benjamin he said, ‘You were suspected about the concubine in Giveah.’ When the ministering angel of [Joseph] came and battled with him, he immediately fell in front of him, as he had no response to answer him. This is what is written (Obad 1:18), “And the House of Jacob shall be fire, and the House of Joseph flame, and the House of Esau shall be straw.”

[Another interpretation (of Deut. 25:18): ALL WHO WERE LAGGING BEHIND YOU. R. Judah, R. Nehemiah, and the masters <differed>.⁶⁷PR 13:6; cf. Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, Wayassa‘, 7 (end); see also Exod. 17:7; LXX, Exod. 17:7; Targum Onqelos, Exod. 17:7; above, Exod. 5:3. R. Judah said: They said: If he is master over all that happens, as he is ruler over us, we will serve him; but if not, we will not serve him. R. Nehemiah said: They said: If he furnishes us with our food like a king who is living in the province so that the province lacks nothing at all, we will serve him; but if not, we will revolt against him. And the Rabbis said: They said: If we have a thought in our hearts and he knows what we are thinking, we will serve him; but if not, we will revolt against him. R. Berekhyah said [in the name of R. Levi]: In their heart they had a thought, and the Holy One granted them their request. And what is the evidence? (Ps. 78:18:) THEY TESTED GOD IN THEIR HEART <BY ASKING FOOD FOR THEMSELVES>. See what <else> is written there (in vs. 29): SO THEY ATE AND WERE VERY FULL.