Midrash su Salmi 2:1

And these are the names of the Sons of Israel that came into Egypt with Yaakov, every man came with his household – There it is written (Mishlei 13, 24): “He who spares the rod hates his son; but he who loves him disciplines him in his youth.” Ordinarily in the world, if a person says to his friend: “So-and-so hit your son”, he would be ready to reduce his livelihood. And why is it taught “ He who spares the rod hates his son”?! In order to teach you, that anyone who refrains from disciplining his son in the end causes him to fall into evil ways and will hate him. This is what we have found with Yishmael, who behaved wickedly on Avraham his father but did not rebuke him, with the result that he fell into evil ways and he hated him and he left from his house with nothing. What did Yishmael do when he was fifteen years old? He started to bring idols from the market and he would play with them and worship them as he had seen others do, immediately (Bereishit 21, 9) “And Sarah saw the son of the Egyptian Hagar that she had given birth for Avraham was fooling around etc…” And there is no fooling except for idol worship, like that it says (Shemot 32,6): And they rose up to fool around. Immediately (Bereishit 21,10): And she said to Avraham , Send out this maid-servant and her son, perhaps my son will learn from him. Immediately, (Bereishit 21,11) And this thing was very bad in the eyes of Avraham etc...on account of his son because he had become evil. (Bereshit 21,12) And G-d said to Avraham, do not let it be evil in your eyes etc... From here you can learn, that Avraham was secondary to Sarah in prophecy, following on, (Bereishit 21,14): And Avraham got up in the morning and he took bread and a bottle of water, to teach you, that he hated Yishmael because of his evil ways, and sent him and his mother Hagar empty-handed and expelled them from his house because of this. Do you really think that Avraham, of whom it is written (Bereishit 13,2): And Avraham was very rich in cattle etc... that he would send his wife and his son from his house empty-handed, without clothes or means of a livelihood?! Rather, this is to teach you, since he turned evil, he stopped thinking about him. What was his end? After he had been expelled, he sat at the cross-roads and was a bandit, as it says (Bereishit 16,12): And he was a wild man. And similar to this (Bereishit 25,28): And Yitzchak loved Esav, therefore he turned to evil ways, because he was not rebuked, like we were taught: Five transgressions the evil Esav transgressed on that day: He seduced an engaged lady, and killed a man, denied resurrection, and rejected the fundamentals of religion and spurned his birthright, that he desired the death of his father, and sought to kill his brother, as it says (Bereishit 27,41):May the days of mourning for my father be brought close etc.. And he forced Ya'acov to flee from his father. And he even went with Yishmael, to learn from his evil ways and to add to his wives, as it says (Bereshit 28,9): And Esav went to Yishmael. Similarly with David, that he did not rebuke or chastise his son Avshalom, he turned to evil ways and sought to kill his father, and he lay with concubines, and becoming the cause if his wandering, bare-footed and crying, and many thousands and myriads of Israelites were slaughtered, and he caused much suffering upon them which did not end. As it is written (Psalms 3,1): A song of David, when he fled from Avshalom his son, just as it was written after (Psalms 3,2) How great in number have my enemies become etc. And cultural evil is harsher on one's home than the war of Gog and Magog, for regarding the war of Gog and Magog it says: (Tehilim 2:1) "Why do the nations stir?" and later it is written: (Tehilim 3:2) "God, how many my enemies are!" And similarly David behaved with Adoniyah, he did not beat him in punishment, and did not get angry at him, and therefore he left to cultural evil, as is written: (Kings 1 1:6) "And his father never scolded him...and she bore him after Avshalom." Wasn't Avshalom the son of Maacha, while Adoniyahu was the son of Chagit? What does it mean, "she bore him after Avshalom"? Instead- since he [Avshalom] left to cultural evil, and his father never beat him, and it is written about Adoniyahu "his father never scolded him," he too left to cultural evil, and therefore it is written: "and she bore him after Avshalom." (Proverbs 13:24) "But he who loves him disciplines him in his youth" refers to the Holy Blessed One, who loves Israel, as it is written (Malachi 1:2) "I have loved you, says God," who increases their suffering. One can find three good gifts that the Holy Blessed One gave to Israel, and they were each given only by means of suffering: the Torah, the Land of Israel, and life in the World to Come. The Torah, as it is written: (Psalms 94:12) "How lucky is the man who You discipline, God, and to whom You teach Your Torah." The Land of Israel, as it is written: (Deuteronomy 8:5) "Bear in mind that the LORD your God disciplines you just as a man disciplines his son." What is written next? (Deuteronomy 8:7) "For the LORD your God is bringing you into a good land..." The World to Come, as it is written: (Proverbs 6:23) "For the commandment is a lamp, the teaching is a light, and the way to life is the rebuke that disciplines." And when anyone rebukes his son, the son increases his love for his father, and he honors him, as it is said: (Proverbs 29:17) "Discipline your son and he will give you peace." And it says: (Proverbs 19:18) "Discipline your son while there is still hope." And he increases his love for him, as it says: "But he who loves him disciplines him early," meaning because he disciplines him early, therefore he loves him. You find that Abraham disciplined Isaac his son and taught him Torah and guided him in his ways, as is written about Avraham: (Genesis 26:5) "In return for Avraham's obedience to my voice" and it is written: (Genesis 25:19) "These are the descendants of Isaac, son of Abraham," which teaches you that he was similar to his father in all ways- in beauty, in wisdom, in wealth, and in good deeds. You should know that he [Isaac] was thirty-seven years old when his he was bound by his father, and it is written: (Genesis 24:1) "And Abraham was old, advanced in age" and yet he bound him and positioned him like a lamb, and he did not refuse. Therefore: (Genesis 25:5) "Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac," Which is to say, "he who loves him disciplines him early." In the same manner, Isaac would discipline Jacob early, for Isaac taught him Torah and disciplined him in his house of study, as it says: (Genesis 25:27) "but Jacob was a mild man who stayed home." And he learned what his father taught him, and then he separated from his father and hid in the house of Ever to study Torah. Therefore he merited blessing and inherited the land, as it says: (Genesis 27:1) "Jacob lived in the land of his father's residence, in the land of Canaan." And even our Patriarch Jacob disciplined his sons, and beat them and taught them his ways, so that none of them would be disposable, as it is written: (Exodus 1:1) "These are the names of the sons of Israel who arrived to Egypt..." The verse equates them all to Jacob, for they were all righteous as he had been. This resolves: "But he who loves him disciplines him early."

Degeneracy in a man’s house is considered far more grievous than the war between Gog and Magog.¹The final struggle preceding the Messianic age. For with reference to the war between Gog and Magog it is written: Why are the nations in an uproar? (ibid. 2:1), but not: O Lord, how many are mine adversaries become.

It is taught that Abba Benjamin says: "I was always sorry for two things, that my prayer should be in front of my bed, and my bed should be placed between the north and the south." My prayer should be in front of my bed. What is meant by 'in front of my bed'? Shall I say it means to pray near the bed? Has not R. Juda said in the name of Rab, and according to others it was R. Joshua b. Levi who said: "Whence do we learn that he who prays shall have nothing between him and the wall? It is said (Is. 38, 2.) Then did Hezekiah turn his face to the wall, and prayed unto the Lord." [Hence we see, that a man ought not to pray before his bed.] Do not say 'Before the bed,' but say 'Immediately after rising.' And what does he mean by 'My bed shall be placed between the north and the south'? This refers to what R. Chama the son of R. Chanina and according to others R. Isaac said: "He who places his bed between the south and the north will have male children; as it is said (Ps. 17, 14.) And whose belly thou fillest with thy hidden treasury they will be satisfied with sons." Rab. Nachman b. Isaac said: "It will also prevent his wife from having a mis-carriage; for it is written here. Thou fillest their belly, and it is written there (Gen. 25, 24.) And when her days to he delivered were fulfilled." It was taught that Abba Benjamin says: "Two entered the synagogue to pray; one of them finished his prayer first and went out without waiting for his friend; will his prayer be torn to pieces, as it is said (Job 18, 4.) He teareth himself in his anger: shall for thy sake the earth be forsaken? And moreover he causes [by his action] the Shechina to depart from Israel, as it is said (Ib. ib. ib.) And shall the Tzur move away out of His place? And the word Tzur, refers only to the Holy One, praised be He! as it is said (Deu. 32, 18.) Of the Rock (Tzur) that begot thee thou wast unmindful." And if he waits for his friend what shall his reward be? (Fol. 6a) R. Jose the son of R. Chanina said: "He will be worthy of the following blessings which are said (Is. 48, 18.) Oh, that thou hadst but listened to my commandments! Then would have been as a river thy piece. and as the waves of the sea, thy prosperity." We are taught that Abba Benjamin says: "The prayers of men are not heard [by God] save only when they come from the synagogue, for it is written (I Kin. 8, 28.) To listen, unto the song of Thy praise and unto Thy prayer, i.e., in the place where songs of praise are said, there should be the place of prayer." Rabin b. R. Ada said in the name of R. Isaac: "Whence do we learn that God frequents the synagogue? It is said (Ps. 82, 1.) God standeth in the Congregation of God; whence do we learn that when ten men are praying together the Sheehina rests with them? It is said (Ib.) God standeth in the congregation of God; whence do we learn that when three are sitting and discharging judgment, the Sheehina rests with them? It is said (Ib.) In the midst doth He judge. And whence do we learn that when two are sitting together and studying the Torah. the Sheehina is with them? It is said (Malachi 3, 16.) Then conversed they that feared the Lord, one with another; and the Lord listened and heard it, and there was written a book of remembrance before him for those who feared the Lord and for those who respect his name." What should be understood by the words. And for those who respect His name? R. Ashi said: "Even when one intended to observe a commandment but was accidentally prevented from doing so, it is credited to him as if he had actually observed it." And whence do we learn that even if one sits and studies the Torah, the Sheehina is with him? It is said (Ex. 20, 24.) In every place where I shall permit my name to be mentioned, I will come unto thee and I will bless thee. Now let us see, since we know that the Sheehina is even with one, why is it necessary to infer that it rests with two? Because if two study together the Sheehina inscribes their words in the book of remembrances; for one, however, it does not inscribe his words in the book of remembrances. Since we know that when two study, the Sheehina is with them, why do we need any inference for three? Because we should not think that discharging judgment is merely bringing peace and nothing else, and the Sheehina therefore is not with them. It informs us then that discharging judgment is as important as the Torah: and since we know that the Sheehina is with three, why do we need the inference concerning ten? Because in the case of ten people, the Sheehina precedes, but for three, the Sheehina does not appear until the three are together.