Midrash sa Mga Awit 68:15: Midrash Tanchuma Buber, Midrash Tanchuma & Midrash Tehillim

(Prov. 31:21): SHE IS NOT AFRAID FOR HER HOUSEHOLD BECAUSE OF SNOW, FOR ALL HER HOUSEHOLD ARE DRESSED TWOFOLD²²ShNYM. The usual voweling for this word is shanim, which means “SCARLET,” but here the voweling, shenayim, which means “TWOFOLD,” better fits the sense of the midrash. Hezekiah said: The judgment of the wicked in Gehinnom <lasts> twelve months,²³Tanh., Deut. 4:15; PRK 10:4; also above, Gen. 1:33. The judgment saying alone also occurs in ‘Eduy. 2:10, where it is attributed to R. Aqiba, and in ySanh. 10:3 (29b), where it is attributed to Judah b. R. Hezekiah and Rabbi. six months in the heat and six months in the cold. At first the Holy One has a cold²⁴Hikkukh. The word generally means “itch.” For this translation, see Jastrow, s.v. HYKWK. enter them, and they say: Is this the Gehinnom of the Holy One? Then after that he brings them to the snow, where they say: Is this the cold of the Holy One? At first they say: Ah (wah), <from pleasure>, but in the end they say: Oh (way), <from pain>.²⁵For this interpretation, see Buber, ad loc., n. 45. That is what David said (in Ps. 40:3): AND HE RAISED ME UP FROM THE PIT OF DESOLATION, FROM THE MIRY MUD (HYWN), <i.e.,> from a place where they say: Oh (WH), ah (WY). So where do they resign themselves <to their punishment>? R. Judah [Berabbi] says: In the snow. This is <the meaning of> what is written (in Ps. 68:15 [14]): WHEN THE ALMIGHTY SCATTERED KINGS THERE, IT SNOWED IN ZALMON.²⁶Zalmon, which means “darkness,” is a name for Gehinnom. Their Zalmon is the snow. Can this also <apply to> Israel? Scripture teaches (in Prov. 31:21): <BECAUSE OF SNOW,> FOR ALL HER HOUSEHOLD ARE DRESSED TWOFOLD (i.e., Israel is clothed in scriptural pairs): Circumcision (of the foreskin) and uncovering (the corona), tassels and tefillin (i.e., phylacteries), (Deut. 15:14:) PROVIDE LIBERALLY (literally: PROVIDE PROVIDE for the redeemed slave) and (Deut. 15:10): GIVE LIBERALLY (literally: GIVE GIVE to the poor Israelite), (Deut. 15:11:) YOU SHALL SURELY OPEN UP (literally: OPEN UP OPEN UP to the poor and needy) and (Deut. 14:22:) YOU SHALL SURELY TITHE (literally: TITHE TITHE). For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22): YOU SHALL TITHE TITHE.

(Deut. 14:22:) “You shall surely tithe.” This is related to the verse (in Prov. 31:21), “She is not afraid for her household because of snow, for all her household are dressed in scarlet,”¹³The usual voweling for this word is shanim, which means “SCARLET,” but here the voweling, shenayim, which means “TWOFOLD,”might better fit the sense of the midrash. Hezekiah said, “The judgment of the wicked in Gehinnom [lasts] twelve months,¹⁴PRK 10:4; also above, Gen. 1:33. The judgment saying alone also occurs in ‘Eduy. 2:10, where it is attributed to R. Aqiba, and in ySanh. 10:3 (29b), where it is attributed to Judah b. R. Hezekiah and Rabbi. six months in the heat and six months in the cold.” At first the Holy One, blessed be He, has them come into the sun, and they say, “Is this the Gehinnom of the Holy One, blessed be He?” Then after that He brings them to the snow, where they say, “Is this the cold of the Holy One, blessed be He?” At first they say, “Ah (wah),” [from pleasure], but in the end they say, “Oy (way),” [from pain].¹⁵For this interpretation, see Buber, ad loc., n. 45. That is what David said (in Ps. 40:3), “And He raised me up from the pit of desolation, from the miry mud (hywn),” [i.e.,] from a place where they say, “Oy, oy (way, way).” So where do they resign themselves [to their punishment]? R. Judah bar Rabbi says, “In the snow. This is [the meaning of] what is written (in Ps. 68:15), ‘When the Almighty scattered kings there, it snowed in Zalmon.’¹⁶Zalmon, which means “darkness,” is a name for Gehinnom. Their darkness (zalmavet) is the snow.” Can this also [apply to] Israel? Scripture teaches (in Prov. 31:21), “[because of snow,] for all her household are dressed in scarlet (shanim),” [meaning] twofold, twofold (shenayim, shenayim, i.e., Israel is clothed in scriptural pairs): circumcision (of the foreskin) and uncovering (the corona); tassels and tefillin (i.e., phylacteries); (in Deut. 15:14,) “Provide liberally (literally, provide, provide” [for the redeemed slave)]; (in Deut. 15:10,) “Give liberally (literally, give, give)” [to the poor Israelite]; (in Deut. 15:11,) “You shall surely open up (literally, open up, open up)” [to the poor and needy]; and (in Deut. 14:22,) “You shall surely tithe (literally, tithe, tithe).” For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22), “You shall tithe, tithe.”

He who walks uprightly and works righteousness. He who walks uprightly is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "The Rock, His work is perfect" (Deuteronomy 32:4). And he who works righteousness is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "For the Lord is righteous; He loves righteous deeds" (Psalms 11:7). And he who speaks truth is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "But the Lord is the true God" (Jeremiah 10:10). He who does not wrong his fellow is the Holy One, Blessed be He, who did not wrong Israel at the time of the Golden Calf, as it is written, "And the Lord repented of the evil which He thought to do unto His people" (Exodus 32:14). He who does not bear reproach for his neighbor is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "To the children of Israel with his neighbor" (Psalms 68:15). He who despises the vile, but honors those who fear the Lord is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "And the people journeyed not until Miriam was brought in" (Numbers 12:15), which teaches that the pillar of cloud was delayed for her. He who keeps his oath even to his own hurt is the Holy One, Blessed be He, as it is said, "But as the Lord lives, who has established me, and set me on the throne of David my father, and who has made me a house, as He promised, Adonijah shall be put to death this day" (1 Kings 2:24). And it is said, "And therefore I have sworn unto the house of Eli, that the iniquity of Eli's house shall not be expiated with sacrifice nor offering forever" (1 Samuel 3:14). He who swears to do evil and does not change is the Holy One, Blessed be He, who withholds his wrath and forgives, as it is said, "As the Lord lives, the glory of the Lord shall be established, and all the earth shall be filled with His glory" (Numbers 14:21). Rabbi Avin said, "He who swears to do evil is one who deprives himself of his money in order to distress his soul to do a mitzvah." And the Rabbis say that it is one who swears to restrain his evil inclination from sinning. He who does not lend his money on interest is the Holy One, Blessed be He, who did not give the Torah for money. As it says (Isaiah 55:1), "Ho, everyone who thirsts, come for water; and he who has no money, come buy and eat; come buy wine and milk without money and without price." And "He who takes no bribe against the innocent" (Psalms 15:5). For if all the nations of the world were to gather and offer all their wealth for one mitzvah (commandment) of the Torah, they could not fulfill it. Similarly, it is written (Song of Songs 8:7), "Many waters cannot quench love." These are the nations of the world, as it is written (Isaiah 17:12), "Woe to the multitude of many people." They seek to extinguish the love that the Holy One, blessed be He, has for Israel. "Rivers cannot wash it away" (Song of Songs 8:7). Rabbi Azariah says in the name of Rabbi Yehudah: In the future, when all the nations come to accuse Israel, and they say before the Holy One, blessed be He, "Master of the Universe, these are idolaters, and these are idolaters; these are those who commit sexual sins, and these are those who commit sexual sins; these are those who shed blood, and these are those who shed blood," He will say to them (Song of Songs 8:7), "If a man would give all the substance of his house for love, they would utterly despise him." What is written afterwards (Song of Songs 8:8)? "We have a little sister." What is this little one? All that Israel does is insignificant compared to what is given to them. Thus, all year round, Israel is covered in sins, but on Yom Kippur, they are atoned for, as it is written (Leviticus 16:30), "For on this day, He shall forgive you."