Шмот 28:36 Мидраш: Midrash Tanchuma, Bamidbar Rabbah & Midrash Tanchuma Buber

Another interpretation (of Numb. 31:2:) “Exact vengeance for the Children of Israel.” This text is related (to Job 36:7), “He does not withdraw His eyes from a righteous person […].” What is the meaning of “He does not withdraw His eyes from a righteous person (literally, withdraw from a righteous person his eyes)?” The Holy One, blessed be He, does not keep back from a righteous person what he wants to see with his eyes.¹³Numb. R. 22:5. [The text] teaches that Moses longed to see vengeance on the Midianites before he died, and [so] he requested from the Holy One, blessed be He, about it, that he should [see it] with his eyes. Thus it is stated concerning him (in Ps. 58:11), “A righteous person will rejoice when he sees vengeance, he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked person.” (Ibid.:) “A righteous person will rejoice,” this refers to Moses; “when he sees vengeance,” i.e., vengeance on Midian; “he will bathe his feet in the blood of the wicked person,” i.e., of Balaam. Moses said to Phinehas and the warring men, “I know that Balaam the Wicked is there, as he went to collect his wage. Before the wolf comes to the flock, spread the trap for him. And if you see that that wicked man is doing magic, show him the diadem, upon which it is written (according to Exod. 28:36), ‘holy to the Lord.’ And [when] he shall [then] fall, kill him.” (Numb. 31:8:) “And upon their [other] corpses they killed the kings of Midian,” as they were doing magic with Balaam and flying in the air; so they showed them the diadem and they fell upon their corpses. The sages said “It is written about Joshua (in Josh 1:5), ‘as I was with Moses, so I will be with you.’ So Joshua should have lived a hundred and twenty years like Moshe our teacher. And why were they shortened by ten years? Because at the time that the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses (in Numb. 31:2), ‘Exact vengeance for the Children of Israel…,’ even though the announcement of [his] death was [also] announced, he did not say, ‘Tomorrow I will die; what benefit is it to me to exact vengeance from Midian?’ Rather, he showed alacrity in the whole matter, as stated (in Numb. 31:6), ‘And Moses sent them.’ But Joshua did not do like this. When he came to war against thirty-one kings, he said, ‘If I kill them, I will die immediately, as happened to Moshe our teacher.’ What did he do? He began with one and stalled in the war [with the rest], as stated (in Josh. 11:18), ‘Joshua waged war with all those kings over a long period.’ [So] the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘See that I will shorten your years by ten years.’ David said (about this in Prov. 19:21), ‘Many thoughts are in the heart of a man, [but it is the counsel of the Lord that will stand].’”

(Numb. 23:21:) “No one has beheld falsehood in Jacob […].” Balaam said, “He does not pay attention to the transgressions in their hands, He only pays attention to their merit.” (Numb. 23:21, cont.:) “The Lord their God is with him.”⁶²In the Biblical context the HIM would normally refer to Israel, but the midrash understands this HIM in the singular throughout this paragraph. You (Balak) said to me (in Numb. 23:7), “Come, curse [Jacob] for me.” If an orchard has no keeper, a thief is able to harm it; or if the keeper falls asleep, the thief will enter [it]. But in the case of these people (according to Ps. 121:4), “Behold, the One keeping Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.” So how can I harm [Israel]? (Numb. 23:21:) “The Lord their God is with him (i.e., Moses).” Balak said to him, “Since you cannot touch them because of Moses, who protects them, look at Joshua, his successor, and his deeds.” He said to him, “He also will be strong like him.” (Numb. 23:21:) “The Lord their God is with him; a royal war cry is within him.” He is blowing [a trumpet], giving a war cry, and throwing down a wall.⁶³I.e., the wall of Jericho. (Numb. 23:22:) “God brings them out of Egypt.” You said to me (in Numb. 22:5), “’Here is a people that has come out of Egypt,’ on their own. But that is not so. Rather God brought them out.” (Ibid., cont.:) “Like the heights⁶⁴Rt.: T‘P. The word can also mean “horns” and is so translated in most English versions in order to fit the context of the next word (R’M), which is then understood to mean “wild ox.” See the following note. of His loftiness (r'm).”⁶⁵In most translations the word is understood to mean “wild ox,” but the midrash regards it as a derived from the root RWM, a verb meaning “to be high.” Such is His nature. [When] they sinned a little, He brought them down like a bird, as stated (in Hos. 9:11), “Ephraim's glory shall fly away like a bird.” [When] they are worthy, He raises them up and exalts (rt.: rwm) them on high like a bird. Thus it is stated (in Is. 60:8), “Who are these that fly like a cloud?” (Numb. 23:23:) “There is no augury in Jacob and no divination in Israel.” Here you are (Balak) practicing augury and divining in what place you may prevail against them, but they are not like that. When they have to fight against enemies, a high priest stands up and puts on urim and thummim, which are asked about [the will of] the Holy One, blessed be He. So all the gentiles practice divination and augury, but these (Israelites) prove them false through repentance and nullify their divinations. It is so written (in Is. 44:25), “Who frustrates omens of liars and confounds diviners.”⁶⁶Cf. yShab. 6:9 (8d). (Numb. 23:23, cont.:) “Now it is said for Jacob and for Israel, [‘What has God done?’]” His (i.e., Balaam's) eye saw that Israel was sitting (yoshevim) before the Holy One, blessed be He, like a pupil before his master and was hearing why each and every parashah was written; and so it says (in Is. 23:18), “for her⁶⁷The midrash reads the HER as referring to Torah, but in the context of Isaiah the HER refers to Tyre as a harlot. profits shall belong to those who dwell (yoshevim) before the Lord […].” It also says (in Is. 30:20), “and no more shall your Teacher hide Himself, for your eyes shall see your Teacher.” The ministering angels will ask them, “What has the Holy One, blessed be He, taught you?” As they cannot enter their (i.e., Israel's) precincts, as stated (in Numb. 23:23), “now it is said for Jacob and for Israel, ‘What has God done?’” (Numb. 23:24:), “Here is a people rising up like a lion.” You have no nation in the world like them. Here they are sleeping away from the Torah and the commandments. [Then] having risen from their sleep, they stand up like lions. Quickly reciting the Shema', they proclaim the sovereignty of the Holy One, blessed be He. Then having become like lions, they embark on worldly business pursuits. If one of them should stumble, or if destroying demons come to touch one of them, he proclaims the sovereignty of the Holy One, blessed be He.⁶⁸On reciting the Shema‘ to be safe from demons, see yBer. 1:1 (2d); Ber. 5a; M. Pss. 4:9. (Numb. 23:24, cont.:) “It (a lion) does not sleep until it has eaten its prey.” When he (the reader) says (in the Shema' of Deut. 6:4), “the Lord is one,” the destroying demons are destroyed on his account, [and] they intone after him (as the liturgical response), “Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.”⁶⁹In reciting the proper liturgical response to the Shema‘, even the demons recognize the sovereignty of the Holy One. Moreover, through the recitation of the Shema' he is sustained from the day watch to the night watch.⁷⁰I.e., his guardian angels for the morning and the night. And when he goes to sleep, he entrusts his spirit into the hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, as stated (in Ps. 31:6), “Into Your hand I entrust my spirit.”⁷¹Cf. Ber. 5a. Then when he awakens [and] proclaims the sovereignty of the Holy One, blessed be He, the night watch transfers him to the day watch. Thus it is stated (Ps. 130:6), “My soul [yearns] for the Lord more than the watchmen for the morning, the watchmen for the morning.” For that reason Balaam says, “There is no nation like this one.” (Numb. 23:24, cont.:) “And drunk the blood of the slain.” He prophesied that Moses would not die, until he had taken vengeance upon him and the five kings of Midian, as stated (Numb. 23:24), “it does not sleep until it has eaten its prey,” this [prey] is Balaam; “and drunk the blood of the slain,” these are the five kings of Midian. It is so stated (in Numb. 31:8), “And they slew the five kings of Midian upon their corpses.” (Numb. 31:6:) “With the vessels of the sanctuary.” This is the [high priestly diadem] plate upon which it is written (according to Exod. 28:36), “holy to the Lord.”⁷²For a description, see Shab. 63b; Suk. 5a. (Numb. 31:6, cont.:) “And the trumpets for sounding the alarm in his hand.” Moses said to Israel, “Balaam the wicked has practiced magic for you⁷³Cf. the parallel account in Gen. R. 20:20, which reads, “for them.” and is making the five kings fly. So he flies and makes [others] fly. Show him the [high priestly diadem] plate on which the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, is engraved,⁷⁴Galuf. Cf. Gk.: glufein (“to engrave.”) and they will fall down before you.” You know that it is so written (in Numb. 31:8), “And they slew the five kings of Midian upon their corpses and Balaam ben Beor [with the sword].” What did that wicked man want with the kings of Midian? Is it not in fact written (in Numb. 24:25), “Then Balaam arose and went back to his own place?” It is simply this: when he heard that twenty-four thousand [Israelites] had fallen (in Numb. 25:9) through his counsel,⁷⁵See Deut. R. 1:2. he returned to get his wage. For that reason Balaam ben Beor is recorded (n Numb. 31:8) together with the five kings of Midian.

“He said to Balak: Stand here with your burnt offering, and I will be happened upon there” (Numbers 23:15).
“The Lord happened upon Bilam, and placed speech in his mouth, and said: Return to Balak, and so shall you speak” (Numbers 23:16).
“He built seven altars…stand here with your burnt offering…. The Lord happened upon Bilam, and placed speech in his mouth” – like a person who places an iron bit in an animal’s mouth and restrains it, and leads it to wherever he wishes. So, the Holy One blessed be He restrained his mouth. When he said to him: "Return to Balak" and bless them, he said: ‘What, am I going there to disappoint him [Balak]?’ He sought to go off on his own. The Holy One Blessed be He placed an iron bit for him. “Return to Balak, and so you shall speak.”
He came to him, and, behold, he was standing with his burnt offering, and the princes of Moav with him. Balak said to him: What did the Lord speak?” (Numbers 23:17).
“He came to him, and, behold, he was standing with his burnt offering” – initially, it is written in his regard: “He, and all the princes of Moav” (Numbers 23:6). When they saw that it was to no avail, they left him, and only some of the princes of Moav remained with him.⁶²Before it said “all” the princes of Moav, and now it only says “the princes of Moav.”
“Balak said to him: What did the Lord speak?” He [Balak] saw that he [Bilam] was not under his own control, to say what he would have wanted; he [Balak] sat himself down and was mocking him. When Bilam saw that he was mocking him, Bilam said to him: 'Stand, you are not permitted to sit when the words of the Omnipresent are being said.'
“He took up his parable and said: Rise, Balak, and hear; listen to me, son of Tzipor” (Numbers 23:18).
“Rise, Balak, and hear; listen to me, son of Tzipor” – both of them were worth one hundred dinars, sons of [men worth] half that, as they rendered themselves greater than their fathers.
“God is not a man, that He will deceive, or the son of man, that He will reconsider; will He say and not perform, or speak and not fulfill it?” (Numbers 23:19).
“God is not a man, that He will deceive” – He is not like flesh and blood, as flesh and blood acquires friends, finds others better than they are, and forsakes the first ones. But He is not so. It is impossible for Him to reconsider the oath of the initial patriarchs.
“He will say and not perform”⁶³The simple understanding is that this statement is a rhetorical question, but it is expounded and interpreted as a statement. – He says to bring evil upon them, but if they repent, he nullifies the evil. You find written in the Torah: “One who sacrifices to gods will be destroyed” (Exodus 22:19). They crafted the calf and were deserving of elimination, and I thought to curse them and eradicate them. A short time later they repented and he nullified it: “The Lord reconsidered the evil” (Exodus 32:14).
Likewise in many places, as He said regarding Yekhonya: “As no man of his descendants will succeed” (Jeremiah 22:30), and it says: “I will overturn the thrones of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the nations” (Haggai 2:22). “On that day, the utterance of the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubavel son of She’altiel,⁶⁴See II Chronicles 17–19, and the Radak on verse 18; he explains that all the people mentioned in verse 18 were the sons of She’altiel. My servant, the utterance of the Lord, and I will make you like a signet upon my heart.”⁶⁵This is an allusion to “place me as a signet upon your heart” (Song of Songs 8:6). He abrogated what He had said to his father: “As I live, the utterance of the Lord, for if Konya⁶⁶This is a reference to Yehoyakhin the son of Yehoyakim, who was exiled to Babylonia eleven years before the destruction of the Temple. See II Kings 24:8–17. son of Yehoyakim king of Judah, would be a signet upon My right hand, then from there I would sever you” (Jeremiah 22:24).
Likewise, regarding the people of Anatot: “There will be no remnant of them” (Jeremiah 11:23). When they repented, He sustained them, as it is written: “The people of Anatot, one hundred [and twenty-eight]” (Nehemiah 7:27).
“He did not behold evil in Jacob, and did not see sin in Israel; the Lord his God is with him, and the blast of the King is in its midst” (Numbers 23:21).
“He did not behold evil in Jacob” – He does not look at the transgressions that they have made, but rather, He looks only at the matters of which they are proud.
“The Lord his God is with him, and the blast of the King is in its midst.” ‘[Balak,] you said to me: “Go, please, curse Jacob for me” (Numbers 22:6). An orchard that has a guard, the thief cannot damage it, but if he is sleeping, the thief enters. But these, “Behold, the Guardian of Israel neither slumbers nor sleeps” (Psalms 121:4). How can I harm them?’
“The Lord his God is with him” – Balak said to him: 'Since you cannot touch them due to Moses, their functionary, see what will be with the one that will replace him.' He said to him: 'He is tough like him; "and the blast of the King is in its midst" – he sounds an uninterrupted shofar blast, and an interrupted shofar blast topples a wall.'⁶⁷See Joshua 6:20.
“God, who took them out of Egypt, is like the horns of the wild ox for them” (Numbers 23:22).
“God, who took them out of Egypt” – [Bilam said to Balak:] ‘You said to me: “A people emerged from Egypt” (Numbers 22:5), on their own. That is not so, but rather, He took them out.’
“Like the horns [ketoafot] of the wild ox” – this is His mode: If they sin a little, he lowers them like a bird, as it is stated: “Ephraim, its glory will fly away like a bird [keof yitofef]” (Hosea 9:11). If they merit, He elevates them like a cloud, as it is stated: “Who are these who fly like a cloud?” (Isaiah 60:8).
“For there is no divination in Jacob, and no sorcery in Israel; now, it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, what God has wrought” (Numbers 23:23).
“For there is no divination in Jacob, and no sorcery in Israel” – you circulate, divine, and engage in sorcery; in what way will you dominate them? They are not so. When they need to wage war against an enemy, the High Priest stands and dons the Urim and the Tumim and consults with the Holy One blessed be He. All the nations engage in sorcery and divination, and these [Israel] smash them with their repentance, as it is stated: “Who negates the omens of deceivers, and leads diviners astray” (Isaiah 44:25).
“Now, it will be said to Jacob and to Israel, what God has wrought” – his eye saw Israel in the future, sitting before the Holy One blessed be He like a student before his teacher, and asking Him regarding each and every portion [in the Torah]: ‘Why was it written?’ Likewise it says: “For its merchandise will be for those who sit before the Lord,⁶⁸Here, too, Israel are referred to as students who sit before God. to eat to satiation and for elegant garments” (Isaiah 23:18), and it says: “But your Teacher will no longer be concealed, and your eyes will see your Teacher” (Isaiah 30:20). The ministering angels will see them and ask them: ‘What did the Holy One blessed be He instruct you?’ It is because they are unable to enter their demarcated area,⁶⁹This refers to the area where Israel sits, as students before their teacher. The verse states that they will be told what God has wrought, and the midrash explains that this means to the exclusion of the angels. as it is stated: “Now, it will be said to Jacob…”
“Behold, a people will rise like a lion cub, and like a lion, will raise itself; it will not lie down until it has devoured prey, and the blood of the slain it will drink” (Numbers 23:24).
“Behold, a people will rise like a lion cub” – there is no nation in the world like them. They sleep from the Torah and the mitzvot,⁷⁰When they are asleep they do not study Torah or fulfill commandments. and rise from their sleep like lions, quickly recite Shema, and crown the Holy One blessed be He as king. They become like lions and go out to engage in labor and commerce. If one encounters any obstacle, or if demons come to harm any of them, he crowns the Holy One blessed be He as king.
“It will not lie down until it has devoured prey” – when he recites: “The Lord is one” (Deuteronomy 6:4), the demons are consumed from before him, and they whisper after him: ‘Blessed be the name of His glorious kingdom forever and for all time,’ and they flee. With the reciting of Shema, he is passed from the day watchmen to the night watchmen. When he comes to sleep, he commits his spirit to the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “Into Your hand I commit my spirit” (Psalms 31:6). When he awakens, he crowns the Holy One blessed be He as king and the night watchmen pass him to the day watchmen, as it is stated: “My soul awaits the Lord more than watchmen for the morning, watchmen for the morning” (Psalms 130:6). That is why Bilam says: ‘What nation is like this one?’
“And the blood of the slain [ḥalalim] it will drink” – he prophesies that Moses will not die until he takes revenge against him and against the five kings of Midyan, as it is stated: “It will not lie down until it has devoured prey” – this is Bilam. That is, “and the blood of the slain⁷¹The Hebrew word is ḥalalim, which is in the plural. it will drink.” “They killed the kings of Midyan among their slain” (Numbers 31:8). “With the holy vessels” (Numbers 31:6) – this is the frontplate on which it was written: “Sacred to the Lord” (Exodus 28:36). “And the trumpets for sounding the blasts in his hand” (Numbers 31:6). Moses said to Israel: ‘The wicked Bilam performs sorcery for them and flies, and causes the five kings to fly. Show him the frontplate upon which the name of the Holy One blessed be He is inscribed, and they will fall.’ Know that, indeed, it is written: “They killed the kings of Midyan among⁷²The Hebrew can also be translate "on their slain" implying that they fell on the slain from above. their slain: Evi, Rekem…and Bilam son of Beor” (Numbers 31:8). What did that wicked one seek with the kings of Midyan? Is it not written: “Bilam rose, and went, and returned to his place”? (Numbers 24:25).⁷³His place was in Petor, not in Midyan. It is rather that when he heard that twenty-four thousand fell by his counsel, he went to collect his wages. That is why Bilam son of Beor was mentioned with the five kings of Midyan.