잠언 11:30의 미드라쉬

Our Rabbis were taught: It happened with the King Monbas, who had distributed his treasure and that of his parents, in the years of famine, that his brothers and the whole household murmured against him, saying: "Your ancestors saved [treasures] and increased the savings of their ancestors, and you distribute thine and that of thy ancestors." And he rejoined: "My ancestors stored up treasures here below, and I store up treasures in heaven, as it is said (Ps. 85, 12) Truth will grow up out of the earth and righteousness will look down from heaven. My ancestors stored away [treasures] in a place which could be reached by a [human] hand, but I have stored away in a place that can be reached by no [human] hand, as it is said (Ib. 89, 15) Righteousness and justice are the prop of Thy throne; kindness and truth precede Thy presence. My ancestors stored away [treasures] which yielded them no interest, and I have stored away [treasures] which yield interest, as it is said (Is. 3, 10) Say ye to the righteous, that he hath done well; for the fruit of their doing shall they eat. My ancestors have stored away money in their treasury, but I have stored away the saved souls in my treasury, as it is said (Prov. 11, 30) The fruit of the righteous is of the tree of life; and the wise draweth souls to himself. My ancestors have stored away for their descendants, but I have saved for myself, as it is said (Deut. 34, 13) … and unto thee shall it be as righteousness before the Lord thy God. My ancestors have stored away [treasures] for this world, but I have stored away [treasures] for the world to come, as it is said (Is. 58, 8) … and before thee shall go thy righteousness; the glory of the Lord shall be thy reward."

These are the generations of Noah (Gen. 6:9). R. Tanhuma the son of Abba began the discussion of this subject with the verse: The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he that is wise winneth souls (Prov. 11:30). R. Judah the Levite said: Whenever a man dies childless, he grieves and weeps. Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, consoles him with the words: “Wherefore do you weep over having left no fruit in this world? You have left fruit that is more desirable than children.” “Sovereign of the universe,” the man asks, “what fruit did I produce?” The Holy One, blessed be He, replies: “The Torah (you observed), concerning which it is written: the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.” The verse does not say that children are a tree of life but that the fruit of the righteous is a tree of life.⁴The Torah is called a tree of life. Hence, the fruit of the righteous is the Torah that man preserves and perpetuates. Accordingly, man’s most desirable offspring are his good works. Hence, it is written: These are the offspring of Noah. Noah was in his generations a man righteous and whole-hearted (Gen. 6:9).

(Gen. 6:9:) THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF NOAH: Thus did R. Tanhuma bar Abba open < his teaching > in the academy: It is written (in Prov. 11:30): THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A TREE OF LIFE.⁷Cf. Gen. R. 30:6. R. Judah bar Shallum the Levite said:⁸Tanh., Gen. 2:2. When a righteous one is passing from the world without offspring, he is depressed and weeping. The Holy One says to him: For what reason are you depressed and weeping? For the reason that you have not raised up the fruit of offspring? In this world I have fruit more beautiful than offspring. Then he says to him: Sovereign of the World, what is that fruit? The Holy One says to him: This is < the > Torah, in which you were busy, for thus it is written: THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A TREE OF LIFE. Now there is no tree of life but Torah, as stated (in Prov. 3:18): < WISDOM > IS A TREE OF LIFE TO THOSE WHO TAKE HOLD OF IT. Who is this < righteous one > ? This is Noah. Our masters have said: Noah did not die until he had seen all the world in its entirety with its population,⁹Cf. Tanh., Gen. 2:2, which explains in this context that the Holy One treats a person with due consideration to ancestors and descendants. So also Gen. R. 29:5. not until he had seen the early days¹⁰Buber suggests emending “early days” to “fortress” (qatsrah), from the Latin castra. See ‘Arakh. 9:6. of Sepphoris, not until he had seen the seventy peoples who would go out from his loins; and of all these only he had his righteousness mentioned, as stated (in Gen. 6:9): THESE ARE THE GENERATIONS OF NOAH: [NOAH WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN, PERFECT]. Shem, Ham, and Japheth < appear > (in the next verse), < but > only his (Noah's) righteousness is recorded here. Thus it is stated: NOAH WAS A RIGHTEOUS MAN. You yourself know that the above verse (Prov. 11:30) speaks about Noah, since there is written at the end of it: AND A WISE ONE WINS SOULS. Now this was Noah, since he had won souls. Thus he nurtured and fed them. And what did he feed them? R. Aqiva says: He fed fig cake to all of them, human, cattle, beast, and fowl, as it is stated (in Gen. 6:21): AND IT SHALL BE FOOD FOR YOU AND FOR THEM.¹¹Cf. Gen. R. 31:14. Now what is < the one > thing of which the children of Adam eat as well as the cattle, the beast, and the fowl? Thus he (Aqiva) says: This is fig cake. But our masters say: No! Rather each and every species ate what it had been used to: the camel, straw; the donkey, barley; the elephant, vine wood; the ostrich, glass. Ergo it says (in Prov. 11:30): AND A WISE ONE WINS SOULS.

Another interpretation: AND < A WISE ONE > WINS SOULS: Some cattle would eat at the first hour in the day, some at the second < hour > of the day, some at the third < hour > of the day, and some at cockcrow.¹²See Sanh. 108b; Gen. R. 29:4. Our masters have said:¹³See below, 14. For the twelve months that Noah spent in the ark, he did not taste a bit of sleep either by day or by night because he was busy sustaining the souls who were with him. Thus it says (in Prov. 11:30): AND < A WISE ONE > WINS (the care of) SOULS. This one is Noah.

And he that is wise winneth souls (Prov. 11:30). This refers to those who feed and entertain the poor. R. Tanhuma continued his exposition, saying: Our masters taught that Noah did not die until he saw the world reinhabited and beheld seventy generations of his descendants. However, none of them are mentioned by name. Only his righteousness is referred to.

Another interpretation (of Lev. 27:2) “When anyone explicitly vows […]”: This text is related (to Prov. 11:30), “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, but a wise person acquires lives (npshwt).” If a person is righteous, and does not occupy himself with Torah, even though he is righteous, he has nothing in his possession. Rather, “The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life”; this refers to the Torah. Because when one is a Torah scholar (literally, child of Torah), he learns how one acquires lives (npshwt), as stated (ibid.), “but a wise person acquires lives.” As if he makes a vow for the value of human beings, he would have learned what to do from the Torah. But if he does not have Torah in his possession, he has nothing in his possession. And so you find in the case of Jephthah the Gileadite, because he was not a Torah scholar, he lost his daughter.¹⁶Gen. R. 60:5; Lev. R. 37:4. When? In the time that he fought with the Children of Ammon and made a vow at that time, as stated (in Jud. 11:30-31), “Then Jephthah made a vow to the Lord, [and said, ‘If You indeed give the Children of Ammon into my hand;] Then it shall be that whatever comes forth…, shall belong to the Lord, and I will offer it up as a burnt offering.’” At that time the Holy One, blessed be He, was angry with him. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If there had come out from his house a dog, a pig, or a camel, he would have offered it to Me.” Hence He summoned his daughter to him. And why so much? So that all those that vow will learn the laws of vows and abnegations. [And the result was (in Jud. 11:34-35),] “and there was his daughter coming out to greet him [….] And it came to pass, when he saw her, that he rent his clothes […].” But was not Phinehas there?¹⁷Since he was an outstanding Torah scholar, and an outstanding Torah scholar could have annulled the vow. And still he said (in vs. 35), “and I cannot retract?” However, Phinehas had said, “I am a high priest and the son of a high priest. Shall I humble myself and go to an ignoramus ('am ha'arets)?” [And] Jephthah said, “I am head of the tribes of Israel and head of the magistrates. Shall I humble myself and go to a commoner?”¹⁸Gk.: idiotes. Between the two of them that poor woman perished from the world; so the two of them were liable for her blood. In the case of Phinehas, the holy spirit left him. In the case of Jephthah, his bones were scattered, as stated (in Jud. 12:7), “and he was buried in the cities of Gilead.”¹⁹Translations tend to emend the text and have Jephthah buried in a single city. When he sought to sacrifice her, she cried in front of him. His daughter said to him, “My father, I came out to greet you in joy, and [now] you slaughter me? Is it perhaps that the Holy One, blessed be He, wrote in the Torah that Israel offer the lives (npshwt) of people in front of the Holy One, blessed be He? And is it not written (in Lev. 1:2), ‘When one of you presents an offering to the Lord from the beasts.’ ‘From the beasts’ and not from people?” He said to her, “My daughter, I made a vow (in Jud. 11:31), ‘Then it shall be that whatever comes forth […].’ Is it possible that anyone who makes a vow does not have to fulfill his vow?” She said to him, “Behold, when our father Jacob made a vow (in Gen. 28:22), ‘and of all that You give me, I will surely set aside a tithe for You’; when the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him twelve sons, did he ever offer up one of them as a sacrifice? Moreover, does not Hannah [do likewise], when she makes a vow and says (as reported in I Sam. 1:11), ‘And she made a vow and said, “Lord of hosts, if You will surely see… [then I will give him to the Lord all the days of his life].”’ Did she ever offer up her son as a sacrifice to the Holy One, blessed be He?” All these things she said to him, but he did not heed her. When she saw that he did not heed her, she said to him, “Let me go to a court of law. Perhaps one of them will find a loophole for your words.” Thus it is stated (in Jud. 11:37), “leave me alone for two months, so that I may go and come down to the mountains.” R. Zechariah said, “Is there anyone who comes down to the mountains? Does not one go up to the mountains? So what is the meaning of ‘and come down to the mountains?’ These represent the Sanhedrin,²⁰Gk.: synedrion. as in the usage (of Micah 6:2), ‘Hear, O mountains, the lawsuit of the Lord.’” She went to them, but they did not find a loophole for undoing his vow, because of the sin of those that he slaughtered from the tribe of Ephraim. So it is with reference to him that Scripture has said (in Prov. 28:3), “A poor man who exploits the indigent is a torrential rain which leaves no bread.” “A poor man who exploits the indigent.” This is referring to Jephthah; since he was poor in Torah like a [mere] sycamore shoot.²¹The metaphor designates one who is poor. (Prov. 28:3, cont.:) “Who exploits the indigent,” since he exploited the indigent, when he said [to the men of Ephraim] (in Jud. 12:6), “Say, ‘Shibboleth’; and he said, ‘Sibboleth,’ not being able to pronounce it correctly.” Then he slaughtered him. Therefore, he is (according to Prov. 28:3, cont.) “a torrential rain, and there is no bread,” in that he had someone who would undo his vow; however (ibid., cont.), “there is no bread,” in that the Holy One, blessed be He, had taken away the halakhah from them, so that they would not find [a loophole] for undoing his vow. When they did not find [a loophole] for undoing his vow, he went up and slaughtered her before the Holy One, blessed be He. Then the holy spirit proclaimed, “Did I desire you to sacrifice lives (npshwt) to Me, [lives] (according to Jer. 19:5), ‘which I never commanded, never spoke for, and which never entered My mind.’” “Which I never commanded” Abraham, that he slaughter his son. Instead I said to him (in Gen. 22:12), “Do not raise your hand against the lad.” [This was] in order to make known Abraham’s love [of God] to the nations of the world, that he did not spare his only one from Me and carried out the will of his Maker. (Jer 19:5 cont.:) “Never spoke” to Jephthah to offer up his daughter as a sacrifice to Me. Rabbi Johanan and R. Simeon ben Laqish [differed on the matter]. Rabbi Johanan says, “He was liable for money [in order to fulfill his vow], like the matter is written in Arakhin.” And R. Simoen ben Laquish said, “[He was liable for] nothing, as he made a stipulation about something that is impossible to sacrifice, and [so] there was no [liability] upon him.” “And which never entered my mind,” this is referring to Misha the king of Moab, about whom it is written that when he fell into the hand of the king of Israel (in II Kings 3:27), “And he took his firstborn son, who would become king in his stead, and offered him up as a burnt offering upon the wall.” What caused Misha to sacrifice his son?²²See the parallel text in Buber Tanchuma 10:7, which has the final question being about Jephthah, which fits much better with the continuation of the section. Because he was not a Torah scholar; for if he had read the Torah, he would not have lost his son, since it is written (in Lev 27:2-4) “When anyone explicitly vows [to the Lord the value of human beings (npshwt)] And the value of a male shall be […]. And if it is a female….” Ergo (in Prov. 11:30), “but a wise person acquires lives (npshwt).”

Another interpretation (of Lev. 27:2:) WHEN ANYONE EXPLICITLY VOWS…. This text is related (to Prov. 11:30): THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A TREE OF LIFE, [BUT A WISE PERSON ACQUIRES LIVES (NPShWT)]. This refers to the Torah, because when one is a Torah scholar (literally: child of Torah), he learns how one acquires lives (NPShWT), as stated (ibid.): BUT A WISE PERSON ACQUIRES LIVES.²⁷Tanh., Lev. 10:5. And so you find in the case of Jephthah the Gileadite, because he was not a Torah scholar, he forfeited his daughter.²⁸Gen. R. 60:5; Lev. R. 37:4. When? In the time that he fought with the children of Ammon and made a vow, as stated (in Jud. 11:30–31): THEN JEPHTHAH MADE A VOW TO THE LORD, < AND SAID: IF YOU INDEED GIVE THE CHILDREN OF AMMON INTO MY HAND, > THEN IT SHALL BE THAT WHATEVER COMES FORTH…, < SHALL BELONG TO THE LORD, AND I WILL OFFER IT UP AS A BURNT OFFERING >. At that time the Holy One was angry with him. The Holy One said: If there had come out from his house a dog, a pig, or a camel, he would have offered it to me. The Holy One summoned his daughter to him, as stated (in Jud. 11:34–35): AND THERE WAS HIS DAUGHTER COMING OUT TO MEET HIM <…. > AND IT CAME TO PASS, WHEN HE SAW HER, < THAT HE RENT HIS CLOTHES…. > But was not Phinehas there?²⁹As a high priest he could have annulled the vow, as explained in Eccl. R. 10:15:1, as well as in Gen. R. 60:5 and Lev. R. 37:4. Still he said (in vs. 35): AND I CANNOT RETRACT. However, Phinehas had said: I am a high priest and the son of a high priest. Shall I humble myself and go to an ignoramus 'am ha'arets)? But Jephthah said: I am head of the tribes of Israel and head of the magistrates. Shall I humble myself and go to a commoner?³⁰Gk.: idiotes. Between the two of them that poor woman perished; so the two of them were liable for her blood. In the case of Phinehas, the Holy Spirit left him. In the case of Jephthah, his bones were scattered, as stated (in Jud. 12:7): AND HE WAS BURIED IN THE CITIES OF GILEAD.³¹Translations tend to emend the text and have Jephthah buried in a single city. His daughter had said to him: My Father, is it ever written in the Torah: They offer the lives (NPShWT) of their sons upon the alter? And is it not written (in Lev. 1:2): [WHEN ONE OF YOU PRESENTS AN OFFERING TO THE LORD FROM THE CATTLE], < YOU SHALL PRESENT YOUR OFFERING > FROM THE HERD OR FROM THE FLOCK, < i.e., > from the cattle and not from the children of Adam? He said to her: My daughter, I made a vow (in Jud. 11:31): THEN IT SHALL BE THAT WHATEVER COMES FORTH…. [She said to him:] When our father Jacob made a vow (in Gen. 28:22): AND OF ALL THAT YOU GIVE ME, I WILL SURELY SET ASIDE A TITHE FOR YOU, and when the Holy One gave him twelve tribes, did he ever offer up one of them as a sacrifice? [Moreover, does not Hannah < do likewise >, when she makes a vow and says (in I Sam. 1:11): THEN I WILL GIVE HIM TO THE LORD ALL THE DAYS OF HIS LIFE. Did she ever offer up her son as a sacrifice to the Holy One?] All these things she said to him, but he did not heed her. She said to him: Let me go to a court of law. Perhaps one of them will find a loophole for your words. Thus it is stated (in Jud. 11:37): LEAVE ME ALONE FOR TWO MONTHS, [SO THAT I MAY GO AND COME DOWN TO THE MOUNTAINS]. R. Levi ben Berekhyah said: Is there anyone who comes down to the mountains? Does not one go up to the mountains? So what is the meaning of AND COME DOWN TO THE MOUNTAINS? These represent the Sanhedrin,³²Gk.: synedrion. as in the usage (of Micah 6:2): HEAR, O MOUNTAINS, THE LAWSUIT OF THE LORD. [She³³The bracketed section, which continues to near the end of the paragraph, is taken from Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34, and from the traditional published editions of Tanh., Lev. 10:7. went to them, but they did not find a loophole for undoing his vow. So it is with reference to him that the Scripture has said (in Prov. 28:3): A POOR MAN WHO EXPLOITS THE INDIGENT IS A TORRENTIAL RAIN WHICH LEAVES NO BREAD. A POOR MAN: This is Jephthah, since he was poor in the Torah. He was a < mere > sycamore shoot.³⁴The metaphor designates one who is poor. (Prov. 28:3, cont.:) WHO EXPLOITS THE INDIGENT, since he exploited the indigent, when he said (in Jud. 12:6): SAY: SHIBBOLETH; AND HE SAID SIBBOLETH. Then he slaughtered him. Therefore, he is (according to Prov. 28:3, cont.) A TORRENTIAL RAIN, AND THERE IS NO BREAD, in that he had someone who would undo his vow; however (ibid., cont.): THERE IS NO BREAD, in that the Holy One had taken away the halakhah from them, so that they would not find [a loophole] for undoing his vow. When they did not find [a loophole] for undoing his vow, he went up and slaughtered her before the Holy One. Then the Holy Spirit proclaimed: Did I desire you to sacrifice lives (NPShWT) to me, < lives > (according to Jer. 19:5), WHICH I NEVER COMMANDED, NEVER SPOKE FOR, AND WHICH NEVER ENTERED MY MIND. WHICH I NEVER COMMANDED Abraham, that he slaughter his son. Instead I said to him (in Gen. 22:12): DO NOT RAISE YOUR HAND AGAINST THE LAD…. < It was > in order to make known to you how Abraham carried out my will, when the nations of the world were saying: Why does the Holy One love Abraham so much? For that reason he said to him (in Gen. 22:2): PLEASE TAKE YOUR SON…. Ergo (in Jer. 19:5): WHICH I NEVER COMMANDED Abraham, certainly not to slaughter his son, NEVER SPOKE FOR to Jephthah to offer up his daughter as a sacrifice to me, AND WHICH NEVER ENTERED MY MIND, that the king of Moab would fall into the hand of the King of Israel and offer up his firstborn son to me as a sacrifice, as stated (in II Kings 3:27): SO HE TOOK HIS FIRSTBORN SON, WHO WOULD BECOME KING IN HIS STEAD, AND OFFERED HIM UP AS A BURNT OFFERING UPON THE WALL.] Who caused Jephthah to forfeit his daughter? < He himself > because he had not studied the Torah; for if he had studied the Torah, he would not had forfeited his daughter, since it is written (in Lev. 27:2, 4): WHEN ANYONE EXPLICITLY VOWS < TO THE LORD THE VALUE OF HUMAN BEINGS (NPShWT) >…. AND IF IT IS A FEMALE < …. > Ergo (in Prov. 11:30): THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A TREE OF LIFE, < BUT A WISE PERSON ACQUIRES LIVES (NPShWT) >.

It happened that Rabbi came to the place where R. Elazar b. R. Simon used to dwell and asked whether that upright man had left a son. He was told that there was a son and that every prostitue whose price was two dinars paid him four dinars. Rabbi sent for him, ordained him [as Rabbi], and delivered him to R. Simon b. Assi b. L'guinia, his mother's brother. The first few days the youth used to say: "I will return to my place." And his uncle, [trying to persuade him to give his attention to study], would say to him: "People want to make you a scholar, and they spread over you a gold-trimmed cloak, [as sign of being ordained], and named you Rabbi; and yet you say that you will return to your former place." He thereupon replied: "I swear that I shall never again mention it." When he grew up he went to the college of Rabbi. When the latter heard his voice, he said: "The voice of this young man is similar to the voice of R. Elazar b. R. Simon." And he was told that this youth was his son. Rabbi then applied to him the passage (Pr. 11, 30) The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life, and the wise draweth souls to himself. The fruit of the righteous, refers to R. Jose b. R. Elazar, the sou of R. Simon, and the wise, draws souls to himself, refers to R. Simon, his uncle. When he (R. Jose) died, they brought him to the cave of his father, and found it encircled by a snake. The Rabbis said: "Achna, achna (snake), open thy mouth, and let the son enter to his father." But it did not listen to them. They thought it was because his father was a greater man. A Heavenly voice went forth and said: "Not because the father was greater than the son, but because the father had suffered in the cave, and the son did not suffer in the cave."

It happened that Rabbi came to the place where R. Elazar b. R. Simon used to dwell and asked whether that upright man had left a son. He was told that there was a son and that every prostitue whose price was two dinars paid him four dinars. Rabbi sent for him, ordained him [as Rabbi], and delivered him to R. Simon b. Assi b. L'guinia, his mother's brother. The first few days the youth used to say: "I will return to my place." And his uncle, [trying to persuade him to give his attention to study], would say to him: "People want to make you a scholar, and they spread over you a gold-trimmed cloak, [as sign of being ordained], and named you Rabbi; and yet you say that you will return to your former place." He thereupon replied: "I swear that I shall never again mention it." When he grew up he went to the college of Rabbi. When the latter heard his voice, he said: "The voice of this young man is similar to the voice of R. Elazar b. R. Simon." And he was told that this youth was his son. Rabbi then applied to him the passage (Pr. 11, 30) The fruit of the righteous is the tree of life, and the wise draweth souls to himself. The fruit of the righteous, refers to R. Jose b. R. Elazar, the sou of R. Simon, and the wise, draws souls to himself, refers to R. Simon, his uncle. When he (R. Jose) died, they brought him to the cave of his father, and found it encircled by a snake. The Rabbis said: "Achna, achna (snake), open thy mouth, and let the son enter to his father." But it did not listen to them. They thought it was because his father was a greater man. A Heavenly voice went forth and said: "Not because the father was greater than the son, but because the father had suffered in the cave, and the son did not suffer in the cave."

... And one who acquires souls is wise”—this is Noach, who acquired souls, and was nourishing them and feeding them . . . The twelve months that Noach did in the ark, he did not taste the taste of sleep, not in the day and not in the night, for he was busy feeding the souls that were with him, so “one who acquires souls”, this is Noach.

Our masters have said: All the Egyptian women's children whom Sarah suckled, all of them became proselytes; and do not be surprised at the news. So you find the following in the case of Eliphaz ben Esau (of Gen. 36:10f.; I Chron. 1:35f.): Because he grew up in the bosom of Isaac, he became righteous and was worthy of having the Holy Spirit rest (Sharah) ¹⁴⁰In an unvocalized text the verb could be read as (Sarah). upon him. Thus it is stated (in Prov. 11:30): THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A TREE OF LIFE. R. Eleazar {bar Simeon} was the son of R. Simeon ben Johay.¹⁴¹Cf. BM 85a; also PRK 11:22. R. Jose ben Halafta saw him. He said to him: You stem from a root of righteous people, but you are not a Torah scholar. He said to him: Then what should I do? He said to him: Do you want to learn? He said: Yes. He began teaching him one chapter, then a second, then a third. They brought him to the academy. Rabbi (Judah the Prince) saw him. He said to him: Have you brought this one with you? He said to him: He comes from the trunk of R. Simeon ben Johay. R. Jose brought him up to Sepphoris and instructed him. The next year he brought him down with him and entered the academy. When he began to give answers there, our holy master (Rabbi Judah the Prince) applied < Prov. 11:30 > to him: THE FRUIT OF THE RIGHTEOUS IS A TREE OF LIFE.¹⁴²I.e., a line of righteous people. Who caused him to become a Torah scholar? Was it not through R. Jose ben Halafta? Similarly in the case of the children who nursed from our mother Sarah, all of them became proselytes. The Holy One said: In this world individuals have become proselytes through the righteous ones, but in the world to come I will draw near the righteous and bring them under the wings of the Divine Presence. Thus it is stated (in Zeph. 3:9): FOR THEN WILL I MAKE THE PEOPLES PURE OF SPEECH, SO THAT THEY ALL MAY INVOKE THE LORD BY NAME AND SERVE HIM WITH ONE ACCORD.