Midrash sobre Gênesis 49:7

“…for your love is better than wine” (Song of Songs 1:2). We learned there (Mishna Avoda Zara 2:5): Rabbi Yishmael asked Rabbi Yehoshua as they were walking on the way: ‘Why did [the Sages] prohibit the cheese of the gentiles?’ [Rabbi Yehoshua] said to him: ‘Because they curdle it with the stomach contents of an animal carcass.’ He said to [Rabbi Yehoshua]: ‘But are the stomach contents of a burnt offering not more stringent than the stomach contents of an animal carcass, yet they said that a priest who is broad minded¹⁰⁹He is not particular about what he eats. swallows it raw.’ What is, swallows it raw? He gulps it down. Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: They rendered it like a tainted cup; he may not benefit, but he is not liable for misuse of consecrated items.¹¹⁰Thus, if one eats the stomach contents of a consecrated animal, one is not liable for misuse of a consecrated item. This proves that it is not considered a food item, therefore its consumption is not a normal act of eating. Similarly, the stomach contents of an unslaughtered animal carcass should not be considered a food item, and should not render the cheese non-kosher. [Rabbi Yishmael] said to him:¹¹¹In the mishna, this is stated as a response to a second explanation given by Rabbi Yehoshua for the prohibition of eating the cheese of gentiles: They curdle it in the stomach contents of animals that have been slaughtered as an idolatrous sacrifice. ‘If so, why did they not prohibit benefit from it?’ [Rabbi Yehoshua] diverted his attention to another matter. He said to him: ‘Yishmael, my brother, how do you read it? For Your love [dodekha] is better than wine, or your love [dodayikh] [is better] than wine?’¹¹²Do you think that the term “your love” is stated in the masculine form [dodekha], indicating that it is being stated by the woman, representing Israel, to the man, representing God, or is it stated in the feminine form [dodayikh], indicating that it is stated by the man, representing God, to the woman, representing Israel. Rabbi Yishmael answered that it is vocalized dodayikh, in the feminine. He said to him: ‘The matter is not so, as its counterpart teaches in its regard: “Your oils [shemanekha] have a goodly fragrance”’ (Song of Songs 1:3).¹¹³Just as this verse is in the masculine, so, too, the previous verse, which is the verse under discussion, is also in the masculine.
Why did he not reveal it to him?¹¹⁴Why did he divert his attention rather than answering his question? Rabbi Yonatan said: It is because they had prohibited it only recently,¹¹⁵When the Sages issue a decree, for the first year they do not reveal the reason behind it, so that people will accept the decree without questioning its rationale. and Rabbi Yishmael was young. Rabbi Shimon ben Ḥalafta and Rabbi Ḥagai in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman [said]: It is written: “Lambs [kevasim] will be for your garments” (Proverbs 27:26). Kevashim, concealed items, is written.¹¹⁶The word, as written, can be read either kevasim or kevashim. When your students are young, conceal matters of Torah from them. When they grow and become Torah scholars, reveal the secrets of Torah to them. Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai taught: “These are the ordinances that you shall place [tasim] before them” (Exodus 21:1), just as this treasure [sima] is not revealed to every person, the same is true of matters of Torah.
Rav Huna raised a question and Rabbi Ḥama bar Ukva posed a difficulty:¹¹⁷Some suggest that the text should read: Rav Huna, citing Rabbi Hama bar Ukva, posed a difficulty (Etz Yosef). If he sought to divert him, he should have diverted him from the five verses in the Torah that require resolution.¹¹⁸In each of these cases there are two phrases, and it is unclear whether a particular word which appears at the border of the two belongs to the first or second phrase. These are they: “se’et” (Genesis 4:7); “cursed” (Genesis 49:7);¹¹⁹Does “cursed” belong to the previous verse: “And with their will they hamstrung an ox that is cursed” or does it belong to the beginning of this verse: “Cursed is their wrath, as it is fierce”? “tomorrow” (Exodus 17:9);¹²⁰Is it “Go out and battle Amalek tomorrow” or is it “Tomorrow I will stand at the top of the hill”? “crafted like almonds” (Exodus 25:34);¹²¹Is it “four cups crafted like almonds,” or is it “like almonds are its knobs and flowers”? “arise” (Deuteronomy 31:16).¹²²Is it “you will lie with your ancestors and arise,” or is it “this people will arise and it will stray”? Is it, “if you do well you will receive forgiveness [se’et],” or is it “you will bear your sin [se’et] if you do not do well”? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: I have another: “The sons of Jacob came from the field when they heard” or “when they heard [the men were saddened] and they came from the field” (Genesis 34:7). Rabbi Yitzḥak said: It is written: “And the Lord commanded me” (Deuteronomy 4:14); there are matters that He said to me myself, and there are matters that He told me to say to my children.¹²³Some matters of Torah are meant to publicized to all, and others are meant to be communicated only to those who are worthy. Rabbi Eila said: There are matters that one seals [meshikin]¹²⁴This is derived from yishakeni. Rabbi Yehoshua raised this verse to Rabbi Yishmael in order to allude to the fact that not everything is meant to be publicized (Matnot Kehuna). in one’s mouth.
How so? One verse says: “I store Your saying in my heart, so as not to sin against You” (Psalms 119:11), and one verse says: “With My lips I have recounted all the ordinances of Your mouth” (Psalms 119:13). In what sense can both these verses coexist? Rather, as long as Ira HaYa’iri, David’s mentor, was alive, “I store Your saying in my heart”; when he departed, “with my lips I have recounted.”¹²⁵David did not publicize halakhic matters during the lifetime of his teacher because a disciple is prohibited from issuing halakhic rulings in the presence of his teacher (Eruvin 63a).

"with the staff of G d in my hand": Moses said before the Holy One Blessed be He: L rd of the universe, with this staff You took Israel out of Egypt. With this staff You split the sea for them. With this staff You wrought miracles and mighty acts for them. With this staff You will perform miracles and mighty acts for them at this time. Issi b. Yehudah says: There are five ambiguous verses in the Torah: "se'eth," "arur," "machar," "meshukadim," and "vekam.": "se'eth" — (Genesis 4:7) "If you do well, you will be forgiven (se'eth)" or "You will bear your sin (se'eth), if you do not do well." "arur" — (Ibid. 49:7) "Arur (Cursed) is their wrath, for it is fierce" or (Ibid. 6) "for in their wrath they slew a man, and in their wilfulness they razed an ox. Arur ("they are cursed.") "machar" ("tomorrow") — (Exodus 17:9) "Machar I will stand on top of the hill" or "Go out and do battle with Amalek machar." "meshukadim" ("of beaten work") — (Exodus 25:34) "meshukadim its bulbs and its flowers" or "in the menorah, four bowls meshukadim." "vekam" — (Devarim 31:16) "Vekam ("and there will arise") this people and they will stray, etc." or "you shall lie down with your people vekam" ("and arise"). These are the five ambiguous verses in the Torah.

Cursed be their anger, for it was fierce (Gen. 49:7). Since He cursed only their anger, Balaam said: How shall I curse whom God hath not cursed? (Num. 23:8). That is to say, inasmuch as He cursed their anger alone, at a time when He was sorely displeased with them, how am I able to curse them?

I will divide them in Jacob (Gen. 49:7). Twenty-four thousand men of the tribe of Simeon perished because of the act of Zimri. He apportioned their twenty-four thousand widows, two thousand to each tribe, as it is said: I will divide them in Jacob. Every one who is forced to go from door to door will be of the tribe of Simeon.¹⁷It would be the poorest tribe and would have to go about begging. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: But surely the descendants of Levi will also go about begging?¹⁸Since it would not own land and would therefore have no visible means of support. What did He do about it? He caused them to obtain their food honorably. He thus fulfilled Jacob’s prophecy by permitting him (the priest) to receive one of the tithes. He would go about at threshing time, saying: “Give me my portion.” Therefore he said: I will divide them in Jacob. Thus Simeon and Levi went out with blanched faces.

Simeon and Levi were moved by a great zeal on account of the immorality, as it is said, "And they said, Should he deal with our sister as with an harlot?" (Gen. 34:31). And each man took his sword and slew all the men of Shechem. When Jacob heard thereof, he became sorely afraid. For he said: Now all the people of the land will hear, and they will gather together against me || and smite me. He began to curse the wrath of his sons, as it is said, "Cursed be their anger, for it is fierce" (Gen. 49:7); and he also cursed their sword in the Greek language, for he said: "Weapons of violence are their swords" (Gen. 49:5). All the kings of the earth heard (thereof) and feared very much, saying: If two sons of Jacob have done all these great things, if they all band themselves together, they will be able to destroy the world. And the dread of the Holy One, blessed be He, fell upon them, as it is said, "And the terror of God was upon the cities,… and they did not pursue after the sons of Jacob" (Gen. 35:5).

(Devarim 33:8) "And of Levi he said": Why was this (blessing) said of him (and not of Shimon)? Shimon and Levi drank of one cup, viz. (Bereshith 49:7) "Cursed be their wrath, for it is fierce, and their anger, for it is sore. I shall divide them in Jacob, and I shall scatter them in Israel." This is analogous to (the situation of) two, who borrowed from the king. One paid him back, and borrowed from him again, and the other — not only did he not pay him back, but he borrowed again. Thus, Shimon and Levi: Both "borrowed" in Shechem, viz. (Bereshith 34:25) "And there took, two sons of Jacob, Shimon and Levi, each man his sword, and came upon the city (Shechem) secure, (in that the men were ailing from the circumcision), and they killed every male." Levi paid back what he borrowed in the desert, (in the incident of the golden calf) viz. (Shemoth 32:26) "And Moses stood in the gate of the camp, and he said 'Whoever is for the L-rd, (let him come) to me!' And there gathered unto him all the sons of Levi, etc." And he returned and "borrowed" from the L-rd in Shittim, viz. (Bamidbar 25:11) "Pinchas the son of Elazar the son of Aaron the Cohein turned My wrath away from the children of Israel when he raged My rage in their midst, and I did not consume the children of Israel in My wrath" — whereas Shimon, not only did he not repay the loan, but he went and "borrowed" again, viz. (Ibid. 14) "And the name of the man of Israel who was smitten, who was smitten together with the Midianite woman, was Zimri the son of Salu, chief of a father's house in the house of Shimon."