מדרש אויף בראשית 4:22

From the parashah of the <Red> Heifer:¹The two sections in this supplement come from Buber’s second Oxford MS., Hund Donat 20 Uri Heb CXVI, No. 153; cf. A. Jellinek, Bet ha-Midrasch (Leipzig: Vollrath, 1853-1877), vol. 1, pp. 79f., 92ff, in midrashim entitled “Midrasch der zehn Gebote” and “Midrash vom Ableben Aharon’s” respectively. Jellinek’s versions are reprinted in J. D. Eisenstein, Ozar Midrashim (New York, 1915), vol. 2, p. 457ab, and vol. 1, pp. 13b-14b, respectively. See further in the Buber edition of the Tanhuma on Numbers, pp. 151-152, n. 1; also in his introduction to this edition, p. 123. There was a story about R. Matthew bar Heresh. Now he was wealthy, feared Heaven, practiced virtuous beneficence, pursued good deeds of charity, and entertained the disciples of the sages from his own assets. Moreover, orphans and widows were always found at his table. All his paths were in uprightness, and like his master, R. Meir, he was occupied with the Torah all his days. So the radiance of his countenance shone like the brightness of the sun; and they said of him that at no time in his life had he ever looked at anyone's wife or at any other woman. On one occasion he was sitting and occupied with the Torah, when Satan passed by. Upon seeing him, he was envious of him. He said: Is it possible for a righteous person to exist in the world without sin! Immediately he went up on high, where he stood before the Holy One and said: Sovereign of the World, how does Matthew ben Heresh stand before you? He said to him: Completely righteous. He said to him: Give me permission to test him. He gave him permission. Immediately he went and found him sitting and occupied with the Torah. He became like a beautiful woman, whose beauty had not been equalled since the the days of Naamah, the sister of Tubal Cain (of Gen. 4:22), through whom the ministering angels went astray. It is so stated (in Gen. 6:2): THE SONS OF GOD SAW HOW BEAUTIFUL THE HUMAN DAUGHTERS WERE <AND TOOK WHOMEVER THEY CHOSE AS THEIR WIVES>. When <Matthew ben Heresh> saw her, he turned his face away. Again Satan went opposite his face. He turned his face to another side, but Satan was opposite his face. When he saw that she was turning to <face him on> all sides, he said in his heart: I am afraid that the evil drive may prevail against me. So what did that righteous man do? He called one of his students to attend him. He said to him: Go, my son, and get me fire and pins! When he had brought them, he ignited <the pin> in the fire and stuck them in his eyes.²See Matthew 5:28-29; 18:9. When Satan saw that, he trembled in dismay. So he went away from him, ascended on high, where he said: Sovereign of the World, thus and such happened. Immediately the Holy One called Raphael (rt.: RPh'), Prince of the Healing Arts (rt.: RPh') and said to him: Go and heal (rt.: RPh') the eyes of Matthew ben Heresh. The angel Raphael went and stood by him. R. Matthew ben Heresh said: Who are you? He said to him: I am Raphael, the angel of the table of the Holy One, who has sent me to heal (rt.: RPh') your eyes. He answered him: I do not want <healing>. What happened happened. Raphael returned to the Holy One and said to him: Matthew ben Heresh told me thus and such. The Holy One said to him: Go, say to him: From this day on do not fear. I am standing surety for you in this matter, that the evil drive will never prevail against you all the days of your life. When he heard this from the mouth of the angel, he accepted his healing and was not afraid. Here is the origin of what the sages have said: Whoever does not look at another woman will not have the evil drive prevailing against him. Moreover, in the world to come the Holy One will remove the evil drive from us and set his Holy Spirit within us. It is so stated (in Ezek. 36:26–27): THEN I WILL REMOVE THE HEART OF STONE FROM YOUR FLESH AND GIVE YOU A HEART OF FLESH, AND I WILL PUT MY SPIRIT WITHIN YOU.

“Ada bore Yaval; he was the forerunner of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock (mikneh). And the name of his brother was Yuval; he was the forerunner of all those who handle the harp and flute” (Genesis 4:20–21).
“Ada bore Yaval; [he was the forerunner of those who dwell in tents and raise livestock (mikneh)]” – initially, they would infuriate (makneh) the Holy One blessed be He discreetly;⁴In “the tents,” i.e. in private. then they proceeded to infuriate him publicly.⁵With musical accompaniment, with “the harp and flute.” That is what is written: “Where there was the seat of the infuriating (kin’a) image” (Ezekiel 8:3).
“And the name of his brother was Yuval; he was the forerunner of all those who handle the harp and flute” (Genesis 4:21) – harpists and flutists.⁶They would play the instruments in rites of idol worship.
“And Tzila, too, gave birth, to Tuval Cain, a forger of every sharp instrument of bronze and iron, and the sister of Tuval Cain was Naama” (Genesis 4:22).
“And Tzila, too, gave birth, to Tuval Cain.” Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin said in the name of Rabbi Levi: This one improved upon [tibel] Cain’s transgression; Cain killed, but he did not have an instrument with which to kill, but this one was “a forger of every sharp instrument of bronze and iron.”⁷He developed weapons suitable for killing.
“And the sister of Tuval Cain was Naama.” Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: Naama was Noah’s wife. Why did they call her Naama? It is because her actions were pleasing [ne’imim]. The Rabbis say: Naama was someone else, [not Noah’s wife].⁸Being Cain’s descendant, she must have perished in the Flood, and could not have been Noah’s wife. And why did they call her Naama? It is because she played the tambourine pleasantly [man’emet] for idol worship.

The facts have been handed down to us by tradition and they have been proven to be a certainty even in our days, that at the time when our holy city of Jerusalem had been given to destruction by Titus, all the captains of the victorious armies were permitted to enter the city to plunder it and to rob it. And among the captains of Titus, was one by the name of Sidror, who on his predatory search saw a mansion high and stately, and he entered it and appropriated all that was to be found therein. And while about to leave the premises he observed something unusual and suspicious in the construction of a certain wall, which led him to believe that there must be some treasure hidden away in a secret receptacle. The wall was accordingly torn down as also the entire building, whereupon Sidror discovered a secret passage, which he followed up and reached an underground chamber filled with a great many books, to-wit: Books of the Law, the Prophets and the Hagiography, as also histories of the kings of Israel and of the kings of other nations, and numerous other books concerning the people of Israel, with the authorized and accepted books of the Mishnah. Sidror saw there also lying around many manuscripts in scrolls. Outside of all these things the chamber contained rich stores of eatables and an abundant supply of wine. And in the midst of these books and supplies Sidror found an old man, deeply imbrued in study over some of the books. The soldier seeing that strange sight was greatly astonished, and addressed himself to the old man saying: What causeth thee to make thy abode in this place, and at that alone without anybody to attend thee? And the old man replied saying: It is now many days, years and seasons that I knew of the second destruction of Jerusalem to come, and therefore I had built unto myself this house with its subterranean chamber, and I have brought along with me these books to read in them, and I also took along a sufficient store of supplies to sustain my life, and I said: perhaps my soul might escape destruction by these means.