아가 3:6의 미드라쉬

(Lev. 6:1–2 [8–9]:) THEN THE LORD SPOKE < UNTO MOSES SAYING >: COMMAND AARON…. This text is related (to Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE TO THE LORD, IS LIKE THE LORD AMONG THE CHILDREN OF GODS? The Holy One said: If I had < merely > desired an offering, would I not have told Michael to bring me an offering?¹Tanh., Lev. 2:1. From whom do I desire sacrifice? From Israel. And so it says about the shewbread (in Lev. 24:8) [HE SHALL ARRANGE IT BEFORE THE LORD REGULARLY] ON EVERY SABBATH DAY. But it is written (in Micah 6:7): DOES THE LORD WANT THOUSANDS OF RAMS WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF RIVERS OF OIL? Balaam the Wicked was an advocate²Gk.: synegoros. for the nations of the world. It is in reference to his place (as their advocate)³Cf. the parallels in Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34 and in Tanhuma, which read: “It is in reference to the nations that….” that < Scripture > speaks (in Micah 6:7): DOES THE LORD WANT [THOUSANDS OF RAMS WITH TEN THOUSANDS OF RIVERS OF OIL]? He wants what you offer to him, < i.e. > a log⁴A log is a liquid measure that equals the contents of six eggs. of oil. We (gentiles) offer him ten thousand times ten thousands rivers of oil. What did Abraham offer to him? Was it not one ram? It is so stated (in Gen. 22:13): THEN [ABRAHAM] LIFTED HIS EYES TO LOOK AND THERE WAS A RAM BEHIND HIM…. If he wants, we should offer him thousands of rams; but what did Abraham offer him? His son. I might offer him my son and daughter, as stated (in Micah 6:7, cont.): SHALL I GIVE MY FIRST-BORN FOR MY TRANSGRESSION, THE FRUIT OF MY BELLY FOR THE SIN OF MY SOUL? MY FIRST-BORN FOR MY TRANSGRESSION? This is my first-born son. THE FRUIT OF MY BELLY FOR THE SIN OF MY SOUL? This is my daughter. See how crafty Balaam the Wicked was! He began to say (in Numb. 23:4): I HAVE PREPARED THE SEVEN ALTARS < AND OFFERED A RAM AND A BULL ON EACH ALTAR >. He did not say, "< seven > altars," but, THE < SEVEN > ALTARS. These are < all of the > seven altars, < which > they had built since the first Adam was created up to now. Now I am offering seven < sacrifices > corresponding to the seven of them. And what did they offer? Twelve cakes, as stated (in Lev. 24:5): THEN YOU SHALL TAKE FINE WHITE FLOUR AND BAKE IT INTO TWELVE CAKES. When the Holy One appeared to him, he said to him: O Wicked One, what are you doing? He said to him (In Numb. 23:4) I HAVE PREPARED THE SEVEN ALTARS. To whom is this wicked one comparable? To a butcher who sold < meat > in the market. When his store was full of meat, the market commissioner⁵Gk.: logistes. saw < him > and looked at the meat. < When > that butcher saw that he was looking at the meat, he said to him: Sir, I have already sent provisions⁶Gk.: opsonion. to your house. So it was with Balaam. The Holy One said to him: O Wicked One, what are you doing here? He said to him (in Numb. 23:4): I HAVE PREPARED THE SEVEN ALTARS WITH A BULL AND A RAM ON EACHALTAR. He said to him (in Micah 6:7): DOES THE LORD WANT THOUSANDS OF RAMS? He said to him (ibid., cont.): SHALL I GIVE MY FIRST-BORN FOR MY TRANSGRESSION? The Holy One said to him: O Evil One, if I had desired offering, I would have spoken to Michael and Gabriel, and they would have presented offerings to me. It is so stated (in Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE TO THE LORD, IS LIKE THE LORD AMONG THE CHILDREN OF GODS? Among the children of Abraham are Isaac and Jacob. < These are the ones > who are the rams of the world. The Holy One said to him: What do you desire? To deceive yourself before me? < To persuade > me to accept offerings from the gentiles? You are not able. He said to him: It is an oath, (in the words of Lev. 24:8, cont.) AN EVERLASTING COVENANT ON THE PART OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, they say, so that I only accept offerings from Israel. It is so stated (in Lev. 6:1–2 [8–9]): COMMAND AARON AND HIS CHILDREN, SAYING: < THIS IS THE TORAH OF THE BURNT OFFERING >…. When the nations said: What is this, whereby Israel is presenting offerings and sacrificing? the Holy One said to them (ibid.): THIS IS THE TORAH OF THE BURNT OFFERING (rt.: 'LH). (Cant. 3:6): WHO IS THIS THAT COMES UP FROM THE DESERT < LIKE COLUMNS OF SMOKE PERFUMED WITH MYRRH AND FRANKINCENSE >…? (Exod. 19:3:) THEN MOSES WENT (rt.: 'LH) UP UNTO GOD.

(Numb. 1:1:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses in the Sinai desert.” This text is related (to Jer. 2:31), “0 generation, understand the word of the Lord, ‘Have I been a desert for Israel or a land of thick darkness?’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “Because you said to Moses (in Numb. 21:5), ‘Why did you bring us up from Egypt to die in the desert?’³Numb. R. 1:2. (Jer. 2:31:) ‘Have I been a desert for Israel?’ Did I act like a desert to you? Is it customary for a king of flesh and blood, when he leaves for the desert, [to find] easy living [there] just like that which he had found in his palace, either [palace] food or [palace] drink? However, when you were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and when I brought you out from there, I had you lie down on couches, as it states (Exod 13:18), ‘And the Lord made the people circumvent (Vayasev) through the desert.’” What is [the meaning of] ”circumvent?” It teaches that He made them recline in the way that kings dine (mesavin), reclining upon their beds. “And I did not even bring three fleas to trouble you. And I even raised up three redeemers for you to serve you, as stated (in Micah 6:4), ‘and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.’” Through their merit, Israel was able to travel. Through the merit of Moses there was manna, as stated (Deut. 8:3), “And He subjected you to hunger [and then gave you manna to eat].” Through the merit of Aaron I surrounded you in clouds of glory, as stated (Exod. 13:21), “And the Lord went in front of them during the day [in a pillar of cloud. And it is written (in Ps. 105:39), “He spread a cloud for a cover.” There were seven clouds: one from above, one from below, one from each of the four directions, and one going before them. [That last one] smote snakes and scorpions, leveled the mountains and valleys for them, and burned the thornbushes so that they sent up smoke. When all the kings of the East and West saw this, the peoples of the world said (in Cant. 3:6), “Who is this that comes up from the desert [like columns of smoke]?” It is also written (in Deut. 29:4), “your clothes did not wear out from upon you.” In the case of a baby, all the time that it was growing, its garments and clothes were growing along with it. Now the well [came] through the merit of Miriam, who uttered a song by the waters [of the Reed sea].⁴See above, Lev. 7:7. R. Berekhyah the Priest said in the name of R. Levi, “[The matter is comparable to] a king of flesh and blood who has a province. So he sends high ranking people into its midst to conduct their affairs and administer their justice. Who has to be responsible for their maintenance? Do not the people of the province have to be responsible for their maintenance? But the Holy One, blessed be He, did not act like that. Instead he sent out Moses, Aaron, [and Miriam], as stated (in Micah 6:4), ‘and I sent Moses, Aaron, and Miriam before you.’” Thus through their merit, Israel was sustained. The manna was through the merit of Moses. You yourself know that it is so. When Moses passed away, what is written (in Josh. 5:12)? “The manna ceased on the next day (i.e., the day after Moses died).”⁵Heb.: MMHRT. The midrash understands MMHRT (“on the next day”) as two words, MHR and MT, which can be translated: “On the day after he died.” In adopting this interpretation the midrash goes against the weight of Rabbinic and other traditions that Moses died sometime during the month of Adar, usually on the seventh of that month (as in Qid. 38a; etc.), since (according Josh. 5:12) the manna did not cease until the sixteenth of Nisan. The interpretation here and in Numb. R. 1:2 may result from the simple assertion commonly found in Rabbinic sources (e.g., in TSot. 11:8 [10]; Ta‘an 9a.) that, when Moses died, the manna ceased. The clouds of glory [came] through the merit of Aaron. You yourself know that it is so. When Aaron passed away, what is written (in Numb. 21:4)? “But the temper of the people grew short on the way,” because the sun was shining down upon them (without a cloud cover). And the well [came] through the merit of Miriam,⁶See above, Lev. 7:7. since it is stated (in Numb. 20:1-2), “and Miriam died there and was buried there. Now the congregation had no water.” And how was [the well] constructed? Like a kind of boulder or a type of hive or a type of ball. It rolled along and came with them on the journeys.⁷See above, Lev. 7:7; below, Numb 6:35, 47-50. When the standards [for each tribe] came to rest and the tabernacle arose, the rock would come and settle down in the court of the tent of meeting. Then the princes would stand beside it and say (in the words of Numb. 21:17), “Rise up, O well”; and the well would rise up. After that, I brought them quails (cf. Numb. 11:31). (Jer. 2:31:) “Have I been a desert for Israel?” Have I treated you like a desert? (Ibid., cont.) “Or a land of utter darkness?” Did not I become a light for you, a light by My own glory? It is so stated (in Exod. 13:21:) “And the Lord went….” Another interpretation (of Jer. 2:31): What is the meaning of “utter darkness? Have I [ever] said to you that I am bringing a benefit and delayed it? Utter darkness (rt.:'pl) can only be a term of delay, as it is used (in Exod. 9:32), “But the wheat and the spelt were not hurt, because they ripen late (i.e., are delayed: rt.:'pl).”⁸Below, Numb. 10:7; I Corinthians 10:4. Joshua said (in Josh. 21:45), “Not a thing has failed (npl) of any good thing which the Lord (your God) promised unto (you); it all came to you.” [And how are we to understand the rest of the verse] (in Jer. 2:31), “why did my people say, ‘we have let loose (radnu - rt.: rwd)’?” What is the meaning of “radnu?” The word is mishnaic (as in ter. 10:3), “one who removes (rwdh) a hot loaf” (adhering to an oven).⁹Bread is usually baked adhering to the roof or wall of the oven with the fire beneath. They (i.e., Israel) said, “When the bread is baked in the oven and is taken out of it, can it stick¹⁰Rt.: QB‘ (which normally means “fix in” or “fix on”). On the translation of this root, see Midrash Tanhuma (Jerusalem: Eshkol, 1971/72), vol. II, p. 647, n. 2, which regards it here as the equivalent of the root DBQ (which means (“stick to”). In a similar vein, see Wolf Einhorn’s commentary, Perush Maharzaw, on Numb. R. 1:2. Since the root QB‘ can also mean “rob” or “defraud,” the meaning for Israel would be that, as bread removed from an oven cannot stick to it again, neither can Israel once removed from Jerusalem ever defraud again. to the oven again? Now we in Jerusalem were as in an oven, as stated (in Is. 31:9), ‘says the Lord, who has a fire in Zion and has an oven in Jerusalem.’ Now You exiled us to Babylon. ‘What do you still want from us?’” [That is the meaning of] (Jer. 2:31:), “why did my people say, ‘radnu’” (i.e., he has already removed us from the oven of Jerusalem). Another interpretation (of Jer. 2:31), “why did my people say, ‘radnu?” What [is the meaning of] “radnu (rt.: rwd)?” Compare what is said (in I Kings 5:4), “For he subjugated (rwdh) everything beyond the river (i.e., West of the Euphrates), from Tipsah to Gaza.” They said to [the Holy One, blessed be He,], “You have destroyed for us the sanctuary, and You have taken away your Divine Presence from us. ‘Now what do You still want from us?’” (Jer. 2:31) [Why did my people say, “He has dominion over us (radnu)]”; He said to them, “Would that I were now in the desert, where I did those miracles for you.” And so does it state (in Jer. 9:1), “Would that I were in the desert, at an inn for wayfarers….” Where? Where I was praised,¹¹Rt.: QLS, a word related to the Gk.: kalos (“beautifully”). as stated (in Is. 42:11), “Let the desert and its cities lift up [their voice].” [The matter] is comparable to a prince who entered a metropolis. When the inhabitants of the metropolis saw him, they fled. He entered a second one, and [again] they fled from him. He entered into another city that was ruined (harevah); and when the inhabitants saw him, they praised him. That prince said, “This city is better than all the metropolises. Here I will build myself a lodging place¹²Gk.: xenia (“guestchamber”).; here I will dwell.” Similarly, when the Holy One, blessed be He, came to the sea, it fled from Him, as stated (in Ps. 114:3), “The sea saw [Him] and fled.” He revealed Himself on Mount Sinai, [it also] fled, as stated (in Ps. 114:4), “The mountains danced like rams.” When he came to the desert wasteland (harevah), it received Him and praised Him, as stated (in Is. 42:11), “Let the desert and its cities lift up [their voice].” He said, “This city is better than all of the cities. Here I will build a lodging place.” When He came down into its midst, they began rejoicing, because the Holy One, blessed be He, was dwelling in their midst, as stated (in Is. 35:1), “The desert and the arid land shall be glad, and the wilderness shall rejoice and blossom like a crocus.”

(Numb. 1:1:) THEN THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES IN THE SINAI DESERT. This text is related (to Jer. 2:31): 0 GENERATION, UNDERSTAND THE WORD OF THE LORD: [HAVE I BEEN A DESERT FOR ISRAEL <OR A LAND OF THICK DARKNESS>?] The Holy One said to Israel: Because you said to Moses (in Numb. 20:5 = 21:5): WHY DID YOU BRING US UP FROM {THE LAND OF} EGYPT <TO DIE IN THE DESERT? FOR THERE IS NO BREAD AND NO WATER>⁷Tanh., Numb. 1:2; Numb. R. 1:2. (Jer. 2:31:) HAVE I BEEN A DESERT FOR ISRAEL? Did I act like a desert to you? Is it customary for a king of flesh and blood, when he leaves for the desert, [to find] easy living [there] just like that which he had found in his palace,⁸Lat.: palatium. either <palace> food or <palace> drink? However, when you were slaves to Pharaoh in Egypt and when I brought you out from there, I had you lie down under clouds of glory and raised up three redeemers for you to serve you, [as stated] (in (Micah 6:4): AND I SENT MOSES, AARON, AND MIRIAM BEFORE YOU. [Through the merit of Moses you ate manna, <a food> which <even> the holy ancestors had not seen, as stated (in Deut. 8:3): SO HE AFFLICTED YOU WITH HUNGER BUT FED YOU WITH MANNA, <WHICH NEITHER YOU HAD KNOWN NOR HAD YOUR ANCESTORS KNOWN….> Through the merit of Aaron I surrounded you in clouds of glory, as stated (in Ps. 105:39): HE SPREAD A CLOUD FOR A COVER AND A FIRE TO GIVE LIGHT AT NIGHT. There were seven clouds: one from above, one from below, one from each of the four winds, and one before you. He smote snakes and scorpions, leveled the mountains and valleys for them, and burned the thornbushes so that they sent up smoke. When all the kings of the East and West saw this, the peoples of the world said (in Cant. 3:6): WHO IS THIS THAT COMES UP FROM THE DESERT LIKE COLUMNS OF SMOKE? It is also written (in Deut. 29:4): I LED YOU FORTY YEARS IN THE DESERT; [YOUR CLOTHES DID NOT WEAR OUT….] In the case of a baby, all the time that it was growing, its garments and clothes were growing along with it. Now the well <came> through the merit of Miriam, who uttered a song by the waters <of the Reed Sea>.:⁹See above, Lev. 7:7. R. Berekhyah the Priest said in the name of R. Levi: <The matter> is comparable to a king of flesh and blood who has a province. So he sends high ranking people into its midst to conduct their affairs and and administer their justice. Who has to be responsible for their maintenance? Do not the people of the province have to be responsible for their maintenance? But the Holy One did not act like that. Instead he sent out Moses, Aaron, [and Miriam], as stated (in Micah 6:4): AND I SENT MOSES, AARON, AND MIRIAM BEFORE YOU. Thus through their merit, Israel was sustained. The manna was through the merit of Moses. [You yourself know that it is so. When Moses passed away, what is written (in Josh. 5:12)? THE MANNA CEASED ON THE NEXT DAY (i.e., the day after Moses died).]¹⁰Heb.: MMHRT. The midrash understands MMHRT (“on the next day”) as two words, MHR and MT, which can be translated: “On the day after he died.” In adopting this interpretation the midrash goes against the weight of Rabbinic and other traditions that Moses died sometime during the month of Adar, usually on the seventh of that month (as in Qid. 38a; etc.), since (according Josh. 5:12) the manna did not cease until the sixteenth of Nisan. The interpretation here and in Numb. R. 1:2 may result from the simple assertion commonly found in Rabbinic sources (e.g., in TSot. 11:8 [10]; Ta‘an 9a.) that, when Moses died, the manna ceased. The clouds of glory <came> through the merit of Aaron. You yourself know that it is so. When Aaron passed away, what is written (in Numb. 21:4)? BUT THE TEMPER OF THE PEOPLE GREW SHORT ON THE WAY, because the sun was shining down upon them (without a cloud cover). And the well <came> through the merit of Miriam,¹¹See above, Lev. 7:7. since it is stated (in Numb. 20:1-2): BUT MIRIAM DIED THERE <AND WAS BURIED THERE>. NOW THE CONGREGATION HAD NO WATER. And how was [the well] constructed? Like a kind of rock. It rolled along and came with them on the journeys.¹²See above, Lev. 7:7; below, Numb 6:35, 47-50. When the standards <for each tribe> came to rest and the Tabernacle arose, the rock would come and settle down in the court of the Tent of Meeting. Then the princes would stand beside it and say (in the words of Numb. 21:17): RISE UP, O WELL; and the well would rise up. After that, I brought them quails (cf. Numb. 11:31). (Jer. 2:31:) HAVE I BEEN A DESERT FOR ISRAEL? Have I treated you like a desert? (Ibid., cont.:) OR A LAND OF UTTER DARKNESS. Did not I become a light for you a light by myself? It is so stated (in Exod. 13:21:) AND THE LORD WENT BEFORE THEM BY DAY….

“Who is this ascending from the wilderness like columns of smoke, perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, and with all the powders of the merchant?” (Song of Songs 3:6).
“Who is this ascending from the wilderness,” its ascent was in the wilderness;⁴⁰Israel was elevated in the wilderness, as the midrash goes on to explain. its removal ⁴¹The division of the camp based on tribal units, which would eventually become the basis of the distribution of the Land of Israel to the tribes. was in the wilderness; its death was in the wilderness, just as it says: “In this wilderness they will cease to exist” (Numbers 14:35). Torah [was given] from the wilderness, the Tabernacle from the wilderness, Sanhedrin from the wilderness, priesthood from the wilderness, Levites from the wilderness, royalty from the wilderness, as it is stated: “You will be for Me a kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6); and all the fine gifts that the Holy One blessed be He gave to Israel were from the wilderness. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai said: In the wilderness they loaded,⁴²They received the Torah. and in the wilderness they unloaded.⁴³When they sinned. Prophecy is from the wilderness. That is, its ascent is from the wilderness.

“Like columns of smoke.” Rabbi Elazar said in the name of Rabbi Yosei ben Zimra: When Israel was wandering from journey to journey, the pillar of cloud would descend and the pillar of fire would ascend, and the smoke from the arrangement of wood [on the altar] would ascend like two sparks of fire.⁴⁴From the two altars, the copper altar used for sacrificial offerings and the gold altar used for incense. They would emerge from between the two staves of the Ark and burn before them snakes, fiery serpents, and scorpions. The nations of the world would see and say: ‘They are gods and all their actions are performed with fire.’ Due to their terror of Israel, fear and trembling would beset them. That is what is written: “Terror and fear will beset them” (Exodus 15:16). “Beset them” is not written, but rather “will beset them”—from here and on.
“Perfumed with myrrh,” this is our patriarch Abraham. Just as myrrh is the first of all the spices,⁴⁵See Exodus 30:23. so too, Abraham our patriarch was the first of all the righteous. Just as myrrh, anyone who gathers it, his hands have a bitter residue, so too, Abraham our patriarch would embitter and torment himself with suffering. Just as myrrh emanates its fragrance only in fire, so Abraham divulged his good deeds only in the fiery furnace.⁴⁶Abraham was thrown into a fiery furnace due to his rejection of idolatry (see Bereshit Rabba 38:13).
“And frankincense,” this is our patriarch Isaac, who was sacrificed like a handful of frankincense on the altar. “With all the powders of the merchant,” this is Jacob our patriarch, whose bed was unflawed and no waste was found among them.⁴⁷In contrast to Abraham and Isaac, all of Jacob’s sons were righteous.
Rabbi Tanḥuma said: Just as there are all kinds of spices in the peddler’s box, so too, priesthood is from Jacob, and Levites and royalty from Jacob. Isaac, Abraham gave him everything that was his, as it is stated: “Abraham gave everything that was his to Isaac” (Genesis 25:5). However, all of Jacob’s wares were only from the dust that was beneath his feet.⁴⁸He solidified his hold on the blessings he received only in the aftermath of his struggle with Esau’s angel, symbolized by dust [avak], as the verse states: “A man wrestled [vaye’avek] with him there” (Genesis 32:25). See Genesis 32:25–30. (Matnot Kehuna).
Rabbi Yudan said two [statements]. Rabbi Yudan said: All the wares with which Israel engages and is successful in this world are due to the merit of that dust of Jacob our patriarch. Rabbi Yudan said another: All the merchandise⁴⁹The midrash is using the term merchandise to refer to large-scale business, as opposed to “wares,” which is seen as small-scale peddling. that Israel produces and succeeds with in this world are due to the merit of that dust of Jacob our patriarch. Rabbi Azarya said two [statements]: All the wars in which Israel engages and succeeds are due to the merit of that dust of Jacob our patriarch. Rabbi Azarya said another: All the Torah that Israel performs in this world is due to the merit of Jacob our patriarch. Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Abahu: That dust, the Holy One blessed be He took it and placed it under His throne of glory. That is what is written: “The Lord, his way is in the tempest and in the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet” (Nahum 1:3).

Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Ḥelbo: It is written: “A man wrestled with him” (Genesis 32:25). We do not know who was dominated by whom; whether the angel was dominated by Jacob or Jacob was dominated by the angel, except from what is written: “He said: Release me, as dawn has broken” (Genesis 32:27). The angel said to Jacob: ‘Release me, as the time for my lauding has arrived.’ Thus, the angel was dominated by Jacob.
In what guise did he appear to him? Rabbi Ḥama bar Ḥanina said: He appeared to him in the guise of Esau’s guardian angel. That is what is written: “For I have therefore seen your face like seeing the face of an angel” (Genesis 33:10). [Jacob] said to [Esau]: ‘Your face is like that of your angel.’ This is analogous to a king who had a tamed lion and a wild dog. What did the king do? He brought the lion and incited it against his son. He would say: If the dog comes upon my son, my son will say: If I overcame the lion will I not be able to overcome the dog? So too, when the nations of the world come upon Israel, the Holy One blessed be He says to then: ‘Your guardian angel was not able to withstand their ancestor, will you be able to overcome them?’
Rabbi Huna said: He appeared to him as a herdsman; this one had flocks and that one had flocks, this one had camels and that one had camels. He said to him:⁵⁰The angel said to Jacob. ‘Cross mine and I will cross yours.’⁵¹Help me cross the stream with my livestock, and I will help you cross with your livestock. Some suggest that the text should read: Cross yours and I will cross mine. This is consistent with the version of the text in Bereshit Rabba 77:3 and with the continuation of the midrash here (Etz Yosef). After Jacob our patriarch crossed his, he said: ‘Let us return and see, perhaps we forgot something.’ Once he returned, “a man wrestled with him.”⁵²The angel, appearing as a herdsman, fought with Jacob under the pretense that after crossing his own livestock, Jacob had come to take some of his livestock. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great and Rabbi Shimon ben Rabbi were engaged in commerce and were dealing silk fabric. They entered Tyre and engaged in their labor. When they exited the city gates, they said: ‘Let us return and see, perhaps we forgot something.’ They returned and found a bundle of silk fabric. They said: This matter is from Jacob our grandfather, as it is written: “A man wrestled with him.”⁵³This event occurred after Jacob had returned to see if he forgot anything. They derived from Jacob’s behavior that checking if one forgot anything is a good habit.
The Rabbis say: He appeared to him as an arch robber; this one had flocks and that one had flocks, this one had camels and that one had camels. He said to him: Cross mine and I will cross yours. The angel crossed Jacob’s flocks in the blink of an eye. Our patriarch Jacob was crossing the flocks of the angel, and he was returning and finding other flocks all that night. What did Jacob our patriarch do? Rabbi Pinḥas said: At that moment, Jacob wrapped a soft woolen scarf around his neck. He said to him: ‘Sorcerer, sorcerer, you are a wizard, but wizardry is not effective at night.’ Rabbi Huna said: At that moment the angel said: ‘Shall I not inform him with whom he is dealing?’ What did he do? He placed a finger on a rock and it began bursting into flames. [Jacob] said to him: ‘With this you are seeking to frighten me? I am constituted entirely from it,’ as it is stated: “The house of Jacob will be fire” (Obadiah 1:18).
Rabbi Ḥanina bar Yitzḥak said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Esau’s guardian angel: ‘Are you standing against him? He is coming against you with five amulets in his hand: His merit, the merit of his father, the merit of his mother, the merit of his grandfather, and the merit of his grandmother. Assess yourself relative to him, as you are unable to stand even against his own merit.’ Immediately, “he saw that he could not overcome him” (Genesis 32:26). Rabbi Levi said: He saw in the Divine Presence that he could not overcome him. [This is analogous] to an arch robber who was struggling with the son of a king. He lifted his eyes and saw that his father the king was standing over him, and he submitted to him. So too, when the angel saw the Divine Presence standing over Jacob, he submitted before him. That is what is written: “He saw that he could not overcome him.” Rabbi Levi said: He saw in the Divine Presence that he could not overcome him.
“He touched the socket of his thigh” (Genesis 32:26), the righteous men and the righteous women and the prophets and the prophetesses who were destined to emerge from him and his sons. What is that? It is the generation of persecution.⁵⁴The generation that lived after the destruction of the Temple, when the Romans persecuted the residents of the Land of Israel. “The socket of Jacob’s thigh was dislocated [vateka]” (Genesis 32:26), Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Berekhya, Rabbi Eliezer says: He smoothed it.⁵⁵The bone that protrudes from the thigh no longer protruded. Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rav Asi:⁵⁶The Hebrew text says Ravasa, which is short for Rav Asi. He fractured it like [one splits] a fish.⁵⁷Lengthwise. Rabbi Naḥman bar Yaakov said: He dislocated it, just as you say: “My soul was alienated [vateka] from her” (Ezekiel 23:18).

Rabbi Yoḥanan interpreted the verse: “Perfumed with myrrh and frankincense, and with all the powders of the merchant” regarding the incense of the house of Avtinas,⁵⁸The incense in the Temple was prepared by the priestly house of Avtinas; see, e.g., Mishna Shekalim 5:1; Yoma 3:11. and this is one of the eleven spices that they would place in it.⁵⁹The reference is to myrrh, although frankincense, which is also mentioned in the verse here, was also an ingredient in the incense. Rav Huna interpreted it: “The Lord said to Moses: Take spices for you” (Exodus 30:34), that is two;⁶⁰The word spices is plural, indicating at least two spices. “stacte, onycha, and galbanum” (Exodus 30:34), that is five; “spices” (Exodus 30:34), if you say that this is two, but did it not already say “spices”? “Each part shall be equal” (Exodus 30:34), these are five corresponding to the five, that is ten.⁶¹Based on the phrase “each part shall be equal,” the midrash interprets the second mention of “spices” to refer to an additional five types of spices. “And pure frankincense” (Exodus 30:34), these are eleven spices. From here the Sages examined and found that only these eleven spices are ideal for incense.
It is taught: The house of Avtinas were experts in the preparation of the incense, in the blending of the incense, and it would generate a column of smoke, but they were unwilling to teach it.⁶²They were unwilling to teach others how to prepare the incense such that it would rise in a straight column of smoke. The Sages sent and brought craftsmen from Alexandria who were expert in the preparation of the incense, but were not expert in generating a column of smoke. That of the house of Avtinas would rise and ascend like a cluster until the rafters, and would then spread and descend like a rod.⁶³The text should be reversed to read: It rose like a rod to the rafters and would then spread and descended like a cluster (Etz Yosef). That of [the craftsmen from] Alexandria would spread and descend downward immediately. When the matter became known to the Sages, they said: ‘Everything that the Holy One blessed be He created, He created only for His glory, as it is stated: “Everything that is called by My name, for My glory I created it”’ (Isaiah 43:7),⁶⁴It was not befitting the glory of God for the smoke of the incense to spread out rather than rising straight up. and they restored the house of Avtinas to its position.
They sent for them, but they did not want to come until they doubled their wages. They had been receiving twelve maneh each day and they then received twenty-four maneh, in accordance with the statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yuda says: They had been receiving twenty-four maneh each day and they then received forty-eight maneh.⁶⁵Some interpret this passage to mean that the sums mentioned were paid per year, on behalf of their preparation of the incense to be offered each day (Rashash, Yoma 38a).
They said to them: ‘Why did you see fit not to teach?’ They said: ‘We have a tradition from our ancestors that the Temple is destined to be destroyed, and we did not wish to teach so that they would not become accustomed to offering it before their idols in the manner that we do so before the Holy One blessed be He.’ Regarding this matter, they are commended; moreover, no woman from among them or child from among them ever went out perfumed. And when they would marry a woman from another place they would make an agreement with her that she would never perfume herself, so that Israel would not say that they were perfuming themselves from the blending of the incense, to fulfill what is stated: “You shall be vindicated before God and before Israel” (Numbers 32:22), and it says: “you will find grace and good favor in the eyes of God and man” (Proverbs 3:4).
Rabbi Akiva said: Shimon ben Loga related to me: I and a child from the descendants of the house of Avtinas were gathering herbs in the field, and I saw that he cried and laughed. I said to him: ‘My son, why did you cry?’ He said to me: ‘Due to the honor of my patrilineal home that has been diminished.’ ‘Why did you laugh?’ He said to me: ‘Because it is preserved and designated for the righteous, and ultimately, the Holy One blessed be He is destined to bring joy to His children in the near future.’ What did you see?’⁶⁶What did you see that reminded you of the incense that your family would prepare in the days of the Temple? He said to me: ‘Is this not a substance that generates a column of smoke before me?’ I said to him: ‘Show me.’ He said to me: ‘We have a tradition to never show it to any person.’ They said: Not many days elapsed in the world until that child died.⁶⁷This was a punishment for having divulged the little that he divulged.
Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri said: One time I was walking along the way and I found a certain elder of the house of Avtinas who had in his hand a scroll [containing a list] of spices. I said to him: ‘What is that in your hand?’ He said to me: ‘When they were discreet, the members of my patrilineal house would pass the scrolls one to another, but now, here it is for you, but be careful with it, as it is a scroll of spices.’ When I came and related the matters before Rabbi Akiva, his tears flowed. He said to me: ‘From now on, we are no longer permitted to denounce them.’⁶⁸Since the elder did not find anyone in his family worthy of these secrets, he had passed them on to Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Nuri. This made it clear that all along they had acted for the sake of heaven (Etz Yosef).

The house of Garmu were experts in preparation of the showbread and its removal from the oven, but they were unwilling to teach it.⁶⁹Due to its unique size and shape, the showbread had to be prepared in a special way, and it took great skill to remove it from the oven without tearing it. It should be noted that bread was at that time generally baked by sticking it onto the inside wall of the oven. The Sages sent and brought craftsmen from Alexandria who were expert in preparation of the showbread, but they were not expert in its removal from the oven. The house of Garmu would ignite the oven toward the outside and [the bread] was removed toward the inside, but these would ignite toward the inside and would bake toward the outside.⁷⁰They would ignite the fire deeper inside the oven and bake the bread toward the front of the oven. Alternatively, they would bake the bread by attaching it to the outside of the oven, which was hot because of the fire on the inside. Some say that it would become moldy. When the matter became known to the Sages, they said: ‘Everything that the Holy One blessed be He did, He did only for His sake,’ as it is stated: “Everything done by the Lord is for His own sake” (Proverbs 16:4), and they restored the house of Garmu to its position.
They sent for them, but they did not want to come until they doubled their wages. They had been receiving twelve maneh each day and they then received twenty-four maneh, in accordance with the statement of Rabbi Meir. Rabbi Yehuda says: They had been receiving twenty-four maneh each day and now forty-eight maneh.⁷¹Some interpret this passage to mean that the sums mentioned were paid per year, on behalf of their preparation of the showbread for the entire year (Rashash, Yoma 38a).
They said to them: ‘Why did you see fit not to teach?’ They said: ‘Our patrilineal house knew that the Temple is destined to be destroyed and perhaps an unworthy person will learn [how to produce the showbread] and will go engage in idol worship with it.’ Regarding this matter, they are commended; moreover, no bread from fine flour was ever found in the possession of their sons and daughters, so Israel would not say that they are sustained by the showbread, to fulfill what is stated: “You shall be vindicated before God and before Israel” (Numbers 32:22), and it says: “you will find grace and good favor in the eyes of God and man” (Proverbs 3:4).
All of them found a response to their words except for the house of Kamtzar, who did not find an answer.⁷²The house of Kamtzar were expert scribes. They were able to grasp four quills in one hand and write the four letters of the name of God at the same time (Yoma 38b). It was considered advantageous for the name of God to be written in this way so as not to be incomplete for even a small amount of time. They said to them: ‘Why did you see fit not to teach?’ They were silent and did not respond with an answer. Because they sought to increase their glory and diminish the glory of the Omnipresent, their glory diminished and the kingdom of Heaven remains in its place. Moreover, they have no descendant or offspring among Israel. Regarding the first ones, it is stated: “The memory of the righteous is for a blessing” (Proverbs 10:7), and regarding these it is stated: “and the name of the wicked will rot” (Proverbs 10:7). From here, ben Azzai said: From your own they will give you,⁷³People will be rewarded or punished in a manner commensurate with their actions. by your name they shall call you, and in your place they shall seat you, and there is no forgetfulness before the Onmipresent. No person touches what is prepared for another. And one reign does not overlap with another even one hairbreadth.

Hugras ben Levi⁷⁴He was one of the Levites who would sing in the Temple. knew how to sing better than his brethren, but he did not want to teach it. They said about Hugras ben Levi, when he would open his mouth in song, he would insert his thumb into his mouth, his other thumb in the ground, and insert fingers between the two sides of his upper lip and raise his voice in a pleasant tune. He would produce all kinds of sounds until all his brethren the Levites would recoil and turn their heads back.⁷⁵The sounds he produced were so startlingly beautiful that the other Levites could not help but turn their heads to look at him. Pinḥas the dresser dressed a general and collected his wages.⁷⁶Pinḥas would dress the High Priest. Lest one think that a dresser was unnecessary, as dressing does not require great skill, the midrash notes that even a general paid him for his services (Etz Yosef).

“Who is this ascending…,” it is speaking of Elisheva daughter of Aminadav. They said: Elisheva daughter of Aminadav saw five celebrations on one day; she saw her brother-in-law become king,⁷⁷Moses. her brother [become] a prince,⁷⁸Naḥshon. her husband High Priest,⁷⁹Aaron. and her two sons deputy High Priests, and Pinḥas, her grandson, the priest anointed for war. When her sons entered to sacrifice, they came out burnt, and her celebration was transformed to mourning. Immediately she became like columns of smoke.⁸⁰Blackened from her pain and grief.
When Rabbi Elazar ben Rabbi Shimon died, his generation would read in his regard: “Who is this ascending from the wilderness…from all the powders of the merchant.” What is “from all the powders of the merchant”? Rabbi Elazar bar Rabbi Shimon was an expert in Bible, Mishna, preaching, and composing ritual poetry.

R. Eleazar the son of Pedat declared in the name of R. Yosé the son of Zimra: Two sparks issued from between the cherubim that killed the snakes and scorpions and burned the thorns. The smoke rose up from it in a straight column, and all the nations that experienced the odor that issued forth called out: Who is this that cometh out of the wilderness like pillars of smoke? (Song 3:6). It preceded them at a distance of three days’ journey, both day and night in order to find a resting place for them, as it is said: And the ark of the Lord went before them three days’ journey, to seek out a resting place for them (Num. 10:33). Moses would say at that time: Rise up, O Lord. That is to say, Stand and wait for us, do not leave us, as it is said: And it came to pass, when the ark set forward, that Moses said: Rise up, O Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered (ibid., v. 35). And when it came to rest, he would exclaim: Return, O Lord, unto the ten thousands of the families of Israel (ibid., v. 36).

And thou shalt make the altar of acacia-wood (Exod. 27:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses: Tell them to erect an altar for burnt offerings so that it may atone for the sins of My sons. I made an agreement with Abraham their father that if his sons sinned, I would forgive them because of their sacrifices, as it is said: And he said unto him: “Take me a heifer of three years old, and a she-goat of three years old (Gen. 15:9). What do the letters in the Hebrew word mizbeah (“altar”) stand for? The mem stands for mehilah (“pardon”), the zayin stands for zekhut (“merit”), the bet for berakhah (“blessing”), and the het for hayyim (“life”). The burnt offering (ha’oleh) ascended on your account. Thus Solomon said: Who is this that cometh (oleh) up out of the wilderness? (Song 3:6). Boards of acacia-wood standing. These were used because of the merit of Abraham, as it is said: And He stood by them under the tree, and they did eat (Gen. 18:8).

And he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness (Exod. 3:1). In answer to the query Why did he go into the wilderness? R. Johanan said: He went into the wilderness because he foresaw that Israel would be exalted through the wilderness, as it is said: Who is this that cometh up out of the wilderness? (Song 3:6). The ascent from Egypt was through the wilderness, the Torah was given in the wilderness; the manna and the quail were obtained in the wilderness; the Tabernacle, the Shekhinah, the priesthood, kingship, the well, the clouds of glory—all occurred in the wilderness. Therefore, he led the flock to the farthest end of the wilderness.

"And you shall take (acquire) for yourselves on the first day" (Leviticus 23:40). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana opened [his discourse]: "'Accept my discipline rather than silver' - accept the discipline of Torah rather than silver. 'Why do you weigh money for what is not bread' (Isaiah 55:2) - why are you weighing money for the Children of Esav for what is not bread? Since you did not sate yourselves with the bread of Torah. 'Your toil is for what does not satisfy' (Isaiah 55:2) - why are you toiling, and the nations of the world satiated without satiation? Since you did not satiate yourselves from the wine of Torah, as it is written (Proverbs 9:5), 'and drink the wine that I have mixed.'" Rabbi Berakhiah and Rabbi Chiya his father said in the name of Rabbi Yose ben Nehoria, "It is written (Jeremiah 30:20), 'And I will remember all who press him' - even charity collectors - except for the wage of scribes and teachers of Mishnah who only take the wage of their idleness alone. But there is no creature that can give the wage of one thing of the Torah [commensurate to] its reward." It was taught, "The sustenance of a man is fixed from Rosh Hashanah, except for what he expends [for] Shabbat, holidays, Rosh Chodesh and what the infants take to the house of their teacher - if he adds [to this], it is added to him; if he lessens, it is lessened from him." Rabbi Yochanan was travelling, he left from Tiveria [to go] to Tsipporin, and Rabbi Chiya bar Abba was helping him. They reached a plot of farmland. [Rabbi Yochanan] said, "This farmland was mine, but I sold it in order to acquire Torah." They reached one that was a vineyard. He said, "This vineyard was mine, but I sold it in order to acquire Torah." They reached one that was an olive grove. He said, "This olive grove was mine, but I sold it in order to acquire Torah." Rabbi Chiya started to cry. Rabbi Yochanan said, "Why are you crying?" He said to him, "Since you did not leave anything for your old age." He said to him, "Is what I did light in your eyes, that I sold something created in six days and purchased something that was given over forty days, as it is stated (Exodus 34:28), 'And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights'; and it is written (Deuteronomy 9:9), 'and I dwelt on the mountain forty days and forty nights.'" When Rabbi Yochanan [died], his generation read about him (Song of Songs 8:7), "if a man offered all the wealth of his home for love" - as Rabbi Yochanan loved the Torah - "he would surely be scorned." When Rabbi Hoshaya, the man of Tirya [died], they saw his bier flying in the air; and his generation read about him (Song of Songs 8:7), "if a man offered all the wealth of his home for love" - as the Holy One, blessed be He, loved Abba Hoshaya, the man of Tirya - "he would surely be scorned." When Rabbi Elazar beRabbi Shimon [died], his generation read about him (Song of Songs 3:6), "Who is she that comes up from the desert like columns of smoke, in clouds of myrrh and frankincense, from all the powders of the merchant?" What is [the understanding of] "from all the powders of the merchant?" Rather [it is] since he read and studied, was a lyricist and an orator. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said "You learn the reward of purchasing from the reward of purchasing: About Egypt, it is written (Exodus 12:22), 'And acquire a bunch of hyssop.' What is its price? Four small coins. But it caused Israel to possess the spoils of the [Reed Sea], the spoils of Sichon and Og and the spoils of [the] thirty-one kings [of Canaan]. All the more so [is this true] of a lulav, which can become a man's for a little money and has several commandments with it. Hence Moshe warns Israel and says to them (Leviticus 23:40), 'And you shall take (acquire) for yourselves on the first day.'"

Again after three years Abraham went to see his son Ishmael, having sworn to Sarah as on the first occasion that he would not descend from the camel in the place where Ishmael dwelt. He came there at midday, and found there Ishmael's wife. He said to her: Where is Ishmael? She replied to him: He has gone with his mother to feed the camels in the desert. He said to her: Give me a little bread and water, for my soul is faint after the journey of the desert. She fetched it and gave it to him. Abraham arose and prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, for his son, and (thereupon) Ishmael's house was filled with all good things of the various blessings. When Ishmael came (home) his wife told him what had happened, and Ishmael knew that his father's love was still extended to him, as it is said, || "Like as a father pitieth his sons" (Ps. 103:13). After the death of Sarah, Abraham again took (Hagar) his divorced (wife), as it is said, "And Abraham again took a wife, and her name was Keturah" (Gen. 25:1). Why does it say "And he again"? Because on the first occasion she was his wife, and he again betook himself to her. Her name was Keturah, because she was perfumed with all kinds of scents.