וְהַֽנַּעֲרָ֖ה יָפָ֣ה עַד־מְאֹ֑ד וַתְּהִ֨י לַמֶּ֤לֶךְ סֹכֶ֙נֶת֙ וַתְּשָׁ֣רְתֵ֔הוּ וְהַמֶּ֖לֶךְ לֹ֥א יְדָעָֽהּ׃
און די מײדל איז געװען שײן ביז גאָר; און זי איז געװען דעם מלך אַ װאַרטאָרין, און האָט אים באַדינט; אָבער דער מלך האָט זי ניט דערקענט.
Ein Yaakov
What is meant by 'a wicked bond'? Shebna taught to twelve myriads, while Hezekiah taught to eleven myriads. When Sennacherib came and besieged Jerusalem, Shebna wrote on an arrowhead: 'Shebna and his group have made peace; Hezekiah and his group have not.' As it is written: 'For, behold, the wicked bend the bow, they have prepared their arrow upon the string.' Hezekiah was in doubt, saying, 'Perhaps, God forbid, the Holy One, Blessed be He, will follow the majority? If the majority surrender, they too will surrender.' A prophet came and said to him: 'Do not say "conspiracy" regarding all that this people call a conspiracy.' Meaning, it is a conspiracy of the wicked, and a conspiracy of the wicked is not counted. He went to dig a grave for himself in the tombs of the house of David. A prophet came and said to him: 'What are you doing here? And who are you here? For you have dug a grave here...' Rav said: 'The upheaval of a man is harder than that of a woman.' 'And they shall wrap you in a wrap,' Rabbi Yosei son of Rabbi Hanina said: 'This teaches that leprosy broke out on him. As it is written here: "And they shall wrap you in a wrap", and it is written there: "And his upper lip shall be covered." 'He will surely violently turn and toss you like a ball into a large country,' A tanna taught: He sought to elevate himself and disgrace his master's house; therefore, his honor was turned to disgrace. When he went out, the angel Gabriel stuck him to the ground by his hair. They said to him: 'Where is your retinue?' He said: 'Return to me.' They said to him: 'If so, your sister is laughing at the son!' They stabbed him in the heels and hung him on the tails of their horses, and they dragged him over thorns and thistles. Rabbi Elazar said: 'Shebna was a hedonist, as it is written here: "Go, come to the steward," and it is written there: "And the king had a stewardess.
Bereshit Rabbah
“It was upon Abram’s arrival in Egypt, the Egyptians saw the woman, that she was very beautiful” (Genesis 12:14).
“It was upon Abram’s arrival in Egypt, the Egyptians saw” – and where was Sarah?20“It was upon Abram’s arrival” implies that he was alone, without Sarai. He had placed her in a chest and locked her in it. When they arrived at customs, they said to him: ‘Pay the duty.’ He said: ‘I will pay the duty.’ They said to him: ‘[Perhaps] you are transporting garments?’ He said: ‘I will pay [the duty] for garments.’ They said to him: ‘[Perhaps] you are transporting gold?’ He said: ‘I will pay [the duty] for gold.’ They said to him:’ Perhaps you are transporting silk garments?’ He said: ‘I will pay [the duty] for silk garments.’ ‘[Perhaps] you are transporting gems?’ He said: ‘I will pay [the duty] for gems.’ [Nevertheless,] they said to him: ‘It is not possible [for you to pass] unless you open [the chest] and show us what is inside it.’ When he opened it, the entire land of Egypt shone with her radiance.
Rabbi Azarya and Rabbi Yonatan bar Ḥagai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: An image of Eve was passed down to the leaders of [all] the generations.21As a standard of unsurpassed beauty. Elsewhere it is written: “The young woman [Avishag] was very [ad meod] beautiful” (I Kings 1:4) – she approximated the image of Eve.22Ad means: Up to but not including. Me’od refers to the image of Eve (see next note). Avishag approximated Eve’s beauty, but did not reach that level. However, here it says: “That she was very [meod] beautiful” – meod is the image of Eve.23The letters of meod are the same letters as Adam. Eve is called Adam in the verse: “He called their name Adam” (Genesis 5:2). Therefore, Eve’s beauty is represented by the word me’od.
“Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house” (Genesis 12:15).
“Pharaoh’s officials saw her […and the woman was taken [vatukaḥ] to Pharaoh’s house]” – she was continuously increasing in price. One said: ‘I will give one hundred dinars and I will enter with her.’24I will present her to the king. This is expounded from the word vatukaḥ – indicating raising up. Another said: ‘I will give two hundred and enter with her.’ I know that this is so [regarding the righteous]25That people vie for the right to attend to them. only when they are ascendant.26When the righteous are on the ascent in their lives, as was Sarai at this point. From where do I derive that it is so [even] when they are descendant? “They pulled Jeremiah with the ropes and raised [vayaalu] him from the pit” (Jeremiah 38:13).27They sought to outbid one another [vayaalu] for the right to extricate Jeremiah from the pit. I know this only regarding this world, regarding the World to Come,28The messianic future. from where is it derived? The verse states: “The peoples will take them [ulkaḥum] and bring them to their place” (Isaiah 14:2).29The nations will vie with each other in sending the Jewish exiles among them back to the land of Israel.
“It was upon Abram’s arrival in Egypt, the Egyptians saw” – and where was Sarah?20“It was upon Abram’s arrival” implies that he was alone, without Sarai. He had placed her in a chest and locked her in it. When they arrived at customs, they said to him: ‘Pay the duty.’ He said: ‘I will pay the duty.’ They said to him: ‘[Perhaps] you are transporting garments?’ He said: ‘I will pay [the duty] for garments.’ They said to him: ‘[Perhaps] you are transporting gold?’ He said: ‘I will pay [the duty] for gold.’ They said to him:’ Perhaps you are transporting silk garments?’ He said: ‘I will pay [the duty] for silk garments.’ ‘[Perhaps] you are transporting gems?’ He said: ‘I will pay [the duty] for gems.’ [Nevertheless,] they said to him: ‘It is not possible [for you to pass] unless you open [the chest] and show us what is inside it.’ When he opened it, the entire land of Egypt shone with her radiance.
Rabbi Azarya and Rabbi Yonatan bar Ḥagai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: An image of Eve was passed down to the leaders of [all] the generations.21As a standard of unsurpassed beauty. Elsewhere it is written: “The young woman [Avishag] was very [ad meod] beautiful” (I Kings 1:4) – she approximated the image of Eve.22Ad means: Up to but not including. Me’od refers to the image of Eve (see next note). Avishag approximated Eve’s beauty, but did not reach that level. However, here it says: “That she was very [meod] beautiful” – meod is the image of Eve.23The letters of meod are the same letters as Adam. Eve is called Adam in the verse: “He called their name Adam” (Genesis 5:2). Therefore, Eve’s beauty is represented by the word me’od.
“Pharaoh’s officials saw her, they praised her to Pharaoh, and the woman was taken to Pharaoh’s house” (Genesis 12:15).
“Pharaoh’s officials saw her […and the woman was taken [vatukaḥ] to Pharaoh’s house]” – she was continuously increasing in price. One said: ‘I will give one hundred dinars and I will enter with her.’24I will present her to the king. This is expounded from the word vatukaḥ – indicating raising up. Another said: ‘I will give two hundred and enter with her.’ I know that this is so [regarding the righteous]25That people vie for the right to attend to them. only when they are ascendant.26When the righteous are on the ascent in their lives, as was Sarai at this point. From where do I derive that it is so [even] when they are descendant? “They pulled Jeremiah with the ropes and raised [vayaalu] him from the pit” (Jeremiah 38:13).27They sought to outbid one another [vayaalu] for the right to extricate Jeremiah from the pit. I know this only regarding this world, regarding the World to Come,28The messianic future. from where is it derived? The verse states: “The peoples will take them [ulkaḥum] and bring them to their place” (Isaiah 14:2).29The nations will vie with each other in sending the Jewish exiles among them back to the land of Israel.