Midrash sobre Gênesis 19:36

Variantly: "I am the L rd your G d": When the Holy One Blessed be He arose and proclaimed "I am the L rd your G d," the earth took ill, as it is written (Judges 5:4) "O L rd, when You came forth from Seir, when You strode from the field of Edom, the earth shook; the heavens, too, dripped," and (Ibid. 5) "Mountains dripped before the L rd," and (Psalms 29:4) "The voice of the L rd in strength; the voice of the L rd in glory!" … (Ibid. 9) "And in His sanctuary all proclaim "'Glory!'" Until their houses were suffused with the splendor of the Shechinah… And it was for this reason that the nations of the world were solicited (to accept the Torah.) So as not to give them a pretext vis-à-vis the Shechinah — to say: Had we been solicited, we would have accepted it. They were solicited and did not accept it! As it is written (Devarim 33:2) "And he said: L rd came from Sinai, etc." He came and revealed Himself to the sons of the wicked Esav and asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They: What is written in it? He: "You shall not kill." They: But this is what we have inherited from our father, as it is written (Genesis 27:40) "By your sword shall you live!" He revealed Himself to the sons of Ammon and Moav and asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They: What is written in it? He: "You shall not commit adultery." They: But we are all the sons of incest, as it is written (Genesis 19:36) "And the two daughters of Lot conceived by their father." How, then, shall we accept it? He came and revealed Himself to the sons of Ishmael and asked them: Will you accept the Torah? They: What is written in it? He: "You shall not steal." They: But this is the blessing by which our father was blessed, as it is written (Genesis 16:12) "And he (Ishmael) shall be a brutish man, etc." And when He came to Israel (Devarim 32:2), "in His right hand, the fire of the Law for them," they all opened their mouths and cried (Exodus 24:7) "All that the L rd says, we shall do and we shall hear!" And thus is it written (Habakkuk 3:6) "He stood and measured the land; He looked and dispersed the nations." R. Shimon b. Elazar said: If the sons of Noach could not abide by the seven mitzvoth commanded them, how much more so (could they not abide) by all the mitzvoth of the Torah! An analogy: A king appoints two caretakers, one over stores of grain, and one over stores of silver and gold. The first bridles at not having been appointed over the stores of silver and gold, and the second says to him: Empty one, if you were faithless with grain, how much more so with silver and gold! If the sons of Noach could not abide by seven mitzvoth alone, how much more so (could they not abide by the six hundred and thirteen mitzvoth (of the Torah)! Why was the Torah not given in Eretz Yisrael? So as not to provide a pretext to the nations of the world, viz.: Because it was not given in our land, that is why we did not accept it. Variantly: So as not to rouse contention among the tribes, one saying, it was given in my land; the other: it was given in my land. That is why it was given in the open desert. In three settings was the Torah given — desert, fire, and water. Just as these are free for all, so, Torah.

... [What about all] the praise of Joseph, who exceeded in the honor of his father? And yet he did not enter into him all the time, such that were it not that they came to tell him, "Your father is sick," he would not have known! Rather this is to inform you of his righteousness. For he did not want to be alone with his father, lest he say to him, "How did your brothers act with you?" And [then] he would curse them.... Hence he did not go to his father all the time.)

Rabbi Azarya began: “Do not see wine in its redness, for one who sets his eye on the cup will walk the straight path” (Proverbs 23:31). Rabbi Azarya said: “Do not see wine in its redness [yitadam]” – as he will lust [yitav] for menstrual blood [dam] and for the blood of discharge [ziva]. “For one who directs his eye to the cup [kos]” – kis is written, a euphemism;¹This is a euphemism for licentiousness. that is what you say: “We will have one purse [kis] for all of us” (Proverbs 1:14). “Will walk the straight path”²The midrash understands this phrase in the verse to be ironic. – ultimately his wife says: I have seen like a red rose, and he does not separate from her. Rabbi Asi said: If he is a Torah scholar, he will ultimately purify the ritually impure, and impurify the ritually pure.
Alternatively, “do not see wine in its redness” – it will certainly cause him to flush. “For one who sets his eye on the cup” – he fixes his eyes on the cup and the storekeeper fixes his eye on the purse. “Will walk the straight path [bemeisharim]” – ultimately, he will render his house a plain [meishra].³Meaning it will be empty. He says: Whatever this bronze cup does an earthenware cup does, and he sells it and drinks wine with its proceeds. Whatever this bronze pot does an earthenware pot does, and he sells it and drinks wine with its proceeds. Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Raddifa said in the name of Rabbi Ami: Ultimately, he will sell all the vessels in his house and drink wine with [what he gets for] them.
Rabbi Aḥa said: There was an incident involving a certain person who sold all the vessels in his house and drank wine with [what he got for] them. His sons said: This father of ours is not leaving us anything. What did they do? They gave him to drink, they lifted him up and carried him, and placed him in a certain cemetery. Some wine merchants passed the gate of the cemetery and heard the angaria [military unit commandeering provisions] was in the city. They unloaded their burden in that cemetery. They said: Let us go and see what is being said in the city. The old man awoke from his slumber and saw a wineskin that had been placed above his head. He untied it and put it in his mouth and drank. He drank until he fell asleep. After three days, his sons said: Should we not go and see how our father is doing? They went and found him and there was a wineskin in his mouth. They said: Here, too, your Creator has not forsaken you. Since you have it from Heaven, we don’t know what we to do with you. They made an arrangement among themselves that each of them [in turn] would provide him with drink on each day.
It is written:⁴These verses relate to the drinker of wine referred to above, and describe the results of drunkenness. “You will be like one lying in the midst of the sea, like one who lies atop a mast” (Proverbs 23:34). You will be like this ship that is becalmed on the high seas.⁵Some understand this to mean: “like a ship that is tossed on the high seas.” “Like one who lies atop a mast,” – like a rooster that sits on a rope and goes constantly to and fro; like a captain who sits atop a mast and goes constantly to and fro. “They struck me, but I did not feel it” (Proverbs 23:35) – they struck him, but he did not feel. “They beat me, but I did not know” – they exploit him, but he is unaware. He drinks five kustin⁶A measure of liquid volume, about a third of a liter. of beer and they say to him: ‘You drank ten kustin.’ If you say that he will awaken from his sleep and forget it, Scripture says [about the drunk]: “When will I awaken? I will continue to seek it” (Ibid.).
]“To whom is there woe? To whom alas? To whom strife? To whom talk? To whom wounds without cause? To whom redness of eyes? To those who linger over wine”] (Proverbs 23:29-30). “To whom is there woe? To whom alas?” Rav Huna said: To one who does not toil in Torah study. “To whom strife?” – to whom disputes? “To whom talk” – to whom prattle? “To whom wounds without cause” – to whom wounds for nothing? “To those who linger over wine” (Proverbs 23:30).
There was an incident involving a certain man who was accustomed to drink twelve kistin of wine every day. One day he drank eleven kistin, and he lay down but sleep would not come. He awoke in the dark and went to the storekeeper. He said to him: ‘Sell me one kista.’ He [the storekeeper] said to him: ‘I will not open for you, because it is dark and I fear the watchmen.’ He directed his eyes and saw a hole in the door. He said to him: ‘Give me from it through the hole, you will position it inside and I will drink it outside.’ He did so for him. He drank and fell asleep before the door. The watchmen passed by him; they thought he was a thief, they struck him and they wounded him. They proclaimed about him: “To whom wounds without cause” – to whom wounds for nothing? “To whom redness of eyes” – to whom eyes red like the sun?
All these befall whom? “Those who linger over wine” – this is one who enters the store first and leaves last. “To those who come to assess the mixture” – to one who hears that this [particular] person has fine wine and pursues him. What is written about him at the end? “Its [wine’s] end is that it bites like a serpent and secretes [poison] like an adder” (Proverbs 23:32). Just as this adder separates between death and life, so wine separated between Adam and Eve, as Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai said: The tree from which Adam the first man ate was a grape [vine]. That is what is written: “Their grapes are grapes of gall, bitter clusters for them” (Deuteronomy 32:32). These brought bitterness to the world.
Alternatively, “and secretes [yafrish] like an adder” – just as this adder separates [mafrish]⁷The verb lehafrish can mean both to secrete and to separate. between death and life, so, wine separated between Noah and his sons for enslavement. That is what is written: “He drank from the wine and was intoxicated and he was exposed inside the tent” (Genesis 9:21), as a result⁸ Subsequently, Noah’s son Ham, father of Canaan, “saw the nakedness of his father.” he [Noah] said: “Cursed is Canaan [a slave of slaves he shall be to his brothers]” (Genesis 9:25).
“And secretes [yafrish] like an adder” – just as this adder separates [mafrish] between death and life, so wine separated between Lot and his daughters for mamzerut.⁹The status of a child born from incest. That is what is written: “They gave their father to drink that night” (Genesis 19:33), as a result he said: “Lot’s two daughters conceived from their father” (Genesis 19:36).
Alternatively, “and secretes like an adder” – just as this adder separates between death and life, so wine separated between Aaron and his sons for death, as it is taught: Rabbi Shimon says: The sons of Aaron died only because they entered the Tent of Meeting intoxicated with wine. Rabbi Pinḥas in the name of Rabbi Levi said: This is comparable to a king who had a loyal member of his household. He found him standing at the entrance of his house, and he decapitated him without saying anything and appointed another member of his household in his stead. We do not know the reason that he killed the first one. It is only from what he commanded the second one and said to him: ‘Do not enter the house’ that we know why he killed the first one. Likewise, “Fire emerged from before the Lord and consumed them” (Leviticus 10:2) – we do not know the reason they died. It is only from what he commanded Aaron and said to him “You shall not drink wine or intoxicating drink” (Leviticus 10:9), that we know that they died only due to the wine.
Alternatively, “and secretes like an adder” – just as this adder separates between death and life, so wine separated between the ten tribes and the tribes of Judah and Benjamin for exile. That is what is written: “Woe! Those who rise early in the morning pursue intoxicating drink; those who tarry late, wine will inflame” (Isaiah 5:11), as a result: “Therefore, My people is exiled for lack of knowledge” (Isaiah 5:13).
Alternatively, “and secretes like an adder” – just as this adder separates between death and life, so wine separated the tribe of Judah and the tribe of Benjamin for exile. That is what is written: “These too erred with wine and strayed with intoxicating drink” (Isaiah 28:7); these and those.¹⁰Not only the ten tribes of Israel but also the tribes of Judah and Benjamin were eventually exiled.
Alternatively, “and secretes like an adder” – just as this adder separates between death and life, so wine separated between kingdom and kingdom for death. That is what is written: “Belshatzar said, as he tasted the wine” (Daniel 5:2), as a result it says: “During that night, Belshatzar the Chaldean king was killed” (Daniel 5:30).
Alternatively, “and secretes like an adder” – just as this adder separates between death and life, so wine separated between Aḥashverosh and Vashti for death. That is what is written: “On the seventh day, when the king was merry with wine” (Esther 1:10) – as a result he became angry and killed her.

And he went into Hagar and she conceived (Gen. 16:4). Rabbi Levi bar Hayta said: She became pregnant at the first intimacy. Said Rabbi Eleazar: A woman never conceives by the first intimacy. An objection is raised: surely it is written, So both of Lot's daughters got pregnant by their father (Gen. 19:36)? Said R. Tanhuma: By an effort of will power they brought forth their virginity, and conceived at the second “act of intercourse”. [The first act is what they did to themselves. Said Rabbi Chanina ben Pazi: Thorns are neither weeded nor sown, but they grow and spring up on their own. But how much suffering and effort for wheat to grow! Why were the matriarchs barren? Rabbi Levi said in Rabbi Shila’s name and Rabbi Chelbo in R. Yochanan’s name: Because the Holy One of Blessing yearns for their prayers and supplications, as it is written 'O my dove, you on the clefts of the rock let Me see your face, let Me hear your voice' (Song of Songs 2:14): Why did I make you barren? In order to 'see your face... hear your voice'. Rabbi ‘Azariah said in the name of Rabbi Yochanan bar Papa: So that their husbands might cling to them in their beauty. Rabbi Huna in the name of Rabbi Hiya bar Abba said: So that they might pass the greater part of their life without hard work. Rabbi Huna and R. Avun in the name of Rabbi Meir: So that their husbands might derive pleasure from them, for when a woman is with child she is disfigured and does not care for her appearance. The ninety years that Sarah did not bear she was like a bride in her canopy. Ladies would come to ask how she was, and she would say to them, 'Go and ask about the welfare of this wretched woman [Hagar]!'’ Hagar would tell them: 'My mistress Sarai is not inside what she is outside: she appears to be righteous but she is not righteous, had she been a righteous woman, see how many years have passed without her conceiving, whereas I conceived in one night!' Said Sarah: 'Am I going to argue with this woman?! I should argue with her master!