מדרש אויף דניאל 3:23

Another interpretation (of Lev. 6:2 [9]): COMMAND AARON…. What is the function of Aaron here?⁷Tanh., Lev. 2:2. Israel was bringing offerings while Aaron waited. So the Scripture says here: COMMAND AARON. Note also, it is written (in Numb. 28:2): COMMAND THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL, AND SAY UNTO THEM: MY OFFERING, MY BREAD FOR MY FIRE OFFERING < … YOU SHALL TAKE HEED TO OFFER ME IN ITS DUE SEASON >, but here it says (in Lev. 6:2 [9]): COMMAND AARON < … >: THIS IS THE TORAH OF THE ONE WHO ASCENDS (H'LH).⁸The masoretic text vocalizes this word as ha’olah, which means, THE BURNT OFFERING, but the midrash interprets the word as though it were vocalized ha’oleh, which means, “The one who ascends,” with the ascending implying self-exaltation. So also Lev. R. 7:6. The Holy One said: Whenever someone raises (rt.: 'LH) himself up, his end is to go in the fire.⁹M.Ps. 11:5. [It is so stated (in Lev. 6:2 [9], cont.):] THAT IS THE ONE WHICH ASCENDS UPON THE BURNING PLACE…. The generation of the flood < suffered > because of what they said (in Job 21:15): WHAT IS THE ALMIGHTY THAT WE SHOULD SERVE HIM? AND WHAT DO WE PROFIT WHEN WE PRAY TO HIM? For that reason they were sentenced to the fire (of Gehinnom). And likewise the Sodomites, as stated (in Gen. 19:24): THEN THE LORD RAINED DOWN UPON SODOM AND UPON GOMORRAH BRIMSTONE AND FIRE. When Pharaoh said (in Exod. 5:2): WHO IS THE LORD, [THAT I SHOULD HEED HIS VOICE]? he exalted (rt.: 'LH) himself and said (in Ezek. 29:3): THE NILE IS MY OWN AND I MADE MYSELF. < He is > therefore (in the words of Lev. 6:2 [9]) UPON THE BURNING PLACE, for so it says (in Ps. 18:14 [13]): THE LORD THUNDERED {FROM HEAVEN} [IN THE HEAVENS], AND THE MOST HIGH GAVE FORTH HIS VOICE, HAIL AND COALS OF FIRE. And also when Sennacherib exalted (rt.: 'LH) himself and said (in II Kings 19:23 = Is. 37:24): IT IS I WHO HAVE ASCENDED (rt.: 'LH) THE MOUNTAIN HEIGHTS TO THE REMOTEST PARTS OF LEBANON…, what happened to him? (II Kings 19:35:) THE ANGEL OF THE LORD WENT OUT AND SMOTE < ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THOUSAND > IN THE CAMP OF ASSYRIA…. (According to II Kings 19:23: cf. 18:17–35) he had blasphemed through a messenger (mal'akh);¹⁰The parallel in Is. 37:24 reads “servant” instead of “messenger.” therefore (in II Kings 19:35 = Is. 37:36 // II Chron. 32:21:) THE ANGEL (mal'akh) OF THE LORD WENT OUT AND SMOTE < ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTY-THOUSAND > IN THE CAMP OF ASSYRIA. What did he do to him? (Is. 10:16): AND UNDER HIS GLORY THERE SHALL BURN A BURNING LIKE THE BURNING OF FIRE. What is the meaning of UNDER HIS GLORY? That it burned him from within and left alone his clothes on the outside, since a person's glory is his garment.¹¹Cf. Sanh. 94a. Why did the Holy One leave their clothes behind? Because they were descendants of Shem, as stated (in Gen. 10:22): THE SONS OF SHEM ARE ELAM, ASSHUR,…. The Holy One said: I am indebted to their father Shem, because he took the garment and covered his father's nakedness, as stated (in Gen. 9:23): THEN SHEM AND JAPHETH TOOK A GARMENT…, < AND THEY COVERED THEIR FATHER'S NAKEDNESS >.¹²Cf. Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 2:21, which interprets the verse to show that Shem took the lead in this act. Therefore, the Holy One left their clothes alone and burned < only > their body. (Lev. 6:2 [9]:) THAT (i.e. the person who exalts himself) IS THE ONE WHICH ASCENDS (ha'oleh) UPON THE BURNING PLACE…. And so < it was in the case of > [Nebuchadnezzar, < who > he exalted (rt.: 'LH) himself. He said (in Is. 14:14): I WILL ASCEND (rt.: 'LH) UPON THE HEIGHTS OF A CLOUD; I WILL BECOME LIKE THE MOST HIGH (rt.: 'LH). The Holy One said to him: O wicked one, was it not enough that you should say (in vs. 13): I WILL ASCEND (rt.: 'LH) < TO THE HEAVENS >; ABOVE THE STARS OF GOD I WILL SET MY THRONE, but that you should say (in vs. 14): I WILL ASCEND (rt.: 'LH) UPON THE HEIGHTS OF A CLOUD, on high (rt.: 'LH)? And so he (i.e., Nebuchadnezzar) said to Hananiah and his friends (in Dan. 3:15): {WHO IS} [NOW WHO IS] THE GOD WHO SHALL DELIVER YOU OUT OF MY HAND? I have burned his house and exiled his people. He did not stand against me in his house; so will he overcome me in my house? What did he do? He threw them into the fiery furnace. What did the Holy One do? He gave a sign to the furnace and it became a highway.¹³PLTYA, from the Gk.: plateia. Buber suggests emending to PLNTYH, from the Gk.: planetes, i.e., “planets”. Whoever was designated to be burned [was not burned and whoever was not designated to be burned] was burned. So the fire went forth and burned half of the peoples. Thus you find, when they assembled for the dedication of the image, at first there were eight peoples, as stated (in Dan. 3:3): THEN THE SATRAPS, THE PREFECTS, AND THE GOVERNORS, THE COUNSELORS, THE TREASURERS, THE JUDGES, THE MAGISTRATES, AND ALL THE PROVINCIAL OFFICIALS ASSEMBLED. That makes eight peoples; but when they came in to see Hananiah and his friends, there were only four peoples written there (in vs. 27): THE SATRAPS, THE PREFECTS, THE GOVERNORS, AND THE ROYAL COMPANIONS ASSEMBLED. {That makes four peoples.} [So where were four peoples?] It is simply that (in vs. 22) THE FLAME OF THE FIRE SLEW THEM. Now Nebuchadnezzar also was burned by the fire, and the fright (i.e., repulsiveness) of < a body disfigured by > burning was put upon him.¹⁴For this interpretation, Jastrow, s.v., ‘immus. Why was all of him not burned? The Holy One said: Leave this evil man half of himself so that he may know against whom he blasphemed. The Holy One said to him: O Wicked One, did you not say: I do not want to live with the children of Adam, but (in Is. 14:14): I WILL ASCEND (rt.: 'LH) UPON THE HEIGHTS OF A CLOUD? [By your life,] (according to Dan. 4:22 [25]) YOU SHALL BE DRIVEN AWAY FROM HUMANS. Just as he brought the plagues upon Pharaoh and upon Egypt, so he brought < punishment > upon Nebuchadnezzar. It is so stated (in Dan. 3:32 [4:2]): THE SIGNS AND WONDERS WHICH THE MOST HIGH GOD HAS WORKED FOR ME IT SEEMED GOOD TO ME TO MAKE KNOWN. This fright of < a body disfigured by > burning fell upon him. Therefore it is stated (in Lev. 6:2 [9]): THAT IS THE ONE WHICH ASCENDS (H'LH) UPON THE BURNING PLACE….

Chapter 7: Torah. [1] "Go out from the ark" (Genesis 8:16). In the scriptures it is said: I do obey the king’s orders—[and don’t rush into uttering an oath by God.]" (Ecclesiastes 8:2) - the Holy Spirit said to Israel: "I adjure you that if the kingdom decrees something upon you, do not rebel against it in anything it decrees upon you. But if it decrees to abolish the Torah, the commandments, and the Sabbath, do not listen to them." As it says: "I am the king's servant, keep [his word] for every matter" (Ecclesiastes 8:2). However, regarding the oath of God, "Do not hurry to leave his presence" (Ecclesiastes 8:3). Just as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did when Nebuchadnezzar set up the statue, they were told, "What do you say that you are casting us into the fiery furnace, and the Lord will not save us? Whether He saves us or not, we will not bow down to the image," as it says, "But if not, let it be known to you" (Daniel 3:18). He said to them, "You are rebels." They replied, "The truth is clear," as it says, "There is a way that is straight before a person" (Daniel 3:14). They said to him, "We do not care about Nebuchadnezzar," as it says, "We will not be concerned with your words" (Daniel 3:16)." They said to him, "Whatever you decree upon us, we will do, and we will listen to you, and we will not rebel against you, except for Yom Kippur of our God. [Say to him] I do! “Obey the king’s orders, leave his presence, do not tarry in a dangerous situation, for he can do anything he pleases;" (Ecclesiastes 8:2-3). When Nebuchadnezzar heard this, he became angry, as it says: "Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury" (Daniel 3:19), and he threw them bound into the furnace, as it says: "And they cast them into the midst of the burning fiery furnace" (Daniel 3:23). When they descended, they lifted their eyes and said before the Lord: "Master of the Universe, it is revealed and known before You that we did not trust in anything except Your great Name, as it says: "Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory" (Psalm 115:1). At that point, all the languages gathered, as it says: "Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up" (Daniel 3:3). Immediately, the angels requested to descend and release them, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, "Do these angels descend on account of any one of you? Rather, they descend on account of My name. I will descend and save them, as it is said, 'He executes justice for the oppressed...the Lord frees the bound.' (Psalm 146:7) Just as Moses freed the Israelites from the furnace, and the Holy One, blessed be He, removed the furnace and raised it up and leveled it with the ground, which had been low and deep. Once the angel descended and said to them, 'Go out from here,' then the Holy One, blessed be He, released them and performed miracles for them. He leveled the furnace with the ground, and they went out. They said to him, 'We will not go out without the permission of Nebuchadnezzar, lest people say that we fled from the furnace. "I do Obey the king’s orders" (Ecclesiastes 8:2) We were thrown in here by his permission, and we will go out by his permission." Once Nebuchadnezzar came and saw them, he was amazed and began to shout, 'Come out!' As it is said, 'The king cried out to bring in the astrologers...' (Daniel 2:2) Once the furnace had become level with the ground, they went out. They said to the angel, 'Now we will go out,' as it is said, 'Then they went out...' (Daniel 3:26) From whom did they learn this? From Noah. When he entered the ark, he did so with the permission of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, 'And the Lord said to Noah, "Enter the ark, you and all your household."' (Genesis 7:1) Once the earth dried up and the ark rested, as it is said, 'And the ark rested...' (Genesis 8:4) His children said to him, 'Let us go out from here.' He said to them, 'God forbid! We entered with the permission of the Holy One, blessed be He, and we will go out with His permission.' Once the Holy One, blessed be He, heard this, He immediately spoke to Noah, saying, 'Go out of the ark.' (Genesis 8:16) Therefore, it is said, 'I do Obey the king’s orders' (Ecclesiastes 8:2)

And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego, fell down bound into the midst of a fiery burning furnace (ibid. 3:23). After they were cast into the furnace, they looked upward and exclaimed: “O Master, Lord of the universe, it is revealed to Thee, and Thou dost certainly know, that we rely not upon our own deeds (to be saved) but upon Thine exalted name, which must not be desecrated in the sight of the nations. Not unto us, 0, Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory…. Wherefore should the nations exclaim: “Where is now their God?” (Ps. 115:1–2).” The wicked man, Nebuchadnezzar, had brought together people from all over the Empire, as it is said: And the satraps, the prefects, the governors, judges, treasurers, counsellors, sheriffs, and all the rulers of the provinces, to come to the dedication of the image (Dan. 3:3).