Midrasz do Rodzaju 22:17

R. Juda the Nasi, taxed the Rabbis with the expense of the fortified wall of the city. Resh Lakish said to him: "The Rabhis did not need any guard, for it is written (Ps. 139, 18) Should I count them, they would be more numerous than the sand. Shall we assume that this refers to the righteous, since concerning all Israel it is written (Gen. 23, 17) As the sand ichich are upon the sea-shore. How can it be possible that the righteous should be more than the sands? We must therefore say that it refers to the deeds of the righteous which, if counted, would be more numerous than the sand. Now, if the little sands guard the sea, howmuch more should the acts of the upright, which are more than the sands, guard their performers?" Wiien Resh Lakish came before R. Jochanan, the latter said: "Why not say from the following (Songs 8, 10) I am a wall, and my breasts like the towers thereof; i.e., I am a wall, refers to the Torah. And my breast like the towers thereof, (Fol. 8) refers to the scholars." Resh Lakish, however, explains the last passage as Raba did, namely: "I am a wall, refers to the congregation of Israel; And my breasts like the towers thereof, refers to the house of prayer and the houses of learning." R. Huna b. R. Chisda taxed the Rabbis. R. Nachman b. Isaac said to him: "By this act you have transgressed the Pentateuch, the Prophets, and the Hagiographa. The Pentateuch (Deut. 33, 3) Yea, Thou also lovest the tribes; all their saints were in Thy hand: and they prostrate before Thy feet, received Thy words. Thus said Moses before the Holy One, praised be He: 'Sovereign of the Universe, even when Thou lovest the heathens, the saints of Israel shall be in Thy hand;' (i.e., they shall be guarded by Thee). The prophets (Hos. 8, 10) But even though they should be given among the nations, now will I gather them up; and they shall be humbled by reason of the burden of king and princes. And Raba said: 'This verse was written in the Aramaic language, [the expression vitnu (given) should be read yishnu (to study)]; i.e., if all the Israelites who are in exile should occupy themselves with the study of the Torah, the gathering of them would be at hand soon; but if only a few of them study, then they should be exempt merely from the burdens imposed by kings or princes.' And the Hagiographa (Ezra 7, 24) No one shall be empowered to impose any tax, tribute, or toil, etc. And R. Juda said: 'This refers to all kinds of taxes.' "

...and when the Israelite women conceived, they would return to their homes. When they were about to go into labor, the women would go out into the fields and give birth in the apple orchards, as it is written: "I woke you under the apple [tree]" (Song of Songs 8:5). And the Lord Blessed be He would send an angel from the heavens who cleaned them and made them beautiful, just as a new mother grooms her infant, as it is written: "And as for your birth, on the day you were born..." (Ezekiel 16:4), and He grants them two round cakes, one of oil and the other of honey, as it is written: "And He [God] suckled Him [ The Children of Israel] with honey from the rock..." (Deuteronomy 32:13). And as soon as the Egyptians would become aware of this, they sought to kill them. And a miracle happened, and the cihldren were swallowed up by the earth, and bulls would come and plow the ground above them, as it is written: "Upon my back the plowers plowed" (Psalms 129:3). And once the Egyptians would pass, the infants would rise up from the mud like grass from the field, as it is written: "I have made you grow like the plantlings in the field..." (Ezekiel 16:7) And when the babes grew, they would flock to their homes in great droves, as it says: "And you came in all your finest and dressiest," (Ezekiel 16:7) - do not read "finest and dressiest" but rather "flocked in droves." And when the Lord Blessed be He revealed Himself at the Sea of Reeds, they were the first to recognize Him instantly, as it says: "THIS is my God, and I will praise Him." (Exodus 15:2).

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(Devarim 1:11) "May the L-rd, the G-d of your fathers, add to you, such as you, a thousand times!" They said to him: Our teacher, Moses, we do not want you to bless us. The Holy One Blessed be He promised Abraham our father (Bereshith 22:17) "… and multiply, will I multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens, and I will make your seed like the sand on the seashore" — and you set a limit to our blessing! He answered: This is my (blessing). An analogy: A king had many possessions and a young son, and he (the king) had to go abroad. He said: If I leave my possessions in the hand of my son, he will squander them. So saying, he appointed a caretaker (for his possessions) until his son would grow up and he (the caretaker) gave him (his son) enough of his own for his sustenance — whereupon the son cried: Is this all the silver and gold that my father has left me? And the caretaker: Everything I have given you is mine. What your father left for you is in keeping for you. Thus did Moses say to Israel: "May the L-rd, the G-d of your fathers, add to you, such as you, a thousand times." This is my (blessing to you). As far as yours is concerned, (Ibid.)_ "and may He bless you as He spoke to you" — as the sand of the seas, and the dust of the earth, and as the fish of the ocean, and as the stars of the heavens, in abundance.

“…seventy shekels according to the holy shekel…” (Numbers 7:13) Seventy in parallel to the seventy nations which descended from him (from Adam). Another explanation. Why seventy? In parallel to the seventy verses from the beginning of the book of Genesis to the curse of the snake. R’ Pichas said: there are two enemies who were not cursed until seventy verses had been completed about them – the snake and Haman the wicked. Regarding the snake, from “In the beginning…” (Genesis 1:1) until “…cursed be you more than all the cattle…” (Genesis 3:14) is seventy verses. Regarding Haman, from “After these events, King Ahasuerus promoted Haman…” (Esther 3:1) until “And they hanged Haman…” (Esther 7:10) is seventy verses. For the purpose of seventy he was hanged on fifty (cubits of wood). Another explanation. In parallel to the seventy holy names from ‘In the beginning’ until the story of the snake. And if you say there is one more (than seventy) “…and you will be like gods…” (Genesis 3:5) is not a holy name. Another explanation. In parallel to the seventy years before Terach gave birth to Avraham, as it says “And Terach lived seventy years…” (Genesis 11:26) Two people lived in two generations for seventy years. Kenan in the first generation, “And Kenan lived seventy years…” (Genesis 5:12) and Terach in the second generation. Another explanation. Parallel to the seventy days which they wept over Yaakov the pious, as it says “…and the Egyptians wept over him for seventy days.” (Genesis 50:3) Another explanation. Parallel to the seventy days of goodness which the Holy One gave to Israel – seven days of Passover, eight days of Sukkot, Rosh HaShanah, Yom Kippur, Shavuot and the fifty two days of Shabbat in the solar year make seventy. Another explanation. Parallel to the seventy names of the Holy One, the seventy names of Israel, the seventy names of the Torah, the seventy names of Jerusalem. Another explanation. Parallel to the seventy years that Adam took away from his life and gave to David ben Yishai. It was fit that he live for a thousand years, as it says “…for on the day that you eat thereof, you shall surely die.” (Genesis 2:17) And a day to the Holy One is a thousand years, as it says “For a thousand years are in Your eyes like yesterday, which passed, and a watch in the night.” (Psalms 90:4)

"And the angel of Ad-nai called to Avraham a second time from heaven, and said: 'By Myself I have sworn" (Gen. 22:15-16). Why was this oath needed? He [Avraham] said to Him: ‘Swear to me not to test me ever again, nor my son Itzchak.’ This is similar to one who was saving his basin from being swallowed by the river, and his son jumped into it with him. Another interpretation: why was this oath needed? Rabbi Chama ben Rabbi Chanina said: He said to Him ‘swear to me not to test me ever again’ This is similar to a king who was married to a noble lady, she gave birth to her first son and he divorced her; [he remarried her and then she gave birth to] a second son, and he divorced her; a third son, and he divorced her; and when she gave birth to the tenth son, they all assembled and demanded of him: ‘Swear to us not to divorce our mother ever again.’ So too when our father Avraham was tested the tenth time, he said to Him: ‘Swear to me that You will not to test me ever again.’ Rabbi Chanin said: "Because you have done [asita] this thing" (Gen. 22:17) — it was the tenth [asiri] trial, and you say "because you have done this thing!" Rather, this is the last test, which was as weighty as all the rest together, and if he had not accepted to [do] it, all would have been lost. [A different version: all that he did would have been lost.] "I will verily bless you, etc." (Gen. 22:17) a blessing for the father and a blessing for the son. "And I will verily multiply"(Gen. 22:17) : increase for the father and increase for the son. "And your seed shall inherit the gate of his enemies"(Gen. 22:17). Rabbi said: This is Tadmor, happy is anyone who sees the downfall of Tadmor which took part in both destructions. Rabbi Yudan and R. Chanina — one of them said 'at the destruction of the first Temple it supplied eighty thousand archers.[A different version: truth tellers (?)] and in the second destruction it supplied eight thousand archers. "And Avraham returned to his young men (Gen. 22:19) And where was Itzchak? Rabbi Berechiah said in the name of the Rabbis from there: he sent him to Shem to study Torah. This is similar to a woman who became wealthy through her spindle, she said: ‘Since I have become wealthy through this spindle, it will never leave my hand.’ So too Avraham said: ‘All that has happened to me is only because I engaged in Torah and mitzvot; so I do not want it to ever depart from my seed.’ Rabbi Chanina said: He sent him [home] at night, for fear of the [evil] eye, because from the moment that Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah came out unscathed from the fiery furnace they aren't mentioned anymore, and where did they go? Rabbi Eleazar said: They died through the spittle. Rabbi Yosei said: They died through an [evil] eye. Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: They changed their place and went to Yehoshua ben Yehotzadak to study Torah, since it is written "Hear now, Yehoshua the high priest, you, and your companions that sit before you [for they are men that are a sign] (Zech. 3:8). Rabbi Chanina said: For this Chananiah, Mishael, and Azariah went down to the fiery furnace, that a sign should be done through them.

Variantly: "When I call out the name of the L-rd": R. Yossi says: Whence is it derived that when those standing in the synagogue hear (from the prayer leader) "Bless the blessed Yod-keh-vav-keh" that they respond "Blessed is the blessed yod-keh-vav-keh forever"? From "When I call out the name of yod-keh-vav-keh, ascribe greatness to our G-d." Greater is he who answers "Amen" (to a blessing) than the blesser (himself). R. Nehorai said to him: This is the natural order of things: The common soldiers wage the war, and the heroes triumph! And whence is it derived that grace is recited with three? From "When I (1) call out the name of the L-rd, you (2) ascribe greatness to our G-d." And whence is it derived that when the grace leader says "Let us bless," that they respond after him "Blessed is He of whose we have eaten, etc." From "When I call out the name of the L-rd, ascribe greatness to our G-d." And whence is it derived that when one says (in the kaddish) "Let the great name be blessed," the response is "for ever and ever"? From "ascribe greatness to our G-d." And whence is it derived that our fathers went down to Egypt only so that the Holy One Blessed be He do wonders to sanctify His great name in the world? From (Shemoth 2:23-24) "And it was in the course of those many days … and G-d heard their outcry," and "When I call out the name of the L-rd." And whence is it derived that the L-rd brought the ten plagues upon Pharaoh and Egypt only because they had not sanctified His great name in the world? For in the beginning it is written (Ibid. 5:2) "Who is the L-rd that I should hearken to His voice?" and in the end, (Ibid. 9:27) "The L-rd is the righteous one, and I and my people are the wicked ones." And whence is it derived that the L-rd performed wonders for our fathers at the Red Sea and the Jordan and the streams of Arnon only to sanctify His name in the world? viz. (Joshua 1:5) "And it was, when all the kings of the Emori on the western side of the Jordan, etc." and Rachav said to the messengers of Joshua (Ibid. 2:10) "For we have heard that the L-rd dried up the waters of the Red Sea before you, etc." From "When I call out the name of the L-rd." And whence is it derived that Daniel descended into the lions' den only so that the L-rd do wonders with him to sanctify His name in the world? From "When I call out the name of the L-rd." And it is written (Daniel 6:27) "An order is hereby issued by me that in all the dominion of my kingdom men shall tremble and fear before the G-d of Daniel." And whence is it derived that Chananiah, Mishael and Azaryah descended into the fiery furnace only so that the L-rd do wonders with them to sanctify His great name in the world? From (Ibid. 3:32-33) "It behooves me (Nevuchadnezzar) to relate the signs and wonders that the great G-d has performed for me. How great are His signs and how mighty are His wonders!" And whence is it derived that the ministering angels do not mention His exalted name until Israel mention His name below — "Hear, O Israel, the L-rd our G-d, the L-rd is one"? From (Iyyov 38:7) "when there sang together the stars of morning," followed by "and all the sons of G-d shouted." "the stars of morning" — Israel, who are compared to stars, viz. (Bereshith 22:17) "and I shall multiply your seed like the stars of the heaven." "the sons of G-d" — the ministering angels, viz. (Iyyov 1:6) "and the sons of G-d came, etc."