מדרש אויף מלכים א 22:34

(Deut. 3:23:) “I besought the Lord.” This text is related (to Job 9:22), “It is all one; therefore, I say, ‘He destroys the innocent and the wicked.’” Moses said, “Master of the world, everything is equal before you. There is one determination for the righteous and for the wicked.” Similarly also Solomon says (in Eccl. 9:2), “Since everything [happens] to everyone, the same lot [falls] to the righteous and to the wicked, [to the good, to the clean and to the unclean, to the one who sacrifices and to the one who does not sacrifice; as it is with the good, so it is with the sinner; the one who takes an oath is like one who fears an oath].” (Eccl. 9:2:) “To the righteous” refers to Noah.¹Lev. R. 20:1; Eccl. R. 9:2:1; PRK 26:1; cf. Tanh., Lev. 6:1; above, Lev. 6:1. R. Phinehas [said] in the name of R. Johanan, [who spoke] in the name of R. Eliezer the son of R. Jose the Galilean, “When Noah came out of the ark, the lion bit him and maimed him so that he became unfit to offer sacrifice; so his son Shem offered sacrifice in his place.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “And to the wicked” refers to Pharaoh Necho. When he wanted to sit on Solomon's throne [and] did not know its mechanism,²Gk.: manganon. a lion which was on the throne³I Kings 10:19-20 = II Chron. 9:18-19. bit him and maimed him. The former died with a limp, and the latter died with a limp. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “To the good” refers to Moses, as stated (in Exod. 2:2), “And when she saw that he was good,” in that he was born circumcised.⁴Sot. 12a; Exod. R. 1:20. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “To the clean” refers to Aaron, who would cleanse the sins of Israel. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “And to the unclean,” refers to the spies. The one group (i.e., the spies) uttered slander against the land of Israel, while the other (i.e., Moses and Aaron) uttered praise for the land of Israel; [still] the former did not enter [the land], nor did the latter enter it. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “To the one who sacrifices” refers to Josiah, as stated (in II Chron. 35:7), “Then Josiah donated to the lay people a flock of lambs and kids, all for Passover sacrifices.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “And to the one who does not sacrifice” refers to Ahab, who abolished the sacrifices from upon the altar, since this is what is written (in II Chron. 18:2), “where Ahab slaughtered sheep and cattle for him (i.e., for Jehoshaphat).” “For him” he slaughtered, but for sacrifices he did not slaughter. [Nevertheless] the former died by arrows, as written (in II Chron. 35:23), “Then the archers shot King Josiah,”⁵Cf. yQid. 1:7 (61a); Ta‘an 23b; MQ 28b; Sanh. 48b. and the latter died by arrows, as written (in I Kings 22:34 = II Chron. 18:33), “But a certain man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel….” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “As it is for the good refers to David, of whom it is stated (in I Sam. 16:12), “And they sent and they brought him, and he was ruddy with beautiful eyes and a good appearance.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “So it is with the sinner” refers to Nebuchadnezzar, of whom it is written (in Dan. 4:24), “atone for your sinning through righteousness.” The former built the Temple and reigned forty years. The latter destroyed the Temple and reigned forty years. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “The one who takes an oath (without keeping it)” refers to Zedekiah, of whom it is written (in II Chron. 36:13), “And he also rebelled against Nebuchadnezzar who had made him take an oath by God.” What was his rebellion?⁶Ned. 65a. Zedekiah discovered Nebuchadnezzar as he was eating a live rabbit. Nebuchadnezzar said to Zedekiah, “Swear to me that you will not reveal it.” He swore to him. In the end he was inwardly sorry, and he had his oath absolved. When the other kings heard [what Nebuchadnezzar did], they disparaged him. [Moreover] they were saying against him, “Be aware of who is ruling the earth, one who eats live rabbit!” When Nebuchadnezzar heard [what they were saying], he sent to have the Sanhedrin⁷Gk.: Synedrion. and Zedekiah come to him. He said to them, “Have you seen what Zedekiah has done to me; did he not swear to me?” [Zedekiah] said to him, “I had my oath absolved.” He (Nebuchadnezzar) said to the Sanhedrin, “Can an oath be absolved?” They said to him, “One absolves [an oath, if there is] danger to one's life.” He said to them, “When?” They said to him, “On the same day.” He said to them, “In the presence of him [to whom the oath was sworn] or not in his presence?” They said to him, “In his presence.” He said to them, “And what was the reason you did not say [so] to Zedekiah?” Immediately (in the words of Lam. 2:10), “The elders of the Daughters of Zion sit on the ground in silence.” R. Isaac said, “[This teaches that] they removed the pillows and cushions from beneath them.” (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) “Like one who fears an oath.” This refers to Samson, [as stated (in Jud. 15:12),] “then Samson said to them, ‘Swear to me that you yourselves will not attack me.’” From here [we know] that he feared an oath. [The former died with his eyes gouged out, and the latter died with his eyes gouged out.] The former died with his eyes gouged out according to what is stated (in II Kings 25:7 = Jer. 39:7 = Jer. 52:11), “then he put out Zedekiah's eyes.” This was one of seven who were like the first Adam [in one feature.⁸Cf. Sot. 10a. In the case of] Zedekiah [it was] because of his eyes. So they thrust iron lances⁹Gk.: logchai. into his eyes, but his eyes were not put out until they slaughtered his children before his eyes, and then they put out his eyes. It is so stated (II Kings 25:7), “And they slaughtered the children of Zedekiah before his eyes and then he put out Zedekiah's eyes.” Samson also [died with his eyes gouged out, as stated (in Jud. 16:21), “] “So the Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes.” Another interpretation (of Eccl. 9:2), “Since everything [happens] to everyone.” Moses said in front of the Holy One, blessed be He, “Master of the world, everything is the same for You; You destroy (according to Job 9:22) ‘the innocent and the wicked.’ The spies provoked You with anger by slandering the land, as stated (in Numbers 13:32), ‘And they put out slander against the land,’ while I have served your children forty years in the wilderness. [Yet] the same lot is [in store] for me as for them.” A parable: To what is the matter comparable? To a king who wanted to take a wife. He sent emissaries¹⁰Shulahin. The word represents the Hebrew concept behind the Greek and Latin words translated “apostles” and denotes people having the ancient equivalent of a power of attorney. to see whether she was beautiful or not. They went to see her. [Then] they came [back] and said to him, “We have seen her and there is no one more desolate and ugly than she.” When her sponsor heard, he said, “My Lord, there is no one in the world more beautiful than she.” He came to marry her. The father of the young woman said to the king's emissaries, “I swear by the life of the king that not one of you shall come to [the wedding feast], seeing that you humiliated her before the king.” When the sponsor came to enter, he said to him, “You also may not come in.” The sponsor said to him, “I did not see her and [yet] I told the king that there was no one more beautiful than she, while those said, ‘There is no one more ugly than she.’ And now allow me [to enter] and I shall see whether [she is] like my report or like their report.” Similarly Moses said to the Holy One, blessed be He, “My master, the spies uttered slander, [in describing the land (in Numb. 13:32) as] ‘a land that eats up its inhabitants.’ I, however, have not seen it, but I have praised it before Your children (in Deut. 8:7), ‘For the Lord your God is bringing you unto a good land.’ And now I shall see whether [it is] like my report or like their report.” Thus it is stated (in Deut. 3:25), “Please let me cross over and see the good land […].” He said to him (in Deut. 3:27), “For you shall not cross over [this Jordan].” Moshe said to him, “If so, everything is the same for You. You destroy (in accordance with Job 9:22) ‘the innocent and the wicked.’”

(Deut. 3:23:) I BESOUGHT THE LORD…. This text is related (to Job 9:22): IT IS ALL ONE; THEREFORE, I SAY: HE DESTROYS THE INNOCENT AND THE WICKED. Moses said: Sovereign of the World, everything is equal before you.¹Tanh., Deut. 2:1. There is one determination for the righteous and for the wicked. Similarly also Solomon says (in Eccl. 9:2): SINCE EVERYTHING <HAPPENS> TO EVERYONE, THE SAME LOT <FALLS> TO THE RIGHTEOUS AND TO THE WICKED, TO THE GOOD, TO THE CLEAN AND TO THE UNCLEAN, TO THE ONE WHO SACRIFICES AND TO THE ONE WHO DOES NOT SACRIFICE. AS IT IS WITH THE GOOD, SO IT IS THE SINNER; THE ONE WHO TAKES AN OATH IS LIKE ONE WHO FEARS AN OATH. (Eccl. 9:2:) TO THE RIGHTEOUS refers to Noah.²Lev. R. 20:1; Eccl. R. 9:2:1; PRK 26:1; cf. Tanh., Lev. 6:1; above, Lev. 6:1. R. Pinhas <said> in the name of R. Johanan, <who spoke> in the name of R. Eleazar the son of R. Jose the Galilean: When Noah came out of the ark, the lion bit him and maimed him so that he became unfit to offer sacrifice; so his son Shem offered sacrifice in his place.³Contrary to Gen. 8:20. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) AND TO THE WICKED refers to Pharaoh Necho. When he wanted to sit on Solomon's throne <and> did not know its mechanism,⁴Gk.: manganon. a lion which was on the throne⁵I Kings 10:19-20 = II Chron. 9:18-19. bit him and maimed him. The former died with a limp, and the latter died with a limp. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) TO THE GOOD refers to Moses, as stated (in Exod. 2:2): AND WHEN SHE SAW THAT HE WAS GOOD, in that he was born circumcised.⁶Sot. 12a; Exod. R. 1:20. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) TO THE CLEAN refers to Aaron, who would cleanse the sins of Israel. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) AND TO THE UNCLEAN refers to the spies. The one group (i.e., the spies) uttered slander against the land of Israel, while the other (i.e., Moses and Aaron) uttered praise for the land of Israel; <still> the former did not enter <the land>, nor did the latter enter it. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) TO THE ONE WHO SACRIFICES refers to Josiah, as stated (in II Chron. 35:7): THEN JOSIAH DONATED TO THE LAY PEOPLE A FLOCK OF LAMBS <AND KIDS, ALL FOR PASSOVER SACRIFICES>. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) AND TO THE ONE WHO DOES NOT SACRIFICE refers to Ahab, who abolished the sacrifices from upon the altar, since this is what is written (in II Chron. 18:2): WHERE AHAB SLAUGHTERED SHEEP AND CATTLE FOR HIM <IN ABUNDANCE>, (ibid.:) FOR HIM (i.e., for Jehoshaphat) as a feast and not for sacrificial offerings. <Nevertheless> the former died by arrows, as written (in II Chron. 35:23): THEN THE ARCHERS SHOT KING JOSIAH,⁷Cf. yQid. 1:7 (61a); Ta‘an 23b; MQ 28b; Sanh. 48:b. and the latter died by arrows, as written (in I Kings 22:34 = II Chron. 18:33): BUT A CERTAIN MAN DREW HIS BOW AT RANDOM <AND STRUCK THE KING OF ISRAEL>. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) AS IT IS FOR THE GOOD refers to David, of whom it is stated (in I Sam. 16:12): WITH BEAUTIFUL EYES AND A GOOD APPEARANCE. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) SO IT IS THE SINNER refers to Nebuchadnezzar, of whom it is written (in Dan. 4:24 [27]): ATONE FOR YOUR SINNING THROUGH RIGHTEOUSNESS. The former built the Temple and reigned forty years. The latter destroyed the Temple and reigned forty years. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) THE ONE WHO TAKES AN OATH (without keeping it) refers to Zedekiah, of whom it is written (in II Chron. 36:13): AND HE ALSO REBELLED AGAINST NEBUCHADNEZZAR WHO HAD MADE HIM TAKE AN OATH BY GOD. What was his rebellion?⁸Ned. 65a. Zedekiah discovered Nebuchadnezzar as he was actually eating a live rabbit. Nebuchadnezzar said to Zedekiah: Swear to me that you will not reveal it. He swore to him. In the end he was inwardly sorry. He had his oath absolved and told the five kings who had allowed Nebuchadnezzar to rule over them. When the other kings heard <what he did>, they despised him. Moreover they were saying against him: Should this man be ruling the earth, when he eats live rabbit! When Nebuchadnezzar heard <what they were saying>, he sent to have the Sanhedrin⁹Gk.: Synedrion. and Zedekiah come to him. He said to them: Have you seen what Zedekiah has done to me? <Zedekiah> said to them: I had my oath absolved. He (Nebuchadnezzar) said to the Sanhedrin: Who absolved the oath? They said to him: One absolves <an oath, if there is> danger to one's life. He said to them: When? They said to him: On the same day. <He said to them:> in the presence of him <to whom the oath was sworn> or not in his presence? They said to him: In his presence. <He replied:> But what was the reason for not saying so to Zedekiah? Immediately (in the words of Lam. 2:10): THE ELDERS OF THE DAUGHTERS OF ZION SIT ON THE GROUND AND SILENCE. R. Isaac said: <This teaches that> they removed the pillows and cushions from beneath them. (Eccl. 9:2, cont.:) LIKE ONE WHO FEARS AN OATH. This refers to Samson, {since it says (in Jud. 15:12):} [THEN SAMSON SAID] TO THEM. SWEAR TO ME THAT YOU YOURSELVES WILL NOT ATTACK ME. From here <we know> that he feared an oath. The former died with his eyes gouged out, and the latter died with his eyes gouged out. [The latter died with his eyes gouged out] according to what is stated (in II Kings 25:7 = Jer. 39:7 = Jer. 52:11): THEN HE PUT OUT ZEDEKIAH'S EYES. This was one of seven who were like the first Adam <in one feature>.¹⁰Cf. Sot. 10a. <In the case of> Zedekiah <it was> because of his eyes. So for they thrust iron lances¹¹Gk.: logchai. into his eyes, but his eyes were not put out until they slaughtered his children before his eyes. It is so stated (in Jer. 39:6 = Jer. 52:10 // II Kings 25:7): AND THE KING OF BABYLON SLAUGHTERED <THE CHILDREN OF ZEDEKIAH BEFORE HIS EYES (AT RIBLAH)>. Samson also [died with his eyes gouged out, as stated (in Jud. 16:21):] SO THE PHILISTINES SEIZED HIM AND GOUGED OUT HIS EYES.

"They shall send an eruv [1.] with them. Rabbi Yehuda says "a vulture". Rabbi Nechemia says "an eruv from below". Bears, lions, and leopards from above. Rabbi Nathan says "from above, crows, ravens, and birds get agitated. From below, lions, leopards, and wolves." Rabbi Chama and Rabbi Yehoshua both say "it is a type of animal and its name is 'pantherin', and the Holy One, blessed be He, brought it." Rabbi Yashia says "they should cover them with lamps." Reish Lakish said that God said to Pharaoh, "You wanted to mix up Abraham's descendants, but I will mix you up from the world," as it says, "He sent against them a mixture" - not only a mixture but also frogs and destruction. Rabbi Yochanan said that wherever water was found, frogs were made and would enter it. They would say, "We are the table of the One who spoke and the world came into being," and the thresholds would split from their voices. Rabbi Yehuda says in the name of Rabbi that one of the things that God controlled with softness was the mice of the Philistines, as it says, "He smote them with hemorrhoids." The Philistine was sitting on a copper pot, and when it broke from underneath him, he would rise and drop his intestines. Similarly, with the plague in the days of Joshua, the Amorites would go in and out of their wounds, hitting them with one into one eye and one into the other, as it says, "And he will also send the plague of boils." (Deuteronomy 7:20). And the arrow of Naaman, which struck Ahab and entered into his chest, as it is said, "And a man drew his bow at random and struck the king of Israel" (1 Kings 22:34). "And the stone that David threw and sunk in the forehead of Goliath, as it is said (1 Samuel 17:49), 'And the stone sank into his forehead.' And the soft roots of the fig tree that penetrate the rock. Rabbi Berechiah Bar Chaninah said in the name of Rabbi Yehudah, "The roots of wheat penetrate the ground up to fifty cubits, and the soft roots of the fig tree penetrate the rock up to fifty cubits." Rabbi Isaac Luria (the Ari) said, "Even the teeth of lions, as it is written (Daniel 6:25), 'They did not touch him until he reached the bottom of the pit,' until lions had dominion over him." And the shamir, which is like a type of barleycorn, is placed in a lead vessel filled with a special type of bran, and if it was placed even on a mountain or on a rock, it would descend and penetrate downwards. And in it is a part of Solomon, all the altar stones that it is written about them (Deuteronomy 27:5), "Do not lift up an iron tool on them." And who brought the eagle? And they say that the eagle did not bring them, but as it is written (Ecclesiastes 2:8), "I made for myself singers and musical instruments," these are different types of songs. And the pleasures of human beings are these pools of water. And the shidah and shidodin are bathhouses. Here they translated shidah and shidodin. And what are they asking for? They said to the rabbis, "How can we build the Temple if we do not have the shamir, with which Moses engraved the stones of the ephod?" They said to him, "If you have a fish called the shidah and shidodin, catch it, and you will know." They went and brought them, and they said to him, "We do not know where it is." He said to them, "Where is it found?" They said to him, "In such and such a mountain, cut a pit for it, fill it with water, cover it with a large dish, and seal it with lead. Every day it goes up to the sky and comes down and drinks and returns, and when it is finished, come and uncover it and take it." Why did they ask this? He said to the rabbis, 'How can I build the Temple if I do not have a guardian for the stones?' They said to him, 'If you have a suspicion that the king of demons knows about the stones, bring a demon and subdue it. It is possible that he will know and reveal it to you.' He went and brought them. They said to him, 'We do not know about him, perhaps he is one of the demons of the king of the demons.' He said to them, 'Where is he?' They said to him, 'He is in such and such a tower, and there is a pit nearby, and he goes up to the top of the tower every day, descends to the pit, drinks and is covered with a container, and sealed with a seal.' He sent his son, Ben Yehoyada, head of the Sanhedrin, and gave him a cask of wine, a garland, a measure of barley, and a bundle of firewood. He went to the tower, poured out the wine, and covered it. He ascended and sat down under the tree. When the demon came, he found the wine and said, 'It is written (Proverbs 20:1), "Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging."' And it is written (Hosea 4:11), 'Wine and new wine take away the heart.' I did not drink wine when I was young and I will not drink it now.' He said, 'It is written (Psalm 104:15), "Wine makes the heart of man glad." My wife, my soul, and my garden.' When his son came and spread the garland before him with the name of God on it, the demon was alarmed and started to run away. His son said to him, 'Perhaps you are afraid of the name of God?' When he acknowledged it, he came down, followed him, and brought him to the house. When he reached the cask of wine, he said to him, 'Open it for me.' When he opened it, he went inside and fell asleep. When the cask of wine was brought out, they came to the house, and he (the demon) went out and saw the bundle of firewood. He said to him, 'What is this?' He said to him, 'It is firewood.' When he saw the measure of barley, he said to him, 'What is this?' He said to him, 'It is barley.' When he saw the garland, he said to him, 'What is this?' He said to him, 'It is a garland.' When he saw his son, he said to him, 'Perhaps he is your servant?' When he said yes and he (the demon) saw him, he ran away. As he was running, he fell into the pit and died. They dug up the pit and found that he had a jewel on his forehead, and they took it and placed it on the High Priest's forehead." "There was a certain rabbi who was traveling on the road, and he met her. Another rabbi who was traveling on the road met her. A man who said to his companion, "Do me a favor and lend me a thousand coins for two years." A magician who raised a cup and smiled. When they arrived there, they did not go to Solomon's palace for three days. On the first day, he said to them, "Why do I not need a king?" They said to him, "Because of the pressure of drinking." He took a bottle and put it on his shoulder. They said to Solomon, "This is what he said to you: 'Return me to you.'" The next day, he said to them, "Why do I not need a king?" They said to him, "Because of the pressure of eating." He took a bottle and put it on his shoulder. They said to Solomon, "This is what he said to you: 'Return me to you.'" Finally, after three days, they went to her. She smeared a kind of oil on her and she was healed. He said to her, "Since that man brought me only four grams, he now owns everything to me, and I am not satisfied until he returns it to me." She said to him, "I don't care about it, but I want you to build a temple in my heart and I need a guardian for it." He said to her, "To whom did he give it to you?" She said to him, "To the head of the city and he gave it only to the rooster of the trusted barn." He asked, "What did he do with it?" She said, "He carried a tour that had no settlement, placed an eagle on it, broke the tour and went to the outskirts, and this is what we translate as a carpenter's tour. They asked for the rooster of the trusted barn that had children and covered it with a white female chicken. When he came to climb, he did not find it, so he brought the guardian and put him on it. He went and choked himself with a curse. When he came, his mother said to him, "All the words of wonder that you did on the road, what was the reason you met that magician who smiled?" He said to her, "He declared war on her with a flash of lightning." "And why did he smile when he saw that shepherd? He said to him, 'He is a complete rascal, and I said that I would leave him to the world to consume him.' And why did he smile when he saw that harlot? He said to him, 'A man once fasted for thirty days and sought to commit a sin, and when he saw her, he changed his mind.' And why did he smile when he saw that man who said to the tax collector, 'Make me a tax collector so that I may sit for two years and laugh'? He said to him, 'He has no resting days in the world, and he seeks to have two years of rest.' And why did he smile when he saw that sorcerer? He said to him, 'My father used to sit in the Azzi Valley to practice magic, and when he did not know something, he would ask the demons. They would remain with him until he entered the Temple Mount, and then they would depart from him. During the construction of the Temple, there was a certain day when King Solomon sat alone and said, "It is written (Numbers 23:22) 'Behold, it is like the lofty horns of a wild ox for him.' And we say that 'lofty horns' refer to ministering angels, and 'wild ox' refers to demons. What is their dispute? He then heard a heavenly voice telling him to take a three-pronged fork and go to a certain location where he would find a red heifer. He was to take a hair from its neck and use it as a symbol of his authority over both the ministering angels and the demons. He followed these instructions, and the demons were banished to one half of the world and the ministering angels to the other half. He then traveled the world, and wherever he went, he would proclaim, "I have been King Solomon." People would respond that they had never heard of such a thing.Later, the builders of the Temple asked him if he wanted to be king, but he declined. They then sent a message to the queen of Sheba, who asked him the same question, to which he again declined. When they heard this, they gave him a cloak with the name of God inscribed on it, as well as a chain of gold. Solomon then went to the location where the heifer was and saw it blooming with flowers. Even then, he faced a challenge from the demons, as it is written (Song of Songs 3:7-8) "Behold, it is the bed of Solomon, surrounded by sixty mighty men from the mighty men of Israel."Some say that Solomon was both a king and a commoner, while others say that he was only a king.