Midrasz do Rodzaju 14:26

(Lev. 25:14:) “When you sell property to your kinsman.” This text is related (to Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth, [and he does not know that loss will come to him].” This verse speaks about many people. “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth.” This was Cain. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “You moved quickly to inherit the world. By your life, you shall have a loss [in the matter].” Ergo (in Prov. 28:22), “and he does not know that loss will come to him.” And what happened to him? That he wandered about the world, as stated (in Gen. 4:12), “you shall become a ceaseless wanderer on the earth.” Another interpretation (of Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth”: This was Ephron the Hittite.¹See Tanh. (Buber), Exod. 6:5; and the parallels listed there; and Tanh. (Buber), Deut. 4:4. When Abraham's wife Sarah died, Abraham went to Ephron for him to sell him the cave. Ephron said to him, “Give me its price.” He said to him (in Gen. 23:15), “What is a piece of land worth four hundred shekels of silver between you and me?” Abraham began piling up the silver for Ephron, as stated (in Gen. 23:16), “So Abraham heeded Ephron, and Abraham weighed out […].” Ben Ma'ma said, “Although R. Hanina has said, ‘All the shekels in the Torah are sela'im,’ these [shekels] are an exception, since they are centenaria.²The word is Latin. One centenarium was worth 100,000 sesterces. According to a fourth-century inscription of northern Africa, a centenarium was a hundred pieces (e.g., of gold). See A. Souter, A Glossary of Later Latin to 600 A.D. (Oxford: Clarendon, 1957). [So it was] four hundred centenaria [that] Abraham piled up before Ephron.” When Ephron saw the silver, he moved quickly and hastily, as stated (in Gen. 23:6), “bury your dead in the choicest of our tombs.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You have moved quickly after money. By your life, you shall have a loss in the matter.” And what was his loss? R. Judah bar Shallum the Levite said, “Every [mention of] Ephron which is written here [in Scripture], before he took the silver from Abraham, is written plene as 'prwn (i.e., with the vowel o represented by the Hebrew consonant w); but this [usage] (in Gen. 23:16) is deficient (hsr), ‘and Abraham weighed out the silver for Ephron ('prn). It is written with the w missing (hsr).” Another interpretation (of Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth”: This is the one who lends at interest, because he is anxious to become wealthy. He lends in order to receive interest from the borrower and becomes wealthy from the interest. But a curse is given through his riches, as stated (ibid., cont.), “and he does not know that loss will come to him.” Another interpretation (of Prov. 28:22), “An evil-eyed person moves quickly after wealth”: This represents those who engage in business in the sabbatical year, in that they move quickly to become rich. They do not observe the sabbatical year, and think they will become rich. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “By your life, you shall have a loss in the matter.” Since he did not observe the sabbatical year, the curse began entering into his money, and he sells [all that he had]. What is written above the matter (in Lev. 25:2), “the land shall observe a Sabbath for the Lord.” And after that it is written (in vs. 14), “When you sell property.” R. Eleazar Haqappar said, “It is written (in Cant. 5:15), ‘His legs are pillars of marble, set upon sockets of fine gold.’ This column has a capital above and a pedestal³Gk.: basis. below.”⁴See Lev. R. 25:8. R. Samuel ben Guriah said, “You have no section in the Torah which does not have a capital above and a pedestal below.⁵The parallel in Lev. R. 25:8 explains that each section can be expounded with reference to what precedes and follows it. What is written above of the matter (in Lev. 25:1-2)? ‘Then the Lord spoke unto Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, “Speak unto the Children of Israel [….] ‘the land shall observe [a Sabbath for the Lord].’”’ Then after that [comes] the section on the jubilee (in vs. 8), ‘And you shall count seven [Sabbaths of years].’ If one has not observed the sabbatical year and the jubilee, or [even] one of them, in the end, I will make it that he will sell his land, [as stated] (in vs. 14), ‘When you sell property to your kinsman.’⁶T’Arakh. 5:9; below, 9:8. [If] he repents, [all] is well; but if not, he will end up selling his field, as stated (in vs. 25), ‘When your relative becomes poor and sells some of his property.’ [If] he repents, that is preferable; but if not, he will end up selling his house, as stated (in vs. 29), ‘And when someone sells a dwelling house.’ [If] he repents, that is preferable; but if not, he will end up going around [begging] at doorways, as stated (in vs. 35), ‘And when your relative becomes poor [… you shall maintain him as a foreigner and sojourner and let him live near you].’ [If] he repents, that is preferable; but if not, he will end up being sold to you, as stated (in vs. 39), ‘And when your relative becomes poor] near you and is sold to you.’ [If] he repents, that is preferable; but if not, he will end up being sold to the gentiles, as stated (in vs. 47), ‘And when a foreigner and a sojourner near you becomes wealthy, [while your relative near him becomes poor and is sold to a sojourning foreigner near you….].’ Now it is not merely the individual himself [at issue here], but that person and all Israel; for so you find in the days of Jeremiah, because they profaned the sabbatical year, they were sold to the gentiles, as stated (in II Chron. 36:17-18), ‘So He brought up the king of the Chaldeans upon them [….] And all the vessels of the house of God […] and the treasures of the house of the Lord […].’ Behold the case of [all] Israel.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “See how they will be sold to the gentiles because they profaned the sabbatical year.” He said to him, “Master of the world, did You not say this (in Lev. 25:35), ‘And when your relative becomes poor, and his strength fails near you, [you shall maintain him as a foreigner and sojourner and let him live near you]?’ Fulfill what You said to them and called them, ‘My relatives (ah) and friends,’ as stated (in Ps. 122:8), ‘For the sake of My relatives (ah) and friends’: (Lev. 25:35:) ‘And when your relative becomes poor, and his strength fails near you,’ [i.e.,] when their strength fails before Nebuchadnezzar, the Divine Presence, as it were, will be with them. It is so stated (in Is. 43:14), ‘for your sake I have sent to Babylon.’ (Lev. 25:35, cont.:) ‘You shall maintain (literally, hold on to) him.’ Hold them (i.e., Israel), lest they perish. But how? (Lev. 25:35, cont.:) ‘As a foreigner and sojourner and let him live near you.’ Although they became foreigners and sojourners in Babylon, if You do not give them grace, they will perish, [so just] ‘let him live near You.’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “Because of their sins I have sold My house to the Chaldeans.” It is so stated (in Lev. 25:29), “And when someone sells a dwelling house.” This is the house of the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated (in Ps. 132:13), “For the Lord has chosen Zion; he has desired it for His dwelling.” And what happened [to it]? (II Kings 25:9 = Jer. 52:13:) And he burned the house of the Lord [...].” (Lev. 25:29, cont.:) “A walled city.” This is the city of the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated] (in II Chron. 36:19), “and they broke down the wall of Jerusalem […].” That is what the Holy One, blessed be He, says (in Lev. 25:47), “And when a foreigner and a sojourner [near you] becomes wealthy.” This wealthy foreigner is Nebuchadnezzar, and this sojourner is the Median Empire. (Ibid., cont.:) “And is sold to a sojourning foreigner.” This [sojourning foreigner] is the Greek Empire. (Ibid., cont.:) “Or to a foreigner's family.” This is the Edomite Empire (i.e., Rome). Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, why were they sold to these empires?” He said to him, “Because they profaned the sabbatical year.” It is so stated (in II Chron. 36:20–21), “Then he carried off unto Babylon those left from the sword,” and the end of the Scripture is “[until the land made up] its Sabbaths; as long as it lay desolate, it observed Sabbath, to fulfill seventy years.” Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses at the end of all of these sections, “Is it your wish that they do not go into exile? [Then] warn them concerning the sabbatical years and the jubilees.” That is what He has said at the end of all the sections (in Lev. 26:2), “You shall observe My Sabbaths and reverence My sanctuary. I am the Lord.” What is the meaning of “I am the Lord?” I am the one who is going to give you a good reward, if you observe them; but if not, I am going to exact retribution from them through the Empires. Therefore, say to them to be careful about the sabbatical year. Thus it is stated (in Lev. 25:2), “the land shall observe a Sabbath for the Lord,” so that they do not attain [the punishments in] those sections written below (in Lev. 26:14-45). (Lev. 25:14:) “When you sell property to your kinsman or buy from your neighbor's hand, do not deceive.” [Thus] you shall not deceive one another. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “For I also sold the whole world to Abraham and did not deceive him. He [then went back and sold it to Me,” as stated (Genesis 14:19), “the Buyer⁷Qoneh. A more traditional rendering of this word here would be MAKER. of heaven and earth.” When? When Abraham observed the commandments of the Holy One, blessed be He. Before the Torah was given to Israel, our father Abraham kept it [and observed all the commandments that are in the Torah]. R. Samuel bar Nahman said in the name of R. Alexandra, “Abraham even observed the [rabbinic precept of] eruvim of cooked foods.”⁸See Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 3:1, and the notes there. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 26:5), “Because ('qb 'shr) Abraham heeded [My voice and kept My charge: My commandments, My statutes, and My Torahs].” What is the meaning of 'qb?⁹Gen. R. 95:3; Cant. R. 5:16:1; PR 21:12; cf. Ned. 32a. R. Simeon ben Laqish said, “At the age of three years Abraham recognized the Holy One, blessed be He.”¹⁰So also Numb. R. 18:21. According to other traditions Abraham recognized his creator at the age of forty-eight (Gen. R. 30:8; 46:2; Cant. R. 5:16:1), at the age of fifty (PR 21:12), or at the age of one (Gen. R. 95:3). How is this shown? 'Qb is a number. (I.e., 'ayin) is seventy, q (i.e., qof) is one hundred, [and] b (i.e., bet) is two, for a total of one hundred seventy-two. Now (according to Gen. 25:7) Abraham lived one hundred seventy-five [years]. Deduct from them. [The result is] three, when he was little. Ergo, at the age of three years Abraham recognized the Holy One, blessed be He. When the Holy One, blessed be He, saw how Abraham loved the commandments, He began buying heavenly and earthly [places] for him, as stated (in Gen. 14:19), “Blessed be Abram of God most high, Buyer of heaven and earth.” So also it says (Gen. 13:15), “For all the land (or earth) which you see, to you I will give it.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “All the world is wholly Mine; and I bought it for Abraham, because he has observed My commandments. But you, through your sins, have caused him to be [like] an alien who rents a house from its owners, for so Jeremiah has said (in Jer. 14:8), ‘why are you like a foreigner in the land […]?’ When you sinned before Me, I sold you, as stated (in Ps. 44:13), ‘You shall sell Your people for no money […].’ For that reason, if someone has to sell a house, a field, or [some] article, you shall not deceive one another.” It is therefore written (in Lev. 25:14), “shall not deceive his brother.” (Lev. 25:15-18:) “According to the years after the jubilee […]. According to the multitude of years, you shall increase […]. A man shall not deceive his brother […]. So you shall carry out my statutes and judgements.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “Just as I sold my people and returned again to reinstate them, as stated (Jer. 3:14), ‘”Turn back, faithless children,” says the Lord; “for I am a master to you.”’ It is also written (in Is. 52:3), ‘For thus says the Lord, “You were sold for free, and you shall be redeemed for no money.”’ So too you should not sell the land absolutely, as stated (in Lev. 25:23), ‘[it] shall not be sold permanently.’ The Land [of Israel] is dear to me because I have made it holier than all the [other] lands in the world.” You yourself know, when the Land of Israel was distributed to the tribes, it did not pass from tribe to tribe. Rather [it was distributed] to each tribe separately. You yourself know. Look at how many lawsuits the daughters of Zelophehad brought, so that their inheritance would not pass from one tribe to another. Moreover the Holy One, blessed be He, conceded to their words, as stated (in Numb. 27:7), “The daughters of Zelophehad speak what is right.” (Numb. 36:9:) “Thus no inheritance shall be transferred from one tribe to another.” Therefore, if a redeemer is found for it, fine; but if not, whoever buys it acquires it until the jubilee. Then on the jubilee he releases it. Thus it is stated (in Lev. 25:41), “Then he shall depart from you, he and his children with him and he shall return to his family.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “When the year of the redemption draws near, I will redeem you, as stated (in Is. 63:4), ‘For a day of vengeance was in My heart, but there came My year of redemption.’”

From Adam to the Flood was 1656 years, and this is their enumeration: Adam 130, Seth 105, Enosh 90, Kenan 70, Mahalalel 65, Jared 162, Enoch 65, Methuselah 187, Lamech 182, and Noah was six hundred years old, etc." (Genesis 7, 6). Enoch buried Adam, and lived after him 57 years. Methuselah exhausted his days just before the Flood. From the Flood to the division [of languages] was 340 years. Noah lived ten years after the division [of languages]. Our father Abraham was at the division [of languages] 48 years old. Rabbi Yosei said: Eber was so great a prophet that he [preemptively] named his son Peleg ["division"], [aided] by the Holy Spirit. [Eber having foreseen what was to come] as it says "in his days the earth was divided" (Genesis 10, 25).

“I remember my song in the night; I meditate with my heart, and my spirit searches” (Psalms 77:7). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Aivu.⁵⁸The text of the midrash appears to be cut off. The statement of these Sages will be cited below.
The Rabbis say:⁵⁹This is a continuation of Chapter 21. Because they sinned from alef through tav, they are consoled from alef through tav. Likewise, you find that for all the harsh prophecies that Jeremiah prophesied regarding Israel, Isaiah preceded him and brought a remedy for them. Jeremiah said: “How [eikha] does…sit solitary”? (Lamentations 1:1). Isaiah said: “You will say in your heart: who bore me these.” (Isaiah 49:21).⁶⁰This is what Israel will say when its children return and it will no longer sit solitary. The verse stated by Jeremiah begins with the word “how” [eikha], which starts with an alef. The verse stated by Isaiah foresees the time when Jeremiah’s verse will be undone. Jeremiah said: “She weeps [bakho] bitterly at night” (Lamentations 1:2).⁶¹This verse starts with the word bakho, which begins with a bet. Isaiah said: “You will weep no longer, He will show you grace…” (Isaiah 30:19). Jeremiah said: “Judah was exiled [galta] due to affliction” (Lamentations 1:3).⁶²In Hebrew, the first word of this verse is galta, which begins with a gimmel. Isaiah said: “He will gather the dispersed of Israel…” (Isaiah 11:12). Jeremiah said: “The ways [darkhei] of Zion are in mourning” (Lamentations 1:4). Isaiah said: “A voice calls in the wilderness, clear the way of the Lord” (Isaiah 40:3). Jeremiah said: “Her adversaries have become [hayu] the head” (Lamentations 1:5). Isaiah said: “The sons of your tormentors will come to you, bowed” (Isaiah 60:14). Jeremiah said: “Gone [vayetze] from the daughter of Zion is all [her splendor] (Lamentations 1:6). Isaiah said: “A redeemer will come to Zion” (Isaiah 59:20). Jeremiah said: “Jerusalem remembered [zakhra] […all her delights]” (Lamentations 1:7). Isaiah said: “For, behold, I am creating new heavens and a new earth and the former will not be remembered and will not come to mind” (Isaiah 65:17). Jeremiah said: “Jerusalem has comitted a sin [ḥet]” (Lamentations 1:8). Isaiah said: “I have wiped away your transgressions like a cloud” (Isaiah 44:22). Jeremiah said: “Her impurity [tumatah] is on the edges of her skirts” (Lamentations 1:9). Isaiah said: “When the Lord will have washed the filth of the daughters of Zion” (Isaiah 4:4). Jeremiah said: “The adversary extended his hand [yado]” (Lamentations 1:10). Isaiah said: “The Lord will once again show His hand” (Isaiah 11:11). Jeremiah said: “All her [kol] people are sighing, [seeking bread]…” (Lamentations 1:11). Isaiah said: “They will not hunger and they will not thirst” (Isaiah 49:10). Jeremiah said: “May it not [lo] befall you, all wayfarers” (Lamentations 1:12) Isaiah said: “Until a spirit will be poured upon us from on high” (Isaiah 32:15).⁶³Maharzu amends the text such that the verse cited here is Isaiah 57:15, whereas Isaiah 32:15 is cited below after Lamentations 1:13. Accordingly, the midrash is understood as follows: Lamentations states “Is there any pain like my pain” (Lamentations 1:12) while Isaiah speaks of healing, as it is stated: “to revive the spirit of the humble and revive the heart of the downtrodden” (Isaiah 57:15). Jeremiah said: “From on high [mimarom] He sent fire into my bones” (Lamentations 1:13). Isaiah said: “Exalted and holy I will rest, and the despondent…” (Isaiah 57:15).⁶⁴According to the Maharzu,the verse cited here should be Isaiah 32:15, which more directly parallels Lamentations 1:13. Jeremiah said: “The yoke of my transgressions is preserved [niskad] in His hand” (Lamentations 1:14). Isaiah said: “Undo the restraints on your neck” (Isaiah 52:2). Jeremiah said: “[The Lord] trampled [sila] all my mighty” (Lamentations 1:15). Isaiah said: “Pave [solu] the highway, clear it of stones” (Isaiah 62:10). Jeremiah said: “For [al] these I weep; […my eye sheds water]” (Lamentations 1:16). Isaiah said: “With their eyes they will see [the Lord returning to Zion]” (Isaiah 52:8). Jeremiah said: “Zion spread [persa] her hands, [there was no comforter for her]” (Lamentations 1:17). Isaiah said: “I, it is I, who am your Comforter” (Isaiah 51:12). Jeremiah said: “The Lord is righteous [tzadik]” (Lamentations 1:18). Isaiah said: “Your people they are all righteous” (Isaiah 60:21). Jeremiah said: “I called [karati] to my lovers; they deceived me” (Lamentations 1:19). Isaiah said: “You will call Your walls salvation” (Isaiah 60:18). Jeremiah said: “See [re’e], Lord, for I am in distress” (Lamentations 1:20). Isaiah said: “You will see and your heart will be gladdened” (Isaiah 66:14). Jeremiah said: “They heard [shamu] that I sigh” (Lamentations 1:21). Isaiah said: “Comfort, comfort My people” (Isaiah 40:1). Jeremiah said: “Let all their wickedness come [tavo] before You” (Lamentations 1:22) Isaiah said: “I will bring them to the mountain of My holiness” (Isaiah 56:7).
Another matter, “I remember my song [neginati] in the night” (Psalms 77:7). Rabbi Aivu and Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon, Rabbi Aivu says: The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘I remember how I was broken before You in the night of the kingdoms,⁶⁵The times during which Israel suffered persecution at the hands of foreign nations is are referred to here as night. just as it says: “Blessed is God, the Most High, who broke [migen] your enemies into your hand”’ (Genesis 14:20). Rabbi Yehuda says: I remember the songs that I sang before You in the nights, just as it says: “[The Lord is to save me] and we will play my songs all the days of our lives” (Isaiah 38:20), this is the night of Pharaoh, as it is written: “It was at midnight” (Exodus 12:29). And the night of Gideon who smote the Midianite and Amalekite camp, as it is written: “It was on that night” (Judges 7:9). And the night of Sennacherib, in whose regard it is written: “It was on that night, and the angel of God emerged” (II Kings 19:35).⁶⁶According to Rabbi Yehuda, the reference is to the songs Israel sang when they experienced salvation at night. Each of the three verses cited refers to an event in which an enemy of Israel was defeated at night.
“I meditate with my heart” (Psalms 77:7), I speak with my heart. “And my spirit searches” (Psalms 77:7), I examine my actions. And it says: “Will the Lord forsake forever? Will He never again appease?” (Psalms 77:8). God forbid, He has not abandoned and will not abandon, as it is written: “For the Lord will not forsake forever” (Lamentations 3:31).
“Will He never again appease [lirtzot]” or be appeased [leratzot]? In the past He would appease others. When Moses was angry, it says: “And he returned [veshav] to the camp” (Exodus 33:11). Read it as: And return [veshuv].⁶⁷Despite Moses’s anger in the wake of the sin of the Golden Calf, God implores him to return to the camp. When Elijah was angry, it says: “Go, return on your way to the wilderness of Damascus” (I Kings 19:15); but now, He does not appease, and is not appeased.
“Has His kindness come to an end [he’afes] forever, [is His decision final for all generations]?” (Psalms 77:9). What is he’afes? Rabbi Reuven said: It is a Greek term, just as it says: “He will say none [afes]” (Amos 6:10).⁶⁸The word afes is a Greek term meaning “let go,” similar to the usage of the term in Amos, where one is asked if there is anyone with him and he says “none,” meaning dismiss the thought from your mind. Thus, It is not God’s kindness that has ceased, but He has let go of it in the sense that He has ceased to implement His kindness in the world. Rabbi Ḥanina bar Pappa and Rabbi Simon, Rabbi Ḥanina said: Has the matter that the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses, “I will favor whom I favor” (Exodus 33:19), concluded? Rabbi Simon says: It has already been concluded, and this was confirmed by means of Jeremiah: “For I have withdrawn My peace [and kindness and mercy from this people]” (Jeremiah 16:5).
“Has God forgotten to be gracious [ḥanot]” (Psalms 77:10), has God forgotten His encampment [ḥanoto] in the wilderness, “According to the word of God they would encamp” (Numbers 9: 20). Has He forgotten “God, merciful and gracious [veḥanun]”? (Exodus 34:6). “Has He closed in anger His mercy? Sela” (Psalms 77:10); even though He is angry, His mercy is near. Yet Zion said: ‘The Lord has forsaken me and my Lord has forgotten me,’ as it is written: “Zion said: The Lord has forsaken me [and the Lord has forgotten me]” (Isaiah 49:14).⁶⁹However, God responds: “Yet I will not forget you” (Isaiah 49:15).
“Then I said: This is my weakness [ḥaloti], [the right hand of the Most High has changed]” (Psalms 77:11). Rabbi Alexandrai said: Because we did not entreat [ḥilinu] You in repentance, the right hand has changed.⁷⁰The right hand signifies God’s support and giving. This has changed from supporting Israel to supporting its enemies (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani said: The oath that He made with us at Ḥorev⁷¹This is another name for Sinai. has been violated [nitḥalela], and so the right hand has changed.
Rabbi Simon said: Have you ever heard that the orb of the sun is ill and unable to rise and serve? For His servants there are no illnesses, but before Him there is illness?⁷²The term ḥaloti is expounded to mean illnesses [ḥolayin], such that the verse reads “this is my illness.” As the midrash explains, it cannot be that God’s providence has changed due to His illness, as that is impossible. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: [This is analogous] to a mighty person who was there in a province, and all the residents of the province relied on him and would say: ‘No troops will come here. If troops came to the city, once he would emerge and show his face, they would flee immediately.’ One time the troops came, and he said to them: ‘My right hand hurts.’⁷³Since he is not ready for battle, the enemies are no longer afraid of him. However, the Holy One blessed be He is not so, but rather, “Behold, the Lord’s hand is not too short to save…” (Isaiah 59:1).
“The right hand of the Most High has changed.” Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: If it is due to illnesses, there is hope, for one who is hurt will ultimately heal. But if it has changed, there is no hope.⁷⁴In the case of the change to God’s right hand, as it were, there is hope, because the change is based on something akin to illness. The verse from Isaiah cited above is followed by the following: “But your iniquities have separated between you and your God” (Isaiah 59:2) (Matnot Kehuna). That is the opinion of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi <who said:="" “for="" you="" have="" despised="" us,="" [you="" were="" exceedingly="" angry="" at="" us]”="" (lamentations="" 5:22).="" if="" it="" is="" despising,="" there="" is="" no="" hope.="" if="" it="" is="" anger,="" there="" is="" hope,="" as="" who="" is="" angry="" will="" ultimately="" be="" appeased.="">
Rabbi Shimon bar Yoḥai said: The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘You wept a gratuitous weeping; ultimately, you will weep a weeping of substance.’ Where did Israel weep a gratuitous weeping? “Moses heard the people weeping according to its families” (Numbers 11:10). “The entire congregation raised and sounded their voice [and the people wept that night]” (Numbers 14:1). Where did Israel weep a weeping of substance? Rabbi Aivu and Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon, Rabbi Aivu said: Once in Rama and once in Babylon. In Rama, as it is written: “So said the Lord: A voice is heard in Rama, wailing, bitter weeping, [Rachel weeping for her children]” (Jeremiah 31:15). In Babylon, as it is written: “By the rivers of Babylon, [there we sat and also wept]” (Psalms 137:1). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: One in the “province of Judah” (Ezra 5:8) and one in Babylon. In the province of Judah, “she weeps bitterly at night” (Lamentations 1:2). In Babylon, “by the rivers of Babylon.”
Rabbi Aivu said: So said the Holy One blessed be He to Israel: ‘As a reward for that weeping, I will gather in your exiles.’ That is what is written: “So said the Lord, restrain your voice from weeping…there is hope for your future, the utterance of the Lord” (Jeremiah 31:16–17).
“She weeps bitterly [bakho tivkeh],” she will weep [bakho] due to one calf; she will weep [tivkeh] due to two calves.⁷⁵The midrash expounds the doubled Hebrew expression bakho tivkeh (in which the root bet-kaf-heh is used twice consecutively) to refer to two sins: The sin of the Golden Calf in the wilderness and Jeroboam’s two golden calves in the Land of Israel (see I Kings 12:26–30). Another matter, over Judah, and over Zion and Jerusalem.⁷⁶Zion and Jerusalem count as one. Alternatively, they are separate and there is a third source of weeping expressed in the verse in Lamentations, which continues: “her tears are on her cheeks” (Lamentations 1:2). Another matter, she will weep [bakho] over the exile of the Ten Tribes; she will weep [tivkeh] over the exile of Judah and Benjamin. Another matter, she weeps and causes others to weep with her, she weeps and causes the Holy One blessed be He to weep with her, as it is written: “The Lord, God of hosts, called on that day for weeping and for lamentation” (Isaiah 22:12). She weeps and causes the ministering angels to weep with her, as it is written: “Behold, their angels cry out outside [ḥutza], [the messengers of peace weep bitterly]” (Isaiah 33:7). Rabbi Ze’eira said: Ḥitza is written,⁷⁷The word ḥutza is written without a vav, such that it can be read ḥitza. it is unnatural [ḥitza] for him to slaughter him.⁷⁸Rabbi Ze’eira interprets this verse as pertaining to God’s command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac. The angels responded that this was a command that violated human nature. Rabbi Berekhya said: Just as it says: “He took him outside [haḥutza] [and said: Look now toward the heavens]” (Genesis 15:5).⁷⁹Rabbi Berekhya cites this verse to demonstrate that ḥutza refers to the heavens. Thus, he interprets the verse in Genesis to mean that God took Abraham outside and directed him to look toward the heavens, and he interprets the verse in Isaiah to mean that the angels cry in the heavens.
“She will weep [bakho],” she weeps and causes the heavens and the earth to weep with her. That is what is written: “The sun and the moon darkened” (Joel 2:10). “She will weep [bakho],” she weeps and causes the mountains and the hills to weep with her. That is what is written: “I saw the mountains [they are quaking, and all the hills have disintegrated]” (Jeremiah 4:24). “She will weep [bakho],” she weeps and causes the seventy nations to weep with her. Rabbi Pinḥas said: The seventy bulls that Israel would sacrifice on the festival of Sukkot correspond to the seventy nations, so that the world would not be vacant of them. “She will weep [bakho],” she weeps and casues the congregation of Israel to weep with her. That is what is written: “The entire congregation raised [vatisa]…[and the people wept that night]” (Numbers 14:1). Rabbi Ḥunya taught it in the name of Rabbi Neḥemya: Vatisa is written, they left a bad debt for the generations, just as it says: “When you lend [tasheh] to your neighbor” (Deuteronomy 24:10).

“The adversary extended his hand over all her delights; for she saw the nations entering her Sanctuary, whom You had commanded that they should not enter Your assembly” (Lamentations 1:10).
“The adversary extended his hand.” You find that when the enemies entered the Temple, Amonites and Moavites entered with them. Everyone was running to plunder silver and gold, and the Amonites and Moavites were running to plunder the Torah, in order to remove “An Amonite and Moavite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:4). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi ben Perata: This is analogous to a conflagration that was ignited in a king’s palace. Everyone was running to plunder the silver and the gold while a slave ran to plunder his writ of servitude. So too, when the enemies entered the Temple, Amonites and Moavites entered with them. Everyone was running to plunder silver and gold, and the Amonites and Moavites were running to plunder the Torah, in order to remove “An Amonite and Moavite shall not enter the assembly of the Lord.”
Abraham bestowed four good things upon Lot. That is what is written: “Abram went, as the Lord had spoken to him, and Lot went with him” (Genesis 12:4). And it says: “Lot, too, who was going with Abram [had sheep, cattle and tents]” (Genesis 13:5). And it says: “He returned all the property, [and also his brother Lot and his property he returned]” (Genesis 14:16). And it says: “It was when God destroyed the cities of the plain [God remembered Abraham, and He sent Lot from the midst of the upheaval]” (Genesis 19:29). Correspondingly, they should have repaid them with goodness;¹⁴³Lot’s descendants, the nations of Amon and Moav, should have been kind to Abraham’s descendants. however, they performed acts of wickedness. That is what is written: “He sent messengers to Bilam…now, please go and curse for me…. The elders of Moav and the elders of Midian went…” (Numbers 22:5–7). “He gathered to him the children of Amon and Amalek, [and he went and smote Israel]” (Judges 3:13).¹⁴⁴The verse is stated regarding Eglon, king of Moav. “It was thereafter, the children of Moav, and the children of Amon, and with them some Amonites, came against Yehoshafat” (II Chronicles 20:1). And this: “The adversary extended his hand...”
Correspondingly, their sins are written in four places. “An Amonite and Moavite [shall not enter the assembly of the Lord]…because they did not greet you with bread and with water…” (Deuteronomy 23:4–5). “My people, remember now what Balak king of Moav devised…” (Micah 6:5). “Because they did not greet the children of Israel with bread and with water, and hired Bilam against them, to curse them” (Nehemiah 13:2). “He sent and summoned Bilam son of Beor to curse you” (Joshua 24:9).
Correspondingly, four prophets stood and sealed their sentence, and they were: Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Zephaniah. Isaiah said: “A prophecy of Moav: For on the night that Ar of Moav is plundered, it is ruined; for on the night that Kir of Moav is plundered, it is ruined” (Isaiah 15:1). Jeremiah said: “Behold, days are coming, the utterance of the Lord, and I will sound to Raba of the children of Amon an alarm of war, and it will become a mound of desolation, and its environs will be burned in fire, and Israel will inherit its inheritors, said the Lord” (Jeremiah 49:2). Ezekiel said: “To the children of the east, against the children of Amon, and I will give it as a heritage, so that the children of Amon will not be remembered among the nations. I will administer punishments to Moav, and they will know that I am the Lord” (Ezekiel 25:10–11). Zephaniah said: “Therefore, as I live, the utterance of the Lord of hosts, God of Israel, Moav will be like Sodom and the children of Amon like Gomorrah, a rustling thornbush, a salt mine, a desolate wasteland forever. The remnant of My people will plunder them and the rest of My nation will inherit them” (Zephaniah 2:9).

[(Gen. 18:1:) THEN THE LORD WAS AWESOME UNTO HIM.]⁹The verse is traditionally rendered, THEN THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM. In the unvocalized text, however, APPEARED can be translated WAS AWESOME; and so the midrash understands it. This text is related (to Is. 66:1-3): THUS SAYS THE LORD: THE HEAVENS ARE MY THRONE … FOR ALL THESE THINGS HAS MY HAND MADE … < BUT UNTO THIS PERSON WILL I LOOK: UNTO ONE WHO IS POOR AND OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT, WHO TREMBLES AT MY WORD, WHO > ¹⁰Translations generally interpret what follows as referring to someone evil who is being contrasted with the ONE WHO IS POOR AND OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT. SLAUGHTERS THE OX, WHO SLAYS A HUMAN, WHO SACRIFICES THE LAMB…. Who is trembling at the words of the Holy One? This is Abraham, < for > (according to Gen. 18:1) THEN THE LORD WAS AWESOME UNTO HIM…. What is written (in Is. 66:2)? BUT ON THIS PERSON WILL I LOOK: UNTO ONE WHO IS POOR AND OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT, WHO TREMBLES AT MY WORD. Now, if you want to know that the text is speaking about Abraham, see what is written (in vs. 3): WHO SLAUGHTERS THE OX. This is Abraham (according to Gen. 18:7): THEN ABRAHAM RAN UNTO THE HERD, < TOOK A CALF >…. (Is. 66:3, cont.:) WHO SLAYS A HUMAN < refers to > the one who killed Nimrod, < and > Nimrod is Amraphel (of Gen. 14).¹¹Targum Ps. Joh. to Gen. 14:1; ‘Eruv. 53a; Gen. R. 42:4; Tanh., Gen. 3:6; also PRK 8:2; PR 18:3. (Is. 66:3, cont.:) WHO SACRIFICES THE LAMB. When? When he offered up his son Isaac as stated (in Gen. 22:8): GOD WILL SEE TO THE LAMB [FOR A BURNT OFFERING], MY SON.

(Ibid.) "If you buy (lit.,) a servant Hebrew": Is Scripture speaking of a servant who is a Hebrew, or the servant of a Hebrew? And how am I to understand (Leviticus 25:46) "And you shall hold them as an inheritance for your sons after you, etc."? As referring to (a gentile servant) bought from a gentile; but if he were bought from a Jew, (I would say that) he serves six years and goes free on the seventh. It is, therefore, written (Devarim 15:12) "If there be sold to you (by beth-din for his theft) your brother, the Hebrew man or the Hebrew woman, etc." Let it not be written "Hebrew man" or "Hebrew woman," for it is already written "your brother." Why is it written? It is deliberately superfluous to signal a gezeirah shavah (i.e., "identity"), viz.: It is written here (in Exodus) "Hebrew," and there (in Devarim) "Hebrew." Just as there, "Hebrew" refers to the servant (and not to the master); here, too, "Hebrew" refers to the servant (and not to the master). And though there is no proof for this (i.e., that "servant Hebrew" is to be understood as "a servant who is a Hebrew" (and not as "the servant of a Hebrew"), there is support for it, viz. (Exodus 5:3) "The G d of the Hebrews revealed Himself to us" — (the G d) of "Avram the Hebrew" (Genesis 14:13).

7...

“The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent. They have placed dust on their heads, have girded themselves with sackcloth. The virgins of Jerusalem have lowered their heads to the ground” (Lamentations 2:10).
“The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent.” Rabbi Elazar said: Let the portion of vows not be insignificant in your eyes, as it is on account of the portion of vows that the Great Sanhedrin of Zedekiah were killed. When Yekhonya was exiled, King Nebuchadnezzar appointed him¹⁰⁶Zedekiah. over five kings. That is what is written: “Send to the king of Edom, to the king of Moav, to the king of the children of Ammon, to the king of Tyre and to the king of Sidon, in the hand of the messengers who come to Jerusalem to Zedekiah, king of Judah” (Jeremiah 27:3). He would enter and exit before him without permission.¹⁰⁷Zedekiah had unfettered access to Nebuchadnezzar. One day, he entered before him and saw that he was ripping the flesh of a hare and eating it raw. [Nebuchadnezzar] said to him: ‘Take an oath to me that you will not publicize this about me,’ and he took an oath to him. On what did he administer the oath to [Zedekiah]? Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: On the inner altar. The five kings were sitting and maligning Nebuchadnezzar before Zedekiah and saying to him: ‘The kingdom is not suitable for Nebuchadnezzar, but rather it is suitable for you, as you are from the offspring of David.’ He, too, maligned Nebuchadnezzar and said: ‘I saw that he was ripping the flesh of a hare and eating it.’ Immediately, they sent [a message] to the king, saying: ‘This Jew who enters and exits before you without permission said about you: I saw that Nebuchadnezzar was ripping the flesh of a hare and eating it.’ That is what is written: “Zedekiah rebelled against the king of Babylon” (II Kings 24:20).
Immediately, he¹⁰⁸Nebuchadnezzar. came and settled in Daphne of Antioch and the Great Sanhedrin went to greet him. When he saw that they were all men of noble form, he issued a command and had seats of honor brought for them, and he seated them. He said to them: ‘Teach me the Torah.’ Immediately they began reading each and every portion and translating it before him. When they reached the portion of vows: “A man who takes a vow” (Numbers 30:3), he said to them: ‘If he wishes to renege on it, can he or can he not do so?’ They said to him: ‘He can go to a Sage and [the Sage] can nullify his vow for him.’ He said to them: ‘It seems to me that you nullified for Zedekiah the oath that he took to me.’ Immediately, he decreed and had them placed down on the ground. That is what is written: “The elders of the daughter of Zion sit on the ground, are silent.” “They have placed dust [on their heads],” they began mentioning the merit of Abraham, as it is written: “I am dust and ashes” (Genesis 18:27). “Have girded themselves with sackcloth,” they began mentioning the merit of Jacob, as it is written: “He placed sackcloth on his loins” (Genesis 37:34).¹⁰⁹The Sages began to pray to God for mercy in the merit of Abraham and Jacob, both of whom took oaths and were careful to fulfill them (Etz Yosef; see Genesis 14:22, 28:20). What did they do to them? They tied their hair to horses’ tails and had them run from Jerusalem to Lod. That is what is written: “The virgins of Jerusalem have lowered their heads to the ground.”¹¹⁰They did so in mourning for the Sages. Alternatively, the Sages are alluded to with the term virgins because of their purity.

Said Rabbi Yochanan: Once I was walking on a path and I came across a man who was collecting firewood. I spoke to him but he did not respond to me. Afterwards he approached me and said "Rabbi, I am dead and not alive", I said to him: "If you are dead - why do you need the firewood?". He responded: "Rabbi, listen carefully to what I am saying to you, when I was alive, my friend and I were doing a sin in my palace and when we came here we were sentenced to punishment by fire, when I gather wood they burn my friend, and when my friend gathers wood they burn me". I asked him: "Till when do you have to endure this punishment?" He told me: "When I came here I left my wife pregnant and I know she is pregnant with a son, therefore, please take caution with him and from the time he is born until he is five years old take him to he house of his rabbi to learn biblical verse (mikrah) because when he can say Barchu Et Hashem HaMevorach then I will be saved from the punishment of Gehenna".

And it shall be if you truly listen (Deuteronomy 28:1): This is that which was stated in the verse (Song of Songs 1:3), "Your ointments yield a sweet fragrance, your name is like finest oil." Rabbi Yannai said in the name of Rabbi Shimon, "You gave the aroma of commandments to the early ones: To the children of Noach, seven [commandments]; Avraham arose, You gave him circumcision; to Yaakov, You gave [the prohibition of eating] a limb from a living [animal. But] when we stood in front of Mount Sinai, you gave us commandments like a man pouring from the mouth of a barrel." "Your name is like finest (turak) oil." What is [the meaning of] "turak?" Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Shila, "That bring alacrity to the one that does His will. And the expression turak can only be a weapon, as it is stated (Genesis 14:14), 'and he armed (vayarek) his retainers.'" Another interpretation [of] "Your name is like finest (turak) oil." The Torah is compared to oil and it is compared to water. To water, as it is written (Isaiah 55:1), "Ho, all who are thirsty, come for water." Just like the world cannot stand without them and a man purifies himself in them, so too can the world not stand without Torah, and the Torah teaches man how to purify himself. And just like water, a man does not plant a tree and does not build a house if he has no water, so too can the world not stand without Torah. And just like water is life to the world, so too is Torah life to the world. Just like [with] water, anyone who does not know how to swim in it will cause himself to be lost from the world, so too anyone who is not able to find words of Torah is lost from the world. Just like water can be drawn to any place one wants, so too is the Torah drawn in all of the world. Just like water is not preserved in silver containers nor in gold containers but rather in ones of clay, so too is Torah not preserved in the haughty, but in one with a humble spirit. And Rabbi Acha says, "'But from where (which can also be read as, from nothing) can wisdom be found.' What is [the meaning of] 'from nothing?' From those who make themselves like nothing." And just like this water no one supervises [to demand a price], so is the Torah. You find that it is [also] compared to honey, as it is written (Psalms 19:11), "sweeter than honey, than drippings of the comb." Just like honey is not polluted, so is the Torah not polluted, as stated (Proverbs 8:8), "All my words are just, none of them perverse or crooked." And the Torah is compared to oil. Just like oil brings light to the whole world, so too is the Torah light to the world. And just like this oil is crushed and the more it is crushed, the better it is; so too [with] the Torah, [the more] one [exerts] himself upon it, the better it is to its Owner. You find that with all liquids, you can counterfeit them and put other liquids in them; but [with] this oil, he [can] put it in any liquid that he wants, and it rises to the top. So too is Israel; even if they are placed at the bottom, behold they are like this oil that [rises] to the top, as stated (Deuteronomy 28:1), "the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth."

[(Gen. 24:1:) NOW ABRAHAM WAS OLD.] This text is related (to Prov. 31:10): WHO CAN FIND A GALLANT WIFE?¹¹Cf. Tanh., Gen. 4:4. About whom were the words spoken? < They were spoken about Sarah > since it is written above (in Gen. 23:2): AND ABRAHAM PROCEEDED TO MOURN FOR SARAH AND WEEP FOR HER, < i.e., > he began to weep and eulogize. So he said: When shall I be able to get < another wife > like you?¹²The midrash is interpreting Prov. 32:10ff. as Abraham’s eulogy over Sarah. (Prov. 31:10:) A GALLANT WIFE. This was Sarah, as stated (in Gen. 12:11): SEE HERE NOW, I KNOW THAT YOU ARE A BEAUTIFUL-LOOKING WOMAN. (Prov. 31:10, cont.:) HER VALUE WAS FAR BEYOND THAT OF RUBIES, in that you came from afar. Thus it is stated (in Is. 46:11): SUMMONING A BIRD OF PREY FROM THE EAST, MY CONFIDANT FROM A FAR COUNTRY. (Prov. 31:11:) HER HUSBAND'S HEART HAD CONFIDENCE IN HER: This was Sarah, as stated (in Gen. 12:13): [PLEASE SAY YOU ARE MY SISTER] SO THAT IT MAY BE WELL WITH ME BECAUSE OF YOU. (Prov. 31:11, cont.:) AND HE HAS NO LACK OF PROFIT. This refers to our father Abraham, of whom it is stated (in Gen. 13:2): NOW ABRAHAM WAS VERY RICH. (Prov. 31:12:) SHE DID GOOD FOR HIM AND NOT EVIL. This refers to Sarah, since it is stated (in Gen. 12:16): AND BECAUSE OF HER, IT WENT WELL WITH ABRAHAM. (Prov. 31:13:) SHE LOOKS FOR WOOL AND FLAX, < in choosing > between < flaxen > Ishmael and < the pure wool of > Isaac. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 21:9f.): THEN SARAH SAW THE SON OF HAGAR THE EGYPTIAN … AND SAID TO ABRAHAM: CAST OUT THIS SLAVE WOMAN < AND HER SON >…. (Prov. 31:14:) SHE WAS LIKE THE MERCHANT SHIPS, in that she was moving from place to place and from country to country. Like such a vessel which goes from place to place on the sea (according to Prov. 31:14, cont.): SHE BRINGS HER FOOD FROM AFAR. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 20:16): THEN HE SAID UNTO SARAH: SEE, I HAVE GIVEN YOUR BROTHER A THOUSAND SILVER PIECES. (Prov. 31:15:) SHE ALSO AROSE WHILE IT WAS STILL NIGHT AND GAVE FOOD TO HER HOUSEHOLD. When? (In Gen. 22:3:) SO ABRAHAM AROSE EARLY IN THE MORNING…. (Prov. 31:15, cont.:) AND GAVE FOOD TO HER HOUSEHOLD, EVEN A STATUTE¹³The usual translation here is PORTION, but STATUTE better fits the Tanhuma context. FOR HER YOUNG WOMEN. (Gen. 17:26:) ON THAT VERY DAY ABRAHAM WAS CIRCUMCISED…. Now STATUTE can only mean circumcision, as shown (in Ps. 105:10): AND HE ESTABLISHED IT (i.e., Abraham's covenant) FOR JACOB AS A STATUTE, FOR ISRAEL AS AN EVERLASTING COVENANT.¹⁴Of course, Abraham’s EVERLASTING COVENANT meant circumcision. (Prov. 31:16:) SHE SET HER MIND ON A FIELD AND BOUGHT IT. Thus, while she was alive, she had her mind on obtaining the cave of Machpelah AND BOUGHT IT, for here she is buried in it (cf. Gen. 23). (Prov. 31:16, cont.:) FROM THE FRUIT OF HER HANDS SHE PLANTED A VINEYARD, as stated (in Gen. 21:33): AND HE PLANTED A TAMARISK TREE. What is the meaning of AND HE PLANTED? < It is > as you say (in Gen. 9:20): AND HE PLANTED A VINEYARD. (Prov. 31:17:) SHE GIRDED HER LOINS WITH VIGOR, when Abraham said to her (in Gen. 18:6): HURRY UP WITH THREE SEAHS OF FINE MEAL…. (Prov. 31:18:) SHE PERCEIVED THAT HER MERCHANDISE WAS GOOD; AND (in Gen. 21:7) SHE SAID: WHO WOULD HAVE SAID TO ABRAHAM THAT SARAH WOULD SUCKLE CHILDREN? (Prov. 31:18, cont.:) HER LAMP WOULD NOT GO OUT AT NIGHT. When? (In Gen. 14:15:) THEN HE DEPLOYED < HIS FORCES > AGAINST THEM BY NIGHT.¹⁵The verse assumes that Sarah was waiting up for Abraham to return from battle. (Prov. 31:21:) SHE WOULD NOT BE AFRAID FOR HER HOUSEHOLD BECAUSE OF SNOW. When? When the Holy One showed him Gehinnom (with its snow), she foretold that none of her children would go down into its midst. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 15:17): THERE APPEARED A SMOKING OVEN AND A FLAMING TORCH. Why? Because they fulfilled two commandments, (as shown in Prov. 31:21, cont.): BECAUSE ALL HER HOUSEHOLD ARE CLOTHED TWOFOLD,¹⁶The traditional text vocalizes TWOFOLD to mean CRIMSON. i.e., with the Sabbath and with circumcision. (Prov. 31:22:) SHE MADE COVERINGS FOR HERSELF. When? When they said to him (in Gen. 18:9): WHERE IS YOUR WIFE SARAH? He said to her: You have received good news that you are to bear < children >, and from them will go forth high priests who will serve in the Tent of Meeting. (Prov. 31:22, cont.:) HER CLOTHING IS LINEN AND PURPLE, as stated (in Exod. 26:31): < AND YOU SHALL MAKE A VEIL OF > {LINEN} [BLUE] AND PURPLE…. (Prov. 31:23:) HER HUSBAND WAS KNOWN IN THE GATES. When Sarah died, old age sprang upon Abraham and he was called elderly. Now it is stated (in Gen. 23:6, after the report of Sarah's death): HEAR US, MY LORD, YOU ARE A PRINCE OF GOD IN OUR MIDST. Ergo, HER HUSBAND WAS KNOWN IN THE GATES; < and the verse continues > immediately: AS HE SAT AMONG THE ELDERS OF THE LAND. He had become old; therefore, it is stated (in Gen. 24:1): NOW ABRAHAM WAS OLD.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 28:10): AND JACOB SET OUT. This text is related (to I Sam. 2:9): HE SHALL PROTECT THE FEET OF HIS SAINTS. This refers to Abraham when he pursued the kings. Thus it is stated (in Is. 41:2): WHO HAS AROUSED < RIGHTEOUSNESS >⁵The word translated RIGHTEOUSNESS here (tsedeq) implies victory and success as well as righteousness. FROM THE EAST … ? (I Sam. 2:9, cont.:) BUT THE WICKED SHALL PERISH IN DARKNESS. These are the sixteen kings whom he killed in the darkness, as stated (in Gen. 14:15): THEN HE DEPLOYED < HIS FORCES > AGAINST THEM BY NIGHT.

(Lev. 25:14:) AND WHEN YOU MAKE A SALE TO YOUR NEIGHBOR, [OR BUY FROM YOUR NEIGHBOR'S HAND,] LET NONE OF YOU DECEIVE HIS FELLOW. Thus you shall not deceive one another, for I also have sold. When? When Abraham observed the commandments of the Holy One. Before the Torah was given, our father Abraham kept it [and observed all the commandments that are in the Torah. R. Samuel bar Nahman said in the name of R. Alexandra: Abraham even observed the eruvim of cooked foods.⁸See above, Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 3:1, and the notes there. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 26:5): BECAUSE ('QB 'ShR) ABRAHAM HEEDED MY VOICE AND KEPT MY CHARGE: < MY COMMANDMENTS, MY STATUTES, AND MY TORAHS >. What is the meaning of 'QB?⁹Gen. R. 95:3; Cant. R. 5:16:1; PR 21:12; cf. Ned. 32a. R. Simeon ben Laqish said: At the age of three years Abraham recognized the Holy One.¹⁰So also Numb. R. 18:21. According to other traditions Abraham recognized his creator at the age of forty-eight (Gen. R. 30:8; 46:2; Cant. R. 5:16:1), at the age of fifty (PR 21:12), or at the age of one (Gen. R. 95:3). 'QB is a number. ' (i.e., 'ayin) is seventy, Q (i.e., Qof) is one hundred, < and > B (i.e., bet) is two, for a total of one hundred seventy-two. Now (according to Gen. 25:7) Abraham lived one hundred seventy-five < years >. Deduct from them. < The result is > three, when he was little. Ergo: At the age of three years Abraham recognized the Holy One.] When the Holy One saw how Abraham loved the commandments, he began buying heavenly and earthly < places > for him, as stated (in Gen. 14:19): BLESSED BE ABRAM OF GOD MOST HIGH, [BUYER¹¹Qoneh. A more traditional rendering of this word here would be MAKER. OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. So also it says (Gen. 13:15): FOR ALL THE LAND WHICH YOU SEE, TO YOU I WILL GIVE IT.] The Holy One said: All the world is wholly mine; and I bought it for Abraham, because he has observed my commandments. But you [through your sins] have cause me to be [like] an alien who rents a house from its owners, for so Jeremiah has said (in Jer. 14:8): WHY ARE YOU LIKE A FOREIGNER IN THE LAND? When you sinned before me, I sold you, as stated (in Ps. 44:13 [12]): YOU SHALL SELL YOUR PEOPLE FOR NO MONEY…. For that reason, if someone has to sell a house, a field, or < some > article, you shall not deceive one another. It is therefore written (in Lev. 25:14): LET NONE OF YOU DECEIVE HIS FELLOW. (Ibid., vs. 17) AND LET NO ONE DECEIVE HIS NEIGHBOR.

And he went toward Haran. This is one of the four occasions on which the earth contracted itself. The first occasion was at the time of Abraham: He divided himself against them at night (Gen. 14:15). It occurred again for Eliezer, as it is said: And I came this day unto the fountain (ibid. 24:42). And once again in the days of Jacob,⁴Reading Jacob instead of David. as it is said, When he strove with Aram-naharaim and with Aram-zobah (Ps. 60:2). And this is what is meant by: And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba (Gen. 28:10). Similarly, it occurred at the time about which David said: Thou hast made the land to shake, Thou hast cleft it; heal the branches thereof; for it tottereth (Ps. 60:4). This verse teaches us that the Holy One, blessed be He, also contracted the earth for Joab, Abishai, and the army (when they pursued Abner).⁵He had led the revolt against David.

R. Abahu said in the name of R. Elazar: "Why was Abraham our patriarch punished that his posterity had to be enslaved [in Egypt] two hundred and ten years? Because he had pressed the scholars [under his tuition] into military service, as it is said (Gen. 14, 14) He armed his trained servants, born in his own house, three hundred and eighteen, and pursued them as far as Dan." R. Samuel b. Nachmeni said: "Because he went too far in testing the attributes (goodness) of the Holy One, praised be He! (he perversely distrusted the assurance of God,) as it is said (Ib. 15, 8) And he said whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" R. Jochanan said: "Because he kept men away from coming under the wings of the Shechina, as it is said (Ib. 14, 21) Give me the persons and the goods take to thyself." (Ib. 14, 14) And he armed his trained servants. Rab and Samuel both explained this passage. One said that this means he armed them with Torah, and the other said it means that he armed them with gold, [by paying them well.] Three hundred and eighteen men. R. Ami b. Aba said that Eliezer equalled them all. According to others the above number refers to Eliezer himself, for the numerical value of Eliezer amounts to three hundred and eighteen.

R. Zechariah said in the name of R. Ishmael: "The Holy One, praised be He! desired to bring forth priesthood from Shem (son of Noah), as it is said (Gen. 14, 18) And Malkizedek, king of Salem, brought bread, and wine, and he was a priest of the most high God, but since he preceded the blessing of Abraham to that of the most Holy One, the Lord [decided] to bring it forht from Abraham, as it is said (Ib., ib., 19) and blessed be the most high God; i.e., Abraham said to Shem: 'Is it proper to utter the blessing of a servant before the blessing of his master?' Therefore it (priesthood) was brought forth from Abraham, as it is said (Ps. 110, 1) By David a psalm. The Eternal said unto my Lord, etc.; and immediately after this is written. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent of it, thou shalt be a priest forever after the words of Malkizedek, i.e., on account of the words of Malkizedek. And this is the meaning of the passage (Gen. 14, 18) And he was a priest of the most high God; i.e., he was a priest, but not his children."

“Pay them retribution, Lord, according to their handiwork” (Lamentations 3:64).
“Pay them retribution” – Jeremiah said: “Pay them retribution.” Asaf said: “Pay our neighbors retribution sevenfold to their bosom [ḥeikam]” (Psalms 79:12). What is “to their bosom [ḥeikam]”? Rabbi Yehuda ben Gadya said: Pay them retribution for what they did to the Temple that is situated in the foundation [ḥeiko] of the world, just as it says: “From the foundation in the ground to the [lower] ledge” (Ezekiel 43:14). The Rabbis say: What they did regarding circumcision, which is positioned in man’s bosom,⁸⁰The meaning here is that it is in the center of his body. as Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin and Rabbi Levi said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: They⁸¹The Amalekites would do this to the Israelites when they departed from Egypt. would take the circumcised organs of the Israelites and cast them upward, saying: This You chose; here is what You chose! Until Samuel arose and exacted retribution from them. That is what is written: “Samuel said: "Bring me Agag, king of Amalek” (I Samuel 15:32), and it is written: “Samuel slashed Agag…” (I Samuel 15:33).
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: He began chopping his flesh into numerous pieces and fed it to the ostriches. That is what is written: “It will consume the branches of his skin” (Job 18:13). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: He brought four posts and stretched him upon them. “Agag said: Indeed, the bitterness of death is at hand [sar]” (I Samuel 15:32). Is this the way one kills princes, with bitter deaths? Rabbi Yitzḥak said: He castrated him, because he would take the circumcised organs and cast them upward. For this, retribution was exacted from him. That is what is written: “Samuel said: Just as your sword made women childless, so shall your mother be childless among women” (I Samuel 15:33). “He slashed” – it teaches that he sliced him into four pieces.
“May you give them hardness of heart, Your curse upon them” (Lamentations 3:65).
“May you give them hardness of [meginat] heart” – two amora’im: One said: Heartbreak, and one said: Strength of heart.⁸²The amora’im discussed the true meaning of the term meginat. One said it means heartbreak due to suffering. The other said it means strength of heart to endure a lot of suffering without dying. The one who said heartbreak, it is as it is stated: “Who delivered [migen] your enemies into your hand” (Genesis 14:20).⁸³Just as the term migen here indicates that the enemies were broken, the word meginat regarding the heart means heartbreak. The one who said: Strength of heart, as it is written: “The shield [magen] of your protection” (Deuteronomy 33:29).
“Your curse [taalatekha] upon them” – suspend [teli] them⁸⁴Suspend them between life and death. in suffering. Bring upon them all the curses [alot] in the Torah, just as it says: “The Lord your God will place all these curses [alot] on your enemies, and on those who hate you…” (Deuteronomy 30:7).

Another interpretation (of Gen. 18:1): THEN < THE LORD > APPEARED UNTO HIM…. R. Isaac the Smith began (with Exod. 20:21 [24]): AN ALTAR OF EARTH YOU SHALL MAKE FOR ME.¹⁴Gen. R. 48:4. The Holy One said: Whoever slaughters an ox or a lamb and sheds a little blood, such a one I am coming to bless. Thus it is stated: AN ALTAR OF EARTH < YOU SHALL MAKE FOR ME, AND YOU SHALL SACRIFICE UPON IT YOUR BURNT OFFERINGS AND YOUR PEACE OFFERINGS, YOUR SHEEP AND YOUR OXEN >. Then it is written (ibid.): I WILL COME UNTO YOU AND BLESS YOU. How much the more must I bless Abraham, since a river of blood was pouring forth from his house because of the circumcision! It is therefore stated (in Gen. 18:1): THEN < THE LORD > APPEARED UNTO HIM. So also Moses said (in Lev. 9:6): THIS IS THE THING WHICH THE LORD HAS COMMANDED < YOU TO DO > THAT < THE GLORY OF THE LORD > MAY APPEAR UNTO YOU. What did the LORD say (in vs. 7)? THEN MOSES SAID UNTO AARON: DRAW NEAR < UNTO THE ALTAR AND PERFORM YOUR SIN OFFERING AND YOUR BURNT OFFERING TO ATONE FOR YOURSELF … AS THE LORD HAS COMMANDED >. R. Aha said: Come and see the power which the Holy One set in Abraham, who in one day circumcised himself, the slaves born in his house, and his son Ishmael. So the blood was dripping.¹⁵Cf. Cant. R. 4:6:1. Look at how many of his home-born slaves there were! According to what is written (in Gen. 14:14), HE MUSTERED HIS THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN HOME-BORN SLAVES. Now, if his home-born slaves numbered so many, how many more were those which his money had purchased! And he circumcised them all in a single day, as stated (in Gen. 17:26f.): ON THAT VERY DAY ABRAHAM AND HIS SON ISHMAEL WERE CIRCUMCISED; AND ALL THE MEN OF HIS HOUSE, < HOME-BORN SLAVES AND ONES PURCHASED WITH MONEY FROM A FOREIGNER >, WERE CIRCUMCISED ALONG WITH HIM. Then Abraham took all the foreskins which he had circumcised and made a mound of them in the midst of his house, with the result that a river of blood flowed forth from the midst of his house. So the Holy One called the angels and said to them: Come, let us visit the sick one. They said to him: Sovereign of the World, (Ps. 8:5): WHAT IS A HUMAN THAT YOU ARE MINDFUL OF HIM AND A CHILD OF ADAM THAT YOU SHOULD VISIT HIM! Also, are you going into a place of defilement, into a place of blood and of uncleanness? He said to them: So you have said. By your life, the odor of this blood is sweeter to me than myrrh and frankincense. If you are not going, then I am going by myself. And so has Solomon said (in Cant. 4:6): UNTIL THE DAY BECOMES COOL… < I WILL GO UNTO THE MOUNTAIN OF MYRRH AND UNTO THE MOUND OF FRANKINCENSE >. (Josh. 5:3:) UNTO THE MOUND OF FORESKINS.¹⁶Buber suggests reading (with Cant. 4:6): UNTO THE MOUND OF FRANKINCENSE. This < refers to > Abraham, of whom it is stated (in Gen. 18:1): THEN THE LORD APPEARED UNTO HIM … IN THE HEAT OF THE DAY, since the Holy One had made that day hot.¹⁷According to Cant. R. 4:6:1, it was heat from the sun that caused the foreskins to emit the aroma of frankincense.

Who perceiveth that her merchandise is good (Prov. 31:18). That was when the kings attacked them, as it is written: And he divided himself against them by night (Gen. 14:15). She stretcheth out her hand to the poor (Prov. 31:19), by giving food to passers-by. Yea, she reacheth forth her hand to the needy (ibid., v. 20); for she gave charity and clothed the naked. She is not afraid of the snow for her household (ibid., v. 21); that is, she did not fear Gehenna. And why not? Because her entire household possessed garments (shanim, punning on shnayim, “two”) (ibid.): Sabbath and circumcision. She maketh for herself coverlets (ibid., v. 22): These were the priestly garments. From the fruit of her hand she planted a vineyard (ibid., v. 16). This refers to Israel, as it is said: For a vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel (Isa. 5:7). Her husband is known in the gates (Prov. 31:23); that is, when he pleaded with the sons of Seth: Give me a possession of a burial place (Gen. 23:4). She maketh linen garments (Prov. 31:24) refers to the circumcision that took place, as it is said: The counsel of the Lord is with them that fear Him (Ps. 25:14). Strength and dignity are her clothing (Prov. 31:25) alludes to the clouds of glory that encircled her tent. She openeth her mouth with wisdom (ibid. 39:26). When was that? When she said to Abraham: Go, I pray thee, unto thy handmaid (Gen. 16:2). She looketh well to the ways of her household (Prov. 31:27) indicates that she watched every day for the return of the angel who had informed her: I will certainly return unto thee (Gen. 18:10).

(Fol. 27b) R. Ami said: "If not for the prayer meeting of the standing men (guards), the heaven and earth would not exist; as it is said (Jer. 33, 25) If My covenant be not with day and night, I would not appoint ordinances of heaven and earth. And it is also written (Gen. 14, 8) And he said, Lord God, whereby I know that I shall inherit it? Thus said Abraham before the Holy One, praised be He: 'Sovereign of the Universe! perhaps if Israel will sin before Thee wilt Thou destroy them as the generation at the time of the Flood and of the Dispersion of Babel?' And He answered: 'Nay.' 'Whereby will I know it?' Said Abraham. 'Take Me a heifer three years old,' answered the Lord [i.e., the sacrifices will forgive their sins]. Then Abraham said again: 'Sovereign of the Universe! this will be so long as the Temple exists, but what will happen after the destruction of the Temple?' And the Lord answered: 'I have therefore ordained the Order of Karbaneth to them [dealing with the sacrifices], and every time they read it, it will be considered by Me as though they had offered them, and I will forgive them all their sins.' "

It is written that after Sarah’s death, the Holy One, blessed be He, blessed Abraham. Why did He do that? Lest future generations declare that Abraham was blessed only because of Sarah. (And so He said to Himself:) I will bless him after her death. Hence it is written: And the Lord had blessed Abraham. Whence do we know that Sarah was already dead when He blessed him? It is said: When he was but one, I called him, and I blessed him (Isa. 51:2). And the Lord blessed Abraham in all things (Gen. 24:1). What merit had he acquired? He set aside tithes from all his possessions, as it is said: And He gave him a tenth of all (Gen. 14:20).⁶The law of tithes requires that a tenth part of one’s earnings be set aside for charitable purposes. See Jewish Encyclopedia 12:150. Hence it is written: And the Lord blessed Abraham in all things.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 28:10): AND JACOB SET OUT. It is written (in Is. 26:20): GO, MY PEOPLE, ENTER INTO YOUR CHAMBERS AND SHUT [YOUR DOORS] BEHIND ME.¹⁶The MT reads BEHIND YOU. HIDE JUST FOR A MOMENT UNTIL MY ANGER PASSES. When you see a fateful hour, do not stand against it but give way to it. Thus it is stated: GO, MY PEOPLE, ENTER INTO YOUR CHAMBERS. Look at me, as it were, for I have perceived an hour < made > fateful through your sins. I did nothing. Instead I gave way to it, as stated (in Lam. 2:3): HE HAS WITHDRAWN HIS RIGHT HAND…. So also you, GO MY PEOPLE. Thus, the one who stands against the hour will fall into its hand; but whoever gives way to the hour will have the hour fall into his hand. Naboth stood against the hour {and stood against it} [and fell into its hand]. When Ahab said to him (in I Kings 21:2): GIVE ME YOUR VINEYARD SO THAT I MAY HAVE IT FOR A VEGETABLE GARDEN. What did he do? He said (in vs. 3): THE LORD FORBID < THAT I SHOULD GIVE YOU MY ANCESTORS' INHERITANCE >. What happened to him? He fell into the hand of the hour, as stated (in vs. 13): AND THE MEN OF BELIAL TESTIFIED AGAINST [NABOTH BEFORE THE PEOPLE…. AND THEY STONED HIM TO DEATH WITH STONES]. Abraham gave way to the hour and fled from Nimrod, the king of the Chaldeans. So the hour returned and fell into his hand when he killed sixteen kings. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:15): THEN HE DEPLOYED < HIS FORCES > AGAINST THEM BY NIGHT. Isaac also gave way to the hour when the Philistines said to him (in Gen. 26:16): GO AWAY FROM US. Immediately < the passage continues > (in vs. 17): SO ISAAC WENT AWAY FROM THERE. Then the hour returned and fell into his hand, as stated (in Gen. 26:26-28): THEN ABIMELECH CAME UNTO HIM FROM GERAR…. SO ISAAC SAID UNTO THEM: WHY HAVE YOU COME UNTO ME …? AND THEY SAID: WE HAVE CLEARLY SEEN THAT THE LORD IS WITH YOU…. Joseph also gave way to the hour. When his brothers sold him, was he not able to say: I am your brother? But he gave way to the hour, and the hour returned and fell before him, as stated (in Gen. 50:18): THEN HIS BROTHERS ALSO WENT AND FELL DOWN BEFORE HIM. Moses gave way to the hour, as stated (in Exod. 2:15): BUT MOSES FLED FROM PHARAOH. So the hour returned and fell into his hand, as stated (in Exod. 11:3): {AND} [ALSO] THE MAN MOSES WAS VERY GREAT IN THE EYES OF PHARAOH'S [SERVANTS] AND IN THE EYES OF HIS PEOPLE. David also gave way to the hour, as stated (in I Sam. 20:1): BUT DAVID FLED FROM NAIOTH. It is also written (in Ps. 3:1): WHEN HE FLED FROM HIS SON ABSALOM. And it is written (in Ps. 57:1): [WHEN HE FLED] FROM SAUL IN THE CAVE. So the hour returned and fell into his hand when Saul said to him (in I Sam. 24:21 [20]): [PLEASE] LOOK, I KNOW THAT YOU SHALL SURELY REIGN AND IN YOUR HAND THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL SHALL ARISE. So < it was > also < with > Jacob, who fled from the hour. (Hosea 12:13 [12]:) THEN JACOB FLED TO THE LAND OF ARAM. And the hour fell into his hand, as stated (in Gen. 36:6): THEN ESAU TOOK HIS WIVES < … > AND WENT INTO A LAND AWAY FROM HIS BROTHER JACOB. Ergo (in Is. 26:20): GO, MY PEOPLE, ENTER INTO YOUR CHAMBERS.

These are the generations of Isaac, Abraham’s son: Abraham begot Isaac (Gen. 25:19). It is written in Scripture: No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall rise in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their due reward from Me, saith the Lord (Isa. 54:17). You find that Israel cried unto the Holy One, blessed be He: Master of the Universe, observe how the idolatrous nations persecute us, they do nothing but sit and conspire against us, as it is said: Behold Thou their sitting down and their rising up; I am their deliverer (Lam. 3:63). The Holy One, blessed be He, responded: To what avail are their conspiracies against you? I will void their decisions and destroy them, as it is said: I am their deliverer, and it is elsewhere written: Blessed be God the Most High, who delivered thine enemies into thine hands (Gen. 14:20).

When the Lord enlarges your territory (Deuteronomy 12:20): This is what is stated in the verse (Proverbs 18:16), "A man’s gift eases his way." It is a gift so that a person will give from his, that the Holy One, blessed be He, enlarges [what he has]. There is a [relevant] story about Abbun Ramah (probably a nickname, meaning the father of tricking) who lived in Batsra. His rabbis went to there and were seeking sustenance. He sat and did not decide [what he would give] at first, until all the people of the city decided, so that he could decide corresponding to all [the others]. That is why he was called Abbun Ramah, as he would be tricky with all of the commandments. From when he knew how much all of the people of the city had decided, he decided corresponding to all of them. What did our rabbis do? They took him and sat him at the edge next to them, in order to fulfill that which is stated, "A man’s gift eases his way [and places him next to the great]." Another interpretation of "A man’s gift eases his way": This is [referring to] Avraham. When he chased the [four] kings, the king of Sodom came out to greet him. He said to him (Genesis 14:21), "Give me the persons, and take the possessions for yourself." Avraham said [back], "I have raised my hand to the Lord, God Most High [.... I will not take] so much as a thread or a sandal strap, etc." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "You have said, 'a thread [or a sandal strap]." By your life, I will sustain your children with that same expression, 'How lovely are your feet in sandals' (Song of Songs 7:2)." Another interpretation of "A man’s gift eases his way": This is [referring to] Israel. When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them to bring a freewill offering, what is written there? "These continued to bring freewill offerings to [Moshe] morning after morning" (Exodus 36:3), two mornings. What did they merit [by this]? He enlarged their territory, as stated, "When the Lord enlarges your territory." In the merit of what does He enlarge it, "as he stated to you" (Deuteronomy 12:20)? In the merit of the ten statements (Ten Commandments) that you accepted. Another interpretation: "As he stated," in the merit of your forefathers.

And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel (Gen. 14:1). May it please our master to teach us when a proselyte who has been converted on the eve of the Passover is permitted to partake of the paschal lamb. Thus did our masters instruct us: The School of Shammai maintained: Let him undergo ritual immersion and then he may partake of the paschal lamb offering in the evening. The School of Hillel taught: One who is circumcised is like one who leaves a burial site.⁸He must wash his hands, like one who returns from the cemetery, and then he may eat. Pesahim 92a, Buber Tanhuma 5.

(Gen. 14:1:) NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL. Let our master instruct us: In regard to a proselyte who converts on the eve of Passover, how does he eat his paschal offering? Thus have our masters taught (in Pes. 8:8)²¹Tanh., Gen. 3:6. THE BET SHAMMAY SAY: HE IMMERSES AND EATS HIS PASCHAL OFFERING ON THE EVE, BUT THE BET HILLEL SAY: ONE WHO TURNS ASIDE FROM A STATE OF UNCIRCUMCISION IS AS ONE WHO TURNS ASIDE FROM THE GRAVE.²²Thus such a proselyte might not eat his paschal offering because he needed a far more elaborate purification than could be carried out in a single day or less. Resh Laqish said: The proselyte who converts is more beloved than Israel when they stood at Mount Sinai. Why? Because, if they had not seen the thunder and lightning, the mountains trembling, and the noise of the trumpets, they would not have accepted the Torah. But this < proselyte >, who did not see one of them, came, resigned himself to the Holy One, and took upon himself the Kingdom of Heaven. Is there one of you more lovable than this one? Once upon a time Onqelos the Proselyte questioned a certain elder and said to him: How the Holy One loves the proselyte when he has stated (in Deut. 10:18 that one should) LOVE {THE} [a] PROSELYTE IN GIVING HIM FOOD AND CLOTHING!²³Cf. Gen. R. 70:5; Exod. R. 19:4; Numb. R. 8:10; Eccl. R. 7:8:1. Is that everything? FOOD AND CLOTHING? He said to him: But did not our father Jacob seek only this? Thus it is stated (in Gen. 28:20): AND < IF GOD > GIVES ME FOOD TO EAT AND CLOTHING TO PUT ON < … >. Our masters have said: The proselyte is beloved because the Holy One had < the following > written about himself (in Jer. 14:8): WHY ARE YOU LIKE A PROSELYTE IN THE LAND? The Holy One said: Thus do I love the proselyte. Moreover, Abraham is the father of proselytes,²⁴On Abraham being a proselyte, see Mekh. R. I., Neziqin 18. and these wicked ones have come to join < in battle > against him. Woe to them, for their end is to fall (PL) before him. Where is it shown? From what they read on the matter (in Gen. 14:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL ('MRPL).²⁵The Hebrew letters can mean, “He said (’MR): Fall (PL).” For other interpretations of the name, see ‘Eruv. 53a.

(Exodus 12:6) "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Why does the taking of the Pesach precede its slaughtering by four days? R. Matia b. Charash says: It is written (Ezekiel 16:8) "And I passed by you and I saw you, and behold, your time was the time for love": There had arrived the (time for the fulfillment of the) oath that the Holy One Blessed be He had sworn to our father Abraham to redeem his children. But they had no mitzvoth to engage in, which would enable their redemption, viz. (Ibid. 7) "Your breasts were firm" (an allusion to Moses and Aaron), "and your hair had sprouted" (an allusion to the elders), but you were naked and bare" (of mitzvoth). And the Holy One Blessed be He gave them two mitzvoth — the blood of the Paschal lamb and the blood of circumcision to engage in for their redemption. Thus (Ibid. 6) "And I passed by you and I saw you steeped in your blood." And it is written (Zechariah 9:11) "You, too — By the blood of your covenant I have sent forth your bound ones from the waterless pit." Therefore, the Holy One Blessed be He commanded the taking of the Pesach four days before its slaughtering, for reward is given only for the act. R. Eliezer Hakappar Berebbi says: Did Israel not have four mitzvoth surpassing the worth of all the world? — not being suspect of illicit relations or of slander, not changing their names and not changing their language? Whence is it derived that they were not suspect of illicit relations? From (Leviticus 10:10) "And there went out the son of an Israelite woman, the son of an Egyptian man," the verse apprising us of Israel’s eminence, this being the only instance of its kind, wherefore Scripture singles it out. And it is said of them in the tradition (Song of Songs 4:12) "A locked garden is my sister, my bride, a fountain locked.": "a locked garden" — the women: "a fountain locked" — the men. R. Nathan says: "a locked garden" — the married women; "a fountain locked, a sealed up spring" — the betrothed women. Variantly: "a locked garden, a fountain locked" — an allusion to the two types of cohabitation. And whence is it derived that they were not suspect of slander and that they loved each other? From (Exodus 3:22) "And a woman shall ask of her neighbor, etc." Twelve months had already passed, and we do not find an instance of one informing against another. And whence is it derived that they did not change their names? Just as they were called in their descent (to Egypt) — Reuven, Shimon, Levi, and Yehudah (viz. Ibid. 1:2) — so, they were called upon their ascent (viz. Numbers 1:18). And it is written (Genesis 48:16) "The angel who redeems me … and let there be called in them my name and the name of my fathers, etc." And whence is it derived that they did not change their language? From (Ibid. 45:12) "… for the mouth that speaks to you" (speaks in the holy tongue), and (Exodus 5:3) "The G d of the Hebrews revealed Himself to us, etc." and (Genesis 14:13) "And the survivor came and he told Avram the Hebrew, etc." And why did the taking of the Pesach precede its slaughtering by four days? Because Israel was stepped in idolatry in Egypt, which countervails all of the mitzvoth, as it is written (Numbers 15:24) "And if from the eyes of the congregation it (idolatry) were done unwittingly, etc." Scripture singled out this (idolatry, as tantamount to transgression of all of the mitzvoth [viz. Ibid. 22]). He said to them (viz. Exodus 12:21) "Withdraw" from idolatry (The sheep was the idolatry of Egypt), and cleave to mitzvoth. R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: It is written (Exodus 6:9) "And they would not hearken to Moses (as to G d's delivering them), for shortness of spirit, etc." Now is there anyone who is given glad tidings and does not rejoice? (viz. Jeremiah 20:14) "A son has been born to you — Rejoice him!" His Master is freeing him from bondage and he does not rejoice? What, then, is the intent of "And they would not hearken to Moses, etc."? It was difficult for them to abandon their idolatry, viz. (Ezekiel 20:7) "And I said to them (in Egypt): Let every man cast away the detestations of his eyes and not defile himself with the idols of Egypt." This is the intent of (Exodus 6:13) "And the L rd spoke to Moses and to Aaron, and He charged them to the children of Israel. He charged them to abandon idolatry. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": What is the intent of this? It is written (Ibid. 12:21) "Draw forth and take for yourselves sheep, etc." Israel said to Moses (Ibid. 8:22) "Will we slaughter the abomination of Egypt before their eyes and they (the Egyptians) not kill us?" He said to them: From the miracle that He will perform for you in your drawing them forth (i.e., their not protesting), you can rest assured (that no ill will befall you) in slaughtering them. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Keep it until the fourteenth (of Nissan) and slaughter it on the fourteenth. You say this, but perhaps (the meaning is) keep it and slaughter it until the fourteenth? It is, therefore, written (Numbers 9:5) "And they offered the Pesach in the first (month [Nissan]) on the fourteenth day of the month." Scripture specified it (the fourteenth day) as mandatory. It is not the second assumption, then, that is to be accepted, but the first. "And it shall be to you for a keeping": Scripture hereby apprises us that it was inspected (for possible blemishes) for (a period of) four days before being slaughtered. From here you learn (the same for) the tamid (the daily offering), viz. "keeping" is stated here, and "keeping" is stated in respect to the tamid. Just as the Pesach is observed four days before slaughtering, so, the tamid. From here they ruled: There are not to be fewer than six inspected lambs in the "chamber of lambs" (in the Temple), enough to suffice for a Sabbath accompanied by two festival days of Rosh Hashanah; and they are constantly replenished (as needed).

Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE TO THE LORD? R. Abbin said: Who like you sets battles in order? IS COMPARABLE (rt.: 'RK) can only refer to warfare, since it is stated (in Gen. 14:8): AND THEY ENGAGED (rt.: 'RK) THEM IN WARFARE. Ergo (in Ps. 89:7 [6]): FOR WHO IN THE SKIES IS COMPARABLE TO THE LORD (in warfare)?

(Fol. 89) Raba said further: "As a reward to Abraham for what he said (Ib. 14, 23) I will not take a thread nor a shoelatchet, his children were privileged with two commandments — T'cheleth and the straps of the phylacteries." It is quite understood that the straps of the phylacteries is a privilege, for the passage says (Deut. 28, 10) And all the nations of the earth shall see, that the name of the Lord is called upon thee, and we are taught in a Baraitha that R. Eliezer the great, says: "The above passage refers to the phylacteries of the head"; but in what consists the privilege of the T'cheleth? As we are taught in the following Baraitha that R. Mair says: "Why was the blue color preferred to all other colors? Because blue resembles the sea, and the sea resembles heaven, and heaven resembles the sapphire stone and the sapphire stone resembles the Divine throne, as it is written (Ex. 24, 10) And they saw the God of Israel; and there was under His feet the like of a paved work of sapphire stone. And it is also written (Ez. 1, 26) As the appearance of a sapphire-stone; and upon the likeness of the throne." R. Abba said: "It is difficult [to return] robbery which is already consumed; for even the perfect righteous could not return it, as it is said (Gen. 14, 24) Save only that which thy men have eaten."

Another interpretation: What is the meaning of IN EVERYTHING? By virtue of the tithes. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 14:20): AND HE GAVE HIM A TITHE FROM EVERYTHING. Isaac also [was blessed] by virtue of the tithes. [Thus it is stated (in Gen. 26:12): SO ISAAC SOWED ON THAT LAND AND REAPED IN THAT YEAR A HUNDREDFOLD, FOR THE LORD HAD BLESSED HIM. He also says (in Gen. 27:33): AND I HAVE EATEN OF EVERYTHING BEFORE YOU CAME AND HAVE BLESSED HIM. Jacob also was blessed by virtue of the tithes.] Thus it is stated (in Gen. 28:22): AND OF ALL THAT YOU GIVE ME, I WILL SURELY SET ASIDE A TITHE FOR YOU. Ergo (in Gen. 21:1): AND THE LORD HAD BLESSED ABRAHAM IN EVERYTHING.

And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel (Gen. 14:1). R. Tanhuma the son of Abba opened the discussion with the verse The wicked began with the sword, and have bent their bow; to cast down the poor and the needy, to slay such as are upright in the way; their sword shall enter into their own heart, and their bows shall be broken (Ps. 37:14–15). The wicked began with the sword alludes to Cain, who slew his brother Abel before any other man was slain. Their sword shall enter into their own heart refers to the fact that Lamech later killed Cain. Another comment on The wicked began with the sword: This refers to Hanun the son of Nahash. Why? After the death of his father, David sent messages by the hand of his servants to comfort him (II Sam. 10:2), but Hanun seized David’s servants, shaved off half their beards and cut off their garments in the middle, even to their buttocks, and sent them away (ibid., v. 4). Hanun then dispatched emissaries to Aram-naharaim to hire thirty-two thousand charioteers in addition to the tens of thousands of troops he had in his army.¹¹II Sam. 10:16. They all assembled and encamped in one place. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Wicked one, you began with the sword, hence the sword will penetrate your heart. Therefore, Joab and Abishai destroyed them all, as it is said: So Joab and the people that were with him drew nigh unto the battle to meet the Arameans; and they fled before them (ibid., v. 13).

[(Gen. 14:1:) NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL.] Thus did R. Tanhuma bar Abba begin: (Ps. 37:14-15:) THE WICKED HAVE DRAWN A SWORD … < TO BRING DOWN THE POOR AND NEEDY >…. THEIR SWORD SHALL ENTER THEIR HEART.²⁶Tanh., Gen. 3:7. What is the meaning of THE WICKED HAVE DRAWN (rt.: PTH) A SWORD? This refers to Cain, for until then no murderer had existed in the world. But Cain came and began (PTH) murder, as stated (in Gen. 4:8): CAIN AROSE [AGAINST HIS BROTHER ABEL AND MURDERED HIM]. The Holy One said to him: O wicked one, you have started using (rt.: PTH) the sword in the world. (Ps. 37:14:) THE WICKED HAVE DRAWN (rt.: PTH) A SWORD. This refers to Cain. (Ibid., cont.:) TO BRING DOWN THE POOR AND NEEDY, < TO SLAY THOSE WHO WAY IS UPRIGHT >. This refers to Abel. The Holy One said to him (i.e., Cain): You have let loose (rt.: PTH) a sword in the world. The sword shall enter the heart of that same person. (Ps. 37:15:) THEIR SWORD SHALL ENTER THEIR OWN HEART.

(Numb. 5:13, cont.:) “And it is hidden from her husband's eyes,” [is to] exclude one who is blind.³⁹Sifre, Numb. 5:13 (7); Sot. 27a. Cf. Numb. R. 9:10, which explains the exception as referring to a husband just pretending to be blind to his wife’s adultery, so that he can use the rite of the bitter water for killing his wife. Another interpretation (of Numb. 5:13, cont.), “and it is hidden from her husband's eyes.” [These words mean to exclude the case in which] her husband saw [her transgression] and overlooked [it]. (Ibid., cont.:) “So that she is secluded.” We have not yet heard of a specific length of time for her to be in seclusion (with her lover) [in order to cause defilement]. R. Eleazer says, “[The time needed] for a palm tree to sway back.”⁴⁰See TSot. 1:2; Sot. 4a; Sifre, Numb. 5:13 (7). R. Joshua says, “For mixing the cup.” Ben 'Azzay says, “For drinking it.” R. Aqiva says, “For roasting an egg.” R. Judah says, “For eating three eggs one after the other.” R. Eleazar ben Pinhas says, “For a weaver⁴¹Gk.: gerdios. to knot the thread.”⁴²Gk.: nema. R. Hanin says, “For her to put her finger in her mouth.” Pelimo says, “For his (sic) hand⁴³Cf. the parallel in Numb. R. 9:10, which reads, “her hand.” to reach over the basket and take a loaf of bread. And even though there is no evidence for [this understanding], there is a hint [that it is correct], where it is stated (in Prov. 6:26), ‘For on behalf of a woman playing the harlot [one will be reduced] to a loaf of bread.’” (Numb. 5:13, cont.:) “And there is no witness against her.” Although she has no [witness against her] now, she will have one at another time.⁴⁴In addition to Numb. R. 9:10, see Gen. R. 38:14; PRK 18:3; PR 32:2. In a similar usage⁴⁵Kayyotse badavar. This repetitive use of kayyotse b… indicates that the sixth of the seven exegetical rules (middot) attributed to Hillel is being used here. you say (in Gen. 11:30), “Now Sarai was barren; she had no child.” Although [Sarai] had no [child] then, she would have one at another time, as stated (in Gen. 21:1), “Then the Lord visited Sarah […].” In a similar usage you say (in Esth. 2:10), “Esther had not disclosed her people [and her native land].” Although she had not disclosed them to him then, she did disclose them to him at another time, as stated (in Esth. 8:1), “then Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had disclosed what relationship he had to her.” And here also (in Numb. 5:13), “and there is no witness against her.” Although she has no [witness against her] now, she will have one at another time, as stated (in Mal. 3:5), “and I will be a swift witness [against sorcerers, against adulterers].” Our masters have said, “When a woman is alone with her husband and he is having sexual intercourse with her, if she sets her eyes on another at the time of [their] sexual intercourse, there is no greater adultery for her than this.⁴⁶Numb. R. 9:34. Thus it is stated (in Ezek. 16:32), “The adulterous woman [receives strangers] instead of her husband (literally: under her husband).” Is there a woman who commits adultery [while] under her husband?⁴⁷Cf. Numb. 5:19. It is simply that this is [the kind of woman] who encounters a certain man and sets her eyes on him. Then she has sexual intercourse with her husband while her heart is on him. [There is] a story about the king of the Arabs, who asked R. Aqiva, “I am black and my wife is black, but she has borne me a white son. Shall I kill her because she has played the harlot while under me?” He said to him, “Are the images within your house white or black?” He said to him, “White.” He said to him, “When you were busy with her, she set her eyes on the images and bore [a child] like them. Now if you are surprised over this matter, learn from the Jacob's flock. They were conceived from the sticks, as stated (in Gen. 30:39), ‘Since the flock conceived by the sticks, [the flock bore streaked, speckled, and spotted young].’” Then the king of the Arabs thanked R. Aqiva. Thus, when any woman is alone with her husband in holiness, in the end he produces righteous children from her. Thus we find it so in the case of Hannah, who was alone with her husband in holiness, and [so] the Holy One, blessed be He, did not deprive her of her reward. Rather he gave her a righteous son like Moses, as stated (in Jer. 15:1), “Even if Moses and Samuel stood before Me.” It also says (in Ps. 99:6), “Moses and Aaron were among His priests, and Samuel was among those who call upon His name.” So also did Hannah say (in I Sam. 1:27), “For this child did I pray, [and the Lord has granted me my petition].” Why? Because he was sown in holiness. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In this world I abhor all those peoples, because they are from unclean seed; but I have chosen you, because you are from true seed, as stated (in Jer. 2:21), ‘And I planted you as a choice vine, all of it from true seed.’ It is also written (in Deut. 7:6), ‘and the Lord your God has chosen you […].’ And also in the future to come I am choosing only you, because you are a holy seed, as stated (in Is. 65:23), ‘They shall not labor in vain, nor bear children in terror, because they are a seed blessed of the Lord, [and their offspring along with them].’”

THE COURSE OF THE MOON
RABBAN JOCHANAN BEN ẒAKKAI, Rabban Gamaliel, R. Ishmael, R. Elazar ben 'Arakh, R. Eliezer ben Hyrḳanos, and R. 'Aḳiba were expounding (the laws of) the Molad of the moon. They said: The Holy One, blessed be He, spake one word and the heavens were created as the residence of the Throne of His Glory, as it is said, "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made" (Ps. 33:6). But in connection with the (creation of the) host of heaven He laboured with great labour. || What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He blew with His mouth the wind of the breath of life and all the host of heaven were created, as it is said, "And all the host of them by the breath of his mouth" (ibid.).

“How fair you are and how pleasant you are, love, in delights” (Song of Songs 7:7).
“How fair you are and how pleasant you are,” how fair you are in the mitzvot, how pleasant you are in the performance of acts of kindness. “How fair you are” in positive mitzvot “and how pleasant you are” in prohibitions. “How fair you are” in the mitzvot of the house, in the distribution of teruma and tithes, “and how pleasant you are” in the mitzvot of the field, in gleanings, forgotten sheaves, produce in the corner of the field, the tithe given to the poor, and in renunciation of ownership.⁴³During the Sabbatical year one is required to renounce ownership of the produce of one’s field. “How fair you are” in diverse kinds, “and how pleasant you are” in a garment with ritual fringes.⁴⁴The midrash praises Israel for observing the prohibition of “diverse kinds,” which includes various types of forbidden mixtures, one of which is combining wool and linen in a garment. However, it was permitted to affix ritual fringes, which must include wool strings dyed sky-blue, to a linen garment. “How fair you are” in planting, “and how pleasant you are” in orla.⁴⁵In observing the mitzva that prohibits eating or deriving benefit from the fruit that grows on a tree during the first three years after its planting. “How fair you are” in the produce of the fourth year “and how pleasant you are” in circumcision. “How fair you are” in uncovering⁴⁶This is the completion of the act of circumcision, in which the thin membrane underneath the foreskin is removed. “and how pleasant you are” in prayer. “How fair you are” in the reciting of Shema “and how pleasant you are” in mezuza. “How fair you are” in phylacteries “and how pleasant you are” in sukka. “How fair you are” in lulav “and how pleasant you are” in repentance. “How fair you are” in good deeds “and how pleasant you are” in this world. “How fair you are” in the World to Come “and how pleasant you are” in the messianic era.
“Love, in delights,” this is the love of Abraham our patriarch, who excused himself before the king of Sodom.⁴⁷He refused to receive the goods, or earthly delights, offered by the king of Sodom. That is what is written: “Abram said to the king of Sodom: I have raised my hand to the Lord…if so much as a thread to a shoelace, [or if I will take from anything of yours” (Genesis 14:22–23).
Another matter, “love, in delights,” this is the love of Daniel, who excused himself before Belshatzar, as it is stated: “Let your gifts be for you, and your grants [unvazbeyatakh] give to another” (Daniel 5:17). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Nevoz means head. There they would call the governor nevuzbezatakh. Rabbi Berekhya said: Your plunders [bizbuzekha]; you are plunderers sons of plunderers. The parable says: From one who inherited and not from one who plundered.

(Exodus 15:7) "And in the greatness of Your grandeur You break those who rise up against You": You have magnified Your grandeur against those who rise up against You. And who are those? Those who rise up against Your children. It is not written "those who rise up against us," but "those who rise up against You," whereby we are apprised that all who rise up against Israel are rising up, as it were, against the Holy One Blessed be He. Similarly, (Psalms 74:23) "Do not forget the vice of Your foes, the roar of those who rise against You always." Why? (Ibid. 83:4) "They have been subtle in counsel against Your people, etc." (Ibid. 139:21) "Will I not hate Your haters, O L rd, and battle with those who rise up against You?" Why? (Ibid. 22) (For) "I have hated them to the heights of hatred. I have deemed them my (own) enemies." Similarly, (Zechariah 2:12) "for whoever touches you touches the pupil of His eye." R. Yehudah says: It is not written "the pupil of the eye, but "the pupil of His eye" — the "eye" of the Holy One, as it were. Similarly, (Malachi 1:13) "And you say (of an offering) 'What a burden it is!' and you (thereby) sully it." It is actually written "Him," but Scripture here is euphemistic. Similarly, (I Samuel 3:13) "because of his knowing that his sons were blaspheming them and his not censuring them" — a euphemism (for "Me"). Similarly, (Iyyov 7:20) "Why did You make me a target for Yourself and a burden to myself" — a euphemism (for "You"). Similarly (Habakkuk 1:12) "Are You not of yore, O L rd my G d, my Holy one — we shall not die" — a euphemism (for "You"). Similarly, (Jeremiah 2:11) "Has a nation ever exchanged (its) god though they be no god? Yet My people has exchanged its glory" — a euphemism (for "My"). Similarly, (Psalms 106:20) "And they exchanged their glory for the image of an ox, etc." — a euphemism (for "Your"). (Numbers 11:15) "and let me not see my misfortune" — a euphemism (for "their"). Similarly, (II Samuel 20:1) "We have no portion in David … Each man to his tent ("ohalav"), O Israel" — a euphemism (for "god" ["elohav"]). (Ezekiel 8:17) "And, behold, they thrust the branch to their nostrils" — a euphemism (for "My"). (Numbers 12:13) "who leaves his mother's womb" — a euphemism (for "our"). Here, (Zechariah 2:12) likewise, "One who touches him (a Jew) touches the pupil of his eye" — a euphemism (for "G d's") eye. And all who help Israel, help, as it were, the Holy One Blessed be He, viz. (Judges 5:23) "Curse Meroz, said the angel of the L rd. Curse bitterly its dwellers. For they came not to the aid of the L rd, to the aid of the L rd among the warriors." He who rises up against Your children rises up against You. And who were they (who rose up against Him?) (Genesis 14:9) "Kedarlaomer and Tidal king of Goyim, etc." (Ibid. 15) "And he (Avram) deployed against them at night, he and his servants, and he smote them." And thus is it written (Isaiah 41:2-3) "Who roused (the exemplar of) righteousness, (i.e., Avram) from the east, summoned him to His service? … He pursues them. He passes on, unscathed." And thus is it written (Psalms 110:1-5) "This is the word of the L rd to my master (David). Sit at My right hand until I make your foes your footstool. The sceptre of your strength will the L rd send from Zion. Your people will offer themselves on the day of (the gathering of) your army. The L rd has sworn and He will not retract … The L rd is at your right hand, etc." You magnified Yourself greatly against Pharaoh and his army, viz. (Exodus 14:7) "And he (Pharaoh) took six hundred choice chariots, etc." — (Ibid. 15:4) "The chariots of Pharaoh and his host He cast into the sea." And thus Sisra and all his chariots, viz. (Judges 4:13) "And Sisra called up all his chariots" — (Ibid. 5:20) "From the heavens they warred" (against Sisra). Sancheriv and all of his ranks, viz. (Isaiah 37:24) "Through your servants you have blasphemed my L rd, etc.) — (II Chronicles 32:21) "and the L rd sent an angel who annihilated every warrior, etc." Nevuchadnezzar and all his hosts," viz. (Isaiah 14:83) "You said in your hearts: I will climb to the heavens, etc." Nevuchadnezzar said: I will make myself a little cloud and I will live within it, viz. (Ibid. 14) "I will mount the heights of a cloud, etc." The Holy One Blessed be He said: You wished to separate yourself from men. In the end, they will separate themselves from you, viz. (Daniel 4:25-30) "All this befell King Nevuchadnezzar, etc." (Ibid. 8:1-6) "King Belshazzar made a great banquet, etc." About this it is written (Habakkuk 2:15) "Woe unto him who makes his neighbor drink! You pour out your wrath even unto intoxication," and (Ibid. 16) "You will be sated with shame rather than glory." (Daniel 5:30) "That very night King Belshazzar was killed."

R. Judah the son of (R.) Shalum said in the name of R. Judah the son of Simon: At the time that Amraphel and his allies fought the Sodomites, they seized Lot; Abraham heard about it and set out to do battle with them. After he slew the kings, the Sodomites escaped, as it is said: And he divided himself against them by night (Gen. 14:15), and Now the vale of Siddim was full of slime-pits; and the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah fled (ibid., v. 10). Abraham reflected upon the matter, saying to himself: The kings that attacked the Sodomites have been slain, while they (the Sodomites) have fled, as is said; And they that remained fled to the mountains (ibid.). Surely if they had been unworthy, they would not have been allowed to escape. The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: The fate of those that fled is alluded to in the verse: If he flee from the iron weapon, the bow of brass shall strike him through. He draweth it forth, and it cometh out of his body; yea, the glittering point cometh out of his gall; terrors are upon him; all darkness is laid up for his treasures; a fire not blown by man shall consume him; it shall go ill with him that is left in his tent (Job 20:24–26). Where was all the darkness laid up? It was in the area north of Sodom, which is at the right (south) of Jerusalem, as it is said: And thy younger sister, that dwelleth at thy right hand, is Sodom and her daughters (Ezek. 16:46). What is meant by the words It shall go ill with him that is left in his tent? They mean that the fugitive who escaped will suffer misfortune in his tent. Who was one such? The wife of Lot, as it is said: But his wife looked back from behind him, and she became a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26).

Another interpretation (of Ps. 37:15): THEIR SWORD SHALL ENTER THEIR OWN HEART. These were the four kings, Amraphel and his allies, for until then there had been no war in the world.³⁰Cf. Gen. R. 42:1. Then they came and started using (rt.: PTH) the sword, as stated (in Gen. 14:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL that they began to make war. The Holy One said to them: O wicked ones, you have started using the sword. The sword shall enter the heart of those same people, as stated (in Ps. 37:15): THEIR SWORD SHALL ENTER THEIR OWN HEART. Immediately Abraham rose up against them and killed them, as stated (in Gen. 14:15): THEN HE DEPLOYED < HIS FORCES > AGAINST THEM BY NIGHT.

Another interpretation (of Ps. 37:15): THEIR SWORD SHALL ENTER THEIR OWN HEART. These were the four kings, Amraphel and his allies, for until then there had been no war in the world.³⁰Cf. Gen. R. 42:1. Then they came and started using (rt.: PTH) the sword, as stated (in Gen. 14:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL that they began to make war. The Holy One said to them: O wicked ones, you have started using the sword. The sword shall enter the heart of those same people, as stated (in Ps. 37:15): THEIR SWORD SHALL ENTER THEIR OWN HEART. Immediately Abraham rose up against them and killed them, as stated (in Gen. 14:15): THEN HE DEPLOYED < HIS FORCES > AGAINST THEM BY NIGHT.

5. R. Shimon Ben Yochai taught: Moses could not have known the exact moment, nor the approximate minute, nor the general time at night. This is why he said “About midnight.” (Ex 11:4) However, the Kadosh Baruch Hu knew the exact moment, and the approximate minute, and the general time at night. That is why God entered [without being early or late] by a hair's breadth. So who was it that divided [the hours of the night]? R. Benjamin bar Jafet in the name of R. Yohanan, the night divided itself. Our Rabbis say that the Creator divided it. Here it says, “And it came to pass at midnight” (Ex 12:29) and elsewhere it says, “And he divided the night against them.” (Gen 14:15) Rabbi Tanchuma said: Your father set out with Me at midnight, and I will set out with his children and midnight. The Rabbis said: the Kadosh Baruch Hu said, “your father set out with Me from last night until midnight, and I will set out with his children from midnight until the morning.” R. Yonatan said: The angel guarding over Egypt cannot fall except during the day. What is the reasoning? [From the verse] At Tehaphnehes also the day shall withdraw itself, when I shall break there the yokes of Egypt, and the pride of her power shall cease in her; [as for her, a cloud shall cover her, and her daughters shall go into captivity.](Ez 30:18) [Elsewhere it also] says, In that day there shall be five cities in the land of Egypt that speak the language [of Canaan, and swear to the LORD of hosts; one shall be called the city of destruction. ] (Is 19:18) Which five cities are these? R. Hilkiah said in the name of R. Simon: Noa, Noph, Tehaphnehes, the City of Destruction, and the City of the Sun; Noa is Alexandria, Noph is Memphis, Tehaphnehes is Hophnias, the City of Destruction is Sharakani, and the City of the Sun is Heliopolis. R. Yohanan ben Zakkai said: We have found both night and day referred to as “day,” as it is written: And there was evening and there was morning, one day. (Gen 1:5) R. Joshua bar R. Nechamah understood [the same claim] from this: Even the darkness is not too dark for Thee, but the night shineth as the day; the darkness is even as the light.(Ps 139:12) Darkness is [the same as] lightness to Me, and [only] human beings consider it night. This is what is meant [by saying] it was on the day that the firstborn of Egypt died [although it was midnight]. This is how [it happened]: They were afflicted with the deadly curse in evening time, then their bodies shook all night, and then they died in the day time. What is the reasoning? [Because] It is not written “All of us have all died,” but rather “All of us are dying ” (Ex 12:33) Then they went and died . As it is written: On the day that I struck down all the first-born [of the Land of Egypt] (Num 3:13), and further on it says, on the day that I sanctified all the firstborn to Me (paraphrase of Num 8:17 ). On this basis one may conclude that it was on the very same day that the firstborn of Egypt died, which [God said], “on this day I have sanctified to me the firstborn [of the Israelites].”

Rabbi Tanḥuma in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great, and Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Elazar: This midrash came up with us from the Exile:¹⁸From Babylonia. Presumably, this is a way of stating that it is an ancient tradition. Any place that “It was [vayhi]” is stated, [it alludes to] trouble. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great: Any place that “It was [vayhi]” is stated, it can serve [to allude to] either trouble or joy. If it is trouble, there is none like it. If it is joy, there is none like it. Rabbi Shmuel said: There are five [instances of] “during the days of [bimei].” “It was [vayhi] during the days of [bimei] Amrafel” (Genesis 14:1) – what was the trouble there? They waged a war. [It is analogous] to the friend of a king who was located in a certain province. Because of him, the king took care of the province. One time, barbarians came and beset him [the king’s friend]. They say: Woe for us, the king will no longer care for the province as he had done. Likewise, the entire world was created only due to the merit of Abraham our patriarch; that is what is written: “They turned back and came to Ein Mishpat,¹⁹Ein Mishpat literally means ‘eye of justice’. which is [hi] Kadesh” (Genesis 14:7). Rabbi Aḥa said: They came to beset the eyeball of the world.²⁰Abraham. The eye that overcame the attribute of justice in the world you seek to blind?²¹The midrash is rhetorically addressing the kings that attacked Abraham. “Which is [hi] Kadesh” – Rabbi Aḥa said: Hu Kadesh.²²The word hi, meaning ‘which is,’ is spelled with a vav as the middle letter, which could be read as the masculine hu. The midrash is reading hi Kadesh as hu kidesh, he sanctified. He [Abraham] sanctified [kidesh] the name of the Holy One blessed be He in the fiery furnace.²³See Tanḥuma, Lekh Lekha 6. When everyone saw that all the kings came to beset him, they began screaming: Woe [vai]; that is, “It was [vayhi] during the reign of Amrafel.”
“It was during the days of Aḥaz” (Isaiah 7:1) – what was the trouble there? “Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west” (Isaiah 9:11) – [it is analogous] to the son of a king who had a tutor who sought to kill him. He [the tutor] said: If I kill him, I will be condemned to death by the king; instead, I will withhold his wet nurse from him, and he will die on his own. So did Aḥaz say: If there are no kids, there are no rams, and if there are no rams there is no flock, and if there is no flock there is no shepherd. So Aḥaz thought to say: If there are no children, there are no adults, and if there are no adults there are no students, if there are no students there are no scholars, if there are no scholars, there are no synagogues and study halls, if there are no synagogues and study halls, the Holy One blessed be He, as it were, cannot rest His Divine Presence in the world. Therefore, I will seize all the synagogues and study halls. That is what is written: “Bind the testimony, seal the Torah in my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16).
Rabbi Ḥanina said: Why was he named Aḥaz? It is because he seized [aḥaz] the synagogues and study halls. Rabbi Yaakov bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Avin: Isaiah said: “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob” (Isaiah 8:17). There was no time that was as difficult for Israel as that time, as it is stated: “I will conceal My face” (Deuteronomy 31:18) – in this world. But from that moment, “I hoped for Him” (Isaiah 8:17), as it is written: “As it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants” (Deuteronomy 31:21). Was it [this verse] fulfilled for him [Isaiah]? “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord gave me” (Isaiah 8:18) – were they his [Isaiah’s] children? Were they not his students? It teaches that they were as dear to him as his sons. Once everyone saw that he seized the synagogues and study halls, they began screaming: Woe [vai]: that is, “It was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥaz.”
“It was during the days of Yehoyakim” (Jeremiah 1:3) – what was the trouble there? “I saw the land, and behold, it is emptiness and disorder, and the heavens, and their light is not” (Jeremiah 4:23) – [it is analogous] to a king who sent a proclamation to a province. What did the residents of the province do to it? They took it, ripped it, and burned it in fire. They said: Woe to us when the king becomes aware of these matters. That is what is written: “It was, as Yehudi would read three columns or four” (Jeremiah 36:23) – three or four verses. When he reached the fifth verse: “Its besiegers are ascendant” (Lamentations 1:5),²⁴This is the fifth verse of the first chapter of Lamentations. immediately: “He would cut it with a scribe’s razor and cast it into the fire that was in the fireplace, until the end of the scroll, upon the fire that was in the fireplace” (Jeremiah 36:23). Once they saw that it was so, they began screaming: Woe [vai]; that is, “it was [vayhi] during the days of Yehoyakim.”
“It was during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1) – what was the trouble there? [It was] “to kill, and to eliminate all the Jews” (Esther 3:13). [It is analogous] to a king who entered a vineyard and three enemies beset him: The first began picking unripe grapes, the second began trimming the clusters, and the third sought to uproot all the vines. Likewise, the wicked Pharaoh begin picking the unripe grapes; that is what is written: “[Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying:] Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile” (Exodus 1:22).
The wicked Nebuchadnezzar began trimming the clusters; that is what is written: “[He exiled Yehoyakhin.…] and the artisans and the smiths, one thousand” (II Kings 24:15–16). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Yehuda said: One thousand artisans and one thousand smiths; Rabbi Yoḥanan said: All of them were one thousand. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzḥak said: These are the notables. Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Simon said: These are the Torah scholars.
Haman the wicked sought to uproot the entire egg;²⁵Egg, in the sense of the very origins of Israel. [as] they say buy [the hen] with the egg²⁶A aphorism meaning that he sought to complete the task, leaving no future. – “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). When they saw that it was so, they began screaming: Woe [vai]; “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh.”
“It was during the days when the judges judged” (Ruth 1:1) – what was the trouble there? “There was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1) – [it is analogous] to a province that owed a tax to the king. What did the king do? He sent a tax collector to collect it. What did the residents of the province do? They took him, struck him, and extracted it [the money] from him. They said: What he sought to do to us we did to him. Likewise, during the days when the judges judged, an Israelite person would worship idols, and a judge would seek to bring him to trial, and he would come and flog the judge. He would say: What he sought to do to me, I did to him. Woe unto a generation whose judges are judged;²⁷The midrash is reading the verse to mean that it was in the days that the judges were judged, i.e. punished. that is, “It was during the days when the judges judged.”
Shimon bar Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Everywhere that it [“it was,” vayhi] is stated, [it alludes to] trouble or to joy; if trouble, there is no trouble like it, if joy, there is no joy like it in the world. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman came and suggested a [different] distinction: Everywhere that it says, “it was [vayhi],” [it alludes to] trouble, everywhere that it says “it will be [vehaya],” joy.
But it is written: “God said: Let there be light, and there was [vayhi] light.” He said to them: Even that is not light of joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. By the light that was created on the first day, a person could look out and see from one end of the world to the other end. When He perceived that the wicked were destined to appear, like the generation of Enosh, the generation of the Flood, and the generation of the Dispersion,²⁸After the Tower of Babel. and like the people of Sodom, He took it [the light] away. That is what is written: “From the wicked their light is withheld” (Job 38:15). He sequestered it for the righteous in the future, as it is stated: “Light is sown for the righteous” (Psalms 97:11).
They objected to him: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as the heavens are destined to wither; that is what is written: “As the heavens will be eroded like smoke” (Isaiah 51:6).
They objected to him: Is it not written: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, a second day.… third.… fourth.… fifth.… sixth” (Genesis 1:8–31). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created during the six days of Creation requires action, e.g., it is necessary to sweeten mustard, lupines must be sweetened, and wheat requires grinding.
But it is written: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it is written: “For they placed me in the pit” (Genesis 40:15). But it is written: “It was [vayhi] on the day that Moses completed [assembling the Tabernacle]” (Numbers 7:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it was sequestered when the Temple was built, as it is stated: “Moses was not able to enter into the Tent of Meeting” (Exodus 40:35).²⁹The verse does not seem to be related to the point. Perhaps it is brought to communicate that even on the day that the construction of the Tabernacle was completed, the celebration was tempered by the fact that Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting. But it is written: “It was [vayhi] when Joshua was [at Jericho]” (Joshua 5:13). He said to them: That too is not joy, as Joshua rent his garments, as it is stated: “Joshua rent his garments” (Joshua 7:6).³⁰After the setback at Ai. But it is written: “It was [vayhi] on the eighth day” (Leviticus 9:1).³¹The day of the dedication of the Temple. He said to them: That too is not joy, as on that day Nadav and Avihu died.³²See Leviticus 10:1–2. But it is written: “It was [vayhi] when the king³³David. dwelled in his house” (II Samuel 7:1). He said to them: That too was not joy, as it was then that Natan the prophet came and said to him: “However, you will not build the House” (I Kings 8:19).
They said to him: We said ours, now you say yours.³⁴Prove that every place it says vehaya it is an expression of joy. He said to them: It is written: “It will be [vehaya] on that day, the mountains will drip with nectar” (Joel 4:18). “It will be [vehaya] on that day that spring water will emerge [from Jerusalem]” (Zechariah 14:8). “It will be on that day that the Lord will set His hand again the second time, [to recover the remnant of His people]” (Isaiah 11:11). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, each man shall keep [a calf of the herd and two sheep] alive” (Isaiah 7:21). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, that a great shofar will be sounded, [and they will come…and bow down to the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem]” (Isaiah 27:13). “It will be that one who is left in Zion and he that remains in Jerusalem [will be called holy]” (Isaiah 4:3). They objected to him: It is written: “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28). He said to them: Even that is not trouble but joy, as on that day, Israel made complete penance for their iniquities, on the day that the Temple was destroyed.
Conclusion of the prologue to Rut Rabba

And after Abram had spoken to Lot all these words, Lot arose, and lifting up his eyes towards ‎the plain of - Jordan, and behold it was well watered everywhere, and suitable for the ‎habitation of man and for the pasture of cattle, and Lot left Abram and went unto that place ‎and he spread his tents and dwelt in Sodom. Thus they separated from each other. And Abram ‎dwelt in the grove Mamre which is in Hebron, and he spread his tents there. And Abram dwelt ‎in Mamre for many days and years. At that time Chedorlaomer, king of Elam, sent to all the ‎kings around him, to Nimrod king of Shinor who was subjected to him in those days, and to ‎Tidal king of Goyim, and to Arioch king of Ellasar with whom he had made a covenant, saying: ‎Come up and lend me your help, that we smite the cities of Sodom and all its inhabitants, for ‎that they revolted against me these last thirteen years. And those four kings went up together ‎with their combined forces of about eight hundred thousand men, and they went as they ‎were, and they smote every man that they met on their way. And all the five kings of Sodom ‎and Gomorrah went forth to meet them, Shinab king of Admah, Shemeber king of Zebojim, ‎and Bera king of Sodom, and Birsha king of Gomorrah, and Bela king of Zoar. And they joined ‎battle with them in the vale of Siddim. And those nine kings fought a battle in the vale of ‎Siddim, and all the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah were smitten before the kings of Elam. And ‎the vale of Siddim was full of slime-pits, and the kings of Elam pursued the kings of Sodom and ‎Gomorrah, who fled before them unto the mountains to save themselves. And the four kings ‎of Elam kept on pursuing them and they came to the gates of Sodom and they took away all ‎that was to be found in the city, and they plundered all the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. ‎And Lot, the son of Abram's brother, was also taken with all belonging to him, and after the ‎four kings had captured and carried away all the people and the property of the cities, they left ‎and went to their dwelling places. - And Oni, Abram's servant, who participated in the fight, ‎came and told Abram of what hath happened, and that Lot the son of his brother was among ‎the captives with all belonging to him. And when Abram heard these things he hastened and ‎armed all his men, to the number of three hundred and eighteen, and he pursued these four ‎kings that night. And Abram overtook them and smote them and they fell all before Abram ‎and his men, so that there was not left of them even one man, save the four kings which fled ‎and went each his way.‎

Rabbi Tanḥuma in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great, and Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Elazar: This midrash came up with us from the Exile:¹⁸From Babylonia. Presumably, this is a way of stating that it is an ancient tradition. Any place that “It was [vayhi]” is stated, [it alludes to] trouble. Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great: Any place that “It was [vayhi]” is stated, it can serve [to allude to] either trouble or joy. If it is trouble, there is none like it. If it is joy, there is none like it. Rabbi Shmuel said: There are five [instances of] “during the days of [bimei].” “It was [vayhi] during the days of [bimei] Amrafel” (Genesis 14:1) – what was the trouble there? They waged a war. [It is analogous] to the friend of a king who was located in a certain province. Because of him, the king took care of the province. One time, barbarians came and beset him [the king’s friend]. They say: Woe for us, the king will no longer care for the province as he had done. Likewise, the entire world was created only due to the merit of Abraham our patriarch; that is what is written: “They turned back and came to Ein Mishpat,¹⁹Ein Mishpat literally means ‘eye of justice’. which is [hi] Kadesh” (Genesis 14:7). Rabbi Aḥa said: They came to beset the eyeball of the world.²⁰Abraham. The eye that overcame the attribute of justice in the world you seek to blind?²¹The midrash is rhetorically addressing the kings that attacked Abraham. “Which is [hi] Kadesh” – Rabbi Aḥa said: Hu Kadesh.²²The word hi, meaning ‘which is,’ is spelled with a vav as the middle letter, which could be read as the masculine hu. The midrash is reading hi Kadesh as hu kidesh, he sanctified. He [Abraham] sanctified [kidesh] the name of the Holy One blessed be He in the fiery furnace.²³See Tanḥuma, Lekh Lekha 6. When everyone saw that all the kings came to beset him, they began screaming: Woe [vai]; that is, “It was [vayhi] during the reign of Amrafel.”
“It was during the days of Aḥaz” (Isaiah 7:1) – what was the trouble there? “Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west” (Isaiah 9:11) – [it is analogous] to the son of a king who had a tutor who sought to kill him. He [the tutor] said: If I kill him, I will be condemned to death by the king; instead, I will withhold his wet nurse from him, and he will die on his own. So did Aḥaz say: If there are no kids, there are no rams, and if there are no rams there is no flock, and if there is no flock there is no shepherd. So Aḥaz thought to say: If there are no children, there are no adults, and if there are no adults there are no students, if there are no students there are no scholars, if there are no scholars, there are no synagogues and study halls, if there are no synagogues and study halls, the Holy One blessed be He, as it were, cannot rest His Divine Presence in the world. Therefore, I will seize all the synagogues and study halls. That is what is written: “Bind the testimony, seal the Torah in my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16).
Rabbi Ḥanina said: Why was he named Aḥaz? It is because he seized [aḥaz] the synagogues and study halls. Rabbi Yaakov bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Avin: Isaiah said: “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob” (Isaiah 8:17). There was no time that was as difficult for Israel as that time, as it is stated: “I will conceal My face” (Deuteronomy 31:18) – in this world. But from that moment, “I hoped for Him” (Isaiah 8:17), as it is written: “As it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants” (Deuteronomy 31:21). Was it [this verse] fulfilled for him [Isaiah]? “Behold, I and the children whom the Lord gave me” (Isaiah 8:18) – were they his [Isaiah’s] children? Were they not his students? It teaches that they were as dear to him as his sons. Once everyone saw that he seized the synagogues and study halls, they began screaming: Woe [vai]: that is, “It was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥaz.”
“It was during the days of Yehoyakim” (Jeremiah 1:3) – what was the trouble there? “I saw the land, and behold, it is emptiness and disorder, and the heavens, and their light is not” (Jeremiah 4:23) – [it is analogous] to a king who sent a proclamation to a province. What did the residents of the province do to it? They took it, ripped it, and burned it in fire. They said: Woe to us when the king becomes aware of these matters. That is what is written: “It was, as Yehudi would read three columns or four” (Jeremiah 36:23) – three or four verses. When he reached the fifth verse: “Its besiegers are ascendant” (Lamentations 1:5),²⁴This is the fifth verse of the first chapter of Lamentations. immediately: “He would cut it with a scribe’s razor and cast it into the fire that was in the fireplace, until the end of the scroll, upon the fire that was in the fireplace” (Jeremiah 36:23). Once they saw that it was so, they began screaming: Woe [vai]; that is, “it was [vayhi] during the days of Yehoyakim.”
“It was during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1) – what was the trouble there? [It was] “to kill, and to eliminate all the Jews” (Esther 3:13). [It is analogous] to a king who entered a vineyard and three enemies beset him: The first began picking unripe grapes, the second began trimming the clusters, and the third sought to uproot all the vines. Likewise, the wicked Pharaoh begin picking the unripe grapes; that is what is written: “[Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying:] Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile” (Exodus 1:22).
The wicked Nebuchadnezzar began trimming the clusters; that is what is written: “[He exiled Yehoyakhin.…] and the artisans and the smiths, one thousand” (II Kings 24:15–16). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Yehuda said: One thousand artisans and one thousand smiths; Rabbi Yoḥanan said: All of them were one thousand. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzḥak said: These are the notables. Rabbi Yehuda son of Rabbi Simon said: These are the Torah scholars.
Haman the wicked sought to uproot the entire egg;²⁵Egg, in the sense of the very origins of Israel. [as] they say buy [the hen] with the egg²⁶A aphorism meaning that he sought to complete the task, leaving no future. – “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). When they saw that it was so, they began screaming: Woe [vai]; “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh.”
“It was during the days when the judges judged” (Ruth 1:1) – what was the trouble there? “There was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1) – [it is analogous] to a province that owed a tax to the king. What did the king do? He sent a tax collector to collect it. What did the residents of the province do? They took him, struck him, and extracted it [the money] from him. They said: What he sought to do to us we did to him. Likewise, during the days when the judges judged, an Israelite person would worship idols, and a judge would seek to bring him to trial, and he would come and flog the judge. He would say: What he sought to do to me, I did to him. Woe unto a generation whose judges are judged;²⁷The midrash is reading the verse to mean that it was in the days that the judges were judged, i.e. punished. that is, “It was during the days when the judges judged.”
Shimon bar Rabbi Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yoḥanan: Everywhere that it [“it was,” vayhi] is stated, [it alludes to] trouble or to joy; if trouble, there is no trouble like it, if joy, there is no joy like it in the world. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman came and suggested a [different] distinction: Everywhere that it says, “it was [vayhi],” [it alludes to] trouble, everywhere that it says “it will be [vehaya],” joy.
But it is written: “God said: Let there be light, and there was [vayhi] light.” He said to them: Even that is not light of joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. By the light that was created on the first day, a person could look out and see from one end of the world to the other end. When He perceived that the wicked were destined to appear, like the generation of Enosh, the generation of the Flood, and the generation of the Dispersion,²⁸After the Tower of Babel. and like the people of Sodom, He took it [the light] away. That is what is written: “From the wicked their light is withheld” (Job 38:15). He sequestered it for the righteous in the future, as it is stated: “Light is sown for the righteous” (Psalms 97:11).
They objected to him: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as the heavens are destined to wither; that is what is written: “As the heavens will be eroded like smoke” (Isaiah 51:6).
They objected to him: Is it not written: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, a second day.… third.… fourth.… fifth.… sixth” (Genesis 1:8–31). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created during the six days of Creation requires action, e.g., it is necessary to sweeten mustard, lupines must be sweetened, and wheat requires grinding.
But it is written: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it is written: “For they placed me in the pit” (Genesis 40:15). But it is written: “It was [vayhi] on the day that Moses completed [assembling the Tabernacle]” (Numbers 7:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it was sequestered when the Temple was built, as it is stated: “Moses was not able to enter into the Tent of Meeting” (Exodus 40:35).²⁹The verse does not seem to be related to the point. Perhaps it is brought to communicate that even on the day that the construction of the Tabernacle was completed, the celebration was tempered by the fact that Moses could not enter the Tent of Meeting. But it is written: “It was [vayhi] when Joshua was [at Jericho]” (Joshua 5:13). He said to them: That too is not joy, as Joshua rent his garments, as it is stated: “Joshua rent his garments” (Joshua 7:6).³⁰After the setback at Ai. But it is written: “It was [vayhi] on the eighth day” (Leviticus 9:1).³¹The day of the dedication of the Temple. He said to them: That too is not joy, as on that day Nadav and Avihu died.³²See Leviticus 10:1–2. But it is written: “It was [vayhi] when the king³³David. dwelled in his house” (II Samuel 7:1). He said to them: That too was not joy, as it was then that Natan the prophet came and said to him: “However, you will not build the House” (I Kings 8:19).
They said to him: We said ours, now you say yours.³⁴Prove that every place it says vehaya it is an expression of joy. He said to them: It is written: “It will be [vehaya] on that day, the mountains will drip with nectar” (Joel 4:18). “It will be [vehaya] on that day that spring water will emerge [from Jerusalem]” (Zechariah 14:8). “It will be on that day that the Lord will set His hand again the second time, [to recover the remnant of His people]” (Isaiah 11:11). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, each man shall keep [a calf of the herd and two sheep] alive” (Isaiah 7:21). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, that a great shofar will be sounded, [and they will come…and bow down to the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem]” (Isaiah 27:13). “It will be that one who is left in Zion and he that remains in Jerusalem [will be called holy]” (Isaiah 4:3). They objected to him: It is written: “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28). He said to them: Even that is not trouble but joy, as on that day, Israel made complete penance for their iniquities, on the day that the Temple was destroyed.
Conclusion of the prologue to Rut Rabba

And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel (Gen. 14:1). May it please our master to teach us whether a slave obtains his freedom if his owner assigns all his property to him as a gift.¹²Gittin 8b. Thus did our masters instruct us: If a man assigns all his property to his slave he becomes a free man, but if a portion of his property is withheld from him, the slave does not become free. R. Simeon said: He will become a free man unless his master says: “I give all my property to this slave with this one exception.”

It is written (in Job 20:23): LET IT BE FOR FILLING HIS BELLY, LET HIM CAST HIS BURNING ANGER AT HIM, AND LET HIM BRING DOWN RAIN UPON {THEM} [HIM] IN HIS FLESH (LEHUM).³⁴Tanh. 4:7. The retribution which came upon the Sodomites was for filling their belly, because they had filled their belly with transgressions, violence, and plunder. Therefore, when retribution came upon them, it filled their belly, as stated (ibid.): LET HIM CAST HIS BURNING ANGER AT {THEM} [HIM]. R. Me'ir said about the destruction of Sodom: The Scripture says (ibid.): AND LET HIM BRING DOWN RAIN UPON {THEM} [HIM] IN HIS LEHUM. (Gen. 19:24:) THEN THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM. What is the meaning of IN HIS LEHUM (rt.: LHM)? < That it happened > because of the wars (rt.: LHM) which they had fought with the Holy One. Thus it was stated (in Gen. 13:13): NOW THE PEOPLE OF SODOM WERE EVIL AND SINFUL AGAINST THE LORD, EXCEEDINGLY SO.³⁵Gen. R. 41:7; ARN, A, 36; B, 30. < They were > EVIL to each other AND SINFUL in adultery, AGAINST THE LORD in idolatry, EXCEEDINGLY SO in bloodshed. R. Judah b. R. Shallum the Levite said in the name of R. Johanan bar Nahman: When Amraphel and his associates came to fight with the Sodomites, because they had captured Lot, Abraham went out to fight against them. So he killed the kings, and they fled, just as it is written (in Gen. 14:10): NOW THE VALLEY OF SIDDIM WAS FULL OF BITUMEN PITS; [AND THE KINGS OF SODOM < AND GOMORRAH > FLED] < AND FELL THERE >. Abraham began reflecting: The kings came to fight with the Sodomites. So the kings fell, but those < of Sodom and Gomorrah > fled. Thus it is stated (ibid., cont.): AND THOSE WHO REMAINED FLED TO THE MOUNTAIN.³⁶The following argument is to explain that, while some escaped, such sinners could not evade divine judgment forever. Perhaps you will say: There were worthy ones among them. The Holy One said to him (in Job 20:24-26): SHOULD HE FLEE FROM THE IRON WEAPON, < THE BOW OF BRASS SHALL PASS THROUGH HIM >; HE DRAWS IT OUT, AND IT COMES OUT OF HIS BODY … UTTER DARKNESS IS LAID UP IN RESERVE FOR HIM; < AN UNFANNED FIRE SHALL CONSUME HIM; IT SHALL BE BAD FOR A SURVIVOR IN HIS TENT >. UTTER DARKNESS IS LAID UP concerns Sodom, since it lies to the south³⁷Literally: “to the right.” Parallel texts in Yalqut, Job, 908, and Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34, ad loc., read, “to the left,” i.e., “to the north.” Although this reading agrees neither with geographical fact nor with what follows, “to the north” does make sense in terms of Job 20:26, where the words IN RESERVE FOR HIM could be vocalized to mean, “for his northern regions.” Note also that the Yalqut consistently reads “north” for SOUTH in Ezek. 16:46, which follows. of the land of Israel. Thus it is stated (in Ezek. 16:46): AND YOUR YOUNGER SISTER [THAT DWELLS SOUTH OF YOU IS SODOM AND HER DAUGHTERS]. What is the meaning of SHALL CONSUME THE SURVIVOR IN HIS TENT? That, even if a single survivor is left {of them} [from there], the evil of evil < SHALL CONSUME THE SURVIVOR > IN HIS TENT. Which < survivor > ? This is Lot's wife, Edith, of whom it is stated (in Gen. 19:26): BUT HIS WIFE LOOKED BACK, AND SHE BECAME A PILLAR OF SALT.³⁸The name Edith suggests the Hebrew ‘ed, which means “witness”; and indeed, as a pillar of salt, Edith did become a witness to all who saw her.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 28:10): BUT JACOB SET OUT. This is one of four children of Adam for whom the land (i.e., spatial distance) was contracted. They are the following: Abraham, Eleazer, Jacob, and Abishai.²³Cf. Sanh. 95 (bar.), which omits Abraham from the list. In the case of Abraham, where is it shown? < It was > when he went forth to pursue the kings < that > the land contracted before him. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 14:15): AND THE NIGHT WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM.²⁴I.e., Abraham only needed to pursue the kings until midnight because God had shortened the pursuit. So Gen. R. 43:3; Exod. R. 18:1; cf. Gen. R. 43:3. And in the case of Eleazer, where is it shown? < It was > when he went to bring a wife for Isaac < that > the land contracted before him.²⁵Sanh. 95a; PRE 16. What is written about him (in Gen. 24:42)? AND I CAME TODAY (i.e., in one day) TO THE SPRING. The day he set out was the very day on which he arrived. And in the case of Abishai, where is it shown? When he fought with Ishbi-benob the brother of Goliath.²⁶See also Gen. R. 59:11. What did he do? He went after David with his shield at the ready. In that hour the Holy One put the fear of David upon him, since he said: How swift this man is! Where are David and his mighty men? And where is it shown? Where it is so written (in II Sam. 21:15): AND DAVID WAS WEARY. At that time David had said: Oh, that someone would put one of my sister's sons here for me. Now Joab and Abishai were far away from him where they were fighting with the children of Ammon and with Aram (cf. I Chron. 19:10f.) However, when David prayed, the Holy One contracted the land before Abishai, as stated (in II Sam. 21:17): BUT ABISHAI BEN ZERUIAH CAME TO HIS AID. And our father Jacob was also one before whom the Holy One caused the land to contract.²⁷Sanh. 95b; Gen. R. 68:8. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 28:10; 29:1): AND JACOB SET OUT FROM BEERSHEBA AND WENT TO HARAN…. [THEN JACOB CONTINUED HIS JOURNEY (literally: RAISED HIS FEET)]. Our masters have said: In the case of all the children of Adam, their feet carry them; but in Jacob's case, he keeps his feet up. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 29:1): THEN JACOB RAISED HIS FEET.

(Numb. 22:20:) “Then God came unto Balaam at night.” This text is related (to Exod. 12:42), “That was for the Lord a night of vigil.” All miracles which were done for Israel and which involved exacting retribution for them from the wicked took place at night:²⁵Numb. R. 20:12. (Gen. 31:24:) “And God came unto Laban the Aramean in a dream at night.” And it is written (in Gen. 20:3:) “But God came unto Abimelech in a dream at night.” And it is written (in (Gen. 14:15), “And he deployed at night.” And it is written (in Exod. 12:29), “And it came to pass in the middle of the night.” And so [it was with] all of them. Another interpretation: Why did he reveal himself to Balaam by night? He was not worthy of [receiving] the holy spirit [except at night]. Since He speaks at night with all the prophets of the nations, as stated (in Job 4:13), “In opinions from night visions.” And so Eliphaz says (in Job 4:13), “In a dream, a vision of the night,” about [Balaam’s] speaking with him at night. (Numb. 22:20, cont.:) “If these men have come to invite you, arise and go with them.” From here you learn that in the way that a man wants to go, in it is he driven. As at first it was said to him (in Numb. 22:12), “Do not go with them.” As soon as he had become defiant, he went. As so is it written about him (in Numb. 22:22), “But God's anger was kindled because he was going.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “I do not desire the death of the wicked. [But] in as much as you want to be obliterated from the world, ‘arise and go with them.’” And it is written (in Numb. 22:20, cont.), “but only the thing [that I tell you are you to do].” [These words are] to teach you that he went with a warning. Immediately he got up early in the morning, as stated (in vs. 21), “So Balaam arose early in the morning, saddled his she-ass, [and went with the princes of Moab].” Did he not have a male or female slave [to saddle his donkey]? It was simply that his hatred for Israel was so great that he beat [his servant] to it and arose quickly all by himself. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You wicked man! Their ancestor Abraham has already anticipated you at the binding of his son Isaac,” as stated (in Gen. 22:3), “So Abraham arose early in the morning, saddled his he-ass.” (Numb. 22:21, cont.:) “And went with the princes of Moab.” [These words are] to teach you that he was as glad at the tribulation of Israel as they were. (Numb. 22:22:) “But God's anger was kindled because he was going, and the angel of the Lord took a stand [in the road as his adversary (satan)].”²⁶A good example of this Hebrew word when it is not used as a proper noun. He was an angel of mercy, but to [Balaam] he had become an adversary (satan).²⁷Numb. R. 20:13. And so he said [unto] Balaam, “You have caused me to practice a craft that is not my own, as stated (Numb. 22:32), “here I have come out as an adversary (satan).” (Numb. 22:22, cont.:) “And two of his servant boys were with him.” This is customary for one going out on the road. It is necessary for two to attend him. Then in turn they attend each other. (Numb. 22:23:) “Now the she-ass saw the angel of the Lord and a sword was drawn in his hand.” Was not the angel able to breathe on him and take away his spirit unless he drew his sword? And look at what is written about Sennacherib (in II Kings 19:35 = Is. 37:36 // II Chron. 32:21.), “the angel of the Lord went out and smote [one hundred and eighty-five thousand] in the camp of Assyria.” [It is also written (in Is. 40:24),] “he blows on them and they wither.” However, he said to him, “[Skill with] the mouth was given to Jacob, as stated (in Gen. 27:22), ‘The voice is the voice of Jacob.’ And [skill with] the hands to Esau, as stated (in Gen. 27:40), ‘Upon your sword shall you live.’ All the nations all live by the sword. Now you are trading off your craft and coming against them with their [craft]. I also am coming against you with your own [craft].” (Numb. 22:24:) “Then the angel of the Lord stood in a lane between the vineyards.” Could he not have gone after him into the field?²⁸Numb. R. 20:14. It is simply that this is the nature of the Holy One, blessed be He. When a king of flesh and blood sends an executioner²⁹Lat.: speculator (“examiner”). to kill a particular person, he goes after him for many days, so that this person who has incurred the penalty of death [continues] eating and drinking, while the executioner goes after him from place to place. With the Holy One, blessed be He, however, it is not like that. Rather the executioner is in his place and whoever has incurred the penalty of death comes to him of his own accord. So that the angel would not be bothered with going after Balaam, he simply went ahead of him on the road, for it is so written (ibid.), “Then the angel of the Lord stood in a lane between the vineyards.” He said to him, “Shall the vineyards (i.e., Israel) be given over to the foxes?”³⁰Cf. the parallel text in Numb. R. 20:14, which has “like foxes.” (Numb. 22:24, cont.:) “With a wall on one side and a wall on the other side.” You cannot prevail against them, because in their hand (according to Exod. 32:15) are tablets of stone, written [on both their sides], on the one side and on the other side they are written. (Numb. 22:25-26:) “When the she-ass saw the angel of the Lord, she was pressed [against the wall and pressed Balaam's foot against the wall; so he struck it again]. Then the angel of the Lord moved forward again [and stood in a place so narrow that there was no room to turn aside to the right or to the left].” What reason did he have to go ahead of him three times? He showed him here symbols of the [three] patriarchs. When he stood before him the first time, there was space on one side and on the other, [as stated] (in Numb. 22:23), “so the she-ass turned aside from the road.” On the second occasion she could only move to one side. On the third occasion (according to Numb. 22:26) “there was no room to turn aside to the right or to the left.” So what do the symbols mean? If he ever sought to curse the Children of Abraham, he would find the Children of Ishmael and the Children of Keturah on one side and on the other. [If] he sought to curse the Children of Isaac, he would find the Children of Esau on one side, and (according to Numb. 22:25) “she was pressed against the (one) wall.” In the case of the Children of Jacob, however, he found among them no residue through which to touch them. It is therefore written about the third occasion (in vs. 26), “in a narrow (‘zar) place.” This is Jacob, as stated (in Genesis 32:8), “Jacob was very frightened and [it] distressed (ye‘zer) him.”
(Numb. 22:26:) “There was no room to turn aside to the right or to the left.” As there was no residue in any of his sons. (Numb. 22:27:) “When the she-ass saw the angel of the Lord, she lay down under Balaam, [so Balaam's anger was kindled, and he struck the she-ass with a stick (mql)],” because of the shame with which she had shamed him.³¹Both the noun and verb, translated here as SHAME, come from the root, BZH; but the interpretation may have been suggested by a word with a similar meaning, namely MQLH, which means “putting to shame.” This word could have implied the relation between shame and MQL as used in Numb. 22:27.

Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, guards the wealth of the wicked for the sake of the righteous. Thus he declared: I will cause the kings to quarrel among themselves so that Abraham may attack them and seize their wealth. Whence do we know this to be so? We know this to be so from the contents of the chapter beginning with the words And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel. They made war with Bera, etc. (Gen. 14:1–2). They made war against Bera¹³Each name contains the word that describes his sin: Bera, ra (“wicked”), Birsha, rasha (“evil”), Shinab sana (“hate”), Shemeber, eber (“limb,” hence “wing”).. because he was wicked in the sight of God and man; they made war upon Birsha because he had behaved evilly; they fought against Shinab because he detested the Heavenly Father; and Shemeber because he had said, “I will ascend with a wing above the heights of the clouds.”

Noah handed on the tradition to Shem, and he was initiated in the principle of intercalation; he intercalated the years and he was called a priest, as it is said, "And Melchizedek king of Salem… was a priest of God Most High" (Gen. 14:18). Was Shem the son of Noah a priest? But because he was the first-born, and because he ministered to his God by day and by night, therefore was he called a priest. Shem delivered the tradition to Abraham; he was initiated in the principle of intercalation and he intercalated the year, and he (also) was called priest, as it is said, "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek" (Ps. 110:4). Whence do we know that Shem delivered the tradition to Abraham? Because it is said, "After the order of Melchizedek" (ibid.). Abraham delivered the tradition to Isaac, and he was initiated in the principle of intercalation, and he intercalated the year after the death of our father Abraham, as it is said, "And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son" (Gen. 25:11), because he had been initiated in the principle of intercalation and had intercalated the year (therefore) He blessed him with the blessing of eternity. Isaac gave to Jacob all the blessings and delivered to him the principle of intercalation. When Jacob went out of the (Holy) Land, he attempted to intercalate the year outside the (Holy) Land. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Jacob! Thou hast no authority to intercalate the year outside the land (of Israel); behold, Isaac thy father is in the (Holy) Land, he will intercalate the year, as it is said, "And God appeared unto Jacob again, || when he came from Paddan-Aram, and blessed him" (Gen. 35:9). Why "again"? Because the first time He was revealed to him, He prevented him from intercalating the year outside the (Holy) Land; but when he came to the (Holy) Land the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Jacob ! Arise, intercalate the year, as it is said, "And God appeared unto Jacob again,… and blessed him" (ibid.), because he was initiated in the principle of the intercalation, and He blessed him (with) the blessing of the world. Thus were the Israelites wont to intercalate the year in the (Holy) Land. When they were exiled to Babylon || they intercalated the year through those who were left in the (Holy) Land. When they were all exiled and there were not any (Jews) left in the (Holy) Land, they intercalated the year in Babylon. (When) Ezra and all the community with him went (to Palestine), Ezekiel wished to intercalate the year in Babylon; (then) the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him: Ezekiel ! Thou hast no authority to intercalate the year outside the Land; behold, Israel thy brethren, they will intercalate the year, as it is said, "Son of man, when the house of Israel dwell in their own land" (Ezek. 36:17). Hence (the Sages) have said, Even when the righteous and the wise are outside the Land, and the keeper of sheep and herds are in the Land, they do not intercalate the year except through the keeper of sheep and herds in the Land. Even when prophets are outside the Land and the ignorant are in the Land they do not intercalate the year except through the ignorant who are in the land (of Israel), as it is said, "Son of man, when the house of Israel dwell in their own land"(ibid.) it is their duty to intercalate the year.

All these came as allies unto the vale of Siddim (Gen. 14:3). It was called Siddim because it nourished them as the breasts (shadayim) nourish the child. The same is the Salt Sea (ibid.): Because of their sins that valley was turned into a sea of salt water. Hence Scripture says: A fruitful land into a salt waste, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein (Ps. 107:34).

And they turned back and came to En-mishpat—the same is Kadesh (Gen. 14:7). Blessed be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, who declares the end from the beginning (Isa. 46:10). This place was named En-mishpat (“well of judgment”) on account of the fact that in the future Moses would be judged there because of the water.¹⁴Where Moses struck the rock. And smote all the country of the Amalekites (Gen. 14:7). The Amalekites are mentioned in this verse though many generations were to pass before Amalek was born.

The intercalation takes place in the presence of three; Rabbi Eliezer says that ten (men are required), as it is said, "God standeth in the congregation of God" (Ps. 82:1), and if they become less than ten, since they are diminished they place a scroll of the Torah before them, and they are seated in a circle in the court-room, and the greatest (among them) sits first, and the least sits last; and they direct their gaze downwards to the earth and (then) they stand and spread out their hands before their Father who is in heaven, and the chief of the assembly proclaims the name (of God), and they hear a Bath Ḳol (saying) the following words, "And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron… saying, This month shall be unto you" (Ex. 12:1, 2).

And the Lord knew what Cain had done unto his brother and the Lord appeared unto Cain and ‎said unto him: Where is thy brother Abel who was with thee? But Cain denied all knowledge of ‎Abel and said: I know not; am I my brother's keeper? And the Lord said unto him: What hast ‎thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground; thou hast killed ‎thy brother and hast denied it to me, thinking in thine heart that I have not seen thee, and ‎that I would not know all the deeds that thou hast done.‎ And now that thou hast killed thy brother, simply because he told unto thee the truth, be thou ‎therefore cursed from the earth which hath opened her mouth to receive the blood of thy ‎brother from thy hand, and because thou hast buried him in her.‎ And when thou tillest the ground it shall not henceforth yield unto thee its strength as ‎heretofore, but it shall bring forth unto thee thorns and thistles also. A fugitive and a vagabond ‎shalt thou be in the earth until the day of thy death.‎ And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord from the place that was his home, and he ‎wandered around a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth eastward of Eden, he and all that ‎were his.‎ And Cain knew his wife at that time and she conceived and bare a son, and he called his name ‎Enoch, saying: In those days the Lord began to give me peace and rest in the land. At the same ‎time Cain began building a city and when the city was built he called her name Enoch, after the ‎name of his son; for the Lord had given him rest upon the earth in those days, and he did not ‎live any more like a fugitive and a vagabond as theretofore.‎ And unto Enoch was born Irad; and Irad begat Mehujael; and Mehujael begat Methusael; and ‎Methusael begat Lamech.‎ And it was in the one hundred and thirtieth year of the life of Adam upon the earth, that Adam ‎knew Eve his wife and she conceived and bare a son in his image and likeness, and called his ‎name Seth saying: God hath appointed unto me another offspring instead of Abel whom Cain ‎hath killed.‎ And Seth lived one hundred and five years and he begat a on.‎ And Seth called the name of his son Enos, saying: At that time the sons of man began to ‎multiply upon the face of the earth and to injure their hearts and souls by rebelling and ‎transgressing against the Lord.‎ And it was in the days of Enos that the sons of man continued the more so to rebel and ‎transgress against the Lord, and to increase the burning anger of the Lord against the sons of ‎man. For the sons of man went and served other gods, and forgot the Lord who created them ‎upon the earth.‎ And the sons of man of those days, made unto themselves images of iron and of copper, and ‎of wood and of stone, and bowed down before them, and served them.‎ And every man made his own god and bowed down before it, and the sons of man forsook ‎the Lord through all the days of Enos and his sons.‎

And Abram brought back all the property of Sodom, and Lot with all his property likewise, and ‎their wives, and their children, and all belonging to them; they missed not the least thing. And ‎when he returned from smiting those kings Abram and his men passed through the vale of ‎Siddim, the battle ground of all the kings, and behold Bera king of Sodom and the rest of his ‎men that were with him, crept out of the slime-pits whereinto they had fallen and they went ‎to meet Abram with bread and with wine, and they rested there together in the vale of the ‎king. And Adonizedek blessed Abram, and Abram gave unto Adonizedek a tenth part of all that ‎he brought back from the spoil of his enemies; for Adonizedek was the priest of God. And all ‎the kings of Sodom and Gomorrah came around Abram, and they begged him to return unto ‎them the captives and to retain all their other property for himself. And Abram said unto them ‎‎: As God liveth, he who created the heavens and the earth, and who hath delivered me from ‎all danger and who hath saved me to-day from my enemies and hath given them unto my ‎hands, if I will take the least thing from all belonging to you. And you shall not say to-morrow: ‎Abram hath enriched himself from our property which he took away from our enemies. For ‎the Lord my God, in whom I trust, spoke unto me, saying: Thou shalt not lack anything, for I will ‎surely bless thee in all the works of thy hands, which thou wilt do. And now behold, here is ‎everything belonging to you, take it and go; as the Lord liveth I will not take from you neither a ‎person nor a shoelatchet nor a thread, save only that the young men who went forth with me ‎and the portion of the men Oner Eshcol and Mamre, they and their men and those that kept ‎guard by the vessels, shall take their portion. And the King of Sodom gave portions to the men ‎as Abram had spoken, and they pressed Abram to select something for himself, but he would ‎not. And he dismissed the kings of Sodom with the remainder of their men, requesting them ‎to be kind to Lot, and they returned to their dwelling place. And Abram sent along with them ‎Lot and all his property, and he returned to his home in Sodom. And Abram and his men ‎returned to their homes in the grove of Mamre, which is in Hebron. At that time the Lord ‎appeared unto Abram, saying: Fear not Abram, thy reward will be very great before me, for I ‎will not forsake thee until I shall have increased thee and blessed thee. And I will make thy ‎seed like the stars of heaven which cannot be measured and cannot be numbered. And I will ‎give unto thy seed all the lands which thou seest with thy eyes, to them they are given a ‎possession forever, only be thou strong and do not fear, walk before me and be perfect.‎

And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel (Gen. 14:1). Scripture says elsewhere in reference to this verse: Through Thee do we push down our adversaries, through Thy name do we tread them under that rise up against us (Ps. 44:6). R. Isaac said: In the word bekha (“through Thee”) the letter bet equals two and the khaf twenty, corresponding to the twenty-two letters of the alphabet with which the Torah was given. Abraham cried out: Master of the Universe, if Your glory does not accompany me and assist me in this struggle, what can one man do against nine kings and their forces?¹⁵Abraham obtained the strength to achieve victory by calling upon God.

And it was on the eighth day: Rabbi Tanchuma, Rabbi Chiya, Rabbah and Rabbi Berakhiya in the name of Rabbi Elazar [all] said, "Any place that it is stated, 'and it was (vayehi),' it is nothing but a term of grief [hinting to the sound, (vay), meaning woe]." Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Natan, "This midrash came up to our hands from the exile - 'Any place that it is stated, "and it was in the days of," it is nothing but a term of grief.'" And there are five: (1) "And it was in the days of Amrafel" (Genesis 14:1). What grief was there over there? They made a war to kill Avraham, our father, as it is stated (Genesis 14:2), "made war." [It is comparable] to a dear friend of a king who entered a province, and on his account was the king [concerned] about that whole province. [Then people] came and grappled with him with words. And when he wanted to leave, they all said to him, "Woe that the king will no longer be concerned about the province as he was." So [too,] was Avraham a dear friend of the Holy One, blessed be He - as it is written about him (Isaiah 41:8), "the seed of Avraham, My dear one"; and it is written (Genesis 12:3), "and through you shall all the families of the world be blessed." And when the kings came and grappled with him, they all said, "Woe that the Holy One, blessed be He, will not be concerned with the world as He was; since He was concerned with the world for his sake." This is [the meaning of] that which the verse stated (Genesis 14:7), "And they came to Ein Mishpat (which can be understand as the eye of justice)" - Rabbi Acha said, "They sought to grapple with no less than the eyeball of the world." They said, "They sought to blind the eye that [suppressed] the trait of [strict] judgment in the world." [The verse continues -] "It (hee) is Kadesh," [but] it is written, "he (hu) is Kadesh"; meaning to say, he sanctified (hu kidesh) the name of the Holy One, blessed be He and went down to the fiery furnace. When they saw that the things were like this, they cried out. (2) "And it was in the days of Achaz the son of Yoshiah, King of Yehudah" (Isaiah 7:1). What grief was there over there? "It is what is stated by the verse (Isaiah 9:11), "Aram is in front and the Philistines are behind, etc." [It is comparable] to a king that gave his son over to a mentor, and the mentor hated him. He said, "If I kill him, I will become liable for death. Rather, I will take away his nourishment from him and he will die on his own." So did the evil Achaz say, "If there are no goats, there will be no rams; if there is no flock, there will be no shepherd, [and] where will the world be?" So did he say, "If there are no masters, there will be no students; if there are no students, there will be no sages; if there is no Torah, there will be no synagogues and study halls." What did he do? He passed all the synagogues and study halls and sealed them. And this [is the meaning of] that which the verse states (Isaiah 8:16), "Bind up the message; seal the instruction with My disciples." And when they saw that the things were like this, they all started to cry out, "Woe that the world is being destroyed" - when [study of] the Torah was negated, that was in the days of Achaz. (3) "And it was in the days of Yehoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu" (Jeremiah 1:3). What grief was there over there? "I looked at the earth, and behold it was empty and void; at the heavens and their light was not" (Jeremiah 4:23), [It is comparable] to edicts of the kings that were brought to the provinces of the kingdom. In each and every province, when it came to their hands, everyone would stand on their feet, uncover their heads and read them with fear, trembling and perspiration. But when they were brought to the province of the king, they tore them up and burned them: When the Holy One, blessed be He, sends His messenger to the nations of the world, they repent, cover themselves in sackcloth and fast - as did the people of Nineveh, as it is stated (Jonah 3:7), "from the order of the king and his principals, etc." They, may their memory be blessed, said, "One who had a beam or a stone that was stolen in his house would destroy the house and remove it and return the theft." And because of this did Yonah fear to prophesy to Nineveh. As Rabbi Tarfon said, "The fish was designated, etc." And the nations of the world are afraid in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, and [so, they are] close to repentance, whereas Israel is stiff-necked. This is what the verse stated (Jeremiah 36:23), "And it was when Yehudi would read three columns or four" - meaning to say, he read four verses - and in the fifth verse, he read, "And her tormentors became the head" (Lamentations 1:5) - and it is is written (Jeremiah 36:23), "he would tear it with a scribe's blade and throw it into the fire until the end of all of the scroll." And when they saw this, everyone began to cry out, "Woe for the decree that is hanging over us." And the other (4) - "And it was in the days of Achashverosh" (Esther 1:1). What grief was there over there? [It is comparable] to a king that had a vineyard, and he had three enemies. What did they do? One cut the small berries, the second ripped the clusters and the third uprooted the vines: The king is King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He; His vineyard is Israel, as it is stated (Isaiah 5:7), "For a vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel"; [And] their three enemies are Pharaoh, Nevukhadnetsar and Haman. Pharaoh began with the small berries, as it is stated (Exodus 1:22), "Any son that is born, throw him into the river." Nevukhadnetsar ripped the clusters, as it is stated (Jeremiah 29:2), "the craftsmen and the smiths." Who are the craftsmen (charash)? These are the ones that pray the mute prayer silently, and are victorious with their prayer over all the nations of the world. The smiths? That all the nations of the world come in a vice in front of them but [then] flee, as they put a vice on all the nations - and Nevukhadnetsar come to destroy them; and he destroyed the craftsmen and the smiths, and exiled them. The evil Haman [then] came [to] uproot the vines, as it is stated (Esther 3:13), "to annihilate, to kill and to destroy." Everyone began to cry out, "Woe," and they mourned in front of the Omnipresent. (5) "And it was in the days when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1) - there was famine there; and what grief is greater than famine? And from where [do we know] that there was famine? As it is stated (Ruth 1:1), "and there was a famine in the land." And why was there a famine? Because Israel and the judges were not judging true judgement; as it is is stated, "And it was in the days when the judges ruled" - [and] we find [following it], "he", which indicates evildoers. [As] so do we find, "he was Datan and Aviram" (Numbers 26:9); "he was Achashverosh" (Esther 1:1); "he was [...] Achaz" (II Chronicles 28:22). So too were the judges. And to what is the matter comparable? To a province that was liable a tax to the king. [So] he sent collectors to collect it. The people of the province rose and smote the collectors and hung them. The judgment that they were liable - as they appointed other judges for themselves - they did to the collectors. So did they do at that time, as Elimelekh would judge the judges; [since] he was a strongman and there were many men below him. He saw the distress and the famine, but he did not warn the sinners to repent from their evil. And he stopped living in Beit Lechem for himself to live in the field of Moav - to sustain his soul during the famine, and the soul of his wife during the famine, and the soul of his sons; and he did not know that [it is] the Torah that sustains its masters and not the vanities of the world. And he was one who was important, as it is stated (Ruth 1:1), "and a man went from Beit Lechem, Yehudah." And we only say, "man," about an important man, as it is stated (Numbers 12:3), "And the man, Moshe, was very humble." As Elimelekh was an important man, as they would consider him [so] in his place - and [yet] he went to save his soul and the soul of his household, and did not trouble himself about the matters of the community; even as he was an important man and they would have believed his words, [such as] to make them repent from their evil and bring them to repentance. And therefore, it occurred to him as it is written in the verse (Ruth 1:3), "And Elimelekh, the husband of Naomi died." And so [too,] his sons died, as it is stated (Ruth 1:5), "And [...his] two [sons,] Machlon and Khilyon died, and the woman survived her two children and her husband." As so were they judging their judges, like Sodom. Rabbi Shimon ben Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "Any place that it is stated, 'and it was (vayehi),' it is used for grief and it is used for joy. And when for grief, there is no grief like it, and when for joy, there is no joy like it." (The text is missing the following integral part of the midrash, found in Bereishit Rabbah 42:3 and other places: Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman came and divided it, "Any place that it is stated 'it will be,' it is used for joy; [but] 'and it was' [is for] grief.") The Sages responded, "Behold 'And God said, "Vayehi (here used as a command form, and not past tense) light"' [is] joy!" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. As so did Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon say, '[Regarding] the light that the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day, Adam [could] look and observe from [one] end of the world to the [other] end. [But] since the Holy One, blessed be He, saw the deeds of the generation of Enosh and the generation of the flood, He arose and hid it from them. That is [the meaning of] what the verse states (Job 38:15), "From the wicked is their light withheld." And to where is it hidden? [It is] in the Garden of Eden, for the righteous ones, as it is stated (Psalms 97:11), "Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the straight-hearted."'" They responded to him further, "It states, 'And it was evening and it was morning, one day.'" He said to them, "On that day too, it is not of joy, as all the acts of the first day are destined to wither, as it is stated (Isaiah 51:6), 'when the heavens melt away like smoke and the earth wither like a garment.'" They responded to him, "Behold, the [acts of] the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day." He said to them, "They too are not of joy, as all the acts of the six days of creation require further action - for example, wheat needs to be ground; mustard needs to be mellowed; lupine need to be mellowed." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yosef and he was a successful man' (Genesis 39:7)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as that 'bear' chanced upon him from this, as it is stated in the verse, 'after' - 'And it was after these things, and the wife of his master raised, etc.' (Genesis 39:7)." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yehoshua, and his reputation was in all the land' (Joshua 6:27)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as Yair the son of Menashe, whose weight corresponded to the majority of the Sanhedrin, fell at that time; as it is stated (Joshua 7:5), 'And the men of Ai smote of them, like thirty-six men' - and the master said, 'That is Yair the son of Menashe, whose weight corresponded to the majority of the Sanhedrin.'" They responded to him, "And is it not written (I Samuel 18:14), 'And it was that David was successful in all of his ways and the Lord was with him'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as enmity descended into the heart of Shaul from this, as it is stated (I Samuel 18:9), 'And it was that Shaul eyed David.'" They responded to him, "And is it not written (II Samuel 7:1), 'And it was when the king sat in his house and the Lord allowed him rest from all of his enemies'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as on that same day, Natan the prophet came to David and said to him, 'However you will not build the House' (I Kings 8:19)." They said to him, "Behold, we have said what is ours; [now] say what is yours - that 'and it will be' is joy." He said to them, "'And it will be on that day that the mountains will drip with nectar' (Joel 4:18), that will be in the days of the messiah, and there will be great joy for Israel. And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that a man shall save alive a heifer of the herd and two sheep' (Isaiah 7:21). And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that living waters will come out from Jerusalem' (Zechariah 14:8). And so [too,] 'And he will be like a tree planted over streams of water' (Psalms 1:3). And so [too,] 'And the remnant of Yaakov will be among many nations' (Micah 5:6)." They said to him, "But behold, it is written (Jeremiah 38:28), 'vahaya (here used in the past tense, and not like the other examples) when Jerusalem was captured'!" He said to them, "It too is not of grief, as on that day was the verdict of Israel for their sins taken; as so is it written (Lamentations 4:22), 'Your sin has been completed, Daughter of Zion, He will not again exile you.'"

(Lev. 8:2) “Take Aaron and his sons.” It is written (in Prov. 3:35), “The wise shall inherit glory, but fools take up shame.” This verse functioned from the beginning of the world until now. “The wise shall inherit glory.” This refers to Noah and his children. “But fools take up shame.” This refers to the generation of the flood. “The wise shall inherit glory. This refers to Shem of whom it is stated (in Gen. 9:26), “Blessed be the Lord, the God of Shem.” “But fools take up shame.” This refers to Ham of whom it is stated (in Gen. 9:25), “And he said, ‘Cursed be Canaan (the son of Ham).’” “The wise shall inherit glory.” This refers to Abraham. “But fools take up shame.” This refers to the kings whom he smote (in Gen. 14:15). “The wise shall inherit glory.” This refers to Isaac. “But fools take up shame.” These are the people of Gerar. “The wise shall inherit glory.” This refers to Jacob. “But fools take up shame.” This refers to Esau. “The wise shall inherit glory.” This refers to Joshua. “But fools take up shame.” These are the thirty-one kings whom he smote (according to Josh. 12:24). “The wise shall inherit glory.” This refers to David. “But fools take up shame.” This refers to Goliath. “The wise shall inherit glory.” This refers to Eli. “But fools take up shame.” These are his sons, of whom it is stated (in I Sam. 2:12), “Now Eli's sons were scoundrels.” “The wise shall inherit glory.” These are the sons of Aaron of whom it is stated (in Lev. 8:2), “Take Aaron and his sons….” Why is “take” mentioned here? The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “I am indebted in taking. Hence you are to arise and magnify him through taking.” And when did Aaron take (such that God was indebted to him for it)? When (in Numb. 17:11) wrath had gone forth upon ‘those who hate Israel’ (a euphemism for Israel), Moses said to him, “Why are you standing [here]? (At the beginning of the verse), ‘Take the fire pan, and put fire [from the altar] on it.’” Aaron said to him, “My Lord Moses, do you wish to kill me? Because my sons offered profane²⁶Hedyotut, from the Gk.: idioteia, i.e., “uncouthness.” fire to the Holy One, blessed be He, they were [destroyed by fire], as stated (in Lev. 10:1-2), ‘[Now Aaron's sons, Nadab and Abihu each took his fire pan…;] and they offered alien fire before the Lord…. So fire came forth from before the Lord and consumed them.’ Now you are saying, ‘Take the fire pan!’ My sons brought in strange fire and were destroyed by fire. So should I bring forth holy fire outside? Would I not die or be destroyed by fire?” Moses said to him, “Go and act quickly; for as you are talking, they are dying. Rather (according to Numb. 17:11, cont.), ‘Take it quickly unto the congregation and make atonement for them.’” When Aaron heard that, he said, “If I die for Israel, I would not be adequate (for such a great honor).” Immediately (in Numb. 17:12) “Aaron took it as Moses had said.” Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (in Lev. 8:2) “’Take Aaron.’ Magnify him through taking. Just as Aaron [is going to] save My children by taking, so you are to magnify him through taking.” Ergo (in Lev. 8:2:) “Take Aaron.”

(Numb. 10:1–2:) “Then the Lord spoke [unto Moses saying], ‘Make two silver trumpets (hatsotserot).’” This text is related (to Ps. 24:7), “O gates, lift up your heads, be lifted up, you everlasting doors, [that the King of glory may come in].” When Solomon was bringing the ark into the Temple,¹⁷Numb. R. 15:13; above Exod. 2:6 and the note there. he began to say, “O gates, lift up your heads...,” because the openings were [too] low. [Then] he said, “Be lifted up you everlasting doors, that the King of glory may come in.” The gates said to him (in vss. 8 and 10), “Who is this king of glory? The gates immediately wanted to break his head [and would have done so,] if he had not said (in vs. 10), “The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah.” Again he said (in vs. 8), “The Lord strong and mighty [...].” He said to them, “Expand yourselves, for the King of glory is coming upon you. They immediately showed Him honor (kavod), and raised themselves up.¹⁸Lam. R. 2:9 (13). So the ark entered. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, “You have shown Me honor. Upon your lives, when I destroy My house, no one will prevail against you.” You know that all the implements of the Temple went into exile in Babylon as stated (in Dan. 1:2), “Then the Lord gave King Jehoiakim of Judah into his hand, with some of the implements from the house of God; and he brought them to the land of Shinar.” But the Temple gates were hidden in their place, as stated (in Lam. 2:9), “Her gates have sunk into the ground.” [Another interpretation:] What is the meaning (of Ps. 24:10), “the Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah?” That He imparts some of His glory to those who fear Him.¹⁹Numb. R.15:13; see PRK 32:9 (= Suppl. 1:9); M. Pss. 90:1. How? He is called "God" (elohim, a term denoting a power), and he called Moses "elohim," as stated (in Exod. 7:1), “See I have set you as elohim to Pharaoh.” He (the Holy One, blessed be He,) causes the dead to live, and he imparted some of His glory to Elijah. Thus he (i.e., Elijah) caused the dead to live, as stated (in I Kings 17:23), “and Elijah said, ‘See your son is alive.’” Because the Holy One, blessed be He, imparts some of his glory to those who fear Him, He put His own clothing on the messianic king, as stated (in Ps. 21:6), “honor and majesty You shall lay upon him.” What is written about the Holy One, blessed be He, (in Ps. 47:6)? “God has ascended amid acclamation; the Lord with the sound of a horn (shofar).” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “I have made you a king. It is so stated (in Deut. 33:5), ‘Then he became king in Jeshurun.’ Just as when the king goes forth, they sound trumpets before him, so also for you, (in Numb. 10:2:), ‘Make for yourself two silver trumpets.’ [This is] so that will they sound the trumpets before you when you take out and bring in Israel, as stated (Numb.10:3), ‘And they shall blow them and the whole community shall assemble before you.’” Hence (Numb. 10:2:), “Make for yourself two silver trumpets.” This text is related (to Prov. 24:21), “Fear the Lord, my child, and the king, and do not associate with those who would differ.” But what is the meaning of “and the king?” Simply [this, to] make Him (i.e., the Holy One, blessed be He,) king over you.²⁰Numb. R. 15:14 cont. Another interpretation (of Prov. 24:21), “and the king”: Be king over the evil drive, which is called a king, where it is stated (in Eccl. 9:14), “[There was a little city with few people in it,] and a great king came against it […].”²¹Cf. see above Gen. R. 11:1; 23:2; also Eccl. R. 4:13:1; 9:14:6, 9. Another interpretation (of Prov. 24:21), “and the king.” [More] than the king: Lest it be supposed that if the king says to you, “Worship an idol,” you should heed him;²²See above Gen. 2:15. the text reads (in Prov. 24:21), “Fear the Lord, my child, and the king.” Thus [when] Nebuchadnezzar told Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to worship an idol, they did not heed him. Instead they said to him (in Dan. 3:18), “We will not serve your gods, nor will we pay homage to the image of gold which you have set up.” Nebuchadnezzar said to them (in Dan. 3:14), “’Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?’ Did not the Holy One, blessed be He, say this to you that you should obey royalty in whatever it tells you, where it is stated (in Eccl. 8:2), ‘I [say], “Keep the king's command?”’” They said to him, “You are king over us for taxes and crop levies;²³Lat.: annona. but in regard to the service of idols, Nebuchadnezzar and a dog [have] equal [authority].” (Dan. 3:16-17:) “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you in this [matter]. If our God [whom we serve is able to save us, He shall save us from the burning fiery furnace and from your hand O king].’” They said to him, “Whether He delivers us or whether He does not deliver us (in vs. 18), ‘be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor pay homage to the image of gold which you have set up.’” Ergo (in Prov. 24:21), “Fear the Lord, my child, and the king; and do not associate with those who would differ”; [i.e.,] in that Israel is called a third to all those that fear Him, but do not associate with those who say that there are two gods in the world, for the end of [such people] is to perish from the world. It is so 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.” And who is the one-third? This is Israel as stated (in Is. 19:24), “And on that day Israel shall be a third [partner with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth].” Ergo (in Prov. 24:21), “Fear the Lord, my child, and the king.” Whoever is in fear of the Holy One, blessed be He, becomes a king. From whom did you learn [that]? From Abraham because he was in fear of the Holy One, blessed be He, and became a king. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 22:12), “for now I know that you fear God.” But where is it shown that he became a king? It is written (in Gen. 14:17), “[And the king of Sodom came out to meet him …] at the Valley of Shaveh, i.e., the valley of the king.” What is the meaning of the Valley of Shaveh (rt.: shwh?] That they all became equal (rt.: shwh). So taking counsel (or taking wood),²⁴‘Etsah. The word can mean either “counsel” or “wood.” they cut cedars, made a throne, and set him over them as king. And you should not say [this] only [in the case of] Abraham alone. In the case of Moses [as well did this happen], because he was in fear of the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated (in Exod. 3:6), “then Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look at God.” And where is it shown that he became a king?] Where it is stated (in Deut. 33:5), “Then he became king in Jeshurun.”²⁵Thus the king of whom Prov. 24:21 demands obedience, is a king who fears the Holy One like Abraham or Moses. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, “I have made you a king. As they blow trumpets before a king when he goes forth to war, so shall they blow trumpets before you when you go forth to war.” How is it shown? From that which they read about the matter (in Numb. 10:2), “Make two silver trumpets.”²⁶The context of the passage concerns the sounding of an alarm in time of war.

(Lev. 17:1, 3:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses, ‘Speak to Aaron saying, “…. If any single person from the House of Israel slaughters.”’” The holy spirit proclaims (in Mal. 1:11), “From the rising of the sun to its setting, My name shall be great among the gentiles.” From the time that the sun rises until it sets, the praise⁶¹Qillus. Cf. the Greek, kalos (“beautiful”). of the Holy One, blessed be He, never ceases from its mouth, as stated (in Ps. 113:3), “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is praised.” And you find it so when Joshua waged war with Gibeon. What is written there (in Josh. 10:12)? “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord…, ‘O sun, be quiet (dom)⁶²Although dom can mean “stand still”, it commonly means, “be quiet” in the sense of “be silent.” It is this latter sense which the midrash is stressing here. at Gibeon.’” [When] Joshua wanted to silence the sun, he did not say to it, "O sun, stand still ('amod) at Gibeon," but “Be quiet (dom).” Why did he say, “Be quiet?” Because every hour that it is traveling, it is praising the Holy One, blessed be He; and as long as it praises [the Holy One, blessed be He], it has the power to travel [its course]. Joshua therefore told it to be silent, as stated (ibid.), “O sun, be quiet at Gibeon.” The sun said to Joshua, “May someone younger be saying, ‘Be quiet,’ to someone older? I was created on the fourth [day], while human beings were created on the sixth; and are you saying, ‘Be quiet,’ to me?” Joshua said to [the sun], “When a young free person has an elderly slave, does he not say to him, ‘Be silent?’ In the case of our father Abraham, the Holy One, blessed be He, delivered (rt.: pnh) heaven and earth to him, as stated (in Gen. 14:19), ‘Then he blessed him, and said, “Blessed be Abram of God most high, acquirer (rt.: pnh)⁶³Apart from the context in the midrash, a traditional biblical translation would read: CREATOR. of heaven and earth.”’ And not only that, but you bowed down to Joseph, as stated (in Gen. 37:9), ‘here were the sun, the moon, [and eleven stars bowing down to me.’ So would you speak against me?]” Ergo (in Josh. 10:12), “O sun, be quiet at Gibeon.” The sun said to Joshua, “And so are you decreeing over me that I am to be quiet?” He said to it, “Yes.” It said to him, “Then who will speak the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He?“ He said to him, “You be quiet, and I will speak the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He,” as stated (in Josh. 10:12), “Then (az) Joshua spoke to the Lord.” Now az can only be a hymn, since it is stated (in Exod. 15:1), “Moses sang then (az).”⁶⁴THEN is understood as the object of the verb SANG. See Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 1:32; Exod. 4:12. (Mal. 1:11:) “And in every place incense is offered to My name, even a pure oblation.” R. Ammi asked R. Samuel bar Nahman, “Is it correct that ‘In every place incense is offered to My name, even a pure oblation?’⁶⁵See Numb. R. 13:4. The Torah warns (in Deut. 12:13-14), ‘Take heed that you do not offer up your burnt offerings in any place that you see. But only in the place that [the Lord] will choose….’ So also it says (in Lev. 17:3-4) ‘If any single person from the House of Israel slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp…. And does not bring it unto the entrance of the tent of meeting…, [bloodguilt shall be imputed to that person.’ So how can you] say (in Mal. 1:11), ‘and in every place incense (muqtar) is offered to My name, [even a pure oblation]?’” R. Samuel bar Nahman said to him (i.e., to R. Ammi), “What is a pure oblation (minhah) which is burned (muqtar) in every place and offered to the name of the Holy One, blessed be He?⁶⁶The Hebrew wording of this question reproduces almost exactly the wording in Mal. 1:11. This is the prayer of the afternoon service (minhah). Incense (muqtar) can only be the prayer of the afternoon service (minhah), since it is stated (in Ps. 141:2), ‘Let my prayer be set forth as the incense before you….’ [It also says] (in I Kings 18:36), ‘And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the oblation (minhah), Elijah drew near.’”

And it was on the eighth day: Rabbi Tanchuma, Rabbi Chiya, Rabbah and Rabbi Berakhiya in the name of Rabbi Elazar [all] said, "Any place that it is stated, 'and it was (vayehi),' it is nothing but a term of grief [hinting to the sound, (vay), meaning woe]." Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Natan, "This midrash came up to our hands from the exile - 'Any place that it is stated, "and it was in the days of," it is nothing but a term of grief.'" And there are five: (1) "And it was in the days of Amrafel" (Genesis 14:1). What grief was there over there? They made a war to kill Avraham, our father, as it is stated (Genesis 14:2), "made war." [It is comparable] to a dear friend of a king who entered a province, and on his account was the king [concerned] about that whole province. [Then people] came and grappled with him with words. And when he wanted to leave, they all said to him, "Woe that the king will no longer be concerned about the province as he was." So [too,] was Avraham a dear friend of the Holy One, blessed be He - as it is written about him (Isaiah 41:8), "the seed of Avraham, My dear one"; and it is written (Genesis 12:3), "and through you shall all the families of the world be blessed." And when the kings came and grappled with him, they all said, "Woe that the Holy One, blessed be He, will not be concerned with the world as He was; since He was concerned with the world for his sake." This is [the meaning of] that which the verse stated (Genesis 14:7), "And they came to Ein Mishpat (which can be understand as the eye of justice)" - Rabbi Acha said, "They sought to grapple with no less than the eyeball of the world." They said, "They sought to blind the eye that [suppressed] the trait of [strict] judgment in the world." [The verse continues -] "It (hee) is Kadesh," [but] it is written, "he (hu) is Kadesh"; meaning to say, he sanctified (hu kidesh) the name of the Holy One, blessed be He and went down to the fiery furnace. When they saw that the things were like this, they cried out. (2) "And it was in the days of Achaz the son of Yoshiah, King of Yehudah" (Isaiah 7:1). What grief was there over there? "It is what is stated by the verse (Isaiah 9:11), "Aram is in front and the Philistines are behind, etc." [It is comparable] to a king that gave his son over to a mentor, and the mentor hated him. He said, "If I kill him, I will become liable for death. Rather, I will take away his nourishment from him and he will die on his own." So did the evil Achaz say, "If there are no goats, there will be no rams; if there is no flock, there will be no shepherd, [and] where will the world be?" So did he say, "If there are no masters, there will be no students; if there are no students, there will be no sages; if there is no Torah, there will be no synagogues and study halls." What did he do? He passed all the synagogues and study halls and sealed them. And this [is the meaning of] that which the verse states (Isaiah 8:16), "Bind up the message; seal the instruction with My disciples." And when they saw that the things were like this, they all started to cry out, "Woe that the world is being destroyed" - when [study of] the Torah was negated, that was in the days of Achaz. (3) "And it was in the days of Yehoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu" (Jeremiah 1:3). What grief was there over there? "I looked at the earth, and behold it was empty and void; at the heavens and their light was not" (Jeremiah 4:23), [It is comparable] to edicts of the kings that were brought to the provinces of the kingdom. In each and every province, when it came to their hands, everyone would stand on their feet, uncover their heads and read them with fear, trembling and perspiration. But when they were brought to the province of the king, they tore them up and burned them: When the Holy One, blessed be He, sends His messenger to the nations of the world, they repent, cover themselves in sackcloth and fast - as did the people of Nineveh, as it is stated (Jonah 3:7), "from the order of the king and his principals, etc." They, may their memory be blessed, said, "One who had a beam or a stone that was stolen in his house would destroy the house and remove it and return the theft." And because of this did Yonah fear to prophesy to Nineveh. As Rabbi Tarfon said, "The fish was designated, etc." And the nations of the world are afraid in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, and [so, they are] close to repentance, whereas Israel is stiff-necked. This is what the verse stated (Jeremiah 36:23), "And it was when Yehudi would read three columns or four" - meaning to say, he read four verses - and in the fifth verse, he read, "And her tormentors became the head" (Lamentations 1:5) - and it is is written (Jeremiah 36:23), "he would tear it with a scribe's blade and throw it into the fire until the end of all of the scroll." And when they saw this, everyone began to cry out, "Woe for the decree that is hanging over us." And the other (4) - "And it was in the days of Achashverosh" (Esther 1:1). What grief was there over there? [It is comparable] to a king that had a vineyard, and he had three enemies. What did they do? One cut the small berries, the second ripped the clusters and the third uprooted the vines: The king is King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He; His vineyard is Israel, as it is stated (Isaiah 5:7), "For a vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel"; [And] their three enemies are Pharaoh, Nevukhadnetsar and Haman. Pharaoh began with the small berries, as it is stated (Exodus 1:22), "Any son that is born, throw him into the river." Nevukhadnetsar ripped the clusters, as it is stated (Jeremiah 29:2), "the craftsmen and the smiths." Who are the craftsmen (charash)? These are the ones that pray the mute prayer silently, and are victorious with their prayer over all the nations of the world. The smiths? That all the nations of the world come in a vice in front of them but [then] flee, as they put a vice on all the nations - and Nevukhadnetsar come to destroy them; and he destroyed the craftsmen and the smiths, and exiled them. The evil Haman [then] came [to] uproot the vines, as it is stated (Esther 3:13), "to annihilate, to kill and to destroy." Everyone began to cry out, "Woe," and they mourned in front of the Omnipresent. (5) "And it was in the days when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1) - there was famine there; and what grief is greater than famine? And from where [do we know] that there was famine? As it is stated (Ruth 1:1), "and there was a famine in the land." And why was there a famine? Because Israel and the judges were not judging true judgement; as it is is stated, "And it was in the days when the judges ruled" - [and] we find [following it], "he", which indicates evildoers. [As] so do we find, "he was Datan and Aviram" (Numbers 26:9); "he was Achashverosh" (Esther 1:1); "he was [...] Achaz" (II Chronicles 28:22). So too were the judges. And to what is the matter comparable? To a province that was liable a tax to the king. [So] he sent collectors to collect it. The people of the province rose and smote the collectors and hung them. The judgment that they were liable - as they appointed other judges for themselves - they did to the collectors. So did they do at that time, as Elimelekh would judge the judges; [since] he was a strongman and there were many men below him. He saw the distress and the famine, but he did not warn the sinners to repent from their evil. And he stopped living in Beit Lechem for himself to live in the field of Moav - to sustain his soul during the famine, and the soul of his wife during the famine, and the soul of his sons; and he did not know that [it is] the Torah that sustains its masters and not the vanities of the world. And he was one who was important, as it is stated (Ruth 1:1), "and a man went from Beit Lechem, Yehudah." And we only say, "man," about an important man, as it is stated (Numbers 12:3), "And the man, Moshe, was very humble." As Elimelekh was an important man, as they would consider him [so] in his place - and [yet] he went to save his soul and the soul of his household, and did not trouble himself about the matters of the community; even as he was an important man and they would have believed his words, [such as] to make them repent from their evil and bring them to repentance. And therefore, it occurred to him as it is written in the verse (Ruth 1:3), "And Elimelekh, the husband of Naomi died." And so [too,] his sons died, as it is stated (Ruth 1:5), "And [...his] two [sons,] Machlon and Khilyon died, and the woman survived her two children and her husband." As so were they judging their judges, like Sodom. Rabbi Shimon ben Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "Any place that it is stated, 'and it was (vayehi),' it is used for grief and it is used for joy. And when for grief, there is no grief like it, and when for joy, there is no joy like it." (The text is missing the following integral part of the midrash, found in Bereishit Rabbah 42:3 and other places: Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman came and divided it, "Any place that it is stated 'it will be,' it is used for joy; [but] 'and it was' [is for] grief.") The Sages responded, "Behold 'And God said, "Vayehi (here used as a command form, and not past tense) light"' [is] joy!" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. As so did Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon say, '[Regarding] the light that the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day, Adam [could] look and observe from [one] end of the world to the [other] end. [But] since the Holy One, blessed be He, saw the deeds of the generation of Enosh and the generation of the flood, He arose and hid it from them. That is [the meaning of] what the verse states (Job 38:15), "From the wicked is their light withheld." And to where is it hidden? [It is] in the Garden of Eden, for the righteous ones, as it is stated (Psalms 97:11), "Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the straight-hearted."'" They responded to him further, "It states, 'And it was evening and it was morning, one day.'" He said to them, "On that day too, it is not of joy, as all the acts of the first day are destined to wither, as it is stated (Isaiah 51:6), 'when the heavens melt away like smoke and the earth wither like a garment.'" They responded to him, "Behold, the [acts of] the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day." He said to them, "They too are not of joy, as all the acts of the six days of creation require further action - for example, wheat needs to be ground; mustard needs to be mellowed; lupine need to be mellowed." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yosef and he was a successful man' (Genesis 39:7)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as that 'bear' chanced upon him from this, as it is stated in the verse, 'after' - 'And it was after these things, and the wife of his master raised, etc.' (Genesis 39:7)." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yehoshua, and his reputation was in all the land' (Joshua 6:27)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as Yair the son of Menashe, whose weight corresponded to the majority of the Sanhedrin, fell at that time; as it is stated (Joshua 7:5), 'And the men of Ai smote of them, like thirty-six men' - and the master said, 'That is Yair the son of Menashe, whose weight corresponded to the majority of the Sanhedrin.'" They responded to him, "And is it not written (I Samuel 18:14), 'And it was that David was successful in all of his ways and the Lord was with him'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as enmity descended into the heart of Shaul from this, as it is stated (I Samuel 18:9), 'And it was that Shaul eyed David.'" They responded to him, "And is it not written (II Samuel 7:1), 'And it was when the king sat in his house and the Lord allowed him rest from all of his enemies'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as on that same day, Natan the prophet came to David and said to him, 'However you will not build the House' (I Kings 8:19)." They said to him, "Behold, we have said what is ours; [now] say what is yours - that 'and it will be' is joy." He said to them, "'And it will be on that day that the mountains will drip with nectar' (Joel 4:18), that will be in the days of the messiah, and there will be great joy for Israel. And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that a man shall save alive a heifer of the herd and two sheep' (Isaiah 7:21). And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that living waters will come out from Jerusalem' (Zechariah 14:8). And so [too,] 'And he will be like a tree planted over streams of water' (Psalms 1:3). And so [too,] 'And the remnant of Yaakov will be among many nations' (Micah 5:6)." They said to him, "But behold, it is written (Jeremiah 38:28), 'vahaya (here used in the past tense, and not like the other examples) when Jerusalem was captured'!" He said to them, "It too is not of grief, as on that day was the verdict of Israel for their sins taken; as so is it written (Lamentations 4:22), 'Your sin has been completed, Daughter of Zion, He will not again exile you.'"

(Lev. 22:27:) “When a bull or a sheep or a goat.” This text is related] (to Eccl. 3:15), “That which is has already happened.” R. Judah and R. Nehemiah [differ].⁴⁸PRK 9:4; Lev. R. 27:4; Eccl. R. 3:15 (1). R. Judah says, “If someone says to you that if the first Adam had not sinned, he would have remained alive forever, you say to him, ‘Look at Elijah. Since he did not sin, he has remained alive forever.’ (Ibid., cont.:) ‘And that which is to be has already happened.’ If someone says to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, will be raising the dead, say to him, ‘Look, He has already done so through Elijah, through Elisha, and through Ezekiel.’” [But] Rabbi Nehemiah says, “If someone says to you that the whole world was water within water, you say to him, ‘The ocean is all water within water.’ (Ibid., cont.:) ‘And that which is to be has already happened.’ If someone says to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to make the sea into dry ground, say to him, ‘He has already done so in the days of Moses, as stated (in Exod. 14:29), “But the Children of Israel went through the sea on dry ground, and the waters were a wall for them to the right and to the left.”’” [Moreover,] R. Aha said in the name of R. Samuel bar Nahman, “Everything that the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to do in the world to come He has already anticipated and partly done at the hands of the righteous in this world. In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to raise the dead; He has already done so at the hands of Elijah, at the hands of Elisha, and at the hands of Ezekiel. In the future, He is going to make the sea into dry ground; He has already done so (ibid.), “But the Children of Israel went through the sea on dry ground.” In the future, He is going to open the eyes of the blind; He has already done so, as stated (in II Kings 6:17), ‘so the Lord opened the eyes of the servant [and he saw].’ In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to going visit barren women; He has already done so through Abraham and Sarah, as stated (in Gen. 21:1), ‘Then the Lord visited Sarah […].’ The Holy One, blessed be He, said, (in Is. 49:23), ‘Kings shall be your guardians [… they shall bow down before you, nose to the ground, and lick the dust of your feet].’ It has already happened at the hands of Daniel, when the wicked Nebuchadnezzar bowed down to Daniel, as stated (in Dan. 2:46), ‘Then king Nebuchadnezzar fell on his face, [paid homage to Daniel].’” This is what Scripture stated (in Eccl. 3:15, cont.), “then God seeks the pursued.” R. Huna said in the name of R. Joseph, “In the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to claim the blood of the pursued from the hand of those who pursue them.⁴⁹Lev. R. 27:5. When a righteous person pursues a righteous person, God seeks the pursued. When a wicked person pursues a wicked person and when a wicked person pursues a righteous person, then God seeks the pursued. It comes out that you will say that even when a righteous person pursues a wicked person, in any case, then God seeks the pursued.”⁵⁰Cf. PR 48:2. You know that this is so. Note that Abel was pursued by Cain; and therefore (in Gen. 4:4), “and the Lord paid heed unto Abel and unto his offering.” Noah was pursued by his generation, but (according to Gen. 6:8), “Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.” Abraham was pursued by Nimrod; and it is written (Neh. 9:7) “You are the Lord, the God who chose Abraham […].” Isaac was pursued by the Philistines; and it is written (Gen. 26:28), “And [they] said, ‘We see plainly that the Lord has been with you […].’” Jacob was pursued by Esau; and it is written (Ps. 135:4) “For the Lord has chosen Jacob for Himself.” Joseph was pursued by his brothers; and it is written (Gen. 39:2) “And the Lord was with Joseph […].” Moses was pursued by Pharaoh; and it is written (Ps. 106:23), “therefore He said He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen [stood in the breach before Him…].” Israel is being pursued by the nations of the world; and it is written (Deut. 7:6), “the Lord your God has chosen you […].” R. Judah bar Simon said in the name of R. Nehoray, “Here also (in the case of sacrificial animals), the bull is pursued by the lion; the sheep is pursued by the wolf; the goat is pursued by the leopard. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, ‘You shall not bring me a sacrifice from the pursuer but from the pursued.’ [Thus it is stated] (Lev. 22:27), ‘When a bull or a sheep or a goat […].’”

(Numb. 13:24:) “That place was called Wadi Eshcol.” This text is related (to Is. 46:10), “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from of old, things that have not yet happened,” in that everything is foreseen by the Holy One, blessed be He.³⁴Numb. R. 16:16. Eshcol (according to Gen. 14:24) was Abraham's friend, and he was called Eshcol because of the grape cluster (eshkol), which Israel was going to cut from his place in his name. (Numb. 13:26-28:) “Then they went and came unto Moses and unto Aaron…. And they recounted to him and said, ‘We came unto the land …. However [the people who dwell in the land] are strong….’” Such is the way of those who recount slander.³⁵Numb. R. 16:17. They open with what is good and finish with what is ill. (Numb. 13:29:) “Amalek dwells in the land [of the Negeb].” What [reason] did they see for opening with Amalek?³⁶Numb. R. 16:18. A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a child who misbehaves and is beaten with a strap. When they wanted to intimidate him, they reminded him of the strap. Similarly Amalek had been an evil strap for Israel. What [reason] did he see to post himself upon the border in the way of Israel’s entrance into the land? It is simply because his ancestor, Esau, had so commanded him in order to forestall them in their way. So he uprooted [himself] from his place and posted himself on the way, as stated (Numb. 14:45) “And there went down the Amalekite, and the Canaanite, who dwelt in that mountain.”³⁷On this reading, Amalek used to dwell in the mountains, but came down to block Israel’s passage. (Numb. 13:29, cont.:) “And the Canaanite dwells by the sea and along the Jordan.” These are the mighty ones dwelling on the way. Therefore the spies intended to break the heart of Israel, as stated (in Numb. 32:9), “they turned away the heart of the Children of Israel.”

And it was on the eighth day: Rabbi Tanchuma, Rabbi Chiya, Rabbah and Rabbi Berakhiya in the name of Rabbi Elazar [all] said, "Any place that it is stated, 'and it was (vayehi),' it is nothing but a term of grief [hinting to the sound, (vay), meaning woe]." Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Natan, "This midrash came up to our hands from the exile - 'Any place that it is stated, "and it was in the days of," it is nothing but a term of grief.'" And there are five: (1) "And it was in the days of Amrafel" (Genesis 14:1). What grief was there over there? They made a war to kill Avraham, our father, as it is stated (Genesis 14:2), "made war." [It is comparable] to a dear friend of a king who entered a province, and on his account was the king [concerned] about that whole province. [Then people] came and grappled with him with words. And when he wanted to leave, they all said to him, "Woe that the king will no longer be concerned about the province as he was." So [too,] was Avraham a dear friend of the Holy One, blessed be He - as it is written about him (Isaiah 41:8), "the seed of Avraham, My dear one"; and it is written (Genesis 12:3), "and through you shall all the families of the world be blessed." And when the kings came and grappled with him, they all said, "Woe that the Holy One, blessed be He, will not be concerned with the world as He was; since He was concerned with the world for his sake." This is [the meaning of] that which the verse stated (Genesis 14:7), "And they came to Ein Mishpat (which can be understand as the eye of justice)" - Rabbi Acha said, "They sought to grapple with no less than the eyeball of the world." They said, "They sought to blind the eye that [suppressed] the trait of [strict] judgment in the world." [The verse continues -] "It (hee) is Kadesh," [but] it is written, "he (hu) is Kadesh"; meaning to say, he sanctified (hu kidesh) the name of the Holy One, blessed be He and went down to the fiery furnace. When they saw that the things were like this, they cried out. (2) "And it was in the days of Achaz the son of Yoshiah, King of Yehudah" (Isaiah 7:1). What grief was there over there? "It is what is stated by the verse (Isaiah 9:11), "Aram is in front and the Philistines are behind, etc." [It is comparable] to a king that gave his son over to a mentor, and the mentor hated him. He said, "If I kill him, I will become liable for death. Rather, I will take away his nourishment from him and he will die on his own." So did the evil Achaz say, "If there are no goats, there will be no rams; if there is no flock, there will be no shepherd, [and] where will the world be?" So did he say, "If there are no masters, there will be no students; if there are no students, there will be no sages; if there is no Torah, there will be no synagogues and study halls." What did he do? He passed all the synagogues and study halls and sealed them. And this [is the meaning of] that which the verse states (Isaiah 8:16), "Bind up the message; seal the instruction with My disciples." And when they saw that the things were like this, they all started to cry out, "Woe that the world is being destroyed" - when [study of] the Torah was negated, that was in the days of Achaz. (3) "And it was in the days of Yehoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu" (Jeremiah 1:3). What grief was there over there? "I looked at the earth, and behold it was empty and void; at the heavens and their light was not" (Jeremiah 4:23), [It is comparable] to edicts of the kings that were brought to the provinces of the kingdom. In each and every province, when it came to their hands, everyone would stand on their feet, uncover their heads and read them with fear, trembling and perspiration. But when they were brought to the province of the king, they tore them up and burned them: When the Holy One, blessed be He, sends His messenger to the nations of the world, they repent, cover themselves in sackcloth and fast - as did the people of Nineveh, as it is stated (Jonah 3:7), "from the order of the king and his principals, etc." They, may their memory be blessed, said, "One who had a beam or a stone that was stolen in his house would destroy the house and remove it and return the theft." And because of this did Yonah fear to prophesy to Nineveh. As Rabbi Tarfon said, "The fish was designated, etc." And the nations of the world are afraid in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, and [so, they are] close to repentance, whereas Israel is stiff-necked. This is what the verse stated (Jeremiah 36:23), "And it was when Yehudi would read three columns or four" - meaning to say, he read four verses - and in the fifth verse, he read, "And her tormentors became the head" (Lamentations 1:5) - and it is is written (Jeremiah 36:23), "he would tear it with a scribe's blade and throw it into the fire until the end of all of the scroll." And when they saw this, everyone began to cry out, "Woe for the decree that is hanging over us." And the other (4) - "And it was in the days of Achashverosh" (Esther 1:1). What grief was there over there? [It is comparable] to a king that had a vineyard, and he had three enemies. What did they do? One cut the small berries, the second ripped the clusters and the third uprooted the vines: The king is King of the kings of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He; His vineyard is Israel, as it is stated (Isaiah 5:7), "For a vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel"; [And] their three enemies are Pharaoh, Nevukhadnetsar and Haman. Pharaoh began with the small berries, as it is stated (Exodus 1:22), "Any son that is born, throw him into the river." Nevukhadnetsar ripped the clusters, as it is stated (Jeremiah 29:2), "the craftsmen and the smiths." Who are the craftsmen (charash)? These are the ones that pray the mute prayer silently, and are victorious with their prayer over all the nations of the world. The smiths? That all the nations of the world come in a vice in front of them but [then] flee, as they put a vice on all the nations - and Nevukhadnetsar come to destroy them; and he destroyed the craftsmen and the smiths, and exiled them. The evil Haman [then] came [to] uproot the vines, as it is stated (Esther 3:13), "to annihilate, to kill and to destroy." Everyone began to cry out, "Woe," and they mourned in front of the Omnipresent. (5) "And it was in the days when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1) - there was famine there; and what grief is greater than famine? And from where [do we know] that there was famine? As it is stated (Ruth 1:1), "and there was a famine in the land." And why was there a famine? Because Israel and the judges were not judging true judgement; as it is is stated, "And it was in the days when the judges ruled" - [and] we find [following it], "he", which indicates evildoers. [As] so do we find, "he was Datan and Aviram" (Numbers 26:9); "he was Achashverosh" (Esther 1:1); "he was [...] Achaz" (II Chronicles 28:22). So too were the judges. And to what is the matter comparable? To a province that was liable a tax to the king. [So] he sent collectors to collect it. The people of the province rose and smote the collectors and hung them. The judgment that they were liable - as they appointed other judges for themselves - they did to the collectors. So did they do at that time, as Elimelekh would judge the judges; [since] he was a strongman and there were many men below him. He saw the distress and the famine, but he did not warn the sinners to repent from their evil. And he stopped living in Beit Lechem for himself to live in the field of Moav - to sustain his soul during the famine, and the soul of his wife during the famine, and the soul of his sons; and he did not know that [it is] the Torah that sustains its masters and not the vanities of the world. And he was one who was important, as it is stated (Ruth 1:1), "and a man went from Beit Lechem, Yehudah." And we only say, "man," about an important man, as it is stated (Numbers 12:3), "And the man, Moshe, was very humble." As Elimelekh was an important man, as they would consider him [so] in his place - and [yet] he went to save his soul and the soul of his household, and did not trouble himself about the matters of the community; even as he was an important man and they would have believed his words, [such as] to make them repent from their evil and bring them to repentance. And therefore, it occurred to him as it is written in the verse (Ruth 1:3), "And Elimelekh, the husband of Naomi died." And so [too,] his sons died, as it is stated (Ruth 1:5), "And [...his] two [sons,] Machlon and Khilyon died, and the woman survived her two children and her husband." As so were they judging their judges, like Sodom. Rabbi Shimon ben Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "Any place that it is stated, 'and it was (vayehi),' it is used for grief and it is used for joy. And when for grief, there is no grief like it, and when for joy, there is no joy like it." (The text is missing the following integral part of the midrash, found in Bereishit Rabbah 42:3 and other places: Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman came and divided it, "Any place that it is stated 'it will be,' it is used for joy; [but] 'and it was' [is for] grief.") The Sages responded, "Behold 'And God said, "Vayehi (here used as a command form, and not past tense) light"' [is] joy!" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. As so did Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon say, '[Regarding] the light that the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day, Adam [could] look and observe from [one] end of the world to the [other] end. [But] since the Holy One, blessed be He, saw the deeds of the generation of Enosh and the generation of the flood, He arose and hid it from them. That is [the meaning of] what the verse states (Job 38:15), "From the wicked is their light withheld." And to where is it hidden? [It is] in the Garden of Eden, for the righteous ones, as it is stated (Psalms 97:11), "Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the straight-hearted."'" They responded to him further, "It states, 'And it was evening and it was morning, one day.'" He said to them, "On that day too, it is not of joy, as all the acts of the first day are destined to wither, as it is stated (Isaiah 51:6), 'when the heavens melt away like smoke and the earth wither like a garment.'" They responded to him, "Behold, the [acts of] the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day." He said to them, "They too are not of joy, as all the acts of the six days of creation require further action - for example, wheat needs to be ground; mustard needs to be mellowed; lupine need to be mellowed." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yosef and he was a successful man' (Genesis 39:7)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as that 'bear' chanced upon him from this, as it is stated in the verse, 'after' - 'And it was after these things, and the wife of his master raised, etc.' (Genesis 39:7)." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yehoshua, and his reputation was in all the land' (Joshua 6:27)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as Yair the son of Menashe, whose weight corresponded to the majority of the Sanhedrin, fell at that time; as it is stated (Joshua 7:5), 'And the men of Ai smote of them, like thirty-six men' - and the master said, 'That is Yair the son of Menashe, whose weight corresponded to the majority of the Sanhedrin.'" They responded to him, "And is it not written (I Samuel 18:14), 'And it was that David was successful in all of his ways and the Lord was with him'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as enmity descended into the heart of Shaul from this, as it is stated (I Samuel 18:9), 'And it was that Shaul eyed David.'" They responded to him, "And is it not written (II Samuel 7:1), 'And it was when the king sat in his house and the Lord allowed him rest from all of his enemies'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as on that same day, Natan the prophet came to David and said to him, 'However you will not build the House' (I Kings 8:19)." They said to him, "Behold, we have said what is ours; [now] say what is yours - that 'and it will be' is joy." He said to them, "'And it will be on that day that the mountains will drip with nectar' (Joel 4:18), that will be in the days of the messiah, and there will be great joy for Israel. And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that a man shall save alive a heifer of the herd and two sheep' (Isaiah 7:21). And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that living waters will come out from Jerusalem' (Zechariah 14:8). And so [too,] 'And he will be like a tree planted over streams of water' (Psalms 1:3). And so [too,] 'And the remnant of Yaakov will be among many nations' (Micah 5:6)." They said to him, "But behold, it is written (Jeremiah 38:28), 'vahaya (here used in the past tense, and not like the other examples) when Jerusalem was captured'!" He said to them, "It too is not of grief, as on that day was the verdict of Israel for their sins taken; as so is it written (Lamentations 4:22), 'Your sin has been completed, Daughter of Zion, He will not again exile you.'"

He giveth power to the faint (Isa. 40:29); to some by means of a chariot and to others with horses (Ps. 20:8), but I lift up my horn through Your name. How do we know that He did so? It is so written: And he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night, and he smote them, and pursued them unto Hobah, which is on the left of Damascus (Gen. 14:15). Our sages maintained: The night divided itself of its own accord, while R. Benjamin held: The Holy One, blessed be He, who knows its hours and its moments, computed the night to the thickness of a single strand of a hair and divided it.¹⁶To indicate the moment for attack. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: You slaughtered My enemies from the middle of the night until morning, so be assured I will bring death to the enemies of your descendants from the middle of the night until the morning. I shall exact retribution from them at that time, as it is written: And it came to pass at midnight that the Lord smote all the firstborn in the land of Egypt (Exod. 12:29). Hence Scripture says: And it came to pass in the days of Amraphel.

Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon began: “From a hypocritical person’s rule; from snares of the people” (Job 34:30). Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish: Rabbi Yoḥanan said: When the king is a hypocrite and rules the people, “from snares [mimokeshei] of the people,” it is due to the stubbornness [kashyuteihen] and the liabilities of the people who do not perform the will of the Creator of the world. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: It is preferable for people to grow themselves wings and fly in the air rather than for them to be turned over and subjugated to a hypocritical king.
Alternatively, “from a hypocritical person’s rule,” that is Aḥashverosh, who was hypocritical, who killed his wife because of his friend, and a different time killed his friend because of his wife.
Abba Oriyan of Sidon said five things in the name of Rabban Gamliel:
When lying judges increase, lying witnesses increase.
When informants increase, the property of the people is plundered.
When brazenness increases, glory, majesty, and honor are taken from the people.
When the actions of beloved children anger their Father in Heaven, He sets over them a hypocritical king who exacts retribution from them.¹⁴Abba Oriyan is said to list five things he heard from Rabban Gamliel, and this list contains only four. In Yalkut Shimoni, Esther, 1,044, the following is inserted here: “When the younger says to the elder: I am greater than you, the lives of people are truncated.”
And who is this? It is Aḥashverosh. When everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming; ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1).

Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon began: “From a hypocritical person’s rule; from snares of the people” (Job 34:30). Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish: Rabbi Yoḥanan said: When the king is a hypocrite and rules the people, “from snares [mimokeshei] of the people,” it is due to the stubbornness [kashyuteihen] and the liabilities of the people who do not perform the will of the Creator of the world. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: It is preferable for people to grow themselves wings and fly in the air rather than for them to be turned over and subjugated to a hypocritical king.
Alternatively, “from a hypocritical person’s rule,” that is Aḥashverosh, who was hypocritical, who killed his wife because of his friend, and a different time killed his friend because of his wife.
Abba Oriyan of Sidon said five things in the name of Rabban Gamliel:
When lying judges increase, lying witnesses increase.
When informants increase, the property of the people is plundered.
When brazenness increases, glory, majesty, and honor are taken from the people.
When the actions of beloved children anger their Father in Heaven, He sets over them a hypocritical king who exacts retribution from them.¹⁴Abba Oriyan is said to list five things he heard from Rabban Gamliel, and this list contains only four. In Yalkut Shimoni, Esther, 1,044, the following is inserted here: “When the younger says to the elder: I am greater than you, the lives of people are truncated.”
And who is this? It is Aḥashverosh. When everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming; ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1).

Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon began: “From a hypocritical person’s rule; from snares of the people” (Job 34:30). Rabbi Yoḥanan and Reish Lakish: Rabbi Yoḥanan said: When the king is a hypocrite and rules the people, “from snares [mimokeshei] of the people,” it is due to the stubbornness [kashyuteihen] and the liabilities of the people who do not perform the will of the Creator of the world. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: It is preferable for people to grow themselves wings and fly in the air rather than for them to be turned over and subjugated to a hypocritical king.
Alternatively, “from a hypocritical person’s rule,” that is Aḥashverosh, who was hypocritical, who killed his wife because of his friend, and a different time killed his friend because of his wife.
Abba Oriyan of Sidon said five things in the name of Rabban Gamliel:
When lying judges increase, lying witnesses increase.
When informants increase, the property of the people is plundered.
When brazenness increases, glory, majesty, and honor are taken from the people.
When the actions of beloved children anger their Father in Heaven, He sets over them a hypocritical king who exacts retribution from them.¹⁴Abba Oriyan is said to list five things he heard from Rabban Gamliel, and this list contains only four. In Yalkut Shimoni, Esther, 1,044, the following is inserted here: “When the younger says to the elder: I am greater than you, the lives of people are truncated.”
And who is this? It is Aḥashverosh. When everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming; ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1).

There is a story about R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus,⁴³Gen. R. 42:1; ARN, A, 6; B, 13; PRE 1-2. who was a child of the palace.⁴⁴Lat.: palatium; Gk.: palation. Now his father was connected with the government and with matters of the army commander.⁴⁵Gk.: stratelates or perhaps stratiotes. One day R. Eliezer's father went to another place. When he had realized that they⁴⁶It is unclear whom “they” represents. were coming, he had said to his children: Let us rise and flee from them. He immediately called his servants and attendants. He said: Bring me the cattle and the camels. They loaded the vessels upon the cattle. Then Hyrcanus and his sons fled. R. Eliezer, however, did not go with his father. Instead, he fled to Jerusalem. Moreover, he took with him no loaf of bread, no money, nothing at all. Rather he entered Jerusalem as a pauper. Then he saw Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay sitting and teaching Torah, with his students sitting before him < as they studied > the chapter. When they had finished the chapter, he told them haggadah. Then afterwards he would tell them a mishnah. He (Eliezer) entered and sat by Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay. He spent two or three weeks before him; but when he came to speak to the < regular > students, they smelled a foul odor from his mouth. So they hid and said nothing. Again he came to speak, but they hid and said nothing. Again he came to speak, and < again > they hid and said nothing. Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay knew that his mouth odor was not from something bad which he had in his mouth, but from hunger, since he had not been eating anything. Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay said to those students: By your lives, you should look into the thing so as to know what is the matter with this student, whether he is hungry and what he is eating. So they went around through all Jerusalem and asked innkeepers:⁴⁷Gk.: pandokeus. Is there a haver lodging⁴⁸Gk.: xenos. here? They said to them: No. They came to a certain woman. They asked her: Is there a haver lodging here? She said to them: Yes. Does he have anything in here? She said to them: He has a single sack. They said to her: Show it to us. She immediately brought it to them. They opened it and found dirt in it, for he would put his head in it and suck as on a wine bag. They went and told Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay, who was astonished over the matter. Then he saw < that there was > righteousness with R. Eliezer in that he had not sought out someone at once and said: Give me something. In that very hour he designated a great deal of money for him, so that he would eat good food like that to which he had been accustomed in his father's house. So he ate and drank well until the odor from his mouth was cured. He spent a year before Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay, then two, then three years, until R. Eliezer's father returned to his place. When he had returned to his place, he remained there a month, then two months; but his son, R. Eliezer, did not come. He became angry and said: I left him, and he went to Jerusalem. {R. Eliezer's daughter also said to her father:} [R. Eliezer's brothers also said to their father:] Look at your son, Eliezer! What has he done? He has forsaken you and gone to Jerusalem to eat fattened < meats >, while you have moved away from your home and gone after him.⁴⁹The reading in Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 34, “gone to a lodging house,” would make more sense here. If something bad (i.e., your death) had happened, would he not have jumped to obtain an inheritance? How great a difference there is between us and your son! We have given our lives for you and did not forsake you, but he did not come to see you in your trouble. Yet now, if he hears that something has happened to you, he is going to come unto us and share < the inheritance > with us. In that very hour he said to them: By thus and so, he is not inheriting anything from me. They said to him: Before you die, should you < not > disinherit him? He said to them: Summon me a tablet.⁵⁰Gk.: pinax. They said: It will not be of any use. There is a certain nasi in Jerusalem whose name is Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay, {he has helped me.} [and he is helping him.] After you die, he will surely come and say: Who will say that his father disinherited him? Then we shall bring out the document, but he will say: It is a plaston⁵¹The word is Greek. {i.e., a forgery}. You made it, and I will not believe it until we go to court. He said to them: Inasmuch as you have told me this, < even though > Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay is praising him, I am disinheriting him. In that hour his sons mounted him in a basterna⁵²The Latin word denotes an enclosed litter or sedan chair that is carried by mules. {i.e., a carriage}, and he entered Jerusalem on the eve of the Sabbath. He said: I am not disinheriting him < anywhere > but [on the Sabbath] in the academy. When? When the whole congregation will be assembling. He went in to sit down in the academy, and all Israel entered according to their custom to hear the sermon that R. Eliezer was preaching in public < from > upon the seat of honor, with the hazzan standing before him. His father saw him wrapped in his tallit with tefillin on his head.⁵³On R. Eliezer wearing tefillin on Sabbath eve, see Sanh. 68a. He immediately saw the one whom he thought had departed for bad ways. When he saw him sitting upon the throne and preaching, Hyrcanus stood upon the bench⁵⁴Lat.: subsellium. and said before the people of Jerusalem: I only went up to Jerusalem to cast you out, Eliezer my son, and also to remove you from your inheritance. Now behold, I am giving you two portions more than your brothers. And on what subject was R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus preaching at that time? Our masters have said: On this subject (in Gen. 14:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL. R. Eliezer ben Hyrcanus began: This text is related (to Ps. 37:15): THEIR SWORD SHALL ENTER THEIR OWN HEART. This whole subject is what there is at the beginning of the parashah.⁵⁵See above, 3:7.

And since the great Hallel, [which is the more important] is recited, why must we [on happy occasions] recite also the [ordinary] Hallel? Because it contains the following five things: The exodus from Egypt, the splitting of the Red Sea, the giving of the Torah to Israel, the resurrection of the dead, and the sufferings of the Messianic period. It contains the exodus from Egypt, as it is written (Ps. 114, 1) When Israel went forth out of Egypt; the splitting of the Red Sea, as it is written (Ib. ib., 3) The sea beheld it, and fled; the giving of the Torah, as it is written (Ib. ib., 6) Ye mountains, that ye skip like wethers. Ye hills like lambs; the resurrection of the dead, as it is written (Ib. 116, 9) I will walk before the Lord in the land of life; and the suffering during the Messianic period, as it is written (Ib. 115, 1) Not for our sake, O Lord, not for our sake, etc. Upon which R. Jochanan said: "This refers to the subjugation in exile," and, according to others, R. Jochanan said that this refers to the time of the war of Gog and Magog. R. Nachman b. Isaac said: "Because it contains the saving of the righteous souls from Gehenna [it is recited on a holiday], as it is said (Ib. 116, 4) I beseech thee, O Lord, release my soul [from Gehenna]." Hezekiah said: "Because in it is mentioned that the righteous (Chananiah, Mishael and Azariah) were thrown into the fiery furnace and came out alive." Not for our sake, Lord, was said by Chananiah; But unto Thy name give glory, was said by Mishael; iud For the sake of Thy kindness, for the sake of Thy truth, was said by Azariah; but they all said the next passage, Wherefore should the nations say, where now is their God. And when they came out from the furnace, Chananiah said (Ib. 117) Praise God, all ye nations; Mishael said, Praise Him, all ye peoples; and Azariah said, For His mercy is great towards us. And the truth of the Lord endureth forever, was said by all three. And according to some, 'Gabriel said the passage. And the truth of the Lord, etc.; for at the time when Nimrod, the wicked, had cast Abraham, our patriarch, into the fiery furnace, Gabriel said unto the Holy One, praised be He! "Sovereign of the Universe, let me, I pray thee, go down, and cool the furnace, and deliver that righteous one from that fiery furnace." Then the Holy One, praised be He! said unto him: "I am One in my world, and he is one in his. It behooves that He who is one should deliver him who is one." But as the Holy One, praised be He! doth not deprive any creature of reward, He said to Gabriel: "For this, thy good intention, thou wilt be privileged to rescue three of his grand-children"; as R. Simon, of Shiloh, expounded: "At the time when Nebuchadnezzar, the wicked, cast Chenaniah, Mishael and Azariah into the fiery furnace Yurkami, the chief of the hail, said unto the Holy One, praised be He! "Sovereign of the Universe, let me, I pray thee, go down and cool off the fiery furnace, and rescue these righteous men.' Whereupon Gabriel interposed and said: 'The greatness of the Holy One, praised be He! will not be demonstrated in such a way, for thou art the chief of hail, and everybody knows that water quencheth fire; but I, the chief of fire, will go down and cool the flames within (Ib. b) and intensify it without [so as to consume the executioners], and thus will I perform a miracle within a miracle.' Then the Holy One, praised be He! said to him: 'Go down.' Upon which Gabriel said, 'Verily, the truth of the Lord endureth forever.'" R. Nathan said: The verse, Verily the truth of the Lord endureth forever, was said by the fish in the sea, as R. Huna said: "The Israelites of that generation [that went out of Egypt] were wanting in faith [of God] and as Raba, the son of Mari, expounded: "What is the meaning of the passage (Ps. 106, 7) But they rebelled at the sea, even at the Red Sea; nevertheless he helped them for His name's sake. It is intended to teach us that [at the time when God divided the Red Sea and Israel passed through and the Egyptians were drowned] the Israelites rebelled and said: 'Just as we ascend from this side so do the Egyptians ascend from another side.' Whereupon the Holy One, praised be He! said to the angel of the sea: 'Spit them out upon the dry land.' 'Sovereign of the Universe,' the angel of the sea pleaded before Him, 'can there be found a servant to whom his master gave a present and who should later take it back from him?' 'Instead of this I shall give you one and a half,' the Lord said to him. The angel of the sea continued: 'Sovereign of the Universe! is it possible for a servant to summon his master before a court of justice?' 'The river Kishon shall guarantee for it,' was the Lord's reply. Immediately all of them were spit out and thrown upon the dry land. When Israel came to the place they saw them all dead and thus the passage becomes clear (Ex. 14, 30) And Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the shore of the sea. And how was it that the sea got one and a half in return? In connection with the incident of Pharaoh it is written (Gen. 14, 6) Six hundred chosen chariots, with that of Sissera, it is written (Jud. 40) Nine hundred iron chariots. And when Sissera came upon the Israelites with iron chariots, the Holy One, praised be He! sent forth upon them the stars in their paths, as it is written (Ib. 5) From heaven have fought the stars in their paths, etc. As soon as the stars descended upon them, the iron chariots became hot and they went to the river Kishon to cool themselves [where they were consequently drowned]. Then said the Holy One, praised be He! to the river Kishon, 'Go and pay off thy guarantee which thou hast secured to the sea.' Instantly they were swept out by the river Kishon and thrown into the sea, as it is said (Jud. 5, 21) The stream of Kishon swept them away, that ancient stream. What is meant by That ancient stream? The stream that became a surety from olden times. In that moment the fish broke forth and said 'Verily the truth of the Lord endureth forever.' "

Rabbi Berekhya began: “Who acted and accomplished it? He who proclaimed the generations from the beginning; I, the Lord was first and with the last, I am He” (Isaiah 41:4). From the beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, instituted for each and every person what is appropriate for him: Adam, head of the created; Cain, head of the killers; Abel, head of the killed; Noah, head of the survivors; Abraham, head of the circumcised; Isaac, head of the bound; Jacob, head of the wholehearted; Judah, head of the tribes; Joseph, head of the pious; Aaron, head of the priests; Moses, head of the prophets; Joshua, head of the conquerors; Otniel, head of the allocators;¹⁵He completed the allocation of the tribal portions that Joshua did not allocate in his lifetime. Samuel, of the anointers; Saul, of the anointed; David, of the musicians; Solomon, head of the builders; Nebuchadnezzar, head of the destroyers; Aḥashverosh, head of the sellers; Haman, head of the buyers; when everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1).

Rabbi Berekhya began: “Who acted and accomplished it? He who proclaimed the generations from the beginning; I, the Lord was first and with the last, I am He” (Isaiah 41:4). From the beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, instituted for each and every person what is appropriate for him: Adam, head of the created; Cain, head of the killers; Abel, head of the killed; Noah, head of the survivors; Abraham, head of the circumcised; Isaac, head of the bound; Jacob, head of the wholehearted; Judah, head of the tribes; Joseph, head of the pious; Aaron, head of the priests; Moses, head of the prophets; Joshua, head of the conquerors; Otniel, head of the allocators;¹⁵He completed the allocation of the tribal portions that Joshua did not allocate in his lifetime. Samuel, of the anointers; Saul, of the anointed; David, of the musicians; Solomon, head of the builders; Nebuchadnezzar, head of the destroyers; Aḥashverosh, head of the sellers; Haman, head of the buyers; when everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1).

Rabbi Berekhya began: “Who acted and accomplished it? He who proclaimed the generations from the beginning; I, the Lord was first and with the last, I am He” (Isaiah 41:4). From the beginning of the creation of the world, the Holy One, blessed be He, instituted for each and every person what is appropriate for him: Adam, head of the created; Cain, head of the killers; Abel, head of the killed; Noah, head of the survivors; Abraham, head of the circumcised; Isaac, head of the bound; Jacob, head of the wholehearted; Judah, head of the tribes; Joseph, head of the pious; Aaron, head of the priests; Moses, head of the prophets; Joshua, head of the conquerors; Otniel, head of the allocators;¹⁵He completed the allocation of the tribal portions that Joshua did not allocate in his lifetime. Samuel, of the anointers; Saul, of the anointed; David, of the musicians; Solomon, head of the builders; Nebuchadnezzar, head of the destroyers; Aḥashverosh, head of the sellers; Haman, head of the buyers; when everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1).

Another interpretation (of Gen. 14:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL. This text is related (to Ps. 44:6 [5]): THROUGH YOU SHALL WE PUSH DOWN OUR ADVERSARIES. THROUGH YOU means "through your Law." [R. Isaac said:] THROUGH YOU (BK) < is to be interpreted > by gematria:⁵⁶Gk.: geometria or grammateis. B = two; K = twenty. Ergo: twenty-two. < Thus, THROUGH YOU means > "through the twenty-two letters which are in the Law. (Ps. 44:6 [5], cont.:) {IN YOUR NAME SHALL YOU RAISE UP OUR BRIGHTNESS.} [AND IN YOUR NAME WE SHALL TRAMPLE DOWN THOSE WHO ARISE AGAINST US.] Abraham said: Sovereign of the World, If you had not united your glory with me and helped me, what could < I as > a single person have done against nine kings (of Gen. 14:9) and their forces? However, because you helped me they fell at my hand. What is written (in Gen. 14:15)? AND THE NIGHT WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM.⁵⁷Cf. Gen. R. 43:3; PRK 7:5. Masters say: The night divided of its own accord. R. Benjamin ben Jafeth said in the name of R. Johanan: The Holy One, the one who knows his moments and his instants, he divided it.⁵⁸The words used here for “moment” and “instant” are ‘et and rega‘ respectively. Although these words are generally used quite loosely, they can have more exact meanings. See TBer. 1:3 (Zuckermandel ed.): AN ‘ONAH IS ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF AN HOUR, AN ‘ET IS ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF AN ‘ONAH, AND A REGA’ IS ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF AN ‘ET. R. Benjamin’s point is that only the Holy One knew enough about exact time measurements to divide the night accurately. See Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Pisha 13. The Holy One said: You have worked with me from yesterday evening until midnight and killed my enemies. By your life, I am working with your children from midnight until the morning and killing their enemies. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 12:29): AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. Therefore it is stated (in Gen. 14:1, 15): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL … < AND THE NIGHT WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM >.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 14:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL. This text is related (to Ps. 44:6 [5]): THROUGH YOU SHALL WE PUSH DOWN OUR ADVERSARIES. THROUGH YOU means "through your Law." [R. Isaac said:] THROUGH YOU (BK) < is to be interpreted > by gematria:⁵⁶Gk.: geometria or grammateis. B = two; K = twenty. Ergo: twenty-two. < Thus, THROUGH YOU means > "through the twenty-two letters which are in the Law. (Ps. 44:6 [5], cont.:) {IN YOUR NAME SHALL YOU RAISE UP OUR BRIGHTNESS.} [AND IN YOUR NAME WE SHALL TRAMPLE DOWN THOSE WHO ARISE AGAINST US.] Abraham said: Sovereign of the World, If you had not united your glory with me and helped me, what could < I as > a single person have done against nine kings (of Gen. 14:9) and their forces? However, because you helped me they fell at my hand. What is written (in Gen. 14:15)? AND THE NIGHT WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM.⁵⁷Cf. Gen. R. 43:3; PRK 7:5. Masters say: The night divided of its own accord. R. Benjamin ben Jafeth said in the name of R. Johanan: The Holy One, the one who knows his moments and his instants, he divided it.⁵⁸The words used here for “moment” and “instant” are ‘et and rega‘ respectively. Although these words are generally used quite loosely, they can have more exact meanings. See TBer. 1:3 (Zuckermandel ed.): AN ‘ONAH IS ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF AN HOUR, AN ‘ET IS ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF AN ‘ONAH, AND A REGA’ IS ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF AN ‘ET. R. Benjamin’s point is that only the Holy One knew enough about exact time measurements to divide the night accurately. See Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Pisha 13. The Holy One said: You have worked with me from yesterday evening until midnight and killed my enemies. By your life, I am working with your children from midnight until the morning and killing their enemies. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 12:29): AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. Therefore it is stated (in Gen. 14:1, 15): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL … < AND THE NIGHT WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM >.

(Numb. 22:20:) THEN GOD CAME UNTO BALAAM AT NIGHT. This text is related (to Exod. 12:42): THAT WAS FOR THE LORD A NIGHT OF VIGIL TO BRING THEM OUT OF THE LAND OF EGYPT, THAT WAS THIS VERY NIGHT. All miracles which were done for Israel and which involved exacting retribution for them from the wicked took place at night.²⁹Tanh., Numb. 7:8; Numb. R. 20:12. (Gen. 31:24:) AND GOD CAME UNTO LABAN THE ARAMEAN IN A DREAM AT NIGHT. (Gen. 20:3:) BUT GOD CAME UNTO ABIMELECH [IN A DREAM AT NIGHT]. (Exod. 12:29:) AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. (Exod. 14:20:) THUS THERE WAS THE CLOUD AND THE DARKNESS WHICH LIT UP THE NIGHT. (Gen. 14:15:) AND THE NIGHT WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM.³⁰This translation is necessary to provide a miracle. A more common translation would be THEN HE DEPLOYED <HIS FORCES> AGAINST THEM BY NIGHT. And <so it was with> all of them (as in Exod. 12:42): A NIGHT OF VIGIL.

"Those are the Waters of Merivah [...]" (Numbers 20:13). From here you learn that it was set from before that Moshe would be punished at [these] Waters. See what is written, "And they returned and they came to En-mishpat (literally, the Spring of Judgment), which is Kadesh" (Genesis 14:7). That is the spring of Moshe's judgement, which is Kadesh. "Those are the Waters of Merivah and He was sanctified through them" (Numbers 20:13). And it is called Kadesh, on account of that which is stated (Numbers 20:12), "to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Children of Israel. "Those are the Waters of Merivah." There is a parable: To what is this comparable? To the son of a king that took a stone and blinded his [own] eye. Upon each and every stone, his father would say, "This is the stone that blinded my son's eye." Hence it is stated, "Those are the waters upon which the Children of Israel contended."

Another interpretation (of Gen. 14:1): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL. This text is related (to Ps. 44:6 [5]): THROUGH YOU SHALL WE PUSH DOWN OUR ADVERSARIES. THROUGH YOU means "through your Law." [R. Isaac said:] THROUGH YOU (BK) < is to be interpreted > by gematria:⁵⁶Gk.: geometria or grammateis. B = two; K = twenty. Ergo: twenty-two. < Thus, THROUGH YOU means > "through the twenty-two letters which are in the Law. (Ps. 44:6 [5], cont.:) {IN YOUR NAME SHALL YOU RAISE UP OUR BRIGHTNESS.} [AND IN YOUR NAME WE SHALL TRAMPLE DOWN THOSE WHO ARISE AGAINST US.] Abraham said: Sovereign of the World, If you had not united your glory with me and helped me, what could < I as > a single person have done against nine kings (of Gen. 14:9) and their forces? However, because you helped me they fell at my hand. What is written (in Gen. 14:15)? AND THE NIGHT WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM.⁵⁷Cf. Gen. R. 43:3; PRK 7:5. Masters say: The night divided of its own accord. R. Benjamin ben Jafeth said in the name of R. Johanan: The Holy One, the one who knows his moments and his instants, he divided it.⁵⁸The words used here for “moment” and “instant” are ‘et and rega‘ respectively. Although these words are generally used quite loosely, they can have more exact meanings. See TBer. 1:3 (Zuckermandel ed.): AN ‘ONAH IS ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF AN HOUR, AN ‘ET IS ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF AN ‘ONAH, AND A REGA’ IS ONE TWENTY-FOURTH OF AN ‘ET. R. Benjamin’s point is that only the Holy One knew enough about exact time measurements to divide the night accurately. See Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Pisha 13. The Holy One said: You have worked with me from yesterday evening until midnight and killed my enemies. By your life, I am working with your children from midnight until the morning and killing their enemies. Thus it is stated (in Exod. 12:29): AND IT CAME TO PASS IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT. Therefore it is stated (in Gen. 14:1, 15): NOW IT CAME TO PASS IN THE DAYS OF AMRAPHEL … < AND THE NIGHT WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM >.

... Shimon bar Rav Abba said, in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, that "vayehi" serves [to introduce] joy or suffering. If [it comes to introduce] suffering, then the suffering [in question] is unparalleled. If [it comes to introduce] joy, then the joy [in question] is unparalleled. Rabbi Yishmael came and made the [following] division. Every place where it says “vayehi” there is no joy [and every place where it says] “vehaya” there is no suffering. They challenged him [citing Genesis 1:3] “And God said, “let there be light”, and there was [vaheyi] light.” He said to them, “even this case isn’t joyous, since the world didn’t merit to use that light, for Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said [regarding] the light created by the Holy One, blessed be He, on the first day [of creation], [that] a person could use it to see from one end of the universe to the other [from the beginning of time, to the end of time]. When the Holy One, blessed be he, saw [by this light] the deeds of the generation of Enosh, and the deeds of the generation of flood, that they were destructive, [God] arose and confiscated [the light] from them, as it is written, “Their light is withheld from the wicked,” (Job 38:15). And where was it placed? In the Garden of Eden; at it is said (Psalms 97:11): “Light is sown for the righteous, radiance for the upright” [i.e., the light of the first day of creation is reserved for the righteous in the world to come].” They challenged him [citing Genesis 1:5, which describes the first day of creation]: “And there was [vayehi] evening, and there was [vayehi] morning; day one.” He said to them, “even this case isn’t joyous, since everything that was created on the first day is destined to be destroyed, as it is written (Isaiah 51:6): “when the heavens will melt away like smoke, and the earth wear out like a garment”.” They challenged him [citing all the other days of creation since it is written], “and there was [vayehi] evening, and there was [vayehi] morning” [regarding] the second, third, fourth, fifth, [and] sixth day. He said to them, “even this case isn’t joyous, since [the creation was incomplete such that] everything created in the six days of creation required [human] labour [in order that it should be completed]. The wheat needed grinding. Mustard needed sweetening. The Lupin bean needs sweetening. They challenged him [citing Genesis 39:2, and its description of Jospeh’s success in the house of Potiphar, which reads]: “And it was [vayehi] that God was with Joseph, and it was [vayehi] that he was a successful man.” He said to them: “even this case isn’t joyous since it was because of this [success] that that wicked woman [i.e. Potiphar’s wife] chanced upon him." They challenged him [citing Leviticus 9:1, and its description of the completing of the inauguration of the Tabernacle]: “And it was [vayehi] on the eighth day”. He said to them: “even this case isn’t joyous, since on that day, Nadav and Avihu died.”They challenged him [citing the description, in the book of Numbers (7:1), of Moses completing the building of the Tabernacle]: “And it was [vayehi] on the day that Moses completed the raising of the Tabernacle”. He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous, since on the day that it was built it [was also collapsed and] stored away.” [Rabbi Yishmael is alluding to the fact that the Tabernacle was a portable structure, and just as Moses constructed it on that day, he also tested it by taking it apart. Moreover, this symbolises that the Tabernacle was not to be permanent]." They challenged him [by citing the verse from the book of Joshua (6:27)]: “And it was [vayehi] that God was with Joshua”. He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous [since it comes just before the military defeat in the city of Ai, in which Yair [son of Menashe], who was equivalent in stature to the majority of a Sanhedrin, was killed. As it says (Joshua 7:5): “And the men of Ai smote about thirty-six of [the Israelites]”. It doesn’t say [that they killed] 36 [men]; rather, it says that they killed "about" 36 men [literally, it says that they killed "something like" 36 men]. Rabbi Yudan said that this refers to Yair son of Menashe who was equivalent to the majority of a Sanhedrin [which would have 71 members; by killing him, it was as if they had killed 36 men].” They challenged him [by citing the verse from I Samuel (18:14): “And it was [Vayehi] that David was successful in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him.” He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous since it is written regarding him, “From that day on Saul kept a jealous eye on David” (Ibid. 18:9).” They challenged him [by citing the verse from II Samuel (7:1)]: “And it was [vayehi] when the king was settled in his palace and God had granted him safety from all the enemies around him”. He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous because, on that very day, Nathan the prophet came and said to him, “Only, you will not build the Temple” (I Kings 8:19, and II Samuel 7:5).” They said to him, we have brought our own verses [as counter-examples to your theory. Now it’s your turn]. Say your own verses [as evidence for your theory]. He said to them [the following verses]: They said to him, we have brought our own verses [as counter-examples to your theory. Now it’s your turn]. Say your own verses [as evidence for your theory]. He said to them [the following verses]: “And it was [vehaya – this is an instance of the Prophetic Future Tense, when the Bible uses the past tense to describe the future, presumably because the prophetic future is as certain as the past], on that day: The mountains shall drip with wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the watercourses of Judah shall flow with water; A spring shall issue from the house of God and shall water the Wadi of the Acacias” (Joel 4:18); “And it was [vehaya], on that day: each man shall save alive a heifer of the herd and two animals of the flock” (Isaiah 7:21); “And it was [vehaya] on that day: fresh water shall flow from Jerusalem, part of it to the Eastern Sea and part to the Western Sea, throughout the summer and winter” (Zecharia 14:8); “He was [vehaya] like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives” (Psalms 1:3); “The remnant of Jacob was [vehaya – once again used in the prophetic future tense] in the midst of many peoples, like dew from God, Like droplets on grass — Which do not look to any man nor place their hope in mortals” (Micah 5:6). They challenged him. “Is it not written “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28)?” He said to them: “even this case contains no suffering, since on that day Israel received their judgement for their sins. For Rabbi Ishmael ben Rabbi Nachman said, “Israel took a complete judgement for their sins on the day that the Temple was destroyed. For so it is written (Lametation 4:22): “Your iniquity, Fair Zion, is expiated; He will exile you no longer.”

... Shimon bar Rav Abba said, in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, that "vayehi" serves [to introduce] joy or suffering. If [it comes to introduce] suffering, then the suffering [in question] is unparalleled. If [it comes to introduce] joy, then the joy [in question] is unparalleled. Rabbi Yishmael came and made the [following] division. Every place where it says “vayehi” there is no joy [and every place where it says] “vehaya” there is no suffering. They challenged him [citing Genesis 1:3] “And God said, “let there be light”, and there was [vaheyi] light.” He said to them, “even this case isn’t joyous, since the world didn’t merit to use that light, for Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said [regarding] the light created by the Holy One, blessed be He, on the first day [of creation], [that] a person could use it to see from one end of the universe to the other [from the beginning of time, to the end of time]. When the Holy One, blessed be he, saw [by this light] the deeds of the generation of Enosh, and the deeds of the generation of flood, that they were destructive, [God] arose and confiscated [the light] from them, as it is written, “Their light is withheld from the wicked,” (Job 38:15). And where was it placed? In the Garden of Eden; at it is said (Psalms 97:11): “Light is sown for the righteous, radiance for the upright” [i.e., the light of the first day of creation is reserved for the righteous in the world to come].” They challenged him [citing Genesis 1:5, which describes the first day of creation]: “And there was [vayehi] evening, and there was [vayehi] morning; day one.” He said to them, “even this case isn’t joyous, since everything that was created on the first day is destined to be destroyed, as it is written (Isaiah 51:6): “when the heavens will melt away like smoke, and the earth wear out like a garment”.” They challenged him [citing all the other days of creation since it is written], “and there was [vayehi] evening, and there was [vayehi] morning” [regarding] the second, third, fourth, fifth, [and] sixth day. He said to them, “even this case isn’t joyous, since [the creation was incomplete such that] everything created in the six days of creation required [human] labour [in order that it should be completed]. The wheat needed grinding. Mustard needed sweetening. The Lupin bean needs sweetening. They challenged him [citing Genesis 39:2, and its description of Jospeh’s success in the house of Potiphar, which reads]: “And it was [vayehi] that God was with Joseph, and it was [vayehi] that he was a successful man.” He said to them: “even this case isn’t joyous since it was because of this [success] that that wicked woman [i.e. Potiphar’s wife] chanced upon him." They challenged him [citing Leviticus 9:1, and its description of the completing of the inauguration of the Tabernacle]: “And it was [vayehi] on the eighth day”. He said to them: “even this case isn’t joyous, since on that day, Nadav and Avihu died.”They challenged him [citing the description, in the book of Numbers (7:1), of Moses completing the building of the Tabernacle]: “And it was [vayehi] on the day that Moses completed the raising of the Tabernacle”. He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous, since on the day that it was built it [was also collapsed and] stored away.” [Rabbi Yishmael is alluding to the fact that the Tabernacle was a portable structure, and just as Moses constructed it on that day, he also tested it by taking it apart. Moreover, this symbolises that the Tabernacle was not to be permanent]." They challenged him [by citing the verse from the book of Joshua (6:27)]: “And it was [vayehi] that God was with Joshua”. He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous [since it comes just before the military defeat in the city of Ai, in which Yair [son of Menashe], who was equivalent in stature to the majority of a Sanhedrin, was killed. As it says (Joshua 7:5): “And the men of Ai smote about thirty-six of [the Israelites]”. It doesn’t say [that they killed] 36 [men]; rather, it says that they killed "about" 36 men [literally, it says that they killed "something like" 36 men]. Rabbi Yudan said that this refers to Yair son of Menashe who was equivalent to the majority of a Sanhedrin [which would have 71 members; by killing him, it was as if they had killed 36 men].” They challenged him [by citing the verse from I Samuel (18:14): “And it was [Vayehi] that David was successful in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him.” He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous since it is written regarding him, “From that day on Saul kept a jealous eye on David” (Ibid. 18:9).” They challenged him [by citing the verse from II Samuel (7:1)]: “And it was [vayehi] when the king was settled in his palace and God had granted him safety from all the enemies around him”. He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous because, on that very day, Nathan the prophet came and said to him, “Only, you will not build the Temple” (I Kings 8:19, and II Samuel 7:5).” They said to him, we have brought our own verses [as counter-examples to your theory. Now it’s your turn]. Say your own verses [as evidence for your theory]. He said to them [the following verses]: They said to him, we have brought our own verses [as counter-examples to your theory. Now it’s your turn]. Say your own verses [as evidence for your theory]. He said to them [the following verses]: “And it was [vehaya – this is an instance of the Prophetic Future Tense, when the Bible uses the past tense to describe the future, presumably because the prophetic future is as certain as the past], on that day: The mountains shall drip with wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the watercourses of Judah shall flow with water; A spring shall issue from the house of God and shall water the Wadi of the Acacias” (Joel 4:18); “And it was [vehaya], on that day: each man shall save alive a heifer of the herd and two animals of the flock” (Isaiah 7:21); “And it was [vehaya] on that day: fresh water shall flow from Jerusalem, part of it to the Eastern Sea and part to the Western Sea, throughout the summer and winter” (Zecharia 14:8); “He was [vehaya] like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives” (Psalms 1:3); “The remnant of Jacob was [vehaya – once again used in the prophetic future tense] in the midst of many peoples, like dew from God, Like droplets on grass — Which do not look to any man nor place their hope in mortals” (Micah 5:6). They challenged him. “Is it not written “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28)?” He said to them: “even this case contains no suffering, since on that day Israel received their judgement for their sins. For Rabbi Ishmael ben Rabbi Nachman said, “Israel took a complete judgement for their sins on the day that the Temple was destroyed. For so it is written (Lametation 4:22): “Your iniquity, Fair Zion, is expiated; He will exile you no longer.”

... Shimon bar Rav Abba said, in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, that "vayehi" serves [to introduce] joy or suffering. If [it comes to introduce] suffering, then the suffering [in question] is unparalleled. If [it comes to introduce] joy, then the joy [in question] is unparalleled. Rabbi Yishmael came and made the [following] division. Every place where it says “vayehi” there is no joy [and every place where it says] “vehaya” there is no suffering. They challenged him [citing Genesis 1:3] “And God said, “let there be light”, and there was [vaheyi] light.” He said to them, “even this case isn’t joyous, since the world didn’t merit to use that light, for Rabbi Yehuda bar Simon said [regarding] the light created by the Holy One, blessed be He, on the first day [of creation], [that] a person could use it to see from one end of the universe to the other [from the beginning of time, to the end of time]. When the Holy One, blessed be he, saw [by this light] the deeds of the generation of Enosh, and the deeds of the generation of flood, that they were destructive, [God] arose and confiscated [the light] from them, as it is written, “Their light is withheld from the wicked,” (Job 38:15). And where was it placed? In the Garden of Eden; at it is said (Psalms 97:11): “Light is sown for the righteous, radiance for the upright” [i.e., the light of the first day of creation is reserved for the righteous in the world to come].” They challenged him [citing Genesis 1:5, which describes the first day of creation]: “And there was [vayehi] evening, and there was [vayehi] morning; day one.” He said to them, “even this case isn’t joyous, since everything that was created on the first day is destined to be destroyed, as it is written (Isaiah 51:6): “when the heavens will melt away like smoke, and the earth wear out like a garment”.” They challenged him [citing all the other days of creation since it is written], “and there was [vayehi] evening, and there was [vayehi] morning” [regarding] the second, third, fourth, fifth, [and] sixth day. He said to them, “even this case isn’t joyous, since [the creation was incomplete such that] everything created in the six days of creation required [human] labour [in order that it should be completed]. The wheat needed grinding. Mustard needed sweetening. The Lupin bean needs sweetening. They challenged him [citing Genesis 39:2, and its description of Jospeh’s success in the house of Potiphar, which reads]: “And it was [vayehi] that God was with Joseph, and it was [vayehi] that he was a successful man.” He said to them: “even this case isn’t joyous since it was because of this [success] that that wicked woman [i.e. Potiphar’s wife] chanced upon him." They challenged him [citing Leviticus 9:1, and its description of the completing of the inauguration of the Tabernacle]: “And it was [vayehi] on the eighth day”. He said to them: “even this case isn’t joyous, since on that day, Nadav and Avihu died.”They challenged him [citing the description, in the book of Numbers (7:1), of Moses completing the building of the Tabernacle]: “And it was [vayehi] on the day that Moses completed the raising of the Tabernacle”. He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous, since on the day that it was built it [was also collapsed and] stored away.” [Rabbi Yishmael is alluding to the fact that the Tabernacle was a portable structure, and just as Moses constructed it on that day, he also tested it by taking it apart. Moreover, this symbolises that the Tabernacle was not to be permanent]." They challenged him [by citing the verse from the book of Joshua (6:27)]: “And it was [vayehi] that God was with Joshua”. He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous [since it comes just before the military defeat in the city of Ai, in which Yair [son of Menashe], who was equivalent in stature to the majority of a Sanhedrin, was killed. As it says (Joshua 7:5): “And the men of Ai smote about thirty-six of [the Israelites]”. It doesn’t say [that they killed] 36 [men]; rather, it says that they killed "about" 36 men [literally, it says that they killed "something like" 36 men]. Rabbi Yudan said that this refers to Yair son of Menashe who was equivalent to the majority of a Sanhedrin [which would have 71 members; by killing him, it was as if they had killed 36 men].” They challenged him [by citing the verse from I Samuel (18:14): “And it was [Vayehi] that David was successful in all his undertakings, for the LORD was with him.” He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous since it is written regarding him, “From that day on Saul kept a jealous eye on David” (Ibid. 18:9).” They challenged him [by citing the verse from II Samuel (7:1)]: “And it was [vayehi] when the king was settled in his palace and God had granted him safety from all the enemies around him”. He replied to them: “even this case isn’t joyous because, on that very day, Nathan the prophet came and said to him, “Only, you will not build the Temple” (I Kings 8:19, and II Samuel 7:5).” They said to him, we have brought our own verses [as counter-examples to your theory. Now it’s your turn]. Say your own verses [as evidence for your theory]. He said to them [the following verses]: They said to him, we have brought our own verses [as counter-examples to your theory. Now it’s your turn]. Say your own verses [as evidence for your theory]. He said to them [the following verses]: “And it was [vehaya – this is an instance of the Prophetic Future Tense, when the Bible uses the past tense to describe the future, presumably because the prophetic future is as certain as the past], on that day: The mountains shall drip with wine, the hills shall flow with milk, and all the watercourses of Judah shall flow with water; A spring shall issue from the house of God and shall water the Wadi of the Acacias” (Joel 4:18); “And it was [vehaya], on that day: each man shall save alive a heifer of the herd and two animals of the flock” (Isaiah 7:21); “And it was [vehaya] on that day: fresh water shall flow from Jerusalem, part of it to the Eastern Sea and part to the Western Sea, throughout the summer and winter” (Zecharia 14:8); “He was [vehaya] like a tree planted beside streams of water, which yields its fruit in season, whose foliage never fades, and whatever it produces thrives” (Psalms 1:3); “The remnant of Jacob was [vehaya – once again used in the prophetic future tense] in the midst of many peoples, like dew from God, Like droplets on grass — Which do not look to any man nor place their hope in mortals” (Micah 5:6). They challenged him. “Is it not written “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28)?” He said to them: “even this case contains no suffering, since on that day Israel received their judgement for their sins. For Rabbi Ishmael ben Rabbi Nachman said, “Israel took a complete judgement for their sins on the day that the Temple was destroyed. For so it is written (Lametation 4:22): “Your iniquity, Fair Zion, is expiated; He will exile you no longer.”

(Gen. 14, 15) And he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night (Lyelah) and smote them. R. Jochanan said: "The name of the angel who came to assist Abraham was Lyelah (night) as it is said (Job 3, 3) And the night when it was said, There hath been a male child conceived, etc." R. Isaac of Nafha said: "This means a thing concerning the night was wrought for him, as it is said (Jud. 5, 20) From heaven they fought — the stars in their courses fought against Sissera." Resh Lakish remarked: "The explanation of Nafcha is better than that of bar Nafcha's" (Jochanan, who was called bar Nafcha). R. Jochanan said: "When that righteous man (Abraham) reached the city of Dan, his strength began to fail, for [he saw that] in the future his children would worship idols in Dan, it it is said (I Kin. 12, 29) And the other he put in Dan. And also this wicked one Sennacherib did not feel himself strong until he reached Dan, as it is said (Jer. 8, 16) From Dan was heard the snorting of his horses."

(Gen. 14, 15) And he divided himself against them, he and his servants by night (Lyelah) and smote them. R. Jochanan said: "The name of the angel who came to assist Abraham was Lyelah (night) as it is said (Job 3, 3) And the night when it was said, There hath been a male child conceived, etc." R. Isaac of Nafha said: "This means a thing concerning the night was wrought for him, as it is said (Jud. 5, 20) From heaven they fought — the stars in their courses fought against Sissera." Resh Lakish remarked: "The explanation of Nafcha is better than that of bar Nafcha's" (Jochanan, who was called bar Nafcha). R. Jochanan said: "When that righteous man (Abraham) reached the city of Dan, his strength began to fail, for [he saw that] in the future his children would worship idols in Dan, it it is said (I Kin. 12, 29) And the other he put in Dan. And also this wicked one Sennacherib did not feel himself strong until he reached Dan, as it is said (Jer. 8, 16) From Dan was heard the snorting of his horses."

Rabbi Tanḥuma, Rabbi Berekhya, and Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great interpreted in the name of Rabbi Elazar: This midrash came up with us from the Exile. Everyplace that vayhi is stated, it means nothing but trouble. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman interpreted in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: This midrash came into our possession. Everyplace that vayhi bimei is stated, it means nothing but trouble.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: They are five:
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Amrafel king of Shinar, Ariokh, king of Elasar, Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goyim” (Genesis 14:1). What was the trouble there? “They waged war with Bera, king of Sodom…” (Genesis 14:2). [This is analogous] to the beloved of a king who resided in a province and, for his sake, the king attended to that province. When barbarians came and afflicted him [the beloved of the king], they [the other residents of the province] said: ‘Woe unto us that the king is not attending to the province the way that he once did.’ So too, Abraham our patriarch, the beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you” (Genesis 12:4). For his sake, the Holy One blessed be He attended to His entire world. That is what is written: “They returned and came to Ein Mishpat, which is Kadesh” (Genesis 14:7). They sought to afflict only the eye of the world [Abraham]. They sought to blind the eye that acts upon the attribute of justice in the world. ¹⁶ This probably means that Abraham is responsible for the suppression of the attribute of justice, the result of which is that God rules the world through the attribute of mercy. “Which is [hi] Kadesh” – Rabbi Aḥa said: Hu [i.e. he rather than she] is written. He [Abraham] sanctified [kiddesh] the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and he went into the fiery furnace. When everyone saw that all the kings came to afflict him, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the reign of Amrafel.”
“It was during the days [vayhi bimei] when the judges judged; there was a famine in the land and a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to stay in the field of Moab, he, his wife, and his two sons” (Ruth 1:1). What was the trouble there? “There was a famine in the land.” [This is comparable] to a province that owed a tax to the king, and the king sent a tax collector to collect it. What did the residents of the province do? They suspended him [on a pole] and struck him and extracted it [the money] from him. They said: Woe unto us when the king becomes aware of these matters; we did to the emissary of the king what he sought to do to us. So too, when one of the people of Israel would perform inappropriate actions, they would take him to the judge, and what the judge sought to do to the defendant, the defendant would do to the judge. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You humiliate your judges; by your lives, I will bring upon you a matter that you are unable to endure. What is that? It is famine, as it is stated: “It was during the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1).
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Aḥaz son of Yotam, son of Uziyahu, king of Judah; Retzin, king of Aram and Pekaḥ, son of Remalyahu, king of Israel, went to war against Jerusalem, but he was unable to make war against it” (Isaiah 7:1). What was the trouble there? It was as it is written: “Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west” (Isaiah 9:11). [This is comparable] to a king who handed his son over to a tutor, and his tutor hated him. He said: If I kill him, I will be condemned to death by the king; instead, I will withhold his nurse from him, and he will die on his own. So too, Aḥaz said: If there are no kids, there are no goats, and if there are no goats there is no flock, and if there is no flock there is no shepherd, and if there is no shepherd, the world cannot exist. So Aḥaz thought and said: If there are no children, there are no adults, and if there are no adults there are no students, if there are no students there are no scholars, if there are no scholars there are no elders, if there are no elders there is no Torah, if there is no Torah there are no synagogues and study halls, if there are no synagogues and study halls, the Holy One, blessed be He, will not rest His Divine Presence in the world. What did he do? He arose and locked all the synagogues and study halls, so that no one would engage in Torah study. That is what is written: “Bind the testimony, seal the Torah in my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16).
Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Why was he named Aḥaz? It is because he seized [aḥaz] the synagogues and study halls. Rabbi Yaakov bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Aḥa derived it from this verse, as it is written: “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope for Him” (Isaiah 8:17). There was no time that was as grim for Israel as that time, as it is stated: “I will conceal My face on that day because of all the evil that they did…” (Deuteronomy 31:18). But from that moment I hoped for Him,¹⁷A reference to the verse quoted above “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope for Him” (Isaiah 8:17). as it is written: “As it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants” (Deuteronomy 31:21). What did you [Aḥaz] accomplish? “Behold, I [Isaiah] and the children whom the Lord gave me are to become signs and wonders in Israel” (Isaiah 8:18). Were they his children? Surely, they were nothing but his students! Rather, from here [we learn] that a person’s student is called his son. Once everyone saw that he seized the synagogues and study halls, they began screaming: Woe [vai]: “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥaz.”
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Yehoyakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month” (Jeremiah 1:3). What was the trouble there? “I saw the land, and behold, it is emptiness and disorder; the heavens, and their light is not” (Jeremiah 4:23). [This is comparable] to a king who sent letters from province to province and in each and every province that his letters reached, they would embrace and kiss them, standing on their feet, baring their heads and reading them with reverence, fear, quaking, and trembling. When they reached the king’s province, they read them, ripped them, and burned them. That is what is written: “It was, as Yehudi would read three columns or four,” (Jeremiah 36:23) – three or four verses. When they reached the fifth verse: “Its besiegers are ascendant” (Lamentations 1:5), immediately: “He would cut it with a scribe’s razor and cast it into the fire that was in the fireplace” (Jeremiah 36:23). Once everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Yehoyakim.”
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Aḥashverosh; that Aḥashverosh who reigned from India to Kush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces” (Esther 1:1). What was the trouble there? It was “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). [This is comparable] to a king who entered a vineyard and encountered three enemies: The first began picking unripe grapes, the second began trimming the clusters, and the third began uprooting vines. So too, wicked Pharaoh began picking unripe grapes; that is what is written: “Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying: Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile…” (Exodus 1:22).
Nebuchadnezzar, may his bones be crushed, began trimming the clusters; that is what is written: “He exiled Yehoyakhin…and the artisans and the smiths, one thousand” (II Kings 24:14). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Yehuda said: One thousand artisans and one thousand smiths; the Rabbis said: One thousand artisans and smiths. Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon said: These are the Torah scholars. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzḥak said: These are the notables.
Haman the wicked, may he be crushed and wiped out, began uprooting the vines; that is what is written: “To destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). He sought to undermine the foundation of Israel, he wanted to devastate the whole house [of Israel]. Once everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh.”
Shimon bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Yonatan said: Everywhere that vayhi is stated it refers to trouble or to joy; if it is to trouble, it is unparalleled trouble, if it is to joy, it is unparalleled joy. Rabban Shmuel bar Naḥman came and suggested a different distinction: Everywhere that it says vayhi (it was), it refers to trouble, everywhere that it says vehaya (it will be), joy.
They objected: Is it not written: “God said: Let there be light, and there was [vayhi] light”? He said to them: Even that is not joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon said: By the light that was created on the first day, a person could look out and see from one end of the world to the other end. When the Holy One, blessed be He, perceived that the generation of Enosh, the generation of the flood, and the generation of the dispersion (after the Tower of Babel) were destined to sin before Him, He arose and concealed it from them. That is what is written: “From the wicked was withheld their light” (Job 38:15). Where did He conceal it? In the Garden of Eden; that is what is written: “Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright” (Psalms 97:11).
They objected: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created on the first day is destined to wither; that is what is written: “As the heavens will be eroded like smoke and the earth will be tattered like a garment” (Isaiah 51:6).
They objected: It is written: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, a second day,” “…a third day,” through the sixth day. He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created during the six days of Creation requires action, as they were not completely made, e.g. wheat requires grinding, and mustard and lupines require sweetening.
They objected: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as that resulted in that bear¹⁸Potifar’s wife. confronting him.
They objected: “It was [vayhi] on the eighth day, Moses summoned Aaron and his sons” (Leviticus 9:1). He said to them: That, too, is not good, as on that day, Nadav and Avihu died and all of Israel lamented them, as it is stated: “Your brethren, the entire house of Israel, will lament the burning” (Leviticus 10:6).
They objected: “It was [vayhi] on the day that Moses completed assembling the Tabernacle” (Numbers 7:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it was put away when the eternal Temple was built.
They objected: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joshua” (Joshua 6:27). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as on that day Ya’ir, who was equivalent to the majority of Sanhedrin, was killed; that is what is written: “The men of Ai smote them, about thirty-six men” (Joshua 7:5). Thirty-six men is not written, but rather “like thirty-six;”¹⁹ The verse says: “The men of the Ai killed about thirty-six [ki-shloshim ve-shisha] men…” The prepositional ‘ki-’ can designate approximation, “about thirty-six” or comparison, “like thirty-six.” that is Ya’ir, who was equivalent to the majority of Sanhedrin [of 70 or 71 members]. What is written there? “Joshua rent his garments” (Joshua 7:6).
They objected: “David was [vayhi] successful in all his ways” (I Samuel 18:14). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it resulted in what is written: Saul felt enmity to David” (I Samuel 18:9).
They objected: “It was [vayhi] when David dwelled in his house” (I Chronicles 17:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as on that day, Natan the prophet came and said to him: “It will not be you who builds Me the House” (I Chronicles 17:4).
They said to him: We said ours, now you say yours. He said to them, it is written: “It will be [vehaya] on that day, the mountains will drip with nectar and the hills will flow with milk” (Joel 4:18). “It will be [vehaya] on that day that spring water will emerge from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:8). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, each man shall keep a calf of the herd and two sheep alive, and from the abundance of milk produced, he will eat butter, for everyone who remains in the midst of the land will eat butter and honey” (Isaiah 7:21-22). “The remnant of Jacob will be [vehaya] among the nations, in the midst of many peoples like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he passes, tramples and mauls, and there is no deliverer” (Micah 5:7). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, that a great shofar will be sounded, and the lost in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt will come and bow down to the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 27:13). “He will be [vehaya] like a tree planted near streams of water which yields fruit in season; its leaves shall not wither, and whatever he does will prosper” (Psalms 1:3).
They objected to him: “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28). He said to them: Even that is not trouble but joy, as on that day, Menaḥem²⁰The Messiah. was born and Israel made penance for its sins, as Rav and Shmuel say: Israel made great penance at the moment that the Temple was destroyed. That is what is written: “Your sin is completed, daughter of Zion” (Lamentations 4:22).

Rabbi Tanḥuma, Rabbi Berekhya, and Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great interpreted in the name of Rabbi Elazar: This midrash came up with us from the Exile. Everyplace that vayhi is stated, it means nothing but trouble. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman interpreted in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: This midrash came into our possession. Everyplace that vayhi bimei is stated, it means nothing but trouble.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: They are five:
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Amrafel king of Shinar, Ariokh, king of Elasar, Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goyim” (Genesis 14:1). What was the trouble there? “They waged war with Bera, king of Sodom…” (Genesis 14:2). [This is analogous] to the beloved of a king who resided in a province and, for his sake, the king attended to that province. When barbarians came and afflicted him [the beloved of the king], they [the other residents of the province] said: ‘Woe unto us that the king is not attending to the province the way that he once did.’ So too, Abraham our patriarch, the beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you” (Genesis 12:4). For his sake, the Holy One blessed be He attended to His entire world. That is what is written: “They returned and came to Ein Mishpat, which is Kadesh” (Genesis 14:7). They sought to afflict only the eye of the world [Abraham]. They sought to blind the eye that acts upon the attribute of justice in the world. ¹⁶ This probably means that Abraham is responsible for the suppression of the attribute of justice, the result of which is that God rules the world through the attribute of mercy. “Which is [hi] Kadesh” – Rabbi Aḥa said: Hu [i.e. he rather than she] is written. He [Abraham] sanctified [kiddesh] the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and he went into the fiery furnace. When everyone saw that all the kings came to afflict him, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the reign of Amrafel.”
“It was during the days [vayhi bimei] when the judges judged; there was a famine in the land and a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to stay in the field of Moab, he, his wife, and his two sons” (Ruth 1:1). What was the trouble there? “There was a famine in the land.” [This is comparable] to a province that owed a tax to the king, and the king sent a tax collector to collect it. What did the residents of the province do? They suspended him [on a pole] and struck him and extracted it [the money] from him. They said: Woe unto us when the king becomes aware of these matters; we did to the emissary of the king what he sought to do to us. So too, when one of the people of Israel would perform inappropriate actions, they would take him to the judge, and what the judge sought to do to the defendant, the defendant would do to the judge. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You humiliate your judges; by your lives, I will bring upon you a matter that you are unable to endure. What is that? It is famine, as it is stated: “It was during the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1).
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Aḥaz son of Yotam, son of Uziyahu, king of Judah; Retzin, king of Aram and Pekaḥ, son of Remalyahu, king of Israel, went to war against Jerusalem, but he was unable to make war against it” (Isaiah 7:1). What was the trouble there? It was as it is written: “Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west” (Isaiah 9:11). [This is comparable] to a king who handed his son over to a tutor, and his tutor hated him. He said: If I kill him, I will be condemned to death by the king; instead, I will withhold his nurse from him, and he will die on his own. So too, Aḥaz said: If there are no kids, there are no goats, and if there are no goats there is no flock, and if there is no flock there is no shepherd, and if there is no shepherd, the world cannot exist. So Aḥaz thought and said: If there are no children, there are no adults, and if there are no adults there are no students, if there are no students there are no scholars, if there are no scholars there are no elders, if there are no elders there is no Torah, if there is no Torah there are no synagogues and study halls, if there are no synagogues and study halls, the Holy One, blessed be He, will not rest His Divine Presence in the world. What did he do? He arose and locked all the synagogues and study halls, so that no one would engage in Torah study. That is what is written: “Bind the testimony, seal the Torah in my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16).
Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Why was he named Aḥaz? It is because he seized [aḥaz] the synagogues and study halls. Rabbi Yaakov bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Aḥa derived it from this verse, as it is written: “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope for Him” (Isaiah 8:17). There was no time that was as grim for Israel as that time, as it is stated: “I will conceal My face on that day because of all the evil that they did…” (Deuteronomy 31:18). But from that moment I hoped for Him,¹⁷A reference to the verse quoted above “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope for Him” (Isaiah 8:17). as it is written: “As it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants” (Deuteronomy 31:21). What did you [Aḥaz] accomplish? “Behold, I [Isaiah] and the children whom the Lord gave me are to become signs and wonders in Israel” (Isaiah 8:18). Were they his children? Surely, they were nothing but his students! Rather, from here [we learn] that a person’s student is called his son. Once everyone saw that he seized the synagogues and study halls, they began screaming: Woe [vai]: “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥaz.”
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Yehoyakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month” (Jeremiah 1:3). What was the trouble there? “I saw the land, and behold, it is emptiness and disorder; the heavens, and their light is not” (Jeremiah 4:23). [This is comparable] to a king who sent letters from province to province and in each and every province that his letters reached, they would embrace and kiss them, standing on their feet, baring their heads and reading them with reverence, fear, quaking, and trembling. When they reached the king’s province, they read them, ripped them, and burned them. That is what is written: “It was, as Yehudi would read three columns or four,” (Jeremiah 36:23) – three or four verses. When they reached the fifth verse: “Its besiegers are ascendant” (Lamentations 1:5), immediately: “He would cut it with a scribe’s razor and cast it into the fire that was in the fireplace” (Jeremiah 36:23). Once everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Yehoyakim.”
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Aḥashverosh; that Aḥashverosh who reigned from India to Kush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces” (Esther 1:1). What was the trouble there? It was “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). [This is comparable] to a king who entered a vineyard and encountered three enemies: The first began picking unripe grapes, the second began trimming the clusters, and the third began uprooting vines. So too, wicked Pharaoh began picking unripe grapes; that is what is written: “Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying: Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile…” (Exodus 1:22).
Nebuchadnezzar, may his bones be crushed, began trimming the clusters; that is what is written: “He exiled Yehoyakhin…and the artisans and the smiths, one thousand” (II Kings 24:14). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Yehuda said: One thousand artisans and one thousand smiths; the Rabbis said: One thousand artisans and smiths. Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon said: These are the Torah scholars. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzḥak said: These are the notables.
Haman the wicked, may he be crushed and wiped out, began uprooting the vines; that is what is written: “To destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). He sought to undermine the foundation of Israel, he wanted to devastate the whole house [of Israel]. Once everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh.”
Shimon bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Yonatan said: Everywhere that vayhi is stated it refers to trouble or to joy; if it is to trouble, it is unparalleled trouble, if it is to joy, it is unparalleled joy. Rabban Shmuel bar Naḥman came and suggested a different distinction: Everywhere that it says vayhi (it was), it refers to trouble, everywhere that it says vehaya (it will be), joy.
They objected: Is it not written: “God said: Let there be light, and there was [vayhi] light”? He said to them: Even that is not joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon said: By the light that was created on the first day, a person could look out and see from one end of the world to the other end. When the Holy One, blessed be He, perceived that the generation of Enosh, the generation of the flood, and the generation of the dispersion (after the Tower of Babel) were destined to sin before Him, He arose and concealed it from them. That is what is written: “From the wicked was withheld their light” (Job 38:15). Where did He conceal it? In the Garden of Eden; that is what is written: “Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright” (Psalms 97:11).
They objected: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created on the first day is destined to wither; that is what is written: “As the heavens will be eroded like smoke and the earth will be tattered like a garment” (Isaiah 51:6).
They objected: It is written: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, a second day,” “…a third day,” through the sixth day. He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created during the six days of Creation requires action, as they were not completely made, e.g. wheat requires grinding, and mustard and lupines require sweetening.
They objected: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as that resulted in that bear¹⁸Potifar’s wife. confronting him.
They objected: “It was [vayhi] on the eighth day, Moses summoned Aaron and his sons” (Leviticus 9:1). He said to them: That, too, is not good, as on that day, Nadav and Avihu died and all of Israel lamented them, as it is stated: “Your brethren, the entire house of Israel, will lament the burning” (Leviticus 10:6).
They objected: “It was [vayhi] on the day that Moses completed assembling the Tabernacle” (Numbers 7:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it was put away when the eternal Temple was built.
They objected: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joshua” (Joshua 6:27). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as on that day Ya’ir, who was equivalent to the majority of Sanhedrin, was killed; that is what is written: “The men of Ai smote them, about thirty-six men” (Joshua 7:5). Thirty-six men is not written, but rather “like thirty-six;”¹⁹ The verse says: “The men of the Ai killed about thirty-six [ki-shloshim ve-shisha] men…” The prepositional ‘ki-’ can designate approximation, “about thirty-six” or comparison, “like thirty-six.” that is Ya’ir, who was equivalent to the majority of Sanhedrin [of 70 or 71 members]. What is written there? “Joshua rent his garments” (Joshua 7:6).
They objected: “David was [vayhi] successful in all his ways” (I Samuel 18:14). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it resulted in what is written: Saul felt enmity to David” (I Samuel 18:9).
They objected: “It was [vayhi] when David dwelled in his house” (I Chronicles 17:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as on that day, Natan the prophet came and said to him: “It will not be you who builds Me the House” (I Chronicles 17:4).
They said to him: We said ours, now you say yours. He said to them, it is written: “It will be [vehaya] on that day, the mountains will drip with nectar and the hills will flow with milk” (Joel 4:18). “It will be [vehaya] on that day that spring water will emerge from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:8). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, each man shall keep a calf of the herd and two sheep alive, and from the abundance of milk produced, he will eat butter, for everyone who remains in the midst of the land will eat butter and honey” (Isaiah 7:21-22). “The remnant of Jacob will be [vehaya] among the nations, in the midst of many peoples like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he passes, tramples and mauls, and there is no deliverer” (Micah 5:7). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, that a great shofar will be sounded, and the lost in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt will come and bow down to the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 27:13). “He will be [vehaya] like a tree planted near streams of water which yields fruit in season; its leaves shall not wither, and whatever he does will prosper” (Psalms 1:3).
They objected to him: “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28). He said to them: Even that is not trouble but joy, as on that day, Menaḥem²⁰The Messiah. was born and Israel made penance for its sins, as Rav and Shmuel say: Israel made great penance at the moment that the Temple was destroyed. That is what is written: “Your sin is completed, daughter of Zion” (Lamentations 4:22).

Rabbi Tanḥuma, Rabbi Berekhya, and Rabbi Ḥiyya the Great interpreted in the name of Rabbi Elazar: This midrash came up with us from the Exile. Everyplace that vayhi is stated, it means nothing but trouble. Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman interpreted in the name of Rabbi Yonatan: This midrash came into our possession. Everyplace that vayhi bimei is stated, it means nothing but trouble.
Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: They are five:
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Amrafel king of Shinar, Ariokh, king of Elasar, Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, and Tidal, king of Goyim” (Genesis 14:1). What was the trouble there? “They waged war with Bera, king of Sodom…” (Genesis 14:2). [This is analogous] to the beloved of a king who resided in a province and, for his sake, the king attended to that province. When barbarians came and afflicted him [the beloved of the king], they [the other residents of the province] said: ‘Woe unto us that the king is not attending to the province the way that he once did.’ So too, Abraham our patriarch, the beloved of the Holy One, blessed be He, “all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you” (Genesis 12:4). For his sake, the Holy One blessed be He attended to His entire world. That is what is written: “They returned and came to Ein Mishpat, which is Kadesh” (Genesis 14:7). They sought to afflict only the eye of the world [Abraham]. They sought to blind the eye that acts upon the attribute of justice in the world. ¹⁶ This probably means that Abraham is responsible for the suppression of the attribute of justice, the result of which is that God rules the world through the attribute of mercy. “Which is [hi] Kadesh” – Rabbi Aḥa said: Hu [i.e. he rather than she] is written. He [Abraham] sanctified [kiddesh] the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, and he went into the fiery furnace. When everyone saw that all the kings came to afflict him, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the reign of Amrafel.”
“It was during the days [vayhi bimei] when the judges judged; there was a famine in the land and a man from Bethlehem in Judah went to stay in the field of Moab, he, his wife, and his two sons” (Ruth 1:1). What was the trouble there? “There was a famine in the land.” [This is comparable] to a province that owed a tax to the king, and the king sent a tax collector to collect it. What did the residents of the province do? They suspended him [on a pole] and struck him and extracted it [the money] from him. They said: Woe unto us when the king becomes aware of these matters; we did to the emissary of the king what he sought to do to us. So too, when one of the people of Israel would perform inappropriate actions, they would take him to the judge, and what the judge sought to do to the defendant, the defendant would do to the judge. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: You humiliate your judges; by your lives, I will bring upon you a matter that you are unable to endure. What is that? It is famine, as it is stated: “It was during the days when the judges judged, there was a famine in the land” (Ruth 1:1).
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Aḥaz son of Yotam, son of Uziyahu, king of Judah; Retzin, king of Aram and Pekaḥ, son of Remalyahu, king of Israel, went to war against Jerusalem, but he was unable to make war against it” (Isaiah 7:1). What was the trouble there? It was as it is written: “Aram from the east and the Philistines from the west” (Isaiah 9:11). [This is comparable] to a king who handed his son over to a tutor, and his tutor hated him. He said: If I kill him, I will be condemned to death by the king; instead, I will withhold his nurse from him, and he will die on his own. So too, Aḥaz said: If there are no kids, there are no goats, and if there are no goats there is no flock, and if there is no flock there is no shepherd, and if there is no shepherd, the world cannot exist. So Aḥaz thought and said: If there are no children, there are no adults, and if there are no adults there are no students, if there are no students there are no scholars, if there are no scholars there are no elders, if there are no elders there is no Torah, if there is no Torah there are no synagogues and study halls, if there are no synagogues and study halls, the Holy One, blessed be He, will not rest His Divine Presence in the world. What did he do? He arose and locked all the synagogues and study halls, so that no one would engage in Torah study. That is what is written: “Bind the testimony, seal the Torah in my disciples” (Isaiah 8:16).
Rav Huna said in the name of Rabbi Elazar: Why was he named Aḥaz? It is because he seized [aḥaz] the synagogues and study halls. Rabbi Yaakov bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Aḥa derived it from this verse, as it is written: “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope for Him” (Isaiah 8:17). There was no time that was as grim for Israel as that time, as it is stated: “I will conceal My face on that day because of all the evil that they did…” (Deuteronomy 31:18). But from that moment I hoped for Him,¹⁷A reference to the verse quoted above “I will wait for the Lord, who conceals His face from the house of Jacob, and I will hope for Him” (Isaiah 8:17). as it is written: “As it will not be forgotten from the mouths of their descendants” (Deuteronomy 31:21). What did you [Aḥaz] accomplish? “Behold, I [Isaiah] and the children whom the Lord gave me are to become signs and wonders in Israel” (Isaiah 8:18). Were they his children? Surely, they were nothing but his students! Rather, from here [we learn] that a person’s student is called his son. Once everyone saw that he seized the synagogues and study halls, they began screaming: Woe [vai]: “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥaz.”
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Yehoyakim, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the end of the eleventh year of Zedekiah, son of Josiah, king of Judah, until the exile of Jerusalem in the fifth month” (Jeremiah 1:3). What was the trouble there? “I saw the land, and behold, it is emptiness and disorder; the heavens, and their light is not” (Jeremiah 4:23). [This is comparable] to a king who sent letters from province to province and in each and every province that his letters reached, they would embrace and kiss them, standing on their feet, baring their heads and reading them with reverence, fear, quaking, and trembling. When they reached the king’s province, they read them, ripped them, and burned them. That is what is written: “It was, as Yehudi would read three columns or four,” (Jeremiah 36:23) – three or four verses. When they reached the fifth verse: “Its besiegers are ascendant” (Lamentations 1:5), immediately: “He would cut it with a scribe’s razor and cast it into the fire that was in the fireplace” (Jeremiah 36:23). Once everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Yehoyakim.”
“It was during the days of [vayhi bimei] Aḥashverosh; that Aḥashverosh who reigned from India to Kush, one hundred and twenty-seven provinces” (Esther 1:1). What was the trouble there? It was “to destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). [This is comparable] to a king who entered a vineyard and encountered three enemies: The first began picking unripe grapes, the second began trimming the clusters, and the third began uprooting vines. So too, wicked Pharaoh began picking unripe grapes; that is what is written: “Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying: Every son who is born you shall cast into the Nile…” (Exodus 1:22).
Nebuchadnezzar, may his bones be crushed, began trimming the clusters; that is what is written: “He exiled Yehoyakhin…and the artisans and the smiths, one thousand” (II Kings 24:14). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Yehuda said: One thousand artisans and one thousand smiths; the Rabbis said: One thousand artisans and smiths. Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon said: These are the Torah scholars. Rabbi Shmuel bar Rabbi Yitzḥak said: These are the notables.
Haman the wicked, may he be crushed and wiped out, began uprooting the vines; that is what is written: “To destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13). He sought to undermine the foundation of Israel, he wanted to devastate the whole house [of Israel]. Once everyone saw that it was so, they began screaming: ‘Woe [vai];’ “it was [vayhi] during the days of Aḥashverosh.”
Shimon bar Abba in the name of Rabbi Yonatan said: Everywhere that vayhi is stated it refers to trouble or to joy; if it is to trouble, it is unparalleled trouble, if it is to joy, it is unparalleled joy. Rabban Shmuel bar Naḥman came and suggested a different distinction: Everywhere that it says vayhi (it was), it refers to trouble, everywhere that it says vehaya (it will be), joy.
They objected: Is it not written: “God said: Let there be light, and there was [vayhi] light”? He said to them: Even that is not joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. Rabbi Yuda son of Rabbi Simon said: By the light that was created on the first day, a person could look out and see from one end of the world to the other end. When the Holy One, blessed be He, perceived that the generation of Enosh, the generation of the flood, and the generation of the dispersion (after the Tower of Babel) were destined to sin before Him, He arose and concealed it from them. That is what is written: “From the wicked was withheld their light” (Job 38:15). Where did He conceal it? In the Garden of Eden; that is what is written: “Light is sown for the righteous and joy for the upright” (Psalms 97:11).
They objected: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, one day” (Genesis 1:5). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created on the first day is destined to wither; that is what is written: “As the heavens will be eroded like smoke and the earth will be tattered like a garment” (Isaiah 51:6).
They objected: It is written: “It was [vayhi] evening and it was morning, a second day,” “…a third day,” through the sixth day. He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as everything that was created during the six days of Creation requires action, as they were not completely made, e.g. wheat requires grinding, and mustard and lupines require sweetening.
They objected: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joseph” (Genesis 39:2). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as that resulted in that bear¹⁸Potifar’s wife. confronting him.
They objected: “It was [vayhi] on the eighth day, Moses summoned Aaron and his sons” (Leviticus 9:1). He said to them: That, too, is not good, as on that day, Nadav and Avihu died and all of Israel lamented them, as it is stated: “Your brethren, the entire house of Israel, will lament the burning” (Leviticus 10:6).
They objected: “It was [vayhi] on the day that Moses completed assembling the Tabernacle” (Numbers 7:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it was put away when the eternal Temple was built.
They objected: “The Lord was [vayhi] with Joshua” (Joshua 6:27). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as on that day Ya’ir, who was equivalent to the majority of Sanhedrin, was killed; that is what is written: “The men of Ai smote them, about thirty-six men” (Joshua 7:5). Thirty-six men is not written, but rather “like thirty-six;”¹⁹ The verse says: “The men of the Ai killed about thirty-six [ki-shloshim ve-shisha] men…” The prepositional ‘ki-’ can designate approximation, “about thirty-six” or comparison, “like thirty-six.” that is Ya’ir, who was equivalent to the majority of Sanhedrin [of 70 or 71 members]. What is written there? “Joshua rent his garments” (Joshua 7:6).
They objected: “David was [vayhi] successful in all his ways” (I Samuel 18:14). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as it resulted in what is written: Saul felt enmity to David” (I Samuel 18:9).
They objected: “It was [vayhi] when David dwelled in his house” (I Chronicles 17:1). He said to them: That, too, is not joy, as on that day, Natan the prophet came and said to him: “It will not be you who builds Me the House” (I Chronicles 17:4).
They said to him: We said ours, now you say yours. He said to them, it is written: “It will be [vehaya] on that day, the mountains will drip with nectar and the hills will flow with milk” (Joel 4:18). “It will be [vehaya] on that day that spring water will emerge from Jerusalem” (Zechariah 14:8). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, each man shall keep a calf of the herd and two sheep alive, and from the abundance of milk produced, he will eat butter, for everyone who remains in the midst of the land will eat butter and honey” (Isaiah 7:21-22). “The remnant of Jacob will be [vehaya] among the nations, in the midst of many peoples like a lion among the beasts of the forest, like a young lion among the flocks of sheep: who, if he passes, tramples and mauls, and there is no deliverer” (Micah 5:7). “It will be [vehaya] on that day, that a great shofar will be sounded, and the lost in the land of Assyria and the outcasts in the land of Egypt will come and bow down to the Lord on the holy mountain in Jerusalem.” (Isaiah 27:13). “He will be [vehaya] like a tree planted near streams of water which yields fruit in season; its leaves shall not wither, and whatever he does will prosper” (Psalms 1:3).
They objected to him: “And it was [vehaya] when Jerusalem was captured” (Jeremiah 38:28). He said to them: Even that is not trouble but joy, as on that day, Menaḥem²⁰The Messiah. was born and Israel made penance for its sins, as Rav and Shmuel say: Israel made great penance at the moment that the Temple was destroyed. That is what is written: “Your sin is completed, daughter of Zion” (Lamentations 4:22).

“A locked garden is my sister, my bride; a locked fountainhead, a sealed spring. Your branches are an orchard of pomegranates, with delicious fruit, henna with nard” (Song of Songs 4:12–13).
“A locked garden is my sister, my bride” – Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi: [This is analogous] to a king who had two daughters, one older and one younger, and he did not devote attention to arranging their marriages. The king left them for many years and went overseas. The girls arose and asserted themselves and married themselves to men. Each of them would take her husband’s seal and his signet. Years later, the king returned from overseas and he heard the voices of the people slandering his daughters and saying that the king’s daughters had engaged in licentiousness. What did he do? He issued a proclamation and said: The entire people shall go out to the assembly hall. He came and sat in the vestibule. He said to them: ‘My daughters, is this what you have done; have you tainted yourselves?’ Immediately, each of them produced her husband’s seal and his signet. He called his son-in-law and said to him: ‘To whom are you a bridegroom?’ He said to him: ‘I am your first son-in-law, [married] to your older daughter.’ He said to him: ‘What is this?’ He said to him: ‘This is my seal and this is my signet,’ and likewise [occurred with] the second [son-in-law].
At that moment, the king said: My daughters are sheltered from immorality and you slander and demean them? By your lives, I will administer justice against you. So it is with the nations, because they would taunt Israel and say: “Egypt enslaved the children of Israel [with harshness]” (Exodus 1:13); if they compelled them to perform labor, all the more so [they must have dominated] their bodies and their wives. At that moment, the Holy One blessed be He said: My sister, My bride, a locked garden. What is a locked garden? The Holy One blessed be He said: My garden is locked and it is being condemned?¹³³This is a metaphor meaning: The women of Israel have not had relations with anyone other than their husbands, and yet they are being maligned? Rabbi Pinḥas said: At that moment the Holy One blessed be He called the angel appointed over pregnancy and said: Go and shape [the children] with all the features of their fathers. Who did the fathers themselves resemble? The paterfamilias of the families. That is what is written regarding Reuben: “The families of the Reubenites [haReuveni]” (Numbers 26:7). Rabbi Hoshaya said: Reuben, Reubenite [haReuveni], Simeon, Simeonite [haShimoni].¹³⁴See Numbers 26:14. The members of the tribes are referred to in this way in order to imply that they looked like Reuben and Simeon. This was proof that they were actually the descendants of their fathers. Rabbi Marinos ben Rabbi Hoshaya said: Like you say: Baronite, Savronite, Sivoyite.¹³⁵These were names common at the time of the writing of the midrash. Just as Baronite means a member of the Baron family, the same is true of Reubenite. Alternatively, Rabbi Marinos is disputing Rabbi Hoshaya’s point and saying that just as members of any family can be referred to in this manner, the term Reubenite does not mean anything special (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Huna in the name of Rabbi Idi: Heh at the beginning of the word and yod at the end; God [yod-heh] attests for them that they were indeed the sons of their fathers.
Rabbi Pinḥas said: “A locked garden” – these are the virgins. “A locked fountainhead” – these are the non-virgins.¹³⁶Although there is an opening – gal means door in Aramaic – it remains locked before men other than her husband. “A sealed spring” – these are the males.¹³⁷They did not engage in illicit sexual activity. It was taught in the name of Rabbi Natan: “A locked garden, a locked fountainhead” – why was it [written] twice? Rather, it connotes two acts of intercourse for the woman; one in the typical manner and one in the atypical manner.¹³⁸Vaginal intercourse and anal intercourse.
Rabbi Huna said in the name of bar Kappara: By virtue of four matters, Israel was redeemed from Egypt: That they did not change their name, they did not change their language, they did not speak slander, and not one of them was steeped in licentiousness. They did not change their name: Reuben and Simeon descended [to Egypt]; Reuben and Simeon ascended. They did not call Reuben Rufus, they did not call Simeon Luleyani, Joseph, Listis, or Benjamin, Alexandra.
They did not change their language. There, it is written: “The survivor came and told Abram the Hebrew” (Genesis 14:13), and here it is written: “The God of the Hebrews has called upon us” (Exodus 5:3), and it is written: “That it is my mouth speaking to you” (Genesis 45:12), in the sacred tongue.
They did not speak slander, as it is stated: “Speak now in the ears of the people, and let them ask each man from his neighbor” (Exodus 11:2). You find that this matter had been entrusted to them for twelve months, and not one of them was found to have informed on his counterpart.¹³⁹The Israelites knew twelve months before the Exodus that they would ask to borrow goods from the Egyptians and that they would then leave Egypt never to return. Nonetheless, none of them told the Egyptians about this plan.
Not one of them was steeped in licentiousness, as it is stated: “The son of an Israelite woman, [whose father was an Egyptian.…] the son of the Israelite woman blasphemed” (Leviticus 24:10–11), to apprise in praise of Israel that not one of them was found except for this one, and the verse publicized her.¹⁴⁰The verse specifies that this woman had conceived from an Egyptian man in order to emphasize that she was the exception; no other Israelite women had intercourse with Egyptian men.
Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Sarah descended to Egypt¹⁴¹See Genesis 12:10–20. and sheltered herself from licentiousness, and all the [Israelite] women were sheltered by her merit. Joseph descended to Egypt and sheltered himself from licentiousness, and all the males were sheltered by his merit.
Rabbi Pinḥas in the name of Rabbi Ḥiyya: The sheltering from licentiousness was itself sufficient that by its merit Israel would have been redeemed from Egypt. What is the reason? “A locked garden is my sister, my bride.” What is written thereafter? “Your branches [shelaḥayikh]¹⁴²They merited to be sent [lehishalaḥ] from Egypt. are an orchard of pomegranates.”
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: [This is analogous] to one to whom an inheritance fell at the site of a garbage dump. The heir was indolent and he sold it at a minimal price. The purchaser went and industriously excavated there and found a treasure. He built a large palace. The purchaser began walking in the marketplace with servants following him [all due] to the treasure that he had purchased there. The seller saw and was sorrowful, saying: Woe is me over what I lost. So too, when Israel was in Egypt, they were enslaved in mortar and bricks and they were contemptible in the eyes of the Egyptians. When they saw their flags encamped at the sea in the array of a royal army, the Egyptians became sorrowful, saying: Woe are we, what did we send from our land? This is as it is stated: “It was [vayhi] when Pharaoh sent (Exodus 13:17).¹⁴³Pharaoh shouted woe [vay] is me.
Rabbi Yonatan said: [This is analogous] to one who had a field capable of producing a kor, and he went and sold it at a minimal price. The purchaser went and excavated springs and planted gardens and orchards there. The seller saw and was sorrowful, saying: Woe is me over what I lost. So too, when Israel was in Egypt, they were enslaved in mortar and bricks and they were contemptible in the eyes of the Egyptians. When they saw their flags encamped at the sea in the array of a royal army, the Egyptians became sorrowful, saying: Woe are we, what did we send from our land? This is as it is stated: “It was [vayhi] when Pharaoh sent” (Exodus 13:17).
Rabbi Yosei said: [This is analogous] to one who had chopped-down cedars, and he sold it at a minimal price. The purchaser went and crafted from them trunks, closets, chests, and wagons. The seller saw and was sorrowful, saying: Woe is me over what I lost. So too, when Israel was in Egypt, they were enslaved in mortar and bricks and they were contemptible in the eyes of the Egyptians. When they saw their flags encamped at the sea in the array of a royal army, the Egyptians became sorrowful, saying: Woe are we, what did we send from our land? This is as it is stated: “It was [vayhi] when Pharaoh sent” (Exodus 13:17).

(Prov. 6:20:) MY CHILD, KEEP YOUR FATHER's {TORAH} [COMMANDMENTS], <AND DO NOT FORSAKE THE TORAH OF YOUR MOTHER>. Our earliest ancestors separated out terumot²⁹I.e., the priestly tithes on produce, sometimes called “heave offerings.” and tithes.³⁰Tanh., Deut. 4:14, cont.; PRK 10:6; see PR 25:3, cont. Abraham separated out a great terumah, as stated (in Gen. 14:22): <THEN ABRAM SAID UNTO THE KING OF SODOM:> I HAVE LIFTED UP MY HAND UNTO THE LORD, GOD MOST HIGH. A lifting up is nothing but a terumah (rt.: RWM), since it is stated (in Numb. 18:26): <NOW YOU SHALL SPEAK UNTO THE LEVITES AND SAY UNTO THEM: WHEN YOU RECEIVE TITHES FROM THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, THE TITHE THAT I HAVE GIVEN YOU AS YOUR PORTION,> YOU SHALL LIFT (rt.: RWM) OUT OF IT A TERUMAH OF THE LORD, <A TITHE FROM THE TITHE>. Isaac separated out a second tithe, as stated (in Gen. 26:12): SO ISAAC SOWED ON THAT LAND AND REAPED IN THAT YEAR A HUNDREDFOLD, <FOR THE LORD HAD BLESSED HIM>. R. Abba bar Kahana said: Is it not true that a blessing does not rest on what is measured, on what is weighed, or on what is counted? So why did he measure them? In order to tithe them. This is what is written (ibid.): FOR THE LORD HAD BLESSED HIM.³¹See Deut. 14:24, which mentions a blessing in the context of the second tithe; therefore, the blessing of Gen. 26:12 must have been the result of Isaac’s second tithe. Jacob separated out a first tithe, as stated (in Gen. 28:22): AND OF ALL THAT YOU GIVE ME, I WILL SURELY SET ASIDE A TITHE FOR YOU.

Another interpretation (of Prov. 3:35): THE WISE SHALL INHERIT GLORY. This refers to Abraham. BUT FOOLS TAKE UP SHAME. This refers to the kings whom he smote (in Gen. 14:15). THE WISE SHALL INHERIT GLORY. This refers to Isaac. BUT FOOLS TAKE UP SHAME. These are the people of Gerar. THE WISE SHALL INHERIT GLORY. This refers to Jacob. BUT FOOLS TAKE UP SHAME. This refers to Esau and his chiefs. THE WISE SHALL INHERIT GLORY. This refers to Joshua. BUT FOOLS TAKE UP SHAME. These are the thirty-one kings whom he smote (according to Josh. 12:24). THE WISE SHALL INHERIT GLORY. This refers to David. BUT FOOLS TAKE UP SHAME. This refers to Goliath. THE WISE SHALL INHERIT GLORY. This refers to Eli. BUT FOOLS TAKE UP SHAME. These are his sons, of whom it is stated (in I Sam. 2:12): NOW ELI'S SONS WERE SCOUNDRELS. THE WISE SHALL INHERIT GLORY. These are the sons of Aaron, of whom it is stated (in Lev. 8:2): TAKE AARON AND HIS SONS…. Why is TAKE mentioned here? The Holy One said to Moses: I am duty-bound to taking. You are to arise and magnify him through taking. And when did he take Aaron? When (in Numb. 17:11 [16:46]) WRATH HAS GONE FORTH upon those who hate Israel. Moses said to him (at the beginning of the verse): TAKE THE FIRE PAN, AND PUT FIRE < FROM THE ALTAR > ON IT. Aaron said to him: My Lord Moses, do you wish to kill me? Because my sons offered profane⁴¹Hedyotut, from the Gk.: idioteia, i.e., “uncouthness.” fire to the Holy One, they were destroyed by fire, [as stated (in Lev. 10:1–2): < NOW AARON'S SONS, NADAB AND ABIHU EACH TOOK HIS FIRE PAN…; > AND THEY OFFERED ALIEN FIRE BEFORE THE LORD…. SO FIRE CAME FORTH FROM BEFORE THE LORD AND CONSUMED THEM.] Now you are saying: TAKE THE FIRE PAN! My sons brought in strange fire and were destroyed by fire. So should I bring forth holy fire outside? Then I would die or be destroyed by fire. Moses said to him: Go and act quickly; for as you are talking, they are dying. Rather (according to Numb. 17:11 [16:46], cont.) TAKE IT QUICKLY UNTO THE CONGREGATION AND MAKE ATONEMENT FOR THEM. When Aaron heard that, he said: If I die for Israel, am I not adequate? Immediately (in Numb. 17:12 [16:47]) AARON TOOK IT AS MOSES HAD SAID. Therefore, the Holy One said to Moses (in Lev. 8:2:) TAKE AARON. He magnified him through taking. Just as Aaron is going to save his children by taking, so you are to magnify him through taking. Ergo (in Lev. 8:2:) TAKE AARON.

Prior to the verse After these things scripture states: And Abraham heard that his brother was taken captive (Gen. 14:14). Was Lot actually Abraham’s brother? No, indeed! This statement is simply proof of Abraham’s humility. Though Abraham and Lot had quarreled, as it is written: And there was a strife between the herdsmen of Abraham’s cattle and the herdsmen of Lot’s cattle (ibid. 13:7), he called him brother nevertheless, as it is said: For we are brethren (ibid., v. 8). And he led forth (va-yarek) his trained men (Gen. 14:14). This verse indicates that he covered his men with silver and gold. Then he said to them: “Know that we are about to do battle; do not covet their silver and gold, for all this will be yours.” Va-yarek is employed in Scripture only in reference to gold, as it is said: The wings of a dove are all covered with silver, and her pinions with the shimmer of gold (yerakrak) (Ps. 68:14).

Another explanation of the word va-yarek: This indicates that he thinned out (herikan) their numbers by saying to them: What man is there that is fearful and fainthearted? (Deut. 20:8). That is, whosoever is fearful because of his sins and weak (ve-rakh) of heart (fainthearted) on account of his evil deeds, let him return home, lest his heart melt away (ibid.). With this statement, he thinned out their ranks one by one until only Eliezer remained. Whence do we know this? We know it from the numeral value of the letters of Eliezer’s name. The alef is one, the lamed, thirty, the yod, ten, the ayin seventy, the zayin, seven, and the resh, two hundred, totaling three hundred and eighteen in all (and Scripture states that He led forth … three hundred and eighteen) (Gen. 14:14). And yet that is followed by the singular form he pursued, rather than the plural “they pursued” (implying only one).

Until Dan: When the righteous Abraham reached Dan his strength began to fail him, because he foresaw that his descendants would one day worship idols at Dan, as it is said: And he put one in Beth-El and one in Dan (I Kings 12:29). Our sages inform us that two things result in harm before and after they are undertaken. They are idolatry and planting. One who plants on the eve of the Sabbatical year and at the expiration of the Sabbatical year is guilty.²¹The land must lie fallow during the Sabbatical year, the seventh year. Similarly, idolatry smites both before and after it is practiced. Whence do we know this? Though Jeroboam had not yet erected the golden calf and had not placed it in (the territory of) Dan, Scripture says: And he smote them and pursued them unto Hobah (Gen. 14:15). No matter how carefully we examine Scripture, we are unable to find any place referred to as Hobah. This fact informs us that the territory of Dan was known as Hobah from the very beginning of time because of the golden calf that was to be erected there.

When the king of Sodom was about to depart, he said to Abraham: “Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself (Gen. 14:21). You restored my life when you saved me from the fate of the other kings. If they had slain me, they would have taken both my life and my property; therefore, since you saved my life, take my possessions.” Thereupon Abraham made a vow, saying: I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord (ibid., v. 22). The words lifted up are employed only in reference to a vow, as it is said: And he lifted up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and vowed by Him that liveth forever (Dan. 12:17). I will not take a thread nor a shoe-latchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldst say: I have made Abraham rich (Gen. 14:22). Why did he say that? Abraham said: “The Holy One, blessed be He, has already assured me that He would make me wealthy when He promised: And I will bless thee and make thy name great, and be thou a blessing (ibid. 12:2). If I take something from you, will you not say, ‘I have made Abraham rich’?”

When the king of Sodom was about to depart, he said to Abraham: “Give me the persons, and take the goods to thyself (Gen. 14:21). You restored my life when you saved me from the fate of the other kings. If they had slain me, they would have taken both my life and my property; therefore, since you saved my life, take my possessions.” Thereupon Abraham made a vow, saying: I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord (ibid., v. 22). The words lifted up are employed only in reference to a vow, as it is said: And he lifted up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and vowed by Him that liveth forever (Dan. 12:17). I will not take a thread nor a shoe-latchet nor aught that is thine, lest thou shouldst say: I have made Abraham rich (Gen. 14:22). Why did he say that? Abraham said: “The Holy One, blessed be He, has already assured me that He would make me wealthy when He promised: And I will bless thee and make thy name great, and be thou a blessing (ibid. 12:2). If I take something from you, will you not say, ‘I have made Abraham rich’?”

“For he emerged from prison to reign, as also to his kingdom he was born poor” (Ecclesiastes 4:14).
“For he emerged from prison [beit hasurim] to reign” – as it [the evil inclination] entangles people as though among thorns [seriata]. “As also to his kingdom he was born poor” – with the kingship of the good inclination comes the beginning of the impoverishment of the evil inclination.
Another matter: “Better is a poor…child” (Ecclesiastes 4:13) – this is Abraham; “than an old and foolish king” (Ecclesiastes 4:13) – this is Nimrod. What is: “To the Shaveh Valley” (Genesis 14:17)? As there they all agreed [hushvu] and chopped down the cedars, and constructed a large platform, and enthroned him³²Abraham above upon it; and they were lauding him and saying: “Hear us, my lord; you are a prince of God among us” (Genesis 23:6). “As also to his kingdom he was born poor” – with the kingship of Abraham comes the beginning of the impoverishment of Nimrod.
Another matter: “Better is a poor…child” (Ecclesiastes 4:13) – this is Joseph; “and wise” (Ecclesiastes 4:13) – as his wisdom sustained the entire world during the famine. “Than an old and foolish king” (Ecclesiastes 4:13) – this is Potifar. How many miracles did he see performed through [Joseph], but he was not admonished.³³He believed his wife’s false accusations against Joseph. “For he emerged from prison to reign” – from Pharaoh’s jail he emerged a king, as it is stated: “I am Pharaoh, and without you no one will lift [his hand or foot in the entire land of Egypt] ” (Genesis 41:44).

(Lev. 17:1 & 3:) THEN THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES, SAYING…. IF ANY SINGLE PERSON FROM THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL SLAUGHTERS AN OX, A LAMB, OR A GOAT IN THE CAMP. The Holy Spirit proclaims (in Mal. 1:11): FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN TO ITS SETTING [MY NAME SHALL BE GREAT AMONG THE GENTILES AND IN EVERY PLACE INCENSE IS OFFERED TO MY NAME, EVEN A PURE OBLATION].⁷²Tanh., Lev. 6:9. From the time that the sun rises until it sets, the praise⁷³Qillus. Cf. the Greek, kalos (“beautiful”). of the Holy One never ceases from its mouth, as stated (in Ps. 113:3): FROM THE RISING OF THE SUN TO ITS SETTING, THE NAME OF THE LORD IS PRAISED. And you find it so when Joshua waged war with Gibeon. What is written there (in Josh. 10:12)? THEN JOSHUA SPOKE TO THE LORD…: O SUN, BE QUIET (dom)⁷⁴Although dom can mean “stand still”, it commonly means, “be quiet” in the sense of “be silent.” It is this latter sense which the midrash is stressing here. AT GIBEON. < When > Joshua wanted to silence the sun, he did not say to it: "O Sun, stand still ('amod) at Gibeon," but BE QUIET (dom). Why did he say; BE QUIET? Because every hour that it is traveling, it is praising the Holy One; and as long as it praises < the Holy One >, it has the power to travel < its course >. Joshua therefore told it to be silent, as stated (ibid.): O SUN, BE QUIET AT GIBEON. The sun said to Joshua: Is someone younger saying, BE QUIET, to someone older? I was created on the fourth < day >, while human beings were created on the sixth; so are you saying, BE QUIET, to me? Joshua said to < the sun >: When a young free person has an elderly slave, does he not say to him: Be silent? In the case of our father Abraham, the Holy One delivered (rt.: PNH) heaven and earth to him, as stated (in Gen. 14:19): THEN HE BLESSED HIM, AND SAID: BLESSED BE ABRAM OF GOD MOST HIGH, ACQUIRER (rt.: PNH)⁷⁵Apart from the context in the midrash, a traditional biblical translation would read: CREATOR. OF HEAVEN AND EARTH. And not only that, but you bowed down to Joseph, as stated (in Gen. 37:9): HERE WERE THE SUN, THE MOON, AND ELEVEN STARS BOWING DOWN TO ME. [So would you speak against me?] Ergo (in Josh. 10:12): O SUN, BE QUIET AT GIBEON. The sun said to Joshua: And so are you decreeing over me that I am to be quiet? He said to it: Yes. It said to him: Then who will speak the praise of the Holy One? You be quiet, and I will speak the praise of the Holy One, as stated (in Josh. 10:12): THEN (az) JOSHUA SPOKE TO THE LORD. Now az can only be a hymn, since it is stated (in Exod. 15:1): MOSES SANG THEN (az).⁷⁶THEN is understood as the object of the verb SANG. See above, Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 1:32; Exod. 4:12. (Mal. 1:11): AND IN EVERY PLACE INCENSE IS OFFERED TO MY NAME, < EVEN A PURE OBLATION >. R. Ammi asked R. Samuel bar Nahman: Is it correct that IN EVERY PLACE INCENSE IS OFFERED TO MY NAME?⁷⁷See Numb. R. 13:4. The Torah warns (in Deut. 12:13–14): TAKE HEED THAT YOU DO NOT OFFER UP YOUR BURNT OFFERINGS IN ANY PLACE THAT YOU SEE, BUT ONLY IN THE PLACE THAT < THE LORD > WILL CHOOSE…. So also it says (in Lev. 17:3–4): IF ANY SINGLE PERSON FROM THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL SLAUGHTERS AN OX, A LAMB, OR A GOAT IN THE CAMP…, AND DOES NOT BRING IT UNTO THE ENTRANCE OF THE TENT OF MEETING…, < BLOODGUILT SHALL BE IMPUTED TO THAT PERSON >. But < there seems to be a contradiction when > the prophet says (in Mal. 1:11): AND IN EVERY PLACE INCENSE (muqtar) IS OFFERED TO MY NAME, < EVEN A PURE OBLATION >. R. Samuel bar Nahman said to him (i.e., to R. Ammi): What is A PURE OBLATION (minhah) which is burned (muqtar) IN EVERY PLACE and offered to the name of the Holy One?⁷⁸The Hebrew wording of this question reproduces almost exactly the wording in Mal. 1:11. This is the prayer of the afternoon service (minhah). INCENSE (muqtar) can only be the prayer of the afternoon service (minhah), since it is stated (in Ps. 141:2): LET MY PRAYER BE SET FORTH AS THE INCENSE BEFORE YOU…. [It also says] (in I Kings 18:36): AND IT CAME TO PASS AT THE TIME OF THE OFFERING OF THE OBLATION (minhah), < THE PROPHET > ELIJAH DREW NEAR < AND SAID >….⁷⁹Since Elijah carried out this minhah on mount Carmel, it could not have been a temple sacrifice. Thus here also minhah must refer to the afternoon service.

A song of ascents. I will lift up mine eyes to the mountains (Ps. 121:1). Scripture alludes here to the verse Who art thou, O great mountain before. Zerubbabel? Thou shalt become a plain (Zech. 4:7). This verse refers to the Messiah, the descendant of David. Why was he called a great mountain? Because he will be greater than the patriarchs, as is said: Behold, My servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up, and shall be very high (Isa. 52:13). He shall be exalted above Abraham; lifted up above Isaac; and shall be very high above Jacob. He shall be exalted above Abraham, concerning whom it is said: I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord (Gen. 14:22); lifted up above Moses, of whom it is said: That thou shouldst say unto me: Carry them in thy bosom (Num. 11:12); and shall be very high like the ministering angels, concerning whom it is said: As for their wings, they were high (Ezek. 1:18). Hence Scripture says: Who art thou, O great mountain?

Another explanation (of Deut. 14:22), “You shall tithe, tithe.” This is related to the verse (in Is. 24:5), “And the earth was distorted under its inhabitants, because they transgressed Torahs;¹⁷Torot. Such a literal translation is required by the midrash. In the biblical context the word denotes something more general, such as teachings. they violated a statute; [they broke an eternal covenant].” R. Isaac said, “You have already been false to it, and [so] it is distorted for you. It [may] show you standing grain, but it does not show you a shock of sheaves. It [may] show you [a shock of sheaves, but it does not show you a threshing floor]. It [may] show you a threshing floor, but it does not show you a winnowed heap. Why [not]? (Ibid.:) ‘Because they transgressed Torahs; they violated statutes,’ in that they did transgress two Torahs, the written Torah and the oral Torah; (ibid.) ‘they violated a statute,’ the statute of tithes; (ibid.) ‘they broke an eternal covenant,’ an ancestral covenant.” For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22), “You shall surely tithe.” (Prov. 6:20:) “My child, keep your father's commandments, [and do not forsake the Torah of your mother].” R. Huna said, “Our earliest ancestors separated out terumot and tithes.” Abraham separated out the great terumah, as stated (in Gen. 14:22), “[Then Abram said unto the king of Sodom,] ‘I have lifted up my hand unto the Lord, God most high.’” A lifting up is nothing but a terumah (rt.: rwm), as you say (in Numb. 18:26), “[Now you shall speak unto the Levites and say unto them, ‘When you receive tithes from the Children of Israel, the tithe that I have given you as your portion,] you shall lift (rt.: rwm) out of it a terumah of the Lord, [a tithe from the tithe].’” Isaac separated out the second tithe, as stated (in Gen. 26:12), “So Isaac sowed on that land and reaped in that year a hundredfold, [for the Lord had blessed him]”; R. Eiba bar Kahana said, “Is it not true that a blessing does not rest on what is measured, on what is weighed, or on what is counted? So why did he measure them? In order to tithe them. This is what is written (ibid.), ‘for the Lord had blessed him.’”¹⁸See Deut. 14:24, which mentions a blessing in the context of the second tithe; therefore, perhaps the blessing of Gen. 26:12 would have been the result of Isaac’s second tithe. Jacob separated out the first tithe, as stated (in Gen. 28:22), “and of all that You give me, I will surely set aside a tithe for You.” A certain Cuthean (i.e., a Samaritan) came and questioned R. Meir. He said to him, “Do you not say that indeed your ancestor Jacob is truthful?” He said [back] to him, “Yes, as it is written (in Micah 7:20), ‘You give truthfulness to Jacob.’” [The Cuthean] said to him, “He separated out the tribe of Levi [as a tithe] for the tribes, [i.e.,] one out of ten. Should he not have separated out [a tithe] from two more [tribes]?” R. Meir said to him, “You have said that there were twelve, but I say that there were fourteen, as stated (in Gen. 48:5), ‘Ephraim and Manasseh shall be mine like Reuben and Simeon.’” He said to him, “So here you are supporting me. You have added flour. Have you added water?” He said to him, “Do you not admit that there are four matriarchs that had four first-borns? Take away from [the fourteen] the four firstborn (of Jacob's four wives), since the firstborn is not tithed. Why? Because he is holy, and something holy does not redeem for use something [else that is] holy.” He said to him, ‘It is good for your people that you are among them.” Hence it is written (Prov. 6:20), “and do not forsake the Torah of your mother (immekha),” [i.e.,] your people (ummatekha). That is what David said (in Ps. 40:9), “To carry out Your will, my God, is my desire, [for Your Torah is within my belly].” R. Aha bar Ulla said, “Is there Torah within the belly? And is it not so written (in Jer. 31:33), ‘and upon their heart (not their belly) I will write it?’ It is simply that David said, ‘May [a curse] come upon me, if something goes down into my belly, except when it is tithed.’ This is what is written (in I Chron. 27:25), ‘And over the treasuries of the king was Azmaveth ben Adiel; and over the treasuries in the country in the cities, in the villages, and in the towers was Jonathan ben Uzziah.’”¹⁹In other words, David was concerned enough about tithes to appoint overseers. For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22), “You shall surely tithe.”

R. Chanina b. Akiva says: "More beloved" was the seeing of our father Abraham than that of Moses. For Abraham was not caused to exert himself whereas Moses was. What is stated of Abraham? (Genesis 13:14) "Lift up your eyes now and see from the place where you are north and south and east and west. "And of Moses what is stated? (Devarim, Ibid.) "Go up to the top of Pisgah and lift up your eyes to the west, to the north, to the south and to the east, and see with your eyes" — Go up, and look, and see. And whence is it derived that all of Moses' requests were granted by the Holy One Blessed be He? From (Ibid. 34:1) "And the L rd showed him the whole land." This is Eretz Israel. He asked to see the Temple and He showed it to him, viz. (Ibid.) "and Gilead," Gilead being the Temple, viz. (Jeremiah 22:6) "Gilead are you (the Temple) to Me, the head of the Levanon." Whence is it derived that He showed Him also Shimshon the son of Manoach? From (Devarim, Ibid.) "until Dan," it being written elsewhere (Judges 13:2) "And there was a man from Tzarah, of the family of Dan, whose name was Manoach, etc." Variantly: "until Dan" ("ad Dan"). The tribes had not yet come to the land, and Eretz Yisrael had not yet ("adayin" [acronymic of "ad dan"]) been apportioned among the tribes. What, then, is the intent of "ad Dan"? The L rd had said to Abraham: Twelve tribes are destined to issue from your loins, and this is the portion of one of them. Similarly, (Genesis 14:14) "And he (Abraham) pursued (them) until Dan." The tribes had not yet come to the land, and Eretz Yisrael had not yet been apportioned among the tribes. What, then, is the intent of "until Dan"? It was told to our father Abraham: In this place your children are destined to serve idolatry, and his strength (in pursuing them) waned.

(Gen. 19:1:) IN THE EVENING. What is the meaning of IN THE EVENING? That the Sodomites were dark like the night.⁵⁷See below, 4:21. Another interpretation: IN THE EVENING (ba'erev). The evening of Sodom had arrived.⁵⁸The midrash understands ba‘erev (“in the evening”) as two words, ‘erev (“evening”) and ba (“has come”). See Gen. R. 50:3. (Ibid., cont.:) AND LOT WAS SITTING AT THE GATE OF SODOM, as he had learned from the practice of Abraham. What is written here (in Gen. 18:2) about Abraham? WHEN HE SAW THEM HE RAN < FROM > THE DOOR OF HIS TENT TO MEET THEM < AND BOWED DOWN TO THE EARTH >. Solomon has said in (Prov. 22:6): TRAIN A CHILD IN THE WAY HE SHOULD GO. Because Lot had grown up in Abraham's house, he had acquired < Abraham's > moral standards. < Thus > (in Gen. 19:1, cont.): AND HE BOWED DOWN WITH HIS FACE TO THE GROUND. Just as Abraham had done, he brought them into his house. What is written (in vss. 4-5)? BEFORE THEY LAY DOWN … AND THEY CALLED UNTO LOT … < BRING THEM OUT UNTO US THAT WE MAY KNOW THEM >. The angels began to be astonished, saying: The matter has reached us! Now < there is > much on the subject < that is being passed over > merely in order not to bother you. What did they finally do? One of them rescued Lot, and one of them destroyed Sodom.⁵⁹See Gen. R. 50:2. Now perhaps you will say: He destroyed it with one of his hands. No, < it was > merely with one finger, which is one of five on the hand. Thus it is stated (in Job 28:9): HE PUT OUT HIS HAND BAHALLAMISH.⁶⁰The midrash has interpreted bahallamish (“against the hard rock”) as bahamishi (“with the fifth”). In the world to come the Holy One will heal it (i.e., Sodom);⁶¹So below, 4:22; Exod R. 15:21. and Israel will divide it up, as stated (in Ps. 60:8ff. [6ff.]): I WILL DISTRIBUTE SHECHEM < AND MEASURE OUT THE VALLEY OF SUCCOTH>….⁶²So below, 4:22. Cf. PRK 29(suppl. 2):3. According to Gen. R. 42:5, the valley of Succoth is identified with the valley of Siddim at the Dead Sea (Gen. 14:3).

(Lev. 22:27), “And from the eighth day on [it shall be acceptable for an offering by fire to the Lord].” So that your [evil] drive not lead you astray by saying that there is eating and drinking in front of Him. Who sacrificed to Him before Israel arose? David said (in Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies is comparable (ya'arokh) to the Lord?” [This is to mean], who offered sacrifices to Him? R. Abbin the Levite said, “[This verse means,] who is like unto the Holy One, blessed be He, in sustaining orphans and feeding the hungry? After all, this word (ya'arokh) can only be a word concerning sustenance, since it is stated (in Lev. 24:8), ‘On [every] Sabbath day he shall [regularly] arrange (ya'arokh) it (i.e., the bread).’” Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies is comparable (ya'arokh) to the Lord”: Who is like unto the Holy One, blessed be He, in bringing light to the eyes of those in the dark?⁷⁵Below, 10:6. After all, this word (ya'arokh) can only be a word denoting light, since it is stated (Lev. 24:4), “He shall set up (ya'arokh) the lamps upon the unalloyed lampstand.” Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies is comparable (rt.: 'rk) to the Lord”: Who is like unto the Holy One, blessed be He, in clothing the naked? After all, this word (rt.: 'rk) can only be a word denoting a garment, since it is stated (in Jud. 17:10), “a suit (rt.: 'rk) of clothes and [your] maintenance.” Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies [is comparable (ya'arokh) to the Lord]”: Who is like unto the Holy One, blessed be He, in waging war for Israel? After all, the word, ya'arokh, can only be a word denoting war, since it is stated (in Gen. 14:8), “and they marshalled (ya'arokh in the plural) for battle with them.” Another interpretation (of Ps. 89:7), “For who in the skies is comparable to the Lord”: The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If your [evil] drive comes and says to you, ‘Who sacrificed to (fed) the Holy One, blessed be He, before the world was created,’⁷⁶See PR 48:3. say to him, ‘Consider that Moses ascended to the sky and spent a hundred and twenty days there. Let him tell you whether they were sacrificing to the Holy One, blessed be He. And in addition he was accustomed to eat; but when he ascended to Me, he saw that there is no eating and drinking in front of Me, and so he also did not eat, as stated (in Exod. 34:28), “And he was there with the Lord [forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water].”’” R. Simeon ben Laqish said, “If your [evil] drive comes to say to you, ‘If there were no eating and drinking before Him, He would not have told me to sacrifice and offer libations to Him’; [then ponder] what is written (in Numb. 28:6), ‘The continual burnt offering instituted at Mount Sinai’: Did they offer sacrifices on Mount Sinai? [No.] Rather observe that it was Moses who went up onto Mount Sinai. Let him tell you whether there were food and drink before Me. And so why did I trouble you and tell you to bring a daily sacrifice? In order to benefit you.” R. Hiyya bar Abba said, “When a mighty man who is walking on the road is thirsty and goes to drink water, how much does he drink with his hands? Ten handfuls? Six handfuls? Four handfuls? Less than two he does not drink. Now all the water that is in the world would be a filling for the hollow of the Holy One, blessed be He's, hand, as stated (in Is. 40:12), ‘Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?’ [It is so written] in order to make known that for Him there is no eating or drinking. [Then] why did He tell me to offer a sacrifice? In order to benefit you.” Ergo (in Lev. 22:27), “When a bull or a sheep or a goat [is born… and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable for an offering by fire to the Lord].” (Lev. 22:27), “And from the eighth day.” This text is related (to Eccl. 3:19), “As for the fate of humans and the fate of beasts, [they have the same fate; as the one dies, so does the other die. They all have the same lifebreath, but the superiority of the human over the beast is nil ('yn)].”⁷⁷This is the translation required by the latter part of this section. A more traditional translation would be AND THE HUMAN IS NO BETTER THAN THE BEAST. It is written concerning the human (in Deut. 22:11), “You shall not wear interwoven stuff, wool and flax together.” It is also written concerning the beast (ibid., vs. 10), “You shall not plough with an ox and an ass together.” (Eccl. 3:19:) “[They] all have the same fate.” Just as the human contracts uncleanness, the beast also contracts uncleanness. It is written concerning the human (in Numb. 19:11), “One who touches the corpse of any human being shall be unclean.” Also concerning the beast (in Lev. 11:39), “whoever touches its carcass shall be unclean [...].” (Eccl. 3:19:) “As the one dies, so does the other die.” Concerning the human (in Lev. 20:16), “you shall kill the woman”; and concerning the beast (in vs. 15), “and you shall kill the beast.” (Eccl. 3:21:) “Who knows the lifebreath of a human that rises upward and the lifebreath of a beast that goes down into the earth?”⁷⁸This translation is required by the midrash. A more traditional translation in the biblical context would be this: WHO KNOWS WHETHER IT IS THE LIFEBREATH OF A HUMAN THAT RISES UPWARD, WHILE IT IS THE LIFEBREATH OF A BEAST THAT GOES DOWN INTO THE EARTH? Because the lifebreath of the human is given from above, concerning it, a rising up is written. And because the beast is given from below, concerning it, a going down is written. (Eccl. 3:19, cont.:) “But the superiority of the human over the beast is 'yn (i.e., nil).” What is the meaning of 'yn?⁷⁹Eccl. R. 3:19(1). That [the human] speaks, but [the beast] does not ('yn) speak. And moreover, while there is knowledge in the human, in the beast there is no ('yn) knowledge. And moreover, while the human knows the difference between good and evil, the beast does not ('yn) know the difference between good and evil. And moreover, the human gets a reward for his works, but the beast does not ('yn) get a reward for its work. And moreover, when the human dies they care for him and he is buried, while the beast is not ('yn) buried. Ergo (in Eccl. 3:19), “but the superiority of the human over the beast is 'yn.” What is written concerning the human (in Lev. 12:2-3)? “When a woman emits her seed…. And on the eighth day [the flesh of his foreskin] shall be circumcised.” But about the beasts it is written (in Lev. 22:27), “When a bull or a sheep or a goat… and from the eighth day on it shall be acceptable [for an offering by fire to the Lord].”

“This too is a grievous evil; just as he came, so he will go; and what is the advantage for him that he will toil for the wind?” (Ecclesiastes 5:15).
“This too is a grievous evil; just as he came, so he will go” – just as he came into the world eating soft foods, so he will go eating soft foods. Rabbi Pinḥas said: Just as He began the world with four kingdoms, He concluded with four kingdoms. He began with four kingdoms, as it is stated: “Kedorlaomer, king of Elam, Tidal, king of Goyim, Amrafel, king of Shinar, and Ariokh, king of Elasar” (Genesis 14:9), and concluded with four kingdoms: Babylon, Greece, Media, and Edom.
“And what is the advantage for him that he will toil for the wind?” – The Holy One blessed be He said to man: You plowed, sowed, reaped, gathered, threshed, and created a pile of grain. If I do not provide wind to winnow for you, how will you live? They give the omer as payment for that wind; that is, “What is the advantage for him that he will toil for the wind”?

He is fearful refers to Abraham, for he was told: Fear not. Whom did Abraham fear? He was afraid of Shem, the son of Noah, for he had slain the descendant of Elam, and Elam was one of Shem’s sons, as it is written: The sons of Shem: Elam, Asshur, etc. (Gen. 10:22). He was terrified because he had killed him. He said to himself: “I have slain the son of this righteous man, now he will curse me and I shall die.” The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: Fear not, for not only will he not curse you, but he will go forth to meet you bearing gifts and will bless you, as it is said: And Melchizedek, king of Salem, brought forth bread and wine … and he blessed him, and said: “… blessed be God the Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand” (Gen. 14:18–20). What is the meaning of the word migen (“delivered”)? It indicates that the Holy One, blessed be He, performed a miraculous feat (manganah) when He delivered (migen) your enemies into your hand. Abraham grasped the dust and hurled it at his enemies, and the Holy One, blessed be He, converted the dust into arrows, bows, and spears, as it is said: His sword maketh them as the dust, His bow as the driven stubble. He pursueth them and passeth on safely (Isa. 41:2–3).

14 Another interpretation (of Numb. 10:2), “Make for yourself two silver trumpets”: This text is related (to Prov. 24:21), “Fear the Lord, my child, and the king.” But what is the meaning of “and the king?” Simply [this, to] make Him (i.e., the Holy One, blessed be He,) king over you. Another interpretation (of Prov. 24:21), “and the king”: Crown the positive drive over the evil drive, which is called a king, where it is stated (in Eccl. 9:14), “[There was a little city with few people in it,] and a great king came against it […].”²¹Cf. see above Gen. R. 11:1; 23:2; also Eccl. R. 4:13:1; 9:14:6, 9. Another interpretation (of Prov. 24:21), “and the king”: Lest it be supposed that if the king says to you, “Worship an idol,” you should heed him; the text reads (in Prov. 24:21), “Fear the Lord, my child, and the king.” Thus [when] Nebuchadnezzar told Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah to worship an idol, they did not heed him. Instead they said to him (in Dan. 3:18), “We will not serve your gods, nor will we pay homage to the image of gold which you have set up.” Nebuchadnezzar said to them (in Dan. 3:14), “’Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?’ Yesterday you were saying [that] anyone who was seeking to acquire idolatry should go to Jerusalem, as stated (Isaiah 10:10), ‘and their idols were from Jerusalem and from Samaria,’ and now you have come to make my idolatry, emptiness?” “’Is it true, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego?’ Did not the Holy One, blessed be He, say this to you that you should obey royalty in whatever it tells you, where it is stated (in Eccl. 8:2), ‘I [say], “Keep the king's command?”’” They said to him, “You are king over us for taxes and crop levies;²²Lat.: annona. but in regard to the service of idols, Nebuchadnezzar and a dog [have] equal [authority].” (Dan. 3:16-17:) “Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego answered and said to the king, ‘O Nebuchadnezzar, we do not need to answer you in this [matter]. If our God whom we serve [is able to save us, He] shall save us [from the burning fiery furnace and] from your hand O king.’” [He answered, “And if not?” They said to him, “Whether He delivers us or whether He does not deliver us (in vs. 18), ‘be it known to you, O king, that we will not serve your gods nor pay homage to the image of gold which you have set up.’” Ergo (in Prov. 24:21), “Fear the Lord, my child, and the king.” (Prov. 24:21, cont.) “And do not associate with those who would differ” – but do not associate with those who say that there are two gods in the world, for the end of [such people] is to perish from the world. It is so 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.” And who is the one-third? This is Israel as stated (in Is. 19:24), “And on that day Israel shall be a third [partner with Egypt and Assyria, a blessing in the midst of the earth].” Ergo (in Prov. 24:21), “Fear the Lord, my child, and the king.” Whoever is in fear of the Holy One, blessed be He, becomes a king. From whom did you learn [that]? From Abraham because he was in fear of the Holy One, blessed be He, and became a king. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 22:12), “for now I know that you fear God.” But where is it shown that he became a king? It is written (in Gen. 14:17), “[And the king of Sodom came out to meet him …] at the Valley of Shaveh, i.e., the valley of the king.” What is the meaning of the Valley of Shaveh (rt.: shwh?] That they all became equal (rt.: shwh). So taking counsel (or taking wood),²³‘Etsah. The word can mean either “counsel” or “wood.” they cut cedars, made a throne, and set him over them as king. And you should not say [this] only [in the case of] Abraham alone. In the case of Moses [also] he became king, because he was in fear of the Holy One, blessed be He. Therefore it is written (in Prov. 24:21), “Fear the Lord, my child, and the king.”sup>24Thus the king of whom Prov. 24:21 demands obedience, is a king who fears the Holy One like Abraham or Moses.

What is written above on the matter (in Gen. 14:14)?⁷²Tanh., Gen. 3:13. WHEN ABRAM HEARD THAT HIS BROTHER HAD BEEN CAPTURED. Was he Lot's brother? Look, however, at the humility of our father Abraham after all the strife they had had with him, [as stated (in Gen. 13:7): NOW THERE WAS QUARRELING BETWEEN THE HERDSMEN OF ABRAM'S CATTLE AND THE HERDSMEN OF LOT'S CATTLE.] Our father Abraham did not remember the strife but called him his brother, as stated (in Gen. 13:8): FOR WE ARE BROTHERS.

And you see horse and chariot (Deuteronomy 20:1): And it is stated (Exodus 15:19), "For when the horse of Pharaoh." And why did it not state, "horses and riders?" Rather [it is] because in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, they are only considered like one horse. "A people more numerous than you." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "They are numerous in front of you. But in front of Me, they are only only considered like one man." And from where [do we know this]? As so did the Holy One, blessed be He, say to Gidon (Judges 6:16), "and you shall smite Midian like one man." And from where [do we know] that they are numerous? As it is stated (Isaiah 17:12), "Ah, the roar of many peoples that roar as roars the sea." And for each one of you, a hundred [to] five, but you are victorious, as it is stated (Leviticus 26:8), "And five of you shall give chase to a hundred." Therefore it is written, "a people more numerous than you." "Do not be afraid of them." Your forefathers were not afraid of them and they were victorious. What is written about our father, Avraham? "At night, he and his servants deployed against them and defeated them" (Genesis 14:16). And he was not afraid of them, as I told him (Genesis 15:1), "Fear not, Avram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great." And I made him a shield, as it is stated, "I am a shield to you." And in the same way that I did [this] for him, so [too] will I do it for you. As it is stated (Isaiah 14:24), "As I have designed, so shall it happen; what I have planned, that shall come to pass." What is [the meaning of] "As I have designed?" As I have done for Avraham, so shall I do for you.

And you see horse and chariot (Deuteronomy 20:1): And it is stated (Exodus 15:19), "For when the horse of Pharaoh." And why did it not state, "horses and riders?" Rather [it is] because in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, they are only considered like one horse. "A people more numerous than you." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "They are numerous in front of you. But in front of Me, they are only only considered like one man." And from where [do we know this]? As so did the Holy One, blessed be He, say to Gidon (Judges 6:16), "and you shall smite Midian like one man." And from where [do we know] that they are numerous? As it is stated (Isaiah 17:12), "Ah, the roar of many peoples that roar as roars the sea." And for each one of you, a hundred [to] five, but you are victorious, as it is stated (Leviticus 26:8), "And five of you shall give chase to a hundred." Therefore it is written, "a people more numerous than you." "Do not be afraid of them." Your forefathers were not afraid of them and they were victorious. What is written about our father, Avraham? "At night, he and his servants deployed against them and defeated them" (Genesis 14:16). And he was not afraid of them, as I told him (Genesis 15:1), "Fear not, Avram, I am a shield to you; your reward shall be very great." And I made him a shield, as it is stated, "I am a shield to you." And in the same way that I did [this] for him, so [too] will I do it for you. As it is stated (Isaiah 14:24), "As I have designed, so shall it happen; what I have planned, that shall come to pass." What is [the meaning of] "As I have designed?" As I have done for Avraham, so shall I do for you.

(Numb. 13:24:) THAT PLACE WAS CALLED WADI ESHCOL. This text is related (to Is. 46:10): DECLARING THE END FROM THE BEGINNING, [AND FROM OF OLD, THINGS THAT HAVE NOT YET HAPPENED], in that everything is foreseen by the Holy One.⁴⁰Tanh., Numb. 4:9; Numb. R. 16:16. Eshcol (according to Gen. 14:24) was Abraham's friend, and he was called Eshcol because of the grape cluster (eshkol), which Israel was going to cut from his place in his name.

(Gen. 14:14, cont.:) HE ARMED HIS TRAINED MEN. What is the meaning of HE ARMED HIS TRAINED MEN? That he took silver and gold and covered them with it.⁷³Cf. Ned. 32a; Gen. R. 43:2. He said to them: You know that we are going off to war and that we are going in order to save lives. Do not set your eyes on wealth. If < you are going > for the sake of silver and gold, here it is before you, as stated (ibid.): HE ARMED HIS TRAINED MEN. HE ARMED (YRQ) < means > nothing but that he covered them with silver and gold, as stated (in Ps. 68:14 [13]): THE WINGS OF A DOVE ARE COVERED WITH SILVER AND ITS PINIONS WITH THE YELLOW (YRQRQ) OF GOLD.

Another interpretation (of Gen. 14:14): HE ARMED HIS TRAINED MEN. HE ARMED (yareq) means nothing but that he made them turn pale (horiq) with words, just as it is written in the Law (in Deut. 20:8): WHO IS THE ONE WHO IS AFRAID (yare) AND FAINT (rakh) OF HEART. Abraham did this: He said to them: We are going off to war. Let anyone who has transgressions on his hand and is afraid because of his actions not go off with us. When they heard that, anyone who knew in his heart that he had sinned was afraid and did not go off. So they went back, and no one was left with him (Abraham) but Eliezer alone.⁷⁴Gen. R. 44:9; Numb. R. 18:21; PRE 27; M. Pss. 110:4. In that hour the Holy One said: All have forsaken you, and no one is left except Eliezer alone. By your life I am putting within him the power of three hundred and eighteen.⁷⁵Cf. Targum Pseudo-Jonathan to Gen. 14:14. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 14:14) AND HE ARMED HIS TRAINED MEN, THE ONES BORN IN HIS HOUSE, THREE HUNDRED AND EIGHTEEN < OF THEM >. Where is it shown? The numerical value of Eliezer by gematria is three hundred and eighteen.

(Exodus 15:16) "Until Your people, O L rd, pass over (the Arnon); until there pass over (the Jordan) this people whom You have acquired": For all the world is Yours, and You have no people but Israel, viz. (Isaiah 43:12) "This people have I fashioned for Myself." Four are called "acquisitions": Israel — viz. "this people whom You have acquired." Heaven and earth — viz. (Genesis 14:22) "Acquirer of heaven and earth." The Temple — viz. (Psalms 78:54) "this mountain (the Temple mount) that He acquired." The Torah — viz. (Mishlei 8:22) "The L rd acquired me (Torah) (in) the beginning of His way" (the creation). Let Israel come, who are called "acquisition," to the land, that is called "acquisition," and build the Temple, His "acquisition," in the merit of the Torah, which is called "acquisition." Thus — "this people whom You have acquired."

Does He actually require the assistance of others that it says, He sent an angel against Sennacherib but he did not kill them, since When He bloweth upon them they wither (Isa. 40:24)? This teaches us that whosoever helps Israel is considered as though helping the Shekhinah. Therefore it is written: For He is highly exalted. You have exalted yourself greatly through those who rebelled against You. Who were they that rebelled against You? The ones who attacked Your children: Chedorlaomer, king of Elam … and he divided himself against them by night (Gen. 14:1, 15). Who hath raised up one from the east, at whose steps victory attendeth … he pursueth them and passeth on (I Sam. 41:2–3). Scripture also says: The Lord said unto my lord: “Sit thou at My right hand, until I make Mine enemies thy footstool.” The rod of thy strength the Lord will send out of Zion: “Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.” Thy people offer themselves willingly in the day of thy warfare, in adornments of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, thine is the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent; “Thou art a priest for ever after the manner of Melchizedek.” The Lord at thy right hand doth crush kings in the day of His wrath (Ps. 110:1–5).

Does He actually require the assistance of others that it says, He sent an angel against Sennacherib but he did not kill them, since When He bloweth upon them they wither (Isa. 40:24)? This teaches us that whosoever helps Israel is considered as though helping the Shekhinah. Therefore it is written: For He is highly exalted. You have exalted yourself greatly through those who rebelled against You. Who were they that rebelled against You? The ones who attacked Your children: Chedorlaomer, king of Elam … and he divided himself against them by night (Gen. 14:1, 15). Who hath raised up one from the east, at whose steps victory attendeth … he pursueth them and passeth on (I Sam. 41:2–3). Scripture also says: The Lord said unto my lord: “Sit thou at My right hand, until I make Mine enemies thy footstool.” The rod of thy strength the Lord will send out of Zion: “Rule thou in the midst of thine enemies.” Thy people offer themselves willingly in the day of thy warfare, in adornments of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, thine is the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent; “Thou art a priest for ever after the manner of Melchizedek.” The Lord at thy right hand doth crush kings in the day of His wrath (Ps. 110:1–5).

Isaac said to him (in Gen. 27:24): IS THIS YOU, MY SON ESAU? He said to him: It is I. He said to him (in vs. 25): SERVE ME, AND LET ME EAT…. < SO HE SERVED HIM, AND HE ATE. HE ALSO BROUGHT HIM WINE, AND HE DRANK >. Where did he get wine from? Note, we find that his mother did not give him wine. Rather (in Gen. 27:17): SHE GAVE HIM THE DELICACIES…. Then who brought him the wine? Michael brought it to him, wine from the Garden of Eden.⁵⁹Targum Pseudo-Jonathan, Gen. 27:25. Our masters have said: You only find wine resulting in a blessing in case of this < wine > and Abraham's, of whom it is stated (in Gen. 14:18f.): AND MELCHIZEDEK KING OF SALEM BROUGHT OUT BREAD AND WINE…. < AND HE BLESSED HIM >.⁶⁰Cf. Gen. R. 43:6. And in case of this < wine > also, when he had drunk it, he blessed him. He said to him (in vs. 26f.): PLEASE COME NEARER AND KISS ME, MY SON; SO HE CAME NEARER AND KISSED HIM…. [It should have said: "Aha, the odor of his clothes; then he blessed him." Instead he said (in vs. 27): AHA, THE ODOR OF MY SON IS LIKE THE ODOR OF A FIELD.] And he should have said: "Aha, the odor of my son's clothes." Instead he said to him (ibid.): AHA, THE ODOR OF MY SON. < The verse > is teaching that the odor of the righteous is a hint of the world to come. What is the meaning of LIKE THE ODOR OF A FIELD … ? That < his clothes > were the garments of the first Adam and bore an odor from the garden of Eden.⁶¹See below, 6:22; Gen. R. 65:22. He immediately said to him (in vs. 28): SO MAY GOD GIVE TO YOU FROM THE DEW OF HEAVEN. This is Torah, as stated (in Deut. 32:2) LET MY SPEECH DRIP DOWN LIKE THE DEW. (Gen. 27:28, cont.:) AND THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH. These are the Prophets. (Ibid., cont.:) AND ABUNDANCE OF GRAIN. This is Talmud. (Ibid., cont.:) AND NEW WINE. Here are the Midrashim.⁶²Gen. R. 66:3. Another interpretation (of Gen. 27:28): FROM THE DEW OF HEAVEN. This is the manna, according to what is stated (in Numb. 11:9): SO WHEN THE DEW CAME DOWN < UPON THE CAMP AT NIGHT, THE MANNA WOULD FALL UPON IT >. (Gen. 27:28, cont.:) AND THE FAT PLACES OF THE EARTH. Here is the well.⁶³See Exod. 17:6; Numb. 21:16-18. According to tradition this well followed Israel in the wilderness. See, e.g., TSuk. 3:11-13. Similarly I Corinthians 10:4.

When (Eliezer had thus) dealt kindly with Isaac, he set him free, and the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him his reward in this world, so that there should not be a reward for the wicked in the world to come; and He raised him to kingship, and he is Og, king of Bashan.

16 (Numb. 13:24) “That place was called Wadi Eshcol”: This text is related (to Is. 46:10), “Declaring the end from the beginning, and from of old, things that have not yet happened,” in that everything is foreseen by the Holy One, blessed be He. Eshcol (according to Gen. 14:24) was Abraham's friend, and he was called Eshcol because of the grape cluster (eshkol), which Israel was going to cut from his place.

(Gen. 14:14, end:) AND HE WENT IN PURSUIT AS FAR AS DAN. Our masters have said: What was his reason for him to go in pursuit as far as Dan?⁷⁶Cf. Gen. R. 43:2. Two things smite < people > before and behind. These are idolatry and one who plants on the eve of the Sabbath Year and in the period just after the Sabbath Year. Just as one who plants on the eve of the Sabbath Year and on the periods just after the Sabbath year is culpable, so idolatry smites one beforehand and afterward. Now up to then Jeroboam ben Nebat had not arisen to practice idolatry, < but > Abraham saw it, as stated (in I Kings 12:29): THEN < JEROBOAM > SET UP ONE < IDOL > IN BETHEL AND [PLACED] THE OTHER IN DAN.⁷⁷Sanh. 96a. So, when Abraham arrived as far as that place, his strength failed him and he did not go on in pursuit, as stated (in Gen. 14:14): AND HE WENT IN PURSUIT AS FAR AS DAN. Thus he judged (dan) them and found them guilty (rt.: HWB), as stated (in Gen. 14:15): AND HE WENT IN PURSUIT AS FAR AS HOBAH (HWBH).⁷⁸The place-name means “guilt.”

(Gen. 14:14, end:) AND HE WENT IN PURSUIT AS FAR AS DAN. Our masters have said: What was his reason for him to go in pursuit as far as Dan?⁷⁶Cf. Gen. R. 43:2. Two things smite < people > before and behind. These are idolatry and one who plants on the eve of the Sabbath Year and in the period just after the Sabbath Year. Just as one who plants on the eve of the Sabbath Year and on the periods just after the Sabbath year is culpable, so idolatry smites one beforehand and afterward. Now up to then Jeroboam ben Nebat had not arisen to practice idolatry, < but > Abraham saw it, as stated (in I Kings 12:29): THEN < JEROBOAM > SET UP ONE < IDOL > IN BETHEL AND [PLACED] THE OTHER IN DAN.⁷⁷Sanh. 96a. So, when Abraham arrived as far as that place, his strength failed him and he did not go on in pursuit, as stated (in Gen. 14:14): AND HE WENT IN PURSUIT AS FAR AS DAN. Thus he judged (dan) them and found them guilty (rt.: HWB), as stated (in Gen. 14:15): AND HE WENT IN PURSUIT AS FAR AS HOBAH (HWBH).⁷⁸The place-name means “guilt.”

[Another interpretation (of Prov. 24:21): FEAR THE LORD, MY CHILD, AND THE KING.] Whoever is in fear of the Holy One becomes a king. From whom did you learn <that>? From Abraham because he was in fear of the Holy One and became a king. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 22:12): FOR NOW I KNOW THAT YOU FEAR GOD. But where is it shown that he became a king? [R. Berekhyah the Priest Berabbi said in the name of R. Helbo:] It is written (in Gen. 14:17): <AND THE KING OF SODOM CAME OUT TO MEET HIM … > AT THE VALLEY OF SHAVEH, i.e., THE VALLEY OF THE KING. [What is the meaning of THE VALLEY OF SHAVEH (rt.: ShWH?] That they all became equal (rt.: ShWH). So taking counsel (or taking wood),⁵⁴‘Etsah. The word can mean either “counsel” or “wood”. they cut cedars, made a throne, and set him over them as king. And you should not say <this> only <in the case of> Abraham alone. In the case of Moses <as well>, because he was in fear of the Holy One, he became a king. [Now where is it stated that he feared <the Holy One>? Where it is stated (in Exod. 3:6): THEN MOSES HID HIS FACE, FOR HE WAS AFRAID TO LOOK AT GOD. And where is it shown that he became a king?] Where it is stated (in Deut. 33:5): THEN HE BECAME KING IN JESHURUN.⁵⁵Thus the king of whom Prov. 24:21 demands obedience, is a king who fears the Holy One like Abraham or Moses. The Holy One said to Moses: I have made you a king. As they blow trumpets before a king when he goes forth to war, so shall they blow trumpets before you when you go forth to war. It is therefore stated (in Numb. 10:2): MAKE TWO SILVER TRUMPETS.⁵⁶The context of the passage concerns the sounding of an alarm in time of war.

(Numb. 3:15:) “Enroll the Children of Levi.” This tribe was dearer to the Holy One, blessed be He,⁸⁶Numb. R. 3:8. than all the tribes, as stated (in I Sam. 2:28), “And I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be My priest….” How so? The Holy One, blessed be He, created days and chose one of them for Himself, as stated (in Ps. 139:16), “days were formed, and one of them was His own.”⁸⁷English translations vary widely, but this interpretation is quite literal and fits the sense of the midrash. And which is it? R. Levi says, “This is the Sabbath.” He created years and chose one of them for Himself, i.e., the seventh, as stated (in Lev. 25:2), “Then the land shall observe a Sabbath for the Lord.” He created weeks [of years] and chose one of them for Himself, i.e., the Jubilee, as stated (in Lev. 25:10), “And you shall sanctify the fiftieth year.” He created countries, and chose one of them for Himself, [i.e.,] the land of Israel, as stated (in Deut. 11:12), “A land for which the Lord your God always cares.” And so the Holy One, blessed be He, calls it His land, as stated (in Joel 4:2), they have divided up My land. He created firmaments and chose one of them for Himself, i.e., ‘aravot,⁸⁸‘Aravot’ is the name of the seventh heaven. as stated (in Ps. 68:5), “Build a way for the One who rides in the 'aravot; the Lord is His name.” He created seventy peoples and chose one of them for Himself, i.e., Israel, as stated (in Deut. 7:6), “the Lord your God has chosen you to be for Himself a treasured people,” a worthy (KShR) nation, and you are worthy (KShR). Now (according to Deut. 7:6), “the Lord your God has chosen you….” Why did He choose you? Because He loved you, as stated (in Hos. 14:5), “I will love them generously”; and it is written (in Deut. 7:8), “Because the Lord loved you.” He created tribes and chose one of them for Himself, i.e., the tribe of Levi, as stated (in I Sam. 2:28), “And I chose him from all the tribes of Israel to be My priest….” He therefore especially cherishes him. So he says to Moses each time (as in Numb. 3:15), “Enroll the Children of Levi [….]” “Every male.” Why did he say, “every male,” and not mention the noun, female? Because the glory of God arises from the males. [Ergo,] “every male.” David has stated (in Ps. 127:3), “Behold, sons are the heritage of the Lord”; i.e., the males. “The fruit of the womb, a reward,” for if females come, says the Holy One, blessed be He, “they also are a reward.” And why does he enroll them [each and every time]? Because they are His troops,⁸⁹Gk.: taxeis. and the King has much joy in His troops. Moreover, you find that the whole tribe of Levi was diminished (in number). And why were they diminished? Because they see the Divine Presence much. So also when Israel came up from the captivity, they did not find any of them, because they had been diminished, as stated (in Ezra 8:15), “so I viewed the people and the priests, but I found there none of the Children of Levi.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In this world they were destroyed, because they had seen the Divine Presence, since it is stated (in Exod. 33:20), “For no human shall see Me and live.” But in the future to come, when I restore my Divine Presence to Zion, I will be revealed in My glory over all Israel. Then they shall see Me and live forever. Thus it is stated (in Is. 52:8), “for eye to eye they shall see the return of the Lord to Zion.” And not only that, but they shall point out My glory to each other with the finger, while saying (in the words of Ps. 48:15), “For this God, our God...” It also says (in Is. 25:9), “And in that day they shall say, ‘See, this is our God; we waited for Him and He delivered us]; this is the Lord; we waited for Him. Let us rejoice and be glad in His salvation.’”

(Gen. 14:14:) AND THE NIGHT WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM.⁷⁹Gen. R. 43:3. Because of the Holy One the night was divided with Abraham, as stated: AND < THE NIGHT > WAS DIVIDED AGAINST THEM.⁸⁰For what is meant here, see above, 3:13.

(Gen. 14:16:) THEN HE RETURNED ALL THE PROPERTY. < There > immediately < follows > (in vs. 17): AND THE KING OF SODOM CAME OUT. When he saw Abraham pursuing the sixteen kings and their legions,⁸¹Lat.: legio. the Holy One set him on the right, as stated (in Ps. 110:1): THE LORD SAYS TO MY LORD, SIT ON MY RIGHT < UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL >. They⁸²According to Gen. R. 43:3, R. Levi and R. Eleazar in the name of R. Jose. said: In this war the pace of our father Abraham was four miles⁸³Lat.: mille, i.e., a Roman mile of 1000 paces. long; and he ran until, having killed all the kings and their legions, he traveled on in peace. Thus it is stated (in Is. 41:3): HE PURSUES THEM AND TRAVELS ON IN PEACE…. Immediately the king of Sodom came out to meet him, as stated (in Gen. 14:17): AND THE KING OF SODOM CAME OUT TO MEET HIM. He said to him: If you please, (according to Gen. 14:21): GIVE ME THE PEOPLE AND TAKE THE PROPERTY FOR YOURSELF. Wanting < the former > and not wanting < the latter >, he said to him: If they had killed me, they would have taken all my assets. Now that you have rescued me, receive the property for yourself, and GIVE ME THE PEOPLE. So it is therefore stated: AND TAKE THE PROPERTY FOR YOURSELF. Abraham immediately took an oath, as stated (in vs. 22): THEN ABRAM SAID UNTO THE KING OF SODOM: I HAVE LIFTED UP MY HAND < UNTO THE LORD, GOD MOST HIGH >…. < Such a > lifting up is nothing but an oath, as stated (in Dan. 12:7): WHEN HE LIFTED UP HIS RIGHT HAND AND HIS LEFT HAND UNTO HEAVEN AND SWORE BY THE ONE WHO LIVES FOREVER.

(Gen. 14:16:) THEN HE RETURNED ALL THE PROPERTY. < There > immediately < follows > (in vs. 17): AND THE KING OF SODOM CAME OUT. When he saw Abraham pursuing the sixteen kings and their legions,⁸¹Lat.: legio. the Holy One set him on the right, as stated (in Ps. 110:1): THE LORD SAYS TO MY LORD, SIT ON MY RIGHT < UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL >. They⁸²According to Gen. R. 43:3, R. Levi and R. Eleazar in the name of R. Jose. said: In this war the pace of our father Abraham was four miles⁸³Lat.: mille, i.e., a Roman mile of 1000 paces. long; and he ran until, having killed all the kings and their legions, he traveled on in peace. Thus it is stated (in Is. 41:3): HE PURSUES THEM AND TRAVELS ON IN PEACE…. Immediately the king of Sodom came out to meet him, as stated (in Gen. 14:17): AND THE KING OF SODOM CAME OUT TO MEET HIM. He said to him: If you please, (according to Gen. 14:21): GIVE ME THE PEOPLE AND TAKE THE PROPERTY FOR YOURSELF. Wanting < the former > and not wanting < the latter >, he said to him: If they had killed me, they would have taken all my assets. Now that you have rescued me, receive the property for yourself, and GIVE ME THE PEOPLE. So it is therefore stated: AND TAKE THE PROPERTY FOR YOURSELF. Abraham immediately took an oath, as stated (in vs. 22): THEN ABRAM SAID UNTO THE KING OF SODOM: I HAVE LIFTED UP MY HAND < UNTO THE LORD, GOD MOST HIGH >…. < Such a > lifting up is nothing but an oath, as stated (in Dan. 12:7): WHEN HE LIFTED UP HIS RIGHT HAND AND HIS LEFT HAND UNTO HEAVEN AND SWORE BY THE ONE WHO LIVES FOREVER.

(Gen. 14:16:) THEN HE RETURNED ALL THE PROPERTY. < There > immediately < follows > (in vs. 17): AND THE KING OF SODOM CAME OUT. When he saw Abraham pursuing the sixteen kings and their legions,⁸¹Lat.: legio. the Holy One set him on the right, as stated (in Ps. 110:1): THE LORD SAYS TO MY LORD, SIT ON MY RIGHT < UNTIL I MAKE YOUR ENEMIES YOUR FOOTSTOOL >. They⁸²According to Gen. R. 43:3, R. Levi and R. Eleazar in the name of R. Jose. said: In this war the pace of our father Abraham was four miles⁸³Lat.: mille, i.e., a Roman mile of 1000 paces. long; and he ran until, having killed all the kings and their legions, he traveled on in peace. Thus it is stated (in Is. 41:3): HE PURSUES THEM AND TRAVELS ON IN PEACE…. Immediately the king of Sodom came out to meet him, as stated (in Gen. 14:17): AND THE KING OF SODOM CAME OUT TO MEET HIM. He said to him: If you please, (according to Gen. 14:21): GIVE ME THE PEOPLE AND TAKE THE PROPERTY FOR YOURSELF. Wanting < the former > and not wanting < the latter >, he said to him: If they had killed me, they would have taken all my assets. Now that you have rescued me, receive the property for yourself, and GIVE ME THE PEOPLE. So it is therefore stated: AND TAKE THE PROPERTY FOR YOURSELF. Abraham immediately took an oath, as stated (in vs. 22): THEN ABRAM SAID UNTO THE KING OF SODOM: I HAVE LIFTED UP MY HAND < UNTO THE LORD, GOD MOST HIGH >…. < Such a > lifting up is nothing but an oath, as stated (in Dan. 12:7): WHEN HE LIFTED UP HIS RIGHT HAND AND HIS LEFT HAND UNTO HEAVEN AND SWORE BY THE ONE WHO LIVES FOREVER.

(Gen. 14:23:) THAT < I WILL TAKE NOT > SO MUCH AS A THREAD OR A SANDAL STRAP < FROM ANYTHING THAT IS YOURS >…. Why? Because the Holy One has promised me that he will make me rich, as stated (in Gen. 12:2): I WILL MAGNIFY YOUR NAME. Now should I receive from what belongs to you, so that you might say (ibid., cont.): I HAVE MADE YOU RICH? The Holy One said: You have said: < NOT > SO MUCH AS A THREAD. By your life I am giving your children an altar around which A THREAD OF RED PAINT encompasses, just as our masters have taught (in Mid. 3:1).

(Gen. 14:23:) THAT < I WILL TAKE NOT > SO MUCH AS A THREAD OR A SANDAL STRAP < FROM ANYTHING THAT IS YOURS >…. Why? Because the Holy One has promised me that he will make me rich, as stated (in Gen. 12:2): I WILL MAGNIFY YOUR NAME. Now should I receive from what belongs to you, so that you might say (ibid., cont.): I HAVE MADE YOU RICH? The Holy One said: You have said: < NOT > SO MUCH AS A THREAD. By your life I am giving your children an altar around which A THREAD OF RED PAINT encompasses, just as our masters have taught (in Mid. 3:1).

Another interpretation: You have stated (in Gen. 14:23): < NOT > SO MUCH AS A THREAD OR A SANDAL STRAP. I am exalting your children, as stated (in Cant. 7:2 [1]): HOW BEAUTIFUL ARE YOUR FEET IN SANDALS. Another interpretation: < NOT > SO MUCH AS A THREAD. I am exalting your children with a thread, as stated (in Cant. 4:3): [YOUR LIPS ARE] LIKE A SCARLET THREAD. Another interpretation: You have stated: < NOT > SO MUCH AS A THREAD OR A SANDAL STRAP. By virtue of this I am punishing your enemies, as stated (in Ps. 60:10 [8]): UPON EDOM WILL I CAST MY SHOE. You have refused a reward of flesh and blood. See what a reward is prepared for you with me. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 15:1): YOUR REWARD SHALL BE VERY GREAT.

"And it was in the middle of the night" (Exodus 12:29) - this is [the meaning of] what is written (Isaiah 44:26), "He fulfills the word of His servant and completes the counsel of His messengers:" Rabbi Abahu said, "'He fulfills the word of His servant' - this [refers to] Moshe as it is stated (Numbers 12:7), 'Not so My servant Moshe.'" And how is it that He fulfilled it? Rather, when He brought the plague of darkness upon them, Pharaoh began to cry out (Exodus 10:24), "Go and serve the Lord, but your sheep and cattle must stay." Moshe said to him, "Upon your life! 'And also our livestock we will take, not one hoof will remain' (Ibid. 26)." What is [meant by] a hoof? Even an animal that belongs completely to an Egyptian and has one hoof that belongs to a Jew, [Moshe] will not leave. "Since from them shall we take" (Ibid.) - after he said, "from them shall we take," he went back and said "and we do not know with what we will serve the Lord." He said to him, "If with you, who are flesh and blood, [and] people die if they transgress your commands; [nonetheless] if you put out a proclamation in front of you and you say, collect this and that for me, the world can stand in front of you [and fulfill your proclamation]; but with us, perhaps God will say to us, 'sacrifice a sacrifice [that includes all of the sacrifices] of two hundred and ten years.'" That is [what is meant by] "and we do not know." Pharaoh said to him, "Until when will you enter here? 'Go away from me; guard yourself, do not see my face again!' (Ibid. 28)" Moshe said [back] to him, "you have spoken well; 'I will not see your face again.'" The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "What is still required for me? To inform Pharaoh of one plague." Immediately, He went into the palace of Pharaoh for Moshe - who said to [Pharaoh], "I will not see your face again" - so that he would not be found to be a fabricator. And you find that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not speak with Moshe in the house of Pharaoh except for that time. From where [do we know this]? As it is stated (Exodus 9:29), "When I leave the city, I will raise my hands to the Lord;" and now the Holy One, blessed be He, hastened and spoke with Moshe, as it is stated (Exodus 11:1), "still one plague will I bring upon Pharaoh, etc." Once Moshe heard [this], he rejoiced and became great, as it is stated, (Ibid. 3) "and also the man, Moshe, was very great." He begin to cry out in public (Ibid. 4), "'so did the Lord say, "at the middle of the night."' You have spoken well, 'I will not see your face again.' I, myself, will not come again to you, but rather you will come to me; and your general that is standing with you - and he is your head officer - and all of these [in] your palace retinue will come to me with you and request of me - and bow down to me - that we should leave from here;" as it is written (Ibid. 8), "And all of your servants will come down to me and bow down to me saying" - he did not want to say, 'and you will bow down to me' because of the honor of the king. When the middle of the night arrived, as Moshe said; immediately, "And it was the middle of the night and the Lord smote every firstborn." Hence, "He fulfills the word of his servant. And completes the counsel of His messengers" - that He made a counsel (agreement) with Avraham because of this thing. When? When the kings came and he pursued them. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "It is enough for you until the middle of the night - come, let us split the night, you and I;" as it is stated, "And he divided against them at night (understood here as 'and He divided the night for them')." When the time came, he completed his counsel. That is [the meaning of] "And it was in the middle of the night." Thus is it written, "And completes the counsel of His messengers."

Another explanation: "And it was in the middle of the night" - David said (Psalms 77:7), "I recall my music at night:" The congregation of Israel said, "I recall the breakings, that You broke the enemies for my sake at night." And [the term], 'my music' (niginati) only means breaking, as you would say (Lamentations 3:63), "I am their song." And I [would also] say (Genesis 14:20), "who gave over (migen) your enemies into your hand." Sancheriv came against us - You broke him at night, as it is stated (II Kings 19:35), "And it was on that night and the angel of the Lord came out and he smote in the camp of Assyria." Rabbi Nechemia said, "Come and see the love of the Holy One, blessed be He for Israel; as behold, the ministering angels - who are mighty of strength, doers of His will - the Holy One, blessed be He, made them guardians over Israel. And who are they? Michael and Gavriel, as it is stated (Isaiah 62:6), 'Upon your walls Jerusalem, I have appointed guardians.' And when Sancheriv came, Michael went out and smote them; and Gavriel, from the command of the Holy One, blessed be He, saved Chanania and his friends." Why was it like that? Rather the Holy One, blessed be He, made a condition with them. When? When He wanted to go down to save Avaraham from the fiery pit: Michael and Gavriel said in front of Him, "We will go down to save him." He said [back] to them, "If [even] one of you would go down there to the pit, you would save him, but [since Avraham] went down for My name, then I will go down and save him," as it is stated (Genesis 15:7), "I am the Lord who took you out of the Ur Kasdim (understood here as the fire of Kasdim);" "but I will give you a time [to go down and save others."] When did they go down? "Since you were prepared to save him for My honor, you, Michael [will descend] against the camp of Assyria; and you, Gavriel [will descend] against the camp of Kasdim (the Chaldeans)." When Gavriel went down to save Chanania, Mishael and Azaria, he tore the fire and came out and set aflame all those that had thrown them in, as it is stated (Daniel 3:22), "those men that raised Shadrakh, Meshakh, etc." And some say, "Four nations died there: At first, it is written (Ibid. 3), 'Then were gathered the satraps, the prefects, the governors[, etc.]' and the advisers of the king and, here, four [of them] are lacking, as it states (Ibid. 27), 'And the satraps gathered.'" Hence Chanania said (Psalms 117:1), "Praise the Lord, all nations;" Mishael said (Ibid.), "exalt him all peoples;" and Azaria said (Ibid. 2), "Since His kindness has overwhelmed us;" and the angel said (Ibid.), "'and the truth of the Lord is forever' - what He said to me when I went down to save Avraham is true." And so [too with] Michael, [God] did what He told him, as it is stated (II Kings 19:35), "And it was on that night and the angel of the Lord came out." It was taught, "All of the commanders and the dukes were drinking wine and left their receptacles thrown out. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Sancheriv, 'You have done yours,' as it is stated (Ibid. 23), 'By the hand of your messengers have you cursed;' 'I too [will act] by the hand of my messenger.'" What did He do to him? "And under his glory there shall be kindled a burning like the burning of fire." (Isaiah 10:16) What is [meant by] "and under his glory?" That He burned his body from the inside and left his clothing on the outside, since the glory of a person is his clothing. And why did He leave his clothing? Rather, since they were the descendants of Shem, as it is stated (Genesis 10:22), "The sons of Shem were Eilam and Ashur (Assyria)." The Holy One, blessed be He, said, "I am indebted to Shem, their father, as he and Yafet took their clothing and covered the nakedness of their father," as it is stated (Genesis 9:23), "And Shem and Yafet took the cloak." Hence, the Holy One, Blessed be He, said to Michael, "Leave their clothing and burn their souls." What is written there? "And they arose in the morning and, behold, dead corpses." This is [the meaning of] that which is written (Psalms 101:8), "In the mornings, I will annihilate the evildoers of the world." And Hizkiyahu and Israel were sitting and saying Hallel (Psalms of praise recited on festivals), as it was the night of Pesach, and they were afraid to say [it] now - Jerusalem was being conquered by his hand. When they woke up early in the morning to stand and read the Shema and to pray, they found their enemies were dead corpses. Hence, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Yeshaya (Isaiah 8:3), "'and call his name, "quick take booty, fast loot"' and be quick to loot booty; and the [other] one call 'with us is the Power (Imanuel),' to say that I am with him," as it is stated (II Chronicles 32:8), "with him is the forearm of flesh but with us is the Lord, our God." And just like the Holy One, blessed be He, acted in this world by the hand of Michael and Gavriel, so [too] in the future to come, he will act through them, as it is stated (Obadiah 1:21), "And the saviors will come up on Mount Zion to judge the mountain of Esav" - this is [referring to] Michael and Gavriel. And our Holy Rabbi said, "This is Michael by himself, as it is stated (Daniel 12:1), 'And at that time, Michael will stand, the great minister who stands for the children of Your people.'" As he [is the one that] demands the needs of Israel and speaks for them, as it is stated (Zechariah 1:12), "And the angel of the Lord answered and said, 'Lord of hosts, until when when will you not have mercy on Jerusalem?'" And I will [also] say (Daniel 10:21), "and none is being strong with Me except for Michael, your minister." Rabbi Yose said, "To what are Michael and Samael similar? To a defender and a prosecutor standing in court. This one is speaking and that one is speaking. [When] this one finished his words and that one his words, that defender knows that he has won. [Then] he begins to praise the judge, that issues the verdict. That prosecutor [then] requests to add something. The defender [then] says to him, 'Be quiet and let us hear from the judge.' So is it that Michael and Samael stand in front of the Divine Presence; and the Satan [Samael] prosecutes and Michael deliberates on the merit of Israel, and [then] the Satan comes to speak and Michael silences him. Why? As it is stated (Psalms 85:9), 'I will hear what the Power, the Lord, will speak, as He will speak peace about His people.'" This is [the meaning of] "I recall my music at night" - about the miracle of Hizkiyahu. Another explanation: "I recall my music at night" - I recall what you have done for us in Egypt, and the plots (menagnin) that you did to the Egyptians. How is it? At first, when the Holy One, blessed be He, requested to bring plagues upon the Egyptians, He said to bring the plague of the firstborn first, as it is stated (Exodus 4:23), "behold I am killing your son, your firstborn." [Pharaoh] started to say (Exodus 5:2), "Who is the Lord that I should listen to His voice?" The Holy One, blessed be He, said [to Himself], "If I bring the plague of the firstborn first, he will send them [right away], but rather I will bring other plagues upon him (first). And in its heels (beekev zot), I will bring them all," as it is stated, "And the Lord smote every firstborn." Hence David praises (Psalms 90:11), "Who knows the boldness of Your anger" - who knows your plots that You do in the sea, as it is stated (Psalms 77:20), "In the sea is Your way and Your path in the great waters, and Your footsteps (eekvotekha) were not known" - things that you do afterward (beekev), who [can] know?

21 The Seers (i.e., the prophets) were the ones who said the doubled letters, mantzepakh (mem, nun, tzadi, peh, and kaf, which are the letters that have a different form when they appear at the end of a word). [The doubling of kaf that is found in Genesis 12:1,] "Lekh lekha (Go for yourself)," hints to Avraham that he will father Yitschak at one hundred years [of age] (as the numerical value of these two words is one hundred). [The doubling of mem that is found in Genesis 26:16,] "ki atsamta memenu (as you have become more powerful than us)" is a hint [to Yitschak] that hints that he and his seed will be powerful in both worlds. The doubling of nun [that is found in Genesis 32:12,] "Hatsileini na (Save me)" [is a hint to] Yaakov, [that] he will be saved in both worlds. The doubling of peh [that is found in Exodus 3:15, is a hint to] Israel, to Moshe,"pakod pakadeti etchem (I have surely remembered you)." The doubling of tsadi [that is found in Zachariah 6:12,] "hinei eesh, Tsemach shemo, [ou'metachtav yitsmach] (behold, a man called Branch shall branch out from the place where he is,)" is [referring to] the Messiah. And so is it stated (Jermiah 23:5), "vahikimoti leDavid tsemach tsadeek [...] (and I will raise up a true branch of David [...])." "The leader of fifty" (Isaiah 3:3). Twenty-four books (of the Bible); add to them eleven of the thirteen [books of the minor prophets] - besides Yonah which is by itself - and six orders of the Mishnah and nine chapters of Torat Kohanim, behold fifty. "Sixty were the queens," (Song of Songs 6:8), sixty tractates; "and eighty were the concubines," eighty study halls that were in Jerusalem corresponding to its gates.; and maidens without number," the study outside. "Behold the bed of Shlomo, sixty warriors" (Song of Songs 3:7). [This corresponds to] the sixty letters of the priestly blessing (Numbers 6:24-26). Three hundred and eighteen [souls mentioned in Genesis 14:14 is the numerical equivalent of] Eliezer. "Inasmuch (ekev) as Avraham obeyed Me and kept My charge: My commandments, My laws, and My teachings" (Genesis 26:5) - he recognized him when he was three (the numerical equivalent of ekev, being three less than that of Avraham). The Satan (HaSatan) has the numerical equivalent of three hundred and sixty-four, the count of the days of the solar year that he rules over all of them to slander, excepting Yom Kippur. Rabbi Ami beiRabbi Abba said, "Avraham was missing five organs before he was circumcised and [before] he fathered. The [letter] hay (with a numerical value of five) was added [to his name] and he became complete and fathered [corresponding to the complete set of organs, two hundred and forty-eight], the numerical count of his letters." "A woman of valor is the crown of her husband" (Proverbs 12:4) - that is Sarah. Her name had been Sarai. Two Amoraim (later rabbinic teachers) differed. One said, "The [letter] yod (with a numerical count of ten that was taken from her) was divided into two, [to give] a hay to Avaraham and a hay to Sarah." And [the other] said, "The yod that was taken from Sarah raised a protest until Yehoshua came and Moshe added to him a yod - the Lord save you from the counsel of the [other] spies. [The significance of the letters in the name,] Yitschak [is as follows]: Yod (with a numerical count of ten) corresponds to the ten trials [of Avraham]. [The letter] tsadi (with a numerical count of ninety), [as] Sarah was ninety when he was born. [The letter] chet (with a numerical count of eight), [as] he was circumcised on the eighth day. And the letter kof (with a numerical count of one hundred), [as] Avraham was a hundred years old when he was born. Yaakov was called according to [the significance of the letters of] his [own] name: Yod [corresponds to] the tenth of his offspring going backwards. Count from (the last son), Binaymin to Levi - there are ten sons, [and Levi] was the tenth. [The letter] ayin (with a numerical count of seventy corresponds to the number of offspring he took to Egypt), "with seventy souls" (Deuteronomy 10:22). Kof corresponds to the [number of the] letters of the blessing [that he received minus the name of God, "And may He give you etc." (Genesis 27:28)]. [The letter] bet (with a numerical count of two) remains, corresponding to two angels (that he saw on the ladder in his dream) rising. There were six hundred and thirteen commandments in the tablets - corresponding to the letters from "I am" (Exodus 20:2) to "to your neighbor" (Exodus 20:14) - corresponding to the six hundred and thirteen commandments - no less and no more. And they were all given to Moshe at [Mount] Sinai; and in them are statutes and judgments, Torah and Mishnah, Talmud and aggadah. "The fear of the Lord is his treasure" (Isaiah 33:6). There is no greater characteristic than fear and humility, [as it is stated] (Deuteronomy 10:12), "And now Israel, what does the Lord, your God, ask of you besides to fear Him [...]." "The fear of" (Yirat) has a numerical value of six hundred and eleven; and Torah has a numerical value of six hundred and eleven - and Torah and fear [of God] along with them, behold that is six hundred and thirteen. [The numerical value of] fringes (tsitsit) [is six hundred] - the rabbis taught: [Add] eight [strings] and five [knots], behold that is six hundred and thirteen. The days of Avraham were one hundred and seventy-five years, [of] Yitzchak were one hundred and eighty years [and of] Yaakov were a hundred and forty-seven years. When you put them together, it is found to be five hundred and two years. And so is the distance of the the heavens to the earth, "like the the days of the heavens above the earth" (Deuteronomy 11:21). "[The man (David)] raised on high" (II Samuel 23:1) - [high (al) has a numerical value of one hundred] corresponding to one hundred blessings. As on every day, one hundred men of Israel were dying. [So] David came and ordained [the daily saying of] one hundred blessings. Once he ordained them, the pestilence ceased. High (al) [corresponds to] the yoke (ulah) of Torah and the yoke of suffering. "Forgive all guilt and take the good (tov) that we pay with the words of our lips" (Hosea 14:3). Israel said, "Master of the world, at the time that the Temple existed, we would offer a sacrifice and be cleansed. But now all we have in our hand is prayer." The numerical value of tov is seventeen. Prayer [consists of] nineteen blessings. Take away from them the blessing for the malfeasers that was composed at Yavneh, and "Let the sprout of David blossom," which they ordained after it for the sake of "Probe me, Lord, and try me" (Psalms 26:2). Rabbi Simon says, "Take tov [in at-bash (matching letters based on how close they are to the center of the alphabet), which is the same] as the numerical value of soul (nefesh). Israel said, 'At the time that the Temple existed, we would incinerate the fats and the innards and be cleansed. But now behold our fat, our blood and our souls. May it be Your will that it be atonement for us and "that we pay with the words of our lips" (Hosea 14:3).'" "And the Lord gave her conception (herayon)" (Ruth 4:13). [Herayon] has a numerical value of two hundred and seventy one (the number of the days of the nine months of birthing). The measure of the water of a mikveh (ritual bath) is forty seah [corresponding to the forty mentions] of well water, written in the Torah. And [the volume of] how many eggs is the measure of the mikveh? Five thousand seven hundred and sixty. Each seah is a hundred and forty-four eggs. Forty-three and a fifth eggs is the measure of [what is required for] challah [tithe]. And from where [do we know] that a mikveh requires forty seah? As it is written (Isaiah 8:6), "Since this nation has rejected the waters of Shiloach that flow gently (le'at)." The numerical value [of le'at] is forty. And one who separates the measure of the challah [tithe] must separate one part in forty three and a fifth from Torah writ like the [numerical] value of challah. The main categories of work [on Shabbat] are forty minus one (thirty-nine), as it is written (Exodus 35:1), "These (eleh) are the things which the Lord commanded." [The numerical count of] "eleh" is thirty-six; "things" (being plural) is two; "the things" [indicates an additional] one - behold, forty minus one. "He shall strike him forty, he shall not add" (Deuteronomy 25:3), corresponds to the forty curses that the snake, Chava, Adam and the ground were cursed - and the sages lessened one, because of "he shall not add." Those [judges] advocating innocence are more those advocating guilt. [For] it is best for the two to come and push off one. Seshach is Bavel (Babylon) [according to] its numerical value in at-bash. Tavel is Ramlah [according to] its numerical value in al-bam (another numerical scheme). "Thus (bezot) shall Aaron enter the shrine; with a bull of the herd for a sin offering and a ram for a burnt offering" (Leviticus 16:3). Bezot (which has a numerical count of four hundred and ten) is a hint to the first Temple that stood for four hundred and ten years.

[(Gen. 15:1:) FEAR NOT, ABRAM.] This text is related (to Prov. 28:14): BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS AFRAID, BUT THE ONE WHO HARDENS HIS HEART WILL FALL INTO EVIL.⁸⁷Tanh., Gen. 3:15. It is also written (in Prov. 14:16): A WISE PERSON FEARS AND TURNS AWAY FROM EVIL.⁸⁸Cf. Gen. R. 44:2. Who is he? This is Abraham. And of what was he afraid? Of Shem, whose sons he killed, Chedorlaomer king of Elam and his three sons. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 10:22): THE SONS OF SHEM: ELAM, ASSHUR, ARPACHSHAD, LUD, AND ARAM. So he was afraid, saying: I have killed the children of a saint, and now he will curse me so that I die. What did he do? He went out to meet him there in order to mollify him. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:18): AND MELCHIZEDEK KING OF SALEM < … >. The Holy One said: By your life I will not curse you but bless you. Thus it is stated (in the next verse): THEN HE BLESSED HIM, AND SAID: BLESSED BE ABRAM…. He said to him: Because you have killed my sons, I am blessing you. Thus it is stated (in vs. 20): AND BLESSED BE GOD MOST HIGH, WHO HAS DELIVERED YOUR ENEMIES INTO YOUR HAND…. What is the meaning of WHO HAS DELIVERED (MGN) YOUR ENEMIES? The Holy One made a charm (MNGN')⁸⁹The Buber text here has MGYNH, but the word should probably be read as MNGN’ (Gk.: magganon) in agreement with the traditional Tanhuma and Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 44. For another variation (MGNH), see Codex Vaticanus 34. See also Gen. R. 44:4. and overthrew them before you. So taking dust, our father Abraham scattered it over them, and it became arrows and bows.⁹⁰Sanh. 108b; Gen. R. 43:3; M. Pss. 110:2. Then taking straw, he scattered it over them, and it became swords and spears. Thus it is stated (in Is. 41:2): WHO HAS AROUSED RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM THE EAST?… [HE RENDERS HIS SWORD LIKE DUST, HIS BOW LIKE DRIVEN CHAFF.] This refers to Abraham, of whom it is next stated (in vs. 3): HE PURSUES THEM AND PASSES ON IN PEACE. Thus it says (in Gen. 14:20): WHO HAS DELIVERED YOUR ENEMIES INTO YOUR HAND…. The Holy One said: Are you < still > afraid after these things? (Gen. 15:1:) FEAR NOT, ABRAM. It is therefore stated (in Prov. 28:14): BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS AFRAID.

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[(Gen. 15:1:) FEAR NOT, ABRAM.] This text is related (to Prov. 28:14): BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS AFRAID, BUT THE ONE WHO HARDENS HIS HEART WILL FALL INTO EVIL.⁸⁷Tanh., Gen. 3:15. It is also written (in Prov. 14:16): A WISE PERSON FEARS AND TURNS AWAY FROM EVIL.⁸⁸Cf. Gen. R. 44:2. Who is he? This is Abraham. And of what was he afraid? Of Shem, whose sons he killed, Chedorlaomer king of Elam and his three sons. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 10:22): THE SONS OF SHEM: ELAM, ASSHUR, ARPACHSHAD, LUD, AND ARAM. So he was afraid, saying: I have killed the children of a saint, and now he will curse me so that I die. What did he do? He went out to meet him there in order to mollify him. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:18): AND MELCHIZEDEK KING OF SALEM < … >. The Holy One said: By your life I will not curse you but bless you. Thus it is stated (in the next verse): THEN HE BLESSED HIM, AND SAID: BLESSED BE ABRAM…. He said to him: Because you have killed my sons, I am blessing you. Thus it is stated (in vs. 20): AND BLESSED BE GOD MOST HIGH, WHO HAS DELIVERED YOUR ENEMIES INTO YOUR HAND…. What is the meaning of WHO HAS DELIVERED (MGN) YOUR ENEMIES? The Holy One made a charm (MNGN')⁸⁹The Buber text here has MGYNH, but the word should probably be read as MNGN’ (Gk.: magganon) in agreement with the traditional Tanhuma and Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 44. For another variation (MGNH), see Codex Vaticanus 34. See also Gen. R. 44:4. and overthrew them before you. So taking dust, our father Abraham scattered it over them, and it became arrows and bows.⁹⁰Sanh. 108b; Gen. R. 43:3; M. Pss. 110:2. Then taking straw, he scattered it over them, and it became swords and spears. Thus it is stated (in Is. 41:2): WHO HAS AROUSED RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM THE EAST?… [HE RENDERS HIS SWORD LIKE DUST, HIS BOW LIKE DRIVEN CHAFF.] This refers to Abraham, of whom it is next stated (in vs. 3): HE PURSUES THEM AND PASSES ON IN PEACE. Thus it says (in Gen. 14:20): WHO HAS DELIVERED YOUR ENEMIES INTO YOUR HAND…. The Holy One said: Are you < still > afraid after these things? (Gen. 15:1:) FEAR NOT, ABRAM. It is therefore stated (in Prov. 28:14): BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS AFRAID.

[(Gen. 15:1:) FEAR NOT, ABRAM.] This text is related (to Prov. 28:14): BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS AFRAID, BUT THE ONE WHO HARDENS HIS HEART WILL FALL INTO EVIL.⁸⁷Tanh., Gen. 3:15. It is also written (in Prov. 14:16): A WISE PERSON FEARS AND TURNS AWAY FROM EVIL.⁸⁸Cf. Gen. R. 44:2. Who is he? This is Abraham. And of what was he afraid? Of Shem, whose sons he killed, Chedorlaomer king of Elam and his three sons. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 10:22): THE SONS OF SHEM: ELAM, ASSHUR, ARPACHSHAD, LUD, AND ARAM. So he was afraid, saying: I have killed the children of a saint, and now he will curse me so that I die. What did he do? He went out to meet him there in order to mollify him. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:18): AND MELCHIZEDEK KING OF SALEM < … >. The Holy One said: By your life I will not curse you but bless you. Thus it is stated (in the next verse): THEN HE BLESSED HIM, AND SAID: BLESSED BE ABRAM…. He said to him: Because you have killed my sons, I am blessing you. Thus it is stated (in vs. 20): AND BLESSED BE GOD MOST HIGH, WHO HAS DELIVERED YOUR ENEMIES INTO YOUR HAND…. What is the meaning of WHO HAS DELIVERED (MGN) YOUR ENEMIES? The Holy One made a charm (MNGN')⁸⁹The Buber text here has MGYNH, but the word should probably be read as MNGN’ (Gk.: magganon) in agreement with the traditional Tanhuma and Codex Vaticanus Ebr. 44. For another variation (MGNH), see Codex Vaticanus 34. See also Gen. R. 44:4. and overthrew them before you. So taking dust, our father Abraham scattered it over them, and it became arrows and bows.⁹⁰Sanh. 108b; Gen. R. 43:3; M. Pss. 110:2. Then taking straw, he scattered it over them, and it became swords and spears. Thus it is stated (in Is. 41:2): WHO HAS AROUSED RIGHTEOUSNESS FROM THE EAST?… [HE RENDERS HIS SWORD LIKE DUST, HIS BOW LIKE DRIVEN CHAFF.] This refers to Abraham, of whom it is next stated (in vs. 3): HE PURSUES THEM AND PASSES ON IN PEACE. Thus it says (in Gen. 14:20): WHO HAS DELIVERED YOUR ENEMIES INTO YOUR HAND…. The Holy One said: Are you < still > afraid after these things? (Gen. 15:1:) FEAR NOT, ABRAM. It is therefore stated (in Prov. 28:14): BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS AFRAID.

"Those are the Waters of Merivah [...]" (Numbers 20:13). From here you learn that it was set from before that Moshe would be punished at [these] Waters. See what is written, "And they returned and they came to En-mishpat (literally, the Spring of Judgment), which is Kadesh […]" (Genesis 14:7). That is the spring of Moshe's judgement, [which is Kadesh]. "Those are the Waters of Merivah" (Numbers 20:13). And it is called Kadesh, on account of that which is stated (Numbers 20:12), "to sanctify Me in the eyes of the Children of Israel.” (Numbers 20:13) "Those are the Waters of Merivah": There is a parable: To what is this comparable? To the son of a king that took a stone and blinded his [own] eye. Upon each and every stone, his father would say, "This is what blinded my son's eye." Hence it is stated, "Those (in the plural) are the waters of Merivah."

..."Do not fear him" - this is [the meaning of] that which Scripture stated (Proverbs 28:14), "Happy is the man who always fears." And this is the trait of the righteous: even though the Holy One, blessed be He, reassures them, they do not relinquish fear. And so [was it] with Jacob - "and Jacob feared" (Genesis 32:8). Why did he fear? He said, "Maybe I have been tarnished by something [when I was] with Laban... so the Holy One, blessed be He, abandoned me." And so too did Moses take hold of fear corresponding to his [fore] father. And why did he fear? He said, "Maybe Israel misappropriated [some goods] in the war with Sichon or became tarnished with a sin." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Do not fear"...

..."Do not fear him" - this is [the meaning of] that which Scripture stated (Proverbs 28:14), "Happy is the man who always fears." And this is the trait of the righteous: even though the Holy One, blessed be He, reassures them, they do not relinquish fear. And so [was it] with Jacob - "and Jacob feared" (Genesis 32:8). Why did he fear? He said, "Maybe I have been tarnished by something [when I was] with Laban... so the Holy One, blessed be He, abandoned me." And so too did Moses take hold of fear corresponding to his [fore] father. And why did he fear? He said, "Maybe Israel misappropriated [some goods] in the war with Sichon or became tarnished with a sin." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Do not fear"...

..."Do not fear him" - this is [the meaning of] that which Scripture stated (Proverbs 28:14), "Happy is the man who always fears." And this is the trait of the righteous: even though the Holy One, blessed be He, reassures them, they do not relinquish fear. And so [was it] with Jacob - "and Jacob feared" (Genesis 32:8). Why did he fear? He said, "Maybe I have been tarnished by something [when I was] with Laban... so the Holy One, blessed be He, abandoned me." And so too did Moses take hold of fear corresponding to his [fore] father. And why did he fear? He said, "Maybe Israel misappropriated [some goods] in the war with Sichon or became tarnished with a sin." The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, "Do not fear"...

It is written (in Ps. 121:1): A SONG OF ASCENTS. I WILL LIFT UP MY EYES UNTO THE MOUNTAINS. FROM WHERE WILL MY HELP COME? It is also written (in Zech. 4:7): WHO ARE YOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN, BEFORE ZERUBBABEL? BECOME LEVEL GROUND.⁸²Tanh., Gen. 6:14. What is the meaning of WHO ARE YOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN? This is the Messianic King. Then why does it call him GREAT MOUNTAIN? Because he is greater than the ancestors, as stated (in Is. 52:13): BEHOLD, MY SERVANT SHALL BRING LOW.⁸³The Masoretic Text reads: SHALL PROSPER. HE SHALL BE EXALTED, LIFTED UP, AND BECOME EXCEEDINGLY TALL. HE SHALL BE EXALTED (rt.: RWM) more than Abraham, LIFTED UP more than Moses, AND BECOME EXCEEDINGLY TALL, more so than the ministering angels. < HE SHALL BE EXALTED > more than Abraham, of whom it is written (in Gen. 14:22): I HAVE RAISED (rt.: RWM) MY HAND UNTO THE LORD. < He shall be > LIFTED UP more than Moses, of whom it is stated (in Numb. 11:12): THAT YOU (the LORD) SHOULD SAY TO ME (Moses): LIFT THEM UP IN YOUR BOSOM AS THE NURSE LIFTS UP A SUCKLING CHILD. AND < he shall > BECOME… TALL (rt.: GBH), more than the ministering angels, of whom it is stated (in Ezek. 1:18): THEIR (the angelic wheels') RIMS (rt.: GBB) WERE BOTH TALL (rt.: GBH) < AND AWESOME >…. From whom did he arise? From [Zerubbabel, and Zerubbabel < arose >] from David. Thus it is stated (in I Chron 3:10-24): AND SOLOMON'S SON WAS REHOBOAM, ABIJAH HIS SON, ASA HIS SON, JEHOSHAPHAT HIS SON, JORAM HIS SON, AHAZIAH HIS SON, JOASH HIS SON, AMAZIAH HIS SON, AZARIAH HIS SON, [JOTHAM HIS SON], AHAZ HIS SON, HEZEKIAH HIS SON, MANASSEH HIS SON, AMON HIS SON, AND JOSIAH HIS SON. NOW THE SONS OF JOSIAH WERE JOHANAN THE FIRST-BORN, JEHOIAKIM THE SECOND, ZEDEKIAH THE THIRD, AND SHALLUM THE FOURTH. THE SONS OF JEHOIAKIM WERE HIS SON JECONIAH AND HIS SON ZEDEKIAH. AND THE SONS OF JECONIAH, THE CAPTIVE, WERE SHEALTIEL HIS SON, MALCHIRAM, PEDAIAH, SHENAZZAR, JEKAMIAH, HOSHAMA, AND NEDABIAH. THE SONS OF PEDAIAH WERE ZERUBBABEL AND SHIMEI. THE SONS OF ZERUBBABEL WERE MESHULLAM AND HANANIAH, AND SHELOMITH WAS THEIR SISTER; ALSO HASHUBAH, OHEL, BERECHIAH, (HASARIAH) [HASADIAH], JUSHABHESED: FIVE (from after the exile). AND THE SONS OF HANANIAH WERE (PELITIA) [PELATIAH] AND JESHAIAH. AND THE SONS OF < JESHAIAH >: REPHAIAH; THE SONS OF < REPHAIAH >: ARNAN; THE SONS OF < ARNAN >: OBADIAH; THE SONS OF < OBADIAH >: SHECANIAH; THE SONS OF SHECANIAH: SHEMAIAH. THE SONS OF SHEMAIAH WERE HATTUSH, IGAL, [BARIAH], NEARIAH, AND SHAPHAT: SIX. THE SONS OF NEARIAH WERE ELIOENAI, HIZKIAH, AND AZRIKAM: THREE. AND THE SONS OF ELIOENAI WERE HODAVIAH, ELIASHIB, PELAIAH, AKKUB, JOHANAN, DELAIAH, AND ANANI: SEVEN. Now up to here the Scripture has given [you] detail. Who is Anani? This is the Messianic [King], as stated (in Dan. 7:13): AS I WAS LOOKING ON (IN A VISION AT NIGHT) [IN THE NIGHT VISIONS], BEHOLD, ALONG WITH ANANI⁸⁴The Masoretic Text vocalizes ‘anani as ‘anane, which means “clouds.” OF < HEAVEN, ONE LIKE A HUMAN BEING >…. What is the meaning of the SEVEN (in I Chron. 3:24)? [What is] that which is written about the Messiah? That which is stated (in Zech. 4:10): FOR WHOEVER HAS DESPISED THE DAY OF SMALL THINGS SHALL REJOICE TO SEE THE PLUMMET IN THE HAND OF ZERUBBABEL, < EVEN > SEVEN: (BEHOLD), [THESE ARE] THE EYES ('ene) OF THE LORD. THEY ROAM AROUND ALL THE EARTH. It is therefore stated (in Zech. 4:7): WHO ARE YOU, O GREAT MOUNTAIN, BEFORE ZERUBBABEL? BECOME LEVEL GROUND. This is what is written about him (in Is. 11:4): SO HE SHALL JUDGE THE POOR WITH RIGHTEOUSNESS AND DECIDE WITH EQUITY < FOR THE MEEK ('anawi) OF THE EARTH >….

And Abraham fell upon his face (Gen. 14:3). Prior to his circumcision, Abraham prostrated himself whenever the Shekhinah addressed him, but after he was circumcised, He remained standing, as it is said: And Abraham stood yet before the Lord (ibid. 18:22). Indeed, the Holy One, blessed be He, also revealed Himself unto Abraham while he sat, as it is said: And the Lord appeared unto him by the terebinths of Mamre, as he sat in the tent door (ibid., v. 1).

12 (Numb. 22:20) “Then God came unto Balaam at night”: This text is related (to Exod. 12:42), “That was for the Lord a night of vigil […].” All miracles which were done for Israel and which involved exacting retribution for them from the wicked took place at night: (Gen. 31:24) “And God came unto Laban the Aramean in a dream at night”: And it is written (in Gen. 20:3), “But God came unto Abimelech in a dream at night.” And it is written (in Exod. 12:29), “And it came to pass in the middle of the night.” And it is written (in Exod. 14:20), “there was the cloud with the darkness, and it cast a spell upon the night.” And it is written (in Gen. 14:15), “And he deployed at night.” And so [it was with] all of them. Another interpretation: Why did he reveal himself to Balaam by night? He was not worthy of [receiving] the holy spirit [except at night]. As He speaks at night with all the prophets of the nations, as stated (in Job 4:13), “In opinions from night visions.” And so Eliphaz says (in Job 4:13), “In a dream, a vision of the night,” about [Balaam’s] speaking with him at night. And similarly Elihou speaks about that which He had spoken with him at night. (Numb. 22:20, cont.) “If these men have come to invite you, arise and go with them”: From here you learn that in the way that a man wants to go, in it is he driven. As at first it was said to him (in Numb. 22:12), “Do not go with them.” As soon as he had become defiant, he went. As so is it written about him (in Numb. 22:22), “But God's anger was kindled because he was going.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “I do not desire the death of the wicked. [But] in as much as you want to be obliterated from the world, ‘arise and go with them.’” (Numb. 22:20, cont.), “But only the thing [that I tell you are you to do].” [These words are] to teach you that he went with a warning. Immediately he got up early in the morning [preparing his donkey] quickly all by himself. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “You wicked man! Their ancestor Abraham has already anticipated you at the binding of his son Isaac,” as stated (in Gen. 22:3), “So Abraham arose early in the morning, saddled his he-ass.” (Numb. 22:21, cont.) “And went with the princes of Moab”: [These words are] to teach you that he was as glad at the tribulation of Israel as they were.

(Numb. 21:34:) “But the Lord God said unto Moses, ‘Do not fear him.’” This text is related (to Prov. 28:14), “Fortunate is the one who is always afraid […].” Such is the nature of the righteous. Although the Holy One, blessed be He, assures them, they do not cast off fear. And so it is written about Jacob (in Gen. 32:8]), “And Jacob was [greatly] afraid.” Why was he afraid? He said, “Perhaps I was tainted by something at Laban's,” since it is written (in Deut. 23:15), “so [the Lord] is not to see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.” Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, may have forsaken me. Moses also acquired fear in the manner of his ancestor. Why was he afraid? He said, “Perhaps Israel sinned in the war with Sihon or became tainted by a transgression.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (in Numb. 34:21), “’Do not fear,’ as they all fulfilled [their actions] with justice. ‘Do not fear him,’ [even though] a warrior more formidable than himself has never arisen in the world [since his time].” Thus it is stated (in Deut. 3:11), “For only Og King of Bashan was left over from the remaining Rephaim.”¹⁵⁵According to Deut. 2:11, 20-21, together with Numb. 13:33, the Rephaim were a race of giants. Now he had been left from the warriors whom Amraphel and his colleagues (Gen. 14:1, 9) had slain, as stated (in Gen. 14:5), “and they smote the Rephaim […].” But this [man] was their refuse, like olive pits that come out as survivors from the bottom of the oil press. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:13), “Then the survivor came and told Abram (about Lot's capture).” This was Og. And here [Scripture] made him into leftovers, as stated (in Josh. 13:12), “he was left over from the remaining Rephaim.” It was his intention that Abraham would go out [to war] and be killed. The Holy One, blessed be He, gave him a reward for [what] his feet had earned [for the good that ended up resulting]; in that he lived all those years until he fell at the hand of [Abraham's] children. When Moses came to wage war with him, he was afraid of him. He said, “I am a hundred and twenty years old, while he is five hundred years old.” If he did not have merit, he would not have lived all these years. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2:) “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand,’ you with your hand shall kill him, (Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2, cont.) ‘and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon….’” (Deut. 3:6:) “And we shall utterly destroy it […].” But is it not written (in Deut. 3:7), “But all the cattle and the booty of the towns we took as booty for ourselves?” It is simply that they utterly destroyed their bodies, so as not to benefit from any of them at all. (Numb. 21:35:) “So they smote him, his sons [and all his people].” The written text (ketiv) [reads] “his son,”¹⁵⁶Cf. a similar verse about Sihon, Deut. 2:33, where HIS SON is the undoubted reading. because he had a son more formidable than himself. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “In this world you destroy the nations little by little, but in the world to come, I will remove them from the world at a single stroke. It is so stated (in Is. 33:12), “And the people shall become burnings of lime, thorns cut down that are burned in the fire.” Amen, may it be His will!

(Numb. 21:34:) “But the Lord God said unto Moses, ‘Do not fear him.’” This text is related (to Prov. 28:14), “Fortunate is the one who is always afraid […].” Such is the nature of the righteous. Although the Holy One, blessed be He, assures them, they do not cast off fear. And so it is written about Jacob (in Gen. 32:8]), “And Jacob was [greatly] afraid.” Why was he afraid? He said, “Perhaps I was tainted by something at Laban's,” since it is written (in Deut. 23:15), “so [the Lord] is not to see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.” Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, may have forsaken me. Moses also acquired fear in the manner of his ancestor. Why was he afraid? He said, “Perhaps Israel sinned in the war with Sihon or became tainted by a transgression.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (in Numb. 34:21), “’Do not fear,’ as they all fulfilled [their actions] with justice. ‘Do not fear him,’ [even though] a warrior more formidable than himself has never arisen in the world [since his time].” Thus it is stated (in Deut. 3:11), “For only Og King of Bashan was left over from the remaining Rephaim.”¹⁵⁵According to Deut. 2:11, 20-21, together with Numb. 13:33, the Rephaim were a race of giants. Now he had been left from the warriors whom Amraphel and his colleagues (Gen. 14:1, 9) had slain, as stated (in Gen. 14:5), “and they smote the Rephaim […].” But this [man] was their refuse, like olive pits that come out as survivors from the bottom of the oil press. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:13), “Then the survivor came and told Abram (about Lot's capture).” This was Og. And here [Scripture] made him into leftovers, as stated (in Josh. 13:12), “he was left over from the remaining Rephaim.” It was his intention that Abraham would go out [to war] and be killed. The Holy One, blessed be He, gave him a reward for [what] his feet had earned [for the good that ended up resulting]; in that he lived all those years until he fell at the hand of [Abraham's] children. When Moses came to wage war with him, he was afraid of him. He said, “I am a hundred and twenty years old, while he is five hundred years old.” If he did not have merit, he would not have lived all these years. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2:) “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand,’ you with your hand shall kill him, (Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2, cont.) ‘and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon….’” (Deut. 3:6:) “And we shall utterly destroy it […].” But is it not written (in Deut. 3:7), “But all the cattle and the booty of the towns we took as booty for ourselves?” It is simply that they utterly destroyed their bodies, so as not to benefit from any of them at all. (Numb. 21:35:) “So they smote him, his sons [and all his people].” The written text (ketiv) [reads] “his son,”¹⁵⁶Cf. a similar verse about Sihon, Deut. 2:33, where HIS SON is the undoubted reading. because he had a son more formidable than himself. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “In this world you destroy the nations little by little, but in the world to come, I will remove them from the world at a single stroke. It is so stated (in Is. 33:12), “And the people shall become burnings of lime, thorns cut down that are burned in the fire.” Amen, may it be His will!

(Numb. 21:34:) “But the Lord God said unto Moses, ‘Do not fear him.’” This text is related (to Prov. 28:14), “Fortunate is the one who is always afraid […].” Such is the nature of the righteous. Although the Holy One, blessed be He, assures them, they do not cast off fear. And so it is written about Jacob (in Gen. 32:8]), “And Jacob was [greatly] afraid.” Why was he afraid? He said, “Perhaps I was tainted by something at Laban's,” since it is written (in Deut. 23:15), “so [the Lord] is not to see anything indecent among you and turn away from you.” Thus the Holy One, blessed be He, may have forsaken me. Moses also acquired fear in the manner of his ancestor. Why was he afraid? He said, “Perhaps Israel sinned in the war with Sihon or became tainted by a transgression.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (in Numb. 34:21), “’Do not fear,’ as they all fulfilled [their actions] with justice. ‘Do not fear him,’ [even though] a warrior more formidable than himself has never arisen in the world [since his time].” Thus it is stated (in Deut. 3:11), “For only Og King of Bashan was left over from the remaining Rephaim.”¹⁵⁵According to Deut. 2:11, 20-21, together with Numb. 13:33, the Rephaim were a race of giants. Now he had been left from the warriors whom Amraphel and his colleagues (Gen. 14:1, 9) had slain, as stated (in Gen. 14:5), “and they smote the Rephaim […].” But this [man] was their refuse, like olive pits that come out as survivors from the bottom of the oil press. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:13), “Then the survivor came and told Abram (about Lot's capture).” This was Og. And here [Scripture] made him into leftovers, as stated (in Josh. 13:12), “he was left over from the remaining Rephaim.” It was his intention that Abraham would go out [to war] and be killed. The Holy One, blessed be He, gave him a reward for [what] his feet had earned [for the good that ended up resulting]; in that he lived all those years until he fell at the hand of [Abraham's] children. When Moses came to wage war with him, he was afraid of him. He said, “I am a hundred and twenty years old, while he is five hundred years old.” If he did not have merit, he would not have lived all these years. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2:) “Do not fear him, for I have given him into your hand,’ you with your hand shall kill him, (Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2, cont.) ‘and you shall do to him as you did to Sihon….’” (Deut. 3:6:) “And we shall utterly destroy it […].” But is it not written (in Deut. 3:7), “But all the cattle and the booty of the towns we took as booty for ourselves?” It is simply that they utterly destroyed their bodies, so as not to benefit from any of them at all. (Numb. 21:35:) “So they smote him, his sons [and all his people].” The written text (ketiv) [reads] “his son,”¹⁵⁶Cf. a similar verse about Sihon, Deut. 2:33, where HIS SON is the undoubted reading. because he had a son more formidable than himself. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, “In this world you destroy the nations little by little, but in the world to come, I will remove them from the world at a single stroke. It is so stated (in Is. 33:12), “And the people shall become burnings of lime, thorns cut down that are burned in the fire.” Amen, may it be His will!

This is what God said to Israel: My children what do I seek from you? I seek no more than that you love one another, and honor one another, and that you have awe for one another

THE TRIALS OF ABRAHAM (continued)
THE sixth trial was (when) all the kings came against him to slay him. They said: Let us first begin with the house of his brother, and afterwards let us begin with him. On account of Lot they took all (the wealth of) Sodom and Gomorrah, as it is said, "And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah" || (Gen. 14:11). Afterwards they took Lot captive, and all his wealth, as it is said, "And they took Lot… and his goods" (Gen. 14:12).

THE TRIALS OF ABRAHAM (continued)
THE sixth trial was (when) all the kings came against him to slay him. They said: Let us first begin with the house of his brother, and afterwards let us begin with him. On account of Lot they took all (the wealth of) Sodom and Gomorrah, as it is said, "And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah" || (Gen. 14:11). Afterwards they took Lot captive, and all his wealth, as it is said, "And they took Lot… and his goods" (Gen. 14:12).

THE TRIALS OF ABRAHAM (continued)
THE sixth trial was (when) all the kings came against him to slay him. They said: Let us first begin with the house of his brother, and afterwards let us begin with him. On account of Lot they took all (the wealth of) Sodom and Gomorrah, as it is said, "And they took all the goods of Sodom and Gomorrah" || (Gen. 14:11). Afterwards they took Lot captive, and all his wealth, as it is said, "And they took Lot… and his goods" (Gen. 14:12).

Michael came and told Abraham, as it is said, "And there came one who had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew" (Gen. 14:13). He is the prince of the world, he was the one who told, as it is said, "Curse not the king, no, not in thy thought;… he who hath wings shall tell the matter" (Eccles. 10:20). Why was his name called "Paliṭ" ("One who had escaped")? Because in the hour when the Holy One, blessed be He, caused Sammael and his band to descend from heaven from their holy place, he caught hold of the wings of Michael to make him fall with himself, and the Holy One, blessed be He, saved him from his power; therefore was his name called "The one who had escaped." Concerning him Ezekiel said, "One who had escaped out of Jerusalem came to me, saying, The city is smitten" (Ezek. 33:21).

Abraham rose up early in the morning, and he took his three disciples, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, with him, and Eliezer his servant with him (also), and he pursued after them as far as Dan, which is Pameas, as it is said, "And he pursued as far as Dan" (Gen. 14:14). And there the righteous man was hindered, for there it was told him: Abraham, know thou that in the future thy children's children will serve idols in this place; therefore was he hindered there. Whence do we know that Israel served idols there? Because it is said, "And he made two calves of gold… and he set the || one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan" (1 Kings 12:28, 29). There he left his three disciples, and he took his servant Eliezer. The numerical value of the letters of his name equals 318. He pursued them as far as the left of Damascus, as it is said, "And he pursued them unto Hobah" (Gen. 14:15).

Abraham rose up early in the morning, and he took his three disciples, Aner, Eshcol, and Mamre, with him, and Eliezer his servant with him (also), and he pursued after them as far as Dan, which is Pameas, as it is said, "And he pursued as far as Dan" (Gen. 14:14). And there the righteous man was hindered, for there it was told him: Abraham, know thou that in the future thy children's children will serve idols in this place; therefore was he hindered there. Whence do we know that Israel served idols there? Because it is said, "And he made two calves of gold… and he set the || one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan" (1 Kings 12:28, 29). There he left his three disciples, and he took his servant Eliezer. The numerical value of the letters of his name equals 318. He pursued them as far as the left of Damascus, as it is said, "And he pursued them unto Hobah" (Gen. 14:15).

Samuel the Younger said: There the night was divided for him; (the night) when the children of Israel went forth out of Egypt, that was the night in which Abraham smote the kings and their camps with them, as it is said, "And he divided himself against them by night, he and his servants" (ibid.).

Hillel the Elder said: Abraham took all the wealth of Sodom and Gomorrah and all the wealth of Lot, the son of his brother, and he returned in peace, and not even one of his men failed him, as it is said, "And he brought back all the goods, and also his brother Lot" (Gen. 14:16).

Rabbi Joshua said: Abraham was the first to begin to give a tithe. He took all the tithe of the kings and all the tithe of the wealth of Lot, the son of his brother, and gave (it) to Shem, the son of Noah, as it is said, "And he gave him a tenth of all" (Gen. 14:20).

Shem, the son of Noah, came forth to meet him, and when he saw all the deeds which he had done and all the wealth which he had brought back, || he wondered in his heart. He began to praise, to glorify, and to laud the name of the Most High, saying: "And blessed be God the Most High, who hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand" (ibid.). Abraham arose and prayed before the Holy One, blessed be He, saying: Sovereign of all worlds ! Not by the power of my hand, nor by the power of my right hand have I done all these things, but by the power of Thy right hand with which Thou dost shield me in this world and in the world to come, as it is said, "But thou, O Lord, art a shield about me" (Ps. 3:3) in this world; "my glory, and the lifter up of mine head" (ibid.) in the world to come. The angels answered and said: Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the shield of Abraham.

Rabbi said: The Holy One, blessed be He, brought Abraham outside (his house) on the night of Passover, and He said to him: Abraham ! Hast thou the ability to count all the host of heaven? He said before Him: Sovereign of all worlds ! Is there then a limit to Thy troops (of angels)? He said to him: Likewise thy seed shall not be counted owing to their great number, as it is said, "And he said unto him, So shall thy seed be" (Gen. 15:5).

(Exodus 12:29) "And it was in the middle of the night": Its Creator divided it. What is the intent of this? It is written (Ibid. 11:4) "And Moses said (to Pharaoh): Thus said the L rd: When the night is divided (i.e., at midnight) I shall go out into the midst of Egypt." Now is it possible for flesh and blood to ascertain the middle of the night? It must be, then, that its Creator divided it. R. Yehudah b. Betheira says: He who knows its hours and its times — He divided it. R. Eliezer says: It is written here "And it was in the middle of the night," and elsewhere (Genesis 14:15) "And they 'divided' against them at night." Just as here the plague did not begin until the middle of the night, there, too, (their attack) occurred in the middle of the night. "and the L rd smote every first-born": I might think through an angel or through an emissary. It is, therefore, written (Ibid. 12:12) "and I shall smite every first-born, etc." — not through an angel and not through an emissary. "and the L rd smote every first-born in the land of Egypt": even (those first-born) from different places. And whence is the same derived for the first-born of Egypt (who were found) in different places? From (Psalms 136:10) "Who smote Egypt by their first-born" (wherever they were). Whence do I derive the same for the first-born of Cham, Kush, Put, and Lud? From (Ibid. 78:51) "He smote every first-born in Egypt, the first-fruit of their strength in the tents of Cham." "from the first-born of Pharaoh sitting on his throne": Scripture hereby apprises us that Pharaoh (himself) was a first-born, (the throne passing in succession to the first-born). __ But perhaps the intent is only to teach that his son was a first-born? __ "sitting on his throne" already speaks of his son. Why (the redundant) "from the first-born of Pharaoh"? To apprise us that Pharaoh himself was a first-born. He alone remained (alive) of all the first-born. Of this, Scripture states (Ibid. 9:16) :But because of this I have preserved you, in order to show you My might, etc." (Likewise,) Ba'al Tzefon remained (standing) of all the Egyptian idols in order to raise their hopes. Of such as these it is written (Iyyov 12:23) "He lifts up nations and destroys them." "until the captive first-born": Now what sin did the captives commit (that their first-born should be killed)? So that they not say (if they were spared) "Our god brought this catastrophe upon them ([the Egyptians] for incarcerating us). Awesome is our god, that stood up for itself! Awesome is our god, who shielded us from this punishment!" And we are hereby apprised that the captives rejoiced in all the decrees inflicted by Pharaoh upon Israel, (for which they were punished) in keeping with (Mishlei 17:5) "He who rejoices in (another's) misfortune will not be absolved," and (Psalms 24:17) "Do not rejoice in the downfall of your foe," and (Ezekiel 26:2-3) "Son of man, because Tyre said about (the besieged Jerusalem) 'Heach!' (an expression of joy) — thus said the L rd G d: 'Behold, Tyre, I am (coming) against you, and I will raise up many nations against you, as the sea raises its waves!'" And not only captives alone (were thus smitten), but even men-servants and maid-servants, viz. (Exodus 17:5) "… until the first-born of the maid-servant." "and every first-born of the beast": Now what sin did the beasts commit? (They were smitten) so that the Egyptians not say (if they were spared) "Our god (i.e., the beasts, whom they worshipped) brought this catastrophe upon us. Awesome is our god, against whom this catastrophe did not prevail!"

Rabbi Hun stated in the name of Bar Kappara: Israel were redeemed from Egypt on account of four things; because they did not change their names, they did not change their language, they did not go tale-bearing, and none of them was found to have been immoral. 'They did not change their name', having gone down as Reuben and Simeon, and having come up as Reuben and Simeon. They did not call Reuben 'Rufus' nor Judah 'Leon', nor Joseph 'Lestes', nor Benjamin 'Alexander'. 'They did not change their language', as may be inferred from the fact that it is written elsewhere, 'And there came one that had escaped, and told Abram the Hebrew' (Genesis 14:13), while here it is written, 'The God of the Hebrews has met with us' (Exodus 15:3), and it is written 'It is my mouth that speaks unto you' (Genesis 45:12), which means that he spoke in Hebrew.

... Teach us o teacher: toward where should one who prays orient his heart? This is what our Rabbis taught: one should orient his heart toward the place of the Holy of Holies (Berachot 4:5). R’ Eliezer ben Yaakov says: if one is praying outside of the land, he should orient his heart to the land of Israel. If one is praying within the land of Israel, he should orient his heart to Jerusalem. If one is praying in Jerusalem, he should orient his heart to the Holy Temple. If one is praying in the Holy Temple, he should orient his heart to the Holy of Holies. R’ Avin the Levi said: “our neck is like the Tower of David, built as a model (talpiyot)…” (Song of Songs 4:4) What does talpiyot mean? The hill (tel) toward which all turns (peniyot) are directed. And after all this praise, it is written “Open your doors, O Lebanon, and let the fire consume your cedars.” (Zechariah 11:1) And so too they said “He has hurled fire into my bones…” (Lamentations 1:13) Israel said to Him: Master of the World! How long will it be like this? Did You not write in Your Torah “…the one who ignited the fire shall surely pay” (Exodus 22:5)? And You are the one who ignited the fire, as it says “From above He has hurled fire into my bones…” (Lamentations 1:13) You need to rebuild it and to console us, not at the hands of an angel but You in Your glory. The Holy One said to them: by your life, so I will do! As it says “The Lord is the builder of Jerusalem; He will gather the outcasts of Israel.” (Psalms 147:2) And I am the one who consoles you. From where do we learn this? From that which they read in the prophets “I, yea I am He Who consoles you…” (Isaiah 51:12)

ELISHA AND THE SHUNAMMITE WOMAN
"AND Isaac sowed in that land" (Gen. 26 12). Rabbi Eliezer said: Did Isaac sow the seed of corn? Heaven forbid ! But he took all his wealth, and sowed it in charity to the needy, as it is said, "Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap according to love" (Hos. 10:12). Everything which he tithed, the Holy One, blessed be He, sent him (in return) one hundred times (the value) in different kinds of blessings, as it is said, "And he found in the same year an hundredfold: and the Lord blessed him" (Gen. 26:12).

Abraham — (Bereshith 14:22-23) "I lift my hand (in oath) to the L-rd, G-d on high, Possessor of heaven and earth: Nothing (shall I take), from a thread until a sandal latchet, nor shall I take anything that is yours." Boaz (to Ruth) — (Ruth 3:13) (I swear) "As the L-rd lives, lie (here with me, unmolested) until the morning…" David — (I Samuel 26:10) "And David said (to Avishai, who wanted to kill Saul, David's enemy): (I swear) as the L-rd lives: The L-rd will strike him with plague, or his day will come and he will die, or he will go forth in battle and he will perish." Elisha — (II Kings 5:16) "(I swear) as the L-rd lives, before whom I have stood, I shall not take (any emolument, etc.") And just as the righteous beswear their (evil) inclination not to do (as it wishes), so, the wicked (beswear it to do) as it wishes, viz. (Ibid. 20) "As the L-rd lives, I (Gechazi, Elisha's servant) shall run after him and take something from him!"

When Laban heard the tidings of Jacob, the son of his sister, and the power of his might which he had displayed at the well, he ran to meet him, to kiss him, and to embrace him, as it is said, "And it came to pass, when Laban heard the tidings of Jacob, his sister's son" (Gen. 29:13). "And Laban said unto Jacob, Because thou art my brother" (Gen. 29:15). Was he then his brother? Was he not the son of his sister? This teaches thee that the son of a man's sister is like his son, and the son of a man's brother || is like his brother. Whence do we learn (this)? From Abraham, our father, because it is said, "And Abram said to Lot, Let there not be strife… for we are brethren" (Gen. 13:8). Another verse (says), "And when Abram heard that his brother was taken captive" (Gen. 14:14). Was he his brother? Was he not the son of his brother? But it teaches thee that the sons of a man's brother are like his own brothers.

Another explanation for zeh hadavar: “Take with you words. . .”(d’varim, Ho 14:3). This is what is meant by what is written: “I wash my palms with cleanliness and circle your altar, Yahh, to voice thanks aloud and to tell of all your miracles.” (Ps 26:6f) One might also offer bulls and rams, but exegesis says to voice thanks aloud. Accordingly, Jews say, “Ribon HaOlam (“master of the universe”), leaders sin and bring and bring a korban (“offering”) and it atones for them. The mashiach sins and brings a korban and it atones for him. We, we have no korban.” He said to them: “And if all the congregation of Yisrael stray–and the matter is hidden from the eyes of the community–and they are guilty of doing one of the negative commandments of Yahh, then, if the sin guilt for which they sinned becomes known, the community shall offer a bull of the herd as a sin offering.”(Lev 4:13f) They say to him, “We are poor and we have not what to bring for korbanot.” He says to them, “Words, I request, as it is said, ‘Take with you words and return to Yahh’ and I annul all your misdeeds.” These words are none other than divrey Torah, as it is said, “These are the d’varim that Moshe spoke to all Yisrael.(Dt 1:1) They said to him, “We do not know.” He said to them, “Weep and pray before me and I accept it. Your ancestors, when they were enslaved in Mitsrayim, it wasn’t for prayer that I redeemed them, as it is said, ‘The B’neiYisrael groaned from the work and cried out.’(Ex 2:23)In the days of Y’hoshua it wasn’t for prayer that I made miracles for them, as it is said, ‘Y’hoshua tore his garment and fell on his face before the ark of Yahh till evening.’(Jos 7:6) So what did I say to him? ‘Hold out the spear which is in your hand towards The Ai, for I give it into your hand.’(Jos 8:18) In the days of the Judges, with weeping I heard their outcry, as it is said, ‘It happened, when the B’neiYisrael cried out to Yahh on account of Midyan.’(Ju 6:7) In the days of Sh’muel it was not in prayer that I heard them, as it is said, ‘Sh’muel cried out to Yahh on behalf of Yisrael and Yahh responded to him.’(Sam 7:9) And similarly the men of Y’rushalayim, even though they had angered me, because they wept before me I had mercy on them, as it is said, ‘For thus said Yahh, “Sing out joy to Ya’akov. . .”(Jer 31:7) Oh, I request from you not sacrifices and not korbanot but words, as it is said, ‘Take with you words. . .’ This is why David said, ‘I wash my hands with cleanliness’ not intending to make an offering but to voice thanks aloud, for I am thankful to you for divrey Torah.

... R’ Shimon bar Aba said in the name of R’ Yochanan: any where that it says ‘and it was’ (vayehi) it indicates distress and joy. If it is distress there is no distress like it and if it is joy there is no joy like it. R’ Shmuel ben Nachmani came and split the teaching in half. Anywhere that it says ‘and it was’ (vayehi) indicates distress, ‘and it will be’ (v’haya) indicates joy…The brought a challenge from this verse “…and he was [there] (v’haya) when Jerusalem was taken.” (Jeremiah 38:28) He said to them: this is still a cause of joy because on that very day Israel received full payment for their sins. As R’ Shmuel ben Nachmani said: Israel received full payment for their sins on the day the Holy Temple was destroyed, as it says “Your iniquity is finished, O daughter of Zion…” (Lamentations 4:22)

“Avram the Hebrew was told.” Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Nechemyah, and the sages [disagree]. Rabbi Yehudah says: the entire world is on one side and he is on the other side [the word for “side” in Hebrew is מעבר , which stems from the same root עבר ]. Rabbi Nechemyah says: Because he is of the descendants of Ever [the son of Shem, the son of Noah]. The sages say: he is from the other side of the river and that he speaks in the Hebrew tongue.

“Avram the Hebrew was told.” Rabbi Yehudah, Rabbi Nechemyah, and the sages [disagree]. Rabbi Yehudah says: the entire world is on one side and he is on the other side [the word for “side” in Hebrew is מעבר , which stems from the same root עבר ]. Rabbi Nechemyah says: Because he is of the descendants of Ever [the son of Shem, the son of Noah]. The sages say: he is from the other side of the river and that he speaks in the Hebrew tongue.

Another [understanding]: And it was in the days of Amrafel: Rabbi Tanchuma in the name of Rabbi Chiya and Rabbi Berakhiya in the name of Rabbi Elazar [all] said, "This midrash came up to our hands from the exile - 'Any place that it is stated, "and it was in the days of," it is nothing but a term of grief.'" "And it was in the days of Amrafel" (Genesis 14:1): What grief was there over there? They made a war. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Natan, "And there are five": (1) [It is comparable] to a dear friend of a king who entered a province, and on his account was the king [concerned] about that whole province. [Then] barbarians came and grappled with him. And when he wanted to leave, they all said to him, "Woe that the king will no longer be concerned about the province as he was": So [too,] was Avraham a dear friend of the Holy One, blessed be He - as it is written about him (Isaiah 41:8), "the seed of Avraham, My dear one"; and it is written (Genesis 12:3), "and through you shall all the families of the world be blessed." And when the barbarians came and grappled with him, they all said, "Woe that the Holy One, blessed be He, will not be concerned with the world as He was; since He was concerned with the world for his sake." This is [the meaning of] that which the verse stated (Genesis 14:7), "And they came to Ein Mishpat (which can be understand as the eye of justice)" - Rabbi Acha said, "They sought to grapple with no less than the eyeball of the world." They said, "They sought to blind the eye that [suppressed] the trait of [strict] judgment in the world." [The verse continues -] "It (hee) is Kadesh," [but] it is written, "he (hu) is Kadesh"; meaning to say, he sanctified (hu kidesh) the name of the Holy One, blessed be He and went down to the fiery furnace. When they saw that the things were like this, they cried out. (2) "And it was in the days of Achaz the son of Yoshiah, King of Yehudah" (Isaiah 7:1). What grief was there over there? "It is what is stated by the verse (Isaiah 9:11), "Aram is in front and the Philistines are behind, etc." [It is comparable] to a king that gave his son over to a mentor, and the mentor hated him. He said, "If I kill him, I will become liable for death. Rather, I will take away his nourishment from him and he will die on his own": So did the evil Achaz say, "If there are no goats, there will be no rams; if there is no flock, there will be no shepherd, [and] where will the world be?" So did he say, "If there are no masters, there will be no students; if there are no students, there will be no sages; if there is no Torah, there will be no synagogues and study halls." What did he do? He passed all the synagogues and study halls and sealed them. And this [is the meaning of] that which the verse states (Isaiah 8:16), "Bind up the message; seal the instruction with My disciples.".... And when they saw that the things were like this, they all started to cried out, "Woe that the world is being destroyed" - when [study of] the Torah was negated, that was in the days of Achaz. (3) "And it was in the days of Yehoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu" (Jeremiah 1:3). What grief was there over there? "I looked at the earth, and behold it was empty and void; at the heavens and their light was not" (Jeremiah 4:23), [It is comparable] to edicts of the kings that were were brought to the province. What did the people of the province do? They tore them up and burned them. This is what the verse stated (Jeremiah 36:23), "And it was when Yehudi would read three columns or four" - meaning to say, he read four verses - and in the fifth verse, he read, "And her tormentors became the head" (Lamentations 1:5) - and it is is written (Jeremiah 36:23), "he would tear it with a scribe's blade and throw it into the fire until the end of all of the scroll." And when they saw this, everyone began to cry out, "Woe for the decree that is hanging over us." (4) "And it was in the days when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1) - there was famine there. [And to what is the matter comparable?] To a province that was liable a tax to the king. [So] he sent collectors to collect it. The people of the province rose and smote the collectors and hung them. The judgment that they were liable - as they appointed other judges for themselves - they did to the collectors. So did they do at that time.... (5) "And it was in the days of Achashverosh" (Esther 1:1). What grief was there over there? [It is comparable] to a king that had a vineyard, and he had three enemies. What did they do? One cut the small berries, the second ripped the clusters and the third uprooted the vines: So did Pharaoh began with the small berries, as it is stated (Exodus 1:22), "Any son that is born, throw him into the river." Nevukhadnetsar [ripped the clusters,] as it is stated (Jeremiah 29:2), "the craftsmen and the smiths".... Haman [then] came [to] uproot the vines, as it is stated (Esther 3:13), "to annihilate, to kill and to destroy." Everyone began to cry out, "Woe." Rabbi Shimon ben Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "Any place that it is stated, 'and it was (vayehi),' it is used for grief and it is used for joy. And when for grief, there is no grief like it, and when for joy, there is no joy like it." Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman came and divided it, "Any place that it is stated 'it will be,' it is used for joy; [but] 'and it was' [is for] grief." The Sages responded, "Behold 'And God said, "Vayehi (here used as a command form, and not past tense) light"' [is] joy!" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. As so did Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon say, '[Regarding] the light that the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day, Adam [could] look and observe from [one] end of the world to the [other] end. [But] since the Holy One, blessed be He, saw the deeds of the generation of Enosh and the generation of the flood, He arose and hid it from them. That is [the meaning of] what the verse states (Job 38:15), "From the wicked is their light withheld." And to where is it hidden? [It is] in the Garden of Eden, for the righteous ones, as it is stated (Psalms 97:11), "Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the straight-hearted."'" They responded to him further, "It states, 'And it was evening and it was morning, one day.'" He said to them, "On that day too, it is not of joy, as all the acts of the first day are destined to wither, as it is stated (Isaiah 51:6), 'when the heavens melt away like smoke and the earth wither like a garment.'" They responded to him, "Behold, the [acts of] the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day." He said to them, "They too are not of joy, as all the acts of the six days of creation require further action - for example, wheat needs to be ground; mustard needs to be mellowed; lupine need to be mellowed." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yosef and he was a successful man' (Genesis 39:7)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as that 'bear' chanced upon him from this, as it is stated in the verse, 'after' - 'And it was after these things, and the wife of his master raised, etc.' (Genesis 39:7)...." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yehoshua, and his reputation was in all the land' (Joshua 6:27)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as he had to rend his garments." They responded to him, "And is it not written (I Samuel 18:14), 'And it was that David was successful in all of his ways and the Lord was with him'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as enmity descended into the heart of Shaul from this, as it is stated (I Samuel 18:9), 'And it was that Shaul eyed David.'" They responded to him, "And is it not written (II Samuel 7:1), 'And it was when the king sat in his house and the Lord allowed him rest from all of his enemies'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as on that same day, Natan the prophet came to David and said to him, 'However you will not build the House' (I Kings 8:19)." They said to him, "Behold, we have said what is ours; [now] say what is yours - that 'and it will be' is joy." He said to them, "'And it will be on that day that the mountains will drip with nectar' (Joel 4:18), that will be in the days of the messiah, and there will be great joy for Israel. And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that a man shall save alive a heifer of the herd and two sheep' (Isaiah 7:21). And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that living waters will come out from Jerusalem' (Zechariah 14:8). And so [too,] 'And he will be like a tree planted over streams of water' (Psalms 1:3). And so [too,] 'And the remnant of Yaakov will be among many nations' (Micah 5:6)." They said to him, "But behold, it is written (Jeremiah 38:28), 'vahaya (here used in the past tense, and not like the other examples) when Jerusalem was captured'!" He said to them, "It too is not of grief, as on that day was the verdict of Israel for their sins taken; as so is it written (Lamentations 4:22), 'Your sin has been completed, Daughter of Zion, He will not again exile you.'"

Another [understanding]: And it was in the days of Amrafel: Rabbi Tanchuma in the name of Rabbi Chiya and Rabbi Berakhiya in the name of Rabbi Elazar [all] said, "This midrash came up to our hands from the exile - 'Any place that it is stated, "and it was in the days of," it is nothing but a term of grief.'" "And it was in the days of Amrafel" (Genesis 14:1): What grief was there over there? They made a war. Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Natan, "And there are five": (1) [It is comparable] to a dear friend of a king who entered a province, and on his account was the king [concerned] about that whole province. [Then] barbarians came and grappled with him. And when he wanted to leave, they all said to him, "Woe that the king will no longer be concerned about the province as he was": So [too,] was Avraham a dear friend of the Holy One, blessed be He - as it is written about him (Isaiah 41:8), "the seed of Avraham, My dear one"; and it is written (Genesis 12:3), "and through you shall all the families of the world be blessed." And when the barbarians came and grappled with him, they all said, "Woe that the Holy One, blessed be He, will not be concerned with the world as He was; since He was concerned with the world for his sake." This is [the meaning of] that which the verse stated (Genesis 14:7), "And they came to Ein Mishpat (which can be understand as the eye of justice)" - Rabbi Acha said, "They sought to grapple with no less than the eyeball of the world." They said, "They sought to blind the eye that [suppressed] the trait of [strict] judgment in the world." [The verse continues -] "It (hee) is Kadesh," [but] it is written, "he (hu) is Kadesh"; meaning to say, he sanctified (hu kidesh) the name of the Holy One, blessed be He and went down to the fiery furnace. When they saw that the things were like this, they cried out. (2) "And it was in the days of Achaz the son of Yoshiah, King of Yehudah" (Isaiah 7:1). What grief was there over there? "It is what is stated by the verse (Isaiah 9:11), "Aram is in front and the Philistines are behind, etc." [It is comparable] to a king that gave his son over to a mentor, and the mentor hated him. He said, "If I kill him, I will become liable for death. Rather, I will take away his nourishment from him and he will die on his own": So did the evil Achaz say, "If there are no goats, there will be no rams; if there is no flock, there will be no shepherd, [and] where will the world be?" So did he say, "If there are no masters, there will be no students; if there are no students, there will be no sages; if there is no Torah, there will be no synagogues and study halls." What did he do? He passed all the synagogues and study halls and sealed them. And this [is the meaning of] that which the verse states (Isaiah 8:16), "Bind up the message; seal the instruction with My disciples.".... And when they saw that the things were like this, they all started to cried out, "Woe that the world is being destroyed" - when [study of] the Torah was negated, that was in the days of Achaz. (3) "And it was in the days of Yehoyakim the son of Yoshiyahu" (Jeremiah 1:3). What grief was there over there? "I looked at the earth, and behold it was empty and void; at the heavens and their light was not" (Jeremiah 4:23), [It is comparable] to edicts of the kings that were were brought to the province. What did the people of the province do? They tore them up and burned them. This is what the verse stated (Jeremiah 36:23), "And it was when Yehudi would read three columns or four" - meaning to say, he read four verses - and in the fifth verse, he read, "And her tormentors became the head" (Lamentations 1:5) - and it is is written (Jeremiah 36:23), "he would tear it with a scribe's blade and throw it into the fire until the end of all of the scroll." And when they saw this, everyone began to cry out, "Woe for the decree that is hanging over us." (4) "And it was in the days when the judges ruled" (Ruth 1:1) - there was famine there. [And to what is the matter comparable?] To a province that was liable a tax to the king. [So] he sent collectors to collect it. The people of the province rose and smote the collectors and hung them. The judgment that they were liable - as they appointed other judges for themselves - they did to the collectors. So did they do at that time.... (5) "And it was in the days of Achashverosh" (Esther 1:1). What grief was there over there? [It is comparable] to a king that had a vineyard, and he had three enemies. What did they do? One cut the small berries, the second ripped the clusters and the third uprooted the vines: So did Pharaoh began with the small berries, as it is stated (Exodus 1:22), "Any son that is born, throw him into the river." Nevukhadnetsar [ripped the clusters,] as it is stated (Jeremiah 29:2), "the craftsmen and the smiths".... Haman [then] came [to] uproot the vines, as it is stated (Esther 3:13), "to annihilate, to kill and to destroy." Everyone began to cry out, "Woe." Rabbi Shimon ben Abba said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan, "Any place that it is stated, 'and it was (vayehi),' it is used for grief and it is used for joy. And when for grief, there is no grief like it, and when for joy, there is no joy like it." Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman came and divided it, "Any place that it is stated 'it will be,' it is used for joy; [but] 'and it was' [is for] grief." The Sages responded, "Behold 'And God said, "Vayehi (here used as a command form, and not past tense) light"' [is] joy!" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as the world did not merit to use that light. As so did Rabbi Yehudah bar Simon say, '[Regarding] the light that the Holy One, blessed be He, created on the first day, Adam [could] look and observe from [one] end of the world to the [other] end. [But] since the Holy One, blessed be He, saw the deeds of the generation of Enosh and the generation of the flood, He arose and hid it from them. That is [the meaning of] what the verse states (Job 38:15), "From the wicked is their light withheld." And to where is it hidden? [It is] in the Garden of Eden, for the righteous ones, as it is stated (Psalms 97:11), "Light is sown for the righteous, and joy for the straight-hearted."'" They responded to him further, "It states, 'And it was evening and it was morning, one day.'" He said to them, "On that day too, it is not of joy, as all the acts of the first day are destined to wither, as it is stated (Isaiah 51:6), 'when the heavens melt away like smoke and the earth wither like a garment.'" They responded to him, "Behold, the [acts of] the second day, the third day, the fourth day, the fifth day, the sixth day." He said to them, "They too are not of joy, as all the acts of the six days of creation require further action - for example, wheat needs to be ground; mustard needs to be mellowed; lupine need to be mellowed." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yosef and he was a successful man' (Genesis 39:7)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as that 'bear' chanced upon him from this, as it is stated in the verse, 'after' - 'And it was after these things, and the wife of his master raised, etc.' (Genesis 39:7)...." They responded to him, "[And what about,] 'And it was that the Lord was with Yehoshua, and his reputation was in all the land' (Joshua 6:27)?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as he had to rend his garments." They responded to him, "And is it not written (I Samuel 18:14), 'And it was that David was successful in all of his ways and the Lord was with him'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as enmity descended into the heart of Shaul from this, as it is stated (I Samuel 18:9), 'And it was that Shaul eyed David.'" They responded to him, "And is it not written (II Samuel 7:1), 'And it was when the king sat in his house and the Lord allowed him rest from all of his enemies'?" He said to them, "It too is not of joy, as on that same day, Natan the prophet came to David and said to him, 'However you will not build the House' (I Kings 8:19)." They said to him, "Behold, we have said what is ours; [now] say what is yours - that 'and it will be' is joy." He said to them, "'And it will be on that day that the mountains will drip with nectar' (Joel 4:18), that will be in the days of the messiah, and there will be great joy for Israel. And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that a man shall save alive a heifer of the herd and two sheep' (Isaiah 7:21). And so [too,] 'And it will be on that day that living waters will come out from Jerusalem' (Zechariah 14:8). And so [too,] 'And he will be like a tree planted over streams of water' (Psalms 1:3). And so [too,] 'And the remnant of Yaakov will be among many nations' (Micah 5:6)." They said to him, "But behold, it is written (Jeremiah 38:28), 'vahaya (here used in the past tense, and not like the other examples) when Jerusalem was captured'!" He said to them, "It too is not of grief, as on that day was the verdict of Israel for their sins taken; as so is it written (Lamentations 4:22), 'Your sin has been completed, Daughter of Zion, He will not again exile you.'"

אל עמק שוה "To the Valley of Shaveh": Rabbi Berachia and Rabbi Chanina said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman: [It was called that] because all of the idolaters became unanimous [השוו], cut down cedars and built a great stage, and brought [Avraham] there to rise him up, and they said praises before him, saying [Bereishit 23:6]: "Hear us, my lord, [you are a prince of God in our midst,]" etc. They said to him, "You are our king! You are our prince! You are our god!" He said to them: "The world does not lack its King, nor does it lack its God."

And Malchitzedek king of Shalem – This is what is written “And the daughter of Tyre shall seek your presence with tribute, those who are the richest of the people.” (Tehillim 45:13) ‘Malchitzedek the king of Shalem’, this place makes its inhabitants righteous (matzdik) – Malchitzedek, Adonitzedek (Yehoshua 10:1). Jerusalem is called righteousness as it says, “…in which righteousness would lodge…” (Isaiah 1:21) ‘king of Shalem’ R’ Yitzchak the Bavli says (he is called this) because he was born circumcised. "brought out bread and wine, and he was a priest to the Most High God" (Bereshit 14:18) R’ Shmuel bar Nachmani and the Rabbanan argue, R’ Shmuel said that the laws of the High Priesthood were revealed to him – ‘bread’ is the show bread, ‘wine’ are the libations. The Rabbanan say that Torah was revealed to him as it says, “"Come, partake of my bread and drink of the wine I have mingled.” (Mishle 9:5) ‘and he was a priest to the Most High God’ R’ Aba bar Kahana said every mention of wine written in the Torah makes an impact except for this, R’ Levi said that even this we did not escape, because from there He called upon him “…and they will enslave them and oppress them, for four hundred years.” (Bereshit 15:13)

(Numb. 21:34:) BUT THE LORD GOD SAID UNTO MOSES: DO NOT FEAR HIM…. This text is related (to Prov. 28:14): BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS AFRAID…. Such is the nature of the righteous.²¹¹Tanh., Numb. 6:25. Although the Holy One assures them, they do not cast off fear. And so it is written about Jacob (in Gen. 32:8 [7]): AND JACOB WAS <GREATLY> AFRAID. Why was he afraid? He said: Perhaps I was tainted by something at Laban's, since it is written (in Deut. 23:15 [14]): <AND YOUR CAMP SHALL BE HOLY;> SO <THE LORD> IS NOT TO SEE ANYTHING INDECENT AMONG YOU AND TURN AWAY FROM YOU. Thus the Holy One may have forsaken me. Moses also acquired fear in the manner of his ancestor. Why was he afraid? He said perhaps Israel sinned in the war with Sihon or became tainted by a transgression. He said to him (in Numb. 34:21): DO NOT FEAR HIM, because a warrior more formidable than himself has never arisen in the world. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 3:11): FOR ONLY KING OG OF BASHAN <REMAINED FROM THE REPHAIM²¹²According to Deut. 2:11, 20-21, together with Numb. 13:33, the Rephaim were a race of giants. REMNANT>. Now he had been left from the warriors whom Amraphel and his colleagues (Gen. 14:1, 9) had slain, as stated (in Gen. 14:5): <CHEDORLAOMER AND THE KINGS WHO WERE WITH HIM CAME> AND SMOTE THE REPHAIM…. But this man was their refuse, like hard olives that come out as survivors from the bottom of the olive waste. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:13): THEN THE SURVIVOR CAME <AND TOLD ABRAM THE HEBREW> (about Lot's capture).²¹³Tanh., Numb. 6:15, specifically identifies the survivor by adding here: “This was Og.” It was this man's intention that Abraham would go out and be killed. The Holy One gave him a reward for <what> his feet <had earned>, in that he lived all those years, until he fell at the hand of < Abraham's> children. When Moses came to wage war with him, he was afraid of him. He said: I am a hundred and twenty years old, while he is five hundred years old. If he did not have merit, he would not have lived all these years. The Holy One said (in Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2:) DO NOT FEAR HIM. {(Deut. 3:6:) AND WE SHALL UTTERLY DESTROY THEM…. } [(Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2, cont.:) AND YOU SHALL DO TO HIM AS YOU DID TO SIHON….] Moreover, is it not written (in Deut. 3:7): BUT ALL THE CATTLE AND THE BOOTY OF THE TOWNS WE TOOK AS BOOTY FOR OURSELVES? The simple conclusion is that they utterly destroyed his body so as to leave none of it.

(Numb. 21:34:) BUT THE LORD GOD SAID UNTO MOSES: DO NOT FEAR HIM…. This text is related (to Prov. 28:14): BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS AFRAID…. Such is the nature of the righteous.²¹¹Tanh., Numb. 6:25. Although the Holy One assures them, they do not cast off fear. And so it is written about Jacob (in Gen. 32:8 [7]): AND JACOB WAS <GREATLY> AFRAID. Why was he afraid? He said: Perhaps I was tainted by something at Laban's, since it is written (in Deut. 23:15 [14]): <AND YOUR CAMP SHALL BE HOLY;> SO <THE LORD> IS NOT TO SEE ANYTHING INDECENT AMONG YOU AND TURN AWAY FROM YOU. Thus the Holy One may have forsaken me. Moses also acquired fear in the manner of his ancestor. Why was he afraid? He said perhaps Israel sinned in the war with Sihon or became tainted by a transgression. He said to him (in Numb. 34:21): DO NOT FEAR HIM, because a warrior more formidable than himself has never arisen in the world. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 3:11): FOR ONLY KING OG OF BASHAN <REMAINED FROM THE REPHAIM²¹²According to Deut. 2:11, 20-21, together with Numb. 13:33, the Rephaim were a race of giants. REMNANT>. Now he had been left from the warriors whom Amraphel and his colleagues (Gen. 14:1, 9) had slain, as stated (in Gen. 14:5): <CHEDORLAOMER AND THE KINGS WHO WERE WITH HIM CAME> AND SMOTE THE REPHAIM…. But this man was their refuse, like hard olives that come out as survivors from the bottom of the olive waste. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:13): THEN THE SURVIVOR CAME <AND TOLD ABRAM THE HEBREW> (about Lot's capture).²¹³Tanh., Numb. 6:15, specifically identifies the survivor by adding here: “This was Og.” It was this man's intention that Abraham would go out and be killed. The Holy One gave him a reward for <what> his feet <had earned>, in that he lived all those years, until he fell at the hand of < Abraham's> children. When Moses came to wage war with him, he was afraid of him. He said: I am a hundred and twenty years old, while he is five hundred years old. If he did not have merit, he would not have lived all these years. The Holy One said (in Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2:) DO NOT FEAR HIM. {(Deut. 3:6:) AND WE SHALL UTTERLY DESTROY THEM…. } [(Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2, cont.:) AND YOU SHALL DO TO HIM AS YOU DID TO SIHON….] Moreover, is it not written (in Deut. 3:7): BUT ALL THE CATTLE AND THE BOOTY OF THE TOWNS WE TOOK AS BOOTY FOR OURSELVES? The simple conclusion is that they utterly destroyed his body so as to leave none of it.

(Numb. 21:34:) BUT THE LORD GOD SAID UNTO MOSES: DO NOT FEAR HIM…. This text is related (to Prov. 28:14): BLESSED IS THE ONE WHO IS ALWAYS AFRAID…. Such is the nature of the righteous.²¹¹Tanh., Numb. 6:25. Although the Holy One assures them, they do not cast off fear. And so it is written about Jacob (in Gen. 32:8 [7]): AND JACOB WAS <GREATLY> AFRAID. Why was he afraid? He said: Perhaps I was tainted by something at Laban's, since it is written (in Deut. 23:15 [14]): <AND YOUR CAMP SHALL BE HOLY;> SO <THE LORD> IS NOT TO SEE ANYTHING INDECENT AMONG YOU AND TURN AWAY FROM YOU. Thus the Holy One may have forsaken me. Moses also acquired fear in the manner of his ancestor. Why was he afraid? He said perhaps Israel sinned in the war with Sihon or became tainted by a transgression. He said to him (in Numb. 34:21): DO NOT FEAR HIM, because a warrior more formidable than himself has never arisen in the world. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 3:11): FOR ONLY KING OG OF BASHAN <REMAINED FROM THE REPHAIM²¹²According to Deut. 2:11, 20-21, together with Numb. 13:33, the Rephaim were a race of giants. REMNANT>. Now he had been left from the warriors whom Amraphel and his colleagues (Gen. 14:1, 9) had slain, as stated (in Gen. 14:5): <CHEDORLAOMER AND THE KINGS WHO WERE WITH HIM CAME> AND SMOTE THE REPHAIM…. But this man was their refuse, like hard olives that come out as survivors from the bottom of the olive waste. It is so stated (in Gen. 14:13): THEN THE SURVIVOR CAME <AND TOLD ABRAM THE HEBREW> (about Lot's capture).²¹³Tanh., Numb. 6:15, specifically identifies the survivor by adding here: “This was Og.” It was this man's intention that Abraham would go out and be killed. The Holy One gave him a reward for <what> his feet <had earned>, in that he lived all those years, until he fell at the hand of < Abraham's> children. When Moses came to wage war with him, he was afraid of him. He said: I am a hundred and twenty years old, while he is five hundred years old. If he did not have merit, he would not have lived all these years. The Holy One said (in Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2:) DO NOT FEAR HIM. {(Deut. 3:6:) AND WE SHALL UTTERLY DESTROY THEM…. } [(Numb. 21:34 = Deut. 3:2, cont.:) AND YOU SHALL DO TO HIM AS YOU DID TO SIHON….] Moreover, is it not written (in Deut. 3:7): BUT ALL THE CATTLE AND THE BOOTY OF THE TOWNS WE TOOK AS BOOTY FOR OURSELVES? The simple conclusion is that they utterly destroyed his body so as to leave none of it.

"And Avraham called the name of the place "Ad-nai Yireh" [Ad-nai will see] (Gen. 22:14). Rabbi Yochanan said "he said to Him: 'Master of Worlds, at the hour that you said to me "Take please your son, your only son" (Gen. 22:2), I had what to respond. Yesterday You said "For through Itzchak [will I make your line great]" (Gen. 21:22) but now "Take please your son"!? And God forbid that I don't do as you've asked me; instead, I conquered my mercy to do Your will. May it be your will, Ad-nai our God, that in the hour when the sons of Itzchak come to do transgressions and bad deeds, that this very Binding [Akeidah] be remembered for them, and may You be filled with Mercy on them!' Avraham called it "Yireh", as it says "and Avraham called the name of the place Ad-nai Yireh." Shem called it Shalem, as it says "And Malchitzedek, the king of Shalem..."(Genesis 14:18) The Holy One of Blessing said "If I call it Yireh, as Avraham called it, then Shem, who was a righteous man, will become angry; and if I call it Shalem, Abraham, who was a righteous man, will be angry. Instead, I call it Yerushalayim [Jerusalem], as they called it together: Yireh Shalem. Jerusalem. Rabbi Berechiah said in Rabbi Helbo’s name: While it was Shalem, the Holy One of Blessing made for Godself a sukkah [booth] and prayed in it, since it says "In Shalem is set His tabernacle, and His dwelling-place in Tzion" (Psalms 76:3). And what did He say? ‘May it happen that I see the building of My house." Another interpretation: It [this verse] teaches that the Holy One of Blessing showed him the Temple destroyed and built, destroyed and build [a second time], since it says: "the name of that place Ad-nai Yireh" (Ad-nai sees): this is it built, as you say [the verse] "Three times in a year shall all your males be seen [yira'eh] (Deut. 16:16). "As it is said to this day in the Mountain of Ad-nai [is seen, Heb. yira'eh]" (Gen.22:14) This is it destroyed, as in the verse "on the mountain of Tzion, which is desolate" (Lam. 5:18). "Ad-nai is seen" this is it built and perfected in the future to come as the topic [in the verse] that is said: "When Ad-nai built Tzion, He will be seen in His glory" (Psalms 102:17).

... David is the shepherd of Israel, as it says “You shall shepherd My people Israel…” (Divre HaYamim I 11:2) And who shepherded David? The Holy One, as it says “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Tehillim 23:1) Jerusalem is the light of the world, as it says “And nations shall go by your light…” (Yeshayahu 60:3) And who is the light of Jerusalem? The Holy One, as it is written “…but the Lord shall be to you for an everlasting light…” (Yeshayahu 60:19)

... David is the shepherd of Israel, as it says “You shall shepherd My people Israel…” (Divre HaYamim I 11:2) And who shepherded David? The Holy One, as it says “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.” (Tehillim 23:1) Jerusalem is the light of the world, as it says “And nations shall go by your light…” (Yeshayahu 60:3) And who is the light of Jerusalem? The Holy One, as it is written “…but the Lord shall be to you for an everlasting light…” (Yeshayahu 60:19)

His tabernacle was in Shalem, and His dwelling place in Zion. R’ Brachia said: from the beginning of the creation of the world the Holy One made a tabernacle (sukkah) in Jerusalem. He, so to speak, would pray in it: ‘may it be willed that My children will do My will in order that I not destroy My house and sanctuary, [and once sin had caused it what was written? “And He stripped His Tabernacle like a garden, and laid in ruins His meeting place…” (Eicha 2:6) The place where he would make Himself known in prayer]. Since it was destroyed He prays ‘may it be willed from before Me that my children repent that I bring nearer the building of My house and sanctuary, this is ‘His tabernacle was in Shalem.’ You find that the Temple is called Shalem as it says, “Malchitzedek king of Shalem” (Bereshit 14:18) and he is Shem the son of Noach as it says “and he was a priest to the Most High Gd” (ibid.) It is written, “May God expand Japheth, and may He dwell in the tents of Shem…” (Bereshit 9:27) that he dwelled in His tent implies that he served Him as they translate into Aramaic ‘and he was a priest to the Most High Gd’ as ‘and he served before the High Gd,’ this was Shem. Avraham called the Temple yireh as it says “And Abraham called that place, The Lord will see (yireh)…” (Bereshit 22:14) HaMakom (Gd) said – if I call it Shalem as Shem did, I will nullify the words of Avraham who loves me who called it yireh. And if I call it yireh I will nullify the words of Shem the righteous who called it Shalem. What did the Holy One do? He combined what the two of them called it: Avraham called it yireh, Shem called it Shalem and the Holy One called it Yerushalayim, this is ‘His tabernacle was in Shalem’ what is it? Jerusalem, yireh and Shalem. Another thing: when will Gd be known in Yehudah? (Tehillim 76:2) When that tabernacle is erected of which you said , “On that day, I will raise up the fallen tabernacle of David…” (Amos 9:11), this is ‘His tabernacle was in Shalem.’