Midrash sobre Levítico 3:3

(Lev. 16:1:) “After the death of Aaron's two sons.” This text is related (to Eccl. 9:2), “Since everything [happens] to everyone, the same lot [falls] to the righteous and to the wicked […].” Solomon looked and foresaw the righteous and the wicked in all generations, and he saw things that would happen to the righteous and happen to the wicked.¹Cf. below, Deut. 2:1; Lev. R. 20:1; Eccl. R. 9:2:1; PRK 26:1. Then he said (in vs. 3), “This is an evil in all which happens under the sun, in that the same lot [falls] to everyone.” (Vs. 2:) “Since everything [happens] to everyone, the same lot [falls] to the righteous.” This refers to Abraham, in that he was called righteous, as stated (in Gen. 18:19), “For I have chosen him [so] that he may charge [his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord], to practice righteousness.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “And to the wicked.” This refers to Nimrod, who incited all the whole world against the Holy One, blessed be He. The former is dead, and the latter is dead. (Ibid., cont.:) “To the good, to the clean, and to the unclean.” “To the good” refers to David, of whom it is stated (in I Sam. 16:12), “So they sent and brought him, reddish, with beautiful eyes and good appearance.” “To the unclean” refers to Nebuchadnezzar. David [laid the foundation of] the Temple, and Nebuchadnezzar destroyed it. The former reigned forty years, and the latter reigned forty years. (Eccl., 9:2, cont.:) “To the one who sacrifices.” This refers to Solomon, of whom it is stated (in I Kings 8:63), “Solomon sacrificed [twenty-two thousand oxen and a hundred and twenty thousand sheep] as peace offerings.” (Eccl., 9:2, cont.:) “And to the one who does not sacrifice.” This refers to Jeroboam, who stopped Israel from going up [to Jerusalem] on pilgrimage, as stated (in I Kings 12:28), “Enough of your going up to Jerusalem.” The latter one reigned after the former one. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “As it is with the good.” This refers to Moses, of whom it is stated (in Exod. 2:2), “and when she saw that he was good.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “So it is with the sinner.” This refers to the spies (in Numb. 13-14), of whom it is stated (in Prov. 13:21), “Evil pursues sinners.” Moses did not enter the land, neither did the spies enter the land. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “And the one who takes an oath (without keeping it). This refers to Zedekiah, of whom it is stated (in II Chron. 36:13), “And he also rebelled against King Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him take an oath of God.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “Is as the one who fears an oath.” This refers to Samson, of whom it is stated (in Jud. 15:12), “then Samson said to them, ‘Swear to me […].’” They put out the eyes of the former, and they put out the eyes of the latter. Hence Solomon said (Eccl 9:3), “This is an evil in all which happens under the sun.” Another interpretation (of Eccl. 9:2), “as it is with the good”: This refers to the children of Aaron. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “So it is with the sinner.” This refers to those who opposed Aaron, [namely] Korah and his congregation. Now they were destroyed by fire, as stated (in Numb. 16:35), “And a fire went forth from the Lord”; [also when] the children of Aaron entered to offer sacrifice, they were consumed by fire, [as stated (Lev. 10:2),] “So fire came forth from before the Lord and consumed them.” R. Abba bar Kahana opened (with Eccl. 2:2), “’Of laughter I said, “It is mad,” and of rejoicing, “What does that do?”’ How confused is the laughter of the evil,²Eccl. R. 2:2:1; PRK 26(27):2. which they produce in their theater³Gk.: theatra. [houses] and racing arenas.⁴Lat.: circi; cf. Gk.: kirkoi (“circles”). ‘And of rejoicing, what does that do?’ What enjoyment would the disciples of the sages have there?”⁵I.e., what confused, popular enjoyment can compare to the delights of Torah study? Another interpretation (of Eccl. 2:2), “Of laughter I said, ‘It is mad’”: R. Aha said, “Solomon has said, ‘There are things over which divine justice laughs (that I have confused).’ It is written (in Deut. 17:17), ‘he shall not multiply wives for himself’; but it is written (in I Kings 11:3), ‘So he had seven hundred royal wives.’⁶Cf. Tanh., (Buber) Exod. 2:2; Eccl. R. 2:2:3; PRK 26(27):2; ySanh. 2:6 (20c). It is written (in Deut. 17:16), ‘he shall not multiply horses for himself’; but it is written (in I Kings 5:6), ‘Now Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses.’ It is written (in Deut. 17:17, cont.) ‘he shall not multiply silver and gold for himself’; but it is written (in I Kings 10:27), ‘And the king made silver in Jerusalem as plentiful as stones,’ and [the ingots] were not stolen.” R. Jose bar Hanina said, “They were like stones of ten cubits and like stones of eight cubits.”⁷I.e., they were too heavy to be stolen. R. Simeon ben Johay said in a baraita, “Even the weights which they had in the days of Solomon were of gold, as it is written, (in I Kings 10:21), ‘silver was not [...] considered to be anything.’” (Eccl. 2:2:) “And of rejoicing, ‘What does that do?’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, “What is this crown doing in your hand? Get down off your throne.” Immediately an angel in the likeness of Solomon descended and sat upon his throne. Then Solomon went around among the synagogues and academies in Jerusalem and said (in Eccl. 1:12), “I, Koheleth, was king over Israel in Jerusalem.” But they said to him, “King Solomon is sitting on his throne, and you are getting crazier and crazier.” Then they struck him with a rod and set a bowl of grits before him.⁸I.e., they fed him like a beggar. In that hour Solomon said (in Eccl. 2:10), “And this was my portion from all my labor.” And some say [he was referring] to the cane in his hand, and some say, to his dish, and some say to his staff. At that time, Solomon said, “’Vanity of vanities,’ said Koheleth.” (Eccl. 2:2:), “Of laughter I said, ‘It is mad!’” R. Pinhas said, “How confused was the laughter, when divine justice laughed over the generation of the flood, as stated (in Job 21:10-13), ‘Their bull breeds and does not fail […].⁹TSot. 3:6-7; Eccl. R. 2:2:1; PRK 26(27):2; cf. Gen. R. 36:1. They send forth their little ones like a flock […]. They sing to timbrel and harp […]. They spend [their days] in prosperity.’ When they said (in vs. 15), ‘What is the Almighty that we should serve him,’ the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them (in Eccl. 2:2), ‘And of rejoicing, “What does that do?”’ By your life, I am destroying your memory from the world, as stated (in Gen. 7:23), “And He wiped out all living things.”’” Another interpretation (of Eccl. 2:2), “Of laughter I said, ‘It is mad’”: How confused was the laughter, when divine justice laughed over the people of Sodom,¹⁰See also TSot. 3:11. as stated (Job 28:5-8), “The earth, out of it comes forth bread…. Its stones are the place of sapphires…. No bird of prey knows a path [to it]…. Proud beasts have not trodden it.” When they said, “Let us forget the law of the traveler in our midst,” immediately (in Job 28:4), “A stream burst through from its source”; the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them (Eccl. 2:2), “’And of rejoicing, “What does that do?”’ By your life, I will make you forgotten by the world.” This is what is written (in Gen. 19:24), “Then the Lord rained down upon Sodom….” Another interpretation (of Eccl. 2:2), “Of laughter I said, ‘It is mad’”: How confused was the laughter, when divine justice laughed over Elisheba bat Amminadab,¹¹Aaron’s wife and Naashon’s sister according to Exod. 6:23. when she saw four celebrations in one day.¹²Tanh. (Buber), Lev. 3:3; Lev. R. 20:2; Eccl. R. 2:2:2. She saw her [brother-in-law] (Moses) a king, her husband a high priest, her brother (Naashon) a prince (nasi),¹³Naashon is here being identified with Nahshon ben Amminadab, whom Numb. 2:3; 7:11f.; and I Chron. 2:10 call a prince (nasi). and her two sons deputy high priests. When they went in to offer sacrifice, they came out destroyed by fire; and her celebration turned into mourning, as stated (in Lev. 16:1), “Now the Lord spoke unto Moses after the death of Aaron's two sons.”

1) (Vayikra 3:3): "And he shall present from the sacrifice (of the shelamim") — even if it were not slaughtered in its name (e.g., even if he slaughtered an olah in the name of a shelamim or vice versa). "of the shelamim" — even if he did not perform semichah. "a fire-offering" — to that end (i.e., to exclude an intent of charring it instead of burning it to ashes.) "to the L–rd" — to the Creator of the world.

1) (Vayikra 3:9): "And he shall offer of the sacrifice (of the shelamim"): even if he did not slaughter it in its name (i.e., as a shelamim). "shelamim": even if he did not perform semichah upon it. "a fire-offering": to that end. "to the L–rd": in the name of the Creator of the world.

Another interpretation (of Eccl. 2:2): OF LAUGHTER I SAID: IT IS MAD! R. Pinhas said: How confused was the laughter, when Divine Justice laughed over Elisheba bat Amminadab,¹¹Aaron’s wife and Naashon’s sister according to Exod. 6:23. when she saw four joys in one day.¹²Above, Tanh. (Buber), Lev. 3:3; Lev. R. 20:2; Eccl. R. 2:2:2. She saw her brother-in-law (Moses) a king, her husband a high priest, her brother (Naashon) a prince (nasi),¹³Naashon is here being identified with Nahshon ben Amminadab, whom Numb. 2:3; 7:11f.; and I Chron. 2:10 call a prince (nasi). and her two sons deputy high priests. When they went in to offer sacrifice, they came out destroyed by fire; and her joy turned into sorrow. [This is what is written (in Lev. 16:1): NOW THE LORD SPOKE UNTO MOSES AFTER THE DEATH OF AARON'S TWO SONS.]

2) — whence it is derived: The slaughterer of the sacrifice must have six things in mind: (that the shechitah be) in the name of the (particular) sacrifice, in the name of the donor (of the sacrifice), in the name of the L–rd, in the name of a fire-offering (see above), in the name of (i.e., to the end of producing) a savor (on the altar, and not with the intent of roasting it beforehand), in the name of nichoach (i.e., to give "pleasure" to the L–rd by doing His will). (In the instance of) a sin-offering and a guilt-offering, (he must perform the shechitah) in the name of (i.e., towards the atonement of) the (particular) sin. R. Yossi says: Even if one (i.e., the shochet) had none of these (six things) in mind, it is kasher; for it is a provision of beth-din (that he not verbalize his intent [lest he err in the formulation]). And "intent" (here) is that of the performer (of the act of shechitah, and not that of the owner).

3) ("And he shall present …) the fat that covers the innards and all the fat that is on the innards": (This is written five times.) What is the intent of this? Because it is written (Ibid. 3:16): ("And the Cohein shall smoke …) all the fat for the L–rd. (17): … All fat and all blood you shall not eat… (Vayikra 7:25): For all who eat fat of the beast of which one presents a fire-offering to the L–rd, the soul that eats shall be cut off from its people" — I might think that even the wall-fat (the fat of the heart, the chest, and the throat) is included (in the interdict against eating fat); it is, therefore, written: "the fat that covers the innards (the entrails)." I might think that it (eating wall-fat) is not subject to the punishment (kareth), but that it is subject to the exhortation; it is, therefore, written (again): "the fat that covers the innards." would then exclude only the (wall-) fat of chullin, but not that of a consecrated animal; it is, therefore, written (again): "the fat that covers the innards" (i.e., only that fat is intended.) I might think that it (eating the wall-fat of a consecrated animal) is not subject to the punishment, but that it is subject to the exhortation; it is, therefore, written (again): "the fat that covers the innards." I might think that it is not subject to the exhortation and that it is subject to sacrifice (if he so wishes, even though he may eat it); it is, therefore, written (for the fifth time): "the fat that covers the innards" (Only that fat is to be sacrificed.)

[Another interpretation (of Lev. 12:2): WHEN A WOMAN EMITS HER SEED AND BEARS A MALE.] If the woman comes first, she bears a male; if the man comes first, {he sires} [she bears] a female.¹⁰Tanh., Lev. 3:3; Ber. 60a; Nid. 31ab; see above, Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 8:18; cf. Sifra to Lev. 22:1–9, (217: Emor, parashah 4). R. Abbin [Berabbi] the Levite said: The text has given you a clue (in vs. 5): IF SHE BEARS A FEMALE (with no mention of her giving her seed). If the man comes first, a female is produced; < if > the woman comes first, a male is produced. Thus it is stated (in vs. 2): WHEN A WOMAN EMITS HER SEED AND BEARS A MALE. R. Hiyya bar Abba said: Therefore, the male is dependent (for his procreation) upon the woman; and the female, upon the man. Thus it is stated (in Gen. 22:20–23): BEHOLD MILCAH, SHE ALSO HAS BORNE SONS TO YOUR BROTHER NAHOR: UZ HIS FIRST-BORN AND BUZ HIS BROTHER,… AND BETHUEL BROUGHT FORTH REBEKAH. It also says (in I Chron. 2:48–49): [MAACAH], THE CONCUBINE OF CALEB BORE¹¹Buber’s Oxford MS recorded this verb in the feminine, but Buber emended it to the grammatically incorrect masculine of the Masoretic text. {SACAR} [SHEBER] AND TIRHANAH. SHE ALSO BORE {SHATSAPH} [SHAAPH] THE FATHER OF MADMANNAH, SHEVA THE FATHER OF MACHBENAH AND THE FATHER OF {GIBEAH} [GIBEA]. AND THE DAUGHTER [OF CALEB] WAS ACHSAH. Thus females are dependent (for procreation) upon the man; and the males, upon the woman. It is therefore stated (in Lev. 12:2): WHEN A WOMAN EMITS HER SEED. R. Ayyevu said: The Holy One performs a miraculous act with a person. When a person is put in a furnace room¹²Gk.: kaminos (“oven”). Here the word refers to the furnace room of a bathhouse. for < only > a single day, is not his life struggling < to survive > because of it? But when an infant is put in its mother's belly for nine months,¹³According to Lev. R. 14:3, a woman’s womb is at boiling temperature. the Holy One protects it. Our masters have said: The Holy One has performed a miraculous act with this person. When the person is put in a bath tub¹⁴Gk.: embate. for one day, does not his life fail because of it? But when the infant is put in its mother's womb for nine months, its life does not fail because of it. [Why? Because the Holy One is performing a miraculous act with it (i.e., with the infant).] Job said (in Job 36:3): I WILL FETCH ('S') MY KNOWLEDGE FROM AFAR. Now Job saw the children of Adam with a woman ('ShH) giving birth to a man.¹⁵‘ShH and ‘S’ are more alike in Hebrew than the transliterations show. In the unpointed text S (sin) and Sh (shin) are the same letter. Also a final H (he) sounds so much like a final ‘(alef) that Rabbinic Hebrew sometimes confuses the two. Thus the midrash understands Job 36:3 to mean that the WOMAN in Lev. 12:2 was Job’s KNOWLEDGE FROM AFAR. Also the ship (of Prov. 31:14) sails in the midst of the waters inch by inch.¹⁶The image suggests Prov. 31:14, according to which the heroic wife is LIKE MERCHANT SHIPS; SHE BRINGS HER FOOD FROM AFAR. So Enoch Zundel in his commentary, ‘Ets Yosef, on the parallel in Tanh., Lev. 4:3. Now he was surprised over these things and said (in Job 36:3): I (like the woman of Prov. 31:14) WILL FETCH MY KNOWLEDGE FROM AFAR.

4) I would exclude all of the above but not the innards-fat of a sh'lil (a live embryo found in the mother's body [i.e., I would say that that fat, being innards-fat, is interdicted]); it is, therefore, written (Vayikra 7:4): "and the two kidneys and the fat (which is upon them") in respect to a guilt-offering. Let this not be written, for it may be deduced by kal vachomer (that these must be sacrificed), viz.:

4) "the fat that covers the innards and all the fat that is on the innards": Why mention this? (i.e., it is already written in relation to cattle [Vayikra 3:3]) For I might think that wall-fat (of sheep) is also (to be sacrificed). — But I would reason otherwise!, viz.: If cattle, whose libations are larger are excluded from (sacrifice of) wall-fat — sheep, whose libations are smaller, how much more so should they be excluded from (sacrifice of) wall fat! — No, it may be so with cattle, which are excluded from (sacrifice of) a fat-tail, as opposed to sheep, where a fat-tail is also sacrificed! It is, therefore, written: "the fat that covers the innards and all the fat that is on the innards, and the two kidneys, etc." Only what is specifically written (is sacrificed [and not wall-fat]). R. Yishmael says: Because it departed (from the general category) for a new learning (i.e., the fat-tail), Scripture restored it to its category. (See Baraitha d'R. Yishmael 11).

5) If shelamim, whose entire category does not require the (smoking of the) fat-tail, (the fat-tail obtaining only with sheep, and shelamim being offered also from cattle and goats), do require the (smoking of) fat and two kidneys — then, a guilt-offering, whose entire category (sheep) requires the (smoking of) fat and two kidneys! Why, then, need this be written in respect to a guilt-offering? To teach: Just as (the smoking of) fat and two kidneys mentioned in respect to a guilt-offering does not apply to the sh'lil (only a male being brought as a guilt-offering), so (the smoking of) fat and two kidneys mentioned here (in respect to shelamim) does not apply to a sh'lil.

6) (Vayikra 3:3): ("And he shall present …) all the fat that is on the innards": R. Yishmael says: to include the fat upon the stomach. R. Akiva says: to include the fat upon the small intestines.