Targum
Pseudo Jonathan for:
Sh’mot
(Exodus) 14:15 – 16:3
And the Lord said to Mosheh, Why
do you stand praying before Me? Behold, the prayers of My people have come
before your own: speak to the sons of Israel, that they go forward; and you,
lift up your rod, and stretch forth your hand with it over the sea, and divide
it: and the sons of Israel shall go through the midst of the sea upon the
ground. For, behold, I will harden the design of the heart of the Mizraee, and
they will go in after them; and I will be glorified upon Pharaoh and upon all
his armies, upon his chariots and his horsemen; that the Mizraee may know that
I am the Lord, when I am glorified upon Pharaoh, upon his chariots and
horsemen.
[JERUSALEM. 13. Four companies made the sons
of Israel, standing by the Weedy Sea.
One said, Let us fall upon the sea; another said, Let us return to Mizraim;
another said, Let us array battle against them; and another said, Let us shout
against them to confuse them. To that company who said, Let us fall upon the
sea, Mosheh said, Fear not; stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord
which shall be wrought for you this day. To the company who said, We will
return unto Mizraim, Mosheh said, Fear not; for as you have seen the Mizraee to‑day, you will see them no more in bondage for ever.
To the company who said, We will array battle against them, Mosheh said, Fear
not; the Lord, in the glory of His Shekinah, will work the victory for your
hosts. To the company who had said, Let us shout against them to confound them,
Mosheh said, Fear not; stand and be silent; and give the glory, and praise, and
exaltation unto Elohim. 15. And the Word of the Lord said to Mosheh, How long
do you stand praying before Me ? Heard before Me are your prayers; but the
prayers of My people have preceded yours. Speak to the sons of Israel
that they go forward; and you, lift, up your rod and stretch forth your hand.]
And the Angel of the Lord who led
the way before the hosts of Israel went and came behind them; and the column of
the Cloud went from before and stood behind them: because the Mizraee threw
darts and stones at the Israelites, but the Cloud intercepted them and it came
between the host of Israel and the host of the Mizraee; a cloud, one half of
which was light and one half darkness. On the one side it darkened upon the
Mizraee, and on the other side it shined upon Israel all night; and one host did
not attack the other all the night.
And Mosheh stretched out his hand
over the sea, with the great and glorious rod which was created at the
beginning, and on which were engraven and set forth the Great and Glorious
Name, and the ten signs which had smitten the Mizraee, and the three fathers of
the world, and the six mothers, and the twelve tribes of Jakob: and straightway
the Lord brought a vehement east wind upon the sea all night, and made the sea
dry; and divided the waters into twelve divisions according to the twelve
tribes of Jacob. [JERUSALEM.
20. And the cloud was half light and half darkness: light, it enlightened upon Israel;
and darkness, it darkened upon Mizraim. And those came not against these, to
set battle in order, all the night. 21. And he stretched forth.] And the
children of Israel
went through the midst of the sea upon the ground, and the waters were
congealed like a wall, three hundred miles on their right hand and on their
left.
And the Mizraee followed and went
in after them, all the horses of Pharaoh, and his chariots and horsemen, into
the midst of the sea. And it was that in the morning watch, at the time that
the powers on high come to offer praise, the Lord looked forth with anger upon
the hosts of the Mizraee from the column of fire, to hurl upon them flakes of
fire and hail, and from the column of cloud, and confounded the host of the
Mizraee and He broke (or, made rough) the wheels of Pharaoh's carriages, so
that they drove them with hardship, and that they went on and left them behind.
And the Mizraee said one to another, Let us flee from the people of the house
of Israel;
for this is the Word of the Lord who fought for them in Mizraim.
And the Lord said to Mosheh,
Stretch forth your band over the sea, that the waters may return upon the
Mizraee, upon their chariots and upon their horsemen. And Mosheh stretched out
his hand over the sea, and the sea returned at the time of the morning unto its
strength; and the Mizraee fled from before its waves. And the Lord strengthened
the Mizraee in the midst of the sea, that they should not (soon) die in the
midst of it, that they might receive the punishment which had been sent to
them. [JERUSALEM.
24. And it was in the time of the morning that the Word of the Lord looked upon
the host of the Mizraee, and hurled upon them bitumen (naphtha), and fire, and
stones of hail, and confused the army of the Mizraee. And He unloosed the
wheels of their carriages, so that they went, dragging them after them: the
mules, going after their way before the wheels, were turned, so as that the
wheels went before the mules, and they were cast into the sea. The Mizraee
answered and said on to another, Let us flee from before the people of the sons
of Israel;
for this is the Word of the Lord who works victory for them in their battles;
so that they set the back against Mizraim. 26. Stretch forth. 27. And Mosheh
stretched forth his hand over the sea, and the sea returned at the time of the
morning to its place.] And the waves of the sea returned, and covered the
chariots, and the horsemen.. and all the host of Pharaoh who had gone in after
them, into the sea, not one among them was left. But the sons of Israel
walked on the ground in the midst of the sea, and the waters to them were as
walls on their right band and on their left. That day the Lord redeemed and
saved Israel from the hand
of the Mizraee; and Israel
saw the Mizraee, dead and not dead, cast upon the shore of the sea. And Israel
saw the power of the mighty hand by which the Lord had wrought the miracles in
Mizraim; and the people feared before the Lord, and believed in the Name of the
Word of the Lord, and in the prophecies of Mosheh His servant.
XV. Behold: then sang, Mosheh and
the sons of Israel
this song of praise before the Lord and saying they said:
Thanksgiving and praise we bring
before the Lord Most High, who is glorified above the glorious, and exalted
above the exalted; who punishes by His Word whomsoever glorifies himself before
Him.
Therefore when Pharoh the wicked
bare himself proudly before the Lord, and, being uplifted in his heart,
followed after the people of the sons of Israel, their horses and their
chariots He threw and buried in the sea of Suph.
[JERUSALEM. Then sang Mosheh and the sons of Israel
the praise of this song, before the Lord, saying, to say: Thanksgiving and
praise bring we before the Lord, who is high above the highest, and glorified
above the glorious, and who punishes by His Word whomsoever glorifies himself
before Him. The horses and their riders, because they bare themselves proudly
and followed after the people of the house of Israel,
He has thrown and buried in the sea
of Suph.]
The Lord is Mighty, and greatly
to be feared over all the world. He spoke in His Word, and became to me a God
of salvation.
From their mothers' breasts even
the children have given signs with their fingers to their fathers, and said
This is our God, who nourished us with honey from the rock, and with oil from
the stone of clay, at the time when our mothers went forth upon the face of the
world to give us birth, and leave us there; and He sent an angel who washed us
and enwrapped us; and now will we praise Him: He is the God of our fathers, and
we will exalt Him.
The sons of Israel said, The Lord is a man making war for
us: from generation to generation He makes known His power unto the people of
the house of Israel.
The Lord is His Name; according to His Name, so is His power; His Name shall be
blessed for ever and ever.
The chariots of Pharaoh and his
hosts He has cast into the sea; the goodliest of his young men has He thrown
and drowned in the sea
of Suph. The deep covered
them over, they went down and are buried in the depths of the sea, and are as
silent as a stone.
Your right hand, O Lord, how
glorious is it in power? Your right hand, O Lord, has cut off the adversaries
of Your people who rose against them to do them hurt. And in the plenitude and
greatness of Your majesty You have destroyed the walls of the enemies of Your
people.
You will pour upon them Your
fierce anger, You will consume them as the burning fire prevails over the
stubble. For by the Word from before You the waters became heaps; they stood,
as if bound like skins that confine flowing water, and the depths were
congealed in the flood of the great sea.
Pharaoh the wicked, the hater and
adversary, did say, I will follow after the people of the sons of Israel, and
will lay waste their camp on the bank of the sea: I will set war in array
against them, and kill them, small and great, despoil them of much spoil, bring
them back into great captivity, and divide their substance among my people who
make war: and when my soul is satisfied with the blood of their slain, I will
sheathe my sword, having, destroyed them with my right hand.
[JERUSALEM. The Lord is Mighty, and greatly to
be praised and feared over all the world. He spoke in His Word, and for us
became salvation.
[From their mothers' breasts have
even the children given signs with their fingers unto the fathers, and have
said to them, This is our Father, who nourished us with honey from the rock,
and gave us oil from the stone of clay.
[The sons of Israel answered and said one to
another, He is our God, and we will praise Him; the God of our fathers, and we
will exalt Him.
[The Lord in the glory of His
Shekinah is He who works victory for your arms. From one generation to another
He makes known His power to the people of the house of Israel.
[His Name is the Lord: as is His
Name, so is His power; let His name be glorified for ever and ever.
[Upon the chariots of Pharaoh and
his host He shot arrows in the sea; his goodly young men and his men of
strength He has drowned in the sea
of Suph. How glorious is
Your right hand, O Lord, in power, which has broken and shattered the walls of
the enemies of Your people!
Pharaoh the wicked, the hater and
adversary, did say, I will follow after the people of the sons of Israel
and will overtake them encamped at the side of the sea. I will lead them
captive into great captivity, and despoil, them of great spoil; I will divide
their substance among my men of war; and when my soul shall be satisfied with
them, I will sheathe my sword, when I shall have destroyed them with my right
hand.]
You did blow with the wind from
before You, O Lord, and the waves of the sea covered them; they went down, and
sank as lead in the proud waters.
Who is like You among the exalted
gods, O Lord, who is like You, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing
wonders and manifestations for Your people, the house of Israel ?
The sea spoke to the earth,
Receive but the earth spoke to the sea, Receive your murderers. And the sea was
not willing to overwhelm them, and the earth was not willing to swallow them
up. The earth was afraid to receive them, lest they should be required from her
in the day of the great judgment in the world to come, even as the blood of
Hebel will be required of her: whereupon You, O Lord, did stretch forth Your
right hand in swearing to the earth that in the world to come they should not
be required of her. And the earth opened her mouth and consumed them.
[JERUSALEM. The sea and the earth had a
controversy one with the other. The sea said to the earth, Receive your
children; and the earth said to the sea, Receive your murderers. But the earth
willed not to swallow them, and the sea willed not to overwhelm them. And by
the Word from before You, You did stretch forth Your right hand in an oath, and
did swear unto the earth that You will not require them of her in the world to
come. Then did the earth open her mouth and swallow them up.]
You have led in Your mercy the
people whom You have redeemed, and given them the heritage of the mountain of
Your sanctuary, the place of the dwelling of Your holy Shekinah.
The gentiles will hear and be
afraid; terror will lay hold upon them, even upon all the pillars of the
inhabitants of the Palestinian land. Behold, then will the princes of the Edomites
be confounded, the strong ones of Moab will be seized with fear,
their heart within them will melt away, even all the pillars of the inhabitants
of the Kenaanian land.
Through the power of Your mighty
arm, let the terrors of death fall upon them, let them be silent as a stone,
till the time when Your people, O Lord, shall have passed the streams of Amona,
till the time when Your people whom You did ransom shall have crossed the
dividing current of Jabeka.
You will bring them in, and plant
them on the mountain of Your sanctuary, the place which You have provided
before the throne of Your glory, the house of Your holy Shekinah, which You, O
Lord, have prepared, Your sanctuary that with both hands You have established.
When the people of the house of Israel
beheld the signs and manifestations which the Holy One, whose Name be praised,
had done at the sea of Suph, and the power of His hand, the children of the
captives answering said one to the other, Come, and let us set the crown of
majesty on the head of our Redeemer, who makes to pass over, and passes not;
who changes, and is not changed; whose is the crown of the kingdom; the King of
kings in this world; whose, too, is the kingdom in the world to come, for ever
and ever.
[JERUSALEM. 16. You will make the terror of
death to fall upon them and undoing, by the power of Your mighty arm, that they
shall be as silent as a stone, until this people whom You have redeemed shall
have gone over the dividing stream of Jobeka and that of Jardena; till this
people shall have passed over whom You have ransomed for Your Name. 17. You
will bring them in, and will plant them in the mountain of Your inheritance,
the dwelling of the glory of Your holiness, which You O Lord, have prepared for
Yourself, the sanctuary of the Lord that with both hands He has established.
18. When the house of Israel
had beheld the signs and wonders that the Holy One, Blessed be He, had wrought
for them at the border of the sea, let His great Name be blessed for ever and
ever, they gave glory and thanksgiving and exaltation unto their God. The sons
of Israel answered and said one to another, Come, let us set the crown upon the
head of the Redeemer, who causes to pass over, but is not passed; who changes,
but is not changed; the King of kings in this world; whose, too, is the crown
of the kingdom of the world to come, and whose it will be for ever and ever.]
For Pharaoh's horses with his
chariots and horsemen went into the sea, and the Lord made the waters of the
sea to return upon them; but the sons of Israel walked upon the land in the
midst of the sea, and there did spring up sweet fountains and trees yielding
food and verdure and ripe fruits, (even) on the ground of the sea.
And Miriam the prophetess, the
sister of Aharon, took a tambourine in her hand, and all the women came out
after her, dancing with tambourines and playing on instruments. [JERUSALEM. With
tambourines dancing.] And Miriam sang to them, Let us give thanks and praise
before the Lord, for might and supremacy are His; above the proud He is
glorified, and above the lofty He is exalted. When the wicked, Pharaoh in his
pride followed after the people of the sons of Israel, his horses and his
chariots did He cast and drown in the sea of Suph.
And Mosheh made Israel go forward from the sea of Suph,
and they went forth into the wilderness of Chalutsa. [JERUSALEM. The way of Chalutsa.] And they
journeyed three days in the desert, empty of instruction, and found no water.
And they came to Marah, but could not drink the waters of Marah because they
were bitter; therefore he called the name of it Marah. And the people murmured
against Mosheh, saying, What shall we drink? [JERUSALEM. And the people contended.] And he
prayed before the Lord, and the Lord showed him the bitter tree of Ardiphne;
and lie wrote upon it the great and glorious Name, and cast it into the midst
of the waters, and the waters were rendered sweet. And there did the Word of
the Lord appoint to him the ordinance of the Sabbath, and the statute of
honoring father and mother, the judgments concerning wounds and bruises., and
the punishments wherewith offenders are punished; and there he tried (them)
with the tenth trial, and said, If you will truly hearken to the Word of the
Lord your God, and do that which is right before Him, and will listen to His
precepts and keep all His statutes, all those evil things that I laid upon the
Mizraee I will not lay upon you: but if you will transgress against the word of
the Law, upon you shall they be sent. If you convert, I will remove them from
you; for I am the Lord Your Healer. [JERUSALEM.
25. And Mosheh prayed before the Lord, and the Word of the Lord showed him the
tree of Ardiphne, and he cast it into the midst of the waters, and the waters
were made sweet. There did the Word of the Lord show unto him statutes and
orders of judgment, and there He tried him with trials in the tenth trial. 26.
For I am the Lord who heals You by My Word.] And they came to Elim; and in Elim
were twelve fountains of water, a fountain for each tribe; and seventy palm‑trees, corresponding with the seventy elders of Israel:
and they encamped there by the waters. [JERUSALEM.
And they came to Elim, where were twelve fountains of water, answering to the
twelve tribes of Israel,
and seventy palm‑trees, answering to
the seventy elders of the Sanhedrin of Israel.]
XVI. And the whole congregation
of Israel journeyed from
Elim, and came to the desert of Sin, which is between Elim and Sinai, on the
fifteenth day of the month of Ijar, the second month from their going forth
from the land of Mizraim. And on that day the bread which
they had brought out of Mizraim was finished. And all the sons of Israel
grumbled against Mosheh and against Aharon in the desert. And the sons of Israel said to them, Would that we had died by
the Word of the Lord in the land
of Mizraim, when we sat
by the cisterns of food, and ate bread and had enough! Why have you brought us
out into this wilderness to kill all this congregation with hunger?
Midrash Tanhuma Yelammedenu
for: Sh’mot (Exodus) 14:15
– 16:3
10. And you
lift up your rod (Exod. 14:16). Ten miracles were performed in their behalf
at the sea. The sea was split asunder for them, and became a kind of vault, as
it is said: You have struck through with his own rods the heads, etc.
(Hab. 3:14). It was divided into twelve paths, as it is said: And stretch
out your hand over the sea and divide it (Exod. 14:16). It was turned into
dry land, as it is said: And the children of Israel walked upon dry land the
midst of the sea (ibid., v. 29). It was converted into a kind of clay, as
is said: You have trodden the sea with your horses, the mud of mighty waters
(Hab. 3:15). The water was made into pieces, as it is said: You did
break the sea into pieces by Your strength (Ps. 74:13). It was changed into
rocks, as is said: You did shatter the heads of the sea monsters in the
waters (ibid.). It was torn asunder, as it is said: To him who divided
the Red Sea asunder (ibid. 136:13). It was
piled up into stacks, as it is said: And with the blast of Your nostrils,
the waters were piled up (Exod. 15:8). It was made into a heap, as is said:
Stood upright like a heap (ibid.). Barrels of sweet water flowed out of
the salt water for them, and the sea congealed and became like a glass vessel,
as it is said: The deeps were congealed (ibid.).
R. Judah declared: These ten
verses are derived from various sources. It may be compared to a man traveling
over a road, preceded by his son. If robbers approach from the front to seize
the lad, he places him behind himself. If a wolf comes from behind to snatch
him, he puts the lad in front of him. If he sees robbers behind him and the
wolf before him, he takes his son in his arms. The Holy One, blessed be He, did
likewise for Israel.
When the sea was before them and the Egyptians behind, He bore them in His
arms. When Israel
began to suffer from the sun, He spread His cloak over them, as it is said: He
spread a cloud for a screen (Ps. 105:39). When Israel became hungry, He gave them
bread, as is stated: Behold, I will cause to rain bread from heaven for you (Exod.
16:4). When they became thirsty He gave them water, for He brought streams
also out of the rock (Ps. 78:15).
The Israelites sang ten songs
because of the ten miracles performed in their behalf. The first was in Egypt,
as is said: You shall have a song as in the night when a feast is hallowed (Isa.
30:29). The second was at the Red Sea, as it
is said: Then Moses sang (Exod. 15:1). The third was at the well: Then
Israel
sang this song (Num. 21:16). The fourth took place when Moses said: And
it came to pass when Moses had made an end of writing (Deut. 31:24). The
fifth: Then spoke Joshua to the Lord (Josh. 10:12). The sixth: Then
sang Deborah and Barak the son of Abinoam (Judg. 5:6); the seventh: And
David spoke unto the Lord the words of this song (II Sam. 22:1); the eight:
A song at the dedication of the House; of David (Ps. 30:1). Did David
actually dedicate the House (Temple)?
The fact is that Solomon dedicated it, but inasmuch as David had set his heart
upon erecting it, the song of dedication was ascribed to him. A similar
example is contained in the verse And his sister stood far off (Exod.
2:4). Was she not the sister of both of them? Indeed she was, but inasmuch as
she had devoted herself to Moses’ welfare, she is referred to by his name.
Another instance of this is contained in the verse And the two sons of
Jacob, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers took (Gen. 34:25). Was she not the
sister of each of the tribal ancestors? She was indeed, but because these two
had devoted themselves to her welfare, she is mentioned with their names.
Another illustration is contained in the verse Cozbi the daughter of the
chief of Midian, their sister (Num. 26:18). Was she actually a sister to
all of them? (Hardly!) She was called their sister because she was deeply
devoted to her people.
Then sang Moses (Exod. 15:1). They had
faith in God (ibid. 14:31) and therefore merited acquiring the land. You
find that because of his faith in God, our patriarch Abraham inherited both
this world and the world-to-come, as is written: And he believed in the
Lord; and He counted it to him for righteousness (Gen. 15:16). Similarly,
because the people believed (Exod. 4:31), it is written: The Lord
preserves the faithful and plentifully repays him that acts haughtily (Ps.
31:24). Similarly, with reference to Moses it says: And his hands were
steady (faithful) until the going down of the sun (Exod. 17:12).
Scripture states: This is the gate of the Lord,
the righteous shall enter into it (Ps. 118:20). Who are the righteous ones
that will enter? The faithful ones, as it is said: Open ye the gates, that the
righteous nation that keeps faithfulness may enter in (Isa. 26:2). This is
the gate that the faithful enter, as it is said: It is a good thing to give
thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto Your name, O Most High, to
declare Your loving-kindness in the morning (Ps. 92:2). What is written
after that? For You have made me glad. What makes us glad? It is the
faith which our fathers professed in this world, which is all night, as it is
written: And your faithfulness in the night seasons (ibid., v. 3). And
it is also written: But the righteous shall live by his faith (Hab.
2:4), and They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness (Lam.
3:23).
In the future exiles will not he redeemed except as a
reward for faithfulness, as it is said: Come with me from Lebanon, my bride, with me from Lebanon;
look from the top of Amana (Song 4:8). It says likewise: And I will
betroth you unto Me in faithfulness (Hos. 2:28). Thus you learn that faith
is powerful, for in reward for faith, the Shekhinah hovered over them and they
sang the song, as it is said: And they believed in the Lord. . . and
Moses sang (Exod. 14:31—15:11), and it says also: Then believed they his
words; they sang his praise (Ps. 106:12).
Then sang Moses. At times the word then refers
to events that happened in the past, and at other times it refers to events
that are to transpire in the future. The word then refers to past events
in the following verses: Then began man to call upon the name of the Lord (Gen.
4:26), Then she said: A bridegroom of blood” (Exod. 4:26), Then
sang Israel
this song (Num. 21:17), Then Solomon spoke (I Kings 18:12). All of
these refer to past events. Instances in which the word then alludes to
future events are: Then you shall see (Isa. 60:5), Then shall your
light break forth (ibid. 58:8), Then shall the lame man leap as a hart (ibid.
35:6), Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened (ibid., v. 5), Then
shall the virgin rejoice (Jer. 31:13), Then was our mouth filled with
laughter and our tongue with singing (Ps. 126:2), and Then said they
among the nations (ibid.). All these allude to future events. From this we
learn that the concept of the resurrection of the dead is derived from the
Torah.
Moses and the children of Israel (Exod. 15:1). This verse
implies that Moses was equal to all the Israelites. Another explanation of Moses
and the children of Israel is
that Moses sang the song before the children of Israel did.
This song. Is there only one song? Was it not
stated previously that there were ten songs? The eighth song is A psalm, a
song at the dedication of the house, of David (Ps. 30:1). The fact is that
Solomon was the one who dedicated it, as it is said: So the king and all the
children of Israel
dedicated the house of the Lord (I Kings 8:63). However, because David had
set his heart upon dedicating it, the song was ascribed to him. Similarly, it
says: Lord, remember unto David all his afflictions; how he swore unto the
Lord, and vowed unto the Mighty One of Jacob: “Surely I will not come into the
tent of my house, nor go up into the bed that is spread for me. . . until
I find out a place for the Lord, a dwelling-place for the Mighty One of
Jacob.” Lo, we heard it as being in Ephrath; we found it in the field of the
wood (Ps. 132:1—6). Observe that it is written concerning it: Now see to
this house, O David (I Kings 12:16). Hence you learn that because David
desired with all his soul to build the Temple,
it was called by his name.
Similarly, because Moses yearned for the Torah, it is
called by his name. Whence do we know that he yearned for the Torah? It is
said: And Moses was in the mount forty days and forty nights (Exod.
24:18). Where do we find that it is called by his name? It is written: Remember
the law of Moses My servant (Mal. 3:22). Because he offered to sacrifice
his life for Israel,
Yet now if you will forgive their sin (Exod. 32:33), they were called by
his name: And his people remembered the days of old, the days of Moses (Isa.
63:11). And it is also written: Go, get down; for your people have dealt
corruptly (Exod. 32:7). Since He risked his life for the sake of justice,
as it is written: Wherefore do you smite your fellow? (Exod. 2:13), he
fled because of justice and returned because of justice. He executed
righteousness, Lord, and his ordinances with Israel (Deut. 33:2 1). Does not
justice, however, belong to God? Indeed! But since he devoted his life to
justice, it is called by his name.
Similarly, it is written
concerning Jehoshaphat: And when he had taken counsel with the people, he
appointed them that should sing unto the Lord, and praise in the beauty of
holiness, as they went out before the army, and say: “Give thanks unto the
Lord, for His mercy endures forever” (II Chron. 20:21). What is the difference
between this song of praise and others found in the Torah? In all the
other songs, For He is good is added, but in this instance For He is
good is omitted, since there can be no rejoicing before Him on High over
the destruction of the wicked. And since there could be no rejoicing before Him
over the destruction of the wicked, surely there could be no joy at the
destruction of the righteous, a single one of whom is equal to all the world in
His sight. Hence it is said: But the righteous is an everlasting foundation (Prov.
10:25). The ninth song is the Song of Songs of Solomon. The tenth song is the
song of the future: A psalm, 0 sing unto the Lord a new song; for He has
done marvelous things (Ps. 98:1).
11. Unto the Lord (Exod. 15:1). They sang unto the Lord and
not to a mere mortal. When will they sing unto man? When His right hand and His
mighty arm have wrought salvation. That is to say, as it is written: He has
drawn back His right hand (Lam. 2:3). And spoke, saying. What is
meant by the word saying? R. Eleazar the son of Taddai maintained: Moses
would start the song and the Israelites would complete it. Moses began with the
words: I will sing unto the Lord (Exod. 15:1), and Israel added: For
He is highly exalted. Moses said: The Lord is my strength and song (ibid.,
v. 2), and Israel
declared: And He is become my salvation. Moses sang: The Lord is a
man of war (ibid., v. 3), and Israel responded with the words: The
Lord is His name. The same procedure was followed in all the verses of the
hymn. What is meant by I will sing unto the Lord? It implies that it is
fitting to sing a song unto the Lord, to ascribe power unto the Lord, and to
praise the greatness of the Lord. Thus, David said: Thine, O Lord, is the
greatness, and the power and the glory (I Chron. 29:11).
A mortal king is praised as mighty, though he may be
weak, and as rich, merciful, and handsome, because they wish to flatter him.
But concerning the Holy One, blessed be He, they say: The great God, the
mighty God, and the awful (Deut. 10:17); The Lord will go forth as a
mighty man (Isa. 42:13); There is none like unto you, 0 Lord (Jer.
10:6). They say He is rich, and indeed there are no limits to his wealth, For
behold, unto the Lord your God belongs the heaven, and the heaven of heavens (Deut.
10:14). And it is written also: The sea is His, and He made it, and His
hands formed the dry land (Ps. 95:5); The earth is the Lord’s, and the
fullness thereof (ibid. 24:1); Mine is the silver, and Mine is the gold (Hag.
2:8); Behold, all souls are Mine; as the soul of the father so also the soul
of the son (Ezek. 18:4).
As to His wisdom: The Lord by
wisdom founded the earth (Prov. 3:19); With Him is wisdom and might (Job
12:13); With Him is strength and sound wisdom (ibid., v. 16); For the
Lord gives wisdom; out of His mouth comes knowledge and discernment (ibid.
2:6). It likewise says: He gives wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to
them that know understanding (Dan. 2:21), and Forasmuch as among all the
wise men of the nations, and in all their royalty, there is none like unto You (Jer.
10:7).
They said that He is merciful, but He is more than
merely merciful, For the Lord your God is a merciful God (Deut. 4:3 1); the
Lord is full of compassion and gracious (Ps. 103:8); The Lord is good to
all (ibid. 145:9); To the Lord our God belong compassion and forgiveness
(Dan. 9:9). They said that He is a true judge (but He is more than a
judge), for the Judgment is God’s (Deut. 1:17); God stands in the
congregation of God; in the midst of the judges He judges (Ps. 82:1). It
says also: The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice (ibid.
32:4). They said: He is faithful, yet He is more than simply faithful: The
faithful God (ibid. 7:9); A God of faithfulness (ibid. 32:4). They
said He is praiseworthy, but He is more than merely praiseworthy, as it is
said: For who in the skies can be compared unto the Lord? (Ps. 89:7). It
also says: A God dreaded in the council of the holy ones (Ps. 98:8); 0
Lord God of hosts, who is a mighty one like unto You, O Lord? (ibid., v.
9); O Lord God of hosts, who is like unto You among the gods, 0 Lord? (ibid.
86:8). It says likewise: My beloved is white and ruddy, His head is as the
most fine gold. His hands are as rods of gold. His legs are as pillars of
marble (Song 5:15).
R. Yosé the Galilean explained: Out
of the mouths of babes and sucklings have You founded strength (Ps. 8:3). Babes
are those still in their mother’s wombs, as is said: Or as a hidden
untimely birth I had not been; as babes that never saw life (Job 3:16). Sucklings
are those who suckle at their mother’s breasts, as is said: Gather the
children and those that suck the breasts (Joel 2:16). Rabbi maintained: Babes
refers to children out on the street, as it is said: To cut off the
children from the street (Jer. 9:20). Likewise it says: The young
children ask bread (Lam. 4:4). All opened their mouths and sang the song
unto the Lord. R. Meir declared: Even the embryos in their mother’s wombs sang
the song, as it is said: Bless you God in full assemblies, even the Lord,
you that are from the fountain of Israel (Ps. 68:27). Even the
angels sang the song, as it is said: 0 Lord our Lord how glorious is Your
Name in all the earth! Whose majesty is rehearsed above the heavens (ibid.
8:2).
12. For He is highly exalted (Exod. 15:1). He exalted
me and I exalted Him. He exalted me in Egypt,
saying: Israel is
My son, My firstborn (Exod. 4:22), and I exalted him in Egypt, saying: You
shall have a song as in the night when a feast is hallowed (Isa. 30:29). He
exalted me at the sea: And the angel of God, who went before the camp (Exod.
14:19), and I exalted Him at the sea: I will sing unto the Lord (ibid.
15:1). He is exalted in this world and will be exalted in the world-to-come, as
it is said: For the Lord of hosts has a day upon all that is proud and
lofty, and upon all that is lifted up, and it shall be brought low; and upon
all the cedars of Lebanon that are high and lifted up, and upon all the oaks of
Bashan; and upon all the high mountains, and upon all the hills that are lifted
up; and upon every lofty tower, and upon every fortified wall, and upon all the
ships of Tarshish, and upon all delightful imagery. And the loftiness of man
shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be brought low; and the
Lord alone shall be exalted in that day. And the idols shall utterly pass away (Isa.
2:12-18).
Another comment on For He is
highly exalted. He is exalted above all who exalt themselves. Everyone who
exalts himself is punished by the very thing of which he boasted. Egypt was smitten by water because Pharaoh
exalted himself because of the water (he claimed that he had created the Nile).
It is written concerning the
generation of the flood: Their bull genders, and fails not; their cow
calves, and casts not her calf. They send forth their little ones like a flock,
and their children dance. . . . Yet they said unto God: “Depart from us;
for we desire not the knowledge of Your ways. What is the Almighty, that we
should serve Him? What profit should we have, if we pray unto Him?” (Job
21:10—15). They said: We do not require even a drop of rain, for A mist went
up from the earth (Gen. 2:6). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them:
Because you prided yourselves on possessing the good things I have lavished
upon you, I shall exact punishment from you by means of those things; as it is
said: And the flood was forty days upon the earth (ibid. 7:17), and all
flesh perished.
R. Yosé the son of Durmaskis said: The heavenly
beings watched the inhabitants of the lower spheres in order to behave as they
did, and so the Holy One, blessed be He, opened the wells below and above to
destroy them, as it is said: On the same day were all the fountains of the
great deep broken up (ibid., v. 11). With the very thing (by which) the men
of the tower of Babel exalted themselves He punished
them. They said: Come, let us build us a city (ibid. 11:4), and through
it they were punished, as it is said: Come, let us go down, and there confound
their language. . . so the Lord scattered them (ibid., v. 8).
The men of Sodom
were punished with the very thing (by which) they exalted themselves.
Concerning them it is written: As for the earth, out of it cometh bread,
and underneath it is turned up as it were by fire. The stones thereof are the place
of sapphires, and it has dust of gold. That path no bird of prey knows,
neither has the falcon’s eye seen it; the proud beasts have not trodden it, nor
has the lion passed thereby (Job 28:5—8). They said: There is no reason why
we should permit men to travel over our highways, for they deprive us of our
food, silver, gold, precious stones, and pearls. Let us abrogate the law of
unrestricted travel in our land. Therefore the Holy One, blessed be He, told
them: Since you have become arrogant because of the good things I lavished upon
you, I will cause you to be forgotten in the world, as it is said: He breaks
open a shaft away from where men sojourn; they are forgotten of the foot that
passes by; they hang afar from men (ibid., v. 4). It is written also: A
contemptible brand in the thought of him that is at ease . . . the tents
of the robbers prosper (ibid. 12:5). What happened to them for this? In
whatsoever God hath brought into their hand (ibid., v. 6). Thus it says: Behold,
this was the iniquity of your sister Sodom:
pride, fullness of bread, and careless ease was in her and her daughters;
neither did she strengthen the hand of the poor and needy (Ezek. 16:49).
Likewise it says; Before the Lord destroyed Sodom
and Gomorrah they were like the garden of the
Lord, like the land
of Egypt (Gen.
13:10). But after that is written: And they made their father drink wine
that night (ibid. 19:33). Where did they obtain the wine for the meal? The
Omnipresent provided the wine for the meal, as it is said: And it shall come
to pass in that day, the mountains shall drop down sweet wine, and the hills
shall flow with milk, and all the brooks of Judah shall flow with waters; and a
fountain shall come forth of the house of the Lord (Joel 4:18). Now, if the
Holy One, blessed be He, provided for those who angered Him, surely He would do
as much for those who performed His will.
Pharaoh likewise was punished
through the very thing he boasted of: And he took six hundred chariots (Exod.
14:7). And therefore Pharaoh’s chariots and all his host has He cast into
the sea (ibid. 15:4). Sisera similarly was punished by the very thing of
which he boasted. Sisera gathered together all his chariots, even nine hundred
chariots of iron (Judg. 4:13). For that reason they fought against him from
heaven: The stars in their courses fought against Sisera (ibid. 5:20).
And Samson, too, was punished by the Holy One, blessed be He, through the very
thing in which he prided himself, as it is sai± And Samson said unto his
father: “Get her for me, for she pleases me well” (Judg. 14:3). Hence, the
Philistines laid hold on him and put out his eyes; and … (ibid. 16:21).
Similarly, Absalom was punished
by the very thing with which he prided himself, as it is said: Now in all
Israel there was none to be so much praised as Absalom for his beauty; from the
soul of his feet to the crown of his head there was no blemish in him and when
he polled his head. . . now it was every year’s end that he polled it (II
Sam. 14:25—26). R. Nehorai stated: He was a Nazirite, yet he cut his hair every
thirty days, as it is said: Now at the end of the days he polled it. R.
Judah maintained that he was a Nazirite throughout his life, yet he cut his
hair every twelve months, as it is said: And it came to pass at the end of
forty years that Absalom said unto the king: “I pray, let me go and pay my vow,
which I have vowed unto the Lord in Hebron. For your servant vowed a vow while
I abode at Geshur in Aram,
saying: If the Lord shall indeed bring me back to Jerusalem, then I will serve the Lord” (II
Sam. 15:7-8).
Rabbi declared: He would cut his hair on the eve of
every Sabbath as was customary with princes. Thus it says: And Absalom
chanced to meet the servants of David. And Absalom was riding upon his mule,
and the mule went under the thick boughs of a great terebinth, and his hair
caught hold of the terebinth, etc. (II Sam. 18:9).
Similarly Sennacherib was punished with the thing of
which he boasted, as is said: By your messengers you have taunted the Lord,
and have said: With the multitude of my chariots am I come to the height of the
mountains, to the innermost parts of Lebanon; and I have cut down the tall
cedars thereof and the choice cypresses there off and I have entered in his
farthest lodge, the forest of his fruitful field. I have dug and drunk strange
waters, and with the sole of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of Egypt (II
Kings 19:23-24). Therefore, the angel of the Lord went forth, and smote in
the camp of the Assyrians a hundred fourscore and five thousand, etc.
(ibid., v. 35).
Their supreme commander was in
charge of a hundred fourscore and five thousand men, and their lowliest officer
was in charge of two thousand men, as it is said: How then can’t you turn
away the face of one captain, even of the least of my master’s servants? and
yet you put your trust on Egypt
for chariots and horsemen (ibid. 18:24). It is also written: This is the
word that the Lord has spoken concerning him: The virgin daughter of Zion has despised you and laughed you to scorn; the
daughter of Jerusalem
has shaken her head at you. Whom have you taunted and blasphemed? And against
whom have you exalted your voice? Yea, you have lifted up your eyes on high,
even against the Holy One of Israel
(ibid., vv. 21-23).
Nebuchadnezzar was also
punished with the thing of which he boasted, for it is said: And you said in
your heart: “I will ascend into heaven, above the stars of God will I exalt my
throne; and I will sit upon the mount of meeting, in the uttermost parts of the
north; I will ascend above the heights of the clouds” (Isa. 14:13-15), but
after that is written: Yet you shall be brought down to the netherworld, to
the uttermost tarts of the pit.
Similarly, retribution was
exacted from Tyre
by the very thing in which it prided itself. You, 0 Tyre, have said: I am of perfect beauty. Your
borders are in the heart of the seas, your builders have perfected your beauty (Ezek.
27:3-4), and that is followed by: Behold, I am against you, 0 Tyre, and will
cause many nations to come up against you, as the sea causes its waves to come
up (ibid. 26:3). And the prince of Tyre
was likewise punished through the thing for which he had extolled himself. Son
of man, say unto the prince of Tyre:
“Thus says the Lord. Because your heart is lifted up, and you have said: I am a
god, I sit in the seat of God, in the heart of the sea; yet you are a man, and
not God, though did set your heart as the heart of God, etc. (Ezek. 28:2).
Hence, you shall die the deaths of the uncircumcised by the hand of strangers
(ibid., v. 10). With whatever nations exalt themselves, retribution is
exacted upon them. Hence it is said: For He is highly exalted.
13. The horse and his rider
(Exod. 15:1). Was there only one horse? (Of course not!) All the
horses were considered by Him as one, as in the verse When you go forth to
battle against your enemy, and see a horse and chariot (Deut. 20:1). All
the horses were considered by Him as one in this instance as well. And his
rider. Has it not already been stated that He took six hundred chariots (Exod.
14:7), and does not Scripture tell us Pharaoh’s chariots and his hosts (ibid.
15:4)? This indicates that when Israel performs the will of the Omnipotent One,
all the nations are considered by Him as one horse and one chariot: The
horse and his rider has He thrown into the sea (ibid., v. 1). This verse
informs us that the horse and the rider were joined together, and as Scripture tells
us, they were cast (yarah) into the sea without separating. He has
thrown (ramah) into the sea and He has cast (yarah) into the sea imply
that they were thrown into the depths of the sea. How can these two verses be
reconciled? Thrown indicates that they were lifted up and then cast down.
This indicates that they descended into the deep without separating. Another
explanation of Has He thrown into the sea. That is, He saw the guardian
angel of Egypt
falling. You find that the Holy One, blessed be He, will exact retribution from
nations in the future only after He has punished their guardian angels, as it
is said: And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord will punish
the host of the high heaven on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth (Isa.
24:21). Similarly, How are you fallen from heaven, 0 day star, son of the
morning! is followed by How are you cut down to the ground, that did
cast lots over the nations! (ibid. 14: 12). And My sword has drunk its
fill in heaven is followed by Behold, it shall come down upon Edom (ibid.
34:3).
Another explanation. As the
Egyptians dealt with the Israelites, so they were dealt with. They said: Every
son that is born you shall cast into the river (Exod. 1:22), hence, The
deeps cover them (ibid. 15:6). They took six hundred chosen chariots (ibid.
14:7), and therefore, Pharaoh’s chariots. . . has He thrown into the
sea (ibid. 15:4). They made their lives bitter and with hard service,
in mortar (ibid. 1:14), and therefore, You have trodden the sea with
Your horses, the foaming of mighty waters (Hab. 3:15).
14. The
deeps cover them (Exod. 15:5). Were there actually any deeps? Is
not the floor of the Red Sea flat and firm?
This verse merely informs us that the lower depth as well as the upper level of
the sea rose up against them, causing the waters to inflict all manner of punishment
upon them. Like a stone (even) (Exod. 15:5). They said: You shall
look upon the birth stones (avnayim) (Exod. 1:16), and therefore He made
the water to be like stones to them. Another explanation of Like a stone. He
judged between them, and the wicked ones were consumed like straw. The average
ones were tossed about like stones, and the wise ones sank like lead.
15. Your right hand, O Lord
(Exod. 15:6). This verse indicates that the Lord’s right hand is
stretched out to receive repentant sinners. Though You set a time for the
generation of the flood in which to do penance, as it is said: My spirit
shall not abide in man forever (Gen. 6:3), You did not decree their
destruction until they committed their most evil acts before You. Similarly,
You set a time limit in which the men of the Tower of Babel
were to repent, yet You did not decree their extinction until they performed
their most wicked acts, as it is said: And now nothing will be withheld from
them (ibid. 11:6). The expression and now is employed only to
signify that they had an opportunity to repent, as is said: And now, Israel,
what does the Lord your God requires of you? (Deut. 10:12); And now, O Israel,
hearken unto the statutes (ibid. 4:1); And yet now hear O Jacob (Isa.
44:1).
You set a time during which the
Sodomites were to repent, as it is said: And the Lord said: Verily, the cry
of Sodom and Gomorrah is great and, verily, their sin is
exceeding grievous. I will go down now, and see if they have done altogether
according to the cry of it, which has come unto Me (Gen. 18:20—21), yet You
did not decree their destruction until they performed their wicked acts before
You. The Lord caused to rain upon Sodom
(ibid. 19:4). Had they repented it would have been just an ordinary rain,
but since they did not, it was a rain of fire and brimstone. Similarly, Egypt
would have suffered only the plagues if they had repented, but since they
failed to repent, not one of them remained alive.
Your right hand, O Lord,
glorious in power, Your right hand dashes in pieces the enemy (Exod.
15:6). Why is Your right hand repeated in these verses? To indicate that
when the Israelites do the will of the Omnipresent, they make His left hand to
act as His right hand, but if they fail to do His will, as though that were
possible, they make His right hand to become his left, as it is said: He has
drawn back His right hand (Lam. 2:3).
The right hand of the Lord is
exalted; the right hand of the Lord does valiantly (Ps. 118:16). That is,
when they do the will of God, He that keeps Israel does neither slumber nor
sleep (ibid. 121:4). However, when they fail to do His will, Then the
Lord awaked as one asleep (ibid. 79:65). When the people do the will of
God, Fury is not in Me (Isa. 2 7:4), but when they fail to do his will, And
the anger of the Lord be kindled (Deut. 7:4). When they act in accordance
with His decrees, The Lord will fight for you (Exod. 14:14), But when
they fail to fulfill His wishes, He returned to be their enemy (Isa.
63:10). Furthermore, His mercy is transformed into tyranny: The Lord is
become as an enemy, He has swallowed up Israel (Lam. 2:5). Dashes
(tiraz) in pieces the enemy (Exod. 15:6). This alludes to the future, as it
is said in the verse You will march (tiz’ad) through the earth in
indignation (Hab. 3:12). Dashes in pieces the enemy. This refers to Edom, as it is
said: Because the enemy has said against you (Ezek. 36:2).
16. And in
the greatness of Your excellence (Exod. 15:7). You have increased Your
excellence against all who rose up against You. Who were those that rose up
against You? They were the ones that turned against Your children. It is taught
that all who rise up against Israel
are considered as rising up against the Shekhinah. Thus it says: Forget not
the voice of your adversaries (Ps. 74:23), and For lo, Your enemies are in
an uproar; and they that hate You have lifted up the head. They hold crafty
converse against Your people, and take counsel against Your treasured ones (ibid.
83:3—4). It is also written: Do not hate them, 0 Lord, that hate You, and do
not I strive with those that rise up against You? (ibid. 139:21). Why so? I
hate them with the utmost hatred, I count them mine enemies (ibid.).
Similarly it is written: For
he who touches you touches the apple of His eye (Zech. 2:12). “My eye”
should be written here, for it refers, as it were, to the Heavenly One.
However, the text was modified by the scribes of the Great Synagogue. The verse
You say also: “Behold, what a weariness is it! And you have snuffed at it” (Mal.
1:13) was likewise altered. The verse I will judge his house forever for the
iniquity, in that he knew that his sons did bring a curse on themselves, and he
rebuked them not (I Sam. 3:13) was also modified. In the like manner, the
verse Why have you set me as a mark for you, so that I may burden to myself (Job
7:20) was changed. The verse Art not You from everlasting, O Lord, My God,
my Holy One? We shall not die (Hab. 1:12) was modified also. Again the
verse Has a nation changed its gods which are yet no gods? But My people has
changed its glory for that which does not profit (Jer. 2:11) was altered.
Similarly, Thus they exchange their glory for the likeness of an ox that
eats grass (Ps. 106:2) was changed. The verse I will change their glory
to shame (Hos. 4:7) was likewise modified. In the case of Also against
his three friends was his wrath kindled, because they had found no answer and
yet had condemned Job (Job 32:3) they changed the text. Similarly, but Abraham
stood yet before the Lord (Gen 18:22) is another illustration of this.
Again, in the verse And if You deal thus with me, kill me, I pray, out of
hand, if I have found favor in Your sight, and let me not look upon my
wretchedness (Num. 11:15) they changed the text. Similarly in the passage Let
her not, I pray, be as one head, of whom the flesh is half consumed when He
comes out of his mother’s womb (ibid. 12:12) they altered the verse. And
likewise, the verse What portion have we in David? Neither have we
inheritance in the son of Jesse; to your tents, 0 Israel; now see to Your own house,
David. So Israel
departed unto their tents (I Kings. 12:16) was altered, for in the Second
Book of Chronicles (10:16) it is written concerning this episode to his
tent rather than unto their tents.
The verses My soul has them
still in remembrance and is bowed down within me (Lam. 3:20) and It may
be that the Lord will look on mine eyes (II Sam. 16:12) were amended by the
men of the Great Synagogue. They are called scribes because they counted every
letter in the Torah and interpreted it. Thus they amended And lo,
they put the branch unto My nose (Exod. 8:17) to read their nose. Likewise,
they altered the verse we are discussing Surely he that touches you touches
the apple of My eye (ibid.) to read His eye. This was to teach us
that everyone who rises up against Israel is considered as rising up
against the Shekhinah. Hence it says: Curse you bitterly the inhabitants
thereof because they came not to the help of the Lord (Judg. 5:23).
Does He actually require the assistance of others
that it says, He sent an angel against Sennacherib but he did not kill them,
since When He blows upon them they wither (Isa. 40:24)? This teaches us
that whosoever helps Israel
is considered as though helping the Shekhinah. Therefore it is written: For
He is highly exalted. You have exalted yourself greatly through those who
rebelled against You. Who were they that rebelled against You? The ones who
attacked Your children: Chedorlaomer king of Elam. . . and he divided
himself against them by night (Gen. 14:1, 15). Who has raised up one
from the east, at whose steps victory attends . . . he pursues them and passes
on (I Sam. 41:2—3). Scripture also says: The Lord said unto my lord:
“Sit you at My right hand, until I make Mine enemies your footstool.” The rod
of your strength the Lord will send out of Zion: “Rule in the midst of your enemies.”
Your people offer themselves willingly in the day of thy warfare, in
adornments of holiness, from the womb of the dawn, yours is the dew of your
youth. The Lord has sworn, and will not repent; “You are a priest for ever
after the manner of Meichizedek.” The Lord at your right hand does crush kings
in the day of His wrath (Ps. 110:1-5).
Sisera and all his chariots likewise arose against
your sons, as it is said: And Sisera gathered together all his chariots, etc.
(Judg. 4:13). But then it is written: They fought from heaven, etc.
(ibid. 5:20).
Sennacherib and all his hosts did likewise, as it is
said: By your servants have you taunted (Isa. 37:24); I have dug and
drunk water (ibid., v. 5). Therefore it states: Then the Lord sent an
angel, who cut off all the mighty men of valor and the leaders and the
captains, in the camp of the king of Assyria.
So he returned with shame of face to his own land. When he was come into the
house of his god, they that came forth of his own bowels slew him there with
his sword (II Chron. 32:21—22). Nebuchadnezzar did likewise when he said: I
will ascend above the heights of the clouds (Isa. 14:14); and therefore the
Holy One, blessed be He, told him: Since you wish to separate yourself from
mankind, mankind will ultimately separate itself from you. At the end
of twelve months he was walking upon the royal palace at Babylon. . . . While the word was in
the king’s mouth, there fell a voice from heaven: “0 king Nebuchadnezzar to you
it is spoken: The kingdom is departed from you. And you shall be Chasen from
men, and your dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field.”. . . The
same hour was the thing fulfilled upon Nebuchadnezzar; and he was Chasen from
men, etc. (Dan. 4:26—30). And all this came upon the king
Nebuchadnezzar (ibid., v. 25).
King Belshazzar held a great
feast for a thousand of his lords, and drank wine with them. While drinking the
wine, Belshazzar commanded that the golden and silver vessels which
Nebuchadnezzar his father had removed from the Temple
in Jerusalem,
be brought to him in order that the king and his lords, his consorts and his
concubines, might drink from them. They brought him the golden vessels taken
from the altar of the Lord, and the king and his lords, his consorts, and his
concubines, drank from them. They drank wine, and praised the gods made of
gold, of silver of brass, of iron, of wood, and of stone. In the same hour came
forth fingers of a man’s hand and wrote over against the candlestick upon the
plaster of the wall of the king’s palace; and the king saw the palm of the hand
that wrote. Then the king’s countenance was changed in him, and his thoughts
affrighted him; and the joints of his loins were loosed, and his knees smote
one against the other (Dan. 5:1—6). Concerning him, it is said: Woe unto
him that gives his neighbor drink, that putts your venom thereto, and makes him
drunken also that you may look on their nakedness! You are filled with shame
instead of glory, drink you also, and be uncovered; the cup of the Lord’s right
hand shall be turned unto you, and filthiness shall be upon your glory (Hab.
2:15-16). In that night Belshazzar the Chaldean king, was slain (Dan.
5:30).
17. The
deeps were congealed (Exod. 15:8). He fashioned them into a kind of vault. In
the heart of the sea (ibid.). Where is a man’s heart located? It is located
just above two thirds of his height. Similarly, the water congealed over them
at two thirds of its depth. The sea had no heart; a heart was attributed to it.
A terebinth has no heart, but a heart was ascribed to it, as it is said: While
he was yet alive in the heart of the terebinth (II Sam. 18:14). The heavens
have no heart, but He attributed a heart to them, as it is said: And the
mountain burned with fire unto the heart of heaven (Deut. 4:11). The sea,
which had no heart, and to which He ascribed a heart, came and punished the
Egyptians who possessed hearts, but who nevertheless had subjected Israel
to all manner of afflictions. The terebinth has no heart, but the heart which
was attributed to it, went and punished Absalom, who had a heart, for he had
deceived three hearts: his father’s, the court’s, and that of the men of
Israel. And the heaven which had no heart, but to which a heart was ascribed,
came and sent down manna to Israel,
which possessed a heart, accepted the Torah with all its heart, and loved its
Creator with all its heart.
18. And
Moses led Israel onward from
the Red Seas and they went out into the
wilderness of Shur (Exod. 15:22). The wilderness of Shur is actually the
wilderness of Kazab. They say that the wilderness of Kazab was eight hundred
parasangs square and was filled with serpents and scorpions, as is stated: Who
led you through the great and dreadful wilderness, wherein were serpents,
fiery serpents, and scorpions (Deut. 8:15). R. Yosé the son of Hanina
declared: The serpents were the size of the beam of a house, and the scorpions
were the width of a span.
It is related that while King
Shapur (of Persia)
was passing through that place with the members of his family, a serpent
swallowed one of them. As he continued along, a second member of his family was
swallowed up and then a third. King Shapur was deeply saddened, but he did not
know what to do. His counselors advised him: “Summon ten mighty men to fill the
place with a layer of straw.” He summoned them and they did so. They placed
straw around the serpent, and he swallowed it. Then they placed more straw
around him, and he swallowed it as well. This continued until his belly swelled
up, and they killed him. Hence, Who led you through the great and dreadful
wilderness, wherein were serpents, fiery serpents, and scorpions, and thirsty
ground where was no water; who brought you forth water out of the rock of flint
(Deut. 8:15). It says also: The burden of the beasts of the south.
Through the land of trouble and anguish, from whence come the lioness and the
lion, the viper and the flying serpent (Isa. 30:6). The word ef’eh is
employed with reference to a viper. They say that when a viper looks at the
shadow of a bird flying through the air, the bird immediately becomes entranced
and falls apart. Nevertheless, they did not say: Where is the Lord that
brought us out of the land of Egypt, that led us through the wilderness,
through a land of deserts and of pits, through a land of drought and of the
shadow of death (Jer. 2:6). What is meant by the word tzalmavet (“shadow
of death”)? A place where there is tzal (“shadow”) accompanied by mavet
(“death”).
R. Aha stated: Our great Rabbi
told me that there was one man in the land of Israel
whom they called the bald-headed one. One time this man went up a mountain to
gather wood, when he saw a sleeping serpent. Though the serpent did not see
him, he was so terrified by the sight that the hair of his head fell out. The
hair did not grow back until his dying day. That was the reason they called him
the bald-headed one.
19. And they went three days
in the wilderness, and found no water (Exod. 15:22). Some say that the
water they had taken with them, from between the rocks, was exhausted by that
time. Why does the Scripture say and found no water? Because there was
no water even in their water containers, as is said in the verse: And
the nobles send their lads for water; they come to the pits, and find
no water; they are ashamed and confounded, and cover their heads (Jer.
14:3). Those who interpret the words of the Torah metaphorically hold that they
had abstained from studying the Torah, which is compared to water, as it is
written: Ho, everyone that thirsts, come for water (Isa. 55:1).
Because they were without water for three days, the
prophets and the elders ordained that the Torah was to be read on three days
each week. It is read on the Sabbath, but not on the day following; it is read
on the second day of the week, but not on the third and fourth days; and it is
read on the fifth day, but not on the sixth day. Hence, three successive days
do not pass without the public reading of the Torah.
And He said: “If you wilt diligently hearken to
the voice of the Lord your God” (Exod. 15:26). Because of this verse they
said: The man who hearkens to God’s word in time will hearken at other times as
well, but if he ignores it at one time, he will do likewise at other times.
Scripture teaches this in the verses And it shall come to pass, if you
diligently hearken (Jer. 17:24), and It shall be, too, if you shall
forget (Deut. 8:19). How is that? If a man desires to hear only that which
is to his advantage, he will hear that which is not to his advantage as well;
and if he wishes to forget when it is to his advantage to do so, he will forget
even when it is not to his advantage to do so. The power to choose is given to
man. If it concerns the scorners, He scorns them, but unto the humble He gives
grace (Prov. 3:34). If a man hearkens to one command, he will be caused to
hearken to many; but if he desires to forget even one commandment, he will be
caused to forget many. Therefore it is written: If you shall begin to
forget, you will in time forget. Others reach this conclusion from the
verse If you at all take your neighbor’s garment to pledge (Exod.
22:25); that is, if you should seize one garment as a pledge, you will
ultimately take many pledges because of it.
Ketubim Targum Psalm 52
1. For praise; for good teaching; composed by David.
2. When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and said to
him, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.”
3. How the mighty man will praise himself with a wicked
tongue, to shed innocent blood; [but] the grace of God is all the day.
4. Your tongue will devise tumult in your heart, forming
words of slander like a sharp knife.
5. You love evil more than good, lying more than speaking
righteousness always.
6. You love all the words of destruction, the tongue of
guile.
7. Also God will demolish you forever; he will shatter you
and make you wander so that you cannot dwell in a tent; and he will uproot you
from the land of the living forever.
8. And the righteous will see the punishment of the wicked,
and they will be afraid in the presence of the Lord, and on his account they
will laugh.
9. And they will say, “Behold, the man who did not make the
word of the Lord his strength; he trusted in his riches; he was strong in his
money.”
10. But I, like a luxuriant olive tree in the sanctuary of
God, have trusted in the grace of God forever and ever.
11. I will give thanks in Your presence forever, for You
have accomplished the vindication of my case; and I will await Your name, for
it is good, before Your pious ones.
Ketubim Midrash Psalm 52
I. For
the leader. Maschil of David; when Doeg came and told Saul: “David is come to
the house of Ahimelech” (Ps. 52: 1). These words are to be
read in the light of the verse Suffer not your mouth to bring your flesh
into guilt (Eccles. 5:5). R. Joshua ben Levi said: This verse speaks
of men who pledge charity. Suffer not your mouth to promise rashly that
you will give, and then, not give. Neither say you before the messenger: that
is, to the public messenger who comes and says to you: “Give what you did
pledge,” say not, “It was an error: I knew I not what I said.” Wherefore
should G-d be angry at your voice, with which you did proclaim that you
would give, yet gave not? And destroy the work of your hands: the few
former deeds of charity which were to your credit, them you do destroy.
Another comment on Suffer not your mouth to bring your
flesh into guilt. R. Benjamin said: This verse refers to pretenders to
learning. Wherefore should God be angry at your voice? At the voice
whereby you mouth your pretensions to learning. And destroy the work of your
hands: that is, “Those few ideas of Torah at your command—into them you
bring confusion.”
The Rabbis say: The words Suffer not your mouth to
bring your flesh into guilt are addressed to Miriam. As soon as she spoke
against Moses, she became leprous, for it is said “Miriam and Aaron spoke
against Moses” (Num. 12:1). And what happened to her? “And behold,
Miriam became leprous, white as snow” (ibid. 12:10). Neither
say you before the messenger: before Moses. Wherefore should God be
angry at your voice, the voice that Miriam let escape from her mouth
against Moses the righteous. And destroy the work of your hands
(ibid.)—that is, destroy the merit of her timbrel-playing, of which it is
said “And Miriam the prophetess, the sister of Aaron, took a timbrel in her
hand” (Ex. 15:20).
A different comment: Suffer not your mouth to
bring your flesh into guilt (Eccles. 5:5) refers to slander, for with their
mouths men make their flesh suffer guilt; because of what they let escape from
their mouths, they are smitten with leprosy. Neither say you before the
messenger (ibid. 5:5)—that is, [Suffer not your mouth to bring you]
before the priest, who, it is said, “is a messenger of the Lord of hosts”
(Mal. 2:7). For the leper must go to the priest, as is said “This shall
be the law of the leper (mésora’)”—that is, the mosi’ ra’, “the
man who utters slander”—”he shall be brought unto the priest” (Lev. 14:2). Wherefore
should God be angry at your voice refers to the voice which you let escape
from your mouth when you slander your fellow. And destroy the work of your
hands (ibid.): the little knowledge of Torah at your command—that, you
destroy. Who was such a slanderer? Doeg. When he slandered David, he became
leprous, for it is said God will likewise break you for ever . . . and
root you out of the land of the living for ever (Ps. 52:7). What
else can He will break you mean except that Doeg became leprous, just as
it is said of a leprous house, He shall break the house (Lev.
14:45). And what caused his leprosy? The cause of it was that he
slandered David, as is said When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, and
said unto him: “David is come to the house of Ahimelech.”
II. Another comment. The words When Doeg the Edomite came, etc.,
are to be read in the light of what Scripture says elsewhere: Death and
life are in the power of the tongue (Prov. 18:21)—everything depends on the
tongue. If a man desires to speak with an evil tongue, he speaks; if a man
desires to speak with a good tongue, he speaks. Say not: “Because power was
given to my tongue, behold, I shall say what I want to!” For the Torah long ago
admonished Keep your tongue from evil, and your lips from speaking guile (Ps.
34:14). To your loss, you may say. God forbid! To your profit, for the
Holy Spirit proclaims: Whosoever keeps his mouth and his tongue keeps his
soul from troubles (Prov. 21:23).
Another comment on Death and life are in the power
of the tongue (Prov. 18:21). Consider how vicious slander is, for a man
cannot let slander out of his mouth without denying the Root of the universe.
And the proof? R. Jose taught: It is in the verse Who have said: With our
tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own: who is lord over us? (Ps. 12:5),
where the words Who is lord over us? prove that the slanderer denies
the Root of the universe.
The Holy One Himself, blessed be He, cries out, if
one dare speak thus, concerning slanderers: Who will rise up for Me against
the evil-doers? (Ps. 94:16)—that is to say, “Who can abide them, and who
can stand them? Gehenna!” But Gehenna says: “I cannot stand them!” Then the
Holy One, blessed be He, says to Gehenna: “Then I from above, and you from
below,” as Scripture says: Upon you, you slanderous tongue, sharp arrows
from the Mighty One [above] with coals of juniper [from below] (Ps. 120:4).
The Holy One, blessed be He, also said to Israel: If
your desire is to be saved from Gehenna, stay far away from slander, and you
will gain life in the world-to-come, for it is said Who is the man that
desires life (Ps. 34:13), that is, “life in the world-to-come?” To
gain it, Keep your tongue from evil (ibid. 34:14).
Another comment on Who is the man that desires
life? Our Masters said: It happened that a peddler who went around in the
villages of Sepphoris used to go crying his wares, saying, “Who’d like the
elixir of life!” The daughter of R. Yannai heard him and said to her father: “A
peddler is going around saying: ‘Who’d like the elixir of life?’” R. Yannai
said to her: “Go and call him.” She went and called him to R. Yannai, who asked
him: “What is this elixir of life which you sell?” The peddler answered: “Even
you know not what this elixir is?’ R. Yannai replied: “Nevertheless, declare it
to me.” The peddler said: “Bring me a scroll of the Psalms.” They brought it to
him, and he unrolled it, and showed R. Yannai what David said, namely, Who
is the man that desires life, etc. Keep your tongue from evil, etc.
(Ps. 34:14). And what did R. Yannai do? He gave the peddler six coins. The
disciples asked R. Yannai: “Our master, did you not know this verse?” And he answered:
“Yes, but this man came and made me aware of its full meaning.”
Another comment on Death and life are in the power
of the tongue. A mere basket of figs!—yet if a man ate of them and said no
blessing: Death . . . in the power of the tongue. If he said a
blessing: life . . . in the power of the tongue.
Another comment on Death and life are in the power
of the tongue. Everything depends on the tongue, even death and life. A man
who gains Torah, gains life, for Torah is called a tree of life, as is said She
is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her, and happy is everyone that
holds her fast (Prov. 3:18). It is Torah that is a healing for the tongue,
as is said The tree of life heals the tongue (Prov. 15:4). But if
a man is busy with an evil tongue, he forfeits his life.
Behold, how vicious is slander! It is more vicious
than murder, unchastity, or idolatry. In Scripture each of these three transgressions
is termed “great,” but slander is spoken of in the plural as “great things.”
Thus Cain said of murder: My punishment is more great than 1 can bear (Gen.
4:13); Joseph exclaimed of unchastity: How then can I do this great
wickedness? (ibid. 39:9); Moses said of idolatry: Oh, this people have
sinned a great sin (Ex. 32:3!). But it is written of slander, The
Lord shall cut off all flattering lips, the tongue that speaks great things (Ps.
12:4), to tell you that slander is more vicious than the other three
transgressions.
Another comment on Death and
life are in the power of the tongue. Slander is more vicious than murder.
He who murders a man murders only one, but he who speaks slander murders three:
him who speaks it, him who accepts it, and him of whom it is spoken. Whose
history proves this? Doeg’s. For he slandered Ahimelech before Saul, and the
three of them, Saul, Ahimelech, and Doeg were slain: Ahimelech, as it is said You
shall surely die, Ahimelech (1 Sam. 22:16); Saul, as it is said So Saul
died for his transgression which he committed against the Lord (1
Chron. 10:13); and Doeg, who was banished from the world, as is said
God will likewise break you for ever (Ps. 52:7), that is, from
the world-to-come. And what caused his banishment? Slander, as is said When
Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul.
III. Another comment. The words
When Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, etc., are to be read in the
light of what Scripture says elsewhere: Though his hatred cover itself with
guile, his wickedness shall be openly showed before the assembly (Prov.
26:26). R. Hiyya taught: Hypocrites must be shown up in order to prevent
desecration of the Name. Thus it is said But when the righteous turns away
from his righteousness, he will be brought to commit an iniquity (Ezek.
18:24). And why does the Holy One, blessed be He, open a way of iniquity to the
hypocrite? In order to make his deeds plainly visible to men; otherwise, the
punishment that befalls him on account of his guileful transgressions would
cause men to raise a cry against the measure of God’s justice. Hence, the Holy
One, blessed be He, makes plainly visible the deeds of any man who beguiles his
fellow with hypocrisy.
Come and learn this from what befell Doeg, who was
chief of the Sanhedrin, as is said Doeg the Edomite, the chiefest of the herdmen
that belonged to Saul (1 Sam. 21:8). Because of his habit of
slander, however, even though he had knowledge of Torah, Scripture makes it
plainly known that he was a slanderer. His deeds were made known to men, lest
when God came to punish him, they might otherwise raise a cry against the
measure of justice. Hence Scripture says, Doeg the Edomite came and told
Saul . . . “David is come to the house of Ahimelech.”
IV. Doeg the Edomite. Why was he called the Edomite? Because
people living in the city of Nob
and beyond were known as Edomites, and so he was called after the name of
[the area in which] his city [was located].
R. Samuel bar Nahmani maintained: Doeg called himself the Edomite
because he was envious of David who was called Edomite (“ruddy”), as is
said Now he was ruddy (‘admoni), and withal of beautiful eyes (1
Sam. 16:12). And Doeg was not alone in his envy of David: all the
children of Doeg’s clan, the Ziphites, Nabal the Carmelite, and the men of
Keilah, were envious of him.
R. Abba bar Kahana maintained:
Doeg was called the Edomite (“bloody one”) because he so turned matters
as to have decreed the shedding of the blood (dam) of Nob, the city of
the priests, as is said Doeg the Edomite turned, and he fell upon the
priests, and he slew on that day four score and five persons (1 Sam.
22:18).
R. Nahmani said: Doeg was
called the Edomite because he decreed the shedding of the blood (dam) of
David, for he said to Saul concerning David, he deserves to die (1
Sam. 20:31), meaning thereby that David’s blood was to be shed, and
that David’s wife could marry another man.’
Bar Kappara said: Doeg was
called the Edomite because he forbade Saul to shed the blood (dam) of
Agag. For Doeg said: “It is written in the Torah You will not
kill it and its young both in one day (Lev. 22:28); yet you are about to
kill young and old, children and women, in one day.” Therefore, Doeg was called
the Edomite, because through Doeg’s decree Saul was adjudged blood (dam)-guilty.
R. Isaac said: Doeg was called
the Edomite because he used to redden (ma’ãdim) with shame the
faces of all who argued the law with him. Whenever a man debated with him,
Doeg, with his arguments, would reduce him to silence.
R. Hanina said: Doeg was called
the Edomite, because like Edom
which smirches the attainments of Israel, so Doeg smirched the
attainments of David.
Our Masters said: Doeg was
called the Edomite, because like Edom which seeks vengeance and
bears a grudge in its heart, so Doeg sought vengeance and bore a grudge in his
heart against David.
V. Doeg the Edomite came and
told Saul (Ps. 52:1). “And told Saul”: that is, “And
embittered Saul.” What did he say to him? He said this: “Ahimelech has made
David king while you are still living: For though inquiry may not be made of
the Urim and Thummim on behalf of any man except the king, or members of the
court, or one upon whom the needs of many people depend, yet inquiry has been
made of the Urim and Thummim on behalf of David!” When Doeg told him this, a
spirit of bitter envy entered into Saul. Whence do we know this? Because Saul
said to Ahimelech: “You have given him bread, and a sword (1 Sam. 22:13),
and as if this were not enough for you, you have also inquired of God
for him (ibid.). Therefore you will surely die, Ahimelech (ibid. 22:16).”
As soon as Ahimelech saw that the face of Saul was seething with anger at
him, Ahimelech answered the king, and said: “And who among all your
servants is so trusted as David, who is the king’s son-in-law (ibid. 22:14):
[Therefore, impute nothing to me] either because of the giving or because of
the inquiring. Indeed, was this the first time that David called upon me? Have
I only today begun to inquire of God for him? Be it far from me (ibid. 22:15).
This was not the first time, for it is my custom to inquire on behalf of
David. Therefore, Let not the king impute anything unto his servant, nor to
all the house of my father” (ibid.).
But Saul said to him: “So! All along you did inquire
for David, and yet you say that you are not deserving of death?”
As soon as Saul caused the sentence of death to be
issued against Ahimelech, The king said unto the guard that stood about him:
“Turn, and slay the priests of the Lord” (ibid. 22:17). But
the guards did not heed him. As Solomon said, Whosoever keeps the
commandment shall know no evil thing (Eccles. 8:5)— it was Abner and Amasa
who [acting as guards] would not permit themselves to touch the priests, as is
said But the servants of the king would not (1 Sam. 22:17).
When Saul saw that the guards did not obey him, he
said to Doeg: “Why do you stand still? You did smite the priests of Nob with your
tongue. Rise now and smite them with the sword,” as is said The king said to
Doeg: “Turn you, and fall upon the priests” (ibid. 22:18).
Immediately Doeg stood up and smote them, as is said He slew on that day
fourscore and five persons that did wear a linen ephod (ibid.).
Behold, what might there was in Doeg! No man in the
whole world helped him; by himself he slew them. And not these priests alone,
but also Nob, the city of the priests, smote he with the edge of the sword
(ibid. 22:19). Thereupon, David cried out and said: Why boast yourself
of evil, O mighty man? The mercy of God [endures] continually (Ps. 52:3).
VI. Why boast yourself of
evil, O mighty man? (Ps. 52:3)—that is, David said to Doeg: O that you, a
mighty man, a wealthy man, and chief of the Sanhedrin, should occupy yourself
with this evil thing, and speak with evil tongue!
Of evil, O mighty man? David
asked Doeg: Is this really might? That a man seeing his fellow at the edge of a
pit push him into the pit? Or that a man seeing his fellow on top of a roof
push him off? Is this might? When can a man truly be called mighty man? When
his fellow is about to fall into a pit, and he seizes his hand so that he does
not fall in. Or when he sees his fellow fallen into a pit, and he lifts him up
out of it. But you saw Saul angry at me, and so you did piss on me!
Of evil, O mighty man? Thinking
evil is what men practice? Nay, they practice the mercy of God continually (Ps.
52:3). David said to Doeg: “Think you that had Ahimelech not received me
and not given me a piece of bread, there would have been no man in Israel who
would have given it to me? Nay, the people of Israel are accustomed to practice
mercy at all times in behalf of every man who comes.”
Another comment on The mercy
of God continually. David said to Doeg: Ought a man like you who is
continually occupied with the mercy of God, that is with study of Torah, of
which it is said The law of mercy is on her tongue (Prov.
31:26), occupy himself with things so evil that your knowledge of Torah becomes
a mockery? Of evil, O mighty man?
Another comment on The mercy
of God continually. Ought a man who, as it were, practices mercy towards
God do a cruel thing? For he who occupies himself with Torah is
considered as practicing mercy towards God. Yet you occupy yourself with
slander, with an evil tongue. Of evil, O mighty man?
R. Jose ben Zimra taught: Come
and see how vicious is an evil tongue! A man has two hundred and forty-eight
parts: some erect; some prone; some capable of being either one or the other;
the tongue, however, is imprisoned, with the cheeks and the teeth surrounding it,
and with many other restraints upon it. Yet no man can withstand it. If it were
erect, think how much more vicious the tongue would be!
VII. You love evil more than good (Ps. 52:5). David said to
Doeg: “You desires evil for Saul more than you desire your own good. For had
Saul not accepted slander from you, he would not have been punished. There is a
kind of man who tells lies to and flatters another because the other gives him
food and drink. But you, do you need anything at all? Behold, you are wise in
Torah, you are mighty, you are rich, you are chief of the Sanhedrin. Why have you
done this?”
Thus says the Lord: Let not the wise man glory in
his wisdom, neither let the mighty man glory in his might, let not the rich man
glory in his riches; but let him that glories glory in this, that he
understands, and knows Me, that I am the Lord, who exercises mercy, justice,
and righteousness (Jer. 9:22-23). Thus, as Scripture says, David .
. . executed justice and righteousness unto all his people (1 Chron.
18:14), and again And David behaved himself wisely in all his ways; and the
Lord was with him (1 Sam. 18:14).
VIII. R. Simeon bar Abba said in the name of R.
Johanan: The Holy One, blessed be He, let Abraham see Torah, Gehenna,
offerings, and the yoke of the kingdoms. Whence do we know that God let Abraham
see Torah? Because in the words a flaming torch (Gen. 15:17), torch
clearly refers to Torah, of which it is said “All the people saw the
thunderings, and the torches” (Ex. 20:15). And Gehenna? A smoking furnace
(Gen. 15:17) refers to Gehenna, of which it is said “For, behold,
the day comes, it burns as a furnace” (Mal. 3:19), and also “The Lord,
whose fire is in Zion, and His furnace in Jerusalem” (Isa. 31:9).
And offerings? Scripture speaks of a heifer three years old (Gen. 15:9).
Whence do we know that God let Abraham see the yoke of the kingdoms?
Because it is said Lo, a dread, even a great darkness falling upon him (ibid.
15:12), dread referring to Babylon,
darkness to Greece, great
to Media, and falling upon him to Edom.
The Holy One, blessed be He, said
to Abraham: “A time will come when the Temple
will be destroyed, and the offerings whereby atonement is made will cease. What
is your choice?— that your children suffer the yoke of the kingdoms or the fire
of Gehenna?”
R. Hanina bar Papa taught:
Abraham chose the yoke of the kingdoms for himself, saying: It is better that
my children suffer the yoke of the kingdoms; let them not suffer the fire of
Gehenna. To this the Holy One, blessed be He, referred in saying to the
children of Israel:
Abraham is your father, as is said Look unto the rock whence ye were hewn (Isa.
51:1); the rock is Abraham, for in the next verse it is said Look
unto Abraham your father (ibid. 51:2).
Ashlamatah: Yeshayahu (Isaiah) 65:24 – 66:2, 5
24. And it shall come to pass
that, before they call, I will answer, and while they are yet speaking, I will
hear.
25. The wolf and the lamb shall
feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the ox; and dust shall be the
serpent’s food. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain, says
the LORD.
1. ¶ Thus says the LORD: The
heaven is My throne, and the earth is My footstool; where is the house that you
may build unto Me? And where is the place that may be My resting-place?
2. For all these things has My
hand made, and so all these things came to be, says the LORD; but on this man
will I look, even on him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at
My word.
3. He that kills an ox is as if
he slew a man; he that sacrifices a lamb, as if he broke a dog’s neck; he that
offers a meal-offering, as if he offered swine’s blood; he that makes a
memorial-offering of frankincense, as if he blessed an idol; according as they
have chosen their own ways, and their soul delights in their abominations;
4. Even so I will choose their
mockings, and will bring their fears upon them; because when I called, none did
answer; when I spoke, they did not hear, but they did that which was evil in
Mine eyes, and chose that in which I delighted not.
5. ¶ Hear the word of the LORD,
you that tremble at His word: Your brethren that hate you, that cast you out
for My name’s sake, have said: ‘Let the LORD be glorified, that we may gaze
upon your joy’, but they shall be ashamed.
Midrash of Matityahu (Matthew) 9:27-31
27. ¶ As Yeshuah went on from there, two blind men followed
him, calling out, "Be gracious to us, Ben David!"
28. Having come into the house, the blind men came to him,
and he asked them, "Do you trust that I am able to do this?" The
said: "Yes, Master."
29. Then he touched their eyes
saying, "Let it become to you according to your trust";
30. Then their eyes were opened,
and Yeshuah warned them sternly, "See that no one knows about this."
31. However, having come out of the house, they spread the
news about him all over the land.
Pirqe Abot
“All Israel have a share in the World to
Come, as it is stated: And Your people are all righteous/charitable; they shall
inherit the land forever; they are the branch of My planting, the work of My
hands, in which to glorify Me” (Isaiah 60:21).
Pirqe Abot V:5-
Mishnah 5
Ten miracles were performed for our ancestors in the
Beit Hamikdash:
- No
woman ever miscarried because of the aroma of the meat of the holy
sacrifices;
- The
meat of the holy sacrifices never became putrid;
- No
fly was ever seen in the slaughter-house;
- No
bodily impurity ever befell the High Priest on Yom Kippur;
- Rain
never extinguished the fire on the wood-pile of the altar;
- The
wind never prevailed over the column of smoke [rising from the altar, to
dissipate it];
- No
disqualifying defect was ever found in the omer, or in the Two [Shavu'ot]
Loaves, or in the Showbread;
- When
the people stood, they were crowded together, yet when they prostrated
themselves, they had ample space;
- No
snake or scorpion ever caused harm in Jerusalem;
- Nor
did any man ever say to his fellowman: "The place is too crowded for
me to lodge overnight in Jerusalem."
"No woman miscarried
because of the aroma of the meat of the holy sacrifices." (5:5)
QUESTION: When a pregnant woman has an urge to eat something, she is in great
danger if she refrains. Thus, some explain this to mean that no pregnant women
ever had a desire to eat the meat of the sacrifices (Tosafot Yom Tov). How did
our Sages know what was in the heart of all the women?
ANSWER: In the Gemara (Yoma 82b)
there is a story about a pregnant lady who overcame her desire to eat on Yom
Kippur and gave birth to the great Sage Rabbi Yochanan. Another pregnant woman,
who refused to overcome her desire, (although she acted legally due to danger —
pikuach nefesh) gave birth to a rasha — wicked person — who was known as
"Shabtai Otzar Peirot" — "Shabtai Hoarder of Provisions"
(for speculations).
The miracle was not that no woman
ever had a desire for the holy meat, rather the women who came to the Bet
Hamikdash (Temple) were so permeated with its holiness that even when one would
crave the meat, when she was told that it was an offering of the Bet Hamikdash
forbidden to be eaten by a non-Kohen, she would overcome her temptation and
there would be no adverse consequences.
This is substantiated by the
wording of the Mishnah. It does not say lo hirichah [a woman] did not smell
[desire] the holy meat — rather, lo hipilah — she did not have a miscarriage —
from the smell she desired and did not eat it, since ultimately when she was
cautioned of the holiness, she overcame the desire.
"Nor did any man say to
his fellowman, 'The place is too crowded for me to lodge overnight in Jerusalem.' "
(5:5) QUESTION: The words "nor did any man say to his fellow" are
superfluous; it should simply say "lo hayah tzar hamakom" — "the
place was not crowded"?
ANSWER: Considering the
multitudes of people that made the pilgrimage, Jerusalem was indeed very crowded.
Nevertheless, no one expressed this verbally. Everyone felt comfortable thanks
to the love that each one had for Jerusalem
and the love that prevailed there among the Jews. When unity and harmony
prevails, a large family can fit into a small apartment, and when it is lacking,
each one feels that the other is encroaching on his space.
Mishnah 6
Ten entities were created on Shabbat eve at twilight.
They are:
- The
opening of the earth [to swallow Korach];
- The
mouth of the well [in the wilderness];
- The
mouth of the donkey [of Bilaam];
- The
rainbow;
- The
manna;
- The
staff [of Moshe];
- The
shamir worm [which split stones for the Bet Hamikdash];
- The
writing [of the second Tablets];
- The
inscription [of the first Tablets];
- And
the Tablets.
Some say also the burial
place of Moshe Rabbenu and the ram of Avraham our Patriarch. And some say also
the spirits of destruction as well as the [original] tongs, for tongs must be
made with tongs.
"Ten things were created
on Erev Shabbat at twilight." (5:6) QUESTION: What message is implied
by the fact that so many things were created necessarily at the time of
twilight?
ANSWER: A Jew may not do any work
on Shabbat eve at twilight because he does not know precisely if it is still
daytime or night. If it is still day, work is permissible, and if it is night
it is forbidden. To Ha-Shem, however, there are no doubts, and He knows the
last moment of day precisely and the exact moment when night commences.
The mili dechassiduta — message
of piety — is to value every moment at one's disposal. Ha-Shem used the final
moment of the sixth day of creation to create numerous things and thus enhanced
creation in its totality. Similarly, a person should employ every moment
granted him to improve himself and have a positive influence on those around
him.
"The burial place of
Moshe Rabbeinu." (5:6) QUESTION: Regarding the "burial place of
Moshe" the Torah writes, "And no one knows his burial place to this
day" (Devarim 34:6). The Gemara (Sotah 13b) relates, "The wicked
government once sent to the governor of Bet Pe'or, 'Show us where Moshe is
buried.' When they stood above, the site appeared to them to be below. When
they stood below, it appeared to be above. They divided themselves into two
parties; to those who were standing above it appeared below, and to those who
were below it appeared above." Why was the government of Rome eager to know where Moshe was buried?
ANSWER: This Gemara can be
interpreted as a metaphor for the relationship between the nations of the world
and the Jewish people. Moshe was the one who gave the Torah to the Jewish
people, and till this very day it is referred to as Torat Moshe — the Torah of
Moshe. It is the spiritual life-source of Klal Yisrael (community of Israel),
and throughout the millennia nations of the world have endeavored to "bury"
Moshe — i.e. influence the Jewish people to assimilate and detach themselves
from Torat Moshe.
Some have advocated that
"the burying of Moshe" can be accomplished through an approach of
"amdu lema'alah" — "standing above" — elevating the Jews to
high positions, giving them prestige and honor, so that ultimately they will
join the secular society and abandon the teachings of the Torah. When this
method failed, others tried "amdu lematah" — "standing
below" — pushing the Jews downward. They imposed harsh economic
restrictions upon them, discrimination, persecution and oppression,
anticipating that this would "bury Moshe" — force the Jewish people
to assimilate or be physically eradicated. And there have also been advocates
of combining the two approaches.
Thank G-d, all efforts have
failed, and no one has been able to find a way to "bury Moshe" —
extinguish the light of Torah from the Jewish people. Jews and Torah are
inseparable, and their attachment will be eternally vibrant.
The Mishnah is telling us that
the reason they were not able, G-d forbid, to "bury" the Jewish
people is that Ha-Shem created us to exist as long as the world is in
existence. Therefore, immediately at the outset, He hid the burial place of
Moshe from everyone; i.e. no one knows how to, G-d forbid, bury and get rid of
the Jewish people.
"And the ram of Avraham
our father." (5:6) QUESTION: How did Avraham know that the ram which
he took as a sacrifice in lieu of Yitzchak was the ram which was created on
Erev Shabbat at twilight?
ANSWER: In describing Avraham's
finding the ram, the Torah says, "Avraham lifted his eyes and saw Vehine
ayil achar — Behold, a ram afterwards — caught in the thicket by its
horns" (Beresheet 22:13). The word "achar" — "afterwards"
— seems superfluous because the pasuk (verse) could merely have said
"Behold a ram caught in the thicket"?
On the sixth day of creation
animals were created. Afterwards man (Adam) was created. On Erev Shabbat bein
hashemashot (immediately before nightfall) the ram which Avraham used for the
Akedah was created.
Thus, this ram was created after
all animals. The Torah is hinting this by saying, "Va'yar vehine
ayil" — "Avraham saw [prophetically] a ram" — which was
"achar" — "after" (created after all other animals). He
realized that there was something unique about the ram, and used it, therefore,
as an offering in lieu of his son.
What impressed Avraham about this
ram particularly was that it was also "achar" — "different"
— (as in acher) from all other rams by the fact that it did not have a navel.
Every animal has a navel and through the umbilical cord attached to its navel
it receives nourishment from its mother — and each in turn sustains its
offspring by the same means. Since this ram was uniquely different, Avraham
realized that it must have been created at the time of creation for a special
unique purpose.
"Some say also the
spirits of destruction." (5:6) QUESTION: Which spirits of destruction?
ANSWER: The Mishnah is conveying
an important lesson. Erev Shabbat is a time when everyone is busy preparing for
Shabbat, and it is quite common that regardless of what time in the day Shabbat
begins, people do not finish their preparations till the last minute. This
causes much anxiety and tension in the house and often can also lead to the
destruction of shalom bayit (peace of the household).
The Mishnah is telling us that
mazikim — spirits of destruction — were created at the commencement of the
first Shabbat, and this opened the channel that every Erev Shabbat there is a
potential for new destructive forces to be created due to people's behavior.
Extra care should be taken to calmly prepare everything in due time for the
Shabbat, so that when Shabbat arrives the king and queen of the house and their
princes and princesses will all be in a happy disposition.
Shalom Shabbat!
Hakham Dr. Yosef ben
Haggai
Esnoga Bet Emunah - 227 Millset
Chase -