Мидраш к Ийова 38:41

(Deut. 7:12:) “And it shall come to pass if you heed [these statutes].” This text is related (to Prov. 5:6), “She does not steer a straight path of life; her ways wander, and she does not know it.” R. Abba bar Kahana said, “That you should not practice give and take among the commandments of Torah to see which reward of Torah and commandment is greatest and perform that one.²M. Ps. 9:3; see Deut. R. 6:2. Why? (Ibid.:) ‘Her ways wander, and she does not know it.’ The paths of [rewards of] the Torah have been moved.” R. Hiyya said, “A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who had an orchard and introduced workers into it, but the king did not disclose the reward (i.e., the payment) for his seedlings to them; because if he revealed the reward for his [various] seedlings, one would see which seedling increased [their] reward, and plant that one. The work in the orchard would end up with some of it suspended and some of it carried out. Similarly the Holy One, blessed be He, did not reveal the reward for each and every commandment in the Torah; for if he had revealed it, the commandments would have been found with some of them carried out and some of them suspended.” And R. Aha said in the name of R. Abba bar Kahana, “The Holy One, blessed be He, has made the reward for fulfilling a commandment moved around in this world, so that Israel would totally fulfill them.”³yPe’ah 1:1 (15d); yQid. 1:7 (61b); PR 23/24:2. R. Simeon ben Johay taught, “For two commandments did the Holy One, blessed be He, reveal their reward. These are the lightest of the light and the weightiest of the weighty ones. The lightest of the light ones is sending away [the mother from] the nest; and there it is written (in Deut. 22:7), ‘and you will prolong your days.’ The most weighty is honoring parents, about which it is [also] written (in Deut. 5:16 // Exod. 20:12), ‘so that you will lengthen your days.’⁴So also M. Sam. Note that they are equal with regard to reward [in] this world.” R. Abba bar Kahana said, “If in regard to paying a debt, length of days is written,⁵Enoch Zundel, in his commentary, ‘Ets Yosef, on Tanh., Deut. 3:2, suggests the debt here is the debt to parents for bearing, rearing, and education. how much the more so when it is a case of damage to purse and loss of life.” R. Levi said, “They said something greater than that: A case of paying a debt is more important than a case of damage to purse and loss of life.” R. Abba bar Kahana said in the name of Rabbi, “Just as the giving of their reward is great, so [too] are their punishments great.” That is what is written (in Prov. 30:17), “The eye that mocks a father and scorns obeying a mother will have the wadi ravens pluck it out and the young eagles devour it.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “A raven, which is cruel to its young, will come and pluck it out without profiting from it; an eagle, which is merciful to its young, will come and will profit from it.” And where is it shown that a raven is cruel to its young? Where it is stated (in Job 38:41), “Who provides prey for the raven, when its young cry unto God and wander about without food.” It also says (in Ps. 147:9), “to young ravens when they cry out.” When the raven reproduces, it reproduces white [young].⁶PRE 21. Then the male says to the female that another bird has begotten it. So they reject and forsake them. What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He brings forth gnats from their dung.⁷See Lev. R. 19:1. Then [the gnats] fly, and [the young] eat them.⁸Cf. Yalqut Shim’oni, Deut. 846: “Then they fly over them, eat, and become black.” This is what is written (in Job 38:41), “Who provides prey for the raven.” But the eagle is merciful, as it is written (in Deut. 32:11), “As an eagle stirs up its nest and hovers over its young]; it spreads its wings, takes them up, and bears them aloft on its pinions.” As it is not confident about them because of other birds who pursue them. What does it do? It places them on its wings and says, “Better that the arrow should go through me and not through my children.”

R. Simeon ben Johay taught: For two commandments the Holy One did reveal their reward. These are the simplest of the simple and the most weighty of the weighty ones. The simplest of the simple ones is (Deut. 22:7): YOU SHALL SURELY LET THE MOTHER <BIRD> GO AND TAKE <ONLY> THE YOUNG FOR YOUR SELF, SO THAT IT WILL GO WELL WITH YOU, AND YOU WILL PROLONG YOUR DAYS. The most weighty is (in Deut. 5:16 // Exod. 20:12): HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR MOTHER …, SO THAT HE WILL LENGTHEN YOUR DAYS…..⁷So also M. Sam. 7; cf. Mark 7:10–11 // Matthew 15:4–5. Note that they are equal this world with regard to reward. Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: If in regard to paying a debt, about <which> length of days is written,⁸Enoch Zundel, in his commentary, ‘Ets Yosef, on the parallel in Tanh., Deut. 3:2, suggests the debt here is the debt to parents for bearing, rearing, and education. how much the more so when it is a case of damage to purse and loss of life. R. Levi said: They said something more significant than that. A case of paying a debt is more important than a case of damage to purse and loss of life. R. Simeon ben Johay said: Just as their reward is great, so are their punishments great. That is what is written (in Prov. 30:17):THE EYE THAT MOCKS A FATHER AND SCORNS OBEYING A MOTHER WILL HAVE THE WADI RAVENS PLUCK IT OUT AND THE YOUNG EAGLES DEVOUR IT. Why will ravens pluck it out and eagles devour it? The Holy One said: A raven, which is cruel to its young, will come and pluck it out without profiting from it; an eagle, which is merciful to its young, will come and will profit from it. And where is it shown that a raven is cruel to its young? Where it is stated (in Job 38:41): WHO PROVIDES PREY FOR THE RAVEN, [WHEN ITS YOUNG CRY UNTO GOD AND WANDER ABOUT WITHOUT FOOD]. It also says (in Ps. 147:9): TO YOUNG RAVENS WHEN THEY CRY OUT. When the raven reproduces, it reproduces white <young>.⁹PRE 21. Then the male says to the female that another bird has begotten it. So they reject and forsake them. What does the Holy One do? He brings forth gnats from their dung.¹⁰See Lev. R. 19:1. Then <the young> fly, and eat, and from that become black.¹¹Similarly Yalqut Shim’oni, Deut. 846: “Then they fly over them, eat, and become black”; but cf. the parallel in Tanh., Deut. 3:2, which omits any reference to the ravens becoming black. This is what is written (in Job 38:41): WHO PROVIDES PREY FOR THE RAVEN. But where is it shown for the eagle, that it is merciful? Where it is written (in Deut. 32:11): AS AN EAGLE STIRS UP ITS NEST <AND HOVERS OVER ITS YOUNG>. However, no one trusts them because of other birds who pursue them. What does it do? (Ibid., cont.:) IT SPREADS ITS WINGS, TAKES THEM UP, <AND BEARS THEM ALOFT ON ITS PINIONS>. Ergo (in Prov. 30:17): THE WADI RAVENS PLUCK IT OUT, AND THE YOUNG EAGLES DEVOUR IT.

Cain spake before the Holy One, blessed be He: Sovereign of all the worlds ! "My sin is too great to be borne" (Gen. 4:13), for it has no atonement. This utterance was reckoned to him as repentance, as it is said, "And Cain said unto the Lord, My sin is too great to be borne" (ibid.); further, Cain said before the Holy One, blessed be He: Now will a certain righteous one arise on the earth and mention Thy great Name against me and slay me. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He took one letter from the twenty-two letters, and put (it) upon Cain's arm that he should not be killed, as it is said, "And the Lord appointed a sign for Cain" (Gen. 4:15). The dog which was guarding Abel's flock also guarded his corpse from all the beasts of the field and all the fowl of the heavens. Adam and his helpmate were sitting and weeping and mourning for him, and they did not know what to do (with Abel), for they were unaccustomed to burial. A raven (came), one of its fellow birds was dead (at its side). (The raven) said: I will teach this man what to do. It took its fellow and dug in the earth, hid it and buried it before them. Adam said: Like this raven will I act. He took || the corpse of Abel and dug in the earth and buried it. The Holy One, blessed be He, gave a good reward to the ravens in this world. What reward did He give them? When they bear their young and see that they are white they fly from them, thinking that they are the offspring of a serpent, and the Holy One, blessed be He, gives them their sustenance without lack, as it is said, "Who provideth for the raven his food, when his young ones cry unto God, and wander for lack of meat" (Job 38:41). Moreover, that rain should be given upon the earth (for their sakes), and the Holy One, blessed be He, answers them, as it is said, "He giveth to the beast his food, and to the young ravens which cry" (Ps. 147:9).