וֶהְיֵ֥ה נָכ֖וֹן לַבֹּ֑קֶר וְעָלִ֤יתָ בַבֹּ֙קֶר֙ אֶל־הַ֣ר סִינַ֔י וְנִצַּבְתָּ֥ לִ֛י שָׁ֖ם עַל־רֹ֥אשׁ הָהָֽר׃
И будь готов к утру, и взойди утром на гору Синай, и предстань предо Мною там на вершине горы.
Mekhilta DeRabbi Yishmael
(Exodus 19:14) "And Moses went down from the mountain": We are hereby apprised that Moses did not turn to his affairs or go down to his house, but (directly) from the mountain to the people. I might think, only for this directive. Whence do I derive (the same for) all other directives? It is, therefore, written (Ibid. 20) "And the L–rd descended upon Mount Sinai, etc." Now this has already been stated. Why need it be stated (Ibid. 25) "And Moses went down to the people"? To teach that Moses did not turn to his affairs or go down to his house, but (directly) from the mountain to the people. This tells me only of the directives of Mount Sinai. Whence do I derive (the same for) the directives of the tent of meeting? From (Ibid. 34:34) "And he would go forth (from the tent of meeting) and speak to the children of Israel what he had been commanded." And whence is it derived that all of his ascents were in the morning? From (Ibid. 24) "And be ready in the morning … and let no man go up with you … And he hewed two stone tablets, etc." Let it not be written (4) "as the L–rd commanded him." It serves as a prototype, viz.: Whenever Moses ascended, it was in the morning.
Vayikra Rabbah
“If the anointed priest shall sin so that he brings guilt on the people, he shall present for his sin that he sinned an unblemished young bull to the Lord, as a sin offering” (Leviticus 4:3).
If the anointed priest shall sin so that he brings guilt on the people, he shall present for his sin that he sinned an unblemished young bull to the Lord, as a sin offering.” That is what the verse says: “When He quiets, who can condemn? [When He conceals His face, who can see Him?]” (Job 34:29). Rabbi Meir expounded: He quiets His world and He conceals His face from His world, like a judge who spreads a curtain from within and does not see what transpires without. So too, the generation of the Flood said: “Clouds obscure for Him [and He does not see]” (Job 22:14). [The Rabbis] said to him: ‘That is enough, Meir. Rather, “When He quiets, who can condemn?” – He had granted tranquility to the generation of the Flood; who, then, could come and condemn them? What tranquility did He grant them? “Their offspring are well placed [nakhon] before them, with them, and their descendants are before their eyes”’ (Job 21:8).
Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis, Rabbi Levi said: The women [of the generation of the Flood] would conceive and give birth in three days. Here nakhon is stated, and there it is written: “Be prepared [nekhonim] in three days” (Exodus 19:15). Just as nakhon stated there is three days, so nakhon stated here is three days. The Rabbis say: A woman would conceive and give birth in one day. Here nakhon is stated and there it is written: “Be prepared [nakhon] for the morning” (Exodus 34:2). Just as nakhon stated there is one day, so too, nakhon stated here is one day. “And their descendants are before their eyes,” they would see their children and their grandchildren.
“They send out avileihem like a flock” (Job 21:11) – [avileihem means] their children. Rabbi Levi said: In Arabia they call a child avila. “And their children dance” (Job 21:11), like those demons, just as it says: “And the demons will dance there” (Isaiah 13:21). How so? When one of them would give birth during the day, she would say to her son: ‘Go and bring me a flint and I will cut your umbilical cord.’ When she would give birth at night, she would say to her son: ‘Go and kindle a lamp for me and I will cut your umbilical cord.’ There was an incident involving a certain woman who gave birth at night, and she said to her son, ‘Go and kindle a lamp for me and I will cut your umbilical cord.’ He went to kindle the lamp and a demon, the prince of the spirits, accosted him. While they were contending with each other, the rooster crowed. He said to him:1The demon said to the boy. ‘Go and exult to your mother and say to her that had the rooster not crowed I would have killed you.’2The crowing of the rooster indicated dawn, when the power of demons is diminished. He said to him:3The boy said to the demon. ‘Go and exult to your mother’s mother and say to her that my mother did not cut my umbilical cord. Had my mother cut my umbilical cord, I would have killed you,’ to realize what is stated: “Their houses are peaceful without fear” (Job 21:9) – of the demons. “And the rod of God is not upon them” (Job 21:9) – [they are] free of suffering.
When He concealed His face, who could tell Him that He did not act properly? In what sense did He conceal His face from them? He brought the waters of the Flood upon them “and He obliterated all existence…” (Genesis 7:23). “To nation and man alike” (Job 34:29); “nation,” this is the generation of the Flood, “man,” this is Noah. “Alike,” He could produce His world from one person; “alike,” as He could produce His world from one nation.4God’s power is such that repopulating the world from one individual, Noah, was the same as repopulating it from an entire nation.
If the anointed priest shall sin so that he brings guilt on the people, he shall present for his sin that he sinned an unblemished young bull to the Lord, as a sin offering.” That is what the verse says: “When He quiets, who can condemn? [When He conceals His face, who can see Him?]” (Job 34:29). Rabbi Meir expounded: He quiets His world and He conceals His face from His world, like a judge who spreads a curtain from within and does not see what transpires without. So too, the generation of the Flood said: “Clouds obscure for Him [and He does not see]” (Job 22:14). [The Rabbis] said to him: ‘That is enough, Meir. Rather, “When He quiets, who can condemn?” – He had granted tranquility to the generation of the Flood; who, then, could come and condemn them? What tranquility did He grant them? “Their offspring are well placed [nakhon] before them, with them, and their descendants are before their eyes”’ (Job 21:8).
Rabbi Levi and the Rabbis, Rabbi Levi said: The women [of the generation of the Flood] would conceive and give birth in three days. Here nakhon is stated, and there it is written: “Be prepared [nekhonim] in three days” (Exodus 19:15). Just as nakhon stated there is three days, so nakhon stated here is three days. The Rabbis say: A woman would conceive and give birth in one day. Here nakhon is stated and there it is written: “Be prepared [nakhon] for the morning” (Exodus 34:2). Just as nakhon stated there is one day, so too, nakhon stated here is one day. “And their descendants are before their eyes,” they would see their children and their grandchildren.
“They send out avileihem like a flock” (Job 21:11) – [avileihem means] their children. Rabbi Levi said: In Arabia they call a child avila. “And their children dance” (Job 21:11), like those demons, just as it says: “And the demons will dance there” (Isaiah 13:21). How so? When one of them would give birth during the day, she would say to her son: ‘Go and bring me a flint and I will cut your umbilical cord.’ When she would give birth at night, she would say to her son: ‘Go and kindle a lamp for me and I will cut your umbilical cord.’ There was an incident involving a certain woman who gave birth at night, and she said to her son, ‘Go and kindle a lamp for me and I will cut your umbilical cord.’ He went to kindle the lamp and a demon, the prince of the spirits, accosted him. While they were contending with each other, the rooster crowed. He said to him:1The demon said to the boy. ‘Go and exult to your mother and say to her that had the rooster not crowed I would have killed you.’2The crowing of the rooster indicated dawn, when the power of demons is diminished. He said to him:3The boy said to the demon. ‘Go and exult to your mother’s mother and say to her that my mother did not cut my umbilical cord. Had my mother cut my umbilical cord, I would have killed you,’ to realize what is stated: “Their houses are peaceful without fear” (Job 21:9) – of the demons. “And the rod of God is not upon them” (Job 21:9) – [they are] free of suffering.
When He concealed His face, who could tell Him that He did not act properly? In what sense did He conceal His face from them? He brought the waters of the Flood upon them “and He obliterated all existence…” (Genesis 7:23). “To nation and man alike” (Job 34:29); “nation,” this is the generation of the Flood, “man,” this is Noah. “Alike,” He could produce His world from one person; “alike,” as He could produce His world from one nation.4God’s power is such that repopulating the world from one individual, Noah, was the same as repopulating it from an entire nation.
Midrash Tanchuma
But the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel (Prov. 12:10). This verse alludes to the men of the generation of the flood, who were extremely cruel. Our rabbis of blessed memory posed the query: What did they do when the Holy One, blessed be He, brought the waters of the deep upon them and they saw the waters beginning to gush over them? They had given birth to many children, as it is written: Their seed is established (nakhon) in their sight with them, and their offspring before their eyes (Job 21:8). In fact, this verse implies that the women would conceive at night and give birth (nakhon) the next morning, as it is said: And would be ready (nakhon) by morning (Exod. 34:2). And their offspring before their eyes (Job 21:8) indicates that they lived to see their great-grandchildren. Some of them took their children and stuffed them unmercifully into the crevices through which the waters gushed. Hence, it is said: The mercies of the wicked are cruel. How do we know that they actually did that? Job declared: The womb forgetteth him; the worm feedeth sweetly on him; he shall be no more remembered, unrighteousness is broken as a tree (ibid. 24:20). The womb forgetteth him … he shall be no more remembered signifies that they pressed their own offspring into these crevices. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them after that? He brought the flood down upon them and destroyed them, as it is said: Unrighteousness is broken as a tree.13Just as a tree is destroyed by a flood, so these unrighteous men were destroyed by the flood from above.