역대하 12:7의 미드라쉬
וּבִרְא֤וֹת יְהוָה֙ כִּ֣י נִכְנָ֔עוּ הָיָה֩ דְבַר־יְהוָ֨ה אֶל־שְׁמַֽעְיָ֧ה ׀ לֵאמֹ֛ר נִכְנְע֖וּ לֹ֣א אַשְׁחִיתֵ֑ם וְנָתַתִּ֨י לָהֶ֤ם כִּמְעַט֙ לִפְלֵיטָ֔ה וְלֹא־תִתַּ֧ךְ חֲמָתִ֛י בִּירוּשָׁלִַ֖ם בְּיַד־שִׁישָֽׁק׃
여호와께서 저희의 스스로 겸비함을 보신지라 여호와의 말씀이 스마야에게 임하여 가라사대 저희가 스스로 겸비하였으니 내가 멸하지 아니하고 대강 구원하여 나의 노를 시삭의 손으로 예루살렘에 쏟지 아니하리라
Eikhah Rabbah
“Let us search and examine our ways, and return to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens” (Lamentations 3:40–41).
“Let us search and examine our ways, and return to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens” – Rabbi Beiva bar Zavdai, Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai, and Rabbi Yoshiya went out for a fast.65On fast days, the congregation would take the ark out to the city square and pray there. See Mishna Taanit 2:1. Rabbi Beiva bar Zavdai expounded and said: Is it possible that a person’s heart is taken from him and returns to him?66What, then, is the meaning of the verse “Let us lift up our heart with our hands”? Rather, we should focus our hearts on our hands,67We must ensure that our hands have not engaged in malfeasance with another’s property. and only thereafter to God in the heavens. If there is a swarming creature in a person’s hand, even if he immerses himself in all of the primordial waters, he will never be purified. If he casts the swarming creature from his hand, his immersion is effective for him [even] in forty se’a.
Rabbi Tanḥuma expounded: “The princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said: The Lord is righteous” (II Chronicles 12:6). And it is written: “When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord was with Shemaya, saying: They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, and I will grant them a small measure of deliverance, and My wrath will not be poured upon Jerusalem by means of Shishak” (II Chronicles 12:7). It is not written here, “when the Lord saw that they had fasted,” but rather, “that they had humbled themselves.”
Rabbi Yoshiya expounded: “Gather yourselves, gather [hitkosheshu vakoshu]” (Zephaniah 2:1) – let us adorn [nekashet] ourselves and thereafter adorn others. Because there is a person who is here who slandered me before Rabbi Yoḥanan; let the entire people stand for judgment.68He demanded that the individual who had slandered him repent before exhorting others to do so, and so too that each person repent from his sins. They said: Rabbi Ḥiyya, Rabbi Ami, and Rabbi Yosei were there. They stood and went out.69Some explain that it is because they were the guilty parties and they were angry that he had called them out (Yefe Anaf). Others explain that they sought to spare the guilty party the public shame (Matnot Kehuna).
“We have transgressed and defied; You have not forgiven” (Lamentations 3:42).
“We have transgressed and defied [umarinu]” – the Rabbis there70In Babylon said: When the endives are bitter [meriran], the vinegar is sour.71This translation is based on the interpretation of Rabbi David Luria. He explains that the endives are dipped in the vinegar. The point is that Israel sinned, and so too God was strict in exercising judgment. There are alternate interpretations of this line in the midrash; see, e.g., Matnot Kehuna. The Rabbis here72In the Land of Israel said: If actions are evil, they are harsh for the one who performs them. Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rav Yosef: “We have transgressed and defied” – as is our wont. “You have not forgiven” – is that Your wont? Rabbi Levi said: “We have transgressed and defied” – and You destroyed Your Temple.73As “You have not forgiven.”
“Let us search and examine our ways, and return to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands to God in the heavens” – Rabbi Beiva bar Zavdai, Rabbi Tanḥum bar Ḥanilai, and Rabbi Yoshiya went out for a fast.65On fast days, the congregation would take the ark out to the city square and pray there. See Mishna Taanit 2:1. Rabbi Beiva bar Zavdai expounded and said: Is it possible that a person’s heart is taken from him and returns to him?66What, then, is the meaning of the verse “Let us lift up our heart with our hands”? Rather, we should focus our hearts on our hands,67We must ensure that our hands have not engaged in malfeasance with another’s property. and only thereafter to God in the heavens. If there is a swarming creature in a person’s hand, even if he immerses himself in all of the primordial waters, he will never be purified. If he casts the swarming creature from his hand, his immersion is effective for him [even] in forty se’a.
Rabbi Tanḥuma expounded: “The princes of Israel and the king humbled themselves and said: The Lord is righteous” (II Chronicles 12:6). And it is written: “When the Lord saw that they had humbled themselves, the word of the Lord was with Shemaya, saying: They have humbled themselves; I will not destroy them, and I will grant them a small measure of deliverance, and My wrath will not be poured upon Jerusalem by means of Shishak” (II Chronicles 12:7). It is not written here, “when the Lord saw that they had fasted,” but rather, “that they had humbled themselves.”
Rabbi Yoshiya expounded: “Gather yourselves, gather [hitkosheshu vakoshu]” (Zephaniah 2:1) – let us adorn [nekashet] ourselves and thereafter adorn others. Because there is a person who is here who slandered me before Rabbi Yoḥanan; let the entire people stand for judgment.68He demanded that the individual who had slandered him repent before exhorting others to do so, and so too that each person repent from his sins. They said: Rabbi Ḥiyya, Rabbi Ami, and Rabbi Yosei were there. They stood and went out.69Some explain that it is because they were the guilty parties and they were angry that he had called them out (Yefe Anaf). Others explain that they sought to spare the guilty party the public shame (Matnot Kehuna).
“We have transgressed and defied; You have not forgiven” (Lamentations 3:42).
“We have transgressed and defied [umarinu]” – the Rabbis there70In Babylon said: When the endives are bitter [meriran], the vinegar is sour.71This translation is based on the interpretation of Rabbi David Luria. He explains that the endives are dipped in the vinegar. The point is that Israel sinned, and so too God was strict in exercising judgment. There are alternate interpretations of this line in the midrash; see, e.g., Matnot Kehuna. The Rabbis here72In the Land of Israel said: If actions are evil, they are harsh for the one who performs them. Rabbi Huna said in the name of Rav Yosef: “We have transgressed and defied” – as is our wont. “You have not forgiven” – is that Your wont? Rabbi Levi said: “We have transgressed and defied” – and You destroyed Your Temple.73As “You have not forgiven.”
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