Midrasz do Daniela 7:11

Another interpretation (of Lev. 6:2), “Command Aaron.” What is the function of Aaron here? Israel was bringing offerings whereas Aaron is mentioned, and Scripture says here, “Command Aaron.” But note, it is written (in Numb. 28:2), “Command the Children of Israel, and say unto them, ‘My offering, My bread,’” but here it says (in Lev. 6:2), “Command Aaron […], ‘This is the Torah of the one who ascends (h'lh).’”⁴The masoretic text vocalizes this word as ha’olah, which means, THE BURNT OFFERING, but the midrash interprets the word as though it were vocalized ha’oleh, which means, “The one who ascends,” with the ascending implying self-exaltation. So also Lev. R. 7:6. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (to warn Aaron and his sons), “Whenever someone raises (rt.: 'lh) himself up, his end is to go in the fire.”⁵M.Ps. 11:5. It is so stated (in Lev. 6:2, cont.), “that is the one which ascends upon the burning place.” The generation of the flood [suffered] because of what they said (in Job 21:15), “What is the Omnipresent that we should serve Him?” For that reason they were sentenced to the fire (of Gehinnom), as stated (Job 6:17), “at the time that they were heated, they were burnt in His heat,” and it is written (Job 22:20), “and the fire consumed their remnant.” And likewise the Sodomites, [as stated] (in Gen. 19:24), “Then the Lord rained down upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire.” When Pharaoh said (in Exod. 5:2), “Who is the Lord, [that I should heed His voice],” he exalted (rt.: 'lh) himself and said (in Ezek. 29:3), “my Nile is my own and I made it myself.” [He is] therefore (in the words of Lev. 6:2) “upon the burning place.” For so it says (in Ps. 18:14), “The Lord thundered in the heavens,” (Ps. 18:13), "From the illumination in front of Him, His clouds were pierced by hail and coals of fire.” And also when Sennacherib exalted (rt.: 'lh) himself and said (in II Kings 19:23 = Is. 37:24), “it is I who have ascended (rt.: 'lh) the mountain heights to the remotest parts of Lebanon.” And what happened to him? (II Kings 19:35:) “The angel of the Lord went out and smote [one hundred and eighty-thousand] in the camp of Assyria.” He had blasphemed (according to II Kings 19:23: cf. 18:17–35) through a messenger (mal'akh);⁶The parallel in Is. 37:24 reads “servant” instead of “messenger.” therefore (in II Kings 19:35 = Is. 37:36 // II Chron. 32:21) “the angel (mal'akh) of the Lord went out and smote.” What did he do to him? (Is. 10:16), “And under his glory there shall burn a burning like the burning of fire.” What is the meaning of “under his glory?” That it burned them from within and left alone their clothes on the outside, since a person's glory is his garment.⁷Cf. Sanh. 94a. And why did the Holy One, blessed be He, leave their clothes behind? Because they were descendants of Shem, as stated (in Gen. 10:22), “The sons of Shem are Elam, Asshur (Assyria)….” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “I am indebted to their father Shem, because he took the garment and covered his father's nakedness, as stated (in Gen. 9:23), “Then Shem and Japheth took the garment… [and they covered their father's nakedness].”⁸Cf. Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 2:21, which interprets the verse to show that Shem took the lead in this act. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, left their clothes alone and burned [only] their body. This is as it is written (Lev. 6:2), “that (i.e. the person who exalts himself) is the one which ascends (ha'oleh) upon the burning place.” And so too Nebuchadnezzar exalted (rt.: 'lh) himself and said (in Is. 14:14), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) upon the heights of a cloud; I will become like the Most High (rt.: 'lh).” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Upon your life, was it not enough that you said in your heart (in vs. 13), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) to the heavens; above the stars of God I will set my throne,” but that you should say (in vs. 14), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) upon the heights of a cloud, I will become like the Most High (rt.: 'lh)?” And so he (i.e., Nebuchadnezzar) said to Hananiah and his friends (in Dan. 3:15), “’Now who is the God who shall deliver you out of my hand?’ I have burned His house and exiled His people. He did not stand against me in His house; so will He overcome me in my house?” What did he do? He threw them into the fiery furnace. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He gave a sign to the furnace and it became a highway.⁹PLTYA, from the Gk.: plateia. Buber suggests emending to PLNTYH, from the Gk.: planetes, i.e., “planets.” Whoever was designated to be burned was not burned and whoever was not designated to be burned was burned. So the fire went forth and burned half of the peoples. Thus you find, when they assembled for the dedication of the image, at first there were eight peoples, as stated (in Dan. 3:3), “Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the judges, the magistrates, and all the provincial officials assembled.” That makes eight peoples; but when they came in to see Hananiah and his friends, there were only four peoples written there (in vs. 27), “The satraps, the prefects, the governors, and the royal companions assembled.” So where were [the other] four peoples?] It is simply that (in vs. 22) “the flame of the fire slew them.” Now Nebuchadnezzar also was burned by the fire, and the fright (i.e., repulsiveness) of [a body disfigured by] burning was put upon him.¹⁰For this interpretation, Jastrow, s.v., ‘immus. Why was all of him not burned? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “Leave this evil man half of himself so that he may know against Whom he blasphemed.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “O wicked one, did you not say, ‘I do not want to live with the children of Adam, but (in Is. 14:14), “I will ascend (rt.: 'lh) upon the heights of a cloud?”’ By your life, (according to Dan. 4:22) ‘You shall be driven away from humans and your domicile will be with the wild animals outside.’” Just as He brought the plagues upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt, so did He bring [punishment] upon Nebuchadnezzar. It is so stated (in Dan. 3:32), “The signs and wonders which the most high God has worked for me [it seemed good to me to make known].” This fright of [a body disfigured by] burning fell upon him. Therefore it is stated (in Lev. 6:2), “that is the one which ascends (h'lh) upon the burning place.” (Lev. 6.2) “That is the one which ascends upon the burning place.” This is the kingdom of Edom (Rome), which exalted (rt.: 'lh) itself, as stated (in Obad. 1:4), “Though you make [your abode] as high as the eagle, and though [your nest is set] among the stars,” and will be judged by fire, as stated (in Dan. 7:11), “I looked on until the beast was slain and its body destroyed, given over for burning in the fire.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Obad. 1:18), “The House of Jacob shall be fire, and the House of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau shall be straw; [… for the Lord has spoken].” And what did he say? Through Moses (in Lev. 6:2), “that is the one which ascends (ha'olah, rt.: 'lh) upon the burning place.” Then after that [Scripture says] (in Obad. 1:21), “Then saviors shall come up on Mount Zion to judge the Mountain of Esau.” Sisera also [was punished by fire] because he blasphemed. Thus it is written about him (in Jud. 4:3), “and he oppressed the Children of Israel with might,” [i.e.] with blasphemies and invectives.¹¹See M. Ps. 2:1, which derives this interpretation of WITH MIGHT (rt.: HZQ) from Mal. 3:13: YOUR WORDS HAVE BEEN MIGHTY (rt.: HZQ) AGAINST ME. See also below, 9:7. He was therefore punished by fire, as stated (in Jud. 5:20), “The stars fought from the heavens; from their courses they fought with Sisera.”¹²See Pes. 118b, according to which the stars descended and heated the iron implements in Sisera’s army. And in the world to come, when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to exact retribution from Esau, what [will] Esau do? Wrapped in a prayer shawl like an elder, he comes and takes his seat beside Jacob. It is so stated, (in Obad. 1:4), “and though your nest is set among the stars.” Stars can only mean Israel, since it is stated (in Gen. 15:5), “look toward the heavens and count the stars …; so shall your seed be.” Jacob says to him, “My brother ('hy), you shall not be like me.” Thus it is stated (in Hos. 13:14), “my brother ('hy),¹³The unemended reading below, given in braces, shows that the midrash is reading the he in ‘HY as a het, so that the WHERE of the Masoretic Text cited here is to be interpreted as MY BROTHER. your words¹⁴Devarekha. YOUR WORDS is the translation required by the midrash. In the biblical context devarekha should be rendered, YOUR PLAGUES. are death; my brother ('hy), your descent (qtb) is to Sheol.”¹⁵A traditional translation of the line would read: WHERE IS YOUR PESTILENCE, O SHEOL? Your words are decrees which you decreed over me. You decreed two-edged decrees against me, that I should serve idols. If I had done so, I would have been condemned to death at the hands of Heaven; and if I had not served them, you would have killed me. Ergo (in Hos. 13:14), “my brother, your words are death.” (Ibid., cont.) “My brother ('hy), your descent (qtb) is to Sheol.” [Qtb] is a Hellenistic¹⁶From the Gk. adverb: Hellenisti. word, meaning to descend to Sheol.¹⁷Thus QTB is understood as coming from the Greek, kataba, an aorist imperative meaning, “descend.” When Esau descends to Sheol, Jacob will remain by himself. It is therefore stated (in Zech. 13:8), “And it shall come to pass throughout all the land, says the Lord, that two-thirds in it shall be cut off and die, but one-third shall remain in it.” Now the one-third can only be Israel, since it is stated (in Is. 19:24), “Israel shall be a third.” So Israel – because they made themselves despised and lowly, as stated (Malachi 2:9), “And I also made you despised and lowly” – are avenged and redeemed by fire; as stated (in Zech. 2:9), “And I Myself, says the Lord, will be a wall of fire around it (i.e., around Jerusalem).” When Esau departs from the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, and Israel remain, as stated (in Cant. 6:9), “[Only] one is my dove, my perfect one.” It also says (in Deut. 32:12), “The Lord alone did lead him, and there was no foreign God with Him.”

[(Lev. 6.2 [9]:) < THIS IS THE TORAH OF THE ONE WHO ASCENDS (h'lh); >¹⁵See above, note 8. THAT IS THE ONE WHICH ASCENDS UPON THE BURNING PLACE.] This is the evil kingdom (of Rome), which exalted (rt.: 'LH) itself, as stated (in Obad., vs. 4): THOUGH YOU MAKE < YOUR ABODE > AS HIGH AS THE EAGLE, AND THOUGH YOUR NEST IS SET AMONG THE STARS, < I WILL BRING YOU DOWN FROM THERE, SAYS THE LORD >. Moreover, it will be judged by fire, as stated (in Dan. 7:11): < I LOOKED ON THEN BECAUSE OF THE SOUND OF THE ARROGANT WORDS WHICH THE HORN UTTERED. > I LOOKED ON UNTIL THE BEAST WAS SLAIN AND ITS BODY DESTROYED, GIVEN OVER FOR BURNING IN THE FIRE. The Holy One said (in Obad., vs. 18): THE HOUSE OF JACOB SHALL BE FIRE, AND THE HOUSE OF JOSEPH A FLAME, < AND THE HOUSE OF ESAU (i.e., Rome) SHALL BE STRAW; THEY SHALL BURN IT AND CONSUME IT >…, FOR {THE MOUTH OF} THE LORD HAS SPOKEN IT. And what did he say through Moses (in Lev. 6:2 [9])? THAT IS THE ONE WHICH ASCENDS (ha'olah, rt.: 'LH) UPON THE BURNING PLACE.] Then after that < Scripture says > (in Obad., vs. 21): THEN SAVIORS SHALL COME UP ON MOUNT ZION TO JUDGE THE MOUNTAIN OF ESAU, AND THE KINGDOM SHALL BELONG TO THE LORD.

(Deut. 29:11 [12]:) TO ENTER INTO THE COVENANT WITH THE LORD YOUR GOD, EVEN THROUGH HIS OATH. Three covenants did the Holy One make with Israel: one when they came out of Egypt, one when they stood before Mount Sinai, {one at Horeb,} and one here.⁷Tanh., Deut. 8:3. But why did he make <a covenant> with them here? Because they had {cooked} [revoked] the one which he had made with them <on Sinai>,⁸This identification appears in the parallel from the traditional Tanhuma. when they said (of the Golden Calf in Exod. 32:4): THIS IS YOUR GOD, O ISRAEL. For that reason he made < another covenant> with them on Horeb⁹The text should probably read: “With them here,” in accord with Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34. and established a curse over it for whoever would go back on his words. Now the word, ENTER (rt.: 'BR), <can> only be in the sense of one who says to his companion: May this curse come (rt.: 'BR) upon me, if I go back on this word. And so you find that, when they provoked the Holy One, they went into captivity. What did Daniel say (in Dan. 7:11)? AND ALL ISRAEL HAS TRANSGRESSED (rt.: 'BR) YOUR TORAH [….] SO THE CURSE (alah) AND THE OATH ARE POURED DOWN UPON US. Now alah can only be a curse,¹⁰Alah can also mean “oath” and “covenant.” as where it is stated (in Numb. 5:27): AND THE WOMAN SHALL BECOME A CURSE (alah). <This is> to teach you that, just as one imposes an oath on the suspect adulteress, so the Holy One imposed an oath upon Israel. But perhaps you will say: Why all this bother? It is not because I need you? Rather what shall I do to you, when I have already sworn to your ancestors, that I will never change anything for you and your children? It is therefore stated (in Deut. 29:12 [13]): IN ORDER TO ESTABLISH YOU TODAY AS HIS PEOPLE […,] <AS HE SWORE TO YOUR ANCESTORS, TO ABRAHAM, TO ISAAC, AND TO JACOB>. It also says (in Cant. 7:6 [5]): THE KING IS BOUND BY THE TRESSES. Now no one is bound except by an oath. Thus it is stated (in Numb. 30:4 [3]): <WHEN A WOMAN VOWS A VOW TO THE LORD> AND BINDS HERSELF WITH A BOND <….> Therefore, one cannot break his oath.

(Numb. 19:5:) AND HE SHALL BURN THE HEIFER (Rome) BEFORE HIS EYES. Thus it is stated (in Dan. 7:11): <I LOOKED ON UNTIL THE BEAST WAS SLAIN AND ITS BODY DESTROYED,> GIVEN OVER FOR BURNING IN THE FIRE.