사무엘하 15:24의 미드라쉬

(Fol. 73) Our Rabbis were taught: How were the Urim and Tumim consulted? The inquirer had his face directed to him (the priest) who was consulted, and the one consulted (the priest) directed himself to the Shechina. The inquirer asks [as it is mentioned (I Sam. 30, 8) ] "Shall I pursue this troop? Will I succeed?" And the priest answers him: "Pursue! So hath the Lord said. Go and thou wilt succeed." R. Juda, however, said: "He need not say, 'So hath God said.' He has only to say, 'Go and thou wilt succeed.' " One must not ask in a loud voice, as it is said (Num. 27, 21) And he shall ask of him (alone). Nor should he keep the question merely in his mind, because it is said. He shall ask of him before the Lord. Hence he should ask as Hannah prayed (I Sam. 1, 13) Now as for Hannah, she spoke in her heart. Two inquiries at a time should not be made, and if one makes two inquiries at a time, only one is answered; the first one, as it is said (Ib. 23, 11-12) Will the men of Ke'ilah surrender me into his hand? Will Saul come down? etc. And the Lord said: He will came down. But you have said only the first question is answered? David asked (Ib. b) them not in the proper order, but he was answered in the proper order. Then, when David realized that he had not asked in the proper order, he repeated the second question: Will the men of Ke'ilah deliver me and my men into the hand of Saul? And he was answered: They will deliver. When, however, two questions must be asked at once [without delay], then the two questions are both answered, as it is said (Ib. 30, 8) Shall I pursue after this troop? Shall I overtake them? And the reply was: Pursue, for thou wilt surely overtake them, and certainly recover. And although the decision of a prophet can be revoked, the decision of the Urim and Tummim cannot be changed, as it is said (Num. 27, 21) The judgment of the Urim. And why were they called Urim and Tumim? Urim, because they illuminate their words; Tumim, because they give a complete answer. One might ask: If so, then why did it not give a complete answer to Israel at Gibath Benjamin? Because the people did not think of asking whether they would be victorious or whether they would be defeated. They were answered, Go, and they were beaten; but later, when they understood how to inquire, they received a complete reply, as it is said (Jud. 20, 28) And Phineas. the son of El'azar, the son of Aaron, stood before it in those day, saying: Shall I yet continue to go out to battle with the children of Benjamin, my brother, or shall I forbear? And the Lord said: Go up, for to-morrow will I deliver him into thy hand. How did the priest receive the reply? R. Jochanan said: "The letters [constituting the reply] became protruded." Resh Lakish said: "The letters [composing the words] came near each other." But the letter Tsade was not there. R. Samuel, son of R. Isaac, said: "The names of Abraham, Yitzshak and Jacob were also written there." But was not the letter Teth missing? The words Shibtei Jeshurun (the tribes of Israel) were likewise there. "Inquiries are not made except for a king," etc. Whence do we deduce this? R. Abahu said: "Scripture says (Num. 27, 21) Before Elazar, the priest shall he stand, and he shall ask of him after the judgment of the Urim before the Lord … he and all the children of Israel with him. He, refers to the king; and all Israel with him, refers to the priest anointed as the chaplain of the army; and all the congregation, refers to the Sanhedrin.

(Ib., b) "Since the death of the first prophets the Urim and Tummin were abolished." Who are the first prophets? Said R. Huna: "Samuel, David, and Solomon." R. Nachman said: "During the days of David it sometimes happened that the Urim and Tummim responded and sometimes they did not respond; for when Zadok the priest asked in the Urim and Tummim they did respond to him, while when Abiator asked they did not respond to him, as it is said (II. Sam. 15, 24) And Abiator went up." Rab and Samuel raised the following objection, (II Chr. 26, 5) And he set himself to seek God in the days of Zechariah, who had understanding in the division of God. Does this not refer to the Urim and Tummim? [Hence they were in existence after the days of Solomon]. Nay, this refers to prophesy. Come, listen to the following: Since the destruction of the first Temple, the towns with their open space [that had been assigned to the Levites], were abolished and the use of the Urim and Tummim. were stopped, royalty also ceased from the House of David, and if someone will whisper to you the passage (Ez. 2, 63) And the Tirshatha said unto them that they should not eat of the Holy things till there should stand up a priest with the Urim and Tummim, [which shows that it was in existence during the days of Ezra]. Say to him: "This passage is to be taken allegorically, just as one says to his friend, 'Until the resurrection of the dead and Messiah the son of David will come;' " [hence we see that they nevertheless were in existence prior to the destruction of the Temple and not as explained by R. Huna that it was only in the days of Solomon]. R. Nachman, however, explained that the first prophets include all the prophets with the exception of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, who are called the last prophets, as we are taught: Since the death of the last prophets, Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the Holy vision disappeared from Israel and they were still making use of a Heavenly voice, etc.