Midrasz do Rodzaju 17:23

R. Isaac Nappaha began the discussion with the verse An altar of earth shalt thou make Me…. in every place I cause My name to be mentioned, I will come unto thee and bless thee (Exod. 20:21–24). The Holy One, blessed be He, declared: Since I reveal Myself to anyone who brings a burnt offering or a peace offering in order to bless him, how much more so would I reveal Myself to Abraham, who sacrificed himself for Me. Hence, it is said: And the Lord appeared unto Him. R. Aha said: I will prove to you that the Holy One, blessed be He, strengthened Abraham. On the very day he circumcised himself, and while his blood was still flowing, he circumcised Ishmael and all the men of his household. How many men were born in his home? Three hundred and eighteen. (Now if that many were born in his home) how many others must he have purchased, and yet it is written: And Abraham took Ishmael and all that were born in his house, and all that were bought with money (Gen. 17:23), and: In that selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son, and all the men of his house born in the house, and bought with money, etc. (ibid., vv. 26–27). (It continued) until Abraham piled up a hill of foreskins, and a river of blood poured forth from his home.

23 "And the staff of Aharon" (Numbers 17:21). Some say that it is the staff that was in the hand of Yehudah, as it is stated (Genesis 17:23), "and the staff in your hand." And some say that it is the staff that was in the hand of Moshe. And it blossomed on its own, as it is stated (Numbers 17:23), "behold the staff of Aharon sprouted." And some say that Moshe took one beam, cut it into twelve boards and said to them, "All of you, take your stick from one source." And for what did he do this? "It is honorable for a man to desist from strife, but every fool becomes embroiled" (Proverbs 20:3) - so that they not say, "His stick was damp and [so] flowered." And the Holy One, blessed be He, decreed about the stick; and the explicit name [of God] that was on the diadem (tsits) was upon it, as it is stated (Numbers 17:23), "and a flower came out and it blossomed a blossom (tsits)." And it flowered at night and made a fruit. "And it put out (yigmol) almonds (shekedim) - it granted good (gamal) upon anyone who was constant (shakad) with the tribe of Levi. Why almonds and not pomegranates or nuts? Because Israel was compared to them. And that staff was in the hand of each and every king until the Temple was destroyed and it was hidden. And this staff will be in the hand of the king Messiah in the future, quickly in our days - as it is stated (Psalms 110:2), "The Lord will stretch forth from Zion your mighty staff; hold sway over your enemies."