json/Midrash/Aggadah/Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer/English/Sefaria Community Translation.json

{
    "language": "en",
    "title": "Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer",
    "versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org",
    "versionTitle": "Sefaria Community Translation",
    "versionTitleInHebrew": "תרגום קהילת ספריא",
    "actualLanguage": "en",
    "languageFamilyName": "english",
    "isBaseText": false,
    "isSource": false,
    "direction": "ltr",
    "heTitle": "פרקי דרבי אליעזר",
    "categories": [
        "Midrash",
        "Aggadah"
    ],
    "text": [
        [],
        [
            "The sons of Hyrkanos said to their father: Get thee rip to Jerusalem and vow that thy son Eliezer should not enjoy any of thy possessions. He went up to Jerusalem to disinherit him, and it happened that a festival was being celebrated there by R. Jochanan ben Zakkai. All the magnates of the district were dining with him ; (such as) Ben Zizith Hakkeseth,- Nicodemus ben Gorion, and Ben Kalba S'bu. Why was his name called Ben Zizith Hakkeseth? Because he reclined at table in a higher position than the other magnates of Jerusalem. Concerning Nicodemus ben Gorion, people said that he had (stored) provisions containing 3 S'ah of fine flour for every inhabitant of Jerusalem. When the  zealots' arose and burnt all the storehouses, they measured and found that he had had provisions for three years for every inhabitant in Jerusalem. Concerning Ben Kalba S'bu'a it was told that he had a house measuring 4 Kors with roofs covered with gold. The people said (to R. Jochanan) : Behold, the father of R. Eliezer has arrived. He bade them saying : Prepare a place for him, and seat him next to us. (R. Jochanan) fixed his gaze on R. Eliezer, saying to him,' Tell us some words of the Torah. (R. Eliezer) answered him saying : Rabbi! I will tell thee a parable. To what is the matter like? To this well which cannot yield more water than the amount which it has drawn (from the earth); likewise am I unable to speak words of the Torah in excess of what I have received from thee. (R. Jochanan) said to him, I will (also) tell thee a parable. To what is the matter like? To this fountain which is bubbling and sending forth its water, and it is able to effect a discharge more powerful than what it secretes  in like manner art thou able to speak words of the Torah in excess of what Moses received at Sinai. (R. Jochanan) continued: Lest thou shouldst feel ashamed on my account, behold I will arise and go away from thee. Rabban Jochanan ben Zakkai arose and went outside. (Thereupon) R. Eliezer sat down and expounded. His face shone like the light of the sun and his effulgence beamed forth like that of Moses, so that no one knew whether it was day or night. They went and said to Rabban Jochanan ben Zakkai: Come and see R. Eliezer sitting and expounding, his face shining like the light of the sun and his effulgence beaming like that of Moses, so that no one knows whether it be day or night. He came from (his place) behind him and kissed him on his head, saying to him : Happy are ye, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, because this one has come forth from your loins. Hyrkanos his father said : To whom does (R. Jochanan) speak thus ? The people answered : To Eliezer thy son. He said to them : (R. Jochanan) should not have spoken in that manner, but (in this wise), \" Happy am I because he has come forth from my loins.\" Whilst R. Eliezer was sitting and expounding, his father was standing upon his feet. When (Eliezer) saw his father standing upon his feet, he became agitated and said to him : My father ! be seated, for I cannot utter the words of the Torah when thou art standing on thy feet. (Hyrkanos) replied to him : My son, it was not for this reason that I came, but my intention was to disinherit thee. Now that I have come and I have witnessed all this praise ; behold thy brothers are disinherited and their portion is given to thee as a gift. (Eliezer) replied : Verily I am not equal to one of them. If I had asked the Holy One, blessed be He, for land, it would be possible for Him to give this to me, as it is said, \" The earth is the Lord's, and the fidness thereof\" (Ps. xxiv. 1). Had I asked the Holy One, blessed be He, for silver and gold, He could have given them to me, as it is said, \" The silver is mine, and the gold is mine \" (Hag. ii. 8). But I asked the Holy One, blessed be He, that I might be worthy (to learn the) Torah only, as it is said, \" Therefore I esteem all precepts concerning all things to be right ; and I hate every false way \" (Ps. cxix. 128). "
        ],
        [
            "R. Eliezer BEN Hyrkanos opened (his discourse with the text), \"Who can utter the mighty acts of the Lord, or shew forth all his praise?\" (Ps. cvi. 2). Is there any man who can utter the mighty acts of the Holy One, blessed be He, or who can shew forth all His praise?' Not even the ministering angels are able to narrate (the Divine praise). But to investigate a part of His mighty deeds with reference to what He has done, and what He will do in the future (is permissible), so that His name should be exalted among His creatures, whom He has created, from one end of the world to the other, as it is said, \"One generation to another shall laud thy works\" (ibid. cxlv. 4). Before the world was created, the Holy One, blessed be He, with His Name - alone existed, and the thought arose in Him to create the world. He began to trace (the foundations of) the world before Himself, but it would not stand. They told a parable. To what is the matter like? To a king who wishes to build a palace for himself. If he had not traced in the earth its foundations, its exits and its entrances, he does not begin to build. Likewise the Holy One, blessed be He, was tracing (the plans of) the world before Himself, but it did not remain standing until He created repentance. Seven things were created before the world was created. They are : The Torah, Gehinnom, the Garden of Eden, the Throne of Glory, the Temple, Repentance, and the Name of the Messiah. Whence do we know that this applies to the Torah? Because it is said, \"The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old\" (Prov. viii. 22). \"Of old\" means before the world was created. Whence do we know this with regard to the Garden of Eden ? Because it is said, \"And the Lord God planted a garden of old\" (Gen. ii. 8). \"Of old,\" whilst as yet the world had not been created. Whence do we know this with reference to the Throne of Glory? Because it is said, \" Thy throne is established of old\" (Ps. xciii. 2). \"Of old,\" whilst as yet the world had not been created. Whence do we know this with regard to the Temple? Because it is said, \"A glorious throne, set on high from the beginning, is the place of our sanctuary\" (Jer, xvii. 12). \"From the beginning,\" whilst as yet the world had not been created. Whence do we know  that Repentance (was premundanc)? Because it is said, \"Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the Earth and the world\" (ibid. xc. 2); and then in close proximity (we read), \"Thou turncst man to contrition\" (ibid. 3). \"Before,\" i.e. before the world was created. Whence we do know that the name of the Messiah (was premundane)? Because it is said, \"His name shall endure for ever; before the sun Yinnonwas his name\" (Ps. Ixxii. 17). \"Yinnon,\" before the world had been created. Another verse says, \" But thou, Bethlehem Ephrathah, which art to be least among the thousands of Judah, from thee shall he come forth unto me who is to be ruler over Israel ; whose ancestry belongs to the past, even to the days of old '\" \" (Mic. v. 2). \" The past,\" ^ whilst as yet the world had not been created. Porthwith \" the Holy One, blessed be He, took counsel with the Torah whose name is Tushijah (Stability or Wisdom) with reference to the creation of the world. (The Torah) replied and said to Him : Sovereign of the worlds! if there be no host for the king and if there be no camp for the king, over Avhom does he rule? If there be no people to praise the king, where is the honour of the king? The Holy One, blessed be He, heard this and it pleased Him. The Torah spake : The Holy One, blessed be He, took counsel with me concerning the creation of the world, as it is said, \"Counsel is mine, and sound knowledge; I am understanding; I have might\" (Prov. viii. 14). Hence they say. Every government which has no counsellors is not a proper government. Whence do Ave know this? From the government of the House of David which employed counsellors, as it is said, \"And Jonathan David's uncle was a counsellor, a man of understanding, and a scribe\" (1 Chron. xxvii. 32). If the government of the House of David had counsellors, how much more so should other people act likewise. This is of benefit to them, as it is said, \"But he that hearkeneth unto counsel is wise\" (Prov. xii. 15), and (Scripture) says, \"But in the multitude of counsellors there is safety\" (ibid. xi. 14).",
            "There are four winds in the world: the East wind, the West wind, the South wind, the North wind.  The East wind - from there the light goes out to the world.  The South wind - from there dew of blessing and rains of blessing go out to the world.  The West wind - from there darkness goes out to the world.  The North wind - from there the stores of snow, and the stores of hail, and cold, and heat, and rains go out to the world.  Another opinion: the North wind - He created but didn't complete it.  He said that anyone who would say that he is God should come and complete this wind which I left alone, and all will know that he is God.  "
        ],
        [
            "On the second day, the Holy One Blessed Be He created the firmament, and the angels, and the fire of humans (flesh and blood) and the fire of Gehinnom. But weren't the heavens and the earth created on the first day, as it is stated (Genesis 1:1), \"In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth\"? And which firmament did He create on the second day? Rabbi Eliezer says, \"The firmament that is upon the heads of the four creatures (\"Chayot\"). As it is stated, (Ezekiel 1:22) \"Above the heads of the creatures was a form, an expanse, with an awe-inspiring gleam as of crystal.\" And what is the awe-inspiring gleam of crystal? Like precious stones and pearls, and it shines upon all of the heavens like a candle that is in the house, or like the sun that shines mightily at noon. As it is stated, (Daniel 2:22) \"And light dwells with him.\" And it is like the righteous ones who in the future will light (the way) to the future to come, as it is stated, (Daniel 12:3) \"And the knowledgeable will be radiant like the bright expanse of the sky.\" Were it not for the firmament, the world would be swallowed from the waters that are above it and by the waters that are below it, because it separates between the waters. As it is stated, (Genesis 1:6) \"God said, 'Let there be an expanse in the midst of the water, that it may separate water from water'.\" Between the upper waters and the lower waters.",
            "[As for] the angels created on the second day, when they are sent (as messengers) by His word, they are changed into winds, and when they minister before Him they are changed into fire, as it is said, “Who maketh his angels wind; his ministers a flaming fire” (Ps. 104:4).",
            "Four classes of ministering angels minister and utter praise before the Holy One, blessed be He: the first camp (led by) Michael on His right, the second camp (led by) Gabriel on His left, the third camp (led by) Uriel before Him, and the fourth camp (led by) Raphael behind Him; and the Shekhinah of the Holy One, blessed be He, is in the centre.  He is sitting on a throne high and exalted.  His throne is high and suspended above in the air.  The appearance of His Glory is like the colour of amber.  And the adornment of a crown is on His head, and the Ineffable Name is upon His forehead.  One half (of His glory) is fire the other half is hail, at His right hand is life and at His left is death.  He has a scepter of fire in His hand and a veil is spread before Hi, and His eyes run to and fro throughout the whole earth, and the seven angels, which were created first, minster before Him within the veil, and this (veil) is called Pargod.  His footstool is like fire and hail.  Fire is flashing continually around His throne, righteousness and judgment are the foundation of His throne.  And the likeness of His throne is like a sapphire throne with four legs, and the four holy Chayyot are fixed to each leg, each one has four faces and each one has four wings, as it is said, “And every one had four faces and four wings” (Ezek. 1:6), and these [Chayyot] are the Cherubim.",
            "When He speaks towards the west He speaks between the two Cherubim with the face of the ox, and when He speaks towards the north He speaks between the two Cherubim with the face of an eagle. ",
            "Over against them are the Ophanim (Wheels) and the Whirling Wheels of the Chariot (Merkavah: described in Ezek. 1 and 10), and when He looks upon the earth His chariots are upon the Ophanim, and owing to the noise caused by the whirling wheels of the Chariot – lightning and thunder go forth into the world.  When He dwells in heaven He rides upon a swift cloud.  When He hastens He flies upon the wings of the wind, as it is said, “And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly; yea He flew swiftly upon the wings of the wind” (Ps. 18:10).",
            "The Chayyot stand next to the throne of His glory and they do not know the place of His glory.  The Chayyot stand in awe and dread, in fear and trembling, and from the perspiration of their faces a river of fire arises and goes forth before Him, as it is said, “A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him…” (Dan. 7:10).  And the wings of Gallizur the angel, who stands next to the Chayyot, (are spread forth) so that the fire which consumes the fire of the angels should not burn [them].  Two Seraphim stand, one on His right and one on His left, each one has six wings, with two they cover their face so as not to behold the presence of the Shekhinah, with two they cover their feet so that they hould not be seen before the presence of the Shekhinah, so that the standing of the foot of the calf might be forgotten.  With two do they fly, praising and reverencing, and they sanctify.  One answers and another calls, one calls and another answers, and they say, “Holy, Holy, Holy, is the Lord of Hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory” (Isa. 6:3).",
            "The Chayyot stand at the side of the throne of His glory and they do not know the place of His glory; they respond and say in every place where His glory is, “blessed be thhe glory of the Lord from his place” (Ezek. 3:12).  Israel, a nation unique on the earth, declares daily the unity of His great Name, saying, “Hear, O Israel: the Lord is our God, the Lord is one” (Deut. 6:4).  He answers His people Israel and says to them, I am the Lord your God who has delivered you from every trouble.\n"
        ],
        [
            "On the third day, the land was level like a plain, and the waters covered the entire face of the land. And when the word went from the mouth of the Mighty One, (Genesis 1:9) \"Let the waters be gathered\", from the ends of the land  the mountains and hills arose and were dispersed across the entire land and formed valleys within the land. And the waters rolled and gathered into the valleys, as it is stated (Genesis 1:10) \"And the gathering of the waters he called seas.\" Immediately, the water became proud and arose to cover the earth as they had initially, but the Holy One Blessed Be He rebuked them, quashed them, and placed them under the soles of his feet and measured them so that with rising, they would not add or subtract, and He made the sand a boundary to the sea, like a man who makes a fence for his vineyard, and when they go up and see the sand before them, they turn back, as it is stated, (Jeremiah 5:22) \"Should you not revere Me —says the LORD— Should you not tremble before Me, Who set the sand as a boundary to the sea?\" Before the waters were gathered, the lights and depths were created, and these are the depths that are under the land, that the land floats upon the depths like a ship that is found in the heart of the sea, so too does the land float upon the waters. As it is stated, (Psalms 136:6) \"Who spread the earth over the waters.\" And He opened the Garden of Eden to it, and brought from it plants upon all of the face of the land, all types of fruit-bearing tree and all types of grass and herb he planted from them, and with them seeded all of the land, as it is stated (Genesis 1:11) \"That its seed was upon the earth etc.\" And He set a table for living creatures before He created the world, as it is stated, (Psalms 23:5) \"You have set before me a table\", and all of the springs arose from the depths to water all of the living creatures."
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            "Solomon saw that the midah (characteristic) of gemilut chasadim (lovingkindness) is great for the Holy One, and when he built the Temple, he built two gates: one for bridegrooms and the other for mourners and the excommunicated.  Israel would go out on Shabbat and sit between these two gates.  When a person would enter through the Gate of Bridegrooms, they would not that he was a bridegroom and would say, \"May the One who dwells in this house bring you joy through sons and daughters.\"  When a person entered through the Gate of Mourning with his upper lip covered (a sign of mourning in ancient times), they would know that he was a mourner and would say to him, \"May the One who dwells in this house comfort you.\"  When a person entered through the Gate of Mourning and his lip was not covered, they would know that he was under the ban, and they would say to him, \"May the One who dwells in this house place it in your heart to hear the words of your companions and place it in your companions' hearts to forgive you and bring you close to them.\"  [In this way,] all of Israel may fulfill their obligations of gemilut chasadim.After the Temple was destroyed, The Sages of blessed memory decreed that bridegrooms and mourners should go to the synagogue and houses of learning.  When the men of the place see the bridegroom they should rejoice with him.  And when they see the mourner, they should sit on the ground [with him].  [In this way,] all of Israel may fulfill their obligations of gemilut chasadim.  And about them it says: \"Blessed are You Adonai who give a good reward to those who bestow lovingkindess.\""
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        [
            ".......Rabbi Yehoshua ben Karcha says, forty days did Moshe spend on the mountain - he read the doctrine of Scripture during the day and reviewed the doctrine of Scripture at night. And after forty days, he took the tablets and went down to the camp, and on the seventeenth of Tammuz he broke the tablets and killed the scorners of Israel. And he spent forty days in the camp, until he he burned the [golden] calf and ground it down like the dust of the earth, and killed all those who kissed the calf he expunged idol worship from Israel; and he set every tribe up in its place. And on Rosh Chodesh (the beginning of the month of) Elul, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him (Exodus 24:12), \"go up to Me to the mountain.\" And they blew the <i>shofar</i> (rams's horn) in the camp - since behold, Moshe went up to the mountain - such that they not err again after the worship of idols. And the Holy One, blessed be He, was exalted on that day with that <i>shofar</i> [blast], as it is stated (Psalms 47:6), \"God is exalted by the <i>shofar</i>.\" And therefore, the Sages, ordained that we should blow the <i>shofar</i> on Rosh Chodesh Elul in each and every year...."
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            "Todos los Secretos de la Gueulá (Redención) no le fueron revelados sino solamente a Abraham Avinu, Abraham se los transmitió a Itzjak, Itzjak se los transmitió a Iaakov y Iaakov le transmitió el Secreto de la Gueulá a Iosef, como está dicho: “VElo-him pakod ifkod etjem” (Y en cuanto a D’s, recordar habrá de recordarlos a ustedes). (Brereshit 50:24). Y Iosef su hijo transmitió el Secreto de la Gueulá a sus hermanos cuando les dijo: “Pakod ifkod Elo-him etjem” (Recordar habrá de recordar D’s a ustedes). (Bereshit 50:25). Y Asher (hermano de Iosef) transmitió el Secreto de la Gueulá a Séraj su hija. Cuando vinieron Moshé y Aharón a los ancianos de Israel y les mostraron señales ante sus ojos (para legitimar su misión en nombre de D’s), fueron a consultarle a Seraj: “Vino a nosotros un hombre y mostró tales y cuales señales ante nuestros ojos”. Ella les dijo: “Eso no significa nada”. Le dijeron: “¡Pero ese hombre dijo ‘Pakod ifkod Elo-him etjem’! Entonces Ella dijo: “¡Él es el hombre que en un futuro redimiría a Israel de Egipto! Lo sé porque así lo aprendí de mi padre (el Secreto de la Redención): P-P, Pakod ifkod”. De inmediato creyó el pueblo en su D’s y en Su emisario, como está dicho: “Y creyó el pueblo y escuchó, ya que había recordado D’s a Su pueblo”. (Shemot 4:31)"
        ]
    ],
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}