Бамидбар 11:26 Мидраш: Ein Yaakov (Glick Edition), Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael, Aggadat Bereshit & Midrash Tanchuma

(Fol. 17) Our Rabbis were taught (Ib. 11, 26) And there remained two men in the camp. According to some, it means that their names remained in the urn. For, at the time the Holy One, praised be He! said to Moses: Gather unto Me seventy men of the elders of Israel, Moses said [to himself]: "How shall I do it? Shall I appoint six of each tribe? Then there will be two more. Shall I take five of each? Then there will be ten less. Shall I appoint from two tribes." So he chose six from each, and each? Then I will bring jealousy among the tribes." So he chose six from each, and brought seventy-two ballots. On seventy he wrote Zaken (elder), and two he left blank. After he had mixed them all up and put all of them into the urn, he said to them: "Go, each, and take your ballot." To the one who drew the ballot on which "Elder" was written he said: "You are already sanctified by Heaven." But to those who drew the blanks he said: "Since Heaven did not select you, I cannot alter it." Similar was the following case (Ib. 3, 47) Thou shalt take five shekels a piece for the poll. Moses said to himself: "How shall I do it? If I should say to one, 'Give the shekels,' he may answer, 'The Levite has already redeemed me.'" Therefore he brought twenty-two thousand ballots and on each he wrote: "Levi;" and on two hundred and seventy-three he wrote "five shekels," mixed them, put them in the urn, and said to the people: "Draw your ballot." To the one who drew on which "Levi" was written, he said: "The Levite has redeemed you." And he who drew five shekels was told to pay the amount and go." R. Simon, however, said [Eldad and Medad] remained in the camp; for when the Holy One, praised be He! said to Moses: Gather unto Me seventy men of the Elders of Israel, they said: "We are not worthy of such a high appointment." And the Holy One, praised be He! said: "Because ye were modest, I will increase your grace." And what grace was increased to them? All the seventy had prophesied once, and ceased; but these two did not cease to prophesy. And what was their prophecy? They said: "Moses shall die, and Joshua shall bring Israel to his land." Aba Chanin, however, said in the name of R. Elazar: "They prophesied about the quail, saying, 'Come up, quail. Come up, quail." And R. Nachman said: "They prophesied about Gog and Magog, as it is said (Ezek. 38, 17) Then hath said the Lord Eternal: Art thou (not) he of whom I have spoken in ancient days through means of My servants, the prophets of Israel, who prophesied in those days (Shanim) years, that I would bring thee against them?" Do not read Shanim (years) but Shnayim (two). And who were the two who had prophesied at one period, with one and the same prophecy? Eldad and Medad.

And thus do you find with Baruch the soon of Neriah, who complained before the L–rd, (Ibid. 45:3) "You (Baruch) say: Woe unto me, the L–rd has added grief to my pain!" (You say:) Why am I different from all the disciples of the prophets? Joshua served Moses and the spirit of the L–rd reposed upon him. Elisha served Eliyahu and the spirit of the L–rd reposed upon him. Why am I different? (Ibid.) "I wearied myself with groanings but I did not find rest," "rest" being prophecy, as in (Numbers 11:21) "And the spirit rested upon them … and they prophesied in the camp," (II Kings 2:15) "And the spirit of Eliyahu has rested on Elisha," (Isaiah 11:2) "And the spirit of the L–rd will rest upon him." Come and see how the L–rd answered him (Jeremiah 45:4-5) "Thus said the L–rd. What I have built I am going to destroy, and what I have planted I am going to uproot, and you are seeking 'great things' for yourself?", "great things" being prophecy, as in (II Kings 8:4) "Tell me, now, of all the 'great things' that Elisha (the prophet) has wrought," and (Jeremiah 33:3) "Call Me and I will tell you (Jeremiah the prophet) 'great things' and in forms that you have not known," (G–d) saying to Baruch the son of Neriah, as it were: If there is no vineyard, there is no (need of a) fence; if there is no flock, there is no shepherd. Why? (Jeremiah 45:5) "For I am going to bring evil upon all flesh. And shall I render your soul (i.e., your prophetic soul) as spoil unto you wherever you go?" — whence we see that the prophets prophesy only in the merit of Israel.

Chapter 2: Prophets. [1] Thus says the Lord God, "On that day, thoughts will arise in your heart, and you will devise an evil plan." (Ezekiel 38:10) The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Gog, "Do not say that which you are thinking in your heart, as if I do not know. Jeremiah said, 'The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?' (Jeremiah 17:9) I said to him, 'I created 248 organs in man, and all of them act according to their nature as I created them, except for the heart. The heart changes from moment to moment and twists itself. It is crooked and deceitful above all things.' The heart is crooked and deceitful above all things, and who can know it? I am the Lord who searches the heart (Jeremiah 17:10). I created you, and I know what you are. Do not say that since I created you, I know your heart. Even before I created you, I knew what you would think." This is why David commanded Solomon his son, saying, "And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind" (1 Chronicles 28:9). Why? Because the Lord searches all hearts and understands every intent of the thoughts (ibid). Rabbi Acha said, "What is the meaning of 'and understands every intent of the thoughts'? Even before a man forms his thoughts in his heart, the Holy One, blessed be He, knows what he is going to think." This is what He said to Sennacherib, "Because you rage against Me, and your arrogance has come up to My ears, therefore I will put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came" (Isaiah 37:29). Even before I created you, I knew what you were going to do, as it is said, "And your going out and your coming in I know" (ibid. 37:28), "When you made yourself stand up from your throne and do repentance, as it says 'The matter reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.' (Jonah 3:6) But because you became angry with me, as it says 'Because you raged against me...' (Isaiah 37:29), Rabbi Hiyya bar Kahana asked, 'What caused you to become angry with me?' God replied, 'Because I gave you peace and quiet. If you had been a launderer with a basket in your hand and a hoe on your shoulder and cleaning a pit, you would not have angered me.' Therefore it is said, 'Because you became angry, for what reason, and your arrogance has reached my ears.' (Isaiah 37:28) And what should I do? I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth (Isaiah 37:29), like how one leads a donkey. I did the same with Gog, as it says 'I am against you, Gog... and I will turn you back and put hooks into your jaws...' (Ezekiel 38:3-4). God said to him, 'Do not say that I do not know what you were destined to do. Look, I said to you many generations before.'" "As it is said, thus says the Lord God: Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? (Ezekiel 38:17) Do not say 'years,' but rather 'generations.' Many generations ago, I spoke to Eldad and Medad, who prophesied about you, as it is written, 'And there remained two men in the camp, the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other was Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp' (Numbers 11:26). What does it mean that 'they prophesied, and did not continue'? They prophesied and said that after Gog and Magog there would be no more exile or servitude. Many generations before you, they prophesied about you. And not only that, but Ezekiel also prophesied about what you are planning in your heart, as it is written, 'Thus says the Lord God: It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought' (Ezekiel 38:10). Therefore it is said, 'Scoffers set a snare for thyself' (Proverbs 9:12). I, the Lord, search the heart, I search it's thoughts (Jeremiah 17:10)."