Midrasz do Ezechiela 21:31
כֹּ֤ה אָמַר֙ אֲדֹנָ֣י יְהוִ֔ה הָסִיר֙ הַמִּצְנֶ֔פֶת וְהָרִ֖ים הָֽעֲטָרָ֑ה זֹ֣את לֹא־זֹ֔את הַשָּׁפָ֣לָה הַגְבֵּ֔הַ וְהַגָּבֹ֖הַ הַשְׁפִּֽיל׃
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Ruth Rabbah
“Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried; so may the Lord do to me, and so may He continue, as death will separate between you and me” (Ruth 1:17).
That123Referring to the previous passage, that good deeds and righteous actions must be accomplished in this world. is what the verse said: “Small and great are there; and a servant is free from his master” (Job 3:19) – Rabbi Simon said: This is one of four verses that are similar to one another. “Small and great are there” – in this world, one who is small can become great, and one who is great can become small. But in the future,124In the World to Come. one who is small cannot become great and one who is great cannot become small. “And a servant is free of his master” – that is, he does the will of his Maker [yotzero], angers his [evil] inclination [yitzro]; when he dies, he goes free, as it is stated: “And a servant is free of his master.”
Rabbi Meyasha, grandson of Rabbi Yehoshua, was gravely ill for three days. After three days he recovered. His father said to him: ‘Where have you been?’ He said to him: ‘I was in a chaotic world.’ He said to him: ‘What did you see there?’ He said to him: ‘I saw many people who are respected here and disgraced there.’ When Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish heard, they went to visit him. His father said to them: ‘Have you heard what this child said?’ They said to him: ‘What did he say?’ He related the matter to them. Reish Lakish said: ‘Is it not an explicit verse? “So said the Lord God: Remove the mitre, and lift the crown; this shall no longer be; exalt the abased, and abase the exalted”’ (Ezekiel 21:31). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Had I come up only to hear this matter, it would have sufficed. Rav Huna the Exilarch asked Rabbi Ḥisdai: What is this that is written: “Remove the mitre, and lift the crown?” He said to him: “Remove the mitre” from our rabbis, and “lift the crown” from the nations of the world. He said to him: You are kindness,125This is based on his name. You, Ḥisdai, are kindness, ḥesed. and what is yours is kindness.
That123Referring to the previous passage, that good deeds and righteous actions must be accomplished in this world. is what the verse said: “Small and great are there; and a servant is free from his master” (Job 3:19) – Rabbi Simon said: This is one of four verses that are similar to one another. “Small and great are there” – in this world, one who is small can become great, and one who is great can become small. But in the future,124In the World to Come. one who is small cannot become great and one who is great cannot become small. “And a servant is free of his master” – that is, he does the will of his Maker [yotzero], angers his [evil] inclination [yitzro]; when he dies, he goes free, as it is stated: “And a servant is free of his master.”
Rabbi Meyasha, grandson of Rabbi Yehoshua, was gravely ill for three days. After three days he recovered. His father said to him: ‘Where have you been?’ He said to him: ‘I was in a chaotic world.’ He said to him: ‘What did you see there?’ He said to him: ‘I saw many people who are respected here and disgraced there.’ When Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish heard, they went to visit him. His father said to them: ‘Have you heard what this child said?’ They said to him: ‘What did he say?’ He related the matter to them. Reish Lakish said: ‘Is it not an explicit verse? “So said the Lord God: Remove the mitre, and lift the crown; this shall no longer be; exalt the abased, and abase the exalted”’ (Ezekiel 21:31). Rabbi Yoḥanan said: Had I come up only to hear this matter, it would have sufficed. Rav Huna the Exilarch asked Rabbi Ḥisdai: What is this that is written: “Remove the mitre, and lift the crown?” He said to him: “Remove the mitre” from our rabbis, and “lift the crown” from the nations of the world. He said to him: You are kindness,125This is based on his name. You, Ḥisdai, are kindness, ḥesed. and what is yours is kindness.
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