Midrasz do Wyjścia 19:17

"The same will happen with all the other nations." Why did he enumerate the two and not the rest of the nations? Because the reign of these two lasted until the Messianic age. But why should the other nations enter after seeing the disappointment of the first two? Because they will think: "The first two enslaved Israel, but we did not enslave them." "Finally they will say before Him: 'Sovereign of the Universe! Didst Thou then give us the Torah and we did not accept it?' But how could they say so? Is it not written (Deut. 33, 2) The Lord came from Sinai, and rose from Sair unto them: He shined forth from Mount Paran. And again there is a passage (Habak. 3, 3) God cometh from Teman, and the Holy One from Mount Paran. And to the question, What has the Lord to do in Sair and Paran, R. Jochanan said: "From this it may be inferred that the Holy One, praised be He! has presented His Torah to every nation, but it was not accepted until He came to Israel [hence their claim]." Therefore, we must say that they will say to Him: "Have we then accepted the Torah, and not fulfilled its commandments?" But what answer is this? Could they not be accused because they have not accepted? We must therefore say that they will plead thus: "Sovereign of the Universe! Hast Thou then arched the mountain over us as Thou didst over the children of Israel; for the passage says (Ex. 19, 17) And they stood at the foot of the mountain, upon which R. Dimi b. Chasa of Chihah remarked: "From this we may infer that the Holy One, praised be He! arched the mountain over them like a tank and said to them: 'If you accept the Torah then it is well, but if not, there shall be your graves.' Finally, the answer will come, (Is. 43, 9) And announces to us former things, i.e., the Holy One, praised be He! will say to them: 'The seven commandmenst which were given to you, have ye observed them?' And whence do we know that they have not? From that which R. Joseph taught: "What is the meaning of the passage (Hab. 3, 6) He standeth and shaketh the earth; He beholdeth and maketh the nations to tremble. What did He behold? He beheld that the seven commandments accepted by the descendants of Noah, were not observed. And therefore He absolved the nations of them." Should they then have profited [by their disobedience]? Said Mar b. Rabbina: (Fol. 3) "It means that even should they fulfill them, they shall not be rewarded."

The Israelites did not accept the Torah until the Holy One, blessed be He, arched the mountain over them like a vessel, as it is said: And they stood beneath the mountain (Exod. 19:17). R. Dimi the son of Hama stated that the Holy One, blessed be He, told Israel: If you accept the Torah, well and good; but if not, your grave will be there. If you should say that He arched the mountain over them because of the Written Law, isn’t it true that as soon as He said to them, “Will you accept the Torah?” they all responded, “We will do and hear,” because the Written Law was brief and required no striving and suffering, but rather He threatened them because of the Oral Law. After all, it contains the detailed explanations of the commandments, both simple and difficult, and it is as severe as death, and as jealous as Sheol. One does not study the Oral Law unless he loves the Holy One, blessed be He, with all his heart, with all his soul, and with all his might, as it is said: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy might (Deut. 6:5).

The Holy One, blessed be He, said that there is no ailment that does not have its cure; and the cure and drug for every ailment have been predetermined. If you desire your body to be free of pain, devote yourself to the Torah, for it is a healing balm to the entire body. We know that it is a cure for the head, since it is said: She will give to thy head a chaplet of grace (Prov. 1:9); for the heart, as it is said: Write them upon the table of thy heart (ibid. 3:3); for the neck, since it is written: And chains about thy neck (ibid. 1:9); for the hands, as it is said: And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thy hand (Exod. 13:9); for the navel, for it is written: It shall be health to thy navel (Prov. 3:8); and for all of the bones of the body, as it is said: And marrow to thy bones (ibid.). R. Joshua the son of Levi declared: The Holy One, blessed be He, demonstrated this when he gave the law. Prior to the departure of the Israelites from Egypt, some of them had been injured as a result of the hazardous labor they performed with mud and straw. Stones from the buildings had fallen upon them, breaking their hands and mutilating their legs. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: It is not right that I should give my law to imperfect men. What did He do then? He instructed His angels to descend and heal them. Whence do we know that none of them were blind? It is said: And all the people perceived the thunderings (Exod. 20:15). How do we know that there were no deaf ones among them? It is written: We will hear (ibid. 24:7). Whence do we know that there were none among them without hands? They said: We will do (ibid.). How do we know that there were none with crippled legs among them? It is written: And they stood at the nether part of the mount (ibid. 19:17). R. Judah the son of Simon said: Because they were as new, the Holy One, blessed be He, called that month “master of renewal.”¹²The giving of the Law, which took place in the third month renewed Israel both spiritually and physically. Whence do we know this? We know it from what is written about this matter in the section In the third month.

(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.’” This is what is stated with the holy spirit through David (in Ps. 97:7), “All who worship an image, who boast in idols, are put to shame.” With reference to whom was he saying it? He only said it with reference to the Holy One, blessed be He. R. Hanina said, “The Holy One, blessed be He, is going to show His glory to all who have come into the world; for He will lower His throne in the middle of the firmament and again set it in place where the sun rises during the period of [the month of] Tebeth.” R. Hanina the Elder said to him, “Is it possible to see His glory, even the One of whom it is written (in Exod. 33:20), ‘for no human may see Me and live?’ Now you are saying, ‘The Holy One, blessed be He, is going to show His glory to all who have come into the world.’” He said to him, “See, it is written (in Ps. 84:12), ‘For the Lord God] is sun and shield […].” Just as a sun and shield denotes a shield over one in time of war, so also will the Holy One, blessed be He, be a shield over His children at that time [of His appearing].²⁰Even though the Holy One on his throne shines with the blinding rays of the sun, He will also provide a shield from these rays. R. Hanina said, “In the time that the Lord judges the peoples of the world, He seizes them for judgment; them, their Gods, and the one who sets up images²¹The translation reads protomin (Gk. partomai, denoting imperial busts.) for Buber’s pittumin. The emendation was first suggested by Jastrow, s.v. perotomi, and agrees with a note from S. Lieberman given orally to Daniel Sperber and cited in “Greek and Latin Words in Rabbinic Literature,” Bar-Ilan: Annual of Bar-ilan University Studies in Judaica and the Humanities, 14–15(1977), p. 12, n. 7. Buber’s pittumin, which means “ingredients” or “spices,” makes relatively little sense. Cf. Codex Vaticanus, Ebr. 34, which reads “patronin” (Gk.: patrones; Lat.: patroni), and denotes protectors. for them. Next He brings the two tablets with the Ten Commandments and says to them (i.e., to the tablets), ‘Have they all paid attention to you?’ Then they say to him, ‘From the day that You created us, no one has paid attention to us with the lone exception of Your people Israel.’” (Ps. 96:7:) “Who boast in idols.” [It would be] more fitting for Scripture to say, “who trust.” What is the meaning of “who boast?” That they did not perform idol worship until they had honored each other (for doing so). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “On each day you will feel shame before Me. There are those among you who serve doves, and a lot of doves are slaughtered. There are also those among you who serve bricks, and a lot of bricks are broken in the marketplace. There are those among you who serve fish, and a lot of fish are sold in the marketplace.” Immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, put them to shame, as stated (in Micah 7:16), “The nations shall see Me and be ashamed […].” R. Hama bar Hanina said, “What is the meaning of (Is. 43:9), ‘All the nations are gathered together […].’ In the world to come the Holy One, blessed be He, brings the book of Torah and puts it on His lap.²²‘AZ 2a-3b. Then He says, ‘Let anyone who is occupied with this, come and receive his reward.’ Immediately all the peoples gather in confusion, as stated (ibid.), ‘All the nations are gathered together […].’ The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, ‘Do not be gathered in confusion, but [have] every nation [come separately] with its scribes,’ as stated (ibid, cont.), ‘and let the peoples assemble.’ Edom (the Roman Empire) entered. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, ‘With what were you occupied?’ They say to Him, ‘We have established a lot of marketplaces, produced a lot of baths, and multiplied silver and gold. And everything was [done] so that Israel would [have leisure to] be occupied with Torah.’ He [then says] to them, ‘Everything that you did, you did for your own needs. Marketplaces are for settling harlots in. Baths are to refresh yourselves. Silver and gold are mine, as stated (in Hag. 2:8), “The silver is Mine, and the gold is Mine.”’ The Persian Empire entered. He says to them, ‘With what were you occupied?’ They say, ‘We have conquered a lot of cities, established a lot of bridges, waged a lot of wars. And everything was [done] for the sake of Israel.’ He [then] says to them, ‘Everything that you did, you did for the sake of yourselves. Cities were for producing forced labor²³Gk.: angareia; Lat.: angaria. in them. Bridges were for collecting tolls. Wars [are what] I have waged, as stated (in Exod. 15:3), “The Lord is a man of war.” Are there any among you declaring “this?”’ It is so stated (in Is. 43:9, cont.), ‘who among them will declare this?’ Now ‘this’ can only be Torah, since it is stated (in Deut. 4:44), ‘And this is the Torah which Moses set.’ They say to Him ‘Did you give us anything that we have not accepted?’ [But] it says about them (in Deut. 33:2), ‘The Lord came forth from Sinai, and shone upon them from Seir….’ [This] teaches that the Holy One, blessed be He, brought [the light of Torah] to all the peoples of the world, but they did not want to accept it. [So] they say to Him, ‘Did You overturn the mountain above us like a basin like you did to Israel, as stated (in Exod. 19:17), “And they stood at the nether part of the mount,” and You said to them, “If you accept the Torah, excellent, but if not, there [under the mountain], will be your burial.” As if it were not for this, they [too] would not have accepted it.’ The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, ‘But did they not say from the beginning (in Exod. 24:7), “we shall do and we shall heed?”’ They [then] say to Him, ‘Master of the world, give it to us in advance, and we will carry it out.’ He says to them, ‘I am giving you an easy commandment. If you observe it, I will give you a reward like [that of] Israel.’ He says to them, ‘Go and make a sukkah (booth).’ Immediately each and every one goes and builds a sukkah for himself. [But] when the Holy One, blessed be He, brings out the sun from its case,²⁴Gk. and Lat.: narthex, where it originally denoted a shrub. each one tramples down his sukkah and goes away, as stated (in Ps. 2:3), ‘Let us break their bonds asunder.’ Then the Holy One, blessed be He, sits and laughs at them, as stated (in vs. 4), ‘The One sitting in the heavens will laugh; the Lord will deride them.’” (Ps. 97:7, end:) “And all the powers will bow down to Him.” When He judges the peoples of the world, he will judge their gods along with them, as stated (in Is. 66:16), “For in fire will the Lord execute judgment….” When they are unable to remain in the fire, they fly away. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, sends out angels with [prisoner] collars²⁵Qolarin from the Lat.: collaria; cf. colla (“necks”). and chains, and they cast them into the midst of the fire, as stated (in Mal. 3:19), “’And that day is coming burning like an oven,’ said the Lord of Hosts, ‘[(it) shall burn them to ashes] and leave of them neither stock nor boughs.’” Another interpretation (of Ps. 97:7), “And all the powers bow down to Him”: All the idolaters say to their gods, “Come and bow down before the Holy One, blessed be He, for you have led us astray.” Immediately (according to Is. 2:18), “And the idols shall completely vanish,” and the idolaters bring them down into Gehinnom. It is therefore stated (in Ps. 97:7), “All who worship an image are put to shame.” (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,” these are those that say there are two powers in the Heavens; “but one-third (shelishit) shall remain in it,” these are Israel, who are from a third (shelishit) of the world, [as they are] the children of three (sheloshet) patriarchs. Another interpretation (of Zech. 13:8) “but one-third shall remain in it”: [These words mean] that they shall only settle in their land in the third deliverance. The first deliverance was the deliverance from Egypt. The second was the deliverance of [in the time of] Ezra. The third has no interruption. R. Simlay said, “Six hundred and thirteen commandments were spoken to Moses on Sinai.²⁶Makk. 23b-24a; M. Pss. 17(addendum):18-25. David came and established them upon eleven [principles], as stated (in Ps. 15:1), ‘O Lord, who shall dwell in Your tent,’ and all [of that] psalm.²⁷The five verses to this psalm contain exactly eleven stipulations (in vss. 2-4a) for dwelling with the Holy One without being shaken. Isaiah came and established them upon six, as stated (in Is. 33:15), ‘(1) One who walks righteously and (2) speaks uprightly, (3) who detests the unjust gain of oppression, (4) who shakes his finger (literally, his hand) against grasping at a bribe, (5) [who shuts off his ears against hearing of bloodshed, and (6) closes his eyes against looking at evil].’ And it is written after that (in vs.16), ‘Such a one shall dwell on the heights; the strongholds on cliffs shall be his refuge, with his food supplied and his water assured.’ Micah came and established them upon three, as stated (in Micah 6:8), ‘He has told you, O human, what is good; so what does the Lord demand of you but to practice justice, love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God.’ Amos came established them upon two, as stated (in Amos 5:4), ‘For thus says the Lord […], “seek Me and live.”’ Habakkuk came and established them upon one, as stated (in Hab. 2:4), ‘but the righteous person shall live by his faithfulness.’”

Come and learn! We are taught in Sedar Olam: "On the fourteenth day of the month of Nisan, during which Israel went out of Egypt, they killed the Passover-sacrifice; on the fifteenth day they went out. and that day was Friday." Now. since the first day of the month of Nisan of that year had fallen on Friday, we must conclude that the first day of the month of lyar (the following) fell on the first day of the week, and the first of the succeeding month, Sivan, fell on the second day of the week; and this is contrary to the opinion of R. Jose. R. Jose might explain that the Sedar Olam is in accordance with the opinion of the Rabbis [he, however, disagrees with them]. Come and learn, from the following R. Jose says: "On the second day (of the week) Moses ascended [Mount Sinai] and came back, and on the third day, he ascended it and came back, but on the fourth day he came down but did not go up." Since he did not go up, whence did he come down? We must therefore conclude that it means thus: "On the fourth day, he went up and came down [and then did not go up any more]; on the fifth day he built the altar upon which he offered sacrifices, on the sixth day he had no time." Shall we assume that he had no time because on that day the Torah was given to Israel? [If so, then it will contradict the opinion of Raba, who said that according to all opinions, the Torah was given on the Sabbath.] Nay, he had no time, because ho was busy with [preparations for the Sabbath]. A certain Galilean lectured in the presence of R. Chisda: "Praised be the merciful God who gave a triple Torah (Pentateuch, Prophet and Hagiagrapha) unto a triple people (Cohanites. Levites and Israelites) through a man who was the third child of his parents (Aaron, Miriam and Moses) on the third day after being separated from their household and in the third month." We understand from this (after two days being separated) that the Galilean represents the opinion of the Rabbis. And they stood at the foot of the mountain (Ex. 19, 17.) "We learn from this passage," said R. Dimi b. Chassa. "that the Holy One, praised be He! arched the mountain over them like a tank and said to them: 'If you accept the Torah then it is well, but if not, there shall be your graves.'" R. Acha b. Jacob said: "This is a great protest against [the forcible influence] concerning the acceptance of the Torah." "However," said Raba, "at the time of Ahasuerus (King of Persia) Israel accepted it voluntarily, for it is written (Est. 9, 27.) The Jews confirmed it as a duty, and took upon themselves, i.e., they confirmed (the Torah) what they had taken long ago."

Another interpretation (of Exod. 19:1:) ON THE NEW MOON (bahodesh), <THE THIRD ONE >. Ba hodesh (understood as two words) < means > THE NEW MOON HAS COME.³⁵PRK 12:18. R. Abbin said: When the Holy One appeared to Moses on Sinai, he said to him (in Exod. 3:12): WHEN YOU HAVE BROUGHT {THIS} [THE] PEOPLE OUT OF EGYPT, YOU SHALL SERVE <GOD ON THIS MOUNTAIN>. Now Moses was eagerly waiting and saying: When is this designated time coming? However, when [the designated time] did arrive, the Holy One said, THE NEW MOON HAS COME, <namely the one> that you have been eagerly awaiting. It does not say (in Exod. 19:1): "In the third moon," even as it says (in I Kings 6:37): THE MOON OF ZIV, (in vs. 38:) THE MOON OF BUL, <or> (as in 8:2) THE MOON OF ETHANIM. Rather it says (here in Exod. 19:1): ON THE [THIRD] NEW MOON (rt.: HDSh).³⁶PRK 12:19; cf. Matthew 22:1–14 // Luke 14:15–24. R. Judah b. R. Shallum the Levite said: The Holy One said to them: I am making a renewal (rt.: HDSh) of things and renewing (rt.: HDSh) you. To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had a son. When he reached his maturity, his father wanted to have him marry; but he did not have a new argentaria³⁷The word may be Latin (argentaria) or Greek (argentarion) and denotes a chest of silver or silver table service, but in this context the word seems to denote table appointments generally. {i.e., court}. The king said: This is not the honor due my son, to have him marry {in an old court} [it should read: with an old argentaria]; yet if I wait until I provide him with a new one, I shall delay my son's happiness. What did the king do? He brought smiths and artisans to polish vessels of copper. He brought skilled workers to carve designs on vessels of wood. [<Thus> the king was able to have his son marry with an old argentaria which appeared to be new (rt.: HDSh).] So too, when Israel went forth out of Egypt, the blind, the deaf, and the lame were among them. The Holy One said: [The Torah, all of it, is complete, as stated (in Ps. 19:8 [7]): THE TORAH OF THE LORD IS PERFECT.] Shall I give it to this generation when there are deformities among them? Shall I wait until their children arise? Shall I delay the joy of Torah? What did the Holy One do? He healed them. Then he gave them the Torah. But where is it shown [that he healed them]? Whoever was blind saw, as stated (in Exod. 20:15 [18]): NOW ALL THE PEOPLE SAW THE THUNDERINGS…. Whoever was deaf was made to hear, as stated (in Exod. 24:7): ALL THAT THE LORD HAS SPOKEN WE WILL CARRY OUT AND OBEY (literally: HEAR). Whoever was lame was made whole, as stated (in Exod. 19:17): AND THEY STOOD AT THE FOOT OF THE MOUNTAIN. Ergo: I will establish (rt.: HDSh) a renewal of things (rt.: HDSh) for you.

Rabbi Pinḥas said in the name of Rabbi Hoshaya: “While the king was at his feast,” while the King of kings, the Holy One blessed be He, was at His feast, in the firmament—He arrived early,²⁷⁸He arrived early for the giving of the Torah. as it is stated: “It was on the third day when it was morning” (Exodus 19:16). [This is analogous] to a king who decreed: On such and such day I will enter the province. The residents of the province slept through the night and when the king arrived, he found them asleep. He positioned trumpets, horns, and a shofar, the governor of that province awakened them and brought them out to meet the king, and the king walked before them until he reached his palace. So too, the Holy One blessed be He arrived early, as it is stated: “It was on the third day when it was morning,” and it is written: “For on the third day, the Lord will descend before the eyes of the entire people” (Exodus 19:11). Israel slept through that entire night because sleep during [the season of] Shavuot is pleasant and the night is short. Rabbi Yudan said: Not even a flea stung them. The Holy One blessed be He came and found them asleep. He began positioning trumpets; that is what is written: “It was on the third day when it was morning, there was thunder and lightning” (Exodus 19:16), and Moses was awakening them and taking them out to meet the King of kings the Holy One blessed be He. That is what is written: “Moses took the people out of the camp toward God” (Exodus 19:17). The Holy One blessed be He was walking before them until He reached Mount Sinai, as it is written: “The entire Mount Sinai was smoking [because the Lord had descended]” (Exodus 19:18). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: This is why He taunted them through Isaiah, as it is stated: “Why have I come and there is no man, I called and there is no one to answer? Is My hand insufficient for redemption?” (Isaiah 50:2).

Rabbi Chanina said: || In the third month the day is double the night, and the Israelites slept until two hours of the day, for sleep on the day of the (feast of) 'Azereth is pleasant, the night being short. And Moses went forth and came to the camp of the Israelites, and he aroused the Israelites from their sleep, saying to them: Arise ye from your sleep, for behold, your God desires to give the Torah to you. Already the bridegroom wishes to lead the bride and to enter the bridal chamber. The hour has come for giving you the Torah, as it is said, "And Moses brought forth the people out of the camp to meet God" (Ex. 19:17). And the Holy One, blessed be He, also went forth to meet them; like a bridegroom who goes forth to meet the bride, so the Holy One, blessed be He, went forth to meet them to give them the Torah, as it is said, "O God, when thou wentest forth before thy people" (Ps. 68:7).

...And he took stones of the place - R. Judah and R. Nehemiah , and the Rabbis. Rabbi Yehuda said he took 12 Stones. God decreed that he establish twelve tribes. Jacob said; Abraham did not establish them , Isaac did not establish them, if the twelve stones join together, I know that I will merit twelve tribes. Once they did he knew he was going to merit establishing the twelve tribes . Rabbi Nehemiah said he took 3 stones. Jacob took three stones and said : God placed his name on Abraham, and on Isaac. I, if the stones join together, I know that God is the unifying name for me. And since joined, he knew that God would unify his names with Jacob. The Rabbis said that the minimum of the plural of stones is 2. Abraham produced negative attributes/waste- Ishmael and the sons of Keturah . And Isaac produced Esau and his generals. I, if you join these 2 stones together, I know that I will not produce any negative attributes in my descendants.