Midrasz do Malachiasza 3:5

When he came to the following verse, R. Jochanan wept (Mal. 3, 5) And I will come near unto you to hold judgment, and I will be a swift witness against the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and against those that swear falsely, and against those that with hold the wages of the hired laborer, and fear Me not, said the Lord of hosts." He saids "For a slave whose master brings suit against him with good witness is then there any hope for aquittal for him?" R. Jochanan said: "Woe unto us, for the passage makes our slight sins equal to our grave sins."4 Resh Lakish said: "Whoever perverts the judgment of a stranger is considered as if he perverted the Judgment of heaven, as this is included in the above passage." R. Chanina b. Papa said: "When a man commits a sin and soon repents of it, he is forgiven immediately, as it is said (ib.) And fear Me not, saith the Lord of hosts. This means that if he does fear and asks for forgiveness, he is pardoned."

(Numb. 5:12:) “If anyone has his wife go astray (tisteh).” Our masters have taught, “The adulterers do not commit adultery, until a spirit of madness (shetut)³¹In the unpointed Hebrew text, shetut and tisteh appear to have the same root. enters them. Thus it is stated (ibid.), ‘If anyone has his wife go astray.’” [Here] we have learned about the woman. Where is it shown about the man? Where it is stated (in Prov. 6:32), “The one who commits adultery with a woman is has no sense (literally, is lacking heart).”³²Cf. Numb. 9:6. Another interpretation (of Numb. 5:12), “If anyone has his wife go astray.” This text is related (to Jer. 23:24), “If someone hides in secret places, [shall I not see him?]” See, is it not already written (Psalms 16:3), “The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, observing the bad and the good.”³³Numb. R. 9:9. And so too is it written (in Zech. 4:10; cf. II Chron. 16:9), “the eyes of the Lord; they roam around all the earth.” [So] what do we learn to say (in Jer. 23:24), “Shall I not see Him (ar'ennu)?” [Interpret these words³⁴In the Hebrew text this question and the one which follows each consists of the one word, ar’ennu. as follows:] Shall I not show him (ar'ennu) to the people and publish his works? (Jer. 23:24, cont.), “’Do I not fill the heavens and the earth,’ says the Lord.” I fill the realms above and the realms below, as stated (Is. 66:1), “The heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool.” Another interpretation of (Jer. 23:24), “[If someone hides in secret places], shall I not see him? It is comparable to an architect³⁵Gk.: architekton; cf. Lat.: architectus. The parable appears in Numb. R. 9:1; Gen. R. 24:1. [who] went out as a katarikos (tax official) over a certain province. The inhabitants of the province began hiding their silver and gold within the very caves [that he had built]. The architect said to them, ‘I built the province, and I made the hidden treasuries. Will you hide [anything] from me?” Similarly, the Holy One, blessed be He, has said to adulterers, “Will you hide yourselves from me?” [It is as in (Jer. 23:24),] “If someone hides in secret places, I have created you and made your every cavity (mehilim mehilim).” [It is so stated (in Deut. 32:18),] “but you forgot the God who generated you (meholelekha).” Nothing will be useful to you, wherever you hide yourselves, because (according to Jer. 17:10:) “I the Lord search the heart, probe the kidneys, to render to each according to his ways, according to the fruit of his deeds.” I am the one who brings (rt.: qrb) you to judgment, as stated (in Mal. 3:5), “Then I will draw near (rt.: qrb) unto you in judgment; and I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers […].” Therefore, you shall not go astray after the evil drive, so that none of you have his wife go astray, according to what is stated (in Numb. 5:12), “If anyone has his wife go astray.” Another interpretation (of Numb. 5:12), “If anyone (literally, if a man a man) [has his wife go astray].” [These words are] to teach you that she is going astray and being false with two, with the “Man of war” (as in Exod 15:3) above and with her man (husband) below.³⁶Numb. R. 9:2. The Holy One, blessed be He, says to her, “You lie to your husband, can you perhaps lie to Me? A parable: To what is the matter comparable?³⁷Numb. R. 9:9. To someone who was imprisoned within two houses, one inside the other. Now two guards were there, one on the inside and one on the outside. [The prisoner] opened [the door of] the inner [house] and left, and the guard did not notice him. When he came to leave the outer one, [the guard] did notice him. He seized him and said to him, “At that [guard] on the inside you laughed, but at me you cannot laugh.” Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, has said to the adulterous woman, “At your husband you laugh, but at me you cannot laugh. Rather I sit and laugh at My creatures.” It is so stated (in Ps. 2:4), “The One sitting in the heavens shall laugh […].

(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].’”

(Lev. 5:1:) “And if a soul sins in that it hears a voice swearing […, if he does not speak out, he shall bear his iniquity].” This text is related (to Eccl. 5:1), “Do not be rash with your mouth, and let not your heart hasten to bring forth a word before God.” These [words refer to] people who vilify the name of the Holy One, blessed be He. Come and see, when the celestial beings were created, those below were created with half of the [divine] name, as stated (in Is. 26:4), “for through Yh,³⁸YH is the first half of the divine name, which the Hebrew spells out where the translation reads THE LORD. the Lord formed the worlds.”³⁹The midrash interprets tsur ‘olamim as FORMED THE WORLDS (i.e., this world and the world to come) rather than as the more usual EVERLASTING ROCK. For similar interpretations, see yHag. 2:1 (77c); Men. 29b; Gen. R. 12:10; M. Pss. 62:1; 114:3; cf. also M. Pss. 118:14. But why were they not created with all of it? So as not to mention the full name [of the Holy One, blessed be He] with him. Woe to those creatures who vilify the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, in vain. See what is written about offerings (in Lev. 1:2), “When one of you presents an offering to the Lord.” It does not say "to the Lord, an offering," but “an offering to the Lord” (so that who changes his mind about an offering in mid-sentence not mention God’s name for no reason).⁴⁰Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 1:6; Ned. 10ab; Sifra to Lev. 1:2, Wayyiqra, Parashah 2; Sifre, Deut.32:3 (306); Gen. R. 1:13. And [yet] people vilify the name of the Lord in vain. It is therefore stated (in Eccl. 5:1), “Do not be rash with your mouth…. for God is in heaven and you are on earth.” For who would say that God is not in heaven and that people are not on earth? [Accordingly], Solomon has said, “Every time that the weakest of the weak is above, he defeats the warrior below.” Go and learn from Abimelech (in Jud. 9:53), “But a certain woman dropped an upper millstone on Abimelech's head and cracked his skull.”⁴¹Since the woman was above the warrior Abimelech in the tower of Thebez, her killing him is an example of a relatively weak person defeating a warrior from above. And if he was a warrior among warriors and there was none like him, and [yet] a woman [was able to] kill him from above, how much the more so in the case of the Holy One, blessed be He! See what is written about Him (in Dan. 4:32), “All the inhabitants of the earth are of no account, and He does as He wishes [with the host of heaven and with the inhabitants of the earth].” It is also written (in Ps. 47:3), “For the Lord most high is awesome, a great King over all the earth,” and people are below. (Eccl. 5:1:) “Therefore let your words be few.” So what is there for you to do? To put your hand upon your mouth and upon your ear in order to neither speak nor hear. Ergo (in Lev. 5:1), “If a soul sins.”⁴²These words also appear in Lev. 5:21 [6:2]. (Lev. 5:1:) [“And if a soul sins in that it hears a voice swearing,] when he is a witness to what he has either seen or come to know, [if he does not speak out, he shall bear his iniquity].” This text is related (to Prov. 29:24), “The one who shares with a thief hates his own soul; he hears swearing and does not speak out.” What has caused anyone to say of him, “If a soul sins?” [It is] simply because he did not come and tell a sage, “So-and-so blasphemed the name of the Holy One, blessed be He.” He therefore shares his iniquities with him, as stated (in Lev. 5:1), “if he does not speak out, he shall bear his iniquity.” Therefore Solomon has said (in Prov. 29:24), “The one who shares with a thief hates his own soul.” Just as when the thief is caught, his partner is convicted along with him;⁴³Cf. Lev. R. 6:2. so whoever hears blasphemy of the Holy One, blessed be He, and does not speak out is convicted along with him. And let no one say, “What denunciation (lashon hara’ah) do I say?” The Holy One, blessed be He, has said (in Lev. 5:1ff.), “’On every matter,’ there is a denunciation in it. [But] with cursing the name, there is no denunciation.” Why? Because [it is] just like a case of a person cursing his companion. When he hears him, it is of no concern to him. But if he has cursed his father in his presence, he puts his life on the line and says, “You have cursed my father.” Moses said (in Deut. 32:6), “Is He not your Father who created you?” (Lev. 5:1:) [“And if a soul sins in that it hears a voice swearing,] when he is a witness to what he has seen.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “If you want to bear witness, bear witness; but if not, I will bear witness.” Thus it is stated (ibid.), “when he (He) is a witness.” And where is it shown that the Holy One, blessed be He, is called a witness? Where it is stated (in Jer. 29:23), “I am the One who knows and bears witness, says the Lord.” Come and see. All the parashioth written in this book have “mistake” written in them, except for this parashah, in which “mistake” is not mentioned.⁴⁴In fact, MISTAKE (shegagah), i.e., UNINTENTIONAL SIN, does appear in this parashah (in 5:15, 18). Elsewhere in Lev. the word only appears in 4:2, 22, 27; 22:4.) About him Solomon has said (in Eccl. 5:5), “Do not let your mouth cause your flesh to sin, and do not say before the angel that it was a mistake,” (in Eccl. 5:1), “for God is in the heavens.” It is comparable to two people who threw stones at an image of a king.⁴⁵Gk.: eikonion, a diminutive form of eikon. One was drunk, and one was in possession of his senses. Both of them were caught and went to trial. [The judge] rendered a [guilty] verdict⁴⁶Gk.: apophasis. against the one with his senses and acquitted the one who was drunk. So it is in the case of whoever sins. It is concerning him that “mistake” is written (in Lev. 4:2) – “When a soul sins by mistake (rt.: shgg) [against any of the Lord's commandments]….”; (and likewise in Lev. 4:13) “And if the whole congregation of Israel should err (rt.: shgg).” And [about] all of them; because they sinned by mistake, they bring an offering and it shall be forgiven them. It is so stated (in Numb. 15:26), “The whole congregation of the Children of Israel and the stranger who resides in their midst shall be forgiven because [it happened] to all the people by mistake.” But the one who blasphemes receives a [guilty] verdict, as stated (in Lev. 24:16) “And the one who blasphemes the name of the Lord shall surely be put to death.” It is also written (in Jer. 4:2), “And you shall swear, ‘As the Lord lives,’ in truth, in justice, and in righteousness; then shall nations bless themselves in Him, and Him shall they glory.” Scripture also says (in Deut. 10:20), “The Lord your God you shall fear, Him you shall serve, to Him you shall hold fast”; then after that, “and by Him you shall swear.”⁴⁷See Tanh. (Buber), Numb. 9:1; Numb. R. 9:1. (Ibid.:) “The Lord your God you shall fear,” so that you will be like those three of whom it is written, “he feared God (yr' 'lhym)”: Abraham, Joseph and Job. About Abraham it is written (in Gen. 22:12), “for now I know that you fear God (yr' 'lhym).” About Joseph it is written (in Gen. 42:18), “I fear (yr') God ('lhym).” About Job it is written (in Job 1:2), “he feared God (yr' 'lhym) and shunned evil.” (Deut. 10:20, cont.:) “Him you shall serve,” in that you will be busy with the Torah and with [fulfilling] the commandments. (Ibid. cont.:) “To him you shall hold fast,” in that you will honor the Torah scholars and benefit them with your property. Moses said to Israel, “Do not think that I have allowed you to swear by His name, even in truth. It is only, if all these conditions (mentioned earlier in the verse) abide with you, that you are entitled to swear; and if not, you are not entitled to swear [by His name], even in truth.” You shall not be like those of whom it is written (in Jer. 7:9), “[Will you …] swear falsely and sacrifice to Baal?” Rather, fulfill all these conditions and after that you are Mine, as stated (in Jer. 4:1), “If you return, O Israel, says the Lord, if you return unto Me [….]” Then after that [it says] (in vs. 2), “And you shall swear, ‘as the Lord lives’….” Our masters have said, “Even in truth one cannot swear.” Why? Thus have our masters taught (in Dem. 2:3): Let not someone from Israel be unrestrained in vows⁴⁸See also Ned. 20a. or in jesting, (or to lead one's companion astray with an oath by saying it is not an oath). There is a story about the royal mountain where there were two thousand towns, and all of them were destroyed because of a truthful oath that was unnecessary.⁴⁹Tanh. (Buber), Numb. 9:1; Numb. R. 9:1; cf. also Git. 57a. Now if one who swears in truth has this happen, how much the more so in the case of one who swears to a lie? How did they act? One would utter an oath to his companion that he was going to such and such a place to eat and drink. Then they would go and act to fulfill their oath. It is therefore stated (in Lev. 5:1), “If a soul sins in that it hears a voice swearing.” Now when the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to judge all people in the world to come, He will judge them along with sorcerers and adulterers. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Mal. 3:5), “Then I will draw near to you in judgment; and I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear to a lie (in My name).” And I am finding them guilty and bringing them down to Gehinnom. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “With the mouth that I gave you to be praising and glorifying My name, you are reproaching, blaspheming, and swearing to a lie in My name? Since I created all people to praise Me, as stated (in Prov. 16:4), “The Lord has made everything for His own purpose.” So is it not enough for you that you do not praise Me, but [that] you blaspheme [Me as well]! The Scripture has said (in Is. 57:20), “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, [for it cannot rest (rt.: shqt)].” [They are] just like this [kind of] sea which has waves in its midst exalting themselves upward. When each and every one of them reaches the sand, it is broken and returns (hozer).⁵⁰The word also means “repents.” And its companion also looks at it breaking, and [yet] exalts itself upward without repenting (hozer). So are the wicked, who look at one another and exalt themselves. Therefore, they are likened to the sea, as stated (in Is. 57:20), “But the wicked are like the troubled sea….” So did all the generations, the generation of Enosh, the generation of the flood, and the generation of the dispersion (i.e., of the Tower of Babel), not learn from each other. Instead they were exalting themselves. Therefore they are compared to the sea (in Is. 57:20), “But the wicked are like the troubled sea.” (Is. 57:20, cont.:) “For it cannot rest (rt.: shqt).” The wicked have no rest in the world, but the righteous have serenity (shqt), as stated (in Jer. 30:10), “and Jacob shall again have peace (shqt) and quiet with none to make him afraid.” Another interpretation (of Is. 57:20), “But the wicked are like the troubled sea.” Just as the sea has its dirt and mud in its mouth, so the wicked have their stench in their mouth. Thus it is stated (at the end of Is. 57:20), “and its waters toss up slime and mud.” It is not from choice that one hears blasphemies and invectives, but from the midst of the sins which are within him. Thus it is stated (in Lev. 5:1), “If a soul sins and hears a voice swearing….”⁵¹Most translations equate the sinning with the swearing. This more literal translation illustrates the point that the swearing comes from a soul which has already sinned. You find [that there are] three things under human control and three things not under human control ….⁵²Tanh., Gen. 6:12 (i.e., Toledot 12); Gen. R. 67:12. And not only [now] but even in the world to come. [So it is stated] (in Job 12:23), “He exalts (msgy') nations and destroys them.” The written text (ketiv) is “mshg'” (which means, misleads).⁵³In unpointed Hebrew the Sin (S) and the Shin (Sh) look alike. Since MShG’, which is pointed mashge’, can also be spelled with the extra yod (i.e., Y), the two words are interchangable in an unpointed text. Then He destroys them [and] brings them down to Abaddon,⁵⁴Abbadon is a name for Hell, which means “destruction.” while the righteous watch them. Thus it is stated (in Is. 66:24), “Then they shall go out and look at the corpses of the people who have rebelled against Me; their worms shall not die nor shall their fire be quenched”.

Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay said: (Mal. 3:5:) THEN I WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU IN JUDGMENT; [AND I WILL BE A SWIFT WITNESS AGAINST SORCERERS, AGAINST ADULTERERS, AGAINST THOSE WHO SWEAR TO A LIE, AGAINST THOSE WHO OPPRESS THE HIRED WORKER IN THEIR WAGES, THE WIDOW, THE ORPHAN AND THOSE WHO TURN ASIDE THE SOJOURNER]. Woe to us for the day of judgment! Woe to us for the day of retribution!³³Cf. Gen. R. 93:6; Numb. R. 10:2. Scripture compares (heqish) one who turns aside justice to all the worst transgressions. Therefore the Holy One warned (in Deut. 16:19): YOU SHALL NOT TURN ASIDE <JUSTICE>. R. Hama bar Osha'ya said: A person having a pain in his eye gives a lot of money to a physician, <when> it is doubtful whether he is being healed or not.³⁴Ket. 105a. But the one who takes a bribe corrupts justice, makes her eyes blind, causes exile for Israel, and brings hunger into the world. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 16:20): JUSTICE, JUSTICE YOU SHALL PURSUE SO THAT YOU MAY LIVE AND POSSESS <THE LAND>; and if not, you shall not possess it.

(Deut. 16:19, cont.:) “You shall not take a bribe.” When the judge sets his heart on a bribe, he becomes blind to justice and he is unable to judge [a case] honestly. R. Eliezer said, “It says here (in Ezek. 22:6), ‘Behold, the princes of Israel, each one according to his strength (literally, arm), have existed among you for the shedding of blood.’ Thus they stretched out¹⁵Poshetim, which is intended as a pun on shofetim “judges”. Thus the verb implies that the judges are the ones who stretch out their arms for bribes. their arms under their robes to take a bribe.” R. Abbahu said, “Whoever takes the equivalent of a peruta (the smallest of coins) from his fellow is called wicked, as stated (in Prov. 17:23), ‘A wicked one takes a concealed bribe.’”¹⁶Apart from the midrash, in the biblical context these words, which literally mean, A WICKED ONE TAKES A BRIBE FROM THE BOSOM, may well refer to the one who gives the bribe. R. Ishmael beRabbi Yose said, “Come and see how harmful a bribe is. One time a certain person came and brought me the first fruits of the sheep shearing.¹⁷See Deut. 18:4; also Ket. 105b. He also had a lawsuit before the judge, so I stood to one side. Now I said to him [that] if he pleads such and such before the judge, he will win the suit; for I was hoping for him to win. Even though he had only given me my due, and it was not a bribe, my heart was drawn to him every time I saw him. Furthermore, although he had gone to the court, I asked about him whether he had won or not. [This incident serves] to make known to you how harmful a bribe is, since it makes the eyes blind. Now here is an argument a fortiori: If I, to whom he had [only] brought what was due and who [only] got what was due me, was hoping for him to win, how much the more so with one who gets a bribe.” Rabban Johanan ben Zakkay would expound (about Mal. 3:5), “Then I will draw near to you in judgment; [and I will be a swift witness against sorcerers, against adulterers, against those who swear to a lie, against those who oppress the hired worker in their wages, the widow, the orphan and those who turn aside the sojourner.” [He said,] “Woe to us for the day of judgment! Woe to us for the day of retribution,¹⁸Cf. Gen. R. 93:6; Numb. R. 10:2. as Scripture compares (heqish) one who turns aside the sojourner to all the worst transgressions!” Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, warned (in Deut. 16:19), “You shall not turn aside justice.” R. Hama bar Osha'ya said, “A person having a pain in his eye gives a lot of money to a physician, [when] it is doubtful whether he is to be healed or not.¹⁹Ket. 105a. But the one who takes a bribe corrupts justice, blinds his eyes, causes Israel to be exiled from their land, and brings hunger into the world. Thus it is stated (in Deut. 16:20), ‘Justice, justice shall you pursue so that you may live and possess the land’; but if not, you shall not possess it.” (Deut. 16:20:) “Justice, justice shall you pursue,” (with justice repeated two times). From here they have maintained that one should pursue a worthy court. Another interpretation of (Deut. 16:20), “Justice, justice shall you pursue,” (with justice repeated) two times: [Here is] a warning for judges who judge capital cases not to render judgment on the same day as the trial. Rather let them suspend the judgment overnight (rt.: lwn), just as they suspend it overnight (rt.: lwn) in Jerusalem, since it is stated (in Is. 1:21), “she (i.e., Jerusalem) was full of justice, for righteousness lodged (rt.: lwn) there.” (Deut. 16:20, cont.:) “So that you may live.” Everyone who judges a case with unvarnished truth merits life in the world to come, as stated (in Is. 56:1), “Thus says the Lord, ‘Observe justice, and practice righteousness; [for soon My salvation shall come, and My righteousness be revealed].’”

Another interpretation of (Jer. 23:24): <IF SOMEONE HIDES IN SECRET PLACES>, SHALL I NOT SEE HIM? It is comparable to an architect⁴¹Gk.: architekton; cf. Lat.: architectus. The parable appears in Tanh., Numb. 2:5, cont.; Numb. R. 9:1; Gen. R. 24:1. <who> went out as a {katarikon} [<katadikon>] {i.e., as "one who imposes fines" in the Greek language}⁴²Katadikon is probably a Greek participle of katadikan, an otherwise unknown verb related to the noun, katadike (“damages” or “fine”), and the verb, katadikazein (“to pass judgment against”). over a certain provincial capital. The inhabitants of the capital began hiding their silver and gold within the very hidden treasuries <that he had built>. The architect said to them: I built the capital, and I made the hidden treasuries. Will you hide <anything> from me? Similarly, the Holy One has said to adulterers: Will you hide yourselves from me? (Jer. 23:24:) IF SOMEONE HIDES IN SECRET PLACES, I have created you and made your every cavity (mehilim mehilim). [It is so stated] (in Deut. 32:18): BUT YOU FORGOT THE GOD WHO GENERATED YOU (meholelekha). Nothing will be useful to you, wherever you hide yourselves, because (according to Jer. 17:10:) I THE LORD SEARCH THE HEART, PROBE THE KIDNEYS, TO RENDER TO EACH ACCORDING TO HIS WAYS, ACCORDING TO THE FRUIT OF HIS DEEDS. I am the one who brings (rt.: QRB) you to judgment, as stated (in Mal. 3:5): THEN I WILL DRAW NEAR (rt.: QRB) {WITH} [UNTO] YOU IN JUDGMENT; <AND I WILL BE A SWIFT WITNESS AGAINST SORCERERS, AGAINST ADULTERERS…. > Therefore, you shall not go astray after the evil drive, so that none of you have his wife go astray, according to what is stated (in Numb. 5:12): IF ANYONE HAS HIS WIFE GO ASTRAY.

(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.⁵¹In addition to Tanh., Numb. 2:7, and Numb. R. 9:10, see Gen. R. 38:14; PRK 18:3; PR 32:2. In a similar usage⁵²Kayyotse 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 anther time, as stated (in Mal. 3:5): AND I WILL BE A SWIFT WITNESS [AGAINST SORCERERS, AGAINST ADULTERERS] <….>

Now when the Holy One comes to judge all people in the age to come, he will judge them along with sorcerers and adulterers.⁶⁵Tanh., Lev. 1:7. Where is it shown? Where it is stated (in Mal. 3:5): THEN I WILL DRAW NEAR TO YOU IN JUDGMENT; AND I WILL BE A SWIFT WITNESS AGAINST SORCERERS, AGAINST ADULTERERS, AGAINST THOSE WHO SWEAR TO A LIE.<…> Moreover, I am finding them guilty and bringing them down to Gehinnom. The Holy One said: How is it that I have allowed you to be praising and glorifying my name, <when> you are reproaching, blaspheming, and swearing to a lie in my name? All people were created for my praise, as stated (in Prov. 16:4): THE LORD HAS MADE EVERYTHING FOR HIS OWN PURPOSE. So is it not enough for you that you do not praise him, but <that> you blaspheme <him as well>! The Scripture has said (in Is. 57:20): BUT THE WICKED ARE LIKE THE TROUBLED SEA, <FOR IT CANNOT REST (rt.: ShQT) >…. <They are> just like this <kind of> sea which has rollers in its midst exalting themselves upward. When each and every one of them reaches the sand, it is broken and returns (hozer).⁶⁶The word also means “repents.” Moreover, its companion is looking at it. That one also, when it is to be broken, exalts itself upward without repenting (hozer). So are the wicked, who look at one another and exalt themselves. Therefore, they are likened to the sea, as stated (in Is. 57:20): BUT THE WICKED ARE LIKE THE TROUBLED SEA…. All the generations, the generation of Enosh, the generation of the flood, and the generation of the dispersion (i.e., of the Tower of Babel), did not learn from each other. Instead they were exalting themselves. Therefore, (in Is. 57:20): BUT THE WICKED ARE LIKE THE TROUBLED SEA. The wicked have no rest in the world, but the righteous have serenity (ShQT), as stated (in Jer. 30:10): AND JACOB SHALL AGAIN HAVE PEACE (ShQT) AND QUIET WITH NONE TO MAKE HIM AFRAID.

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

Variantly: "Hear, O heavens, etc.": Moses appointed over Israel two witnesses (heaven and earth) that live forever, telling them: I am flesh and blood; tomorrow I will die. If they wish to say that they never received the Torah, who will come and refute them? Therefore, He appointed for them two witnesses that live forever. And the Holy One Blessed be He made this (Ha'azinu) song a witness, viz. (Devarim 31:19) "so that this song be for Me a witness in the children of Israel." He said: The sun will be witness for them below, and I, above. And whence is it derived that G-d is called "a swift witness"? From (Malachi 3:5) "And I will draw near to you in judgment, and I will be a swift witness," and (Jeremiah 29:23) "and I am the one who knows and bears witness," and (Michah 1:2) "and the L-rd G-d will be a witness against you."