מדרש אויף איוב 12:14

(Lev. 20:9:) FOR ANYONE WHATEVER WHO CURSES HIS FATHER OR HIS MOTHER SHALL SURELY BE PUT TO DEATH. Solomon said (in Prov. 20:20): < IF SOMEONE > CURSES HIS FATHER OR MOTHER, HIS LIGHT WILL GO OUT AT THE APPROACH OF DARKNESS. Our Masters have said: Because Ham saw his father's nakedness, yet did not utter a curse at him, he and his descendants have < only > been alienated until the end of the whole world.⁵⁶Tanh., Lev. 7:15. How much worse it is for one who does curse his father! The Scripture says (in Prov. 24:20): FOR THERE WILL BE NO FUTURE FOR THE EVIL ONE, < THE LAMP OF THE WICKED GOES OUT >. Come and see the honoring of father and mother, how dear it is before the Holy One; for the Holy One does not withhold his reward, either from the righteous or from the wicked. Where is it shown? From Esau the Wicked. Because he honored his father, the Holy One gave him all this honor. R. Eleazar says: Esau the Wicked shed three tears, [one] from his right eye, one from his left eye, and the third was attached in his eye and did not run down. When? When Isaac blessed Jacob, as stated (in Gen. 27:38): AND ESAU LIFTED UP HIS VOICE AND WEPT.⁵⁷Cf. Tanh., Lev. 7:15, which adds here: “Come and see how much prosperity the Holy One gave him. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 80:6 [5]): YOU HAVE FED THEM THE BREAD OF TEARS AND HAVE HAD THEM DRINK A SHALISH OF TEARS. Shalosh is not written but shalish, because there were not three (shalosh) whole ones.” So if the Holy One recompensed this wicked one, because he honored his father, how much the more < will he do so > in the case of one who honors his fathers. < The Holy One > said (in Job 41:3 [11]): WHO HAS WELCOMED (hiqdim) ME THAT I SHOULD REPAY HIM? [EVERYTHING UNDER THE HEAVENS IS MINE.] The Holy One said: Who is this one who has advanced (hiqdim) honor to his father, and I have not given him children? And so it says in Job (11:5–7): O THAT GOD WOULD SPEAK…; AND THAT HE WOULD TELL YOU THE SECRETS OF WISDOM… ! WOULD YOU DISCOVER THE MYSTERY OF GOD…? To what is Job comparable? To whoever is put in a collare,⁵⁸The Latin word denotes a band or chain, in particular one put around the neck of a prisoner. and said: I know what is within the palace⁵⁹Lat.: palatium. of the king. They said to him: Free your self from the collare, and we shall know that you are speaking the truth.⁶⁰Cf. Mark 15:30 = Matthew 27:40. So also Job was clothed in seven kinds of boils, and in need of alms, as stated (in Job 19:21): HAVE PITY ON ME, HAVE PITY ON ME, O YOU MY FRIENDS, FOR THE HAND OF GOD HAS AFFLICTED ME. He also says: I have reached the end of the works of the Holy One. Thus it is stated (in Job 23:5): I WOULD KNOW {WHAT} WORDS HE WOULD ANSWER ME [AND UNDERSTAND WHAT HE WOULD SAY TO ME]. His companions said to him (in Job 11:7): WOULD YOU DISCOVER THE MYSTERY OF GOD…? (Job 12:14:) BEHOLD, WHATEVER HE {CONDEMNS TO DESTRUCTION} [DESTROYS] WILL NOT BE REBUILT…. Who, after he had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and had overthrown them, who has rebuilt them? No creature can stand on his own works, as stated (in Eccl. 7:13): SEE THE WORK OF GOD; FOR WHO CAN MAKE STRAIGHT WHAT HE HAS MADE CROOKED? The Holy One said: In this world the children of Adam are afflicted because of the evil drive, but in the world to come I will remove the evil drive from them.⁶¹Above, 7:14. 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….

(Lev. 20:9:) “For anyone whatever who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” So too is it stated (Exod. 21:17), “He who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death.” Solomon said (in Prov. 20:20), “[If someone] curses his father or mother, his light will go out [at the approach of darkness].” Our masters said, “Because Ham saw his father's nakedness, even though he did not utter a curse at him, he and his descendants have been alienated until the end of the whole world. How much the more so for one who does curse his father!” Scripture says (in Prov. 24:20), “For there will be no future for the evil one, the lamp of the wicked goes out.” Come and see the honoring of father and mother, how dear it is before the Holy One, blessed be He; for the Holy One, blessed be He, does not withhold the reward, either from the righteous or from the wicked. Where is it shown? From Esau the wicked. Because he honored his father, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him all this honor. R. Eleazar says, “Esau the wicked shed three tears, [one] from his right eye, one from his left eye, and the third was attached in his eye and did not run down. When? When Isaac blessed Jacob, as stated (in Gen. 27:38), ‘and Esau lifted up his voice and wept.’” Come and see how much prosperity the Holy One gave him. Thus it is stated (in Ps. 80:6), “You have fed them the bread of tears and have had them drink a shalish of tears.” Shalosh (three) is not written but shalish (a third), because there were not three (shalosh) whole ones. So if the Holy One, blessed be He, recompensed this wicked one, because he honored his father, how much the more [will He do so] in the case of one who honors his fathers and fulfills other commandments. The Holy One, blessed be He, said (in Job 41:3), “’Who has welcomed (hiqdim) Me that I should repay him; everything under the heavens is Mine’; who is this one who has advanced (hiqdim) honor to his father, and I have not given him children?” And so it says in Job (11:5-7), “O that God would speak […]; And that He would tell you the secrets of wisdom…! Would you discover the mystery of God…?” To what is Job comparable? To whoever is put in a collare,⁴²The Latin word denotes a band or chain, in particular one put around the neck of a prisoner. and said, “I know what is within the palace⁴³Lat.: palatium. of the king.” They said to him, “Free yourself from the collare, and we shall know that you are speaking the truth.” So also Job was clothed in seven kinds of boils and in need of alms, as stated (in Job 19:21), “Have pity on me, have pity on me, O you my friends, for the hand of God has afflicted me.” And [yet] he says, “I have gotten to the bottom of the works of the Holy One, blessed be He.” Thus it is stated (in Job 23:5), “I would know words He would answer me and understand what He would say to me.” His companions said to him (in Job 11:7), “Would you discover the mystery of God…?” (Job 12:14:) “Behold, whatever He destroys will not be rebuilt, whoever He shuts in cannot be set free.” Who, after he had destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah and had overthrown them, who has rebuilt them? Who, after he is shut the ground in front of Korah and his assembly, can reopen it? No creature can fathom His works, as stated (in Eccl. 7:13), “See the work of God; for who can make straight what He has made crooked?” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “In this world the people are afflicted because of the evil drive; but in the world to come I will remove the evil drive from them.”⁴⁴Above, 7:14. 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….”

“Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt, and Jacob said to his sons: Why do you make yourselves conspicuous?” (Genesis 42:1).
“Jacob saw that there was grain [shever] in Egypt” – “Happy is he whose help is from the God of Jacob, whose hope [sivro] is in the Lord his God” (Psalms 146:5). “Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt” – “Behold, He demolishes, and it will not be rebuilt” (Job 12:14) – once the Holy One blessed be He stymied the intention of the tribes,¹The plan of Joseph’s brothers to kill him. it was not restored. “He shuts a man in, and it will not be opened” (Job 12:14) – these are the ten tribes, who were entering and exiting Egypt, and they did not know that Joseph was alive. But it was revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive, as it is stated: “Jacob saw that there was shever in Egypt” – “that there was disaster [shever]”²The word shever, generally translated in Genesis 42:1 to mean grain, can also mean disaster; see, e.g., Lamentations 2:11. – this is the famine; “that there was hope [sever]”³The midrash interprets the verse as though it said “hope [sever],” because the letters shin and sin are interchangeable. – this is the plenty. “That there was disaster [shever]” – “Joseph was taken down to Egypt” (Genesis 39:1); “that there was hope [sever]” – “Joseph was the ruler over the land” (Genesis 42:6). “That there was disaster [shever]” – “they will be enslaved to them and they will oppress them” (Genesis 15:13); “that there was hope [sever]” – “then they will emerge with great wealth” (Genesis 15:14). “Who says to the sun and it does not shine” (Job 9:7) – this is Jacob; “and seals the stars” (Job 9:7) – these are the ten tribes, who were entering and exiting Egypt, and they did not know that Joseph was alive.⁴The verse in Job is thus understood to mean that God withheld the full “shine” of the divine spirit from Jacob, and although he had a sense that Joseph was alive, he did not have clear knowledge of the matter. On the other hand, God withheld this sense entirely from Joseph’s brothers (Etz Yosef). But it was revealed to Jacob that Joseph was alive.