Midrash su Salmi 78:25

[(Numb. 14:11:) HOW LONG WILL THIS PEOPLE SCORN ME?: This text is related (to Is. 5:4): WHAT ELSE IS THERE TO DO FOR MY VINEYARD THAT I HAVE NOT DONE FOR IT? WHEN I HOPED FOR IT TO PRODUCE GRAPES, WHY DID IT PRODUCE SOUR GRAPES?⁸The beginning of this section is not found in Numb. R. The Holy One said: <Consider> what good things I have created within my world! Did I not make them for you? Yet with the very good that I made for you, you provoked me. I brought you out of Egypt. Then when I came to the sea, I made it as if it were full of clay.⁹Exod. R. 24:1; cf. Tanh., Numb. 4:13. Thus it is stated (in Hab. 3:15): YOU TROD THE SEA WITH YOUR HORSES, THE MORTAR OF MANY WATERS. They walked in it and talked to each other. A certain Reubenite said: Where are we? Do you not know that he has brought us away from clay and bricks and returned us to clay? Thus it is stated (in Exod. 1:14): AND THEY MADE THEIR LIVES BITTER WITH HARD LABOR AT MORTAR AND BRICKS. So similarly (in Hab. 3:15): YOU TROD THE SEA WITH YOUR HORSES, THE MORTAR OF MANY WATERS. The Holy One said to them: Yet with the good that I brought upon you, you provoked me. When they came to the desert, I brought the manna down to you for forty years.¹⁰With this sentence, the text again parallels Numb. R. 16:24. Moreover, none of them had to ease nature for those forty years. Rather when they ate the manna, it <simply> became flesh for them, as stated (in Ps. 78:25, 27) EACH ONE ATE THE BREAD OF THE MIGHTY (rt.: 'BR); [….AND HE RAINED DOWN MEAT UPON THEM LIKE DUST….] When <the manna> became body members (rt.: 'BR) and flesh,¹¹Numb. R. 7:4; Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, Wayassa‘ 4 (on Exod. 16:15); Sifre to Numb. 11:4 (88); Yoma 74b. they provoked him with it. Seeing for themselves that they did not have to go out <to ease nature> like <other> humans, they began saying to each other: Do you not know that we have had twenty days, even thirty [days], without easing nature? What is this? When a person does not ease nature for four or five days, does he not die or burst open? Now as for us, (according to Numb. 21:5), OUR SOUL LOATHES THIS MISERABLE FOOD. Why was it said to be MISERABLE (rt.: QLL)? Because it was light (rt.: QLL) within their bowels.

Our Rabbis have been taught: (Ps. 78, 25) The bread of Abirim did man eat. R. Akiba said: "That means, the bread that angels eat." When this was told to R. Ishmael, he said to them: "Go and tell unto R. Akiba: Thou hast been in error. Do then angels eat bread? Behold it is written (Deut. 9, 9) Bread did I not eat, and water did I not drink?" But how is the passage, bread of Abirim, to be explained? Do not read Abirim (angels), but Ebrim (members); i.e., it was absorbed by all the two hundred and forty-eight members (no refuse was left).

Another interpretation (of Numb. 14:27). By universal custom one buys himself a servant so that his servant will bake bread for him and so that his buyer may eat, but I did not do so. Rather, though you are my servants, I baked for you so that you might eat. It is so stated (in Exod. 16:4): BEHOLD, I WILL RAIN DOWN BREAD FROM THE HEAVENS FOR YOU. And so it says (in Ps. 78:25): EACH ONE ATE THE BREAD OF THE MIGHTY. After all these good things that I did for you, you provoke me. How long shall I endure <you>? (Numb. 14:27:) HOW LONG SHALL THIS EVIL CONGREGATION <BE MURMURING AGAINST ME>?

(Exodus 16:15) "And the children of Israel saw it, and each said to his neighbor 'man hu.'" As one says to his friend "mah hu" ("What is it?") The expounders of metaphors said: Israel called it "man" ("sustenance"), as it is written (Ibid.) "And Moses said to them: This is the 'bread' that the L-d has given to you to eat." (viz. Ibid. 4) R. Yehoshua says: Moses said it to the elders, and the elders, to all of Israel. From here, R. Yossi and R. Shimon say: Israel "stuffed" themselves like horses at that time, it being written here "to eat," and elsewhere (re the manna) (Psalms 78:25) "Each man ate the bread of abirim." Read it not "abirim," but "eivarim" ("limbs") — bread that is absorbed by the limbs. He said to them: This "man" that you are eating is being absorbed by your limbs. (Psalms, Ibid.) "He sent them sustenance to satiety": This refers to Joshua the son of Nun, for whom the manna descended over and against all of Israel. Others say: On his limbs it descended, and from his limbs he took it to eat. Thus, "The bread of abirim was eaten by man ("ish")" (i.e., Joshua, viz. Numbers 27:15)

24 (Numb. 14:11) “Then the Lord said unto Moses, ‘How long will this people scorn Me?’”: This text is related (to Prov. 1:25, 30), “But you have spurned all My plan and would not accept My rebuke [….] they have despised all My rebuke.” What is the implication of “But you have spurned?” Simply that all the good which I planned for you, you have spoiled and spurned. Thus it is stated (in Prov. 1:25), “But you have spurned (rt.: pr') all My plan.” At the beginning (in Exod. 3:8), “I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians.” But you did not act [in the way I intended]. Instead you came to the sea and immediately spoiled My plan, as stated (in Ps. 106:7), “they rebelled at the sea, at the Reed Sea.” I brought down on your behalf thousands upon thousands and myriads upon myriads of angels, and I passed on two angels to each and every person in Israel: One to gird him with his weapons³⁹Gk.: zone (“girdle”). and one to put a crown on his head.⁴⁰See Lam. R. 2:13 (17); Cant. R. 4:4:1 PRK 16:3; PR 21:7; 33:10; M. Ps. 103:8. R. Judah of Sepphoris said, “He bound their weapons to them,” while R. Simoy said, “He clothed them in purple, with the Ineffable Name written upon it. As long as it was in their hand, nothing evil had power against them, neither the angel of death nor anything else.”⁴¹See Exod. R. 32:1; cf. ‘AZ 5a. But when they sinned, Moses had said to them (in Exod. 33:5), “Now then, remove your ornaments (i.e., your weapons).” At that time (according to vs. 4), ‘When the people heard this bad news.” And what is written (in vs. 6)? “So the Children of Israel stripped themselves of ornaments.” What had the Holy One done at the giving of Torah?⁴²See Exod. R. 32:1. He had brought the angel of death and said to him, “All the world is under your authority, except this people whom I have chosen for Myself.” R. Eleazar the Son of R. Jose the Galilean said, “The angel of death said to the Holy One, ‘Have I been created in the world for nothing?’⁴³Exod. R. 27. The Holy One said to him, ‘I created you so that you would destroy the peoples of the world except this people, over whom you have no authority over them.’” Look at the plan which the Holy One had devised concerning them for them to live and endure! Thus it is stated (in Deut. 4:4), “But you who clung to the Lord your God are all alive today.” So also it says (in Exod. 32:16), ‘and the writing was the writing of God inscribed (harut) on the tablets.” What is the meaning of harut? R. Judah says, “Freedom (herut) from the empires”; but R. Nehemiah says, “From the angel of death”; and Rabbi says, “From afflictions.” Look at the plan which the Holy One had devised for them! Then they immediately spoiled this plan [after only] forty days. It is therefore stated (in Prov. 1:25), “But you have spurned all My plan.” The Holy One said to them, “I had said that you would not sin. Instead you would live and endure like Me, just as I live and endure forever and forevermore." (According to Ps. 82:6), “I said, ‘You are masters; even all of you are children of the Most High.’” Like the ministering angels who never die. Yet after this greatness you wanted to die (according to vs. 7), “Indeed you shall die like a human (Adam),” i.e. like the first Adam, to whom I decreed one commandment which he was to do, that he might live and endure forever, as stated (in Gen. 3:22), “Behold, the human (Adam) has become like one of Us.” Similarly also (in Gen. 1:27), “And God created the human (Adam) in His own image”, so that he would live and endure like Himself. Yet he corrupted his works and nullified His decree, and he ate of the tree. Then I said to him (in Gen. 3:19), “For dust you are .” So also in your case (in Ps. 82:6), “I said, ‘You are masters.’” But you corrupted yourselves as did Adam. Surely you shall die like Adam! And who made this happen to them? (According to Prov. 1:25) “But you have spurned all my plan.” The Holy One said, “With the very good that I made for you, you provoked Me. When they came to the desert, I brought the manna down to you for forty years.” Moreover, none of them had to ease nature for those forty years. Rather when they ate the manna, it simply became flesh for them, as stated (in Ps. 78:25) “Each one ate the bread of the mighty (rt.: 'br)”;⁴⁴Numb. R. 7:4; Mekhilta deRabbi Ishmael, Wayassa‘ 4 (on Exod. 16:15); Sifre to Numb. 11:4 (88); Yoma 74b. and they provoked Him with it." They began saying to each other, “Do you not know that we have had several days, without easing nature? And a person who does not ease nature for four or five days, dies; (according to Numb. 21:5), ‘our soul loathes this miserable (rt.: QLL) food.’” Because it was light (rt.: QLL) within their bowels. The Holy One said, “In whatever way I did well for them, in that way they provoked Me.” It is so stated (in Is. 5:4), “What else is there to do for My vineyard.” The spies went and looked at the land. Now you find that wherever Israel goes they are recognized. It is so stated (in Is. 61:9), “all who see them shall recognize them.” However (in the case of the spies), the Holy One said, “If they see them, they will recognize that they are Israelites and they will kill them. So what shall I do?” In the case of each and every province into which the spies entered, the head of a province was afflicted with plague, or its king was smitten with plague, in order that they would be occupied with bringing out their dead and not pay attention to the spies. Thus they would not kill them. Yet by this they provoked Me. When they came to Moses and to Israel, they said, “What is this land?” In every place they entered, they saw dead bodies. “And what is the benefit; (according to Numb. 13:32) ‘it is a land that eats up its inhabitants….’” The Holy One said, “I thought that you would become like the ancestors, [of whom it is written] (in Hos. 9:10), ‘Like grapes in the desert.’ I did not think that you would become like Sodom.” Thus it is stated (in Deut. 32:32), “For their vine is from the vine of Sodom.” (Is. 5:4) “When I hoped for it to produce grapes, why did it produce sour grapes?” It is therefore stated (in Numb. 14:11), “How long will this people scorn me?”

27 Another interpretation (of Numb. 14:27), “How long”: This text is related (to Mal. 1:11), “For from the rising of the sun [even] to where it sets, My name shall be great among the gentiles.” The Holy One said, “The nations of the world honor Me; but as for you, how many miracles have I performed for you? Still you provoke Me. Do you want to know [the facts]? Eglon, king of Moab, was uncircumcised. Then Ehud ben Gera entered where he was; and as soon as he mentioned My name to him, he showed Me honor and rose from his seat,” as stated (in Jud. 3:20), “then Ehud said, ‘I have a word from God for you’; so he arose from his seat.” This was to fulfill what was said (in Mal. 1:11), “For from the rising [of the sun to where it sets my name shall be great among the gentiles].” The Holy One said, “The nations of the world honor Me; and they show Me respect. Yet when you provoke Me, I plead with you. How long do I tolerate you?” (Numb. 14:27) “How long shall this evil congregation?” The Holy One said, “As it were, someone buys himself a servant, so that the servant may take the lantern⁵³Gk.: phanos. and give light to the one who bought him; but I did not do so. Rather, though you are My servants, [as stated] (in Lev. 25:55), ‘For to Me the Children of Israel are servants,’ I have taken the lantern and given light to them.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 14:27): By universal custom one buys himself a servant so that, if he sets out on the road, his slave will go ahead and prepare for him safe and well supplied quarters;⁵⁴Gk.: etoimasia (“preparation”). but I have not done so. Rather, though you are My servants, I prepared quarters for you, as stated (in Numb. 10:33), “and the ark of the covenant of the Lord [traveled ahead of them three days' journey] to seek out a resting place for them.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 14:27): By universal custom one buys himself a servant so that his servant will bake bread for him, but I did not do so. Rather, though you are My servants, I baked for you bread from the heavens.” And so it says (in Ps. 78:25), “Each one ate the bread of the mighty.”

(Exod. 16:14:) [FINE AND FLAKY]. Bar Qappara said: What is the meaning of FLAKY (MHSPS)? Bread which was kept in 248 human members according to the numerical value of MHSPS.⁷⁶Yoma 75b. M is forty, H is eight, S is sixty, P is eighty, <and> S is sixty, for a total of 248, which corresponds to the 248 members in a human being. It is so stated (in Ps. 78:25): EACH ONE ATE THE BREAD OF THE MIGHTY. Do not read: BREAD OF THE MIGHTY ('BYRYM) but: BREAD OF HUMAN MEMBERS ('BRYM). The ministering angels ground up the manna. Then it came down to Israel, and they ate it. Not one of them had to preserve it because it was kept in <one's> members. Ergo (in Ps. 78:25): BREAD OF THE MIGHTY means BREAD OF HUMAN MEMBERS.

(Bamidbar 11:6) "And now, our souls are dry. There is nothing": R. Shimon said: They said: It (the manna) will burst our bowels. Can a mortal ingest and not expel! They said to R. Shimon: And how do you explain (Devarim 23:14) "And you shall have a spade along with your other implements" (to cover your excrement)? He answered: What the Canaanite merchants sold them they expelled, but the manna, never. As it is written (Psalms 78:25) "Man ate the bread of abirim" — (bread) which was absorbed in the eivarim (the limbs). "Only to the manna is our eyes. (7) The manna was (round) like coriander seed, and it looked like crystal.": You think that he who said this ("Only to the manna, etc.") said that ("The manna was round, etc."?) This is not so. Israel said "Only to the manna is our eyes," and the L-rd "pacified" all future generations and said to them: Come and see what they are grumbling to Me about — "The manna was like coriander seed — it looked like crystal!" viz. (Bereshit 2:12) "And the gold of that land is good. There is the crystal and the onyx stone." Similarly, (i.e., another instance of "split referrent") (Ibid. 38:25) "And Judah recognized (them) and said: 'She is right. It is by me'" (that she is with child). And Scripture (and not Judah) states that "he did not live with her again." Similarly, (Devarim 25:18) "and you (Israel) were faint and weary," "and (he, Amalek) did not fear G-d." Similarly, (Judges 5:28) "Why is his (Sisra's) chariot delayed in coming?" — This was stated by Sisra's mother, (29) "The wisest of her ladies answer her, etc." — This was said by his wife and her daughters-in-law. (Ibid.) "She, too, returns her words to her" — there was revealed to her what was said to Devorah by the Holy Spirit — Don't wait any longer for Sisra. (Ibid. 31) "So will all of Your foes go lost, O L-rd." Similarly, (I Samuel 4:8) "Woe to us! Who will save us from the hand of this mighty G-d" — This was stated by the righteous (among them). But the wicked said: "This is the G-d who smote the Egyptians with every plague in the desert." Their intent was: He had only ten plagues (in His arsenal) and He brought them all on the Egyptians — He has no plagues left. The L-rd responded: You say I have no plague left? I will bring upon you a plague the like of which the world has never seen. One of you will be sitting (and defecating) and a mouse will rise from the depths and will scoop out his innards and return to the depths! And thus is it written (Ibid. 5:6) "And the hand of the L-rd was heavy against the Ashdodites … and He struck them with hemorrhoids." Similarly, (Jeremiah 26:16-25) "Then the officers and all the people said to the Cohanim: … This man (Jeremiah) does not deserve to die … And there arose men of the elders of the land and they said to the entire assemblage of the people: Michah the Monashite prophesied … Did Chizkiyahu king of Judah put him to death? …" Until here, the words of the righteous. But the wicked among them said: "There was also a man who prophesied in the name of the L-rd, Uriah the son of Shemayahu … And King Yehoyakim heard … and the king wanted to put him to death…. And King Yehoyakim sent men to Egypt … and they took Uriah out of Egypt …" They said: Just as Uriah was killed, so Jeremiah must be killed. "But Achiram son of Shafan protected Jeremiah not to hand him over to the people to be put to death." Similarly, (Ruth 2:13) "As the L-rd lives, lie (here) until the morning." Because the yetzer hara (the evil inclination) sat and aggrieved him (Boaz) the whole night, saying: You are single and need a wife, and she (Ruth) is single and needs a husband, and you know that a woman is acquired (as a wife) by intercourse — Arise and live with her and let her be your wife — he swore to his yetzer hara "As the L-rd lives," I will not touch her. And to the woman he said: "Lie (here) until the morning." Here, too, "Only to the manna is our eyes." Do you think that he who said this said that ("The manna was like coriander seed, etc.")? (No!) Israel said "Only to the manna is our eyes!" and the L-rd "pacified" and said to them: Come and see about what they are railing against Me: "The manna was like coriander seed and it looked like crystal," viz. (Bereshit 2:12) "The gold of that land is good. There is crystal and the shoham stone."

(Bamidbar 27:16) "Let the L-rd, the G-d of the spirits of all flesh, etc.": Scripture hereby apprises us that all the spirits issue only from Him. R. Eliezer the son of R. Yossi Haglili says: Let this "sign" always be in your hand: that so long as a man is alive his soul is reposited in the hand of its Owner, as it is written (Iyyov 12:10) "… that in His hand is the spirit of all living things. When he dies, it is reposited in the otzar ("the treasury,") as it is written (I Samuel 25:29) "and may the soul of my master be bound up in the bond of life." I might think, (the soul of) both the righteous and the wicked; it is, therefore, written (Ibid.) "and may He sling out the soul of your foes (as) in the hollow of a sling." "a man over the congregation": This is Joshua, as it is written (Psalms 78:25) "the bread of the mighty (i.e., manna) did a man eat." And why did Scripture not specify (that it was Joshua)? So as not to stir up controversy (over the appointment of Joshua) among his sons and the sons of his brother (Aaron, i.e., Elazar and Ithamar.)"