וַתֹּאמַ֕רְןָ אִ֣ישׁ מִצְרִ֔י הִצִּילָ֖נוּ מִיַּ֣ד הָרֹעִ֑ים וְגַם־דָּלֹ֤ה דָלָה֙ לָ֔נוּ וַיַּ֖שְׁקְ אֶת־הַצֹּֽאן׃
Sumagot sila: “Isang lalaking Egipcio ang nagligtas sa amin mula sa kamay ng mga pastol, at sumalok pa nga siya ng tubig para sa amin at pinainom niya ang kawan.”
Shemot Rabbah
“He settled in the land of Midyan, and sat alongside the well.” He learned the way of the patriarchs. Three were paired with their mates at the well; Isaac, Jacob, and Moses. Regarding Isaac, it is written: “Isaac came from going to Be’er [laḥai ro’i]” (Genesis 24:62).66This is the well where God had once appeared to Hagar. This is the context in which Isaac met Rebecca, who was returning with Abraham’s servant, identified by the midrash as Eliezer. Isaac then married her; see Genesis 24:63-67. Moreover, Rebecca met Eliezer near the spring. Jacob, “he saw, and behold, there was a well in the field” (Genesis 29:2); 67It was there that Jacob first met Rachel; see Genesis 29:10-11. Moses, “and he sat alongside the well.”
“The priest of Midian had seven daughters; they came and they drew water and filled the troughs to give their father’s flock to drink” (Exodus 2:16).
“The priest of Midian had seven daughters.” But doesn’t the Holy One blessed be He hate idol worship, and yet He provided Moses haven with an idol worshipper? Rather, our Rabbis said: Yitro was a priest for idol worship and he saw that it lacked substance, and he scorned it, and he thought about repenting before Moses arrived. He called the residents of his city and said: ‘Until now, I have served you. Now I am old; choose another priest.’ He arose and removed the service vessels of idol worship and gave them all to them. They arose and ostracized him so that no one should have ties with him, no one should perform labor for him, and no one should herd his flocks. He asked the shepherds to herd his flocks for him, but they did not agree; therefore, he sent his daughters out.
“They came and they drew.” It teaches that they would arrive early due to fear of the shepherds.
“The shepherds came and drove them away; Moses rose and rescued them and gave their flocks to drink” (Genesis 2:17).
“The shepherds came and drove them away.” Is it possible that he was the priest of Midyan and the shepherds were driving away his daughters? Rather, it teaches you that they ostracized him and drove away his daughters like a divorced woman, like you say: “He drove out the man” (Genesis 3:24).68In this verse, God permanently banished man from the Garden of Eden. So too, the shepherds sought to permanently banish Yitro’s daughters.
“Moses rose and rescued them.” This teaches that he sat in judgment regarding them.69This is derived from the fact that the verse says that he rose, indicating that beforehand he was sitting. He said: Typically, men draw the water and women give the flocks to drink, while here, women draw and men give the flocks to drink. It does not say “he saved them [vayatzilan],” but rather, “he rescued them [vayoshian].” Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: They came to engage with them in a matter of forbidden sexual relations; here it is stated: “Moses rose and rescued them ,” and there it is stated: “The betrothed young woman screamed, and there was no one to rescue her” (Deuteronomy 22:27). Just as there, it is referring to forbidden sexual relations, here too it is referring to forbidden sexual relations.
The Rabbis say: This teaches that they cast them into the water and Moses saved them. Vayoshian is nothing other than an expression of saving from water, as it is stated: “Rescue me God, as the water has reached my soul” (Psalms 69:2). “And gave their flocks to drink.” This teaches that Moses drew water for them and gave their flocks to drink, just as Jacob did for Rachel.
“They came to their father Reuel. He said: Why were you quick to come today?” (Exodus 2:18).
“They came to their father Reuel.” This is Yitro. Why is he named Reuel? It is because he became a companion to God. “He said: Why were you quick to come today?” From here you learn that on all days they would come last.
“They said: An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds and also drew water for us and gave the flock to drink” (Exodus 2:19).
“They said: An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds.” Was Moses an Egyptian? Rather, his garb was Egyptian, but he was a Hebrew. Alternatively, “an Egyptian man,” this is analogous to one who was bitten by a deadly snake and was running to put his legs in water. He placed them in the river and saw a certain child sinking in the water, and he extended his hand and saved him. The child said to him: ‘Were it not for you, I would have died.’ He said to him: ‘It is not I who saved you, but rather, the deadly snake that bit me and I fled from it; it saved you.’ Similarly, Yitro’s daughters said to Moses: ‘Well done that you saved us from the shepherds.’ Moses said to them: ‘That Egyptian whom I killed, he saved you.’ That is why they said to their father, “an Egyptian man saved us,” in other words: Who caused this one to come to us? It is the Egyptian man whom he killed.
“Drew water [dalo dala],” he drew one drawing of water and gave water to all the flocks to drink, and the water was blessed for his sake. That is what is written: “and gave the flock to drink.” Our flock is not written, but rather “the flock,” as he gave even the flocks of the shepherds to drink. What then is “for us”? It means that he drew us out, too, as the shepherds cast us into the water and he took us out.
“He said to his daughters: Where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him so that he will eat bread” (Exodus 2:20).
“He said to his daughters: Where is he?” He said to them: ‘The fact that you say that he drew water and gave water to all the flocks is an indicator that he is one of the descendants of Jacob who stood at the well and the water was blessed for his sake.’
“Why did you leave the man? [Call him so that he will eat bread],” – perhaps he will marry one of you. The eating of bread mentioned here refers to nothing other than a wife, similar to: “Except for the bread that he eats” (Genesis 39:6).70Joseph stated this in reference to Potifar’s wife. Immediately, Tzipora ran after him like a bird [tzipor] and brought him. Why was she named Tzipora? It is because she purified the house like a bird.71The bird plays a central role in the purification process of a leprous house; see Leviticus 14:48-53
“The priest of Midian had seven daughters; they came and they drew water and filled the troughs to give their father’s flock to drink” (Exodus 2:16).
“The priest of Midian had seven daughters.” But doesn’t the Holy One blessed be He hate idol worship, and yet He provided Moses haven with an idol worshipper? Rather, our Rabbis said: Yitro was a priest for idol worship and he saw that it lacked substance, and he scorned it, and he thought about repenting before Moses arrived. He called the residents of his city and said: ‘Until now, I have served you. Now I am old; choose another priest.’ He arose and removed the service vessels of idol worship and gave them all to them. They arose and ostracized him so that no one should have ties with him, no one should perform labor for him, and no one should herd his flocks. He asked the shepherds to herd his flocks for him, but they did not agree; therefore, he sent his daughters out.
“They came and they drew.” It teaches that they would arrive early due to fear of the shepherds.
“The shepherds came and drove them away; Moses rose and rescued them and gave their flocks to drink” (Genesis 2:17).
“The shepherds came and drove them away.” Is it possible that he was the priest of Midyan and the shepherds were driving away his daughters? Rather, it teaches you that they ostracized him and drove away his daughters like a divorced woman, like you say: “He drove out the man” (Genesis 3:24).68In this verse, God permanently banished man from the Garden of Eden. So too, the shepherds sought to permanently banish Yitro’s daughters.
“Moses rose and rescued them.” This teaches that he sat in judgment regarding them.69This is derived from the fact that the verse says that he rose, indicating that beforehand he was sitting. He said: Typically, men draw the water and women give the flocks to drink, while here, women draw and men give the flocks to drink. It does not say “he saved them [vayatzilan],” but rather, “he rescued them [vayoshian].” Rabbi Yoḥanan says in the name of Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili: They came to engage with them in a matter of forbidden sexual relations; here it is stated: “Moses rose and rescued them ,” and there it is stated: “The betrothed young woman screamed, and there was no one to rescue her” (Deuteronomy 22:27). Just as there, it is referring to forbidden sexual relations, here too it is referring to forbidden sexual relations.
The Rabbis say: This teaches that they cast them into the water and Moses saved them. Vayoshian is nothing other than an expression of saving from water, as it is stated: “Rescue me God, as the water has reached my soul” (Psalms 69:2). “And gave their flocks to drink.” This teaches that Moses drew water for them and gave their flocks to drink, just as Jacob did for Rachel.
“They came to their father Reuel. He said: Why were you quick to come today?” (Exodus 2:18).
“They came to their father Reuel.” This is Yitro. Why is he named Reuel? It is because he became a companion to God. “He said: Why were you quick to come today?” From here you learn that on all days they would come last.
“They said: An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds and also drew water for us and gave the flock to drink” (Exodus 2:19).
“They said: An Egyptian man saved us from the shepherds.” Was Moses an Egyptian? Rather, his garb was Egyptian, but he was a Hebrew. Alternatively, “an Egyptian man,” this is analogous to one who was bitten by a deadly snake and was running to put his legs in water. He placed them in the river and saw a certain child sinking in the water, and he extended his hand and saved him. The child said to him: ‘Were it not for you, I would have died.’ He said to him: ‘It is not I who saved you, but rather, the deadly snake that bit me and I fled from it; it saved you.’ Similarly, Yitro’s daughters said to Moses: ‘Well done that you saved us from the shepherds.’ Moses said to them: ‘That Egyptian whom I killed, he saved you.’ That is why they said to their father, “an Egyptian man saved us,” in other words: Who caused this one to come to us? It is the Egyptian man whom he killed.
“Drew water [dalo dala],” he drew one drawing of water and gave water to all the flocks to drink, and the water was blessed for his sake. That is what is written: “and gave the flock to drink.” Our flock is not written, but rather “the flock,” as he gave even the flocks of the shepherds to drink. What then is “for us”? It means that he drew us out, too, as the shepherds cast us into the water and he took us out.
“He said to his daughters: Where is he? Why did you leave the man? Call him so that he will eat bread” (Exodus 2:20).
“He said to his daughters: Where is he?” He said to them: ‘The fact that you say that he drew water and gave water to all the flocks is an indicator that he is one of the descendants of Jacob who stood at the well and the water was blessed for his sake.’
“Why did you leave the man? [Call him so that he will eat bread],” – perhaps he will marry one of you. The eating of bread mentioned here refers to nothing other than a wife, similar to: “Except for the bread that he eats” (Genesis 39:6).70Joseph stated this in reference to Potifar’s wife. Immediately, Tzipora ran after him like a bird [tzipor] and brought him. Why was she named Tzipora? It is because she purified the house like a bird.71The bird plays a central role in the purification process of a leprous house; see Leviticus 14:48-53
Devarim Rabbah
“Lord God, You have begun” – he said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, why am I not entering the land? Is it because I said: “Hear now, defiant ones”? It was You who said first: “As a safekeeping, as a sign for the defiant ones”’ (Numbers 17:25).
Another matter: “Lord God, You have begun” – Rabbi Reuven said: Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Why are You doing this to me? It was You who first approached me.’ From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from inside the bush” (Exodus 3:2). He said to Him: ‘After You elevated me, You are demoting me from my elevated stature?’
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘But I took an oath.’ [Moses] said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, when I requested, did You not break an oath? Did You not take an oath that You would eradicate Your children, and You reconsidered, as it is stated: “The Lord reconsidered”’ (Exodus 32:14)?
Another matter: Rabbi Levi said: He said before Him: ‘Joseph’s bones will enter the land, but I will not enter the land?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘The one who acknowledged his land will be buried in his land, and the one who did not acknowledge his land will not be buried in his land.’ Joseph acknowledged his land; from where is this derived? His master’s wife said: “See, he brought us a Hebrew man…” (Genesis 39:14), and he did not deny it; rather, “I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews” (Genesis 40:15). He was buried in his land. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel took up from Egypt, they buried in Shekhem” (Joshua 24:32). ‘You, who did not acknowledge your land, will not be buried in your land.’ How so? Yitro’s daughters said: “An Egyptian man rescued us from the shepherds” (Exodus 2:19), and he heard and was silent. That is why he was not buried in his land.
Another matter: “Lord God, You have begun” – Rabbi Reuven said: Moses said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Why are You doing this to me? It was You who first approached me.’ From where is this derived? It is as it is stated: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from inside the bush” (Exodus 3:2). He said to Him: ‘After You elevated me, You are demoting me from my elevated stature?’
The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘But I took an oath.’ [Moses] said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, when I requested, did You not break an oath? Did You not take an oath that You would eradicate Your children, and You reconsidered, as it is stated: “The Lord reconsidered”’ (Exodus 32:14)?
Another matter: Rabbi Levi said: He said before Him: ‘Joseph’s bones will enter the land, but I will not enter the land?’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘The one who acknowledged his land will be buried in his land, and the one who did not acknowledge his land will not be buried in his land.’ Joseph acknowledged his land; from where is this derived? His master’s wife said: “See, he brought us a Hebrew man…” (Genesis 39:14), and he did not deny it; rather, “I was stolen from the land of the Hebrews” (Genesis 40:15). He was buried in his land. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “The bones of Joseph, which the children of Israel took up from Egypt, they buried in Shekhem” (Joshua 24:32). ‘You, who did not acknowledge your land, will not be buried in your land.’ How so? Yitro’s daughters said: “An Egyptian man rescued us from the shepherds” (Exodus 2:19), and he heard and was silent. That is why he was not buried in his land.
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
At the end of the persecution,60After the death of Hadrian, emperor of Rome, who had outlawed Torah study and made other repressive decrees, and who had crushed the Bar Kokhva revolt. our Rabbis assembled in Usha; they were: Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, Rabbi Meir, Rabbi Yosei, Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili, and Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov. They sent to the elders of the Galilee and said: ‘Anyone who is learned, let him come and teach, and anyone who is not learned, let him come and study.’ They assembled, studied, and did everything that they needed to do. When the time arrived to take their leave, they said: ‘Are we to leave empty the place in which we were received?’61Will we leave without honoring and expressing our appreciation for the residents of the host city? They accorded honor to Rabbi Yehuda, who was a resident of the city; not that he was greater than they were in Torah, but rather because a person’s place entitles him to honor.
Rabbi Yehuda entered and expounded: “Moses would take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp at a distance from the camp… [and anyone who would seek the Lord would go out to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp]” (Exodus 33:7). “At a distance” is stated here, and there it is stated: “There shall be a distance between you and it a measure of approximately two thousand cubits” (Joshua 3:4). Just as “distance” that is stated here is two thousand cubits, so “distance” stated there is two thousand cubits. “And anyone who would seek Moses” is not written here, but rather, “who would seek the Lord.” From here we have learned that anyone who welcomes Torah scholars, it is as though he received the Divine Presence. You, our brethren, our Rabbis, Torah luminaries, those of you who suffered [by traveling] ten mil, or twenty, or thirty, or forty, in order to hear matters of Torah, all the more so that the Holy One blessed be He will not withhold your reward in this [world] and in the [World] to Come.
Rabbi Neḥemya entered and expounded: “An Amonite or Moavite shall not enter the congregation of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:4). It is taught: Two great nations were denied entrance into the congregation of the Lord. Why? “Due to the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water” (Deuteronomy 23:5). Did Israel need it at that time? Is it not so, that all forty years that Israel was in the wilderness, the spring would rise for them, the manna would fall for them, quail was available for them, the clouds of glory enveloped them, and the cloud pillar traveled before them, and you say: “that they did not greet you with bread and water”? Rabbi Elazar said: Proper etiquette is that when one comes from travel one greets him with food and drink. Come and see what the Holy One blessed be He repaid these two nations: “An Amonite or Moavite shall not enter the congregation of the Lord.” You, residents of Usha, who welcomed our Rabbis with your food, your drink, and your beds, the Holy One blessed be He will repay you a fine reward.
Rabbi Meir entered and expounded: “A certain elderly prophet was residing in Beit El” (I Kings 13:11). Who was this? This was Amatzya, the priest of Beit El. Rabbi Yosei said: 'Meir, there is much confusion here. Who was this? This was Yonatan ben Gershom ben Moses [Moshe]. That is what is written: “Yehonatan ben Gershom ben Menashe” (Judges 18:30). The nun in Menashe is suspended.62It is written in a suspended manner, smaller than the other letters and not extending to the bottom of the line. If he merited, “ben Moshe”; if not, “ben Menashe.”63If he were to repent, he would merit to be called the son of Moses, or Moshe; if the letter nun is removed from the name Menashe, what is left is Moshe. If he did not repent, he would be referred to as the son of Menashe. This is a prophetical reference to Menashe son of Hezekiah, who was a notoriously wicked king of Judah.
The students raised a question before Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, they said to him: A priest to idol worship lived all those years?64The Yehonatan mentioned in Judges was a priest to idol worship. If he was the grandson of Moses, and also the priest of Beit El mentioned in Kings, by what merit would he have lived from the time of Judges until the time of the events in Kings? He said to them: Yes, because he was discouraging vis-à-vis idol worship. How so? A person would come to worship, and he would say to him: ‘How old are you?’ He would say to him: Forty years old, or fifty, or sixty, or seventy years old, or however old he was. He would say to him: ‘How old are you, forty years old, or fifty, or sixty, or seventy, or eighty years, and this idol was crafted only five or twelve years ago, and you seek to forsake your God and worship it? That is contemptible.’ [The visitor] would then become embarrassed and would leave. A certain contemptible individual came, and [Yehonatan] said this to him. He said to [Yehonatan]: ‘Why are you sitting here and worshipping it?’ He said: ‘I take my salary and mislead him.’65Yehonatan said that his employer, Mikha, believed that he worshipped the idol, but that was not actually the case. When David heard of him, he sent and brought him, and he said to him: ‘You are the grandson of that righteous one and you engage in idol worship?’ He said to him: ‘This is the tradition that I receive from the house of my grandfather: Sell yourself for idol worship but do not be beholden to people.’66Take a job pertaining to idolatry if necessary, but do not be financially dependent on others. He said to him: ‘Heaven forbid, it is not so, but rather sell yourself to a labor that is foreign67The confusion stemmed from the fact that the literal translation of avoda zara, the term used to connote idol worship, is foreign labor. to you, but do not be beholden to people.’ When David saw how fond he was of money, he appointed him officer of the treasury. They say: When David died, he returned to his evil ways.
That is what is written: “I, too, am a prophet like you…kiḥesh lo” (I Kings 13:18). What is kiḥesh lo? He lied to him. What did he lie to him? He fed him the bread of falsehood.68He gave the prophet from Judah food, which the prophet from Judah ate for sustenance, but in fact that meal led to his death. It is written: “As they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord was to the prophet who had caused him to return” (I Kings 13:20). Can the matters not be inferred a fortiori? If this one, who lied and fed him the bread of falsehood, was privileged to have the Divine Spirit rest upon him, you, our brethren, residents of Usha, who welcomed our Rabbis with the food of truth, and drink, and a bed, all the more so that the Holy One blessed be He will pay you a fine reward.
Rabbi Yosei entered and expounded: “The Ark remained in the house of Oved Edom the Gittite [for three months]” (II Samuel 6:11). “It was told to King David saying: The Lord has blessed the house of Oved Edom and everything that is his” (II Samuel 6:12). By what merit? “Because of the Ark of God” (II Samuel 6:12). With what did He bless him? With children; that is what is written: “[Oved Edom had sons: Shemaya the first…] Amiel the sixth and Yisakhar the seventh” (I Chronicles 26:4–5), and likewise it says: “All these were of the sons of Oved Edom, they and their sons” (I Chronicles 26:8). They said: He had eight sons and he had eight daughters-in-law and each one of them would give birth to two each month. How so? She was impure for seven [days] and pure for seven [days] and she would give birth.69She would conceive on the night of her purification and miraculously give birth after a gestation period of seven days. Impure seven and pure seven and she would give birth. Sixteen each month for three months, that is forty-eight. And six of his own,70He himself had another six children in those three months. that is fifty-four. And the eight of them, that is sixty-two. Is that not what is written: “Sixty-two for Oved Edom (I Chronicles 26:8).
The students raised a question before Rabbi Yoḥanan, they said to him: What is that which is written: “Peuletai the eighth” (I Chronicles 26:5)? He said to them: It is because he performed a great service for the Torah. What service did he perform for the Torah? He would kindle before the Ark one lamp in the morning and one lamp in the afternoon. The matters can be inferred a fortiori: If the Ark of God, which does not eat, drink, or speak, but there were two stone tablets in it, and he kindled one lamp on its behalf and he merited to be blessed for honoring it, you, our brethren, residents of Usha, all the more so.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai entered and expounded: “It was one day that Elisha traveled to Shunem and there was a prominent woman and she implored him to eat bread” (II Kings 4:8). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said to him: Because it wrote “she implored him to eat bread,” she merited having her son revived. Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Ze’eira, and Rabbi Yoḥanan in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, said: So great is sustenance that it causes the revival of the dead to occur not at its appointed time. The woman from Tzorfat, because she fed Elijah, merited having her son revived. The Shunamite, because she fed Elisha, merited having her son revived.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai said: Even lamps, even wicks, Elijah would take from place to place so as not to impose upon any person. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: Did he eat from her food? Did not both she and he eat from his food, as it is written: “She and he ate” (I Kings 17:15). “He and she” is written.71According to tradition, the verse is written such that it states “he and she ate,” but when reading the verse one reads it as though it states “she and he ate.” This is because she was the host, but the sustenance was provided by God in Elijah’s merit. Rather, because she welcomed him hospitably and served him, she merited having her son revived. And you, residents of Usha, who perform acts of kindness, all the more so.
Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili entered and expounded: “Saul said to the Kenite: Go, withdraw, descend from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you performed kindness with all the children of Israel when they ascended from Egypt’" (I Samuel 15:6). Did Yitro,72The Kenites are identified as the descendants of Yitro. in fact, perform kindness with all the children of Israel? Was it not with Moses alone that he performed it? Rabbi Elazar said: Yitro certainly performed kindness with Moses; that is what is written: “Call him and let him eat bread” (Exodus 2:20). Rabbi Simon said: That is not so. He fed him as his wages. As it is written: “He also drew water for us [and watered the flock]” (Exodus 2:19).73The verse states “drew water” with a double Hebrew term, dalo dala. The midrash expounds the significance of that double term. Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda said: He drew for us and for our fathers.74The daughters of Yitro had their own sheep in addition to the sheep of their father Yitro (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Neḥemya said: He drew for us and for the shepherds. The Rabbis say: He drew for us due to the merit of our fathers75The reason for the contentiousness with the shepherds was that Yitro had forsaken Midianite idolatry. and he drew for the shepherds to make peace between them. And you say that he performed kindness with all of Israel? Rather, it is to teach you that anyone who performs kindness for one of the prominent leaders of Israel, they ascribe him credit as though he did so to all of Israel, and you, our brethren, residents of Usha, all the more so.76You residents of Usha performed kindness for numerous prominent scholars, and you did not owe them a previous debt of gratitude like Yitro owed Moses.
Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov entered and expounded: “Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying: Pay attention and hear Israel, this day you have become a people [to the Lord your God]” (Deuteronomy 27:9). Was it that day that they received the Torah? Had it not been forty years already since they received the Torah, and you say “this day”? Rather, it teaches that since Moses reviewed the Torah for them and they received it welcomingly, the Torah ascribed them credit as though they had received it that day from Mount Sinai. That is why it is stated: “This day you have become a people to the Lord your God.” And you, our brethren, residents of Usha, who hospitably welcomed our Rabbis, all the more so.
Rabbi Yehuda entered and expounded: “Moses would take the Tent and pitch it outside the camp at a distance from the camp… [and anyone who would seek the Lord would go out to the Tent of Meeting outside the camp]” (Exodus 33:7). “At a distance” is stated here, and there it is stated: “There shall be a distance between you and it a measure of approximately two thousand cubits” (Joshua 3:4). Just as “distance” that is stated here is two thousand cubits, so “distance” stated there is two thousand cubits. “And anyone who would seek Moses” is not written here, but rather, “who would seek the Lord.” From here we have learned that anyone who welcomes Torah scholars, it is as though he received the Divine Presence. You, our brethren, our Rabbis, Torah luminaries, those of you who suffered [by traveling] ten mil, or twenty, or thirty, or forty, in order to hear matters of Torah, all the more so that the Holy One blessed be He will not withhold your reward in this [world] and in the [World] to Come.
Rabbi Neḥemya entered and expounded: “An Amonite or Moavite shall not enter the congregation of the Lord” (Deuteronomy 23:4). It is taught: Two great nations were denied entrance into the congregation of the Lord. Why? “Due to the fact that they did not greet you with bread and water” (Deuteronomy 23:5). Did Israel need it at that time? Is it not so, that all forty years that Israel was in the wilderness, the spring would rise for them, the manna would fall for them, quail was available for them, the clouds of glory enveloped them, and the cloud pillar traveled before them, and you say: “that they did not greet you with bread and water”? Rabbi Elazar said: Proper etiquette is that when one comes from travel one greets him with food and drink. Come and see what the Holy One blessed be He repaid these two nations: “An Amonite or Moavite shall not enter the congregation of the Lord.” You, residents of Usha, who welcomed our Rabbis with your food, your drink, and your beds, the Holy One blessed be He will repay you a fine reward.
Rabbi Meir entered and expounded: “A certain elderly prophet was residing in Beit El” (I Kings 13:11). Who was this? This was Amatzya, the priest of Beit El. Rabbi Yosei said: 'Meir, there is much confusion here. Who was this? This was Yonatan ben Gershom ben Moses [Moshe]. That is what is written: “Yehonatan ben Gershom ben Menashe” (Judges 18:30). The nun in Menashe is suspended.62It is written in a suspended manner, smaller than the other letters and not extending to the bottom of the line. If he merited, “ben Moshe”; if not, “ben Menashe.”63If he were to repent, he would merit to be called the son of Moses, or Moshe; if the letter nun is removed from the name Menashe, what is left is Moshe. If he did not repent, he would be referred to as the son of Menashe. This is a prophetical reference to Menashe son of Hezekiah, who was a notoriously wicked king of Judah.
The students raised a question before Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman, they said to him: A priest to idol worship lived all those years?64The Yehonatan mentioned in Judges was a priest to idol worship. If he was the grandson of Moses, and also the priest of Beit El mentioned in Kings, by what merit would he have lived from the time of Judges until the time of the events in Kings? He said to them: Yes, because he was discouraging vis-à-vis idol worship. How so? A person would come to worship, and he would say to him: ‘How old are you?’ He would say to him: Forty years old, or fifty, or sixty, or seventy years old, or however old he was. He would say to him: ‘How old are you, forty years old, or fifty, or sixty, or seventy, or eighty years, and this idol was crafted only five or twelve years ago, and you seek to forsake your God and worship it? That is contemptible.’ [The visitor] would then become embarrassed and would leave. A certain contemptible individual came, and [Yehonatan] said this to him. He said to [Yehonatan]: ‘Why are you sitting here and worshipping it?’ He said: ‘I take my salary and mislead him.’65Yehonatan said that his employer, Mikha, believed that he worshipped the idol, but that was not actually the case. When David heard of him, he sent and brought him, and he said to him: ‘You are the grandson of that righteous one and you engage in idol worship?’ He said to him: ‘This is the tradition that I receive from the house of my grandfather: Sell yourself for idol worship but do not be beholden to people.’66Take a job pertaining to idolatry if necessary, but do not be financially dependent on others. He said to him: ‘Heaven forbid, it is not so, but rather sell yourself to a labor that is foreign67The confusion stemmed from the fact that the literal translation of avoda zara, the term used to connote idol worship, is foreign labor. to you, but do not be beholden to people.’ When David saw how fond he was of money, he appointed him officer of the treasury. They say: When David died, he returned to his evil ways.
That is what is written: “I, too, am a prophet like you…kiḥesh lo” (I Kings 13:18). What is kiḥesh lo? He lied to him. What did he lie to him? He fed him the bread of falsehood.68He gave the prophet from Judah food, which the prophet from Judah ate for sustenance, but in fact that meal led to his death. It is written: “As they were sitting at the table, the word of the Lord was to the prophet who had caused him to return” (I Kings 13:20). Can the matters not be inferred a fortiori? If this one, who lied and fed him the bread of falsehood, was privileged to have the Divine Spirit rest upon him, you, our brethren, residents of Usha, who welcomed our Rabbis with the food of truth, and drink, and a bed, all the more so that the Holy One blessed be He will pay you a fine reward.
Rabbi Yosei entered and expounded: “The Ark remained in the house of Oved Edom the Gittite [for three months]” (II Samuel 6:11). “It was told to King David saying: The Lord has blessed the house of Oved Edom and everything that is his” (II Samuel 6:12). By what merit? “Because of the Ark of God” (II Samuel 6:12). With what did He bless him? With children; that is what is written: “[Oved Edom had sons: Shemaya the first…] Amiel the sixth and Yisakhar the seventh” (I Chronicles 26:4–5), and likewise it says: “All these were of the sons of Oved Edom, they and their sons” (I Chronicles 26:8). They said: He had eight sons and he had eight daughters-in-law and each one of them would give birth to two each month. How so? She was impure for seven [days] and pure for seven [days] and she would give birth.69She would conceive on the night of her purification and miraculously give birth after a gestation period of seven days. Impure seven and pure seven and she would give birth. Sixteen each month for three months, that is forty-eight. And six of his own,70He himself had another six children in those three months. that is fifty-four. And the eight of them, that is sixty-two. Is that not what is written: “Sixty-two for Oved Edom (I Chronicles 26:8).
The students raised a question before Rabbi Yoḥanan, they said to him: What is that which is written: “Peuletai the eighth” (I Chronicles 26:5)? He said to them: It is because he performed a great service for the Torah. What service did he perform for the Torah? He would kindle before the Ark one lamp in the morning and one lamp in the afternoon. The matters can be inferred a fortiori: If the Ark of God, which does not eat, drink, or speak, but there were two stone tablets in it, and he kindled one lamp on its behalf and he merited to be blessed for honoring it, you, our brethren, residents of Usha, all the more so.
Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai entered and expounded: “It was one day that Elisha traveled to Shunem and there was a prominent woman and she implored him to eat bread” (II Kings 4:8). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said to him: Because it wrote “she implored him to eat bread,” she merited having her son revived. Rabbi Yudan in the name of Rabbi Ze’eira, and Rabbi Yoḥanan in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yoḥai, said: So great is sustenance that it causes the revival of the dead to occur not at its appointed time. The woman from Tzorfat, because she fed Elijah, merited having her son revived. The Shunamite, because she fed Elisha, merited having her son revived.
Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Ilai said: Even lamps, even wicks, Elijah would take from place to place so as not to impose upon any person. Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: Did he eat from her food? Did not both she and he eat from his food, as it is written: “She and he ate” (I Kings 17:15). “He and she” is written.71According to tradition, the verse is written such that it states “he and she ate,” but when reading the verse one reads it as though it states “she and he ate.” This is because she was the host, but the sustenance was provided by God in Elijah’s merit. Rather, because she welcomed him hospitably and served him, she merited having her son revived. And you, residents of Usha, who perform acts of kindness, all the more so.
Rabbi Eliezer son of Rabbi Yosei HaGelili entered and expounded: “Saul said to the Kenite: Go, withdraw, descend from among the Amalekites, lest I destroy you with them; for you performed kindness with all the children of Israel when they ascended from Egypt’" (I Samuel 15:6). Did Yitro,72The Kenites are identified as the descendants of Yitro. in fact, perform kindness with all the children of Israel? Was it not with Moses alone that he performed it? Rabbi Elazar said: Yitro certainly performed kindness with Moses; that is what is written: “Call him and let him eat bread” (Exodus 2:20). Rabbi Simon said: That is not so. He fed him as his wages. As it is written: “He also drew water for us [and watered the flock]” (Exodus 2:19).73The verse states “drew water” with a double Hebrew term, dalo dala. The midrash expounds the significance of that double term. Rabbi Yehuda, Rabbi Neḥemya, and the Rabbis, Rabbi Yehuda said: He drew for us and for our fathers.74The daughters of Yitro had their own sheep in addition to the sheep of their father Yitro (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Neḥemya said: He drew for us and for the shepherds. The Rabbis say: He drew for us due to the merit of our fathers75The reason for the contentiousness with the shepherds was that Yitro had forsaken Midianite idolatry. and he drew for the shepherds to make peace between them. And you say that he performed kindness with all of Israel? Rather, it is to teach you that anyone who performs kindness for one of the prominent leaders of Israel, they ascribe him credit as though he did so to all of Israel, and you, our brethren, residents of Usha, all the more so.76You residents of Usha performed kindness for numerous prominent scholars, and you did not owe them a previous debt of gratitude like Yitro owed Moses.
Rabbi Eliezer ben Yaakov entered and expounded: “Moses and the priests, the Levites, spoke to all Israel, saying: Pay attention and hear Israel, this day you have become a people [to the Lord your God]” (Deuteronomy 27:9). Was it that day that they received the Torah? Had it not been forty years already since they received the Torah, and you say “this day”? Rather, it teaches that since Moses reviewed the Torah for them and they received it welcomingly, the Torah ascribed them credit as though they had received it that day from Mount Sinai. That is why it is stated: “This day you have become a people to the Lord your God.” And you, our brethren, residents of Usha, who hospitably welcomed our Rabbis, all the more so.