창세기 34:7 미드라쉬: Shir HaShirim Rabbah & Bereshit Rabbah

“…for your love is better than wine” (Song of Songs 1:2). We learned there (Mishna Avoda Zara 2:5): Rabbi Yishmael asked Rabbi Yehoshua as they were walking on the way: ‘Why did [the Sages] prohibit the cheese of the gentiles?’ [Rabbi Yehoshua] said to him: ‘Because they curdle it with the stomach contents of an animal carcass.’ He said to [Rabbi Yehoshua]: ‘But are the stomach contents of a burnt offering not more stringent than the stomach contents of an animal carcass, yet they said that a priest who is broad minded¹⁰⁹He is not particular about what he eats. swallows it raw.’ What is, swallows it raw? He gulps it down. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: They rendered it like a tainted cup; he may not benefit, but he is not liable for misuse of consecrated items.¹¹⁰Thus, if one eats the stomach contents of a consecrated animal, one is not liable for misuse of a consecrated item. This proves that it is not considered a food item, therefore its consumption is not a normal act of eating. Similarly, the stomach contents of an unslaughtered animal carcass should not be considered a food item, and should not render the cheese non-kosher. [Rabbi Yishmael] said to him:¹¹¹In the mishna, this is stated as a response to a second explanation given by Rabbi Yehoshua for the prohibition of eating the cheese of gentiles: They curdle it in the stomach contents of animals that have been slaughtered as an idolatrous sacrifice. ‘If so, why did they not prohibit benefit from it?’ [Rabbi Yehoshua] diverted his attention to another matter. He said to him: ‘Yishmael, my brother, how do you read it? For Your love [dodekha] is better than wine, or your love [dodayikh] [is better] than wine?’¹¹²Do you think that the term “your love” is stated in the masculine form [dodekha], indicating that it is being stated by the woman, representing Israel, to the man, representing God, or is it stated in the feminine form [dodayikh], indicating that it is stated by the man, representing God, to the woman, representing Israel. Rabbi Yishmael answered that it is vocalized dodayikh, in the feminine. He said to him: ‘The matter is not so, as its counterpart teaches in its regard: “Your oils [shemanekha] have a goodly fragrance”’ (Song of Songs 1:3).¹¹³Just as this verse is in the masculine, so, too, the previous verse, which is the verse under discussion, is also in the masculine.
Why did he not reveal it to him?¹¹⁴Why did he divert his attention rather than answering his question? Rabbi Yonatan said: It is because they had prohibited it only recently,¹¹⁵When the Sages issue a decree, for the first year they do not reveal the reason behind it, so that people will accept the decree without questioning its rationale. and Rabbi Yishmael was young. Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta and Rabbi Ḥagai in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman [said]: It is written: “Lambs [kevasim] will be for your garments” (Proverbs 27:26). Kevashim, concealed items, is written.¹¹⁶The word, as written, can be read either kevasim or kevashim. When your students are young, conceal matters of Torah from them. When they grow and become Torah scholars, reveal the secrets of Torah to them. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: “These are the ordinances that you shall place [tasim] before them” (Exodus 21:1), just as this treasure [sima] is not revealed to every person, the same is true of matters of Torah.
Rav Huna raised a question and Rabbi Ḥama bar Ukva posed a difficulty:¹¹⁷Some suggest that the text should read: Rav Huna, citing Rabbi Hama bar Ukva, posed a difficulty (Etz Yosef). If he sought to divert him, he should have diverted him from the five verses in the Torah that require resolution.¹¹⁸In each of these cases there are two phrases, and it is unclear whether a particular word which appears at the border of the two belongs to the first or second phrase. These are they: “se’et” (Genesis 4:7); “cursed” (Genesis 49:7);¹¹⁹Does “cursed” belong to the previous verse: “And with their will they hamstrung an ox that is cursed” or does it belong to the beginning of this verse: “Cursed is their wrath, as it is fierce”? “tomorrow” (Exodus 17:9);¹²⁰Is it “Go out and battle Amalek tomorrow” or is it “Tomorrow I will stand at the top of the hill”? “crafted like almonds” (Exodus 25:34);¹²¹Is it “four cups crafted like almonds,” or is it “like almonds are its knobs and flowers”? “arise” (Deuteronomy 31:16).¹²²Is it “you will lie with your ancestors and arise,” or is it “this people will arise and it will stray”? Is it, “if you do well you will receive forgiveness [se’et],” or is it “you will bear your sin [se’et] if you do not do well”? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: I have another: “The sons of Jacob came from the field when they heard” or “when they heard [the men were saddened] and they came from the field” (Genesis 34:7). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: It is written: “And the Lord commanded me” (Deuteronomy 4:14); there are matters that He said to me myself, and there are matters that He told me to say to my children.¹²³Some matters of Torah are meant to publicized to all, and others are meant to be communicated only to those who are worthy. Rabbi Eila said: There are matters that one seals [meshikin]¹²⁴This is derived from yishakeni. Rabbi Yehoshua raised this verse to Rabbi Yishmael in order to allude to the fact that not everything is meant to be publicized (Matnot Kehuna). in one’s mouth.
How so? One verse says: “I store Your saying in my heart, so as not to sin against You” (Psalms 119:11), and one verse says: “With My lips I have recounted all the ordinances of Your mouth” (Psalms 119:13). In what sense can both these verses coexist? Rather, as long as Ira HaYa’iri, David’s mentor, was alive, “I store Your saying in my heart”; when he departed, “with my lips I have recounted.”¹²⁵David did not publicize halakhic matters during the lifetime of his teacher because a disciple is prohibited from issuing halakhic rulings in the presence of his teacher (Eruvin 63a).

“The man said: The woman whom You gave…” – that is what is written: “I would speak, and I would not fear Him; for it is not so that I am, with myself [imadi]” (Job 9:35) – I am unlike the one who said: “The woman whom You gave to me [imadi]…” He heeded his wife’s words, but I did not heed my wife’s words.⁵¹Job’s wife told him, “Blaspheme God and die” (Job 2:9). Unlike Adam, Job didn’t take his wife’s advice. This is why Job said that he was unlike imadi, a word that alludes to Adam.
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Dina⁵²Jacob’s daughter. was Job’s wife. That is why he said to her: “You are speaking as one of the disgusting women [nevalot] would speak.⁵³Regarding Dina it is written: “As he performed a disgusting act [nevala] in Israel to lie with Jacob's daughter” (Genesis 34:7). Shall we accept the good from God, [and not accept the bad]?” (Job 2:10). “Shall I accept,” is not written here, but rather, “shall we accept [nekabel]”⁵⁴Although it was only Job who was suffering. – should we be pleased with the good but not be pleased with the bad?⁵⁵Nekabel is interpreted as “pleased [na’im] about accepting [kabel].” That was a rhetorical question. “With all this, Job did not sin with his lips” (Job 2:10) – [the implication is:] with his lips he did not sin, but in his heart he did sin.
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: “And I ate [veakhalti]”⁵⁶This is unambiguously in past tense. is not written here, but rather, “vaokhel”⁵⁷This word may indicate past or future tense. – I ate and I will eat again.⁵⁸He defiantly declared that he would do it again.
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Adam the first man was banished only after he blasphemed and spoke sacrilegiously.⁵⁹By being defiant towards God, as was just explained. That is what is written: “He hoped to produce grapes, but it produced sour grapes” (Isaiah 5:2).
“The Lord God said to the woman: What is this you have done? The woman said: The serpent enticed me, and I ate” (Genesis 3:13).
“The woman said: The serpent enticed me [hishiani], and I ate” – [hishiani has three meanings:] It enticed me, it brought liability upon me, and it misled me. It enticed me, as it says: “The enemy will not entice [yashi] you” (Psalms 89:23). It brought liability upon me, as it says: “When you lend [tashe] to your neighbor” (Deuteronomy 24:10).⁶⁰Through the loan, monetary liability is created, and the serpent’s evil behavior brought her liability for sin. It misled me, as it says: “Now, do not allow Hezekiah to mislead [yashi] you” (II Chronicles 32:15).

“Utz his firstborn, and Buz his brother, and Kemuel, father of Aram” (Genesis 22:21).
Another interpretation, he [Abraham] feared experiencing suffering.⁸He feared that God would test him yet again, this time with physical suffering. The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘You need not [fear], the one who will experience it [suffering] has already been born. “Utz his firstborn, and Buz his brother.”’⁹Utz refers to Job, as the Midrash goes on to explain.
When did Job live? Reish Lakish said in the name of bar Kappara: He lived in the days of Abraham, as it is stated: “Utz his firstborn” and it is written: “There was a man in the land of Utz, Job was his name” (Job 1:1).¹⁰The Midrash interprets this to mean that Utz had another name, namely Job. Rabbi Yaakov bar Kahana said: He lived in the days of Jacob, as Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Dina was Job’s wife, as it is written regarding Job’s wife: “You are speaking like one of the disgraceful women [hanevalot] speak,” (Job 2:10), and it is written in Dina’s regard: “For he had committed an outrage [nevala] in Israel” (Genesis 34:7).
Rabbi Levi said: He lived in the days of the Tribes.¹¹The twelve sons of Jacob. That is what is written: “[This I have seen, and I shall tell of it,] that wise men speak up and do not withhold from their fathers” (Job 15:17–18) – this refers to Reuben and Judah.¹²They both spoke up and admitted that they had committed grievous sins (see Sota 7b). What reward did they receive for this? “To them alone the land was given” (Job 15:19).
Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yosei bar Ḥalafta: While they [Jacob’s family] were going down to Egypt, he [Job] was born, and while they were going up [from there], he died. You find that the sum of Job’s years was exactly two hundred and ten years, and Israel spent two hundred and ten years in Egypt. Satan came [before God] to present accusations [against Israel],¹³For worshiping idols while they were in Egypt. but He incited him instead against Job.
Rabbi Ḥananya son of Rabbi Aḥa said: This is analogous to a shepherd who was standing and watching over his flock. A wolf came and confronted him. He said [to his assistants]: ‘Throw him one goat so he can satisfy his aggression with it.’ Rabbi Ḥama said: This is analogous to someone who was sitting at a feast. A dog came and confronted him. He said [to his attendants]: ‘Give him a loaf of bread so he can satisfy his aggression with it.’ So, too, Satan came [before God] to present accusations [against Israel] and He incited him instead against Job. That is what is written: “God hands me over to the unjust one, and by means of the wicked, He misdirects me” (Job 16:11) – would that it had been for righteous people,¹⁴I would not care so much if Satan’s malice had been redirected to me in order to protect righteous people from him, but in fact the people of Israel were sinful at that time. but they were wicked people.
Rabbi Yosei bar Yehuda says: He [Job] lived during the days when the judges judged. That is what is written: ‘“Behold, all of you have seen it; why do you accuse me of worthlessness?” (Job 27:12).¹⁵It is the generation of the Judges that is described to as being worthless (see Bava Batra 15b). You have seen my actions and the actions of my generation. You have seen my actions: Mitzvot and good deeds; the actions of my generation: They seek to pay the fee of prostitutes from the threshing floor.’¹⁶The first thing they do with their hard-earned grain is to spend it on immoral behavior. It is not the way of the righteous to pay the fee of prostitutes from the threshing floors.¹⁷They spend their money on mitzvot and good deeds, not on sinful activity. That is what is written: “You have loved the prostitute’s fee upon every threshing floor of grain” (Hosea 9:1).
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: He [Job] lived in the days of the Chaldeans, as it is stated: “The Chaldeans set three columns” (Job 1:17). Rabbi Natan said: He lived during the kingdom of Sheba, as it is stated: “Sheba fell upon them and took them” (Job 1:15). Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korḥa said: He lived during the days of Aḥashverosh, in whose regard it is written: “Let them seek for the king virgin young women who are of fair appearance” (Esther 2:2), and it is written: “No women as beautiful as the daughters of Job were found in all the land” (Job 42:15).
Reish Lakish said: Job did not exist at all.¹⁸The entire book of Job is an allegory, not a narration of a true story. Did Reish Lakish reverse his opinion? For elsewhere, Reish Lakish said in the name of bar Kappara: He lived in the days of Abraham, but here he says that Job did not exist at all. [No, he did not change his opinion.] What did he mean by: [Job] did not exist at all? [He meant only that] he did not actually experience the suffering that was written about him. Why, then, was it written about him? The intent was to say that if it had befallen him, he would have been able to withstand it.
Rabbi Yoḥanan said: He [Job] was one of those who came up from the [Babylonian] exile. He was an Israelite, and he had a Torah academy in Tiberias. That is why they learned the laws of rending one’s garments¹⁹Upon hearing tragic news (see Job 1:20). and the blessing of mourners²⁰See Job 1:21. from his actions. That is what is written: “Job rose, and he rent his robe” (Job 1:20) – from here we learn that a person must rend his garments while standing.
Rabbi Ḥanina said: He was [not an Israelite, but] a gentile. Rabbi Ḥiyya taught: [God said:] ‘One righteous gentile arose for Me among the nations of the world, I gave him his reward²¹In this world (see Job 42:12). and dismissed him.’²²From the World to Come. Who was that? It was Job.
“Utz his firstborn […and Kemuel, father of Aram]” – Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: Laban is the same as Kemuel. Why was he named Kemuel? It is because he arose [kam] against the nation of God [El].
“And his concubine, and her name was Re'uma, she, too, bore, Tevaḥ, and Gaḥam, and Taḥash, and Maakha” (Genesis 22:24).
“And his concubine, and her name was Re’uma…” – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: All of them were named with the idea of punishment:²³For they were all wicked. Tevaḥ – they are slaughtered [tevaḥun]; Gaḥam – they are excised [gemaḥun]; Taḥash – they are weakened [teḥashun]; Maakha – they are crushed [me’akhun].