Midrasz do Powtórzonego Prawa 5:19

The master said above: "All the seventy had prophesied once, and ceased; but these two did not cease to prophecy." Whence do we infer this? Shall we assume it from the following passage (Num. 11, 25) They prophesied V'lo yassoff, which means they never prophesied again. If so, then how will you explain the passage (Deut. 5, 19) "With a great voice V'lo yassoff?" Does this also mean that it was never heard again? [The Shechina was surely heard in later times]. We must therefore say Yassoff means "not ceased;" if so, then the above inference is gone! We infer it from this passage: "And they prophesied [in the past] while concerning Eldad and Medad it is written, "are prophesying" [present tense]. In regard to the statement that their prophecy was "Moses shall die," it is readily understood, for it is written (Num. 11, 28) My Lord Moses, forbid them. But according to him who said they prophesied about other things, why, then, should they be forbidden? Because it was not seemly for them thus to prophesy in the presence of Moses, which appears as if a scholar decides a question in the presence of his teacher. What is meant by the words, forbid them? He said to Moses: "Throw upon them the care for the public, and they will cease [to prophesy] by themselves."

Because she had covered her face did he think her a harlot? [Is it not the contrary?] R. Elazar said that this means: She had covered her face when she had been in his house, hence he did not know her." Therefore she was rewarded that from her descended kings and prophets — kings from David; and prophets, as R. Levi said: "A bride who is chaste in the house of her father-in-law, will be rewarded that kings and prophets will descend from her." Whence do we infer this? From Tamar When she was lead forth she sent to her father-in-law. The text should have the word Meutzeas, in the passive voice [instead of Motzes in the active voice]. R. Elazar said: This means that after she produced the signs [of the signet, scarf and staff], the Angel Samael came and removed them, then the Angel Gabriel came and brought them again and this is the meaning of the passage (Ps. 56 1) To the chief musician upon Joneth elem-re-chokin." Said R. Jochanan: "This means that after the signs were removed she became numb like a dove." (Ib., ib., ib.) Unto David a Michtam, i.e., of whom David went forth, who kept himself humble and plain to everyone. Could Michtam be explained in another way that he was born circumsized? Can Michtam be explained in another way that just when in his youth he humbled himself before a superior in order to study the Torah from him, so also when he was elevated, he kept himself meek before one who was greater than he in order to study the Torah? (Ib., ib.) And she sent to her father-in-law, saying, 'By the man who owns these,' etc., why did she not call him by his name? Said Mar Zutra b. Tubia in the name of Rab; others say R. Chana b. Bizna said in the name of R. Simon, the pious; still others say R. Jochanan said it in the name of R. Simon b. Jochai: "It is better for a man to be thrown into a fiery furnace than be the means of bringing another to shame in public. We infer this from Tamar." (Gen. 38, 25) (Ib., ib., ib.) Acknowledge I pray thee. Said R. Chama b. Chanina: "With the word Haker (acknowledged) did Juda inform his father [concerning Joseph's disappearance] and with the word Haker (acknowledge) was Juda informed of the bad tidings [concerning the affair of Tamar]; i.e., with the word Haker did Juda inform his father, (Ib. 37. 32) Hakerna (acknowledge), we pray thee, whether it be thy son's coat or not, and with the word Haker was Juda informed Haker (acknowledge) I pray thee to whom belong the signet, scarf, and staff!" Acknowledge, I pray thee, the word Nah means nothing else but pray. She thus said unto Juda: "I pray thee acknowledge thy Creator and do not avert thy eyes from me." And Juda acknowledged them. And this is meant by R. Chama b. Bizna, who said in the name of R. Simon the pious: "Joseph, who sanctified Heaven's name in secret was rewarded with only one additional letter of the name of the Holy One, praised be He, as it is written (Ps. 81) but Juda, who sanctified Heaven's name publicly was rewarded so that his entire name was equal to that of the Holy One, praised be He." As soon as he confessed and said, a Divine voice went forth and said: "Thou hast saved Tamar with her two children from being burnt in fire, I swear by thy life that I shall save through thy merits thy three sons from being burnt in fire." Who are they? Chanania, Mishael and Azaria. She it righteous, it is from me. How did he know it? A Divine voice went forth and said: "From me went forth the secret things." (Ib., ib., ib.) Said Samuel the senior, the father-in-law of R. Samuel b. Ama: "This means that since he knew her he never forsook her, for it is written (Deut. 5, 19) A great voice v'lo yassph. [Just as in the latter case it means for ever, so also does it mean in the former case] ."

Why was the law given in the desert? To teach us that just as the desert is free to all men, so the words of the law are free to all who desire to learn them. Also, lest a man should say: “I am a student of the law that was given to me and my ancestors, while you and your ancestors are not students of the law; your ancestors were strangers”; hence it is written: An inheritance of the congregation of Jacob (Deut. 33:4). This tells us that the law was an inheritance for all who associate themselves with Jacob. Even outsiders who devote themselves to the law are equal to the high priest, as it is said: Which if a man do, he shall live by them: I am the Lord (Lev. 18:5). It does not refer to priest or Levite or Israelite but merely to man. Thus, One law and one ordinance shall be both for you and for the stranger that sojourneth with you (Num. 15:16). Observe what is written concerning the sons of Jethro: And the families of the scribes that dwelt at Jabez: the Tirathites, the Shimeathites, the Succathites (I Chron. 2:55). The name Tirathites (understood as derived from Aramaic tar’a, “gate”) indicates that they sat at the gate to the inner chamber of the Temple; Shimeathites (which includes the letters of the word shema, “hear”) implies that all the Israelites heard the law from their lips; and Succathites (which includes the word sukkah, “covered by”) suggests that they were enveloped by the Holy Spirit. Who were these? They were Kenites who came from The father of the house of Rechab (ibid.). The father-in-law of Moses was a Kenite, and Shemaiah and Abtalion and the descendants of Sisera were also Kenites. They studied the law in public like the men of the Great Synagogue. Why was that? Because the law was given to all Israel. Therefore it is written: These words that the Lord spoke unto all your assembly (Deut. 5:19).

Not only the prophets but also the wise men who were there, and those who were destined to come, received their inspiration at Sinai, as it is said: These words the Lord spoke unto all your assembly … with a great voice, and it went on no more (Deut. 5:19). What is meant by a great voice, and it went on no more? Our sages said: The entire Ten Commandments came forth from the mouth of the Mighty One in sound. This was an extremely difficult procedure. No ordinary individual is able to speak in that fashion nor is any human ear able to endure such a sound. Therefore it is written: My soul failed me when he spoke (Song 5:6). With a great voice, and it went on no more. The voice divided itself into seven different sounds, and then turned into seventy different languages.¹⁴So that all the world’s nations would hear it.

How were the Ten Commandments given? Five on one tablet and five on the other. "I am the L rd your G d," and opposite it "You shall not kill," whereby Scripture apprises us that spilling blood is tantamount to "diminishing" the likeness of the King. An analogy: A king of flesh and blood enters a province, sets up statues of himself, makes images of himself, and mints coins in his likeness. After some time, they upset his statues, break his images, devalue his coins — and "diminish" the likeness of the king. Likewise, Scripture equates spilling blood to "diminishing" the likeness of the King, as it is written (Genesis 9:6) "One who spills the blood of man … (For in the image of G d did He make man.") It is written "There shall not be unto you any other gods in My presence," and, opposite it, "You shall not commit adultery," whereby Scripture apprises us that idolatry is tantamount to adultery. As it is written (Ezekiel 16:32) "You are the (very essence of the) adulterous woman, who (though) living with her husband, (still) takes strangers," and (Hoshea 3:1) "And the L rd said again to me: "Go and love a woman beloved by her husband, and playing the harlot under him — just as the L rd loves the children of Israel, while they turn to other gods…" It is written "You shall not take the name of the L rd your G d in vain," and, opposite it, "You shall not steal," whereby we are apprised that one who steals, in the end comes to swear in vain, as it is written (Jeremiah 7:9) "Shall one steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely (… and go after the gods of others, etc.?" And it is written (Hoshea 4:2) "swearing, lying, murdering, stealing, (committing) adultery…" It is written "Remember the Sabbath day to sanctify it," and, opposite it, "You shall not testify (falsely)," whereby Scripture apprises us that one who desecrates the Sabbath thereby testifies before Him who spoke and brought the world into being that He did not create His world in six days and did not rest on the seventh day, and that one who keeps the Sabbath thereby testifies before Him who spoke and brought the world into being that He created His world in six days and rested on the seventh day, as it is written (Isaiah 43:10) "You are My witnesses, says the L rd … that I am He. Before Me no god was created and there will be none after Me." It is written "Honor your father and your mother," and, opposite it, "You shall not covet," whereby Scripture apprises us that whoever covets, in the end comes to beget a son who curses his father and honors one who is not his father. This is why the Ten Commandments were given, five on one tablet and five on the other. These are the words of R. Chanina b. Gamliel. The sages say: (They were given) ten on one tablet and ten on the other. As it is written (Devarim 5:19) "These things (the ten commandments) the L rd spoke … And He wrote them on two tablets of stone." And (Song of Songs 4:5) "Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle." And (Ibid. 5:14) ("The tablets of) His hands are wheels of gold, set with emeralds."...

21 (Numb. 24:3) “So he took up his theme and said.”⁵⁶These words also appear in Numb. 23:7, 18; 24:15, 20, 21, 23, but the context of this verse certainly fits the sense of the midrash. A legal teaching: In the case of one who eats without washing his hands, what penalty will he incur? Thus have our masters taught: Washing hands before the meal is an option; after the meal it is an obligation.⁵⁷Hul. 105a, but not in the Mishnah. It once happened at the time of [religious persecutions] that there was an Israelite shopkeeper who would cook [and sell] both clean meat and pork, so that they would not notice that he was a Jew. Now his custom was this: Whenever anyone came into his shop and did not wash his hands, he knew that he was a foreigner and he would set pork before him; but whenever anyone washed his hands and recited the blessing, he knew that he was a Jew and would serve him clean meat. Once a certain Jew came in to eat there but did not wash his hands. Thinking that he was a foreigner, he set pork before him. He ate without saying the blessing. When he came to settle the account with him for the bread and for the meat (the pork was expensively priced). He said to him, “I have such and such against you over the meat which you have eaten, for the slice is worth ten manah.”⁵⁸Gk.: mna. He said to him, “Yesterday I ate it for eight. Now today you want ten!” He said to him, “This which you ate is from a hog.” When he said this to him, his hair stood on end, for he became terrified and afraid. He said to him privately, “I am a Jew and you have given me pork!” He said to him, “A curse upon you! When I saw that you ate without washing your hands and without a blessing, I thought that you were a foreigner.” Hence the sages have said, “The [omission of the] first water (before the meal) caused him to serve him pork; [the neglect of] the latter water (after the meal) took a life.”⁵⁹Yoma 83b; Hul. 106a. [The second part of the previous statement is due to] a story about a certain person who ate pulse without washing his hands. When he went down to the marketplace, his hands were filthy from the pulse. When an acquaintance of his saw him, he went and said to his wife, “Your husband has mentioned as a token⁶⁰Siman. Gk.: semeion. to you [of my authenticity] that he has just now eaten pulse.⁶¹I.e., the fact that he knew what his friend had just eaten would be evidence of his having spoken with him. Send him that ring.” [So] she gave it to him. After a time her husband came. He said to her, “Where is the ring?” She said to him, “So and so came with your tokens, and I gave it to him.” Becoming filled with rage, he arose and killed her. Therefore the sages have said, “Whoever does not wash his hands after the meal is like one who takes a life.” Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, has warned Israel not to transgress even insignificant commandments, as stated (in Deut. 32:47), “For it (the Torah) is no empty thing for you, in that it is your very life.” Even some commandment that you consider to be empty and insignificant has within it life and length of days. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “If you keep My commandments, I will cast down your enemies before you,” as stated (in Ps. 81:14-15), “O that my people would listen to Me, that Israel would walk in My ways. Then I would virtually subdue their enemies.” When Balaam saw how Israel observed [even] the insignificant commandments, he said, “Who can curse these people, when they observe commandments and when His name is shared with them.” It is so stated (in Numb. 23:21), “The Lord their God is with them.” Whoever curses them is as if he curses the face of the Divine Presence, because His name is joined with them.”⁶²I.e., the name El (“God”) forms part of the name Israel. He began turning to oracles, as stated (in Numb. 24:3), “So he took up his theme.” This text is related (to Prov. 27:14), “[Whoever rises early in the morning to] bless his neighbor in a loud voice [shall have it reckoned to him as a curse].” When Balaam came to curse Israel, the Holy One, blessed be He, diverted his tongue, so that he began to bless. It is so stated (in Deut. 23:6), “But the Lord your God did not want to heed Balaam; so the Lord your God turned [the curse into a blessing for you].” The Holy One, blessed be He, put power in his voice and his voice went from one end of the world to the other, so that the nations would hear that he was blessing [Israel]. Now it is stated concerning him (in Prov. 27:14), “Whoever [rises early in the morning to] bless his neighbor in a loud voice [shall have it reckoned to him as a curse].” [This is] as stated (in Numb. 24:14), “come, let me advise you.” Then he killed twenty-four thousand. There is no curse [as damaging] as this.

Another explanation: "And God said all of these things, saying" - Rabbi Yitzchak said, What the prophets were to prophesy in the future in each generation, they received from Mount Sinai. As Moshe said to Israel (Deuteronomy 29:14), "But with those here with us standing today and with those not here with us today." It does not say [at the end of the verse], "with us standing today," but rather, "with us today"; these are the souls that will be created in the future, who do not have substance, about whom "standing" is not mentioned. For even though they did not exist at that time, each one received that which was his. And so [too], it states (Malachi 1:1), "The burden that God spoke to Israel by ['in the hand of'] Malachi" - it does not state, "in the days of Malachi," but rather "in the hand of Malachi," as the prophecy was already in his hand from Mount Sinai, but until that time, he was not given permission to prophesy. Likewise Yeshayahu said (Isaiah 48:16), "from the time it was, was I there." Yeshayahu said, "From the time the Torah was given at Sinai, I was there and received this prophecy, except [only] 'now did God send me and His spirit'" - until now, he was not given permission to prophesy. And it was not only of the prophets who receive their prophecy from Sinai, but also the sages who arise in each generation - each of them received what was his from Sinai. And so [too] it states (Deuteronomy 5:19), "These things did the Lord speak to your entire congregation, [...] a great voice and it did not cease": Rabbi Yochanan said, "One voice was split into seven voices and they were divided into seventy languages"; Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said, "From it prophesied all of the prophets who arose." The Sages said that it did not have an echo. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "What is [the meaning of] 'The voice of the Lord is in strength' (Psalms 29:4)? Can one really say this? Isn't it true that, with even one angel, no creature can stand up to his voice, as it states (Daniel 10:6), 'And its body was like beryl (tarshish) [...] and the voice of its words was like the voice of the multitude.' And does the Holy One, blessed be He, about Whom it is written (Jeremiah 23:24), 'do I not fill the heavens and the earth,' need to speak in strength? Rather, 'The voice of the Lord is in strength' - in the strength of all of the voices." And this verse supports the view of Rabbi Yochanan: "The Lord gives the word, the announcers are a great host" (Psalms 68:12).

"and he heard the Voice": I might think, a low voice; it is, therefore, written "the voice" — the voice explicated elsewhere (Devarim 5:19) "These things the L-rd spoke to all of your congregation … a great voice," and (Shemot 19:16) "and there were thunders (lit., "voices") and lightnings, etc." One verse states "a great voice," and another, (I Kings 19:12) "a voice, silent, thin." How are these two verses to be reconciled? When the Holy One Blessed be He speaks (in His great voice), all are silent, as in (Isaiah 23:2) "Fall silent, you island dwellers. The merchants of Tziddon, the crossings of the sea, would fill you, etc.", and (Vayikra 10:3) "and Aaron was silent." These are the words of R. Yoshiyah. R. Yonathan says: One verse states "a great voice," and another, "a voice, silent, thin." How are these verses to be reconciled? When the Holy One Blessed be He speaks, it is with a great voice; and the angels, in a low voice, as it is written (Isaiah 62:6-7) "… they are never silent. You who 'remind' the L-rd (to rebuild Jerusalem) do not be silent," and (Ibid. 7) "And do not allow Him to be silent until He re-establishes Jerusalem and makes it a glory in the land."

(Devarim, Ibid. 2) "My taking shall drip as the rain": "Taking" is Torah, viz. (Proverbs 4:2) "For a goodly taking have I given to you; do not forsake My Torah"; and (Ibid. 8:10) "Take My mussar (chastisement), and not silver," and "mussar" is nothing other than words of Torah, viz. (Ibid. 1:8) "Hear, my son, the mussar of your Father," and (Ibid. 8:33) "Hear mussar and grow wise," and (Ibid. 4:13) "Hold fast to mussar; do not let it go." And it is written (Hoshea 14:3) "Take words with you and return to the L-rd," and "words" is nothing other than words of Torah, viz. (Devarim 5:19) "These words the L-rd spoke to all of your congregation."