Midrasz do Rodzaju 14:9
אֵ֣ת כְּדָרְלָעֹ֜מֶר מֶ֣לֶךְ עֵילָ֗ם וְתִדְעָל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ גּוֹיִ֔ם וְאַמְרָפֶל֙ מֶ֣לֶךְ שִׁנְעָ֔ר וְאַרְי֖וֹךְ מֶ֣לֶךְ אֶלָּסָ֑ר אַרְבָּעָ֥ה מְלָכִ֖ים אֶת־הַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃
Z Kedorlaomerem, królem Elamu, i Tydalem, królem Goimu, i Amrafelem, królem Szynearu, i Arjochem, królem Ellasoru, czterech królów z pięcioma.
Mekhilta d'Rabbi Yishmael
(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."
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Midrash Tanchuma Buber
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 >.
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Kohelet Rabbah
“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”?
“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”?
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