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+{
+    "title": "Aggadat Bereshit",
+    "language": "en",
+    "versionTitle": "merged",
+    "versionSource": "https://www.sefaria.org/Aggadat_Bereshit",
+    "text": {
+        "": [
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 1 of the Torah</b> [1] \"And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth\" (Genesis 6:5). Scriptures say: \"For there is a time for every experience, including the doom; for a man’s calamity [<i> Still another term for death; cf. “the time of calamity” for “the hour of death,” 9.12.</i> ] overwhelms him. \"(Ecclesiastes 8:6). Because the wicked man angered the Lord, saying, \"The Lord swore that He would not bring a flood upon the world again, so we can do whatever we want.\" And how do we know that the Lord swore not to bring a flood upon the world? It is said, \"For this is like the waters of Noah to me; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth\" (Isaiah 54:9). And it is as if He sees the wicked who angers Him and wonders why He swore, saying, \"What have I done to swear that I will not bring a flood upon the world?\" And so Isaiah says, \"And truth is lacking, and he who departs from evil makes himself a prey\" (Isaiah 59:15), and \"And the Lord saw\" (Isaiah 59:15), for there is no righteous man in the world who prays before Him to appease Him because of them. And it is evil in His eyes that there is no justice (Isaiah 59:15), to judge their deeds. The Lord said to the wicked, \"You say that I swore not to bring a flood upon the world again. Punishments are in store for scoffers And blows for the backs of dullards.\" (Proverbs 19:29), blows that are tumultuous and tumultuous, for if I swore not to bring a flood of water, I will bring a flood of fire and brimstone and stones, as it is said, \"And the Lord caused to rain upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire\" (Genesis 19:24). And when the Amorites came upon Joshua, He brought upon them a flood of stones, as it is said, \"And it came to pass, as they fled from before Israel, and were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord cast down great stones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died\" (Joshua 10:11). Pharaoh, the wicked one, consulted with his advisors and said, \"We can find nothing that God has sworn to except a flood of water, in which we can sink them and they will die, as it says 'Every son that is born you shall cast into the river' (Exodus 1:22).\" God replied, \"You should know that I have the power to judge you in this way, as it is written, 'Then Pharaoh and his army were destroyed in the Red Sea' (Psalm 136:15).\" When Sisera came to attack Israel, they judged him only with fire and water, as it says, \"From heaven the stars fought, from their courses they fought against Sisera\" (Judges 5:20) and \"The river Kishon swept them away\" (Judges 5:21). Similarly, when Sennacherib came to Jerusalem, God judged him only with a fiery flood, as it says, \"Then the angel of the Lord went forth and smote in the camp of the Assyrians a hundred and eighty-five thousand\" (2 Kings 19:35). Moreover, all generations, if a person sins, they judge him in a manner similar to his sin. If he deserves stoning, he falls from a rooftop, a wall, a tree, an animal, or he is hit by a falling object. If he deserves burning, he falls into fire or boiling water. If he deserves killing, God sends someone to kill him, or he falls upon a knife or a sword, or the knife or sword falls upon him. If he deserves strangulation, he falls into a sea, a river, or a pit. Therefore, Solomon said, \"To every purpose there is a time and a judgment\" (Ecclesiastes 8:6), for what caused all these judgments is that the evil of man is great upon him.",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And God saw that the wickedness of man was great on the earth.\" And scriptures say: The people of wickedness do not understand justice (Proverbs 28:5). The people of wickedness are the people of the generation of the flood, who sinned and did not heed the warning of the impending punishment. Those who seek God will understand everything (Proverbs 28:5), such as Noah and his sons, who heard that Holy One, Blessed be He, was bringing a flood to the world and became afraid. Why did Holy One, Blessed be He, tell Noah to build an ark? So that they would see him and repent. It was not that God was unable to save Noah through his faith and word or to raise him to the heavens, as he told him to make an ark of gopher wood (Genesis 6:14). Rather, Holy One, Blessed be He, said this while making an ark and cutting cedars, and they gathered around him and asked him what he was doing. He replied, \"God commanded me to make an ark,\" and explained that he was bringing a flood to the world because they angered him. They heard this and repented, as it is said, \"The people of wickedness do not understand justice.\" ",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And the Lord saw that the wicked say,\" And scriptures say: \"Holy One, Blessed be He, does not see when we sin, for He is far away, and there are seven heavens between us and Him,\" as it is said, \"Clouds screen Him, so that He cannot see\" (Job 22:14), and David said of them, \"They say, 'The Lord does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed'\" (Psalm 94:7). But the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the wicked in the world, \"Who implanted the ear? Who fashioned the eye? Does not He who disciplines nations rebuke? He who imparts knowledge to human beings? The Lord knows human plans; they are only a puff of air\" (Psalm 94:9-11). And although the law says this about me, that \"He knows deceitful men; when He sees wrongdoing, will He not take note?\" (Job 11:11), I have done this for your sake, as it is said, \"And the Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth\" (Genesis 6:5).",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: the HaShem saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually.\" (Genesis 6:5) Similarly, it is written in Ecclesiastes 6:1, \"There is an evil which I have seen under the sun, and it is common among men.\" The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"Behold what these wicked people do! When I created them, I gave each of them two suns, one good and one bad, and they forsake the good sun and cling to and associate with the bad. And from where do we learn this? As Solomon said in Proverbs 21:1, 'The king's heart is like channels of water in the hand of the Lord; He directs it wherever He wants.' Just as the king can turn water in any direction he wishes, so too can the Holy One, blessed be He, turn the hearts of man in any direction He desires. And as we find that Solomon said, 'There was a small city with few men in it, and a great king came against it, and besieged it and built great bulwarks against it' (Ecclesiastes 9:14), so too does the Holy One, blessed be He, surround and punish the wicked for their evil deeds.\" The small city is the body, the few men in it are the organs, the great king is the evil inclination (yetzer hara), and the siege works are the great temptations that the evil inclination uses to ensnare man. But there was found in it a poor (and wise) man (ibid.). This is the good inclination (yetzer tov), who with his wisdom saves the city. The good inclination guides man towards a good and righteous path of life, and man does not remember that poor man (the good inclination). God said: \"These wicked people not only did not follow their evil inclination, but they also perverted their good inclination and made it evil, as it is written: 'And every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually' (Genesis 6:5).\" This is the end of the Torah portion."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 2: Prophets.</b> [1] Thus says the Lord God, \"On that day, thoughts will arise in your heart, and you will devise an evil plan.\" (Ezekiel 38:10) The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Gog, \"Do not say that which you are thinking in your heart, as if I do not know. Jeremiah said, 'The heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked; who can know it?' (Jeremiah 17:9) I said to him, 'I created 248 organs in man, and all of them act according to their nature as I created them, except for the heart. The heart changes from moment to moment and twists itself. It is crooked and deceitful above all things.' The heart is crooked and deceitful above all things, and who can know it? I am the Lord who searches the heart (Jeremiah 17:10). I created you, and I know what you are. Do not say that since I created you, I know your heart. Even before I created you, I knew what you would think.\" This is why David commanded Solomon his son, saying, \"And you, Solomon my son, know the God of your father and serve Him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind\" (1 Chronicles 28:9). Why? Because the Lord searches all hearts and understands every intent of the thoughts (ibid). Rabbi Acha said, \"What is the meaning of 'and understands every intent of the thoughts'? Even before a man forms his thoughts in his heart, the Holy One, blessed be He, knows what he is going to think.\" This is what He said to Sennacherib, \"Because you rage against Me, and your arrogance has come up to My ears, therefore I will put My hook in your nose and My bridle in your lips, and I will turn you back by the way which you came\" (Isaiah 37:29). Even before I created you, I knew what you were going to do, as it is said, \"And your going out and your coming in I know\" (ibid. 37:28), \"When you made yourself stand up from your throne and do repentance, as it says 'The matter reached the king of Nineveh, and he arose from his throne, and removed his robe, and covered himself with sackcloth, and sat in ashes.' (Jonah 3:6) But because you became angry with me, as it says 'Because you raged against me...' (Isaiah 37:29), Rabbi Hiyya bar Kahana asked, 'What caused you to become angry with me?' God replied, 'Because I gave you peace and quiet. If you had been a launderer with a basket in your hand and a hoe on your shoulder and cleaning a pit, you would not have angered me.' Therefore it is said, 'Because you became angry, for what reason, and your arrogance has reached my ears.' (Isaiah 37:28) And what should I do? I will put my hook in your nose and my bit in your mouth (Isaiah 37:29), like how one leads a donkey. I did the same with Gog, as it says 'I am against you, Gog... and I will turn you back and put hooks into your jaws...' (Ezekiel 38:3-4). God said to him, 'Do not say that I do not know what you were destined to do. Look, I said to you many generations before.'\" \"As it is said, thus says the Lord God: Are you the one of whom I spoke in former days by my servants the prophets of Israel, who in those days prophesied for years that I would bring you against them? (Ezekiel 38:17) Do not say 'years,' but rather 'generations.' Many generations ago, I spoke to Eldad and Medad, who prophesied about you, as it is written, 'And there remained two men in the camp, the name of one was Eldad, and the name of the other was Medad: and the spirit rested upon them; and they were of them that were written, but went not out unto the tabernacle: and they prophesied in the camp' (Numbers 11:26). What does it mean that 'they prophesied, and did not continue'? They prophesied and said that after Gog and Magog there would be no more exile or servitude. Many generations before you, they prophesied about you. And not only that, but Ezekiel also prophesied about what you are planning in your heart, as it is written, 'Thus says the Lord God: It shall also come to pass, that at the same time shall things come into thy mind, and thou shalt think an evil thought' (Ezekiel 38:10). Therefore it is said, 'Scoffers set a snare for thyself' (Proverbs 9:12). I, the Lord, search the heart, I search it's thoughts (Jeremiah 17:10).\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"Things will come to your heart.\" Everything is first considered in the heart. Esau did this, as it is said, \"And Esau said in his heart\" (Genesis 27:41). Nebuchadnezzar did this, and you also said in your heart, \"I will ascend to heaven; I will raise my throne above the stars of God\" (Isaiah 14:13). Haman did this, as it is said, \"Haman went out that day joyful and with a glad heart. But when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he did not stand or tremble before him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai\" (Esther 5:9-13). The kingdom of Sodom did this, as it is said, \"And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes?\" (Isaiah 5:3-4). Likewise, Gog did this, as it is said, \"Let things come to your heart and put evil schemes into your mind\" (Ezekiel 38:10). Everything he thought in his heart, the Holy One, blessed be He, made public. And what Esau thought, see later at the end of chapter 42 [of Genesis]. He went to Ishmael and said, \"This is not the way of the world that I should kill my father Isaac. Rather, kill him and let me inherit the entire world.\" This is what he said with his mouth, but in his heart he was saying, \"I will kill Jacob after Ishmael kills Isaac.\" He came to Ishmael and killed him and said, \"Why did you kill my father?\" And I will inherit the entire world for myself.\" He thought this in his heart, and the Holy One, blessed be He, made it public, as it is said, \"For I have laid bare Esau's rugged mountains and his dwelling place\" (Jeremiah 49:10). The Lord said, \"I know what you thought in your heart,\" as it is said, \"Because you said, 'These two nations and these two lands shall be mine, and we will possess them,' whereas the Lord was there\" (Ezekiel 35:10). There I looked into your heart and saw what you thought. Likewise, Gog and Magog think in their hearts, as it is said, \"On that day, things will come to your heart and you will plan an evil plan\" (Ezekiel 38:10). And the Holy One, blessed be He, makes public what they are thinking, as it is said, \"And you said, 'I will go up to the land of unwalled villages; I will go to those who are at rest, who dwell safely, all of them dwelling without walls and having neither bars nor gates'\" (Ezekiel 38:11). And what does he think? Rather, this is what Pharaoh, who came against the Israelites, says: \"He [Moses] was a fool, he left his patron and came to them.\" And similarly, Amalek, Sisera, and anyone who stood against them [the Israelites], they left [it] to the Holy One, blessed be He, [to deal with them], [because] they were fools. But what can I do? I will go first to the patrons of Israel, and if I kill the Messiah, he will raise up other Messiahs. But [the judgment] is upon the Lord, as it says, \"Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?\" (Psalms 2:1-2). Edom, Ishmael, Gebal, Ammon, and Assyria all conspired against the Almighty, as it is written, \"They have taken crafty counsel against Your people, and consulted together against Your sheltered ones\" (Psalms 83:3). And what do they do? They stand on their feet and look up at the Almighty, saying, \"Come, let us cut them off from being a nation, that the name of Israel may be remembered no more\" (Psalms 83:5). What is the name of Israel? They say, \"Let us wipe it out,\" as it is written, \"Blessed is the Eternal, God of Israel\" (Psalms 41:14). And what does the Lord do to them from above? He stands on their feet and punishes them, as it is written: \"And this shall be the plague...he shall stand upon his feet, and his eyes shall consume away in their holes, and his tongue shall consume away in his mouth.\" (Zechariah 14:12). Those feet that wanted to stand against Me, the plague consumes them while they stand on their feet. Those eyes that looked upwards, his eyes shall consume away in their holes. And that tongue that spoke against Me, his tongue shall consume away in his mouth. The Lord said to them: \"At first, there was no peace among you, 'There is no peace,' says the Lord, 'for the wicked'\" (Isaiah 48:22). But now you have made peace with each other to come against Me. It is written, \"For they have consulted together with one consent; against thee do they make a covenant: The tabernacles of Edom, and the Ishmaelites; of Moab, and the Hagarenes; Gebal, and Ammon, and Amalek; the Philistines with the inhabitants of Tyre; Assur also is joined with them: they have holpen the children of Lot. Selah.\" (Psalm 83:6-9). All of you have made peace to come against Me, so I will also do the same. And you, son of man, shall say to the birds and to every beast of the field: \"Assemble yourselves, and come; gather yourselves on every side to my sacrifice that I do sacrifice for you, even a great sacrifice upon the mountains of Israel, that ye may eat flesh, and drink blood.\" (Ezekiel 39:17). Just as you did not have peace with each other and made peace to come upon me, so too I call the birds and animals that did not have peace with each other and I make peace between them to come upon you. And because you said, \"And let not the name of Israel be remembered anymore,\" (Psalm 83:5) your life will end and they will bury you and take your name away from the world, as it is said, \"all the people of the land shall bury them. The day I manifest My glory shall bring renown to them\", and they shall make an end. (Ezekiel 39:13)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter 3: Writings</b>  [1] For an educated conductor, a song of David, when Doeg the Edomite came and told Saul, saying, “David has come to the house of Ahimelech.” (Psalm 52:1-2) This is what the scripture said: \"You will be sheltered from the scourging and burning tongue.\" (Job 5:21). The language of evil is harder to retract than a sword or a knife, for how can one who has a sword in his hand and wants to kill his fellow man and then regrets it, retract his hand and not kill him? But one who seeks to kill his fellow man with an arrow cannot retract it once it has left his hand. And one who speaks evil about his fellow man, even if he wants to retract it, cannot do so. Why? Just as the arrow is likened to the language of evil, as it says, \"Their tongue is a sharpened arrow, deceitful speech in their mouth, etc.\" (Jeremiah 9:7), so too, King Solomon says, \"All of man’s earning is for the sake of his mouth, etc.\" (Ecclesiastes 6:7), even if he dies, there is no atonement for him. Come and learn from Doeg, who even though he died, our sages said he has no share in the world to come, as it says, \"But the soul that sins, it shall die\" (Ezekiel 18:20). Therefore, Job said, \"The language of concealment is in my mouth.\" Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said it refers to Jacob, and Rabbi Samuel bar Nachmani said it refers to David. \"You will redeem my soul in peace from the battle that is upon me\" (Psalm 55:19). When he fled and came to Ahimelech and was hungry, and he ate the holy bread, as it says, \"And the priest gave him the holy bread, etc.\" (1 Samuel 21:7). \"and in war by the hand of the sword.\" (Job 5:20). When he went down to Goliath and killed him, as it says, \"And David said to the Philistine, 'You come to me with a sword, etc.'\" (1 Samuel 17:45).  \"In a smooth tongue you will hide, when Doeg came and spoke evil about him, as it is said about Doeg the Edomite, 'and he told'.\" (Psalm 52:2) \"You shall laugh at destruction and famine\" (Job 5:22). i will take care of Ahithophel, \"And have no fear of wild beasts.\" (Job 5:22). Saul of Benjamin is compared to a predator, as it is said, 'Benjamin is a ravenous wolf' (Genesis 49:27).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 4: Torah.</b> [1] \"And God remembered Noah\" (Genesis 8:1), This is what the scripture says: \"Your righteousness is like the mountains of God\" (Psalms 36:7). When a person is worthy, You bestow righteousness upon them, and exalt them higher than the mountains, as it is written, \"Your righteousness is like the mountains of God.\" But when a person sins, You punish and humble them to the depths below, as it is written, \"Your judgments are like the great deep\" (Psalm 36:7). Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says, the verse should be read as follows: \"Your righteousness in accordance with Your judgments is like the mountains of God and the great deep.\" How did the Holy One, blessed be He, measure the great deep? He took a high mountain and placed it upon the great deep, and so too with all the deeps, He subdued them beneath high mountains, so that they would not rise up and flood the entire world. And just as He set the mountains above them to keep the world from being flooded, so too did He establish righteousness above judgment, so that the world would not be destroyed through judgment. Therefore, Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai says, \"Your righteousness in accordance with Your judgments is like the mountains of God and the great deep.\" Alternatively, \"Your righteousness that You have done for Noah\" caused his ark to rest upon the mountains, as it is written, \"And the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat\" (Genesis 8:4). \"Your judgments are like the great deep\" refers to the judgments You rendered upon the generation of the Flood, as it is written, \"On that day all the fountains of the great deep burst forth\" (Genesis 7:11). And after all of this devastation, \"You save humans and animals alike, O Lord\" (Psalm 36:7). When did God remember Noah?",
+                "[2] Another explanation for \"And God remembered Noah\" is that \"the memory of the righteous is a blessing\" (Proverbs 10:7), and Noah is the righteous person mentioned in the verse \"Noah was a righteous man\" (Genesis 6:9). So what is the memory of Noah? That God remembered him for a blessing, as it says, \"And God blessed Noah and so on\" (Genesis 9:1). \"But the name of the wicked shall rot\" (Proverbs 10:7), referring to the generation of the Flood that rotted away in the waters, as it says, \"And He blotted out and so on\" (Genesis 7:23). The word \"blotted out\" (מחה) is also used in Exodus 17:14 in the phrase \"I will utterly blot out the memory of Amalek\".",
+                "[3] Another explanation for \"And God remembered Noah\", The righteous man knows the soul of his animal, etc. (Proverbs 12:10) The righteous one of the world knows the soul of his animal even in its death, even when he is angry, the attribute of the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like the attribute of flesh and blood. Flesh and blood [edit. Ruler, like Cesar], when a nation rebels against it, sends legions to destroy it, and it does with it a great destruction and kills the good and the bad. There is no difference between, saying \"So-and-so was righteous, so they spared him\" and \"They killed everyone.\" But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not like this. When the generation angers Him, He has compassion on them. There is only one righteous person who knows Him and is saved, as it says, \"The righteous man knows the soul of his animal in its death.\" And so it says, \"The Lord is good as a stronghold in the day of trouble,\" etc. (Nahum 1:7) And \"The mercies of the wicked are cruel\" (Proverbs 12:10) - these are the people of the generation of the Flood, who were more cruel than the floodwaters. Our rabbis said, when the waters rose upon them, as it is written, \"The fountains of the great deep burst forth\" (Genesis 7:11), and they saw the fountains rising above them, what did they do? They had many children, and each of them would take his son and put him on the abyss and press him down with stones, and the waters would rise over them. And again, when the waters increased, they would take other children of theirs and place them on the abyss. See how the mercies of the wicked are cruel. And how do we know that they did this? Because Job says, \"May his compassion be forgotten\" (Job 24:20) - his compassion for his children. And what did the Holy One, blessed be He, do to them? He sent a flood upon them from above and broke them, as it is written, \"And it broke apart like a tree rising from the earth\" (Genesis 7:17).Rabbi Berachiah said, \"The harshness of the generation of the flood was greater than any other generation, and their stature was higher. If not for the fact that God punished them from above, they could not have been destroyed, as it is said, 'If we had not been left like a few survivors' (Isaiah 1:9). How was this done? When the Lord saw that they did not die in the depths below, He sent down fire from above and burned them, as it is written, 'fire broke out against...' (Psalms 78:21). Once they saw that they were lost, they sought to overturn the ark. What did the Lord do to them? He encircled them with lions and killed and ate them, as it is said, 'And the Lord shut him in' (Genesis 7:16), and there is no closing in, except with lions, as it is written, 'The God sent His angels and shut the mouths of the lions' (Daniel 6:23). End."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 5 of the Prophets.</b> [1] \"Ephraim is a dear son to me\" (Jeremiah 31:20). It is written (Proverbs 4:3), \"For I was a son to my father,\" and come and see that even though the children of Israel are a thousand thousand and myriad myriads, they are not important before the Omnipresent except like an only son. As it is written, \"The Lord, your God, has multiplied you\" (Deuteronomy 1:10). And when they were in Egypt, what is written? \"And the Children of Israel were fruitful and increased abundantly\" (Exodus 1:7). \"Fruitful,\" like Adam and Eve, and \"increased,\" that they multiplied more than fish. \"And multiplied\" - more than the blessing of Noah and his sons. \"And grew strong\" - they grew strong from the strength of the Patriarchs. \"Exceedingly, exceedingly\" - there was a woman who gave birth to sixty myriads at one time, like fish that give birth to sixty myriads, so too they. And Jacob blessed them, \"And let them grow into a multitude\" (Genesis 48:16), just as the fish were blessed, so too were they. And Ezekiel says, \"As the produce of the field, so have you multiplied\" (Ezekiel 16:7). All these were not important before Him except like one only, as it is written, \"My firstborn son is Israel\" (Exodus 4:22), and it is written, \"Let My son go, that he may serve Me\" (Exodus 4:23). Therefore it says, \"For I was a son to my father,\" just like a son of man when he is a small child, if he sins, his father does not remove him because he is small. But when he grows up and stands on his own feet, if he sins, his father removes him. Similarly, Israel, even when they sin unintentionally, it is counted to them as if they are like small children, as it is written, \"When Israel was a youth, then I loved him\" (Hosea 11:1). \"Ephraim is a dear son to me.\" (Jeremiah 31:20)",
+                "[2] \"And another explanation: Ephraim is a dear son to me. As it says (Hosea 11:3), \"I taught Ephraim to walk.\" The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"I carried him and held him by his arms. When Jacob took him between his arms, as it is said (Genesis 48:13), \"And Joseph took them both.\" Now what is written afterwards (Genesis 48:8)? \"And Israel saw Joseph's sons, and said, 'Who are these?'\" What did Jacob see that he asked, \"Who are these?\" He already knew them, as it is said (Genesis 48:5), \"And now your two sons.\" Rather, our father Jacob foresaw that a descendant of Ephraim, namely Jeroboam son of Nebat the Ephraimite, would make two golden calves, as it is said (1 Kings 11:26), \"And Jeroboam son of Nebat, an Ephraimite, took his stand.\" He would then say (1 Kings 12:28), \"These are your gods, O Israel.\" Therefore, Jacob said, \"Who are these?\" And Joseph replied (Genesis 48:9), \"These are my sons.\" What did Joseph do? He removed his crown from his head and released his belt (or \"girdle\") before Jacob, as it is said (Genesis 48:12), \"And Joseph took them both.\" He said to him, \"Do you see what sins they will commit?\" Jacob answered, \"I do not.\" Once he heard this, Joseph said to him (Genesis 48:9), \"Bring them to me and I will bless them.\" Immediately Joseph took them both (Genesis 48:13), and Israel stretched out his right hand. When Joseph saw this, he was displeased, as it is said (Genesis 48:17), \"And Joseph saw that his father was placing his right hand.\" He said to him, \"Do you think that I have no strength left in my old age? By your life, I still have as much strength as they do.\" But his father refused (Genesis 48:19).\" \"And from Menasheh fell [to] David, etc. (I Chronicles 12:20). However, his brother etc. (Genesis 48:19), this is Yehoshua who stands from Ephraim, as it says, \"from the tribe of Ephraim, Hoshea, son of Nun\" (Numbers 13:8), who erected the wall, and all the nations of the world look and see. Therefore, \"and his seed shall become a multitude of nations\" (Genesis 48:19). The Holy One Blessed be He said, \"I have seen how good Ephraim is; take them on my arms\" (Hosea 11:3). When The Holy One Blessed be He said said, \"Bring them to me\" (Genesis 48:9), I was there and revealed a mystery to Jacob about Ephraim and Jeroboam, although they did not know that I had healed them (Hosea 11:3). Ephraim, the beloved son, is dear to me.",
+                "[3] And another explanation: The son Ephraim is dear to me [said God]. All of Israel is called by the name of Ephraim, as it is said, \"For I have become a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn\" (Jeremiah 31:9). And so in many places, the Holy One, blessed be He, says, \"Ephraim is dear to me; they are held in high esteem before me.\" Our Rabbis said that even if Pharaoh had demanded a hundred talents of silver for every Jewish soul, the Holy One, blessed be He, would have given it to him, and if He had not, He would have taken vengeance on their behalf, as it is said, \"Lest you try to purchase [protection from the nations]\" (Deuteronomy 7:2). And when they made the Golden Calf, the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to do to them what He had done to the generation of the Flood, as it is said, \"Let me alone [so that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under heaven]\" (Exodus 32:10). And in the generation of the Flood, it is written, \"I will blot out man [whom I have created] from the face of the earth\" (Genesis 6:7). And He was speaking to Moses about how to destroy them, but once Moses said to Him, \"Remember Abraham\" (Exodus 32:13), the Holy One, blessed be He, remembered and said, \"If so, then I will return.\" Immediately, \"the Lord relented [from the evil that He had planned to do to His people]\" (Exodus 32:14), and the ministers of the nations came close to Him and said, \"If you disappoint [us], You have said that You would blot out their name from under heaven like the generation of the Flood who corrupted their ways,\" as it is said, \"And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt\" (Genesis 6:12). And [the ministers of the nations said], \"They did the same thing; You told Moses to go down, for Your people have become corrupt\" (Exodus 32:7), yet You do not do what You say. He [God] said to them, \"No.\" And Moses said, \"The Lord also listened to me at that time\" (Deuteronomy 9:19), even though I said that I would return to You, from whom do I have anything to fear and who will absolve [me]? As it is said, \"I will not execute the fierceness of My anger\" (Hosea 11:9). And why is Ephraim called \"my son, my firstborn\" (Jeremiah 31:9)? Because I said to Moses, \"Let Me alone,\" but I remembered him and remembered his ancestors and forgave [Israel] for their sake. Therefore, Habakkuk said, \"I have heard Your report and am awed, O Lord\" (Habakkuk 3:2)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 6, Writings.</b> [1] A prayer of David: Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea (Psalms 17:1). In the scriptures it is said: \"The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD, but the prayer of the upright is His delight\" (Proverbs 15:8) refers to Moses, David, and the Messiah. Regarding Moses, it is written, \"A prayer of Moses, the man of God\" (Psalms 90:1). Regarding David, it is written, \"A prayer of David\" (Psalms 17:1). Concerning the Messiah, it is written, \"A prayer of the poor man, when he is faint\" (Psalms 102:1). \"And the prayer of the upright is His delight\" (Prov. 15:8), although all three pray, David prays with artistry. How can one say, \"Hear, O LORD, my righteous plea\"? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"Until when will you pray? Say what you need, for you said, 'my righteous plea.' I swear by your life that for the sake of one of the things that I have mentioned before you, My vindication will come from You; (Psalms 17:2). Why did you say, 'If the leader sins' (Leviticus 4:22)? \"A leader over whom there is no ruler except for God, since over a ruler there is no judge except for You, my judgment comes before You. David was a great artist, when he asked something from the Holy One, blessed be He, he played music to Him, as if to say, he delved his thoughts like those skilled in the wisdom of the microcosm (Baba Kamma 103b, Baba Batra 61a*). Deep wells of understanding.\" He asked first about the easy things, and only afterwards about the difficult things. Why was David similar to a person who asked to borrow a wheat barrel from the lender, and the lender said to him, \"Please lend me a carob barrel because I am in a difficult situation\"? David replied, \"Come and take, we will take (the barrels) together.\" The lender then asked David to lend him a barley barrel and leave a carob barrel instead. David replied, \"Come and take, we will take (the barrels) together.\" The lender then asked David to make him a wheat barrel and lend him carob and barley under it. David replied, \"Take it, but who caused him to first ask about the easy things and only then about the difficult things?\" The answer is from the verse \"Judgment fell for David, 'The Lord has heard my righteousness.'\" (Psalms 7:9) That is, first the easy things, and then the difficult things came before him in a straight path, as it is written \"Your eyes will see what is straight before you.\" (Isaiah 30:21) God replied to him, \"And I will act, for it is written, 'Behold, I will plead your cause and take vengeance for you' (Jeremiah 51:36), and 'I will contend with him that contends with you' (Isaiah 49:25).\" End of story. [<b>*comment:</b> This statement is found in the Talmud Bavli tractate Bava Batra 93b, and it discusses the power of a Jewish leader or \"nasi\" who has no earthly ruler above him, only God. The passage states that since there is no one to judge or govern the Nasi except for God, then his judgment must be considered just and valid. It then goes on to praise King David as a great artist, as he would deepen his thoughts and connect with God when playing music. The phrase \"והואיל שאין על גבי מושל אלא ה'\" can be translated as \"since there is no ruler above him except for God,\" emphasizing the unique position of a Nasi who is accountable only to God. The phrase \"מלפניך משפטי יצא\" means \"my judgment comes from You,\" implying that since God is the only authority over the nasi, his decisions are divinely inspired. The passage then shifts to discussing King David and his artistic talents. The phrase \"אומן גדול הי' דוד\" means \"David was a great artist,\" and the following phrase \"כשהי' מבקש דבר מן הב\"ה מנגנו\" means \"when he would seek something from God, he would play music.\" The term \"אינגיניו בלע\"ז\" refers to David's musical instruments, and the phrase \"כמו הנהו נגאני דארעא מיקרו\" means \"he would play so deeply that the ground would shake.\" This passage highlights David's unique talents and spiritual connection with God.]"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 7: Torah.</b> [1] \"Go out from the ark\" (Genesis 8:16). In the scriptures it is said: I do obey the king’s orders—[and don’t rush into uttering an oath by God.]\" (Ecclesiastes 8:2) - the Holy Spirit said to Israel: \"I adjure you that if the kingdom decrees something upon you, do not rebel against it in anything it decrees upon you. But if it decrees to abolish the Torah, the commandments, and the Sabbath, do not listen to them.\" As it says: \"I am the king's servant, keep [his word] for every matter\" (Ecclesiastes 8:2). However, regarding the oath of God, \"Do not hurry to leave his presence\" (Ecclesiastes 8:3). Just as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah did when Nebuchadnezzar set up the statue, they were told, \"What do you say that you are casting us into the fiery furnace, and the Lord will not save us? Whether He saves us or not, we will not bow down to the image,\" as it says, \"But if not, let it be known to you\" (Daniel 3:18). He said to them, \"You are rebels.\" They replied, \"The truth is clear,\" as it says, \"There is a way that is straight before a person\" (Daniel 3:14). They said to him, \"We do not care about Nebuchadnezzar,\" as it says, \"We will not be concerned with your words\" (Daniel 3:16).\" They said to him, \"Whatever you decree upon us, we will do, and we will listen to you, and we will not rebel against you, except for Yom Kippur of our God. [Say to him] I do! “Obey the king’s orders, leave his presence, do not tarry in a dangerous situation, for he can do anything he pleases;\" (Ecclesiastes 8:2-3). When Nebuchadnezzar heard this, he became angry, as it says: \"Then Nebuchadnezzar was full of fury\" (Daniel 3:19), and he threw them bound into the furnace, as it says: \"And they cast them into the midst of the burning fiery furnace\" (Daniel 3:23). When they descended, they lifted their eyes and said before the Lord: \"Master of the Universe, it is revealed and known before You that we did not trust in anything except Your great Name, as it says: \"Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to Your name give glory\" (Psalm 115:1). At that point, all the languages gathered, as it says: \"Then the satraps, the prefects, and the governors, the counselors, the treasurers, the justices, the magistrates, and all the officials of the provinces gathered for the dedication of the image that King Nebuchadnezzar had set up\" (Daniel 3:3). Immediately, the angels requested to descend and release them, but the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, \"Do these angels descend on account of any one of you? Rather, they descend on account of My name. I will descend and save them, as it is said, 'He executes justice for the oppressed...the Lord frees the bound.' (Psalm 146:7) Just as Moses freed the Israelites from the furnace, and the Holy One, blessed be He, removed the furnace and raised it up and leveled it with the ground, which had been low and deep. Once the angel descended and said to them, 'Go out from here,' then the Holy One, blessed be He, released them and performed miracles for them. He leveled the furnace with the ground, and they went out. They said to him, 'We will not go out without the permission of Nebuchadnezzar, lest people say that we fled from the furnace. \"I do Obey the king’s orders\" (Ecclesiastes 8:2) We were thrown in here by his permission, and we will go out by his permission.\" Once Nebuchadnezzar came and saw them, he was amazed and began to shout, 'Come out!' As it is said, 'The king cried out to bring in the astrologers...' (Daniel 2:2) Once the furnace had become level with the ground, they went out. They said to the angel, 'Now we will go out,' as it is said, 'Then they went out...' (Daniel 3:26) From whom did they learn this? From Noah. When he entered the ark, he did so with the permission of the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, 'And the Lord said to Noah, \"Enter the ark, you and all your household.\"' (Genesis 7:1) Once the earth dried up and the ark rested, as it is said, 'And the ark rested...' (Genesis 8:4) His children said to him, 'Let us go out from here.' He said to them, 'God forbid! We entered with the permission of the Holy One, blessed be He, and we will go out with His permission.' Once the Holy One, blessed be He, heard this, He immediately spoke to Noah, saying, 'Go out of the ark.' (Genesis 8:16) Therefore, it is said, 'I do Obey the king’s orders' (Ecclesiastes 8:2)",
+                "[2] According to another opinion, Noah left the ark. The scriptures say: \"The righteous will come out of trouble, but the wicked will be trapped by their words.\" (Proverbs 12:13) \"By transgression of the lips, evil is ensnared, but the righteous escape from trouble.\" \"This refers to the generation of the Flood who sinned only with their mouths, as it is said, 'And they said to God, 'Turn away from us, for what can the Almighty do to us?' (Job 21:14) 'What good is it to pray to Him, and what profit will we have if we beseech Him?' (Job 21:15) 'What was their [punishment]? Evil ensnared them and He erased the whole universe.' (Genesis 7:23) 'But the righteous will come out of trouble.' This refers to Noah, as it is said, 'Noah was a righteous man; he was blameless in his age.' (Genesis 6:9) 'He emerged from the ark.'\"",
+                "[3] According to another opinion, Noah left the ark. David said, \"He brought me out of the prison to give thanks to Your name, etc.\" (Psalms 142:8). When Noah was inside the ark, he prayed. As it is said, \"For this let everyone who is godly pray to You\" (Psalms 32:6). God said to him, \"It is a decree of providence that you should complete twelve months, and if you do not complete them, you will not leave, as it is stated, 'Thus says the Lord: In an acceptable time I have answered you...To bind the captives and so on. Go forth, etc.'\" (Isaiah 49:8-9). They were forbidden from marital relations, for when the world is in distress, a person must restrain himself from procreation. Thus Joseph also acted when he saw that the two famines were about to come. As it is said, \"And to Joseph were born two sons before the year of famine came\" (Genesis 41:50). Similarly, Noah, his sons, the animals, and the beasts did not need to procreate. As God said to him when he entered [the ark], \"You and all your household enter the ark\" (Genesis 7:1), and it is written, \"Noah and his sons, his wife and his sons' wives with him\" (Genesis 7:7), the males separate and the females separate. This can be compared to a king who went out to battle the barbarians and decreed that the baths should not be opened, and the mint should not be struck, until I return from battle. When he returned from the battle in peace, he decreed that the baths should be opened and the mint should be struck. All that I destroy, I build. Similarly, when the flood came, there was no need to procreate, as it is stated, \"Go forth from the ark, etc.\" (Isaiah 49:9). Therefore, when the earth was dry, [God] said, \"Go out of the ark.\" This is why it is said, \"He brought me out of the prison\" (Psalms 142:8). End of the section."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 8: Prophets.</b> [1] \"The Lord's wrath I will bear, for I have sinned against him\" (Micah 7:9).Just as when a lion roars, the animals tremble, so too does the Holy One, blessed be He, roar, as it is said, \"The lion has roared, who will not fear? The Lord GOD has spoken, who can but prophesy?\" (Amos 3:8). Come and see: how stubborn is this nation! When the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Moses, \"I will send an angel before you... and drive out [the Canaanites]\" (Exodus 33:2), Moses said before Him, \"Master of the Universe! You send an angel to all these nations, but not to us?\" (Exodus 33:15). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"I swear by your life, if I sent an angel, when would I destroy them?\" as it is said, \"At what time do I send [an angel], and when do I destroy them?\" (Exodus 23:27). It is said elsewhere, \"roars like a lion\" (Hosea 11:10), referring to the Holy One, blessed be He. However, regarding Israel, it is said, \"and His will is like dew upon the grass\" (Proverbs 19:12). Just as dew brings life to the world, so too does the Holy One, blessed be He, come like dew to Israel, as it is said, \"I will be like the dew to Israel\" (Hosea 14:6). Even when He is angry with them, He is still upon them like dew, as it is said, \"and His will is like dew upon the grass.\" Israel said to Him, \"For this reason we can stand, because You make Yourself like dew to us,\" as it is said, \"And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the LORD\" (Micah 5:6).",
+                "[2] Another thing about: \"I will express the anger of the Lord.\" As it is written, \"for I was ashamed to ask the king for soldiers and horsemen\" (Ezra 8:22). The nations of the world said to Israel, \"You say, 'I will be angry with the Lord,' but it is written, 'Who can withstand his indignation? Who can endure his fierce anger? His wrath is poured out like fire; the rocks are shattered before him'\" (Nahum 1:6). Who can withstand His anger? No one can withstand His messengers, but you can withstand His anger. The sea was His messenger, yet generations of people stood against it, as it is written, \"You who made the sea and its waves roar\" (Amos 5:8). The flood was His messenger, but it did not prevail against the generation of the flood, as it is written, \"He wiped out all living things\" (Genesis 7:23). Fire and brimstone were His messengers, but they did not prevail against the people of Sodom, as it is written, \"The Lord caused sulfur and fire to rain down\" (Genesis 19:24). The locust was His messenger, but Pharaoh could not withstand it, as it is written, \"The locusts came up\" (Exodus 10:14). The stars were His messengers, but Sisera could not withstand them, as it is written, \"The stars fought from heaven\" (Judges 5:20). The angel was His messenger, but Sennacherib could not withstand him, as it is written, \"And the angel of the Lord went out\" (2 Kings 19:35).If no one can withstand His messengers and yet you can withstand His anger, why do you say, \"I will carry the Lord's anger\"? The Israelites said to themselves, \"Why can't we withstand His anger when our messengers have prevailed against His?\" But the answer is, the sea was the Lord's messenger, and yet it split for Moses and the Israelites to cross on dry land, as it is written, \"The Israelites went on dry ground\" (Exodus 14:29).And so the sea saw and fled (Psalms 114:3), the Jordan did not dry up for Joshua, as it is written \"When all the nation had finished crossing the Jordan, the Lord said to Joshua, 'Choose twelve men from among the people, one from each tribe, and tell them to take up twelve stones from the middle of the Jordan, from right where the priests are standing, and carry them over with you and put them down at the place where you stay tonight'\" (Joshua 4:1-3). The angel sent to Jacob could not defeat him, as it is said \"He struggled with the angel and overcame him\" (Hosea 12:4). The sun and moon did not stand still for Joshua, as it is written \"So the sun stood still, and the moon stopped, till the nation avenged itself on its enemies, as it is written in the Book of Jashar. The sun stopped in the middle of the sky and delayed going down about a full day\" (Joshua 10:13). The angel sent to Aaron did not stop him, as it is said \"He stood between the living and the dead\" (Numbers 17:13), just as our messengers have triumphed over his messenger. Similarly, Phinehas subdued his anger, as it is said \"Phinehas son of Eleazar, the son of Aaron, the priest, has turned my anger away\" (Numbers 25:11). Therefore, it is said \"I will carry the Lord's wrath\" (Psalms 77:10). And why can we withstand his anger? Because it comes upon us with mercy, as it is said \"I will carry the Lord's wrath\" and it is written \"The Lord, the compassionate and gracious God\" (Exodus 34:6). The sea did not stand up to His rebuke, as it is said \"He rebukes the sea and dries it up\" (Nahum 1:4), and likewise in the days of Jonah, the sea was angry but stood still, as it is said \"The sea was calmed and quiet\" (Jonah 1:15). But as for me, because he comes upon me with mercy, I can accept His anger, and therefore it is said \"I will carry the Lord's wrath\".",
+                "[3] Another thing about: This is like a strong man who hits another person with a slap (like a strike that gives him 400 gold coins and he hits him with his hand on the cheek) and immediately kills him with a powerful blow (a deadly punch or strike). He goes back to his house and hits his wife with one slap from his hand, but she stands strong. They said to her, \"The strength of your endurance is harder than that of all the athletes (soldiers) and all the mighty men who die from one powerful blow and one slap. How much more did you suffer from him, and yet you can stand?\" She answered them, \"The same one who strikes them with all his might also strikes me, but when he strikes me according to my strength, I can stand.\" This is what the Lord said, \"For I, the Lord, do not change, and so you, O descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed\" (Malachi 3:6). \"I did not strike a nation twice, like the generation of man,\" as it is written, \"He who calls to the sea and it roars, the Lord of Hosts is His name\" (Amos 5:8), referring to the generation of the Flood, which destroyed the entire world (as it is written in Genesis 7:23). \"Like the generation of the dispersion, whom the Lord scattered\" (Genesis 11:8). \"The Sodomites, of whom it is written, 'He stretched out His hand against their land'\" (Job 28:9). \"The Egyptians, of whom it is written, 'The waters returned and covered them'\" (Exodus 14:28). \"So shall all Your enemies perish, O Lord\" (Judges 5:31). \"They shall be turned back and utterly put to shame\" (Psalm 6:11). \"From the noise of the tumult, peoples shall flee\" (Isaiah 33:3), but \"you sons of Jacob are not consumed\" (Malachi 3:6), as it is written, \"Only against me have they sinned\" (Lamentations 1:8). The Lord says: \"The strength of Israel is severe, with half their strength gone you are not consumed\" (Amos 3:2). As it is written, \"I will heap disasters on them\" (Deuteronomy 32:23) \"[Half their strength] I will consume,\" but \"you are not consumed.\" Therefore, the Lord says, \"I will raise my anger.\"",
+                "[4] Another thing about: \"I will express the anger of the Lord.\" Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachmani said in the name of Rabbi Yonatan, the man from Jerusalem, that Israel said to God: \"With what do we console ourselves, and why are we able to withstand His anger?\" They said, \"Because He strikes us and immediately heals us, creating us anew.\" As Isaiah said: \"Who has given Jacob up for plunder and Israel to the robbers? Was it not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned? For they would not follow his ways, they did not obey his law. So he poured out on them his burning anger, the violence of war. It enveloped them in flames, yet they did not understand; it consumed them, but they did not take it to heart.\" (Isaiah 42:24-25) This means that they were destroyed and plundered, but immediately God created them anew, as it says: \"And now this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel.\" (Isaiah 43:1) Therefore, Israel said in this matter, \"We see and console ourselves that God creates us anew immediately,\" as Jeremiah said: \"But this I call to mind, and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassion never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.\" (Lamentations 3:21-23) And why are they new every morning? Because God renews them immediately, as it says: \"And now this is what the Lord says— he who created you, Jacob, he who formed you, Israel.\" (Isaiah 43:1)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 9: Writings</b> [1] A prayer of David. Hear, O Lord, the right; etc. Let my sentence come forth from thy presence, etc. (Psalm 17:1-2) As it is said in Scriptures: \"And turn towards the prayer of your servant and his supplication, Lord my God...\" (1 Kings 8:28) This is what King Solomon said before God: \"Master of the Universe, let everything else be set aside and focus on my prayer and supplication. I pray to You, God, even though I am only human, that my prayer may be heard and answered.\" It says \"And turn towards the prayer of your servant,\" meaning that God should turn His attention towards Solomon's prayer, and \"turn towards\" implies a great deal of attention, as it says \"And I will turn towards you [and make you fruitful and multiply you]\" (Leviticus 26:9). \"And turn towards the prayer of your servant,\" why? \"To hear the song and prayer\" (1 Kings 8:28).",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: Prayer of David - \"Hear O Lord.\" \"If not, do justice with me; let my plea come before you, according to your righteousness. Please don't hand me over to the angel or to the scorching heat. They are all cruel. But you, do justice with me, and let your judgments come forth. As it is said, 'All of David's prayers are ended' (Psalm 72:20). Rabbi Acha said: All the prayers were ended before David ben Jesse.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: Prayer of David - \"Hear O Lord, righteousness.\" For the sake of Asa son of his grandson, when the Kushites come, as it is said \"And Asa called to the LORD his God and said, [etc.]\" (2 Chronicles 14:11). At that moment, the LORD heard his righteousness and listened to my song when Jehoshaphat stood up, as it is said \"And when they began to sing and praise, the LORD set ambushes [etc.]\" (2 Chronicles 20:22). Hear my prayer, when Hezekiah stands up and prays before You, as it is said \"And Hezekiah turned his face [and prayed to the LORD]\" (Isaiah 38:2). Without deceitful lips. When Manasseh stands up and repents, and even if he repents with deceit, they accepted him, because the Holy One, blessed be He, does not seek to remove a creature from the world in vain, but sits and waits for him to repent, even if he has only one commandment, he puts it under his head, as it is said \"Let the wicked forsake his way, and the man of iniquity his thoughts; and let him return to the LORD, [etc.]\" (Isaiah 55:7)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 10: Torah</b> [1] \"And the sons of Noah who went forth from the ark\" (Genesis 9:18). This is as it is written, \"A little that the righteous have is better\" (Psalms 37:16). The children of Israel are better than the righteous of the world, as it is written, \"Not because you are the most numerous of peoples\" (Deuteronomy 7:7), and \"from the multitude of the wicked\" (Psalms 64:4), Of the seventy nations numbered they were called a multitude, as it is said, O multitude, many nations, etc. (Isaiah 17:12). Alternatively, \"A little that the righteous have is better.\" Noah and his three sons were better than all those multitudes who were in the generation of the flood, among the many wicked people, for there were many multitudes in the generation of the flood, where each man and woman gave birth to four or five children in one acre of land each year, and they gave birth twice a year like sheep, and they would go out among their fathers, as it is said, \"They send forth their little ones like a flock\" (Job 21:11). See how many multitudes there were, and because of this they angered the Holy One, blessed be He. But what is written of Noah? \"And Noah was five hundred years old\" (Genesis 5:32). It is not written about him like it is written about all the others, \"And he begot sons and daughters,\" but rather: \"these are the records of Noah, three. These are Noah's sons, good were Noah's three sons from all those people, a little good for the righteous, these are the histories of Noah's sons.",
+                "[2] Different interpretation: \"And the sons of Noah\" (Genesis 6:10). The righteous walk in their perfection, \"fortunate are his children after him\" (Proverbs 20:7). Fortunate are the children of Israel, for the merit of their fathers stands for them. By virtue of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the Holy One, blessed be He, saved them when they were in Egypt. As it is written, \"God heard their groaning\" (Exodus 2:24), and when they left Egypt, they left by virtue of their fathers, as it is written, \"For He remembered His holy word with Abraham His servant\" (Psalm 105:42). When they made the Golden Calf, it is written, \"Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, Your servants\" (Exodus 32:13). In the days of Elijah, it is written, \"The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel\" (1 Kings 18:36). Thus, in every generation, the merit of the fathers stands for them. The merit of the fathers stood for them until Hazael, the king of Aram, as it is written, \"And Hazael king of Aram oppressed them. But the Lord was gracious to them and had compassion on them and turned to them because of His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them or cast them from His presence until now\" (2 Kings 13:22-23). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, \"Until now, you had the merit of your fathers. From now on, each one will be dependent on his own actions.\" Therefore, it is said, \"The righteous walks in his integrity\" (Proverbs 20:7). By the merit of Noah, his sons merited to live with him through the Flood, and they merited to come out of the ark, as it is written, \"And the sons of Noah\" (Genesis 6:10). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"From now on, I will not do as I did with Noah. The fathers do not save their children.\" As it is written, \"Noah, Daniel, and Job were in it [the land] and they, by their righteousness, would save only themselves\" (Ezekiel 14:14), and from where is it derived that even in sins, it is said, \"The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son; the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him\" (Ezekiel 18:20).",
+                "[3] Different interpretation: \"And the sons of Noah.\" As it says, \"For evildoers shall be cut off, but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land, etc.\" (Psalm 37:9) \"For evildoers shall be cut off,\" these are the people of the generation of the Flood, \"but those who wait for the Lord shall inherit the land,\" this refers to Noah and his sons who were saved from the Flood, and came out of the ark. They looked before them and behind them to see if they could find any human beings, but they did not find any, as it is said, \"Yet a little while and the wicked will be no more; though you look diligently for their place, they will not be there.\" (Psalm 37:10) \"But the meek shall inherit the earth...\" (Psalm 37:11) this refers to Noah and his sons, as it says, \"These three were the sons of Noah, and from these the whole earth was populated.\" (Genesis 9:19) \"...And delight yourself in abundance of peace,\" (Psalm 37:11) And how great was their peace, that they were with lions, bears, leopards, wolves, serpents, scorpions, and all kinds of creatures in the ark, and they did not harm one another. There is no greater peace than this, therefore it is said, \"And delight yourself in abundance of peace.\" (Psalm 37:11)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 11: Prophets</b> [1] \"The Lord's wrath I will bear [for I have sinned against Him]\" (Micah 7:9). As it says, \"I acknowledged my sin to You, and so on\" (Psalm 32:5), the assembly of Israel said before the Holy One, blessed be He: \"Master of the Universe, at first I said, 'I have not sinned,' and You brought suffering upon me, as it says, 'Now I will bring charges against you [because you say, \"I have not sinned\"].\" (Jeremiah 2:35). But now I say, 'I have sinned, have mercy on me,' as it is written, 'The Lord's wrath I will bear, for I have sinned against Him,' and so on\" (Micah 7:9). And when I went into exile, they said to me, \"Who gave Jacob to the despoilment [and Israel to the plunderers]?\" (Isaiah 42:24),  \"I said, isn't it God, we have sinned against Him\" and so on (Isaiah 42:24). Even now I say, \"For I have sinned against Him,\" and so on (Micah 7:9), for confession is pleasing to me, as it says, \"He who conceals his sins will not succeed, but he who confesses and abandons them will find mercy\" (Proverbs 28:13). When David committed that act and Nathan the prophet came and rebuked him, and David said to him, \"I have sinned greatly in, what I have done\" (2 Samuel 12:13), what did Nathan say to him? \"The Lord has taken away your sin, you shall not die\" (2 Samuel 12:13). And what did [Bathsheba] ask for? She said to him, \"Just as you have brought Noah out of the darkness into the light, do the same for me, [bring me out into the light and I will see His righteousness]\" (Micah 7:9). He said to her, \"And so I will do.\" And once he heard this, he began to say, \"Do not rejoice over me, my enemy,\" and so on (Micah 7:8).",
+                "[2] Different interpretation:  \"God's anger I will raise.\" There are those who were struck and kicked, and there are those who were struck and asked their father why this belt is hanging on them. And there are those who said to their father, \"Why is this belt hanging on me?\" There are those who were struck and kicked, and this is Job, for when Satan struck him, he began to cry out, \"Remove your rod from me, and let not dread of you terrify me.\" (Job 9:34). And I speak and am not afraid, as it says (I will speak) [I will speak up] and not be afraid, etc. (Job 9:35). A parable about Isratyotus (Suldaat in Greek) who became a thief. \"The Holy One, Blessed be He, said: I have examined this and that, and all of the diseases come from Egypt. Similarly, Job's friends said to him: You have lost your hope (lepīs in Greek), which means expectation and hope\", You said (I will speak) and we did not fear; they said, \"Is it possible that you are speaking and not afraid?\" The first human being, formed in the image and likeness of the Almighty, was unable to withstand hearing His voice, as it is said, \"And they heard the voice of the Lord God\" (Genesis 3:8).But when my wife wants to say to me, \"So  bless/curse God and die,\" (Job 2:9) I said to her, \"Speak like one of the foolish women,\" etc. (Job 2:10). Therefore, (I will speak) [I will speak up] and not be afraid, for I am not like myself, I am not like the man who said\",(Job 9:35) \"The woman You gave me,\" etc. (Genesis 3:12). They said to him, \"But Abraham heard Your words and could not stand,\" as it says, \"And he fell on his face,\" etc. (Genesis 17:3), and so did Balaam fall and his eyes were open (Numbers 24:4). Even we hear His words and fall and you speak against Him and are not afraid, we are not like you,\" he said to them, \"My heart is like yours, and I do not fall from you,\" etc. (Job 12:3). This is a story about King Hezekiah who became sick and turned his face towards the wall, as it says \"And Hezekiah turned his face towards the wall\" (Isaiah 38:2). It is said \"remember now\" (Isaiah 38:3), and what does \"remember now\" mean? When Israel sinned, God sent burning serpents upon them, and when they cried out to Moses, God told him to make a bronze serpent (Numbers 21:8-9). Whoever looked upon it would be healed. Hezekiah saw that Israel was committing sins and said, \"Now anyone who needs to be healed will go to this and leave God.\" So, he destroyed the bronze serpent (2 Kings 18:4). The people asked him, \"What are you doing? What Moses established, you are abolishing?\" He replied, \"Whoever needs to be healed should look up to God and be healed,\" as it says, \"Look to Him and be radiant, so that your faces may never be ashamed\" (Psalm 34:6). Likewise, it says, \"There was no one like him among all the kings of Judah, either before him or after him\" (2 Kings 18:5), \"This is the one who cried out and asked his father. And who is the one who said to his father, 'Why is this strap hanging from me?' These are the Israelites, who said to God, 'You have dealt harshly with Your people' (Micah 7:14) and also said, 'I will raise up the Lord's anger...I will see His righteousness' (Micah 7:9).\"\n"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 12: Writings</b> [1] A Psalm of David. \"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?\" (Psalm 27:1) The Sages explained that \"close are my righteous ones\" (Isaiah 50:8) means that if the nations of the world seek to harm Israel, God will come to their aid and the nations will be unable to prevail, just as no one can stand before a judge who is a close relative of his. We are God's relatives, and therefore the nations can harm us only if God permits it. As it is written, \"close are my righteous ones\" and so forth. Moreover, when a judge calls someone his relative and says that he is close to him, it is the highest praise that person can receive. Therefore, Israel says that they are God's relatives even though they were called \"close are my righteous ones\" first, because God called us His relatives at the beginning. As it is written, \"He has raised up a horn for His people, praise for all His saints, for the children of Israel, a people close to Him\" (Psalm 148:14). Therefore, we say \"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?\" because I do not fear any creature when God is with me, and His name is associated with war, as it is written, \"The Lord is a man of war\" (Exodus 15:3), and in His name Israel prevails. The nations also fear God when we engage in Torah study, as it is written, \"All the peoples of the earth will see that the name of the Lord is called upon you, and they will fear you\" (Deuteronomy 28:10). David also said to Goliath, \"You come to me with a sword and with a spear, but I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts\" (1 Samuel 17:45), and Israel prevailed through God's name. Similarly, Asa called upon the Lord his God and said, \"Lord, there is none besides You to help in the battle between the mighty and those who have no strength; so help us, O Lord our God, for we trust in You, and in Your name have come against this multitude\" (2 Chronicles 14:11). Therefore, it is said, \"All the peoples of the earth will see and so forth.\" (Deuteronomy 28:10)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 13: Torah</b> [1] After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying (Genesis 15:1). \"He stores up sound wisdom for the upright\" (Proverbs 2:7). Before the world was created, the Torah was hidden by God until Abraham would come and take it, as it is said: \"Because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws\" (Genesis 26:5). This teaches that Abraham our father fulfilled all the commandments and all the laws, as it is said: \"And My laws\" (Genesis 26:5). Rabbi Yonatan said in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai that even the laws of cooking were upheld by Abraham, as it is said: \"Because that Abraham obeyed My voice, and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws\" (Genesis 26:5). Therefore, Solomon said, \"He stores up sound wisdom for the upright.\" Another interpretation: The Holy One, blessed be He said to Abraham, \"You are engaged in the study of the Torah, I assure you that I will be your shield. Just as a person holds a shield and even if arrows or stones are thrown at it, the shield receives them, so I will be a shield for you and not only for you, but also for your children if they engage in the study of the Torah. Just as you engage in the study of the Torah, I will be a shield for them, as it is written, 'The word of the Lord is a tested shield to all who take refuge in him' (2 Samuel 22:31). Therefore, it is said, 'He stores up sound wisdom for the upright; he is a shield to those who walk in integrity' (Proverbs 2:7).\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: After these events, it is written: \"The wicked man earns deceitful wages, But he who sows righteousness gets a true reward\" (Proverbs 11:18). Abraham was one who sowed righteousness, feeding both the passing traveler and the returning one, as it is written, \"And he planted an Eschol tree\" (Genesis 21:33).. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"Your reward is very great, do not fear, Abraham\" (Genesis 15:1). The wicked perform deeds of falsehood (Proverbs 11:18). This refers to Nimrod the wicked, who made idols and deceived the creatures, which is likened to falsehood, as it is said, \"For they have poured out falsehood and there is no spirit in them\" (Jeremiah 10:14). Therefore, it is said, \"the wicked perform deeds of falsehood,\" but Abraham sows righteousness as the reward of truth (Proverbs 11:18).",
+                "[3] Alternative interpretation: \"After these events, what is written above the matter? 'And Abraham heard that his brother was taken captive'.\" (Genesis 14:14). And although his brother was Lot, after all the strife that they had, as it says \"And there was strife between the herdsmen of Abram's cattle and the herdsmen of Lot's cattle\" (Genesis 13:7), Abram still referred to Lot as his brother, as it says \"For we are brothers\" (Genesis 13:8). \"And he armed his trained servants\" (Genesis 14:14). From here we learn that Abram took silver, gold, and jewelry and adorned them, and said to them, \"We are going to war to save Lot. Do not focus on wealth. If you are going for the sake of silver and gold, there is plenty before you.\" As it says, \"And he armed his trained servants.\" And \"armed\" can only mean adorned with silver and gold, as it says \"Her wings are covered with silver, and her pinions with yellow gold\" (Psalms 68:14). Alternatively, \"armed\" means empty-handed, as it is written in the Torah, \"Who is the man that is fearful and soft-heated?\" (Deuteronomy 20:8), Abraham acted similarly. He said to his troops, \"You are going out to war, but anyone who has sins in his hand and is afraid of his deeds should not go out with us.\" When all those men heard this, anyone who knew in his heart that he had sinned did not go out with Abraham, and they all turned back except for Eliezer who was righteous. Then, God said to Abraham, \"He will go with you, and I will give him the strength of 318 men, so it will be as if all of them went out with you.\" Similarly, Eliezer's strength was equivalent to 318 men. And Abraham pursued [the kings] as far as Dan (Genesis 14:14). Why did he pursue them all the way to Dan? Our sages said that there are two things that are punished, those who plant a tree in the Sabbatical year and those who sell the produce of the Sabbatical year. Similarly, Abraham punished them before and after the prohibition [against such actions] came into effect. And how did he do so before [the prohibition was enacted]? Until now, when Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, would establish an idol in Dan, as it is said, \"And he put one in Beth-El and the other he placed in Dan\" (1 Kings 12:29). Abraham had already arrived at that place and did not pursue them any further, as it is written, \"And he pursued them as far as Dan, and he recovered all the goods\" (Genesis 14:15).. What did he see in pursuing them to Dan? Our sages said two things strike those who are before and after, as in the case of the \"sabbatical year\" where one who plants before it and after it is liable. Similarly, Abraham pursued them before and after, but how did he pursue them until now when Jeroboam son of Nebat set up a sanctuary in Dan, as it says, \"And he placed the one in Bethel [and the other he put in Dan]\" (1 Kings 12:29)? Abraham had already reached that place and did not pursue them anymore, as it says, \"And he pursued them to Dan and he divided himself against them by night\" (Genesis 14:15). The Holy One, blessed be He, did this for Abraham, as it says, \"And it came to pass that at midnight the Lord smote\" (Exodus 12:29), \"And he brought back all the goods\" (Genesis 14:16), \"Then the king of Sodom went out to meet him\" (Genesis 14:17). When the king of Sodom saw Abraham coming to pursue him, he was playing with him, as it says, \"All those who see me will mock me\" (Psalms 22:8). This was the king who went out to pursue sixteen kings and their armies. When he returned safely, he said, \"Let them pass in peace\" (Isaiah 43:3). \"Then the king of Sodom went out to meet him\" (Genesis 14:17), and said to him, \"Give me the persons\" (Genesis 14:21). Abraham immediately swore to him, as it says, \"I have lifted my hand\" (Genesis 14:22), and lifting one's hand is an oath, as it says, \"He raised his right hand and his left hand to heaven [and swore by the living God]\" (Daniel 12:7). \"If from a thread\" (Genesis 14:23), why did the Holy One, blessed be He, promise to tithe me, as it says, \"And I will bless those who bless you\" (Genesis 12:3)? \"And I will curse him who curses you\" (Genesis 12:3). I am poorer than you. You should say, \"I enriched you.\" \"If from a thread\" (Genesis 14:23). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"You said, 'If from a thread.' I will give your children a thread of righteousness that will encompass them, just as the sages have explained.\" \"I give your children the commandment of tzitzit which is made of thread, as it says 'they shall make for themselves fringes' (Numbers 15:38). You said until shoelace, I give your children the commandment of shoe removal, as it says 'he shall remove his shoe' (Deuteronomy 25:9). Additionally, I give your children the merit of the Passover commandment, as it says 'you shall eat it with your loins girded, your sandals on your feet' (Exodus 12:11). If you said from thread, I praise your children with the thread, as it says 'your hair is like a flock of goats' (Song of Songs 4:2). Moreover, in the merit of this, I punish their enemies, as it says 'over Edom I cast my shoe' (Psalms 60:9). If you said until shoelace, I praise your children with their footwear, as it says 'how beautiful are your steps in sandals' (Song of Songs 7:1). You have rejected the reward of flesh and blood, see the reward that is prepared for you, as it says 'your reward is very great' (Genesis 15:1).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 14: Prophets</b> [1] The vision of Isaiah son of Amoz (Isaiah 1:1). May his memory be a blessing. \"And I will speak about the prophets, and I am the great vision\" (Hosea 12:11). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"I will surely speak about the prophets, but I am the great vision, for none of their prophecies is like mine.\" How did Amos see me standing, as it is written, \"I saw the Lord standing beside the altar\" (Amos 9:1)? Isaiah saw me sitting, as it is written, \"I saw the Lord sitting on a throne\" (Isaiah 6:1). Moses saw me as a warrior, as it is written, \"The Lord is a man of war\" (Exodus 15:3). Daniel saw me as an elder, as it is written, \"And the hair of his head was like pure wool\" (Daniel 7:9). Therefore it is said, \"And by the hand of the prophets I am pictured\" (Hosea 12:11). \"What was your intent in the letter you wrote to Kefor Bebenek, where you told me to bring witnesses and write that I deny my son? He said to him, 'Did I tell you in anger that I deny him? God forbid, do I have anyone else in the world besides him? I do not deny my son.' Perhaps someone else resembling me said it to you, and you thought it was me. Similarly, Israel angered God, and he called to Isaiah and said to him to write that I deny my children, 'Hear, O heavens, and give ear, O earth' (Isaiah 1:2). Why do I deny them? They, my children, angered me - I raised them and exalted them, 'You have known Me, O ox, and My friend is you' (Isaiah 1:3). After some time, Israel asked God and He accepted them, that same mouth which said 'They rebelled against Me' (Isaiah 1:2) also said 'I have blotted out your transgressions like a cloud' (Isaiah 44:22) and accepted them, as it is written 'Return to Me, for I have redeemed you' (Isaiah 44:22). Isaiah said to God, 'Master of the Universe, are You not signing what You wrote to deny Your children?' God said to him, 'I do not deny my children. Perhaps you mistook me, as it is written \"I will speak through the prophets\" (Hosea 12:11).' \"",
+                "[2] The interpretation of the vision of Isaiah. The fear of the Lord will add days and years to one's life, and the harvest of the wicked will be cut short (Proverbs 10:27). The fear of the Lord will add days, as in the case of Isaiah who lived many years. His garment was as large as the folding of many kings [edit: <i> and the skirts of His robe filled the Temple</i> Isaiah 6:1], as it is said: \"The vision of Isaiah...\" Our Rabbis have said: Isaiah lived for one hundred and twenty years, corresponding to the lifespan of these four kings: Uzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah. Why did the fear of the Lord add days to his life?",
+                "[3] According to the vision of Isaiah, prophecy can be expressed in ten different forms: speech, words, allegory, parable, metaphor, riddle, euphemism, oracle, burden, and vision. None of them are more difficult than a vision, as Isaiah said, \"Hard visions have been told to me\" (Isaiah 21:2). When the Lord appeared to Abraham in a vision, Abraham was afraid that a difficult matter would be revealed to him, as it says, \"After these things, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision, saying, 'Fear not, Abram, I am your shield'\" (Genesis 15:1). The Lord reassured Abraham that He only reveals Himself to His children through visions and that He will protect him. Daniel also saw a vision and said, \"I saw in my vision by night, and behold, the four winds of heaven were stirring up the great sea\" (Daniel 7:2). Do not be afraid if I have revealed myself to you in a vision, as the Lord said to Abram, \"Fear not, Abram.\"(Genesis 15:1)",
+                "[4] This is from the commentary on the book of Ezekiel. The vision of Isaiah: Two prophets prophesied in this language, Isaiah and Obadiah. Isaiah is the greatest among the prophets, and Obadiah is the smallest among the prophets. Some say that he was a convert. How do we know this? Because every prophet who does not mention his father mentions his place of origin. Thus, Hosea son of Beeri's origin is mentioned (Hosea 1:1) because his father was also a prophet. Amos mentions his place of origin, \"The words of Amos, who was among the shepherds of Tekoa\" (Amos 1:1). Similarly, Micah the Morashtite (Micah 1:1) is mentioned as a prophet. Zechariah son of Berechiah son of Iddo the prophet (Zechariah 1:1) was a son of a prophet. Zephaniah was a son of a prophet. Obadiah did not mention either his father or his place of origin, but merely his vision (Obadiah 1:1), as he was a convert and the least of the prophets. However, Isaiah's vision is the vision of Isaiah son of Amoz, and Obadiah's vision, both are equal. So why did Obadiah prophesy only before the elders, as it says, \"The vision of Obadiah: Thus saith the Lord God concerning Edom\" (Obadiah 1:1)? This is because it came from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, from the mouth of the Sanhedrin. How do we know this? Because it says, \"We have heard a rumor from the Lord\" (Jeremiah 50:46). Similarly, Isaiah prophesied from the mouth of the Sanhedrin, as it says, \"Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, Whom shall I send?\" (Isaiah 6:8), from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, and \"Who will go for us?\" (Isaiah 6:8), from the mouth of the Sanhedrin. Although they prophesied from the Holy One, blessed be He, if the Sanhedrin did not permit it, they had no authority to prophesy. This is why \"Whom shall I send?\" is from the mouth of the Holy One, blessed be He, and \"Who will go for us?\" is from the mouth of the Sanhedrin. Therefore, both of them prophesied in a vision, as the gematria of \"vision\" [חזון] is seventy-one, and they both prophesied in the seventy-one member Sanhedrin. Rabbi Benaiah says that the vision that they both prophesied in the seventy-one member Sanhedrin is in the same language. Isaiah is the greatest among the prophets, and Obadiah is the smallest among the prophets. Why? Because there is no restraint to the Lord to save by many or by few (1 Samuel 14:6). "
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 15: Writings</b> [1] \"A Psalm of David. The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The LORD is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?\" (Psalm 27:1) \"You shall not fear them, for it is the LORD your God who fights for you.\" (Deuteronomy 3:22) When Israel fears God, even the nations fear them, as David also said, \"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?\" (Psalm 118:6) When I have God with me, I have nothing to fear. But when we abandon our fear of God, even the nations rebel against us, as it is said, \"Israel has rejected what is good; an enemy will pursue him.\" (Hosea 8:3) What is good? \"The LORD is good to all.\" (Psalm 145:9) When the nations fear God, everyone fears Israel, even the animals fear them. From whom did we learn this? From Daniel, who was thrown into a den of lions and was not harmed. As it is said, \"My God sent His angel and shut the lions' mouths, so that they have not hurt me.\" (Daniel 6:23) Yet you say that only those with a soul can fear, but how do we know that even those without a soul can fear? We learn this from Abraham, to whom God said, \"I am the LORD, who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans.\" (Genesis 15:7) Even fire feared Abraham, as did Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah. Even water feared Israel, as it is said, \"And the children of Israel went on dry ground through the midst of the sea.\" (Exodus 14:29) In the future, it will be the same, as it is said, \"When you pass through the waters, I will be with you.\" (Isaiah 43:2) Therefore, \"The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?\" Even the nations seek to come under the protection of God's presence when Israel does His will. This is also found in David's writings and all the prophets, as in \"David and six hundred men who were with him went to Achish the son of Maoch, king of Gath.\" (2 Samuel 15:18) And in Solomon's words, \"And Solomon counted out seventy thousand men to bear burdens, and eighty thousand to quarry stone in the mountains, and three thousand six hundred to oversee them.\" (2 Chronicles 2:18) And in the days of Mordecai, many people in the land became Jews. (Esther 8:17) And Isaiah says, \"Behold, they shall surely gather together, but not by Me.\" (Isaiah 54:15) What is \"behold\"? It is a Greek word meaning \"one.\" The Lord says, \"One man will be stronger than they are, because he is under My authority.\" From here on, whoever opposes Israel will not succeed."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 16: Torah</b> [1] Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old (Genesis 17:1). It is said in Psalms (45:3), \"Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one, [in your splendor and your majesty].\" The sons of Korah said this psalm about Abraham. \"How fair you are among the sons of men,\" [meaning] more beautiful than the sons of Adam - [more beautiful] than Adam's descendants, Sheit, Enosh, and Kayin; [more beautiful] than the sons of Noach, [as it is written,] \"And the Lord came down to see the city and the tower, which the sons of man had built\" (Genesis 11:5). \"Grace has been poured upon your lips\" (Psalms 45:3). When you swore to the King of Sodom, as it is written, \"I have lifted my hand to the Lord, God Most High\" (Genesis 14:22), [the same grace that enabled you to become the anointed one] has been poured upon your lips. And for the reward that was given to you, therefore God has blessed you forever (Psalms 45:3), and all the praises that are sung of you, you have descended to the fiery furnace and been subjected to many trials, yet you stood firm and pursued after fifteen kings (Genesis 14:14-15) and were extolled throughout the world. Whatever you did, you did [well]. From here on out, I seek to make known my might, \"Gird your sword upon your thigh, O mighty one.\" (Psalm 45:4) At that time, [God] glorified you and beautified you in the world. When was this? \"Now Abraham was ninety-nine years old\", and so on... \"And I will establish My covenant with you\", and so on... (Genesis 17:1-2).",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And I will establish My covenant\" (Genesis 17:2). This refers to the secret of God for those who fear Him, and His covenant to make it known to them (Psalms 25:14). What is the secret of the Holy One, blessed be He? It is a word that the Holy One, blessed be He, did not reveal, a mystery of a word that passed from person to person for twenty generations, until Abraham came and received it, as it is stated, \"The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him, and He will make known to them His covenant\" (Psalms 25:14). This refers to Abraham, as it is said of him, \"Now I know that you fear God\" (Genesis 22:12). God said to him, \"If you perform circumcision, you will take hold of the secret, the secret of the Lord for those who fear Him,\" which is numerically equivalent to seventy (סו\"ד בגימטריא שבעים). \"Seventy souls\" (Deuteronomy 10:22) \"And it establishes from them seventy Sanhedrins, as it is said, 'Gather for Me seventy men...' (Numbers 11:16).  I establish from them, and I establish from your descendants Moses, who spoke the Torah in seventy languages, as it is stated, \"Beyond the Jordan in the land of Moab\" (Deuteronomy 1:5). On account of what? On account of circumcision, as it is stated, \"The Lord our God made a covenant with us [at Horeb]\" (Deuteronomy 5:2). This covenant is circumcision. [edit ref. Pirkei DeRabbi Eliezer 10:10] Therefore, it is said, \"The secret of the Lord is with those who fear Him.\" God said to Abraham, \"It is enough for the servant to be like his master.\" And His covenant, to make it known to them (Psalms 25:14). This can be compared to a king who had a beloved servant who was richer than all others. He said, \"What shall I do for this beloved one? What shall I give him? He has gold and silver, he has slaves and maidservants.\" But then the king said, \"Behold, I will take off my belt and give it to him as a sign of my affection.\" Similarly, God said to Abraham, \"What shall I give you? You have gold and silver, as it is said, 'And Abram was very rich' (Genesis 13:2). But what can I give you? I will give you My belt, and establish My covenant between Me and you\" (Genesis 17:4). \"And Abraham fell on his face\"...\"Behold, My covenant is with you\" ans so on. (Genesis 17:3-4), the secret of the Lord for those who fear Him.",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: And it came to pass that Abram said to Him, \"The Holy One, Blessed be He,\" \"From the time that Abram was standing until now, the world was dark in the aspect of \"Tohu\" and \"Bohu.\" But since You have revealed Yourself and made Yourself known in the world, it has become illuminated, as it is said, 'Who aroused one from the East, etc.' (Isaiah 41:2). So come and shine before me, so that I may see Your light,\" as it is said, \"And He said to him, 'I am the Lord, etc.' And Abram fell, etc., 'Behold, I have made a covenant with you' (Genesis 15:18).\" Abram said to Him, \"Who will circumcise me?\" He said to him, \"You will circumcise yourself.\" Abram took a sword and held his foreskin, but when he came to cut it, he became afraid because he was old and it was tough. What did the Holy One, Blessed be He, do? He extended His hand and took hold of Abram's hand, and Abram cut. From where do we know this? As Ezra praises Him, \"You are the Lord, the God who chose Abram, etc., and found his heart faithful before You, and made a covenant with him\" (Nehemiah 9:7-8). And it doesn't say \"He made a covenant with him,\" but \"He made a covenant with him and held his hand.\" This teaches that the Holy One, Blessed be He, was holding Abram's hand while Abram was cutting, and so it says, \"And He fulfilled Your words, for You are righteous\" (Nehemiah 9:8)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 17: Prophets</b> [1] \"Thus says the Lord: 'If not for my covenant day and night, I would not have established the fixed order of heaven and earth.'\" (Jeremiah 33:25). This is what the scripture said, \"Look upon the covenant; for the dark places of the earth are full of the habitations of cruelty.\" (Psalm 74:20) Look to the covenant, even though Israel has no good deeds, the Holy One, blessed be He, redeems them by virtue of the covenant. Look to the covenant, when Israel was in Egypt they prostrated themselves to idolatry, as it says, \"To your fathers, each man threw away the idols of his eyes, and do not defile yourselves with the idols of Egypt\" (Ezekiel 20:7). He redeemed them only by virtue of the covenant, as it says, \"And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant\" (Exodus 6:5), and it is written, \"And God heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant\" (Exodus 2:24). When they came out of Egypt and arrived at the sea, they rebelled, as it says, \"And they rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea\" (Psalm 106:7). And the sea sought to drown them, as it says, \"The waters were a wall to them on their right and on their left\" (Exodus 14:22). They were filled with anger towards them and sought to drown them. When the water reached their clothes, their clothes hung from the water. When the water saw the covenant of circumcision on them, it retreated, as it says, \"The sea saw and fled\" (Psalms 114:3). What did the sea see? It saw the covenant of circumcision and fled. And it did not split except through the merit of circumcision, as it says, \"To cut the Red Sea into pieces\" (Psalms 136:13). They came to the desert and neglected the circumcision for forty years, as it says, \"For all the people that came out were circumcised\" (Joshua 5:5), \"For the children of Israel walked forty years in the wilderness\" (Exodus 16:35), \"And he raised up their children in their place\" (Joshua 5:7). All of Israel neglected the circumcision for forty years, except for the tribe of Levi, who circumcised their children, as it says, \"And your covenant will be preserved\" (Deuteronomy 33:9). \"It is a covenant of circumcision: When the Israelites crossed the Jordan River, the tribe of Levi, who were circumcised, were carrying the Ark [of the Covenant], while the rest of the Israelites were uncircumcised. The inhabitants of the Jordan Valley sought to drown the Israelites because of their lack of circumcision, but God performed miracles for them. At that moment, God gathered 60,000 Israelites between the two poles of the Ark, so that they could see who was circumcised and who was not, and flee. As it is written, 'The Jordan turned back before them' (Joshua 3:13). Joshua said to the people, 'Behold, the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord of all the earth is crossing over before you.' The 60,000 people stood between the two poles of the Ark, as if they were piercing it with their foreskins. And what is the meaning of this? It is like the verse in Jeremiah that says, 'Go and buy yourself linen undergarments...so that your linen undergarments may serve as a witness for you' (Jeremiah 13:1-11). Just as the linen is not moved from its place despite the thorns, so too the 60,000 people stood firm between the poles of the Ark, as if they were being pricked by thorns.\" (Jeremiah 4:3). And it was a sting to Jeremiah. He said before God, \"Master of the universe, there are thorns in it and they sting me, and I am in pain.\" God said to him, \"This is not how the children of Israel acted when I brought them between the two poles of the Ark, and they were stinging the Ark with their foreskins like thorns, as it is said 'As the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man, so have I caused to cleave unto Me the whole house of Israel and the whole house of Judah' (Jeremiah 13:11). And from where do we know that foreskin is called thorns? As it is said 'Thus says the Lord to the men of Judah and Jerusalem: Break up for yourselves fallow ground, and sow not among thorns' (Jeremiah 4:3), and it is written 'Circumcise yourselves to the Lord and take away the foreskins of your heart' (Jeremiah 4:4). Therefore, since it is like thorns, see how abominable foreskin is before God. Even Moses, great among the prophets, wise men, and righteous, when he delayed circumcision for one hour, God sought to kill him, as it is said 'And it came to pass on the way at the lodging place [etc. and sought to kill him]' (Exodus 4:24). \"If not for my covenant day and night.\" (Jeremiah 33:25).\"",
+                "[2] Another thought: \"If not for My covenant...\" \"See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse; the blessing, if you obey the commandments of the Lord your God, which I am commanding you today; and the curse, if you do not obey the commandments of the Lord your God, but turn aside from the way which I am commanding you today, to go after other gods which you have not known.\" [Beitza 5a] \"Furthermore, if not for My covenant day and night, I would not have established the laws of heaven and earth\" [Jeremiah 33:25]. King Agrippa asked Rabbi Eliezer the Great: \"If the mitzvah (commandment) of circumcision is so beloved by the Holy One, Blessed be He, why was it not included among the Ten Commandments given at Sinai? After all, the Torah specifically warns against transgressing the mitzvot to honor one's parents, to keep Shabbat, not to murder, commit adultery, steal, bear false witness, or covet. Why is there no explicit commandment to circumcise?\" Rabbi Eliezer replied: \"You claim to be an expert in Torah, but you clearly do not know it as well as you think. The mitzvah of circumcision was indeed given at Sinai, even before the Ten Commandments, as it says in the third month after the children of Israel had gone forth out of the land of Egypt... [Exodus 19:1]. And then, 'If you will hearken diligently to the voice of the Lord your God, and do that which is right in His eyes, and give ear to His commandments, and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases upon you... [Exodus 15-16]. This refers to the mitzvah of circumcision. Rabbi Akiva says it refers to Shabbat. Therefore, it is written, 'If not for My covenant day and night,' which includes both circumcision and Shabbat. And that is why it is said, 'If not for My covenant, day and night'.\" "
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 18: Writings</b> [1] A Psalm of David. The LORD says to my Lord: \"Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.\" (Psalm 110:1) This verse shows how the Holy One, blessed be He, loves and exalts Israel, as He has invested their forefathers with greatness, as it says, \"And his greatness shall be from him\" (Jeremiah 30:21). And there is no greatness other than the forefathers, as it is written, \"As for the saints in the land, they are the excellent ones, in whom is all my delight\" (Psalm 16:3). Therefore, \"And his greatness shall be from him\" - from the forefathers, and everything is from them until now. Regarding the forefathers, how do we know that even the Holy One, blessed be He, said of them, \"I am from you\"? As it says, \"And his ruler shall come from the midst of them\" (Jeremiah 30:21). This refers to the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is written in Psalms, \"Bless God, O you his peoples; you are the sheep of his pasture\" (Psalm 100:3). \"And he shall come near to me\" (Jeremiah 30:21) - this refers to Abraham, as it says, \"Abraham came forward and said...\" (Genesis 18:23). \"For who among them has stood in the council of the LORD to see and to hear his word?\" (Jeremiah 23:18) - The word of the LORD to my Lord (Psalm 110:1) - this refers to Abraham, as it says, \"And he said, 'Blessed be the LORD, the God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken his mercy and his truth toward my master'\" (Genesis 24:27). The attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, are not like the attributes of flesh and blood. When a king enters, he sits on the throne at the right, and his Sanhedrin is on his left. But the Holy One, blessed be He, who rules from one end of the world to the other and everything is His, wrote that Abraham sat at His right, as it says, \"The LORD says to my Lord: 'Sit at my right hand.'\" Why does He seat him next to Him? To prove to Israel and to show Abraham their father all the good that He does with them, as it says, \"He did wonders in the sight of their fathers\" (Psalm 78:12). Therefore, He seats him next to Him. And similarly, Hannah says, \"He raises up the poor from the dust\" (1 Samuel 2:8). This refers to the one who made himself like dust and ashes, as it is written, \"I am but dust and ashes\" (Genesis 18:27). Even when the Holy One, blessed be He, raises up the poor from the dust, what does He do for him? He seats him on the throne of glory, as it says, \"And he shall inherit the throne of glory\" (1 Samuel 2:8)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 19: Torah</b> [1] And the Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre (Genesis 18:1), which means, \"So said the Lord, 'The heavens are My throne, and so on, and all these things My hand has made'\" (Isaiah 66:1). [Abraham] saw glory, he saw might, and as it were, he was occupied with whom [God is], and to this one I will look, to the poor and afflicted spirit, and the one who trembles at My words (Isaiah 66:2). Who is this one who trembles at the word of God? This is Abraham, as it is said, \"In the very same day, Abraham was circumcised\" (Genesis 17:26). Immediately [after his circumcision], \"And the Lord appeared to him.\" From where do we know that the Scripture speaks about Abraham here? For it is written after this, \"Slaughtering a bull, he struck a man\" (Isaiah 66:3), and it is written, \"And Abraham ran to the herd\" (Genesis 18:7). \"He struck a man\" (Isaiah 66:3), that is, he killed Nimrod. \"Slaughtering the sheep\" (Isaiah 66:3) [refers to] when did Moses offer Isaac [as a sacrifice]? As it is said, \"God will provide for Himself the sheep for a burnt offering, my son\" (Genesis 22:8) Alternatively, \"The heavens are My throne\" - our sages said that this is found in seven places [in the Bible], where God compares Himself to lowly creatures. -(1) \"For the Lord your God is the God of gods\" (Deuteronomy 10:17). [This teaches that] He sees might, and He is occupied with the one who does justice for the orphan and widow, and so on. -(2) \"For high and low, He sees\" (Psalms 138:6). -(3) \"So said the lofty and exalted One\" (Isaiah 57:15), \"and to revive the spirit of the lowly\" (Isaiah 57:15). -(4) \"Sing to God, chant His name, cast up a road for Him who rides through the deserts\" (Psalms 68:5), and it is written, \"Father of orphans and judge of widows\" (Psalms 68:6). -(5) \"The Lord is close to the broken-hearten\" (Psalms 34:19). -(6) \"So said the Lord, 'The heavens are My throne, and so on, and to this one I will look, to the poor and afflicted spirit, and the one who trembles at My words'\" (Isaiah 66:1-2).",
+                "\"[2] Another interpretation: The LORD appeared to him [Abraham]. The Holy One, blessed be He, said: 'You shall make for Me an altar of earth' (Exodus 20:21). Rabbi Isaac Ne'eha said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said: If one slaughters and spills a little blood, or the blood of a non-sanctified animal, or the blood of an ox, I come and bless him, as it says, 'In every place where I record My name [I will come unto thee, and I will bless thee]' (Exodus 20:21). How much more so for Abraham, who had a river of blood flowing from his house, and he circumcised himself, and all the people of his household, yet I did not come and bless him. Therefore, it is written, 'And the LORD appeared to him.' He came and saw the strength that the Holy One, blessed be He, gave him, for on one day he circumcised himself, and Ishmael his son, and blood was still dripping from his circumcision, yet he also circumcised all the men of his household, and the male children of his household. He saw how many male children there were in his household, eighteen hundred and thirty-two, and if all the members of his household were only these, he could sell his entire fortune for them, and they were all circumcised on the same day, as it says, 'In the selfsame day was Abraham circumcised, and Ishmael his son' (Genesis 17:26) and all the men of his household (Genesis 17:26).\" From the elders, from the young. And \"Yelid Beitoh\" acquired (with his money) from a foreigner, they circumcised him, (his name is omitted), Abraham established a hill of foreskins in his house, and a river of blood flowed from his house. The Lord called upon the ministering angels and said to them, \"Come and visit the sick.\" The angels said to Him, \"Lord of the Universe, what is man that You should take note of him, and a mortal being, that You should pay him heed? (Psalms 144:3) You are walking in a place of filth, in a place of blood and filth.\" The Lord said to them, \"You just mentioned the smell of that blood of foreskins that I commanded, and if you are not willing to go, I myself will go.\" Similarly, King Solomon said, \"Until the day breathes and the shadows flee (Song of Songs 4:6) — these are the circumcised and the uncircumcised, whom Abraham took care of, who were like shadows coming and going so that they should not suffer from the word they were called.\" \"I will go to the mountain of myrrh\" (Song of Songs 4:6) — this is Abraham, who was called \"myrrh,\" as it says, \"myrrh and aloes\" (Psalms 45:9). Therefore, the Lord appeared to him. Once the ministering angels saw him, they went with the Lord, as it says, \"He lifted up his eyes and looked, and, lo, three men were standing over against him\" (Genesis 18:2), and David praised Him, saying, \"All the ways of the Lord are mercy and truth\" (Psalms 25:10). This is Abraham, who kept the covenant of circumcision. Once the Lord revealed Himself to him, he was sitting, as it says, \"And he sat at the door of his tent\" (Genesis 18:1). Abraham came to stand when he saw the Shechinah, but the Lord said to him, \"Do not move, as it says, 'The Lord says to my lord, \"Sit at my right hand\"' (Psalms 110:1). Abraham said to Him, \"Master of the Universe! Such is the way of the world: a person sits while the king stands.\" The Lord said to him, \"It does not matter. You are now old, one hundred years of age, and you wonder why I am standing and you are sitting? Your children, for generations, will be sitting in the synagogues while I stand, as it says, 'God stands in the congregation of God' (Psalms 82:1).\" Abraham began to complain and said, \"You gave me the shield of Your salvation (Psalms 18:36) when I pursued the kings, as it is said, 'Do not fear, Abram, I am a shield to you' (Genesis 15:1). And 'Your right hand will save me' (Psalms 138:7) when You held my right hand and helped me to circumcise myself, and 'Your answers will increase me' (Psalms 138:3), while I am sitting and You are standing.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"The LORD appeared to him [Abraham] in the plains of Mamre.\" (Genesis 18:1) And you shall know that Hashem, your God, is God, etc. (Deuteronomy 7:9). What did He see fit to reveal to him in the plains of Mamre? It was to let him know that His name, the Holy One, blessed be He, is not lacking in rewarding any creature. He had three friends, Anar, Eshkol, and Mamre. And when Hashem said to Abraham, \"With yourself,\" He took counsel from them. Anar said, \"He is a blemished man; will You do for him?\" \"With a human being, who is fashioned by Your own hands, You do not keep faith,\" Eshkol said, \"and with him You will keep faith?\" So He left them and went to Mamre, who said to Him, \"Even You, do You not know that he is a castrated man, and You want to do for him?\" \"His relatives will be kings who will arise from those whom he killed,\" he said to Him, \"and they will castrate him, and You will not be able to escape from them.\" He left him and went to Mamre, who said to Him, \"My Lord, let me advise You to circumcise yourself.\" He said to him, \"Even now, you are standing and bewildered, and they have not made you into small pieces?\" \"The forty-eight pieces of the limbs that were over You in the furnace,\" He replied, \"You saved from the fire. And You are standing and finding it difficult to give one limb to Me!\" He said to Him, \"You gave him good advice that he should be circumcised. I swear that I will appear to him within your domain,\" as it is said, \"And Hashem appeared to him in the plains of Mamre.\" (Genesis 18:1) And from where did He take counsel to circumcise? As it is said, \"And they, the men, were afraid because they came to the house of Joseph, etc., and they said, 'We came on account of the money that was returned in our sacks at the beginning, etc.'\" (Genesis 43:18-19) \"And he lifted his eyes and saw, and behold, three men were standing over him. The angels said, \"God, until when will you honor him, until when will you stand and he sits?\" The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them, \"It is not enough that I see three righteous men who will come from him, for the entire world falls and worships the image, and they stand like a palm tree and do not bow down, as it is stated, \"Your stature is like a palm tree\" (Song of Songs 7:8). \"Therefore, behold, three men, etc.\" God said to him, \"You prostrated yourself to my angels, but kings will one day prostrate themselves to your descendants, as it is said, 'And kings shall be thy nursing fathers, and their queens thy nursing mothers: they shall bow down to thee with their face toward the earth' (Isaiah 49:23).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 20: Writings</b>  [1] \"For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven\" (Malachi 3:19), \"And day and night, it shall not be quenched; its smoke shall go up forever\" (Isaiah 34:10). Since the prophets said \"For behold, the day is coming,\" Israel said to Him, \"One day alone is burning us, but we have been oppressed for many years, judged many times, and suffered many calamities, and You say to us, 'The coming day [will burn] them' (Malachi 3:19), Isaiah said to them, \"But I do it day and night, as it is written, 'Night and day it shall not be quenched' (Isaiah 34:10). And not only that, but 'its smoke shall ascend forever' (Isaiah 34:10).\" Hell has seven names: <i> Sheol, Abaddon, Death, Pit, Destruction, Abyss, and Gehenna</i>. Rabbi Yannai said, \"All of these names refer to Gehenna.\" The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"I do not need any of these names, but today I am boiling over and taking revenge on the wicked, as it is written, 'For behold, the day is coming, burning like an oven' (Malachi 3:19).\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And it shall come to pass on that day,\" says the LORD, \"that I will take vengeance and repay\" (Deuteronomy 32:35), and Israel says, \"I will take vengeance and repay.\" The Holy One, blessed be He, says, \"When the time comes, when will their feet slip?\" (ibid.), as it is written, \"As I watched, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of Days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheels were all ablaze. A river of fire was flowing, coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him; ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. The court was seated, and the books were opened\" (Daniel 7:9-10). \"For the day of their calamity is near\" (Deuteronomy 32:35). Balaam, who saw that the Day of Judgment destroys the wicked, made it distant, as it is written, \"I see him, but not now; I behold him, but not near\" (Numbers 24:17). But Moses, who saw that the same day is the reward of the righteous, said, \"For the day of their calamity is near\" (Deuteronomy 32:35), and Asaph also said, \"Those who are far from you will perish; you destroy all who are unfaithful to you. But as for me, it is good to be near God. I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge\" (Psalm 73:27-28).\"And they have hastened their destiny (Deuteronomy 32:35), I [God] am hastening and shaking the world to rid it of them, as it says, 'They shall fly like an eagle hastening to devour' (Habakkuk 1:8). And as for what you said, 'Let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw near and come' (Isaiah 41:1), behold, the day is coming and you shall know, for behold, the day is coming, etc. (Malachi 3:19).\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation:  \"Know that today is coming. On that day, I will trust in you, O Lord\" (Psalm 56:5). There are nations in the world (אוּמּוֹת העולם = ´umaoh haolam), who have no hope, as Job said, \"But the eyes of the wicked will fail, and escape will elude them; their hope will become a dying gasp.\" (Job 11:20), and \"Refuge has perished from me\" (Job 19:10). Rather, Gehenna is open everywhere for them, and they seek to flee, but Gehenna opens upon them, as it is said, \"Therefore, the nether-world has enlarged her desire\" (Isaiah 5:14). \"Rabbi Aha said in the name of Rabbi Abbahu: Hell has sixteen compartments, four for each type of spirit. [i.e., one for evil thoughts, one for idle talk, one for false oaths, and one for licentiousness]. And how do we know this? Because Ezekiel saw, as it is written, 'And you, son of man, prophesy and clap your hands together, and let the sword come down twice, yes, three times, the sword for those slain. It is the sword for the great slaughter, which surrounds them, so that their hearts may melt and many stumble. At all their gates I have stationed the point of the sword, which is made ready for slaughter' (Ezekiel 21:14-15). This means that there are four swords at each gate and for each spirit, as it is written, 'Join your hands together, go to the right, and strike to the left, wherever your edge is directed' (Ezekiel 21:20). The right hand represents the east, the left hand represents the west, the right foot represents the south, and the left foot represents the north, as it is written, 'Join your hands together, go to the right, and strike to the left, wherever your edge is directed.' And the angels say, 'Where are your faces? Where is the place of your habitation?' (Ezekiel 21:30). This is because the sixteen compartments surround hell, four for each type of spirit. The wicked flee from one compartment to another, but they cannot find a place to escape, as Job cried out, 'But the hope of the wicked shall perish' (Job 11:20).\"",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: \"Moreover, the day is coming, burning like a furnace; all the arrogant and every evildoer will be stubble, and the day that is coming will set them on fire,\" says the Lord Almighty. The sages say, the hell of Israel is theirs and the hell of the Gentiles is theirs. Israel says, the hell of the Gentiles is ours and our hell is for them. This can be compared to two people who were selling goods, one sold linen and the other sold cotton. The one who sold linen said, \"This cotton is mine,\" and the one who sold cotton said, \"This linen is mine.\" The owner of the merchandise said to them, \"You are arguing about which is yours and which is his, but before you there is a fire that will test which is linen and which is cotton.\" So the Gentiles say that the Garden of Eden is theirs and the hell of Israel is theirs, but Israel says no. The Lord says, \"Behold, fire is before you; walk in the light of your fires and of the torches you have set ablaze\" (Isaiah 50:11). The fire is in your hand. Isaiah also says, \"And there will be a shelter to give shade from the heat by day, and a refuge and hiding place from the storm and rain\" (Isaiah 4:6). This refers to King Hezekiah, who worked to ignite the flame of the Temple altar (Ta'anit 28b). This is the meaning of \"And they shall both burn together\" (Isaiah 4:4); the linen and the cotton will be burnt together, as it is said, \"My people will be burned up completely, like thorns among the flames\" (Isaiah 33:12). The cotton was not burned, as it is said, \"When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze\" (Isaiah 43:2)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 21: Writings</b> [1] A Psalm of David. The word of the Lord to my Lord, \"Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.\" (Psalm 110:1) The Midrash comments on the phrase \"He calls from the east a bird of prey\" (Isaiah 46:11), referring to how the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, demonstrates how He loves and exalts the righteous. It explains how Abraham was raised by his advisor <i>Sanquelatikos</i> (meaning \"my counselor\"), who provided him with advice, as it is said, \"Calling from the east [a man of my counsel] (Isaiah 41:2), and said to him, \"Come and sit at My right hand, so that you may be my counselor. You are faithful, as I have written, \"I have set my eyes on the faithful in the land, that they may dwell with me\" (Psalm 101:6). \"And sit to my right hand; it is possible that the Lord takes counsel from flesh and blood, as it is written, 'The counsel of the Lord stands forever, the plans of His heart for all generations' (Psalm 33:11), and similarly, 'Great in counsel and mighty in deeds' (Jeremiah 32:19).\" He created the entire world and did not take counsel, as it is said, \"Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand\" (Isaiah 40:12). What is written, \"Who has directed the spirit of the Lord...?\" (Isaiah 40:13) I have created the entire world, \"And to whom will you compare me or count me equal?\" (Isaiah 40:25) From whom have I taken counsel? But as for Abraham, I call him my friend, \"But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen, you descendants of Abraham my friend.\" (Isaiah 41:8) Why is Abraham called \"my counselor\"? In the world's custom, a king who gives a gift to his beloved, and then later destroys it, except for what his beloved desires, he is not considered unfaithful, but rather a liar who gave me a gift and took it back, and I did not know. Similarly, God says, \"I gave the land as a gift to Abraham,\" as it is written, \"Arise and walk through the land...\" (Genesis 13:17). And if I were to ask to overturn the five continents and not take counsel from Abraham, now he would say that I took back a gift I gave him. Rather, I take counsel from him, as it is written, \"And the Lord said, 'Shall I hide from Abraham what I am about to do?'\" (Genesis 18:17). Therefore, I have seated him at my right hand, so that he can take counsel with me, as it is written, \"The Lord says to my lord: 'Sit at my right hand...'\" (Psalm 110:1)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 22:Torah</b> [1] \"Chalilah\" [God forbid! Far be it] to you from doing, etc. (Genesis 18:25). \"Flesh and blood\" say to the Holy One, Blessed be He, [Far be it] \"Chalilah,\" etc. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said, \"The God of Israel spoke to me, the Rock of Israel,\" etc. (2 Samuel 23:3). What does this mean? David said, \"Come and hear what the Holy One, Blessed be He, said,\" as it is said, \"The Lord, the God of Israel,\" etc. Israel said to Him, \"What did You say to us?\" He said to them, \"The Rock of Israel rules over man, the righteous rule by the fear of God,\" etc. (2 Samuel 23:3). Why does the Holy One, Blessed be He, decree a matter by His fear, and the righteous rule by His fear? How does the Holy One, Blessed be He, stand by His fear to turn the course of the constellations? Abraham the righteous ruled by His fear and began to say, \"Why do You do so?\" as it is said, [God forbid!] \"Chalilah,\" etc. The righteous rule by the fear of God. Rabbi Acha said, Rabbi Acha said, \"Do you want to know the power of the righteous and how they rule with fear of God? It is as if God raised them and made them His ministers, as it is said, 'And they cast lots, the one with the other, for the offices of the holy ones and the officers of God' (1 Chronicles 24:5). Blessed be His name that He esteems the righteous with the attribute of humility, calling them His ministers who rule with fear of Him, as it is said, 'Far be it from You to do such a thing' (Genesis 18:25).\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"Far be it, don't think that way.\" The Almighty does not keep silent about acts of heroism and grace (Job 41:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said that people should not say, 'We too can speak with God just as Abraham did.' God said to Abraham (whose name was read as 'to him') 'I keep silent only for you, because you have kept silent for Me. And when did Abraham keep silent? It was when I told him, \"Through Isaac shall your seed be called\" (Genesis 21:12), and then I said to him, \"Take him up as an offering\" (Genesis 22:2), and he kept silent, as it is said, \"But as for me, I am like the deaf, I do not hear\" (Psalms 38:14). So I too keep silent for him, 'I keep silent only for you.' Even though he spoke harshly to Me and spoke of acts of heroism and grace, I still consider him pleasing. But what acts of heroism did he speak of? It was when he approached Me (Genesis 18:23-33). Rabbi Judah says, the term 'he approached' (vayigash) can only mean a warlike approach, as it is said, 'And Joab approached, and the people that were with him, for the battle' (2 Samuel 10:13). And Rabbi Nehemiah says, it can only mean a request, as it is said, 'Then Judah approached him' (Genesis 44:18). And the Sages say, it can only mean prayer, as it is said, 'And when the meal offering was presented, he approached and completed' (1 Chronicles 23:30). God said to him, 'No, no, may it never be that they should say, \"This is God's way, to subject His creatures to cruelty.\" In the generation of the Flood, and in the generation of the Dispersion, I did not restrain My wrath, but with you, may it never be.'\" God said to him, \"What do you decree? Come and I will show you all the generations that I have lost, and I will show you that I did not collect from them according to their sins, but rather less than deserved. And if you think that I have acted unfairly, teach me and I will act fairly from now on, as it is said, 'Without you seeing me, I will see what I have done. If I have done wrong, I will no longer do so' (Job 34:32). Without you seeing me, I will see what I have done without you, and I will see,\" they said. \"From now on, if I have done wrong, I will not do so anymore.\" Abraham said to him, \"You do not pass judgment on a creature, as it is said, 'Therefore, you men of understanding, hear me: Far be it from God to do wickedness, and from the Almighty to do wrong. For according to the work of a man he will repay him' (Job 34:10-11). Therefore, God forbid.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"Far be it, don't think that way.\" Abraham said before the Holy One, Blessed be He, \"I foresee with the spirit of holiness that the woman saved the city of Shalem, and I am not worthy to give birth to these five scrolls. And which woman saved the city? It is Serach bat Asher, at the time when Sheva ben Bichri rebelled and fled from David in Abel Beth Maacah, as it is said 'And all the people who are with Joab were destroying to break the wall' (2 Samuel 20:15). When Serach bat Asher realized this, she began to cry out, \"Call Joab!\" When Joab came, she said to him, \"You are the one whom the verse mocks, 'You sit in the Sabbath to be wise, etc.' (2 Samuel 23:8). This is not what is written in the Torah, 'When you approach a city, etc.' (Deuteronomy 20:10), and you should not have done so, as it is said, 'They spoke beforehand, etc.' (2 Samuel 20:18). And so it ended (ibid), 'The wise men of the city of Israel have ended the words of the Torah, Why should the inheritance of the Lord be swallowed up?' (2 Samuel 20:19). When Joab heard this, he was afraid and said, \"Are there righteous people here? Woe to me,\" as it is said, 'Then Joab answered and said, 'Far be it, far be it, etc.' (ibid, 20). Joab said to her, \"Who are you?\" She said to him, \"I am Shlomi, the faithful of Israel\" (ibid, 19). \"I am the one who paid the count of seventy souls,\" as it is said, 'Your fathers went down to Egypt with seventy souls, etc.' (Deuteronomy 10:22). They were counted as sixty-nine, and I completed the count, as it is said, 'And there is the daughter of Asher, Serach' (Numbers 26:46). But stand in your place and let me make peace, as it is written \"Behold, his head is thrown to you over the wall\" (2 Samuel 20:21). And so she thought to herself that she would give her head to Joab, but see what she did. Then the woman went to all the people with her wisdom (same verse). \"What is her wisdom?\" She said to them, \"Know that Joab and all Israel outside seek to kill us and our children and to destroy us.\" They said to her, \"Why?\" She said to them, \"One hundred men from the city are seeking (to kill us).\" They said to her, \"Let him take them.\" She said to them, \"He only seeks fifty.\" They thought it was good and agreed to give him fifty. In the end, she said to them, \"Not one hundred, not fifty, not even twenty or five, unless you give him the head of Sheva ben Bichri.\" Immediately, they cut off the head of Sheva ben Bichri (2 Samuel 20:15-22). Behold the wisdom of this woman! Just as Abraham used his wisdom to negotiate with God, going down from fifty to forty to ten, so too did this woman. King Solomon praised her wisdom above the mighty warriors (Ecclesiastes 9:18), for Joab and his men had the power, but this woman's wisdom triumphed over all. Once Joab took the head of the guilty man, he returned and did not touch the city. Abraham said, \"What if Joab, when he took the guilty man, had spared the whole city? You, who are merciful, would destroy everything. Heaven forbid that you should do such a thing\" (Genesis 18:25)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 23: Prophets</b> [1] \"And you shall return and discern between the righteous and the wicked\" (Malachi 3:18), \"and you shall see and your heart shall rejoice\" (Isaiah 66:14). What does the heart have to see and rejoice in? They see the good that is prepared for the righteous and are joyful, as it says \"and you shall see\" (Isaiah 66:14), which is what is written, \"No eye has seen\" (Isaiah 64:3), but at that time \"you shall see and your heart shall rejoice.\" Alternatively, \"and you shall see\" refers to the judgment of the wicked in Gehinnom, and they rejoice that they are not with them, as it says \"and they shall go forth and look upon the carcasses\" (Isaiah 66:24), and at that time \"you shall see and your heart shall rejoice.\" Alternatively, they see the Messiah who will sprout from the roots of Rome, and they rejoice, as Daniel says \"and I saw in the visions, and behold with the clouds of heaven there came one like unto a son of man\" (Daniel 7:13), and at that time \"you shall see and your heart shall rejoice.\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And you shall return and distinguish between the righteous and the wicked\" (Malachi 3:18), and \"And you shall see and your heart shall rejoice\" (Isaiah 66:14). What do we have to see and be happy about in this world, when we do not have a prophet or the Holy Spirit, as it is said: \"We have not seen our signs; there is no longer any prophet, neither is there among us anyone who knows how long\" (Psalm 74:9). Furthermore, even the divine presence is hidden from us because of our sins, as it is said: \"Your iniquities have separated between you and your God\" (Isaiah 59:2). However, in the future, it will be revealed to us, as it is said: \"And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together\" (Isaiah 40:5), and we will see it, as it is said: \"For they shall see eye to eye\" (Isaiah 52:8). Therefore, it is said: \"And you shall see.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And you shall see and your heart shall rejoice\" (Isaiah 66:14). It should have said, \"your heart,\" not \"your hearts.\" Rabbi Acha said: \"This is because one heart is left intact, and the Holy One, blessed be He, uproots the evil inclination from the heart, as it is said: ' I will remove the heart of stone from their bodies and give them a heart of flesh' (Ezekiel 11:19), and leaves them with the good inclination [edit. I will give them one heart and put a new spirit in them (ibid.)], as it is said: 'And I will give them a heart of flesh' (Ezekiel 11:19), and this is the joy of the good inclination, which has no antidote [i.e. the evil inclination cannot oppose it] (according to the explanation of his disputant). Therefore, it is said: \"and you shall see it and rejoice in your heart.\" (Berachot 61b:2)",
+                "[4] Another explanation: \"And you shall see\" - once they see the Divine Presence, they rejoice and are happy, and their bodies become great and fruitful, as it says, \"And your bones shall flourish like grass\" (Isaiah 66:14). Another explanation: \"Your bones shall flourish like grass.\" (Isaiah 66:14) This is as it says, \"Have you not known? Have you not heard? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, neither faints nor is weary\" (Isaiah 40:28). There is no fatigue before the Holy One, blessed be He, except in the act of speech, for it was by speech that God created this world, and it is through speech that He will renew it in the World to Come. As it is written, \"And God said, 'Let the earth sprout forth'...and the earth brought forth vegetation\" (Genesis 1:11-12). Immediately the earth brought forth fruit. So too, in the future, God will say a word, and immediately everything will be done. Therefore it says, \"Your bones shall flourish like grass, and the hand of the Lord shall be known to His servants, and He will be angry with His enemies\" (Isaiah 66:14). \"It is like a parable of harlots who said to wheat, 'We are more beautiful than you because rain falls for us and for you, and the sun shines on both of us.'  The wheat replied, 'Not because of what you say, and not because of what we say, but because the one who sows comes and separates us, storing us in the granary, and you for the birds to eat.'(Mishnat Eretz Yisrael on Mishnah Kilayim 1:1:2) So too, the idolaters and Israel are mixed together in the world, as it is said, 'And they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men; but they shall not cleave one to another' (Daniel 2:43), and it says, 'And they shall learn their works' (Psalms 106:35).\" And similarly, they say to the Israelites: \"We are better off than you because the sun shines on us and on you.\" The Israelites replied, \"Not what you say and not what we say, but the day will come when you will know that the righteous will be brought into Gan Eden and the wicked into Gehinnom, as it is said: 'And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth will awaken, some to eternal life, and some to shame, to eternal contempt' (Daniel 12:2).\" Therefore it is said, \"And the hand of the Lord will be known, etc.\" (Isaiah 66:14). At that moment you will repent and see for yourselves.",
+                "[5] Another explanation: \"And you shall return and see. Everything is as it is for everyone [the same fate for the righteous and the wicked etc.] (Ecclesiastes 9:2), but in the future world, a distinction will be made between them, like a king who enters a city and with him enter dukes and princes, and they all enter with him, and the chief jailer (or warden) enters after him. Although they all enter through one gate, as soon as they enter, the king separates between them. The king goes to his palace, the dukes go to their palaces, the generals go to their homes, and the chief jailer goes to his prison, so too in this world, they all enter through one gate, the righteous and the wicked alike, the same fate for the righteous and the wicked (Ecclesiastes 9:2).\" But in the future, the righteous will enter the Garden of Eden, as it is said \"This is the gate of the Lord; the righteous shall enter through it.\" (Psalms 118:20) and similarly, David says \"I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.\" (Psalms 116:9) This refers to the Garden of Eden. It is as if the Lord is walking with you, as it is said \"And I will walk among you.\" (Leviticus 26:12) However, the wicked will be punished in Gehenna, as it is said \"Utter darkness waits for his treasured ones; A fire fanned by no man will consume him;\" (Job 20:26) And you shall come to see the difference between the righteous and the wicked, [between him who has served God and him who has not served Him.] (Malachi 3:18)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 24: Writings</b> [1] A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my lord: \"Sit at My right hand, until I make Your enemies a footstool for Your feet.\" (Psalm 110:1) \"Your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power\" (Exodus 15:6). Everywhere you find the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He, it is a symbol of protection for Israel. This can be compared to a king's son who had a protector. Whenever the prince conducted business, he spoke through the protector. Eventually, the king appointed the protector as an official, and he conducted business for his own son. The prince said to his father, \"Allow me to conduct my own business.\" The father replied, \"I cannot take away your protector, but I will release him to you, and then you may conduct your own business.\" Similarly, the protector of Israel is the right hand of the Holy One, blessed be He. When God was supposedly angry with Israel, He turned His back to them, as it is said, \"He has withdrawn His right hand\" (Lamentations 2:3). When Israel asked for God's help in winning a judgment, He restored His right hand to its place and said to them, \"This is how I will act, as it is said, 'The Lord says to my lord: \"Sit at My right hand\" (Psalm 110:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, says, The Lord said, \"In the beginning, the Torah was seated at my right hand, as it is written 'From His right hand went a fiery law for them.'\" (Deuteronomy 33:2) (Legends of the Jews 1:1:2), and Abraham performed it out of his love for Me, as it is said, 'Because I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment' (Genesis 18:19). The Torah remained in its place, as it is said, 'Sit at My right hand.' Alternatively, righteousness rests on My right hand, as it is said, 'Your right hand is full of righteousness' (Psalm 48:11), and Abraham performed it out of his love for Me, as it is said, 'For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do righteousness and justice' (Genesis 18:19). Therefore, let righteousness return to its place, as it is said, 'Sit at My right hand; the Lord will extend Your mighty scepter from Zion' (Psalm 110:2).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 25: Torah</b> [1] And Abraham journeyed from there (Genesis 20:1). This is what the scripture said, \"But the mountain falls away and the rock is moved from its place\" (Job 14:18). What is written above? \"The sun rises and sets, and the Lord brings rain, and He turns it all around\" (Genesis 19:23-24). Abraham said, \"I did not dwell opposite Sodom and its surrounding cities because they did not receive the passersby and those returning, since Sodom and Gomorrah did not merit the poor, as it is written, 'And the hand of the poor and needy did not find anything' (Ezekiel 16:49), and it is written, 'Now the people of Sodom were wicked and sinners before the Lord exceedingly' (Genesis 13:13). Wicked to one another and sinners openly with forbidden relationships. And before the Lord, greatly, in bloodshed. Therefore, Abraham sat opposite it so that he could receive the passersby and those returning. Once the Holy One, blessed be He, overturned them because of their sins, Abraham said, \"Why should I sit here? There is no longer any merit here, so behold, I am going to another place,\" as it is written, \"But the mountain falls away and the rock is moved from its place\" (Job 14:18),\"And there is no mountain except for Sodom, as it is said 'He moves mountains, and they do not know where He overturned them in His anger' (Job 9:5). 'And the Rock shall be moved from its place' (Job 18:4), this refers to Abraham, as it is said 'Look to the rock from which you were hewn' (Isaiah 51:1), therefore it is said 'And Abraham journeyed from there.'\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: And Abraham traveled from there. \"I have not sat with false people and I will not go with the deceitful\" (Psalms 26:4). The false people are the people of Sodom and their associates, and the deceitful are Lot and his daughters. As it is written above, \"Do not look behind you\" (Genesis 19:17). Just as you should not look at prostitutes, as it says, \"For a harlot is a deep pit\" (Proverbs 23:27). Lot said to them, \"What shall I do?\" They said to him, \"Go to Abraham,\" as it says, \"The mountain, flee!\" (Genesis 19:17). This refers to Abraham who was called a mountain, as it says, \"Hear, O mountains\" (Micah 6:2). He said to them, \"Abraham is a completely righteous man and I cannot go to him,\" as it says, \"And I cannot\" (Genesis 19:19). Why? Because as long as Sodom and Gomorrah existed, I sat among them and appeared righteous among them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, would observe my actions and theirs, and I would appear righteous in their eyes. But now, if I go to Abraham, he is a completely righteous man, and if the Holy One, blessed be He, observes my actions and theirs, if I am found to be wicked in His eyes, He will destroy me. Therefore, \"I cannot\" (Genesis 19:19). Instead, \"Behold, this town\" (Genesis 19:20). He did all these things so that he could go to the cave to engage in immorality, as it says, \"And Lot went up...and the elder daughter said\" (Genesis 19:30). And from the beginning, when he was with Abraham, he desired to engage in immorality, as when Abraham said to him, \"Let there be no quarrel between you and me\" (Genesis 13:8). \"Separate yourself\" (Genesis 13:9). Immediately, \"And Lot lifted up his eyes\" (Genesis 13:10). The word \"lifted up\" only refers to desire for immorality, as it says, \"And the wife of his master lifted up her eyes\" (Genesis 39:7). \"And he saw all the plain\" (Genesis 13:10), for the sake of a harlot one can travel a distance of a kilometer (Proverbs 6:26). \"For [they were afraid] that the drink would fail\" (Genesis 13:10). \"And they made their father drink wine that night\" (Genesis 19:33) - At first, Lot had a desire for immorality, which is why Abraham said, \"Please separate from me,\" etc., and Lot thought he sinned and no one knew. Rabbi Berechiah said, \"The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Lot: 'What, do you think you have sinned and no one knows? Your descendants will be called \"Moab\" and \"Ammon,\" as it says, 'So both of Lot's daughters became pregnant by their father' \" (Genesis 19:36), and similarly, Solomon said to desire, \"Depart from me, you who are a deceiver\" (Proverbs 1:10). When Abraham saw this, he said, \"What am I seeking from these people?\" Immediately he left there. Therefore it is said, \"And with the crafty, you will not come\" (Psalms 26:4). And the Holy One, blessed be He, judged them according to their deeds: Lot's daughters were deserving of being burned in fire, but the Holy One, blessed be He, judges only according to thoughts, which they thought and said, \"Our father is old and there is no man on earth to come to us\" (Genesis 19:31). It can be compared to a priest who had a field, sowed it with a tenant farmer, and the field did not produce. When the owner of the field asked for his share, the tenant farmer said, \"There was no seed for us to sow.\" The priest asked him, \"Did you see that there was no seed to sow?\" He replied, \"Yes, I saw it, so I took the tithes and sowed them, and the field produced a crop.\" The priest said to him, \"What did you do?\" He replied, \"Since I saw there was no seed, I did this.\" But the priest said to him, \"You should not have put it in the storehouse.\" Similarly, Lot's daughters saw that there was no man in those places, and furthermore, they thought that there was no creature in the world, as they said, \"The world is turned over just as Sodom was overturned,\" as it says, \"There is no man on earth,\" etc. \"Come, let us make our father drink wine\" etc. They sowed their seed like tithes. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, You deserved to be burned, but since you intended to build the world, you will not be admitted to the treasury. \"No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter the congregation of the Lord\" (Deuteronomy 23:4). (This raises a question: This is written regarding a matter that did not precede you [i.e., the generation that left Egypt], so why should it apply to you?) Immediately, Abraham said, \"I will not come to terms with hidden people; I have nothing to do with those about whom it is written, 'No Ammonite or Moabite shall enter.'\" (Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 76b:15) and he left.\n",
+                "\"Sillä [he pelkäsivät] juoman loppuvan.\" (1. Moos. 13:10) \"Ja he juottivat isänsä viiniä sinä yönä\" (1. Moos. 19:33) - Aluksi Loot halusi moraalittomuutta, minkä vuoksi Avraham sanoi: \"Erotu minusta\" jne., ja Loot luuli tehneensä syntiä ja kukaan ei tiennyt. Rabbi Berekia sanoi: \"Pyhä, siunattu hän, sanoi Lootille: 'Mitä, luuletko, että olet tehnyt syntiä, eikä kukaan tiedä? Jälkeläisiäsi kutsutaan \"Moabiksi\" ja \"Ammoniksi\", kuten sanotaan: 'Niinpä molemmat Lootin tyttäret tulivat raskaaksi isästään\" (1. Moos. 19:36), ja samoin Salomo sanoi toivovansa: \"Mene pois minun luotani, te pettäjä\" (Sananlaskut 1:10). Kun Avraham näki tämän, hän sanoi: \"Mitä minä vaadin näiltä ihmisiltä?\" Heti hän lähti sieltä. Siksi sanotaan: \"Ja viekkaiden kanssa et tule\" (Psalmit 26:4). Ja Pyhä-Siunattu-Olkoon-Hän, tuomitsi heidät heidän tekojensa mukaan: Lootin tyttäret ansaitsisivat tulla poltetuksi, mutta Pyhä-Siunattu-Olkoon-Hän, tuomitsee vain ajatusten mukaan, joita he ajattelivat ja sanoivat: \"Isämme on vanha, eikä maan päällä ole ketään, joka tulisi luoksemme.\" (1. Moos. 19:31) Sitä voidaan verrata pappiin, jolla oli pelto, joka kylvi sen vuokraviljelijän kanssa, eikä pelto tuottanut. Kun pellon omistaja pyysi osuuttaan, vuokralainen maanviljelijä sanoi: \"Meillä ei ollut siementä kylvettäväksi.\" Pappi kysyi häneltä: \"Näitkö, ettei kylvettävää ollut siementä?\" Hän vastasi, \"Kyllä, minä näin sen, joten otin kymmenykset ja kylvin ne, ja pelto tuotti satoa.\" Pappi sanoi hänelle: \"Mitä sinä teit?\" Hän vastasi: \"Koska näin, ettei siementä ollut, tein tämän.\" Mutta pappi sanoi hänelle: \"Et olisi pitänyt laittaa sitä varastohuoneeseen.\" Vastaavasti Lootin tyttäret näkivät, ettei noissa paikoissa ollut miestä, ja lisäksi he ajattelivat, ettei maailmassa ollut mitään olentoa, kuten he sanoivat: \"Maailma on käännetty, niin kuin Sodoma kaadettiin\", kuten sanotaan: Maan päällä ei ole ketään\" jne. \"Tule, juottakaamme isämme viiniä\" jne. He kylvivät siemenensä kuin kymmenykset. Pyhä-Siunattu-Olkoon-Hän, sanoi: \"Minä tuomitsin sinut tekojesi mukaan; sinä ansaitsit tulla poltetuksi, mutta koska aiot rakentaa maailman, eikä ammonilainen tai moabilainen pääse pääsemään Hashemin seurakuntaan. Kymmenenteen polveen asti he eivät pääse Hashemin seurakuntaan ikuisesti\" (5. Moos. 23:4). \"Tämä säe näyttää viittaavan asiaan, joka ei ollut sinua edeltänyt\" (Sifrei Devarim 233). Välittömästi Avraham sanoi: \"En ole tekemisissä piilossa olevien ihmisten kanssa, minulla ei ole tekemistä heidän kanssaan. En tule niiden kanssa, joista on kirjoitettu: 'Ammonilainen ja moabilainen ei pääse sisälle.'\" (Babylonian Talmud, Yevamot 76b:15) Ja hän lähti.\n"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 26: Prophets</b> [1] And Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years (Judges 9:22). \"Your friend and your father's friend do not forsake\" (Proverbs 27:10). \"Your friend and your father's friend\" refers to Hanun son of Nahash, king of Ammon. David said, \"I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash\" (2 Samuel 10:2). What did Hanun do? \"Hanun took David's servants and shaved off half of their beards\" (2 Samuel 10:4). Hanun said, \"My god has failed me, but my people have not\" (2 Samuel 10:6). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, \"You shall not seek their peace or their prosperity for all time\" (Deuteronomy 23:7), yet David said, \"I will show kindness to Hanun son of Nahash.\" Immediately, they cut off David's messengers' garments (2 Samuel 10:4), and that was \"your friend and your father's friend.\" \"And do not go to your brother's house on the day of your calamity\" (Proverbs 27:10). This refers to Jehoram, king of Judah, as he rose and killed all his brothers, as it says, \"And Jehoram arose over the kingdom of his father and strengthened himself and killed all his brothers with the sword, and also some of the officers of Israel\" (2 Chronicles 21:4). \"A near neighbor is better than a distant brother\" (Proverbs 27:10). This refers to Abimelech son of Gideon, who killed his brothers. (Legends of the Jews 4:2:54) The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"The wickedness of the world would have been better off without you, Abimelech, son of your father's maidservant,\" because his father's kinship was with Abraham, and he was more honored than he. \"And he said, 'Behold my land'\" (Genesis 20:15). Furthermore, he said to Sarah, \"Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver\" (ibid. 16). This refers to Doron. What did he do for Sarah? He made her a carriage and adorned her with royal garments, as it says, \"Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes\" (Genesis 20:16). Why did he not still want to claim her? Rather, he hears that she is a queen and is afraid to say, \"Who can sue a queen?\" Therefore, he says, \"Behold, it is for you a covering of the eyes.\" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to the son of Gideon, \"See how your father's kinsman, Abraham, honored him, yet you stood and killed your brother.\" As it says,  \"And he killed his brothers, the sons of Jerubbaal, seventy men, on one stone\" (Judges 9:5). Therefore, I will shorten your days, as it is said, \"And Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years\" (Judges 9:22). Why? The fear of the Lord will add days and years to your life, but the years of the wicked will be cut short (Proverbs 10:27).",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"and Abimelech acted justly.\" As it says, 'He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him.' (Proverbs 26:27) Anyone who kills his brother with a staff, Jehoram stood up and killed the sons of his father's belly, as it says, 'Moreover, you have killed your brothers, your father's household, who were better than you.' (2 Chronicles 21:13) And because he killed the sons of his father's belly, therefore his bowels came out with his sickness, as it says, 'And they went on for days, and at the end of two years, his bowels came out because of his sickness.' (2 Chronicles 21:19) Why does it say, 'He who digs a pit will fall into it, and whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him'? Cain killed his brother with a stone, as it says, 'And Cain rose up against Abel his brother and killed him.' (Genesis 4:8) And how did he kill him? He took a stone and struck him on all his organs with blows until he died. How do we know this? Because Lamech said to his wives, 'I have killed a man for wounding me.' (Genesis 4:23) And even Cain was killed with a stone, as it says, 'And Cain went out.' (Genesis 4:16) A stone fell on him and killed him. Why does it say, 'And whoever rolls a stone, it will come back on him'? Abimelech also killed his brothers with a stone, as it says, 'And he killed them on one stone.' (Judges 9:5) And he was also killed with a stone, as it says, 'And a certain woman threw an upper millstone upon Abimelech's head, and crushed his skull.' (Judges 9:53) Woe to him who rolls a stone, for it will come back on him.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"and Abimelech acted justly.\" This is in reference to the verse, \"Before shattering, a man's heart is haughty\" (Proverbs 18:12). This refers to Avimelech, whose heart became haughty, as it says, \"And worthless and reckless men gathered to him, and they followed him\" (Judges 9:4). \"But humility comes before honor\" (Proverbs 15:33). This is referring to Gideon his father, whom the Israelites said to him, \"Rule over us, you as well as your sons and your grandsons, for you have saved us from the hand of Midian\" (Judges 8:22). And what did he say to them? \"I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you\" (Judges 8:23). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"By your life, since you have said this, I will make a king come forth from you,\" as it says, \"And Avimelech did right over Israel\" (Judges 9:22). And how do we know that he was a king? As it says, \"And they went and made Avimelech king\" (Judges 9:6). You said three things, as it says, \"I will not rule over you, nor will my son rule over you. The Lord will rule over you\" (Judges 8:23). Behold, I will give your sons kingship for three years, as it says, \"And Avimelech ruled over Israel for three years\" (Judges 9:22). Therefore, \"humility comes before honor\" (Proverbs 15:33). And if Avimelech had been worthy, he would have lived a long life, as it says, \"One who hates gain will prolong his days\" (Proverbs 28:16). But he did not do so, and instead took gain from Israel, from the house of Baal Berith, as it says, \"And they gave him seventy pieces of silver from the house of Baal Berith\" (Judges 9:4). Therefore, he did not live a long life. But in the future, when the Holy One, blessed be He, uproots the evil inclination from Israel, they will live long lives, as it says, \"Like the days of a tree shall be the days of my people\" (Isaiah 65:22)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 27: Writings</b> [1] \"A Psalm of David. The Lord says to my Lord: \"Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool\" (Psalm 110:1). \"And it shall come to pass in all the land, declares the Lord, that two-thirds shall be cut off and perish, and one-third shall be left alive\" (Zechariah 13:8). Rabbi Berachiah said in the name of God: the mouth that says that they will be cut off and perish refers to two-thirds, and the remaining one-third will be more blessed. This refers to the people of Israel, as it is written: \"And it shall come to pass that in all the land of Egypt, one-third shall be saved and remain\" (Isaiah 19:24). But the wicked Babylonians say that God has a son, as it is written: \"And the fourth looks like a son of the gods\" (Daniel 3:25). God said: the wicked say that it is written \"a son of God,\" but it was written \"like a son of the gods,\" referring to the angels who are called \"sons of God.\" If not for them, who would say this? Nebuchadnezzar was not one of them; when he was punished, he did not speak the truth, as it is written: \"Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego\" (Daniel 3:28). He did not say, \"Blessed be the God who sent his son,\" but rather, \"Blessed be the God who sent his angels.\" \"And it shall come to pass that in all the land, two-thirds shall be cut off and perish\" (Zechariah 13:8).\"",
+                "[2] Another explanation: \"Return to your right hand, the tribe of your strength; God will send forth His loving kindness from Zion. Which tribe is it that Tamar, from Judah, took? As it says, \"Your seal, your cord, and your staff\" (Genesis 38:18). Once she passed them over, \"About three months later\" (Genesis 38:24), she was found with them, and he gave her a pledge and did not burn her. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to him: \"Since you have admitted, 'She is more righteous than I' (Genesis 38:26), I too acknowledge that three will come forth from your descendants and will be saved from the fire: Tamar and her two sons. Your descendants will also be saved, for I will save three of your descendants from the fire - Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah - as it says, 'Then these men were released from the fiery furnace' (Daniel 3:26).\" At that time, Judah took three crowns - \"Your seal\" refers to Zerubbabel, as it says, \"On that day, says the Lord of hosts, I will take you, Zerubbabel\" (Haggai 2:23), \"and I will make you like a signet\" (Haggai 2:23), \"Your cord\" refers to the Temple, as it says, \"And he had a line of flax in his hand and a measuring reed\" (Ezekiel 40:3), \"Your staff\" refers to the Messiah who is destined to arise from your descendants, as it says, \"The staff of your strength, God will send forth from Zion\" (Psalms 110:2).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 28: Torah</b> [1] And the Lord visited Sarah (Genesis 21:1). This means \"Behold, God will not cast away the perfect, neither will He uphold the evil doers\" (Job 8:20). \"Behold, God will not cast away the perfect,\" refers to Abraham who suffered for many years until Sarah bore a child, yet God did not abandon him. \"Neither will He uphold the evil doers,\" refers to Abimelech's household who were restrained and prevented from harming Abraham, as it says \"For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah\" (Genesis 20:18). Rabbi Abbahu said: The Holy One, blessed be He, restrained everything that belonged to Abimelech, his wife, his slaves, his maidservants, his cattle and his flocks. How did He restrain them? He sealed their mouths from speaking, so that they would not speak about her; He blinded their eyes so that they would not gaze upon her; He deafened their ears so that they would not hear her prayer; He restrained their sexual desires so that they would not be intimate with her. From where do we know that it says \"For the Lord had fast closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech, because of Sarah.\" And Scripture says: \"And because of her only, he [Abraham] was blessed\" (Genesis 24:1). When Abraham prayed for them, the Holy One, blessed be He, immediately healed them, as it says \"And Abraham prayed unto God; and God healed Abimelech, and his wife, and his maidservants; and they bore children\" (Genesis 20:17). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, \"You pray for others to have children, but your wife Sarah is not bearing children.\" Immediately, God remembered Sarah and she became pregnant. Therefore, the verse says, \"Behold, God will not cast off the innocent\" (Job 8:20).",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And the Lord remembered Sarah\" (Genesis 21:1). This means that just as it says \"And He will not forsake you, nor destroy you\" (Deuteronomy 13:18) and \"He will give you compassion and have compassion on you\" (Deuteronomy 13:18), Moses said to the people of Israel, \"May you have a sign in your hand: Whenever you have compassion for your fellow human being, the Holy One, blessed be He, also has compassion on you. If you do not have compassion for your fellow human being, the Holy One, blessed be He, will not have compassion on you.\" Likewise, every time Job used to say that his friends were against him and his friends used to say that he was wrong, justice was intensified. As it says, \"And now they mock me, those who are younger than I, whose fathers I disdained to put with my sheep dogs\" (Job 30:1), and \"And even the little boys scorn me; when I arise, they speak against me\" (Job 19:18). However, as soon as he prayed for his friends, the Lord answered him, as it says, \"And the Lord restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends\" (Job 42:10). When did this happen? When he prayed for his friends. Similarly, whenever Abimelech had a conflict with Abraham, he suffered. As it says, \"For the Lord had closed up all the wombs of the house of Abimelech because of Sarah, Abraham's wife\" (Genesis 20:18). But as soon as Abraham prayed for him, both of them were accepted, as it says, \"And Abraham prayed to God, and God healed Abimelech, his wife, and his maid servants, and they bore children\" (Genesis 20:17). And what is written after that? \"And the Lord remembered Sarah.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: And Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said, \"And Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said, and Hashem visited Sarah as He had said, and Hashem did unto Sarah as He had spoken.\" (Genesis 21:1) \"Hashem Tzva'ot, look down from heaven and see, and take care of this vine.\" (Psalms 80:15) Hashem remembered Sarah as He had said, as it is written, \"And He brought him outside.\" (Genesis 15:5) Avraham was brought up to the heavens, for outside means only heaven, as it is written, \"Until He made the earth and the outside.\" (Proverbs 8:26) Once He brought him up to heaven, He said to him, \"Look at what is below,\" as it is written, \"Look now toward heaven.\" (Genesis 15:5) If he was above the stars, it is only possible to look from above to below, as the Jewish people say to God, \"Look down from heaven and see.\" Similarly, Avraham was brought up above the stars, and He said to him, \"Look now toward heaven.\" Avraham said to Him, \"Master of the Universe, You pray for me, and say to me, 'Look now toward heaven.' I look, and so it seems as though I am looking below. Therefore, what You said to Sarah was fulfilled: 'I will certainly return to you.'\" (Genesis 18:10) As it is written, \"God Tzva'ot, look down from heaven and see, and tend this vine.\" And the vine is none other than Sarah, as it is written, \"Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine.\" (Psalms 128:3) God said to him, \"I will visit and fulfill what I have said.\" And Hashem remembered Sarah. \"And the nations shall know that I am Hashem Who builds the ruins, Who plants the desolate land; I am Hashem Who has spoken and done it.\" (Ezekiel 36:36) This is the same Sarah who said, \"After I am waxed old shall I have pleasure?\" (Genesis 18:12) \"I have built the ruins,\" the same Sarah of whom it is written, \"Sarah ceased to be after the manner of women.\" (Genesis 18:11) \"I have planted the desolate land,\" for at the appointed time (this year) \"I will return to you,\" and Sarah shall live. And Hashem remembered Sarah.",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: \"And the Lord visited Sarah as He had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as He had spoken. And the children of Israel prevailed not against him that day, and so on (1 Samuel 15:29). The Lord said, \"I am not a man that I should lie,\" yet Elisha was made of flesh and blood because the Shunammite woman fed him, as it is said, \"And she prevailed upon him to eat bread\" (2 Kings 4:8). The Lord said to her at this appointed time, \"I will certainly return to you at this time next year, and behold, Sarah your wife will have a son\" (Genesis 18:10). And it came to pass. As it is said, \"And the woman conceived and bore a son at this appointed time\" (Genesis 21:2). How much more so did I say to Abraham about this appointed time, \"I will surely return to you\" (Genesis 18:10), and now Sarah your wife has borne you a son.\" (Genesis 21:2) Therefore, Balaam said, \"God is not a man that He should lie,\" but what is written? \"And Sarah conceived and bore a son to Abraham in his old age\" (Genesis 21:2). David said, \"For He spoke and it was done; He commanded and it stood fast\" (Psalms 33:9)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 29: Prophets</b> [1] \"For the LORD had closed Hannah's womb.\" (1 Samuel 2:21) This refers to the statement \"I will not cause pain nor create children\" (Isaiah 66:9), which is talking about Hannah, as it is said \"And unto Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah, but the LORD had shut up her womb.\" (1 Samuel 1:5) \"[If I am the one who gives birth and stops it]\" (Isaiah, same verse). If I am the one who gives birth to Sarah and stops it for Abimelech's household, [as it says] \"for he had closed up every womb\" (Genesis 20:18). Another interpretation is that if I am the one who gives birth to Israel, as it says \"who are born from me\" (Isaiah 46:3), and I stop it for the enemy, as it says \"all the nations are as nothing before Him\" (Isaiah 40:17), for it is written \"I will cut off from Babylon name and remnant, descendants and posterity, declares the Lord\" (Isaiah 14:22). \"This name is her currency. She'ar (remnant) will not be a survivor, etc.\" (Obadiah 1:18), \"And the son (nephew) represents the kingdom, and the grandson represents the general. Alternatively, if I give birth to Zion, as it says, \"For Zion has gone into labor and has given birth to her children\" (Isaiah 66:8).\" \"And Atzeret (עצרתי) refers to Sodom. Its inhabitants will also die like that (ימותון - will die) (Isaiah 1:9). This is Sodom, as it says, \"These are the sons of Seir the Horite [the inhabitants of the land]\" (Genesis 36:20). But for Israel, \"my salvation will be forever\" (Isaiah 51:6).\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"For the Lord had remembered Hannah.\" (1 Samuel 1:19) May the Lord remember me with favor for You, my God, and deliver me. (Psalms 106:4) Happy is the man who finds a time of favor, as David said, \"But I, through the abundance of Your steadfast love, will enter Your house, I will bow down toward Your holy temple in awe of You.\" (Psalms 5:8) David said to God, \"Master of the Universe, whenever I pray before You, make it a time of favor.\" When Hannah went up with all Israel to the pilgrimage festival, as it is written, \"And that man used to go up from his town every year to worship and to offer sacrifices to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh\" (1 Samuel 1:3), this was Pesach (Passover), as it is written, \"And you shall observe this practice at its set time, year by year.\" (Exodus 13:10) When Hannah saw all Israel, she said before the Holy One, Blessed be He, \"Master of the universe, here is a time that pleases You. Remember me with favor, for You, my God, have given me this opportunity to stand before You [and to bring my offerings].\" There were two things she said, and the Holy One, Blessed be He, granted both of them. She said, \"Remember me,\" and it is written, \"And the Lord remembered her.\" (1 Samuel 1:19) She said, \"Deliver me,\" and it is written, \"For the Lord had remembered Hannah and she conceived.\" (1 Samuel 1:19)",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"'For the Lord has visited' (Genesis 50:24) refers to Pharaoh the First, as it says, 'And the Lord struck Pharaoh' (Genesis 12:17). 'And I have brought down the high tree' (Ezekiel 17:24) refers to Abraham, who was raised up, as it says, 'Listen to me, my lord' (Genesis 23:8). 'I have dried up the green tree' (Ezekiel 17:24) refers to Abimelech, as it says, 'For the Lord had completely stopped up' (Genesis 20:18). 'I have made the dry tree flourish' (Ezekiel 17:24) refers to Sarah. 'I am the Lord, I have spoken and I will do it' (Ezekiel 17:24). 'And the Lord visited Sarah' (Genesis 21:1). 'And all the trees of the field shall know' (Ezekiel 17:24) refers to Samuel, as it says, 'And all Israel from Dan to Beersheba knew' (1 Samuel 3:20). 'I have brought down the high tree' (Ezekiel 17:24) refers to the sons of Eli, as it says, 'On the same day both of them died' (1 Samuel 4:17). 'I have made the low tree high' (Ezekiel 17:24) refers to Samuel, as it says, 'And the boy Samuel ministered to the Lord' (1 Samuel 3:1). And it also says, 'And the boy Samuel continued to grow and become better' (1 Samuel 2:26). Concerning him it is said, 'He will find favor and good understanding' (Proverbs 3:4). \"Another interpretation is that 'I have made the low tree high' (Ezekiel 17:24) refers to Hannah. 'I have dried up the green tree' (Ezekiel 17:24) refers to Peninah, as it is written, 'But she had no children and was miserable' (1 Samuel 2:5). 'I have made the dry tree flourish' (Ezekiel 17:24) refers to Hannah, as it says, 'For the Lord had visited Hannah' (1 Samuel 2:21). 'And the boy Samuel continued to grow with the Lord' (1 Samuel 2:21). David said, 'Magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together' (Psalms 34:4).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 30: Writings</b> [1] [A] A Psalm of David. The word of the LORD to my lord: \"Sit at my right hand until I make your enemies a footstool for your feet.\" (Psalm 110:1) This is what the scripture says: \"But the righteous will give thanks to your name; the upright will dwell in your presence.\" (Psalm 140:14) Blessed be the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, who loves Israel and does not judge them until He seats their ancestors beside them, as it is said, \"The upright will dwell in your presence.\" (Psalm 140:14) His ways are not like the ways of flesh and blood. For example, when a father takes his son to school and the teacher wants to beat the son because he ran away, as long as the father is there, the teacher will not beat him in front of him, so that he does not ask for revenge. But once the father leaves, the teacher comes and beats him. However, the Holy One, blessed be He, does not act this way. When He wants to judge Israel for their sins, He seats their ancestors beside them, so that mercy will be shown to them on their account, as it is said, \"And the LORD had compassion on them and turned to them because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.\" (2 Chronicles 13:23) For whose sake? For His covenant, and so Moses said, \"He will not leave you or destroy you or forget the covenant with your fathers that he swore to them.\" (Deuteronomy 4:31) Therefore, it is said, \"Sit at my right hand.\" Similarly, we find that in the days of David, when he counted Israel, the angel went to destroy them, as it is said, \"And God sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, but as he was doing so, the LORD saw and was grieved because of the calamity.\" (1 Chronicles 21:15) The angel immediately went to the Mount Moriah and said before Him, \"Master of the Universe! Remember what You said to the one who brought his son up to this mountain?\" As it is said, \"And Abraham called the name of that place The LORD will provide.\" (Genesis 22:14) As soon as God saw the place, He was comforted concerning the evil, as it is stated, \"and the Lord was comforted concerning the evil.\" Similarly, David said, \"He remembered His holy word...and He brought out His chosen ones with joyous singing\" (Psalms 105:42-43).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter 31: The Torah [1] And it came to pass after these things, that God tested, etc. (Genesis 22:1) \"I will not break my covenant, nor change that which has come out of my lips.\" (Psalms 89:35) \"What covenant did Hashem make with Avraham that day?\" (Genesis 15:18) \"And how can I break my covenant, if Yitzchak is slaughtered? Even the angels gathered together and wept,\" as it is said, \"Behold, their mighty men cry out without, the messengers of peace weep bitterly.\" (Isaiah 33:7) The people said, \"Master of the universe! The paths have been silent; the sabbath traveler passes by, and the covenant is broken!\" (Shabbat 33a) But if Yitsak was slaughtered, where were the footprints? Where is it written about them: \"The Israelites said to him: 'We are going up the highway'? (Numbers 20:19) \"The paths have been quiet\" - Did you not say to him: \"Yitsak's name is your seed\"? (Gen. 21:12) God answered, \"I swear by your life that I will not break my covenant, nor change that which has come from my lips,\" as it is said, \"Take, pray for your son, etc.\" (Gen. 22:2) \"And how can I keep both promises?\" It can be compared to the king who said to his beloved, \"I want to see a peacock on my table.\" His beloved immediately went and brought the peacock and placed it on the table. The king rushed to bring a knife to slaughter it, but the bird spread its wings and flew away. The king exclaimed: \"What are you doing? Isn't this what I asked you - to bring the peacock to my table to be slaughtered?\" The Beloved replied: \"Here it stands before you, and you have a knife. Slaughter it under the peacock.\" Likewise, God said to Abraham, \"I wanted to see your only son Yitzhak on Mount Moriah as a burnt offering. As soon as you brought him there and placed him on the altar above the tree, I thought you would have already sacrificed him.\" (Midrash Tanchuma, Vayera 22) Rabbi Chanina asked: What does \"ma'al\" (above) mean in the verse \"The Seraphim stood above him\" ( Isaiah 6:2)? It means that above the altar, which was opposite the Throne of Glory, Abraham stretched out his hand to take the knife to slaughter his son, as it says: \"And Abraham stretched out his hand and took the knife to slaughter his son\" (Genesis 22:10). For at that moment God called to him from heaven, saying, “Avraham, Avraham!” And he answered, “Here I am.” And God said, “Do not lay your hand on the boy and do nothing to him. For now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld your beloved son from me.\" (Genesis 22:11-12) ).The Midrash teaches that at that moment God told Avraham that just as he had brought his son to be sacrificed, so in the future God will command his children to bring sacrifices to Him. And it says, \"And God called Moses and spoke to him from the tent of meeting, saying: Speak to the people of Israel and say to them: When one of you sacrifices cattle to Hashem, choose your own. offering from the flock or herd\" (Leviticus 1:1-2).The rabbis learned from the verse, \"I did not speak to your fathers, nor did I command them about burnt offerings or sacrifices\" (Jeremiah 7:22), that God did not command Jephthah to sacrifice his daughter. Nor did God command the king of Moab to sacrifice his son on the wall, as it says, \"And he took his firstborn, who was to succeed him as king, and offered him as a burnt offering on the wall.\" (2 Kings 3:27) For it never occurred to me in my heart to tell Abraham to sacrifice his son, although I told him to take him and offer him as a burnt offering. (Genesis 22:2) Therefore I will not break my covenant.",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And God tested Abraham, who went weeping, etc.\" (Psalms 126:6). \"I went weeping\" refers to Avraham, as when God said to him, \"Go out of your land.\" (Genesis 12:1) \"And wept\" - why did he weep? He wept in his heart, because just yesterday God said to him: \"Through Yitzhak you will have descendants\" (Genesis 21:12), and now He says to him: \"Slaughter him.\" \"Faithful is he that hath promised, and he found his heart faithful before thee\" (Nehemiah 9:8), and he set out to do God's will, leading Yitzchak, as it is said, \"He that draweth his seed.\" (Nehemiah 9:8) (Psalms 126:6) When God said to him, \"Do not stretch out your hand\" (Genesis 22:12), they returned home safely, and Abraham returned to his servants. \"Let him come and carry his burdens\" (Psalms 126:6) - he considered himself deaf and dumb and said nothing, as it is said, \"The deaf cannot hear\" (Psalms 38:14). That is why it says, \"Let him come bearing his torches.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And God tested [Abraham].\" (Genesis 22:1) \"I am always mindful of your commandments and do not delay in keeping your commandments\" (Psalms 119:60). This refers to Avraham, who quickly obeyed God's command to sacrifice his son Yitzhak. Unlike Lot, his nephew, who lingered and hesitated. (Genesis 19:16) As soon as God said to Abraham, \"Take your son\" (Genesis 22:2), Abraham got up early in the morning and immediately set out on his journey. He doesn't see He saw nothing the first day and continued on his way. He woke up early the second day and saw nothing. It was not until the third day that he saw the divine presence standing on the mountain, as it is said, \"On the third day Avraham looked up and saw the place afar off.\" (Genesis 22:4) Here it says \"from afar\" and elsewhere it says, \"From afar Hashem appeared to me\" (Jeremiah 31:2). Why did God wait until the third day to reveal the place to Abraham? So that the nations of the world would not say that Avraham sacrificed his son brazenly, but that he had thought about it and done it out of love for God. When God revealed himself to Avraham, his fear overwhelmed him and he lost his mind. But he went ahead and sacrificed his son. If he had waited even an hour, he wouldn't have done it. That is why God said he would suffer for three days so that everyone would know that he had acted out of love and not fear. As it says, \"On the third day.\" (Genesis 22:4) When Avraham was about to slaughter his son, God's grace overcame him, and he cried out: \"Do not raise your hand against the son.\" (Genesis 22:12) Rabbi Avin said in the name of Rabbi Helkiya: \"It is foolishness for liars to say that God has a son. If the son of Avraham, when he saw that he had to be sacrificed, and could not bear to see it, immediately cried out.\" Lay not your hand upon the son, etc. (Genesis 22:12), for if God had had a son, He would have allowed him [His son] to be sacrificed. He would not have turned the world into chaos and emptiness. That is why Solomon says \"[God] is one, and there is no other, neither has he son or brother.\" (Ecclesiastes 4:8) And for the love of Israel they are called sons, as it is said, 'My firstborn son, Israel.' (Exodus 4:22)",
+                "[2] Toinen tulkinta: \"Ja Jumala koetteli Abrahamia, joka meni itkien jne.\" (Psalmit 126:6). \"Meni itkien\" viittaa Avrahamiin, kuten silloin, kun Jumala sanoi hänelle: \"Mene maastasi.\" (1. Moos. 12:1) \"Ja itki\" - miksi hän itki? Hän itki sydämessään, sillä juuri eilen Jumala sanoi hänelle: \"Yitsakin kautta sinulle tulee jälkeläisiä\" (1. Moos. 21:12), ja nyt Hän sanoo hänelle: \"Teurasta hänet.\" \"Uskollinen on hän, joka on luvannut, ja hän löysi sydämensä uskollisena sinun edessäsi\" (Nehemia 9:8), ja hän ryhtyi tekemään Jumalan tahtoa johtaen Yitsakia, kuten sanotaan: \"Hän, joka vetää jälkeläisensä mukaan.\" (Nehemia 9:8) (Psalmit 126:6) Kun Jumala sanoi hänelle: \"Älä ojenna kättäsi\" (1. Moos. 22:12), he palasivat turvallisesti kotiin, ja Avraham palasi palvelijoidensa luo. \"Antakaa hänen tulla kantamaan lyhteitään\" (Psalmit 126:6) - hän piti itseään kuurona ja mykkänä eikä sanonut mitään, kuten sanotaan: \"Kuuron en kuule\" (Psalmit 38:14). Siksi se sanoo: \"Tulkoon hänen lyhteitään kantaen.\"",
+                "[3] Toinen tulkinta: \"Ja Jumala koetteli [Avrahamia].\" (1. Moos. 22:1) \"Olen aina tietoinen sinun käskyistäsi enkä viivyttele käskyjesi pitämisessä\" (Psalmit 119:60). Tämä viittaa Avrahamiin, joka täytti nopeasti Jumalan käskyn uhrata poikansa Yitsak. Toisin kuin Loot, hänen veljenpoikansa, joka viivytteli ja epäröi. (1. Moos. 19:16) Heti kun Jumala sanoi Avrahamille: \"Ota poikasi\" (1. Moos. 22:2), Avraham heräsi aikaisin aamulla ja lähti viipymättä matkaansa. Hän ei nähnyt mitään ensimmäisenä päivänä ja jatkoi matkaansa. Hän heräsi varhain toisena päivänä eikä nähnyt mitään. Vasta kolmantena päivänä hän näki jumalallisen läsnäolon seisomassa vuorella, kuten sanotaan: \"Kolmantena päivänä Avraham katsoi ylös ja näki paikan kaukaa.\" (1. Moos. 22:4) Täällä sanotaan \"kaukaa\" ja muualla sanotaan: \"Kaukaa Hashem ilmestyi minulle\" (Jeremia 31:2). Miksi Jumala odotti kolmanteen päivään paljastaakseen paikan Avrahamille? Jotta maailman kansat eivät sanoisi, että Avraham uhrasi poikansa röyhkeästi, vaan että hän oli miettinyt asiaa ja tehnyt sen rakkaudesta Jumalaa kohtaan. Kun Jumala ilmoitti itsensä Avrahamille, hänen pelkonsa valtasi hänet ja hän menetti järkensä. Mutta hän meni eteenpäin ja uhrasi poikansa. Jos hän olisi odottanut edes tunnin, hän ei olisi tehnyt sitä. Siksi Jumala sanoi kärsivänsä kolme päivää, jotta kaikki tietäisivät, että hän oli toiminut rakkaudesta eikä pelosta. Kuten se sanoo: \"Kolmantena päivänä.\" (1. Moos. 22:4) Kun Avraham oli teurastamassa poikaansa, Jumalan armo valtasi hänet, ja hän huusi: \"Älä nosta kättäsi poikaa vastaan.\" (1. Moos. 22:12) Rabbi Avin sanoi Rabbi Helkiyan nimissä: \"Valehtelijoilta on typeryyttä sanoa, että Jumalalla on poika. Jos Avrahamin poika, kun hän näki, että hänet oli uhrattava, eikä kestänyt nähdä sitä, huusi heti.\" Älä laita kättäsi pojan päälle jne. (1 Moos. 22:12), niin jos Jumalalla olisi ollut poika, Hän olisi antanut uhrata sen [poikansa]. Hän ei olisi muuttanut maailmaa kaaokseksi ja tyhjyydeksi. Siksi Salomo sanoo ”[Jumala] on yksi, eikä toista ole, ei hänelläkään ole poikaa tai veljeä.” (Saarnaaja 4:8) Ja Israelin rakkauden vuoksi heitä kutsutaan pojiksi, kuten sanotaan: 'Esisyntyneen poikani, Israel.' (2. Moos. 4:22)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 32: Prophets</b> [1] These are the nations that the Lord left to test Israel with (Judges 3). It is written, \"Do not kill them, lest my people forget; make them totter by your power and bring them down, O Lord our shield\" (Psalms 59:12). Since the time that the Lord was revealed to Moses, He was seen only through the hand of an angel, as it is written, \"And the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire\" (Exodus 3:2). This angel was Michael, who guarded Moses and Israel at the sea, as it is written, \"And the angel of God, who was going before the camp of Israel\" (Exodus 14:19). In Egypt, an angel was sent to take them out, as it is written, \"And he sent an angel and brought us out of Egypt\" (Numbers 20:16). When they came to the desert and made the Golden Calf, Moses destroyed the angel, and they did not seek him anymore. Moreover, the Lord said to him, \"Guard yourself from him, and listen to his voice\" (Exodus 23:21). When Moses heard that the Lord would not forgive their sin (Exodus 32:34), he began to say, \"Why should we leave the one in whom it is written, 'Who is like you, O Lord, among the gods? Who is like you, majestic in holiness?' (Micah 7:18). He will bear our iniquities, etc.\" (Micah 7:19). Moses wanted to take the one in whom it is written that He will not forgive their sin. The Lord said to him, \"If your face goes, I will go\" (Exodus 33:15). He said to him, \"This is what I will do: my face will go, and I will leave you\" (Exodus 33:14). \"And as long as Moses was alive, he was not permitted to see the angel, until Joshua stood in Jericho and was revealed, as it is said: 'And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him.' (Joshua 5:13) The angel said to him, 'I ask of you not to reject me, just as Moses rejected me and I have been bound for many years. And now I have come to watch over you, as it is said: 'And he said, Nay; but as captain of the host of the LORD am I now come.' (Joshua 5:14)\". The angel said to him, \"I ask of you not to reject me, just as Moses sculpted me, I have been bound for many years, and now I have come to protect you, as it is said 'And he said, No, but as captain of the army of the LORD I have now come' (Joshua 5:14). And at that hour, the Lord commanded an angel to spare human beings from the nations, so that they may repent, such as Rahab the harlot, and also so that Israel may learn from them how to make war. Therefore, it is said, \"Do not kill them, lest my people forget\" (Psalms 59:12). Israel should not forget how to wage war and they should also be tested with them. If they do not abandon them to the Lord and do not speak with arrogance, then I will also help them destroy their enemies. Move forward with courage and bring them down, O Lord, in the merit of whom? In the merit of Abraham, 'Fear not, Abram, I am a shield to you' (Genesis 15:1), and so Moses said, 'Happy are you, Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper' (Deuteronomy 33:29). And he said to Joshua, 'You are old and advanced in years, and there remains yet very much land to possess' (Joshua 13:1). Nevertheless, I will expel them from before the children of Israel\" (Joshua 13:6). Therefore, it is said, \"These are the nations.\" ",
+                "[2] Another explanation: \"And these are the nations. You have given your followers a banner, to rally around it in the face of the bow.\" (Psalm 60:6) Come and see the difference between the earlier generations and the later generations. God tested Abraham, as it is said, \"God tested Abraham\" (Genesis 22:1). The generation of the wilderness was tested by God, as it is said, \"I will rain down bread from heaven for you... that I may test them\" (Exodus 16:4). But those who are tested by the nations, as it is said, \"And these are the nations.\" This can be compared to a rich man who had vineyards. When he saw good wine, he would drink it, but when he saw bad wine, he would give it to his servant to drink. Similarly, God tested Abraham because he was righteous, but these [later generations] are in the hands of the nations, \"And these are the nations.\" [edit. Mishnah Sanhedrin 8:5]",
+                "[3] Another explanation: \"And these are the nations\" (Genesis 10:32), our Sages of blessed memory said \"Save us, O God of our salvation\" (Chronicles 1:16:35), meaning the Jewish people said to God, \"Master of the Universe, until when will we be under the control of our enemies? Until when will we be enslaved?\" Similarly, David said, \"How long must I bear pain in my soul and have sorrow in my heart all day?\" (Psalms 13:2). God replied, \"It depends on you. Do teshuva (repentance) and I will destroy your enemies,\" as it says, \"But My people did not hearken to My voice, and Israel would not obey Me. So I gave them over to their stubborn hearts, to follow their own counsels\" (Psalms 81:12-13). The Jewish people responded to God, \"And when You do so, we will praise You,\" as it says, \"Let sinners cease from the earth and the wicked be no more. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Hallelujah!\" (Psalms 104:35)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter 33 Writings: [1] \"Blessed is the man who fears the Lord\" (Psalm 112:1). This means that in the end, everything will be heard by God: \"Fear God and keep His commandments, for this is the whole duty of man\" (Ecclesiastes 12:13). How does one ultimately succeed? Nothing is more beloved than one who fears the Almighty, as it is written, \"In the end, everything will be heard,\" etc. In the custom of the world, one person says to his friend, \"I am rich and have plenty of wheat, oil, and wine.\" His friends tell him, \"You have everything, where will you put it? If you have no storage, you have nothing.\" Similarly, one who is rich and wise in knowledge, but does not have fear of sin, has nothing, as it is written, \"In the end, everything will be heard,\" etc. For this reason, David said, \"Blessed is the man who fears the Lord.\" This refers to Abraham, as it is written, \"Now I know that you fear God\" (Genesis 22:12). \"He delights greatly in His commandments\" (Psalm 112:1). This refers to Abraham, as it is written, \"Because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws\" (Genesis 26:5). \"His descendants will be mighty on earth\" (Psalm 112:2). This refers to Isaac, as it is written, \"In Isaac shall thy seed be called\" (Genesis 21:12). What is written afterwards? \"And the man waxed great, and went forward, and grew until he became very great\" (Genesis 26:13). \"The generation of the upright will be blessed\" (Psalm 112:2). And Abraham was old and well-stricken in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things\" (Genesis 24:1). Similarly, God blessed Isaac after Abraham's death, as it is written, \"And after the death of Abraham, God blessed Isaac his son\" (Genesis 25:11). Therefore it is said, \"The generation of the upright will be blessed.\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 34: Torah</b> [1] \"And Abraham was old, coming with days\" (Genesis 24:1).\"The Woman of Valor, who can find? etc.\" (Proverbs 31:10) This entire verse is required regarding Sarah, as it is written above, \"Afterward, Abraham buried Sarah\" etc. (Genesis 23:19) and as soon as Sarah died, old age came upon him and he became elderly. The spirit of prophecy cried out and said, \"A capable wife, who can find her...\" This can be compared to a skilled ship captain who conquered the waters and winds. Suddenly, pirates attacked him and he fought them off. Later, he came to a treacherous strait and a strong wind shattered his ship. He begged for mercy from the people around him, saying, \"Yesterday, I conquered the waters and killed the pirates. Now, I ask others to save me.\" They replied, \"When your ship was strong, you were a hero and didn't need our help. Now that your ship is broken, you seek our aid.\" Similarly, Abraham was a hero and fought off the pirates when they attacked him (Genesis 14:15). He also divided his wealth among himself, Ishmael, and his household of 318 people (Genesis 14:14). He saw his own strength on the day of Isaac's circumcision (Genesis 17:26) and was blessed by God (Genesis 14:19). Now, you say, \"I am a stranger and a resident, etc.\" He said to them, \"What shall I do? My wife has died, as it is written 'And I will bury my dead, etc.' (Genesis 23:4).\" Immediately, Abraham grew old. \"A woman of valor, who can find her?\" (Proverbs 31:10). This is Sarah, for \"a woman of beautiful appearance\" (Genesis 12:11), her husband trusted in her. \"Please say that you are my sister\" (Genesis 12:13). \"And he had abundant livestock\" (Genesis 13:2). His camel was good and not evil, and Abraham treated it well for her (Genesis 12:16). She sought wool and flax, for she also fulfilled the commandments like Abraham. \"Whatever Sarah tells you, listen to her voice, for in Isaac shall your offspring be called\" (Genesis 21:12). She was like a merchant ship that had been across the river and came to the land of Canaan. \"And she rose up in the middle of the night, and Abraham rose early in the morning, etc.\" (Genesis 19:27). She planned a field and took it, which was the field of Machpelah, as it is written \"So the field and the cave in it were established\" (Genesis 23:20). She planted a vineyard with the fruit of her hands, for \"the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel\" (Isaiah 5:7). She girded her loins with strength when the angels came to eat with Abraham and said to her, \"Quickly, make three seahs, etc.\" (Genesis 18:6). The reason was that she was a good trader, and to Sarah he said, \"Behold, I have given your brother a thousand pieces of silver, etc.\" (Genesis 20:16). She sent out her hand with the spindle, etc. (Proverbs 31:19). She drove out this maidservant (Genesis 21:10). \"Do not be afraid for your household from snow, for the Holy One, blessed be He, made an agreement with him that in the merit of circumcision and Sabbath, his sons will not descend to Gehenna. For every household that is circumcised has two Sabbath days and clothing. She made coverings for herself when they asked him, \"Where is Sarah, your wife?\" And he said, \"Behold, in the tent\" (Genesis 18:9). They said to her, \"Behold, you are with child, and your sons are destined to be priests, to wear the priestly garments and to serve in the Tent of Meeting, as it is written 'And they shall make the ephod, etc.'\" (Exodus 28:6). When Sarah died, he leapt upon her, old and aged. Immediately, her husband became known in the gates, etc.",
+                "[2] Another explanation: And Abraham was old, advanced in age, and the Lord had blessed Abraham with everything (Genesis 24:1). \"Grey hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life\" (Proverbs 20:29). From Adam to Abraham, twenty generations passed, and there is no mention of any of them being old except for the father, son, and grandson, who all stood together for four generations. Nobody knew who was the oldest among them, and they resembled one another. The son did not honor the father because they did not know who was older, as it is written: \"Their days are quickly gone, and they pass away\" (Psalms 78:33). But when Abraham stood up, God honored him with this crown. This is like a king who had a beloved servant. He said to him, \"I will give you gold and silver, and you have slaves and maids. But I will take the crown from my head and give it to you.\" Similarly, Abraham was beloved by God, as it is said, \"Abraham, my friend\" (Isaiah 41:8). God said to him, \"What can I give you? You already have gold and silver,\" as it is written, \"And Abraham was very wealthy\" (Genesis 13:2). But God said, \"Look at what is written about me: 'the hair of his head was pure wool' (Daniel 7:9). I will make you an ornate crown, as it is written, 'Grey hair is a crown of glory; it is gained by living a godly life' (Proverbs 16:31). And where will you find it? You will find it on the path of righteousness\" (Proverbs 16:31)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 35: Prophets</b> [1] \"And King David was old and advanced in years\" (1 Kings 1:1). It is said, \"No man has power over the wind to restrain it\" (Ecclesiastes 8:8), meaning that there is no one in the world who comes to die and says, 'I will close my mouth, and the spirit will not depart, or my ear or nostril will not breathe,' but he is unable to do so because he does not know from where the spirit comes out. Rather, when his time comes, it blossoms forth and departs from him. Therefore, it is said, \"No man has power over the spirit to retain the spirit\" (Ecclesiastes 8:8), but \"and the dust returns to the earth as it was\" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Rabbi Simon said, \"Do not say so, but rather 'the spirit returns to God who gave it'\" (Ecclesiastes 12:7). Just as when it was given, it was pure, holy, and worthy, therefore it returns. And Abigail said to David, \"But the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life\" (1 Samuel 25:29), because David was a righteous man, and it was said of him, \"What is this bundle of life?\" As if to say, \"The Lord God is the true God, the living God, and the everlasting King\" (Jeremiah 10:10). \"And the lives of your enemies He shall sling out as from the hollow of a sling\" (1 Samuel 25:29), scattered in the four corners of the world, and then returns to the hollow of the sling, and the angels scatter it, and it returns again. These are the souls of the wicked. Therefore it is said, \"And the lives of your enemies,\" and it concludes, \"no man has power over the spirit to retain the spirit.\" There is no dominion on the day of death, even for a great man, king, or nobleman, when he dies, he does not die alone, but his glory is with him, as it is said, \"For he will take nothing with him when he dies; his glory will not descend after him\" (Psalm 49:18). As long as King David the righteous was alive, he was called king, and \"Now King David was old and advanced in years\" (1 Kings 1:1). And they called him \"my lord the king\" and wise and angelic, as the woman of Tekoa said to him, \"My lord is wise, like the wisdom of an angel of God\" (2 Samuel 14:20). Similarly, Jonathan son of Abiathar the priest said to Adonijah, \"But our lord King David has made Solomon king\" (1 Kings 1:43). And Bathsheba said, \"May my lord King David live forever\" (1 Kings 1:31), and Nathan the prophet said to him, \"My lord the king, you have said Adonijah shall be king after me\" (1 Kings 1:24). Thus, David had much honor, greatness, and splendor. However, when his time came to die, there is no mention of his being a king, lord, wise man, or angel. Only his name is mentioned, as it says, \"David was old and advanced in years\" (1 Chronicles 23:1). \"David slept with his fathers\" (1 Kings 2:10), and \"David's days drew near to die\" (1 Kings 2:1). Therefore, Solomon said, \"There is no authority on the day of death. And there is no discharge in war\" (Ecclesiastes 8:8), not like the kings of flesh and blood. Rabbi Aha said in the name of Rabbi Simon, \"When the king asks the army commander to conscript troops, the commander comes to take the troops, and they give him much silver and gold, but he takes from them and does not send them, but sends others in their place. However, in death, there is no such thing, and there is no dispatch in war, and the wicked shall not escape their masters\" (Ecclesiastes 8:8). \"The one who sins shall die\" (Ezekiel 18:20). And if you say, \"But righteous people do many good deeds and still die,\" it is not true that wealth helps on the day of wrath, but righteousness delivers from death (Proverbs 11:4). And the one who does righteousness does not die, but lives forever. It does not say, \"Wealth helps on the day of wrath,\" but \"righteousness delivers from death,\" even though righteous people die in this world. However, in the future, they will live forever and ever, but the wicked will die in this world and the world to come, as it says, \"The wicked shall not escape their masters,\" and \"When they are judged, return them to Sheol\" (Psalm 9:18). \"But concerning the righteous it is said, 'And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him.' (Malachi 3:17) David said before the Lord, 'Do not cast me off in the time of old age; forsake me not when my strength faileth.' (Psalm 71:9) When I was young, I went out to war and gave my life for your children, but now that I am old, I have no more strength, and they say, 'How long will this old man live?' As it is said, 'When will he die, and his name perish?' (Psalm 41:6) I ask of you, that even in my old age and gray hairs, O God, do not forsake me.' (Psalm 71:18) The Lord answered him, 'So will I do unto thee, until thy old age, and until thy grey hairs, etc.' (Isaiah 46:4)\"",
+                "[2] Another thing: \"And King David was old.\" As it is written: \"The king who sits on the throne of judgment scatters away all evil with his eyes.\" (Proverbs 20:8) Come and see: When the wicked prosper in the world, evil comes upon the world. But when the righteous prosper in the world, everyone rejoices. When King David was reigning, everyone would say, \"Long live the king!\" The word \"<i>vehamelech</i>\" (and the king) is a word of joy. The phrase \"Melech David\" (King David) contains two words, \"Melech\" (king) and \"David.\" When King Zedekiah was reigning, everyone would say, \"And Zedekiah reigned\" (Jeremiah 37:1). Concerning them, it is written, \"Then you shall again discern between the righteous and the wicked, between one who serves God and one who does not serve Him.\" (Malachi 3:18)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 36: Writings</b>  [1] song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains, etc. (Psalms 121:1). \"Until the day breathes and the shadows flee\" (Song of Songs 2:17). Since Israel is subjected to kingdoms, they say \"Master of the Universe, until when will the nations rule over us?\" as it is written, \"How long will I harbor counsel within my soul, agony in my heart all day?\" (Psalms 13:3) And the Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, \"Until the dawn breaks forth,\" as it is said, \"Until the day breathes and the shadows flee\" (Song of Songs 2:17). The shadows refer to the kingdoms, as it is said, \"Woe to us, for the day is turning, for the shadows of evening lengthen\" (Jeremiah 6:4), and so too, Moses says, \"Remove the veil from their faces\" (Numbers 14:9). At that hour, Israel sits in peace and says, \"Your heart will meditate on fear\" (Isaiah 33:18). This fear is the kingdom of Babylon, and \"four living creatures of terror and strength\" (Daniel 7:7) are its measure. \"Where is the scribe, where are the weighers\" (Isaiah 33:18), where are the tax collectors who would weigh out their taxes? The Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, \"Do not fear, you will not see a fierce people\" (Isaiah 33:19). And the shades will flee, missing two things, and returning two things, as it says, \"And the redeemed of the Lord will return and come to Zion with singing, and everlasting joy will be upon their heads\" (Isaiah 51:11). Here are two things. \"And sorrow and sighing will flee away\" (Isaiah 35:10), here are two more things. Therefore it says, \"Until the day breaks and the shadows flee away\" (Song of Songs 4:6). In the merit of whom? In the merit of he who said, \"I will go to the mountain of myrrh\" (Song of Songs 4:6), this is Abraham. Just as myrrh is the head of spices, so too Abraham is the head of the righteous. \"And to the hill of frankincense\" (Song of Songs 4:6), this is Isaac, who was bound on the altar like frankincense, as it says, \"And he laid him on the altar\" (Genesis 22:9). [God] said to him, \"Do not lay your hand on the boy\" (Genesis 22:12). Isaac began to cry out, \"I lift up my eyes to the mountains\" (Psalms 121:1), but he did not do anything, except that \"he saw, and behold a ram\" (Genesis 22:13). At that moment he said, \"My help comes from the Lord\" (Psalms 121:2)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 37: Torah</b> [1] \"These are the generations of Isaac\" (Genesis 25:19). This is what the Lord, the God of Israel, said across the river, \"Come and see how righteous these sons are, they are a great gift. How great was the gift that God gave to Abraham when He said, \"I will make you into a great nation\" (Genesis 12:2). And because he had no son, he began to ask God, \"How will I know that I will inherit it?\" (Genesis 15:8). \"What benefit have you given me, seeing I have no children?\" (Genesis 15:2). As it says, \"Lord God, what will You give me, seeing I am childless?\" (Genesis 15:2). God said to him, \"I will give you,\" as it is said, \"I cause those who love me to inherit substance\" (Proverbs 8:21), and it is also written, \"A good man leaves an inheritance to his children's children\" (Proverbs 13:22). Therefore, He gave him the great gift of Isaac, as it is said, \"And I will give him Isaac\" (Joshua 24:3). And why did Abraham ask, \"What will you give me?\" It was not because he doubted God's ability to provide, but because he was an astrologer and saw that he would not have children, neither he nor Sarah, and all the astrologers agreed. He asked God, \"Is it possible for me to have children?\" because even though everyone said it was impossible, he didn't believe it until he saw for himself in the stars. God said to him, \"Stop looking at these things and leave this state of mind,\" as it is said, \"And He brought him forth abroad\" (Genesis 15:5). When they told Abraham that he would not have children and Sarah would not give birth, as it is written, \"And Sarai Abram's wife bore him no children\" (Genesis 16:1), he asked, \"When will you give me children?\" And God said to him, \"Your name shall no longer be called Abram, but Abraham,\" as it is written, \"Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham\" (Genesis 17:5). God said to him, \"Abram cannot have children, but Abraham can,\" and Sarah gave birth, as it is written, \"And Sarah conceived, and bore Abraham a son\" (Genesis 21:2). Therefore, it is said, \"These are the generations of Isaac.\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And these are the generations of Isaac. The crown of the elders are the children's children, and the glory of children are their fathers. (Proverbs 17:6) There are good children who give a crown to their fathers, and there are wicked children who take the crown from their father, as it says, \"And Ham, the father of Canaan, saw...\" (Genesis 9:22). But Shem and Japheth covered the nakedness of their father. (Genesis 9:23) Ishmael serves idols, but Isaac, who was the burnt offering of the Lord, gave a crown to his father. These are the generations of Isaac. Reuben, unstable as water... (Genesis 49:4) and Joseph hurried and went up to his father... (Genesis 50:4). Absalom said, \"I will strike down the king alone.\" (2 Samuel 17:1) But Solomon rode on his own mule... (1 Kings 1:33) Hezekiah stood and added to the work, as it says, \"And he did what was right in the eyes of the Lord, according to all that David his father had done.\" (2 Kings 18:3) Be the crown of the elders, children's children. These are the generations of Isaac.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"These are the generations of Isaac. They shall not labor in vain or give birth to children for terror, for they are the blessed seed of the Lord (Isaiah 65:23). 'They shall not labor in vain' refers to Abraham and Sarah who worked hard until they were blessed with Isaac, and 'they shall not give birth to children for terror' means that if Ishmael had been left with them, he would have killed Isaac, as it says, 'And Sarah saw' (Genesis 21:9). There is no 'mocking' except for someone who seeks to kill, as Solomon explains, 'Like a madman who throws firebrands, arrows, and death, is the man who deceives his neighbor and says, \"I am only joking\" (Proverbs 26:18-19). The Lord said, 'If he kills him, the foundations of the world will collapse.' Sarah began by saying, 'Cast out this slave woman with her son' (Genesis 21:10), and these are the generations of Isaac.\"",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: These are the generations of Isaac. But haven't we already heard \"These are the generations of Ishmael\" (Genesis 25:12)? Here we have \"These are the generations of Isaac, son of Abraham\". One might think that they are similar, God forbid, but \"the Lord knows the way of the righteous\" (Psalm 1:6). This can be compared to a donkey's foal that fell into a rose oil, and although its smell became pleasant from the rose oil, in the end it returns to its previous state. So too with the donkey's foal, which is the Egyptian handmaid, as it is written \"Their flesh is the flesh of donkeys\" (Ezekiel 23:20), she cleaved to Abraham and bore Ishmael, and it is written \"These are the generations of Ishmael, son of Abraham.\" But in the end, she returned to her previous state, as it is written \"And his mother took for him a wife from the land of Egypt\" (Genesis 21:21), who was the Egyptian handmaid. However, look at what Abraham commanded for him, that his servant Eliezer should not take a wife for him from the daughters of Canaan, but rather from Abraham's family (Genesis 24:38). Therefore, \"These are the generations of Isaac\" and so on, but \"Ishmael, these are the generations of Ishmael, whom Hagar the Egyptian, Sarah's maidservant, bore to Abraham\" (Genesis 25:12).",
+                "[5] Another interpretation: \"And these are the generations of Isaac, son of Abraham.\" Abraham begot Isaac. And do I not know that Abraham begot Isaac? Rabbi Chanina Rabba gave a parable: It is like a dove that was pursued by falcons and crows. It fled from them and entered and sat on a nest, and people said, \"These eggs are from the dove.\" And this one said, \"They are from the crow.\" One [wise man] said to them, \"As long as they are eggs, it is not known whether they are from the crow or from the dove. But when they hatch and produce offspring, you will know who they are from.\" Similarly, Sarah was moved many times. By Pharaoh and by Abimelech, they began to say, \"She was not impregnated by anyone other than Pharaoh\" or \"She was not impregnated by anyone other than Abimelech.\" God said to them: \"You will be silenced with shame's silence, you liars\" (Psalm 31:19). They waited until she gave birth, and then they saw to whom he resembled. Immediately, God commanded the angel in charge of the form of the fetus not to form him to resemble his mother, but to form him to resemble his father, so that everyone would know that he was only from his father. The fetus immediately came out resembling his father. Therefore, it is said, \"And these are the generations of Isaac, son of Abraham\" [Abraham begot Isaac]. [Talmud Bavli, Yevamot 64a:5-6] "
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 38: Prophets</b> [1] \"And King David was old, advanced in years (1 Kings 1:1) And Scriptures says \"And those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength\" (Isaiah 40:31). and our Sages said that for thirteen years, David was sick and bedridden, and seven sheep were exchanged under him every day, which exhausted me with groaning; all night I drench my bed with tears, I soak my couch with weeping. (Psalm 6:7) These were the thirteen years that he suffered punishment for the sin he had committed. His enemies said, \"When will he die and his name perish?\" (Psalm 41:6) Until he begged for mercy from the Holy One, blessed be He, and said before Him, \"Master of the Universe, You have kept me alive for the sake of the Temple that Samuel the Prophet entrusted to me. Please grant me life so that I may stand up from this bed and complete the scroll of the construction of the Temple,\" as it says, \"But You, O Lord, be gracious to me and raise me up, that I may repay them.\" (Psalm 41:11) He was raised from his illness and completed the scroll of the construction of the Temple. As soon as the Holy One, blessed be He, heard his prayer, he stood up from his bed, as it says, \"So King David rose to his feet.\" (2 Samuel 28:2) And where does a person stand? Not on his feet? And what does it mean that he stood on his feet? It means that he was healed and became healthy and stood on his feet after all those years, and he handed them the scroll of the Temple, all in writing, \"From the hand of the Lord upon me, He gave me understanding.\" (1 Chronicles 28:19) And it says, \"David also gave Solomon his son the plan of the vestibule, its houses, its treasuries, its upper chambers, and its inner chambers, and the plan of all that he had in mind.\" (1 Chronicles 28:11-12) Therefore, it is said, \"But those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength.\" (Isaiah 40:31)\"",
+                "[2] \"And King David was old and advanced in years, so that they would multiply your days, etc.\" (Deuteronomy 11:21) \"And King David grew old and came of age\" refers to the days of the World to Come, as it is said, \"One thing I ask from the Lord, this only do I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.\" (Psalms 27:4) This refers to the World to Come, where there is no taste of death, as it is said, \"He will swallow up death forever.\" (Isaiah 25:8) This teaches you that in this world, even the ministering angels weep for the righteous above, just as human beings weep below. But in the future world, there will be no more weeping, as it is said, \"God will wipe away tears from all faces.\" (Isaiah 25:8) And \"faces\" refers to the ministering angels, as it is said, \"Their faces had the appearance of human faces.\" (Ezekiel 1:10) Therefore, \"And King David was old and advanced in years.\"",
+                "[3] Another explanation:\"And King David was old, advanced in years, and they covered him with clothes, but he could not get warm\" (1 Kings 1:1). Regarding him, Solomon said, \"I have seen under the sun that time and chance happen to them all\" (Ecclesiastes 9:11) yesterday. And David hurried and ran to the battle, etc. (1 Samuel 17:48). And now he descends and is weary, as it says, \"And David was faint\" (2 Samuel 21:15). Yesterday they dressed him, and he said, \"I cannot walk in these, for I have not tested them\" (1 Samuel 17:39), because his body was shivering from the fear of the angel who deceived him, the Angel of Satan. And God counted it as a sin against Israel at that time, and sent an angel to Jerusalem to destroy it, and when he destroyed it, God saw it and had compassion on the calamity (2 Samuel 24:15). What did the angel do? He said, \"I know that the Holy One, blessed be He, is filled with wrath against them. If I go and kill them, He will support me. But now I will blemish them with my own hand, so that He will see and have mercy on them.\" And when he went and killed seventy thousand men from them, God saw it and had compassion on the calamity, etc. These are the words of Rabbi Judah, and Rabbi Nehemiah says, \"What did He see? And God had compassion on the calamity.\" Rather, the angel went and sat on Mount Moriah and said before Him, \"Master of the Universe, You made a covenant with their father Abraham, that You would conquer Your mercies to do Your will in this world. But did You not say before him, \"So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. Adonai-yireh, (Genesis 22:14) And to this day it is said, 'On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.' Just as I had the opportunity to answer you and say, 'Yesterday you told me that through Isaac your offspring would be reckoned.' (Genesis 21:12) And now you say, 'Take your son.' (Genesis 22:2) I had the privilege to answer you and yet I said nothing. I made myself like a mute and did your will. So too, whenever sinners come before you and you have the right to punish them, may you suppress your anger and not punish them, but remember the binding of Isaac and have mercy on them.\" The angel said to God, \"That was not the agreement that you had made with Abraham, and now you are killing them?\" As it says, \"Then the Lord saw it and was grieved by the evil.\" (1 Chronicles 21:15) What did God see? He saw the binding of Isaac and had mercy on them. Therefore, Solomon said, \"A king's wrath is like the roar of a lion, but his favor is like dew on the grass.\" (Proverbs 19:12)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 39: Writings</b> [1] A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:1-2) Blessed are the people of Israel when they do the will of the Lord, as they are elevated like ministering angels, as it is said, \"And the Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be only at the top, and not at the bottom\" (Deuteronomy 28:13). The phrase \"only at the top\" is not written here, but rather \"at the top.\" What does \"only\" signify? It means that sometimes you are above, but when you listen to the voice of the Lord and fulfill His commandments, as it is written, \"if you listen to the voice of the Lord your God\" (Deuteronomy 28:13), you are always elevated. However, if you don't follow His will, you are sometimes below, as it is written, \"And the stranger who is among you shall rise higher and higher above you, and you shall come down lower and lower\" (Deuteronomy 28:43). This is also what God promised to Abraham when He said, \"Look now toward heaven and count the stars if you are able to number them.... So shall your descendants be\" (Genesis 15:5). In another place, He says, \"And your descendants shall be like the dust of the earth\" (Genesis 28:14). Why did He say \"dust\" if He had already said \"stars\"? He meant that when your children do My will, just as the stars are above all the world, so too will your children be above all, but when they do not do My will, just like the dust is below, so too will they be below. As it says, \"For the king of Aram has destroyed your people and made them like the dust in threshing\" (2 Kings 13:7). He said to Abraham, \"And so you leave them,\" but Abraham replied, \"Are You not the One who sustains them?\" As it is written, \"Rise up and shake off the dust\" (Isaiah 52:2). The generations said to him, \"Master of the Universe, the time of the end and the appointed time has arrived.\" Therefore, David said, \"I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from where does my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.\" (Psalms 121:1-2)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 40: Torah</b> [1] And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old (Genesis 27:1). Twenty generations passed until Abraham, in which old age is not mentioned except for him, as it says, \"Now Abraham was old\" (Genesis 24:1). And Isaac also stood [before God] and it came to pass, that when Isaac was old (Genesis 27:1). And Jacob also stood [before God], as it says, \"And the eyes of Israel were dim with age\" (Genesis 48:10). The verse (Psalms 102:17) says, \"He will regard the prayer of the destitute, and not despise their prayer.\" The only way [to achieve this level of prayer] is through old age, as it says, \"The beauty of young men is their strength, and the glory of old men is their gray hair\" (Proverbs 20:29). Abraham merited his son through five things, as our Rabbis taught: the father merits a son through five things: through his [the father's] name, through his [the father's] good deeds, through his [the father's] wealth, through his [the father's] strength, and through his [the father's] wisdom. Similarly, Isaac [merited his son through five things], and similarly Jacob [merited his son through five things]. Similarly, Jacob merited Joseph [through these five things], who resembled him in appearance and in title, as it says, \"And Joseph was handsome in form and appearance\" (Genesis 39:6). [He resembled him] in wisdom, as it says, \"Behold, he is the master of dreams\" (Genesis 37:19). He had beauty, appearance, and wisdom. And in Isaac's case, it is written, \"Who is this man?\" (Genesis 24:65). What is the meaning of \"this man\" in reference to Joseph? That he was handsome and had wisdom. Likewise, Isaac was also built with wisdom. And just as Joseph stood up to his brothers in strength, so did Isaac stand up in strength against all the men of Gerar. Just as Joseph was wealthy, so was Isaac wealthy, as it says, \"And the man became great and went forward and became very great\" (Genesis 26:13). The verse (Genesis 26:8) explains [the word] \"wisdom\" as meaning \"the greatness of his children.\" From where do we learn that Isaac was handsome like Joseph? It is written about Joseph, \"And Joseph was handsome in form and appearance,\" and when he went to his brothers, what did they say? \"Behold, the master of dreams is coming!\" (Genesis 37:19). And it is said about Isaac, \"Who is this man?\" (Genesis 24:65). What is the meaning of \"this man\" in reference to Joseph? That he was handsome and had wisdom. Likewise, Isaac was also built with strength, as it says, We know this from the fact that he dug many wells, as it says, \"Isaac dug again the wells of water\" (Genesis 26:18), and \"Isaac's servants dug in the valley\" (Genesis 26:19), and \"they dug another well\" (Genesis 26:21). He had strength in his hands. From where do we know that he was wealthy? It says, \"The man became great, and he grew richer and richer until he was very wealthy\" (Genesis 26:13). And from where do we know that he lived to a ripe old age of 180 years? It says, \"And Isaac lived one hundred and eighty years\" (Genesis 35:28). Abraham was the son of Terah, and Isaac was the son of Abraham. Why does the Torah mention this? Because God said to Isaac, \"You have merited these five things, so I will add another five years to your life, like your father Abraham.\" That is why it says, \"Look upon your servants\" (Psalms 119:16). Anyone who has merit will receive these five things, and anyone who does not have merit will receive five calamities in return. And who was this? Joab, as it is said: \"Let Joab and his descendants be perpetually guilty of their bloodshed. May they be afflicted with leprosy, jaundice, and starvation.\" (2 Samuel 3:29) Leprosy corresponds to strength; one who has leprosy has no strength. Jaundice corresponds to beauty; even if someone is young and jaundiced, there is no beauty in them. Starvation corresponds to wealth, as it says, \"Come, eat my food and drink the wine I have mixed. Leave your simple ways and you will live\" (Proverbs 9:5-6). One who is starving has no leisure to engage in Torah study. Falling by the sword corresponds to the five aspects of praise. These are five calamities corresponding to five aspects of praise. One who does not merit praise inherits these five kinds of calamities, like Joab. But one who does merit praise receives them like Isaac, as it is said, \"And it came to pass, when Isaac was old\" (Genesis 27:1), and David cries out, \"May your children be like your ancestors\" (Psalms 45:17). Therefore, it says, \"And it came to pass, when Isaac was old.\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation:  \"And it came to pass when Isaac was old.\" This teaches that \"You have done many things, O Lord my God, even Your wonderful works and Your thoughts towards us\" (Psalms 40:6). Israel said to Him, \"You have done many wonders and thoughts for us. Why do You do all these wonders for us? Why do You think these thoughts for us?\" As it is said, \"Your wonders and Your thoughts towards us.\" For us, You punished the wicked and You punished the righteous. How did God know that Isaac loved Esau and was about to bless him? God said, \"I will dim Isaac's eyesight so that he will not see who he is blessing, so that Jacob will receive the blessings.\" Therefore it is written, \"And it came to pass when Isaac was old.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: when Isaac grew old, it is written above that \"Esau was forty years old, and he took as wives Judith the daughter of Beeri the Hittite, and Basemath the daughter of Elon the Hittite, and they made life bitter for Isaac and Rebekah.\" (Genesis 26:34-35). \"A foolish son is a vexation to his father, and bitterness to her that bore him.\" (Proverbs 17:25). Yet, despite all of this, his father called him \"the elder.\" \"And Isaac called Esau his elder son\" (Genesis 27:1), and his mother called him \"the elder,\" as it says, \"And Rebekah took the goodly garments of her elder son Esau\" (Genesis 27:15). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"Behold, there are the old and the aged who lack understanding, but I called him 'small,' as it is said, 'Behold, I have made you small among the nations'\" (Obadiah 1:2). This is similar to a person who had a text to write that said, \"heroic knights.\" Someone came to him to have his son's name inscribed and said to him, \"Look at my son. He is young, but tall and sturdy.\" His mother also said, \"Look at our son. He is tall and sturdy.\" He replied to them, \"He is tall and sturdy before you, but I do not know. After all, the scale (i.e., measuring tool) will determine his true height. If he is indeed tall, then he will be measured and found to be tall. However, if he is not tall, then he will be measured and found to be small and disqualified.\" Thus, Rebekah called him \"the elder,\" and Isaac called him \"the elder.\" The Holy One, blessed be He, said to them, \"Who else in My world is sovereign and rules without Me? As it is said, 'Who is he that speaks, and it comes to pass, unless the Lord commands it?' (Lamentations 3:37). He said to them, \"Why do you insist on calling him 'the elder' in My house? I made him small.\" And you call him 'the elder,' but he is only small, as it is said, 'Behold, I have made you small among the nations'\" (Obadiah 1:2)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 41: Prophets</b> [1] And Eli was very old. \"And he heard all that his sons did\" (1 Samuel 2:22). \"Fortunate is the man who listens to me, etc., for whoever finds me, etc. But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul, etc.\" (Proverbs 8:34-36). What caused Eli to live a long life and age greatly? It was because he was engaged in Torah study, as it is written, \"And Eli the priest was sitting on the seat [by the doorpost of the temple]\" (1 Samuel 1:9), which is the meaning of \"Fortunate is the man, etc.\" (Proverbs 8:34). Why did it say \"whoever finds me, etc.\" and \"but he who sins, etc.\" and \"all who hate me love death\" (Proverbs 8:36)? These are the sons of Eli, as it is written, \"The sons of Eli were worthless men; they did not know the Lord\" (1 Samuel 2:12). Therefore, a righteous person may be called wicked because of his children, as it is written, \"sons of worthlessness\" (1 Samuel 2:12), as if to say \"the sons of a worthless person.\" In all of the Torah, he is wicked, and all of Israel hated him because of his sons, as it is written, \"The judgment of the priests, etc.\" (1 Samuel 2:17), \"even before the fat was burned, etc., the sin of the young men was great and they had no regard for the Lord\" (1 Samuel 2:13-17). And Israel saw them and said to each other, \"See how the priests of the Lord use these offerings,\" but a heavenly voice answered them, \"They do it for themselves,\" as it is written, \"But he who sins against me wrongs his own soul, all who hate me love death\" (Proverbs 8:36). And it is written, \"On that day both of Eli's sons shall die\" (1 Samuel 2:34), because they hated life and loved death, and because of this distress, an old woman leaped upon Eli. And Eli was very old.",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And Eli was very old. You will find in everyone who is written as old, there is no \"very\" except here, and Eli was very old, and he was ninety-eight years old. As it says, \"who shows no partiality to princes\" (Job 34:19). It is likened to a peasant (explained by Peretz) who took a stone and threw it into the king's pantry. The king said, \"Hang him by the neck!\" Similarly, the sons of Eli did more than enough to anger God, as it is said, \"And their sin was very great before the Lord\" (1 Samuel 2:17). God said, \"Even though Eli is very old,\" as it is said, \"And Eli was very old\" (1 Samuel 2:22).\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: Eli was very old. In his hand were three crowns: High Priest, King, and Head of the Sanhedrin. He was a High Priest, as it says \"and Eli the priest\" (1 Samuel 1:9), and he sat on the throne (1 Samuel 4:13). He was also a King, as it says \"on the doorposts of the house of the Lord\" (2 Chronicles 23:4). He was the Head of the Sanhedrin. However, because of the sins of his sons, he was demoted from all three positions, as it says \"and Eli lay down\" (1 Samuel 3:3), which indicates that he was not a High Priest at that time. Instead, he was replaced by someone else (1 Samuel 1:9). He was also not a King. His eyes began to grow dim (1 Samuel 3:2), indicating that he was not the Head of the Sanhedrin either, as it says \"your eyes are pools in Heshbon\" (Song of Solomon 7:4). Eli suffered because of the actions of his sons, and he was very old.",
+                "[4] Another explanation: Eli, he was very old. Three elders hastened their death because of their sons' wrongdoing. Isaac was first due to his troubles with his son Esau, who was bowing down to idols and offering incense to them, causing smoke to rise, which caused Isaac's eyes to become dim. Therefore it is written, \"And it came to pass, that when Isaac was old, and his eyes were dim\" (Genesis 27:1). Likewise, Eli was old due to the troubles of his sons, as it is written, \"And Eli was very old, and he heard all that his sons did\" (1 Samuel 2:22). Even Samuel was old due to the troubles of his sons, as it is written, \"And it came to pass, when Samuel was old, that his sons walked not in his ways, but turned aside after lucre, and took bribes, and perverted judgment\" (1 Samuel 8:1-3). Although all his days he was a prophet and judge, old age overtook him because of his sons' troubles, as it is written, \"And his sons did not walk in his ways\" (ibid.). Rabbi Simon said, \"The sons of Eli were exonerated from this matter, as it is written, 'And they lay with the women who assembled at the door of the tent of meeting' (1 Samuel 2:22). Rather, this is what they did: they did not offer sacrifices at the appointed time, and the daughters of Israel brought them flour or doves for their purification, as it is written, 'And when the days of her purification are fulfilled' (Leviticus 12:6). And there it is written, 'The doors of the temple were open at the beginning of the tent of meeting' (1 Samuel 2:22).\" And they were taking and passing the hours, and they were not offering sacrifices at their appointed time, and the daughters of Israel thought they were pure and went and served in their homes, as it is said, \"This is what they do when they lay with women.\" It does not say \"the people,\" but \"the women.\" They were allowing women, who were impure due to relations with their husbands, to lie with them. Who caused them to do this? They were neglecting the sacrifices and not offering them at their appointed time, as it says, \"Passing [over the offering] with the Lord\" (1 Samuel 2:24). The word \"sinning\" is not written here, but \"passing [over].\" They were passing over the hours. God began to say to them, \"Say to My children\" (Jeremiah 2:2). God said to them, \"You are spoiling your children by calling them 'My children.'\" Solomon cried out, \"Do not withhold discipline from a youth\" (Proverbs 23:13). \"You are a tribe,\" he said (Proverbs 5:14). They answered and said to him, \"If so, Israel, if this is the case, then woe to your people in your tribe\" (Micah 7:14)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter 42: Writings</b> [1] \"The earth is filled with the abundance of God's waters\" (Psalms 65:10). \"With the abundance of the good things that they have, they will enjoy them\" (Ecclesiastes 5:18). \"When the righteous are numerous in the world, good things come to the world, as it is said, 'When the righteous are many, the people rejoice'\" (Proverbs 29:2). Similarly, Moses said, \"So that it may go well with you and your children after you forever\" (Deuteronomy 12:28), \"When you do what is good and right in the sight of the Lord your God\" (Deuteronomy 12:28). And you find in every place that the righteous went, they brought good things with them. Jacob went to Laban's house, and good things went with him, as it is said, \"And God blessed me on account of you\" (Genesis 30:27), and it is said, \"May the Lord bless you as you go\" (Genesis 28:15). You find that Laban did not have sons until Jacob came, as it is said, \"And he heard the words of Laban's sons\" (Genesis 31:1). It is not written here, \"Laban's daughters,\" but \"Laban's sons.\" Therefore, \"May the Lord bless you as you go\" (Genesis 33:30). When Joseph went to Potiphar's house, good things went with him, as it is said, \"And the Lord blessed the Egyptian's house because of Joseph\" (Genesis 39:5). And when Jacob went to Egypt, he blessed Pharaoh, as it is said, \"And Jacob blessed Pharaoh\" (Genesis 47:7), so that the Nile rose to meet him. When his granaries were filled, a messenger came to Pharaoh and said to him, \"The Nile has risen today to such and such a level,\" and immediately the famine ended. This is what is meant by \"The earth is filled with the abundance of God's waters.\" (Psalms 65:10)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (42) [43]: Torah</b> [1] \"And God shall give you the dew of heaven\" (Genesis 27:28). This means the dew of Mount Hermon, as it is written, \"Like the dew of Hermon\" (Psalms 133:3). \"And he smelled the smell of his garments\" (Genesis 27:27). What were these garments? Our sages taught that before the Tabernacle was built, the animals were considered fit for sacrifice, and the service was dependent on the firstborn. Adam, who was the firstborn of the world, first dressed in priestly garments, as it is written, \"And God made for Adam and his wife garments of skin and clothed them\" (Genesis 3:21). And it is written, \"He shall wear a holy linen tunic\" (Leviticus 16:4). \"The first man gave the garments [to Eve, and Eve to Methuselah, and Methuselah to Noah, and Noah] to Shem, who was Noah's firstborn, as it is said: 'And Melchizedek, King of Salem, brought out bread and wine.'\" (Genesis 14:18), where they were given to Abraham, who gave them to Isaac, who gave them to Esau, who was the firstborn. When Isaac saw that his wives were practicing idolatry, he took them away from Esau and entrusted them to Rebecca. When Jacob took the birthright from Esau, Rebecca said, \"Since Jacob has taken the birthright, it is fitting that he should wear these garments,\" as it is written, \"And Rebecca took the garments of Esau\" (Genesis 27:15). Jacob then went to his father and he smelled them, as it is written, \"And he smelled the smell of his garments\" (Genesis 27:27), and Isaac smelled the same fragrance that had been sacrificed on the altar.",
+                "[2] Another explanation: \"And he smelled the smell of his garments.\" His garments - those wicked people who deceive the Almighty when they repent. Their punishment is like myrrh and aloes, \"All your garments are scented with myrrh and aloes\" (Psalms 45:9). Therefore it is said \"and he smelled\" like the scent of the field, like the scent of the sacrifices in Zion, as it is said \"Zion shall be plowed like a field\" (Jeremiah 26:18). He said to him, take the blessings that I have given you.",
+                "[3] \"And God gave it to you\" (Genesis 27:28). According to the law, if you have merits, God gives to you, but if not, He does not give to you. However, when it came to Esau, the verse did not say, \"And God gave it to you,\" but rather, \"Behold, of the fat of the earth,\" etc. (Genesis 27:39), and the name of God was not mentioned, only \"of the fat of the earth.\" But to Jacob, God gave him \"the dew of heaven\" (Genesis 27:28). This can be compared to a merchant who sold two sets of dishes to one buyer, one set for ten gold coins, and the other for a hundred gold coins. They went with him to collect the money, and immediately he gave the ten gold coins and left. But the second seller hesitated and said to the buyer, \"You give me the hundred gold coins and I'll wait.\" The buyer replied, \"I only have ten gold coins to give you now, and I'll stand at the table waiting for you to take the rest.\" This is what God did with Esau, giving him what was only of this world. But for Jacob, God gave him the abundant blessings, as it is written, \"How great is Your goodness that You have hidden away for those who fear You\" (Psalm 31:20).",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: God will give you rain from the sky, this is the manna, as it is said \"when the dew fell\" (Numbers 11:9), this is the manna. And from the fat of the earth, this is the well that brought up fish for them, and an abundance of grain and grapes, these are the vineyards. \"Let peoples serve you\", these are the descendants of Noah. \"Nations bow down to you\", these are the descendants of Ishmael. \"Be master over your brothers\", these are the descendants of Keturah. \"Cursed be those who curse you\", this is Balaam. \"Blessed be those who bless you\", this is Moses, as it is said \"And this is the blessing\" (Deuteronomy 33:1)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (43) 44: Prophets</b>  [1] \"And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord\" (Micah 5:6). This means that our roots are open like water [and dew remains on my branches during harvest] (Job 29:19). The people of Israel said this because our children engage in Torah study, which is compared to water, as it is written, \"Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters\" (Isaiah 55:1). Therefore, blessings come upon us, as it is written, \"And my roots will be open to the water.\" When did God come back to the world to give them the Torah? As it is written, \"The Lord came from Sinai\" (Deuteronomy 33:2). They did not seek to receive it, but when it came to Israel, they immediately accepted it, as it is written, \"And all the people answered together and said, 'All that the Lord has spoken we will do'\" (Exodus 19:8). God said to them, \"If so, the blessings are for yourselves,\" as it is written, \"And He will give you\" (Genesis 27:28). Therefore, \"my roots are open to the water\" and \"dew remains on my branches during harvest.",
+                "[2] another explanation: \"And the remnant of Jacob shall be like dew.\" Israel said to God, \"You make us like dew.\" He replied, \"When you merit it.\" As it says, \"And Israel shall dwell securely, alone, on a land of grain and wine, and with dew from the heavens above\" (Deuteronomy 33:28). Why like dew? To teach that even the righteous who are among the righteous have no control over dew; only God does. Want to know when Elijah stood up and swore, \"As the Lord God of Israel lives, before whom I stand, there will be no rain or dew these years\" (1 Kings 17:1), and God did not listen except for the dew that fell? How do we know that? Because God said to Elijah, \"Go, show yourself to Ahab, and I will send rain upon the earth\" (1 Kings 18:1). It does not say \"dew,\" but rather, \"rain.\" From here, we learn that dew fell every day, because no one has control over dew except for God. So God said to Israel, \"When you do My will, just as no creation has control over dew, so too, there is no creation that has control over you.\" As it says, \"And the remnant of Jacob shall be like dew.\"",
+                "[3] another explanation: \"And the remnant of Jacob shall be like dew.\" The dew is greater than the rain of seven days. We mention the dew on the first day of Passover, but we mention the rain on the last day of the festival. The dew is so great that if a person were to say during the hot days of summer that rain should fall, they would be answered, but if they were to say that dew should fall during the rainy days, they would not be answered. The dew is so great that Rabbi Taanit decreed that rain should fall, and an elderly woman made a pit and placed it on the roof to catch rainwater. Everyone was praying for rain, but the woman prayed for drought, saying not to listen to them until her pits were dry. God granted her request, as it says, \"I will be like dew to Israel; he shall blossom like the lily\" (Hosea 14:6).",
+                "[4] Another explanation: \"And the remnant of Jacob shall be in the midst of many peoples like dew from the Lord.\" Two things that Israel requested unfairly: they said, \"Set me as a seal upon your heart\" (Song of Songs 8:6), and it has already been written in Pesikta until \"I will be like dew to Israel\" (Hosea 14:6). Why is dew a good symbol for the resurrection of the dead? Because it says, \"Your dead shall live; their bodies shall rise\" (Isaiah 26:19). Rabbi Berechiah said that Isaiah cried out before the Holy One, blessed be He, \"Your dead shall live, their bodies shall rise.\" Those who were willing to be degraded for the sake of God, such as those who were crucified for Him, or those who were burned at the stake for Him, or those who observed the Sabbath and were killed for it, or those who studied Torah and were killed for it, therefore it says, \"For your dew is a dew of light\" (Hosea 14:6*). [*לְבָנוֹן Lebanon = \"whiteness\"]"
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter (44) 45: Writing [1] A song of ascents. I lift my eyes up to the mountains (Psalm 121:1). This verse is referring to \"Who are you, O great mountain?\" (Zechariah 4:7). This is the Messiah who is greater than the patriarchs, as it is said, \"Behold, My servant will prosper, He will be high and lifted up and greatly exalted\" (Isaiah 52:13). \"High and lifted up\" refers to Abraham, as it is written, \"I have lifted up my hand\" [edit. הֲרִמֹ֨תִי יָדִ֤י \"harimothi yadi\"] (Genesis 14:22), \"and greatly exalted\" refers to Moses, as it is written, \"Should you nurse it as a guardian carries a suckling, to the land which You swore to their fathers?\" (Numbers 11:12). \"And greater than the ministering angels\" refers to the verse, \"and their rims were lofty and awesome\" (Ezekiel 1:18). Therefore, \"Who are you, O great mountain?\" [before Zerubbabel to the plain], and Zerubbabel is from whom? He is from David, as it is said, \"and the son of Solomon, Rehoboam his son, Abijah his son, Asa his son, Jehoshaphat his son, Joram his son, Ahaziah his son, Joash his son, Amaziah his son, Azariah his son, Jotham his son, Ahaz his son, Hezekiah his son, Manasseh his son, Amon his son, Josiah his son, and his sons were Johanan the firstborn, Jehoiakim, and so on, and the sons of Jehoiakim were Jeconiah and so on, and the sons of Jeconiah were Shealtiel, and so on, and the son of Shealtiel was Zerubbabel, and Shimei, and the son of Zerubbabel was Meshullam, and Hananiah, and Shelomith, and so on, and the son of Hananiah was Pelatiah, and Isaiah, and so on, and the sons of Shecaniah were Shemaiah, and so on, and the son of Neri was Elioenai, and so on, and the sons of Elioenai were Hodaviah, Eliashib, Pelaiah, Akkub, Johanan, and Delaiah, and Anani—seven in all\" (Ezra 3:8-9). What is \"the seven,\" which is written in the Messiah, \"Who despises the day of small things,\" etc. These seven (Zechariah 4:10), for which are you, the great mountain before Zerubbabel [edit. offspring of Babylon], to be made a plain, of whom it is written, \"And he shall judge the poor in righteousness, and reprove with equity for the meek of the earth\" (Isaiah 11:4). And he brought forth the headstone (Zechariah 4:7) of our father Jacob, as it is said, \"And Jacob rose up early in the morning, and took the stone\" (Genesis 28:18). And similarly, Daniel says, \"I was watching until a stone was cut out without hands\" (Daniel 2:34). And from where does it come? Through the mountains, as it is said, \"How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that brings good tidings\" (Isaiah 52:7). At that time, Israel looks and says, \"I will lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth\" (Psalm 121:1-2)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter (45) 46: Torah. [1] \"And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba\" (Genesis 28:10) - This is the path of a fool, straight in his own eyes [and listens to wise advice] (Proverbs 12:15). This refers to Esau, as it is written: \"And Esau saw that the daughters of Canaan were evil in the eyes of Isaac his father\" (Genesis 28:8), and \"Esau went to Ishmael and took Mahalath\" (Genesis 28:9). He added trouble upon trouble. \"The path of a fool is straight in his own eyes, but he who listens to counsel is wise\" (Proverbs 12:15) - This refers to Jacob, as it is written: \"And Rebekah was told about the words of Esau her son\" (Genesis 27:42), [and she said] \"Why should I be deprived of both of you in one day?\" (Genesis 27:45) - Until when will he console me? When he kills you! \"And now, my son, listen to my voice\" (Genesis 27:8). She said to him, \"You have already listened to me and taken the blessings, so now listen to me again and live\" - Jacob replied. \"And this is the way that I will deceive my father\" (Genesis 27:12), and he said to her, \"Even he said [to me], 'do it,' and I will do it\" (Genesis 27:13), and Isaac called to Jacob, saying \"Arise, go to Paddan-Aram\" (Genesis 28:2). As soon as Jacob heard this, he said to Isaac, \"Give me your blessing\" - and Isaac said to him, \"May God Almighty bless you\" (Genesis 28:3), and immediately \"Jacob listened\" (Genesis 28:5) and \"Jacob went out and encountered the place\" (Genesis 28:11). Therefore, it is said, \"and he who listens to wise counsel.\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And Jacob went out.\" This means, \"As you walk, it will guide you\" (Proverbs 6:22). When a person toils in Torah during his lifetime, \"When you lie down, it will watch over you\" (Proverbs 6:22), guarding him from decay and worms. \"And when you wake up, it will converse with you\" (Proverbs 6:22), meaning that when everyone stands for judgment, Torah will be his advocate, teaching merit on his behalf. This applies to Jacob, who engaged in Torah study when he left his father's home. \"When you lie down, it will watch over you\" - when he took the stones of the place and placed them under his head and lay down in that place (Genesis 28:11), he was lying down and Torah was guarding him. \"And when you wake up, it will converse with you\" - when Jacob woke up from his sleep (Genesis 28:16), Torah was speaking with him.",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: [Genesis 28:10-11] \"And Jacob went out from Beersheba, and went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took one of the stones of that place, and put it under his head, and lay down in that place to sleep.\" The holy meaning of \"He will keep the feet of His holy ones\" (1 Samuel 2:9) is that the Holy One, blessed be He, will protect the righteous. This refers to Abraham, who pursued the kings. \"Who has stirred up one from the east, whom He calls in righteousness to His feet?\" (Isaiah 41:2) And the wicked shall be silent in darkness. These are the eighteen kings whom he slew in darkness, as it is said, \"And he divided himself against them by night\" (Genesis 14:15). Another explanation of \"He will keep the feet of His holy ones\" is Jacob, when he went out to go to Haran. For the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"Behold, I am with you, and will keep you wherever you go\" (Genesis 28:15). \"And the wicked shall be silent in darkness\" refers to Esau, as it is written, \"All darkness is laid up for his treasures\" (Job 20:26). \"And the house of Jacob shall be a fire, and the house of Esau for stubble\" (Obadiah 1:18). \"And the wicked shall be silent in darkness\" - when he went out to pursue Jacob in the tenth hour, and the Holy One, blessed be He, brought in the sun and made the day ten hours long, as it is said, \"And he lighted upon the place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set\" (Genesis 28:11), and Esau was standing in darkness and silence, not knowing where to go. Therefore, it is said, \"For by strength shall no man prevail\" (1 Samuel 2:9). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"Perhaps you are strong?\" Even in the future, He will do the same for Israel, as it is said, \"But the path of the righteous is like the light of dawn, which shines brighter and brighter until full day. The way of the wicked is like deep darkness; they do not know over what they stumble\" (Proverbs 4:18-19). If you wonder about this matter, behold, it has already occurred in this world, as it is said, \"No man saw his brother\" (Exodus 10:23). \"May the footsteps of His pious ones be guarded.\" When Jacob left his father's house, he only took his staff in his hand, as it is stated: \"For with my staff, I crossed this Jordan\" (Genesis 32:11). The Holy One Blessed be He said to Isaac, \"Just as your father Abraham did, so do for yourself. He did not give you all that he had, as it is stated: \"And Abraham gave all that he had to Isaac\" (Genesis 25:5). And similarly, \"And Abraham said to his servant, the elder of his house, who ruled over all that he had\" (Genesis 24:2). What is the meaning of \"who ruled\"? Rav Shmuel bar Rav Yitzchak said that he had control over all that Abraham had, and he even said to him, \"Even if you lose what I have, take a wife for my son from there.\" Immediately, the servant took ten camels and all the good things of his master were in his hand (Genesis 24:10). This demonstrates that the halacha was in his hand (as it is stated: \"And Abraham gave all that he had,\" Genesis 25:5), and furthermore, the servant began to distribute gifts. To this (i.e. Abraham's actions) we attribute the blessings, and to this (i.e. Isaac's actions) we attribute the rings. And Solomon cried out: \"There is one who scatters and yet increases more\" (Proverbs 11:24). May the Holy One Blessed be He be praised, as it is stated: \"And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed Isaac his son\" (Genesis 25:11). Look at all that Abraham did for Isaac, but Isaac did not do the same for Jacob. Instead, he sent him away empty-handed. The Holy One Blessed be He said to him, \"You have withheld from this poor man, from your own lack.\" As it is stated: \"And yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to rest; then your poverty will come as a robber, and your want like an armed man\" (Proverbs 6:10-11). If Jacob had nothing, the Divine Presence would have departed from him. And he could not speak with him except at the time of his death. Come and see what Esau did to Jacob; he saw him empty-handed and did not have mercy on him. Instead, he said, \"Let me go first, and if I cannot pass, then I will kill him.\" As it is stated: \"Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions...because he pursued his brother with the sword\" (Amos 1:11). Jacob turned his eyes to the Holy One Blessed be He and performed miracles for him. He placed his staff in the water, and the Jordan River split apart, as it is stated: \"With my staff, I crossed this Jordan\" (Genesis 32:11). Esau waited on the way, but Jacob did not pass by there. He felt that he had crossed the Jordan. What did Esau do? He pursued him and came ahead to the place of Makhpelah. Jacob said, \"I have neither bread nor anything else with me. I will go in and warm my body in this bath.\" Esau surrounded the bath so that Jacob could not leave. Jacob pretended to be dead so that he would not have to leave. Then the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"You are joined against a wicked man. I said, 'Here I am with you, etc.' \" Jacob said to him at that time, \"You have done this for your name's sake; I am sure of it.\" And Jacob went out and encountered the place, and there was no encounter except prayer, as it is said, \"Do not pray and do not encounter me\" (Jeremiah 7:16). David said, \"Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in\" (Psalms 121:4-8)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter (46) [47] of Prophets. [1] \"Jacob fled to the land of Aram\" (Hosea 12:13). This means \"My people, enter your chambers and shut your doors\" (Isaiah 26:20). Look within your heart and see that I have not brought suffering upon you according to your sins. Your inner chamber is your kidneys, as it says, \"The light of God is the breath of man, searching all his innermost parts\" (Proverbs 20:27). If suffering comes upon you, do not open your mouth and argue against divine justice. Rather, close your doors and remain silent, for \"Hide yourself for a moment, until the wrath passes\" (Isaiah 26:20). This is because suffering does not linger in the world; it passes, as it says, \"Until anger passes by\" (Isaiah 26:20). \"My people, go within your chambers.\" When you see that difficult times are approaching, do not stand in their way, but give them space. \"Go within your chambers\" means, \"Look to Me as if to say, 'I submit to Your will.'\" When I saw that difficult times were approaching because of your sins, I gave them space, as it says, \"He turned His right hand back\" (Lamentations 2:3). So too, \"My people, go within your chambers,\" means, \"You too, go within your chambers and submit to My will,\" for anyone who stands against difficult times falls into their hands, as it says, \"And they will testify against him, saying, 'Bless God and curse the people,' and they will take him outside the city and stone him to death\" (1 Kings 21:13), because he stood against difficult times. But Abraham made room for the hour, and fled from Nimrod king of the Chaldeans, as it is said \"Get yourself out of your country...\" (Genesis 12:1-4) And the opportunity presented itself and fell into his hands, as it is written, \"And Abimelech went to him from Gerar and they said, 'Behold, we have seen...'\" (Genesis 26:26-28). Joseph made room for the opportunity when he was being sold to the Ishmaelites and could not say, \"I am your brother,\" but remained silent and made room for the opportunity. And the opportunity presented itself and fell into his hands, as it is written, \"And his brothers also went and fell down before him...\" (Genesis 50:18). Jacob made room for the opportunity and fled from Esau, as it is written, \"And Jacob fled...\" (Hosea 12:13), and the opportunity presented itself and fell into his hands, as it is written, \"And Esau took his wives and went to the land away from Jacob his brother...\" (Genesis 36:6). Therefore, it is said to you, \"Come into your chambers, my people...\" (Isaiah 26:20).",
+                "[2] Alternative interpretation: \"And Jacob fled. \"The prudent sees danger and hides himself\" (Proverbs 22:3). This is Jacob, and what did he see and flee from? Once he received the blessings, Esau began seeking to kill him, as it is said, \"And Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said in his heart, 'The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.'\" (Genesis 27:41). Jacob went to stay with Ishmael, as it says, \"And Esau went to Ishmael\" (Genesis 28:9). Jacob said to Ishmael, \"Your brother Isaac is my father, and I cannot kill him. But if you join forces with me, we will kill Esau.\" It was for Esau that Abraham was forced to expel Ishmael from his home, as Sarah said, \"Cast out this slave woman and her son\" (Genesis 21:10). \"You kill my brother and I will kill Jacob my brother, and we will take the whole world for ourselves.\" And he also thought to himself, \"If anyone kills his father, I will kill Jacob my brother.\" I will come to prosecute Ishmael, asking him why he killed my father, and I will kill him and take the whole world for myself. God said to him, \"No creature knows what you thought in your heart,\" as it is said, \"Because you have said, 'These two nations and these two lands will be mine, and we will possess them,' although the Lord was there\" (Ezekiel 35:10). \"I was there, and now I am revealing what you wanted to do,\" as it is said, \"For I have laid bare Esau, I have uncovered his hiding places\" (Jeremiah 49:10). \"And I have only revealed the obvious,\" as it is said, \"Reveal the arm of the Holy One and uncover his hiding places\" (Isaiah 52:10). \"Why did you want to destroy his offspring and his brother and his divine presence?\" And that is why they did not succeed. When Jacob saw these actions, he said, \"Why should I sit here and endanger myself and Ishmael? Therefore it is said, 'The prudent sees danger and hides himself' (Proverbs 22:3), and Jacob fled to the field of Aram.\" And the Holy Spirit cried out, saying, \"For God shall cast upon him, and not spare; he would fain flee out of his hand.\" (Job 27:22)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (47) 48: Writings</b> [1]\"A song of ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains - where does my help come from? My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth\" (Psalm 121:1-2). This is similar to \"And your eyes shall see\" (Malachi 1:5). What do you gain from seeing the downfall of Edom? Look to what is written above it: \"For Esau says, 'We have been ravaged, but we will rebuild the ruins.'\" (Malachi 1:5). The downfall of Edom is not what I am seeking from you, but rather praise and glory, as it is written: \"And you will say, 'Great is the Lord!'\" (Malachi 1:5). The prince of Edom is difficult, and so Zechariah says: \"Then I looked up - and there before me were four chariots coming out from between two mountains - mountains of bronze!\" (Zechariah 6:1). The people of Israel said, \"Where will my help come from? From which kingdom will we be saved, and which kingdom will restore your kingdom?\" And it is written, \"In the last days the mountain of the Lord's temple will be established\" (Isaiah 2:2). Similarly, Daniel says: \"I heard, but I did not understand. So I asked, 'My lord, what will the outcome of all this be?'\" (Daniel 12:8). And the Lord said to him, \"The prophet has already preceded you and said, 'In the last days, it shall come to pass'\" (Isaiah 2:2). And the nations will go (Isaiah 2:3). At that time, my help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth. (Psalm 121:2)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (48) 49: Torah</b> [1] \"And the LORD saw that Leah was hated\" (Genesis 29:31). \"The LORD upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down\" (Psalm 145:14). The measures of the Holy One, blessed be He, are not like the measures of flesh and blood. When a wealthy person loves someone, he clings to him and bends toward him, but when he sees that person lower his hand to the poor, he does not want him anymore and casts him aside. However, the Holy One, blessed be He, when He sees a person who is bowed down and lowering his hand, He extends His hand and lifts him up, as it is said, \"The LORD upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down.\" The verse does not say here, \"The LORD upholds all who stand,\" but rather, \"The LORD upholds all who fall and raises up all who are bowed down.\" Even the wicked, if they fall, He upholds them, as it is said, \"The LORD upholds all who fall.\" \"God forbid, if they fall, they have no standing, as it is said: 'The workers of iniquity have fallen; they are thrust down, and are not able to rise' (Psalms 36:13). And why? As it is said: 'They are like the chaff which the wind driveth away' (Psalms 35:5). But the righteous, even when they fall, are not cast down, for the Lord upholds their hand, as it is said: 'Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down, for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand' (Psalms 37:24). Therefore, trust in the Lord, for He supports all those who have fallen.\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And the Lord saw that Leah was hated.\" Once He saw that Leah was hated, He said, \"How can I make her beloved in her husband's eyes? Rather, I will raise her up and give her children first, so that she will be loved in them by her husband.\" Therefore, He opened her womb, as it is written in Ezra, \"Caleb son of Hezron fathered children by Azubah his wife and by Jerioth\" (1 Chronicles 2:18). Rabbi Berechiah said, \"Azubah was his wife, and why was she called 'forsaken'? Because she was forsaken and barren. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Behold, I am giving her children, so that she will be beautiful in them,' as it is written, 'These were her sons: Ishhod, Shobab, and Ardon'\" (1 Chronicles 2:18). Therefore, it is said, \"The Lord upholds all who fall\" (Psalm 145:14).",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And the Lord saw that Leah was hated. And it shall be that the man [Jacob] will have two wives (Deuteronomy 21:15). Rabbi Berechiah said: This man is Jacob, as it is stated, 'And Jacob was a simple man' (Genesis 25:27). There were two wives, Rachel and Leah. The one [Leah] was beloved, as it is written, 'this is Leah' (Deuteronomy 21:15), and the other was unloved, as it is written, 'And the Lord saw that Leah was unloved' (Genesis 29:31). Both of them bore children for him [Jacob]. What Leah accomplished, Rachel did not accomplish, and what Rachel accomplished, Leah did not accomplish. Leah gave birth to kings, and Rachel gave birth to kings. Leah gave birth to prophets, and Rachel gave birth to prophets. Leah gave birth to judges, and Rachel gave birth to judges. And the firstborn son was to the unloved [Leah], this is Reuben, as it is stated, 'And Leah conceived and bore a son, and she called his name Reuben' (Genesis 29:32). And on the day that he [Jacob] bestowed his blessing, at the time when Jacob sought to depart from the world, he called his sons [to him]... 'he shall not give the son of the beloved [Rachel] precedence over the son of the unloved [Leah],' to Joseph [he gave this blessing], 'why should he [Reuben] be granted the rights of the firstborn?' (Deuteronomy 21:17) [\"This is Reuben, as it is said, 'Reuben, you are my firstborn' (Genesis 49:3)]. Although I said that his impulsiveness was like water, do not withhold [praise] from him, for 'his bed is on high' (Genesis 49:4). What is 'on high'? When Moses comes, about whom it is written, 'And Moses went up' (Exodus 19:3), he will redeem you. Since Moses stood up and pleaded for him, as it is said, 'May Reuben live and not die' (Deuteronomy 33:6),. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'He shall live and not die,' [and thus] you [Reuben] are able to take two portions, as it is stated, 'For he [Reuben] should receive a double portion' (Deuteronomy 21:17). 'May Reuben live' - in this world; 'and not die' - in the World to Come. \"For he is the beginning of my strength and so on. And it is written, 'my strength and the beginning of my might' (Genesis 49:3). Therefore, the Lord saw that Leah was hated.\"",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: \"And the Lord saw that Leah was hated. So she remained a barren woman in the wilderness...\" (Jeremiah 12:8), what does it mean that \"the Lord saw that Leah was hated\"? God saw that Leah was destined to bear wicked children, and so he called her \"hated.\" These wicked kings were Jehoram, Ahaziah, Joash, Menasseh, Amon, Jehoiakim, and Zedekiah. Jehoram is referred to as \"he walked in the way of the kings of Israel, just as the house of Ahab did\" (2 Kings 8:18). As for Ahaz, what is written about him? \"And he did not do what was right in the eyes of the Lord his God, as his father David had done\" (2 Kings 16:2). Isaiah said to him, \"Ask for a sign from the Lord your God, whether it be in the depths or in the heights above\" (Isaiah 7:11). Ahaz replied, \"I do not want to test the Lord\" (Isaiah 7:12). Joash, the third king, even though it is written about him that \"Joash did what was right in the eyes of the Lord all the years Jehoiada the priest instructed him\" (2 Kings 12:2), once Jehoiada the priest died, Joash became evil, as it is written: \"When Jehoiada died, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king. Then the king listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the Lord, the God of their ancestors, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols\" (2 Chronicles 24:17-18). \"The fourth is Manasseh, as it is said, 'And he set up the image of Asherah, which he had made, in the house of which the Lord said...' (2 Kings 21:7). The fifth is Amon, as it is written of him, 'And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done, and among all the idols that Manasseh his father had made, Amon sacrificed and served them and did not humble himself before the Lord, as Manasseh his father had done' (2 Kings 21:20-22). The sixth is Jehoiakim, as it is written of him, 'And the rest of the deeds of Jehoiakim, and the abominations that he did...' (2 Kings 23:37), and not only that, but he also despised the word and drew the foreskin for himself. The seventh is Zedekiah, and what is written of him is, 'And he did what was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and did not humble himself before Jeremiah the prophet, who spoke from the mouth of the Lord' (2 Kings 21:12). Thus, there were seven wicked kings, and therefore the prophet cries out, 'Woe to her who is pregnant with wickedness, to the daughter of seven! (Micah 5:1).' Therefore it is said, 'And the Lord saw that Leah was hated' (Genesis 29:31), see what will come out of the children of Leah, and he called her 'hated,' and the Lord saw that Leah was hated.\"",
+                "[5] Another interpretation: And God saw who was hated, in the presence of her husband, when he rebuked her. When was this? As it is said, \"And Jacob served Rachel for seven years\" (Genesis 29:18). This is what his mother Rebekah told him, \"And you shall dwell with him for a few days\" (Genesis 27:44). And Jacob loved Rachel (Genesis 29:18). And Jacob said to Laban, \"Give me my wife\" (Genesis 29:21), and it was in the evening, and all night he lay with her, thinking that she was Rachel. When he woke up in the morning, he saw that it was Leah. He said to her, \"Why have you deceived me?\" She replied, \"Didn't you deceive your father when he asked you, 'Are you my son Esau?' and you said, 'I am' (Genesis 27:19)? And when he blessed you, you said, 'Why have you deceived me?' But your father didn't say, 'Your brother Esau came with deceit and took your blessing' (Genesis 27:35).\" Because of these things, which rebuked him, he began to hate her. God said, \"Her only cure is to have children. I will give her children, and her husband will be humbled before her.\" Therefore, God saw that Leah was hated (Genesis 29:31). \"He opens the womb\" (Genesis 29:31). David mocks and says, \"He executes justice for the oppressed; He gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free\" (Psalms 146:7)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter [49] 50: Prophets</b> [1] And there was a man from the town of Ramathaim (1 Samuel 1:1). This is like what I sought and did not find: one man among a thousand (Ecclesiastes 7:28). What does this mean? When the Holy One, blessed be He, sees a generation that is wicked, He seeks even one righteous person who will be hanged for their sins. This is what we find in Jerusalem when there were wicked people and He sought even one righteous person who would be hanged for their sins, as it is said, \"Roam the streets of Jerusalem, look around and take note; search her squares and see if you can find one person, one who acts justly and seeks truth, that I may pardon her\" (Jeremiah 5:1). Why does one righteous person uphold the world? As Solomon said, \"When the storm has swept by, the wicked are gone, but the righteous stand firm forever\" (Proverbs 10:25). The righteous uphold the world, for when the people sinned during the days of Micah, they offered incense to Micah's idol, and smoke from the sacrifices to the Lord rose up while smoke from Micah's idol rose up from Ephraim's house of Micah, and they mixed together as one, as it is said, \"Smoke rose from His nostrils; consuming fire came from His mouth, burning coals blazed out of it\" (Psalm 18:9). It is as if He seeks even one righteous person so that the world will not be overturned, as it is said, \"I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one\" (Ezekiel 22:30). Then He found one man for Elkanah, and there was a man from the town of Ramathaim.",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: Regarding this matter, I found one person out of a thousand. This is Abraham, and how so? It was expected that until Abraham stood up, a thousand generations would pass, and then Abraham would come. Similarly, David said, \"He commanded His word to a thousand generations, the covenant which He made with Abraham\" (Psalm 105:8). And when God saw that there was no one among them worthy, except for all of them being wicked, He rolled them up and skipped over twenty generations, and then created Abraham. Therefore, it is said, \"I have found one man out of a thousand\" (Ecclesiastes 7:28), he found the greatest man among giants [Anaqim] (Joshua 14:15). Similarly, Elkanah was found as a righteous person, unique in his generation, and all his deeds are similar to Abraham's. Abraham is called a prophet, as it is said, \"For he is a prophet\" (Genesis 20:7), and Elkanah is also called a prophet, as it is said, \"And there came a man of God unto Eli\" (1 Samuel 2:27), this is Elkanah. Abraham acquired for God the heavens and the earth, as it is written, \"Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Maker of heaven and earth\" (Genesis 14:19). And Elkanah also acquired for God the heavens and the earth, as it is said, \"And his name was Elkanah\" (1 Samuel 1:1), who acquired for God the heavens and the earth. Abraham is called \"one,\" as it is written, \"Abraham was one\" (Ezekiel 33:24), and Elkanah is also called \"one,\" as it is written, \"And there was a certain man\" (1 Samuel 1:1).",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And there was one man. The verse states (Isaiah 55:8), 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.' The attributes of the Holy One, blessed be He, are not like the attributes of flesh and blood. A mortal king does not wield his scepter himself, nor does he ride his horse himself. He is not called Augustus like Caesar. But the Holy One, blessed be He, is not so. His eye is not evil toward His creatures. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'I have a scepter. When will Moses come and use it?' As it is stated (Exodus 4:20), 'And Moses took the rod of God in his hand.' His horse is a storm, as it is written (Nahum 1:3), 'The Lord has His way in the whirlwind and in the storm.' Elijah will come and ride upon it, as it is stated (2 Kings 2:11), 'And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven.' My throne, as it is stated (1 Chronicles 29:23), 'Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as king.' My name, as it is stated (Deuteronomy 6:4), 'Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one.' Eleazar the righteous will come and call out in it, 'And there was one man.' And so he cried out, 'For My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.'\" (Isaiah 55:8).",
+                "[4] \"And there was a man, whose understanding was to be praised\" (Proverbs 12:8). Why is it praised that Elkanah had two wives who hated each other, and he was able to stand them both? It can be compared to a friend who was bitten by a venomous snake and died, and his student stood and was bitten by two snakes but was not harmed. Who should be praised? Not the student. Similarly, Adam could not stand with one woman alone, but it was necessary to give him another woman as well (Genesis 3:6). Elkanah had two wives and was able to stand them both, and he had two wives because he was a man of great understanding.",
+                "[5] Another interpretation: \"[And there was one a man] was blessed as a righteous man (Proverbs 10:7), and his name was Elkanah. While the name of the wicked shall rot (Proverbs 10:7). This refers to Micah, but why is he called \"Mahar Ephraim\"? Because it is written, \"Mahar Ephraim\" (1 Samuel 1:1). Similarly, it is written about Micah, \"There was a man from the hill country of Ephraim whose name was Micah\" (Judges 17:1). However, these two individuals are not similar to each other. Elkanah was responsible for the Jewish people's obligation to God's image, while Micah [edit. Not the prophet] atoned for the Jewish people's sins. As it is said, \"And that man went up from his town year after year to worship and sacrifice to the LORD Almighty at Shiloh\" (1 Samuel 1:3), from Passover to Passover, as it is said, \"And you shall observe this practice at its appointed time, from year to year\" (Exodus 13:10). Elkanah would take a goat and offer a sin offering for all Israel, to fulfill what Moses said, \"They shall put incense before You and whole burnt-offerings upon Your altar\" (Deuteronomy 33:10). Therefore, it is said, \"A righteous man's memory is a blessing\" (Proverbs 10:7). "
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter (50) 51: Writings. [1] A song of ascents. I lift my eyes to the mountains; from where will my help come? (Psalm 121:1) The Lord said to David, \"Until now you say, 'I lift my eyes, etc.' But I already spoke about you through Moses, 'And this is the blessing for Judah, etc.' (Deuteronomy 33:7). And this is for David who stands from Judah, as it says, 'Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah' (Judges 1:19), 'Hear, Lord, his voice' (2 Samuel 22:7), when he prays before You while descending on a slope, 'Bring him to his people' (Deuteronomy 33:7). And when David returned from striking the Philistine, 'His hands are strong for him' (Deuteronomy 33:7). When did the Philistines stand on one side of the mountain and the Israelites on the other side (1 Samuel 17:3)? It was in the merit of Abimelech who showed respect to Abraham, as it says, 'And Abimelech said, \"Here is my land before you; settle wherever you please\"' (Genesis 20:15). And the Israelites stood on this side of the mountain in the merit of Abraham. [Note: the last sentence in Hebrew is ambiguous, and can be translated as \"And the Philistines stood on this side of the mountain, relying on Galut which is called 'this,'\" or as \"And the Philistines stood confidently on the other side of the mountain,\" as reflected in the square brackets.] As it says, 'Have you seen this man who has come up?' (1 Samuel 17:25). And the Israelites stood on this side of the mountain, relying on David who is called 'this,' as it says, 'Arise, anoint him; for this is he' (1 Samuel 16:12). The Devil and the Philistines stand on this mountain. The Devil assists them, as it is written, \"And the Lord said to Satan, 'From where do you come?'\" (Job 2:2). And the Israelites stand on the mountain from this side. The ministering angels assist them, who are called \"this,\" as it is written, \"And they called one to the other\" (Isaiah 6:3). And the Philistines stand on the mountain from this side. The Devil accuses the Israelites and says, \"This is what Israel said in the desert: 'This is your God, O Israel'\" (Exodus 32:4 and Exodus 32:8). And the ministering angels teach them merit and say to them, \"This is not what they said to you at the sea, 'This is my God, and I will glorify Him'\" (Exodus 15:2). When David raised his eyes and saw the Philistines standing on the other side of the mountain, he became afraid and recited the Song of Ascents: \"I lift up my eyes to the mountains, from where will my help come?\" (Psalms 121:1). God said to him, \"Are you afraid?\" David replied, \"From where will my help come?\" God responded, \"Look at what you have with you.\" And there was the valley between them (1 Samuel 17:3). This is referring to Moses, as it is written in (Deuteronomy 34:6) that \"He buried him [Moses] in the valley.\" Through Moses, God's handiwork was accomplished, and he was aided by God in freeing the Israelites from Egypt, as it is written in (Deuteronomy 33:7): \"And this [Moses] is the one by whom I wrote with my own hand and said, 'My helper, God's aid makes heaven and earth.'\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter [51] 52:Torah [1] And God remembered Rachel (Genesis 30:22). This refers to when the God-fearing people spoke to each other (Malachi 3:16). This is Jacob and Rachel, as it is written earlier in the passage, \"And Rachel saw that she had not borne children to Jacob and she envied her sister\" (Genesis 30:1). Why was she jealous now? When she saw her sister entering her wedding canopy, she was not jealous, but now she was jealous. Why was she jealous? Rather, she was jealous of her good deeds, saying, \"If I am not righteous like her, the Holy One, blessed be He, will not give me children before her.\" Therefore, she was jealous of her actions, as it is written, \"Let not your heart be envious of sinners, but be in the fear of the Lord all day long\" (Proverbs 23:17). Therefore, Rachel became jealous and said to Jacob, \"Give me children, or else I am as good as dead\" (Genesis 30:1). A woman who is barren and does not give birth is considered dead, but Rachel said, \"If I do not give birth from this righteous man, my father will marry me to a wicked man, and I will die with him in the next world,\" as it is written, \"The wicked man's evil will destroy him\" (Psalms 34:22). Therefore, she said, \"Or else I am as good as dead.\" Another interpretation: \"Give me children.\" She said to him, \"If you ask for me, I will give birth. When you asked for sheep to give birth, they gave birth,\" as it is written, \"And the flocks mated in front of the rods\" (Genesis 30:39). Another interpretation: \"Give me children.\" She said to him, \"If you ask for me, I will give birth. Do as your father Isaac did, whose wife was barren, and he prayed for her,\" as it is written, \"And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife\" (Genesis 25:21). Jacob said to her, \"Isaac had only one wife, so he prayed for her. But I have four wives. Leah has already given birth. If you do not give birth, Bilhah will give birth instead.\" She said to him, \"If you are not willing to do as Isaac your father did, do as Abraham your grandfather did, who listen to Sarah when she said to him, \"Behold, the Lord has prevented me from bearing children\" (Genesis 16:2), so you also take my maid Bilhah and come to her (Genesis 30:3). And I will build through her as well, not just Sarah. In addition, what did Rachel see fit to say, \"Give me children or else I will die\" (Genesis 30:1)? She was prophesying that she would die soon, as it is written, \"And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died on me\" (Genesis 48:7). She said to him, \"Give me children before I die,\" as it is written, \"Give me children\" (Genesis 30:1), immediately Jacob became angry. Is there a God who does nothing but what He desires? I am that God who withheld from you fruit of the womb (Genesis 30:2). I withheld from you, but from me, I have already given you children in abundance. God said to him, \"Are you showing kindness to her and saying, 'Is there a God besides me?' As I live, I will cause her to bear a son who will say to his brothers, 'I am above God'\" (Genesis 30:19). Indeed, they are talking about these things, as if God inclined His ear and listened and wrote down their words, as it is written, \"Then those who feared the Lord spoke to one another\" (Malachi 3:16). When the time was right, He took out the Book of Remembrance and remembered her, as it is written, \"And God remembered Rachel\" (Genesis 30:22).",
+                "[2] Another thing: And God remembered. \"The house of the wicked shall be destroyed\" (Proverbs 10:24) - this refers to Esau, who was afraid of the blessings that Jacob had received. He said, \"Now he is blessed and has many children, and I have nothing.\" And so it was, as it is said, \"The land could not support them\" (Genesis 36:7), and Esau took his wives. \"But the desire of the righteous shall be granted\" (Proverbs 10:24) - this refers to Rachel, who desired to have a child from Jacob, as it is said, \"And Rachel saw\" (Genesis 30:1). Jacob also desired a child from Rachel, and everything that he worked for her was for this purpose, as it is said, \"I will serve you seven years\" (Genesis 29:18), and \"they seemed to him but a few days for the love he had for her\" (Genesis 29:20). As long as Rachel did not bear a child, Jacob did not want to go to his father's house, because he thought, \"If I go to my father's house now, Laban will say to me, 'Since Rachel has not borne children for you all these years, leave her here and go.'\" And see how much he desired to have a child from her, for as soon as she gave birth, Jacob said to Laban, \"Send me away\" (Genesis 30:25). Therefore it is said, \"But the desire of the righteous shall be granted.\"",
+                "[3] And God remembered Rachel. This means that her mighty ones stumbled in their journey (Nahum 2:6). Her mighty ones refer to Jacob and Rachel, whom the Holy One, blessed be He, remembered and settled the account that He had promised Abraham. \"Thus shall your seed be\" (Genesis 15:5). However, they stumbled in their journey, as Jacob said, \"With whomever you find your gods, he shall not live\" (Genesis 31:32). He went to Rachel and did not know what had happened, and what caused her death on the way, as it says, \"And as for me, when I came from Paddan, Rachel died beside me in the land of Canaan on the way\" (Genesis 48:7). The phrase \"they stumbled in their journey\" is compared to a shepherd who saw a wolf entering to snatch a lamb, took a stone to throw at the wolf, and went after the lamb. Similarly, Jacob cursed and thought he was cursing Laban, not knowing that his curse was falling on his own sheep, as it says, \"And Jacob did not know\" (Genesis 31:32). Therefore, Rachel died on the way, and why did she die in Bethlehem? The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"My children need her there, in the hour when they sin and steal, and she remembers Me just as I remember her,\" as it says, \"Thus says the Lord: A voice is heard in Ramah...Rachel weeping for her children\" (Jeremiah 31:15). He said to her, \"Restrain your voice from weeping\" (Jeremiah 31:16). And what reward does she have for her days being cut short and dying on the way? It is that she remembers Me on behalf of my children, as it says, \"There is a reward for your deeds, says the Lord...and your children shall return to their own border\" (Jeremiah 31:16-17)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (52) 53: Prophets</b> [1] \"She vowed a vow and said, etc.\" (1 Samuel 1:11). \"Gilead is mine, etc.\" (Psalm 60:9). Rabbi Berachiah said: There are four opinions. One says there is no resurrection of the dead. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"Behold, Elijah, who revived the dead man from Gilead\" (1 Kings 17:1), will come and testify before me. \"Gilead is mine\" (Psalm 60:9). And one says that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not accept repentance. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"Behold, Manasseh, who angered me so much, who committed so many sins, and yet I accepted him when he repented. He will come and testify before me.\" \"Woe to me because of Manasseh!\" And one says that the Holy One, blessed be He, does not save from the fire. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"Behold, Hananiah and his companions were saved from the fiery furnace that was in Judah\" (Daniel 1:6) [Edit. also Daniel 3:20]. \"Hoy Yehudah Mechokekai\" means \"Judah, you are the lawmakers.\" And one saying goes, \"A barren woman does not give birth.\" God said, \"Let Elkanah from Mount Ephraim come, and he will testify about his wife who was barren and gave birth,\" as it says, \"There was a certain man from Ramathaim-zophim in the hill country of Ephraim\" (1 Samuel 1:1). \"Hoy Ephraim Me'oz Roshi\" means \"Ephraim, you are the strength of my head.\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And she vowed a vow and said...\" (1 Samuel 1:11). This is in reference to \"And the Lord God, Lord is remembered\" (Hosea 12:6) [tzevaot - Armies, war etc.] the Hosts , Lord God Hosts [edit. YHVH elohiy Tzevaot]\" (Amos 3:13), indicating that God brings about our glory both in the heavenly hosts and the earthly hosts. How does He bring about our glory in the earthly hosts? As it says, \"He who calls the waters of the sea and pours them out upon the face of the earth\" (Amos 9:6). And how does He bring about our glory in the heavenly hosts? As it says, \"The stars in their courses fought against Sisera\" (Judges 5:20). Hannah said [to God], \"If you grant me children from the armies below, as you have promised, then I will be blessed among all nations, and there shall be no barrenness in me\" (Deuteronomy 7:14). But if it is from the armies above that I seek, then make me a sign that I may be established as they are, with life and continuity. Therefore it is said, \"The Lord of hosts.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: And she vowed a vow, and said, \"If you will see me, then you will see that I am barren, and Zion is barren, as it is said, \"Sing, O barren one\" (Isaiah 54:1). If you see me, then you will also see Zion, and remember me, for me, and do not forget your truth, for Zion. There are seven barren ones corresponding to the seven days of creation. The first is Sarah, as it is written, \"And Sarai was barren\" (Genesis 11:30), corresponding to the first day. And what was created on the first day? Heaven and Earth, which belong to this purchase by the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said, \"Blessed is Avram to G-d on High, Possessor of heaven and earth\" [Rashi: having acquired them by creating them] (Genesis 14:19). The second is Rebecca, as it is said, \"And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren\" (Genesis 25:21), corresponding to the second day. And what was created on the second day? The firmament, as it is said, \"Let there be a firmament in the midst of the waters, and let it separate between water and water\" (Genesis 1:6). Rebecca also gave birth to two sons, Jacob and Esau, as it is said, \"And I will separate you from the peoples\" (Leviticus 20:26). The third is Leah, as it is said, \"And the Lord saw that Leah was hated, and He opened her womb\" (Genesis 29:31), corresponding to the third day. And what was created on the third day? Vegetation, as it is said, \"Let the earth sprout vegetation\" (Genesis 1:11). And Reuben, the son of Leah, built, as it is said, \"And Reuben went in the days of the wheat harvest\" (Genesis 30:14). The fourth is Rachel, corresponding to the fourth day. And what was created on the fourth day? The sun, moon, stars, and constellations, as it is said, \"And God said, 'Let there be lights'\" (Genesis 1:14). And Joseph, the son of Rachel, stood as her offspring, and they bowed down to him, as it is said, \"And behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were bowing down to me\" (Genesis 37:9). The fifth corresponds to Thursday, and what was created on Thursday? Birds that fly in the air (Genesis 1:20). And so was Samuel, the son of Hannah, like a bird flying from place to place and from country to country, and eventually returning to his nest. And so was Samuel involved in the affairs of Israel, going to all places, as it is said, \"And he used to go yearly on circuit to Bethel and Gilgal and Mizpah, and he judged Israel in all these places\" And his return was to Ramah, for there was his home. (1 Samuel 7:16-17) The sixth corresponds to the Hazzelelponith, the mother of Samson, as it is written: \"And their sister (Hazzelelponith) [Hazzelelponi]\"(1 Chronicles 4:3) . What was created on the sixth day? Man, and what happened to man? He died by the hand of his wife, as it is written: \"And to Adam He said... for from the tree... you shall surely die\" (Genesis 3:17), and Samson, too, died at the hands of his wife, as it is written: \"And he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, and her name was Delilah\" (Judges 16:4). The Philistines seized him and gouged out his eyes (Judges 16:21). The seventh corresponds to Zion, as it is written: \"And on the seventh day He rested\" (Exodus 20:11). And Zion is my resting place forever (Psalm 132:14). Therefore, Isaiah said: \"Sing, O barren one, you who did not bear\" (Isaiah 54:1).",
+                "*מָרָא mikä menee eteenpäin, armeija, sota, sodankäynti, isäntäarmeija, isäntä (järjestäytyneen armeijan) » (enkelien) isäntä » auringosta, kuusta ja tähdistä » koko luomakunnasta »",
+                "sota, sodankäynti, palvelu, lähteä sotaan » palvelua",
+                "[3] Toinen tulkinta: Ja hän vannoi lupauksen ja sanoi: \"Jos näet minut, niin näet, että minä olen hedelmätön ja Siion on hedelmätön, kuten sanotaan: \"Laula, hedelmätön\" (Jesaja 54:1). Jos näet minut, näet myös Siionin ja muistat minua minun puolestani, äläkä unohda totuuttasi Siionin puolesta. Seitsemän hedelmätöntä vastaa seitsemää luomispäivää. Ensimmäinen on Saara, kuten on kirjoitettu: \"Ja Saarai oli hedelmätön\" (1. Moos. 11:30), joka vastaa ensimmäistä päivää. Ja mitä luotiin ensimmäisenä päivänä? Taivas ja maa, jotka kuuluvat tähän Pyhän ostoon, siunattiin olkoon Hän, kuten sanotaan: \"Siunattu olkoon Avram korkeudessa olevalle Jumalalle, taivaan ja maan omistajalle.\" [Rashi: hankkinut ne luomalla ne] (1. Moos. 14:19) Toinen on Rebekka, kuten sanotaan, \"Ja Yitsak rukoili Hashemia vaimonsa puolesta, koska tämä oli hedelmätön\" (1. Moos. 25:21), joka vastaa toista päivää. Ja mitä luotiin toisena päivänä? Taivaanvahvuus, kuten sanotaan: \"Tulkoon taivaanvahvuus vetten keskelle, ja erottukoon veden ja veden välillä\" (1 Moos 1:6). Rebekka synnytti myös kaksi poikaa, Jaakobin ja Esaun, kuten sanotaan: \"Ja minä erotan sinut kansoista\" (3. Moos. 20:26). Kolmas on Lea, kuten sanotaan: \"Ja Hashem näki, että Leaa vihattiin, ja hän avasi hänen kohtunsa\" (1. Moos. 29:31), joka vastaa kolmatta päivää. Ja mitä luotiin kolmantena päivänä? Kasvillisuus, kuten sanotaan: \"Isokoon maa kasvillisuutta\" (1. Moos. 1:11). Ja Ruuben, Lean poika, rakensi, kuten sanotaan: \"Ja Ruuben meni vehnänkorjuun päivinä\" (1. Moos. 30:14). Neljäs on Raakel, joka vastaa neljättä päivää. Ja mitä luotiin neljäntenä päivänä? Aurinko, kuu, tähdet ja tähtikuviot, kuten sanotaan: \"Ja Jumala sanoi: 'Tulkoon valot'\" (1. Moos. 1:14). Ja Joosef, Raakelin poika, seisoi hänen jälkeläisenä, ja he kumartuivat hänen eteensä, kuten sanotaan: \"Ja katso, aurinko, kuu ja yksitoista tähteä kumartuivat minulle\" (1. Moos. 37:9). . Viides vastaa torstaita, ja mitä luotiin torstaina? Linnut, jotka lentävät ilmassa (1. Moos. 1:20). Samoin Samuel, Hannan poika, oli kuin lintu, joka lensi paikasta toiseen ja maasta toiseen ja palasi lopulta pesäänsä. Samoin Samuel osallistui Israelin asioihin, ja hän meni kaikkialle, kuten sanotaan: \"Ja hän kulki vuosittain kiertoradalla Beeteliin, Gilgaliin ja Mispaan, ja hän tuomitsi Israelin kaikissa näissä paikoissa.\" Ja hänen paluunsa oli Raamaan, sillä siellä oli hänen kotinsa. (1. Samuel 7:16-17) Kuudes vastaa Hazzelelponithia, Simsonin äitiä, kuten on kirjoitettu: \"Ja heidän sisarensa (Hazzelelponith) [Hazzelelponi]\" (1 Aikakirja 4:3). Mitä luotiin kuudentena päivänä? Mies, ja mitä ihmiselle tapahtui? Hän kuoli vaimonsa kädestä, kuten on kirjoitettu: \"Ja Aadamille hän sanoi... sillä puusta... sinä varmasti kuolet\" (1. Moos. 3:17), ja myös Simson kuoli vaimonsa käsissä, kuten on kirjoitettu: \"Ja hän rakasti naista Sorekin laaksossa, ja hänen nimensä oli Delila\" (Tuomarit 16:4). Filistealaiset ottivat hänet kiinni ja puhkaisivat hänen silmänsä (Tuomarit 16:21). Seitsemäs vastaa Siionia, kuten on kirjoitettu: \"Ja seitsemäntenä päivänä hän lepäsi\" (2. Moos. 20:11). Ja Siion on minun lepopaikkani ikuisesti (Psalmi 132:14). Siksi Jesaja sanoi: \"Laula, oi hedelmätön, sinä, joka ei ole kantanut\" (Jesaja 54:1)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter (53) 54: Writings [1] A song of ascents; I will lift up my eyes to the mountains. From where does my help come? (Psalm 121:1) May God send your help from the Sanctuary [and support you from Zion]. (Psalm 20:3) When the Holy One, blessed be He, comes to redeem Israel, He will only redeem them from Zion, because the entire world is included from there, as it is written, \"From Zion, perfection of beauty, God shines forth.\" (Psalm 50:2) When will this happen? \"And his feet shall stand on that day upon the Mount of Olives.\" (Zechariah 14:4) And Israel will say, \"I will lift up my eyes,\" etc. (Psalm 121:1) \"And the Lord will go forth and fight against those nations.\" (Zechariah 14:3) Therefore, it is said, \"May God send your help from the Sanctuary,\" and therefore the Holy Spirit cries out and says, \"Oh, that the salvation of Israel would come out of Zion!\" (Psalm 14:7)",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"A Song of Ascents. I lift up my eyes to the mountains...\" (Psalms 121:1) This refers to the time when Jacob fled from Laban, and he went and settled in the mountains. Laban pursued him and caught up with him, as it says, \"And Laban caught up with Jacob, and Jacob pitched his tent on the mountain\" (Genesis 31:25). Laban intended to kill Jacob, as Moses says, \"An Aramean sought to destroy my father\" (Deuteronomy 26:5). And who was that Aramean but Laban, who sought to destroy our forefather Jacob? Jacob began saying, \"I lift up my eyes to the mountains,\" and God apparently revealed Himself to the wicked Laban and made himself Laban's emissary in order to fulfill Jacob's needs, as it says, \"And God came to Laban...and did not permit him to harm him [Jacob]\" (Genesis 31:24). And Jacob was later afraid of Esau, as it says, \"And Jacob was greatly afraid\" (Genesis 32:8). He said, \"Whoever saved you from Laban will save you from me,\" as it says, \"Happy are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the Lord...\" (Deuteronomy 33:29)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (54) 55: Torah</b> [1] And Jacob sent messengers (Genesis 32:4). He sent angelic soldiers, but see what is written above: \"angels of God met him, and Jacob said when he saw them\" (Genesis 32:2-3). And Jacob sent messengers. This is the meaning of \"You shall be surrounded by eyes\" (Isaiah 60:4). From the day Jacob came out of his mother's womb, God foresaw that Esau would seek to kill him, and therefore God assigned angels to guard him. Similarly, David said, \"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty\" (Psalm 91:1), for He will command His angels concerning you. (Psalms 91:11). And the ministering angels guarded him all the days that he was in the land of Israel. When he left to go to Laban, those ministering angels left him and others were appointed to guard him. This is why the angels who serve in the land of Israel do not serve outside of it. Jacob saw these angels when he left his father's home, as it is said, \"and he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth... and behold, angels of God were ascending and descending on it\" (Genesis 28:12). It should have said \"descending and then ascending,\" but their way is always to descend from above and then to ascend. So those angels who were guarding him in the land of Israel, when they saw him leaving for outside of the land, left him and other angels descended and served him outside of the land. When he returned to his father's home, God said to the first group of ministering angels who had guarded him in the land of Israel, \"you do not go to accompany him to his destination.\" This is similar to the kings of Rome who left their spear men and soldiers behind and went to the barbarians, and his father entrusted him to many gentile rulers to serve him. After some time, when he returned from the barbarians, the king said to his soldiers, \"we do not go to meet the barbarians, for he is coming.\" The son was afraid to come, but when he lifted his eyes and saw his father and all the soldiers, as he came back to his father, the Lord said to the first angels who were guarding him in the land of Israel, \"You shall not go to the threshold of my sons, a parable to a king's son who left his Rome and San'kalitine*, and came to his father-in-law and his father gave him many servants to serve him. After some time, when he returned from his father-in-law, the king said to his San'kalitine, 'We shall not go to the threshold of my son, for he is coming.' The son was afraid to come, but when he raised his eyes and saw his father and all his San'kalitine who went out to meet him, he began to rejoice. Similarly, Jacob, when he returned to his father, the Lord said to the first angels, 'Let us go to the threshold of Jacob.' When Jacob heard that they were coming, he became afraid. The Lord said to him, 'Raise your eyes and see who is coming to your threshold.' As it is written, 'Lift up your eyes and look around you' (Isaiah 60:4). Immediately Jacob said, 'This is God's camp' (Genesis 32:3), as it is written, 'They called to one another' (Isaiah 6:3). And he said to them, 'Since you have come to meet me, go on my behalf.' And to Jacob [God] sent an angels, and David cried out and said, 'The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him' (Psalm 34:8). [* סנקליטיקוס- senator, councilor, counselor]",
+                "[2] another interpretation: And Jacob sent angels. The scriptures says: \"He sent forth Your light and Your truth\" so on... (Psalms 43:3). Rabbi Berechia said: \"When the righteous are in a world of light with them, as it says 'Light is sown for the righteous' (Psalms 97:11). And similarly, Jeremiah says, 'Give glory to the Lord your God' (Jeremiah 13:16). Make repentance before Him, for there is no glory except through repentance, as Joshua said to Achan, 'My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel' (Joshua 7:19), before it gets dark... until He removes the light from you, and takes the righteous away, and then you find yourself in darkness, before it gets dark and before your feet stumble upon the mountains of twilight, until you do not remove those who pray and precede the twilight, as it says, 'I anticipated the dawn and cried out' (Psalms 119:147)\",\"To teach you that just as long as the righteous exist in the world, there is light in the world, so too, as long as Jacob was in the Land of Israel, the light was with him. And when he left, the light was removed, as it says, \"And he encountered the place...\" (Genesis 28:11). And when he returned, the Torah returned to its place because of him, as it says, \"And the sun shone upon him\" (Genesis 28:11). Therefore, he said, \"I will not return to the Land of Israel until the light that was with me is sent,\" as it says, \"Send forth Your light and Your truth\" (Psalms 43:3), as it says, \"You will give truth to Jacob\" (Micah 7:20). Just as Jacob sent angels, so too, in the future, the Holy One, blessed be He, does the same, as it says, \"For behold, darkness shall cover the earth and thick darkness the nations, but upon you the Lord will shine, and His glory will be seen over you\" (Isaiah 60:2)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter (55) 56: Prophets. [1] The vision of Obadiah (Obadiah 1). May the memory of the righteous be for a blessing. When Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said (Job 4:1), Rabbi Berachiah said, \"Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, exact punishment from Esau in a vision? Rather, it was to teach us how God repays both a hater and a lover according to their deeds. When Job was afflicted, Eliphaz, the firstborn of Esau, was his friend, and Eliphaz was righteous and rebuked Job only in a vision. The verse says, \"Then Eliphaz the Temanite answered and said, 'If one ventures a word with you, will you be offended? But who can keep from speaking?'\" (Job 4:2). It is like a parable of a man who had two wives, one whose dowry was ten thousand and one whose dowry was four thousand. The one whose dowry was four thousand said to him, \"Why don't you treat me with the same respect as your other wife?\" He said to her, \"Your dowry is four thousand, and your friend's dowry is ten thousand.\" Similarly, Job said, \"Why don't you treat me with the same respect as Abraham?\" He said to him, \"Have you been tested like Abraham?\" He who is tested will be afflicted by what is said to him. And only Abraham was tested, as it says, \"God tested Abraham\" (Genesis 22:1). He said to them, \"But I did not bring in four wreaths.\" \"He was whole-hearted and upright, and he feared God and turned away from evil\" (Job 1:1). They said to him, \"Abraham was tested with ten, and he had ten wreaths.\" He was called Ethan, as it says, \"A maskil of Ethan the Ezrahite\" (Psalms 89:1), and similarly, \"The mighty men are foundations of the earth\" (Micah 6:2). And why was he called Ethan? Because he strengthened himself to do the will of his Creator. He who believed in God was called Heman, as it says, \"And he believed in the Lord\" (Genesis 15:6). And why is Eitan called Heman, who strengthened himself to do the will of his Creator, called Heman, because he believed in the Almighty, as it says \"And he believed in the Lord\" (Genesis 15:6). Abram was originally called Abram, and then the Lord added to his name, and he became Abraham. Why did the Lord add to his name? Because he fulfilled the five books of the Torah even before they were given, as it says \"Because Abraham obeyed Me and kept My charge, My commandments, My statutes, and My laws\" (Genesis 26:5). Therefore, he is called Abraham. He is also called \"Ayit\" (Falcon), as it says \"One calls from the east a bird of prey\" (Isaiah 46:11), referring to the hen that protects her chicks from the wolves and the ravens. Similarly, Abraham risked his life by being thrown into the furnace for his beliefs. He is called \"Tzur\" (Rock), as it says \"Look to the rock from which you were hewn\" (Isaiah 51:1). Just as a rock has no [עיים ruins or eyes], so Abraham was willing to sacrifice his son Isaac when commanded to do so. He is called \"Nasi\" (Prince), as it says \"For thus says the High and Lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: 'I dwell in the high and holy place, with him who has a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones'\" (Isaiah 57:15). He is called \"Adon\" (Lord), as it says \"And he said, 'Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham'\" (Genesis 24:27). And if you ask why he was called Adon, was it not because he was his servant? Others also called him Adon, as it says \"And we said to my lord\" (Genesis 44:19), because he made the Almighty Lord over all of His creatures. He is called \"Elohim\" (God), as it says \"The prince of God\" (Genesis 23:6). This is because he made known the fear of the Almighty in his world, as it says \"You are God-fearing\" (Genesis 22:12). He is called \"Navi\" (Prophet), as he first revealed the power of the Holy Spirit, as it says \"And you return the wife of the man, for he is a prophet\" (Genesis 20:7). \"And he shall be called a God-fearing man, as it is said, 'Now I know that you are a God-fearing man' (Job 22:12), for he was in awe of the Lord and called a lover, as it is said, 'the seed of Abraham, my friend' (Isaiah 41:8). Behold, ten trials were given to correspond to the ten qualities. Eliphaz said to him, 'Do you possess these qualities? If so, then trouble will come upon you. Behold, you have comforted many' (Job 4:3-4). Those who suffer came to you, and you comforted them. The blind one came and said to you, 'God already knows what I am going to do, for He made me blind from my mother's womb.' And you said to him, 'Do not say that.' And you said to him, 'My son, if you built a house and did not want to make windows, who would have forced you?' You are a linchpin of the Almighty, and He did not do this out of hatred, but to praise you in the future, as it is said, 'Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened' (Isaiah 35:5). \"So shall Hashem of Hosts be a protecting wall to the remnant of Israel; to them shall they deliver from captivity and return. And the Passover [Haggadah] says, 'Do not say thus, \"If I were there, I would have built pillars for myself.\" Whoever says this, God praises him for the future, as it says, \"Then shall leap as a hart the lame\" (Zechariah 8:4). And also, the [Haggadah] says, 'The deaf-mute one says to him, \"If you were a skilled craftsman and did not want to make ears for your friend, who could compel you?\" Thus, God praises you for the World-to-Come, as it says, \"And the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped\" (Isaiah 35:5). You comforted all who were afflicted, \"The tottering one will be restored by you\" (Job 4:4). And now, when afflictions have befallen you, you are confused, as it says, \"Now it shall come upon you and you will be broken\" (Job 4:5). \"Is not your fear of God your confidence?\" (Job 4:6) Because you said, \"I am pure and upright,\" if not for the fact that God acted towards you as one does towards a human being, and brought the Flood, your righteousness would have been before you. Remember now, who being innocent has ever perished?\" (Job 4:7). Eliphaz said to Job, \"Even if Abraham the righteous had been in your place, he would not have been spared,\" as it says, \"I am the Lord Who brought you out of Ur of the Chaldeans\" (Genesis 15:7). \"If you are righteous, He will have mercy upon you, for He does not destroy the righteous, as it is said, 'Remember now, who that was innocent ever perished? Or where were the upright cut off?' (Job 4:7-8). When I saw those who plow iniquity (Job 4:8), I envied the wicked who were at ease, who sow mischief and reap calamity. But lo, the day comes, burning like an oven, when all the arrogant and all evildoers will be stubble; the day that comes shall burn them up, says the Lord of hosts, so that it will leave them neither root nor branch. (Malachi 3:19) He who roars like a lion and the voice of the fierce lion is heard no more (Isaiah 31:4), it was said to him, 'Israel will eventually sin before the Lord who is called a lion, as it is said, 'The lion has roared, who will not fear?' (Amos 3:8). He elevated them to Nebuchadnezzar who was called a lion, as it is said, 'The lion has come up from his thicket' (Jeremiah 4:7), and in the month of Tammuz, whose sign is the lion, he destroyed the Temple, which is called the lion, as it is said, 'Woe to Ariel, to Ariel, the city where David dwelt' (Isaiah 29:1), and he who rules over Judah is called a lion, as it is said, 'Judah is a lion's whelp' (Genesis 49:9). Here, he explains five names, all of them called a lion. The roar of the lion, the voice of the fierce lion, and the two young lions have been silenced. The lion perishes for lack of prey, and the cubs of the lioness are scattered. (Job 4:10-11) Elihu said to him, 'It was not I who spoke, but the Spirit of God who dwells in me' (Job 32:8). And how were all of these proven in a vision? As it is said in the visions of the night (Job 4:13), the Lord said to him, 'You have proved My servant Job in a vision; even so I will send a prophet who will prove and punish the house of your father in a vision, as it is said, 'The vision of Obadiah. Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom: We have heard tidings from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: \"Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!\" (Obadiah 1:1) Why should you serve us? Even I will unsheathe My sword and come down upon him, as it is said, 'For My sword has drunk its fill in the heavens; behold, it descends for judgment upon Edom, upon the people I have doomed to destruction' (Isaiah 34:5)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (56) 57: Writings</b> [1] A song of ascents. I will lift up my eyes (Psalms 121:1). The verse \"And the spirit clothed Amasai, the chief of the captains, and he said\" (1 Chronicles 12:19) - Rabbi Berachiah said: It refers to the prince of Edom, as Zechariah saw him, as it is said, \"I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse...and he said\" (Zechariah 1:8). He sought to imitate those who are called stars, as it is said, \"Look now toward heaven, and count the stars...so shall thy seed be\" (Genesis 15:5), referring to Israel, who are established in a fortress. Similarly, it is written, \"Though thou exalt thyself as the eagle, and though thou set thy nest among the stars, thence will I bring thee down\" (Obadiah 1:4), referring to Edom, who sought to imitate the stars, as it is said, \"Look now toward heaven.\" After this, \"red horses, which walked among the myrtle trees\" (Zechariah 1:8), these are the kings who stood against him. [They are called] Edom, who loves gold; \"sorrel horses,\" who trample on the vineyards of Israel and take their money; \"white horses,\" to atone for the sins of Israel. He then saw horns, as it is said, \"And I lifted up mine eyes and saw, and behold four horns\" (Zechariah 2:1). These are the four kingdoms. He said to him, as long as these horns are visible, the horn of Israel does not rise, as it is said, \"These are the horns which scattered Judah, so that no man did lift up his head\" (Zechariah 1:21). When will Israel lift up their heads? When I cut off the horns, as it is said, \"All the horns of the wicked also will I cut off; but the horns of the righteous shall be exalted\" (Psalms 75:11). \"The righteous\" refers to Israel, as it is said, \"And all thy people shall be righteous\" (Isaiah 60:21). At that time, \"I will lift up my eyes\" (Psalms 121:1), \"My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.\" (Psalms 121:2)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (57) 58: Torah</b> [1] And Jacob dwelt in the land (Genesis 37:1). This is what the scripture says: \"The eternal God is thy dwelling-place, and underneath are the everlasting arms\" (Deuteronomy 33:27). At that time, when Israel dwelt securely, he relied upon the Lord alone (Deuteronomy 33:28). You do not know who preceded, whether it was the dwelling place or the God who preceded, but then David came and explained through Moses, \"A prayer of Moses, the man of God. 'O Lord, You have been our refuge in every generation.'\" (Psalm 90:1), meaning that God never preceded His creatures, as it says, \"Who hath first given to Me, that I should repay him?\" (Job 41:3). \"And underneath are the everlasting arms\" (Deuteronomy 33:27). R. Berechiah said that the Holy One, blessed be He, said: \"Although I have created the world and maintain it, when there are righteous men below, it is as if they were maintaining the world,\" hence \"underneath are the everlasting arms.\" \"And He will thrust out the enemy from before thee, and say: Destroy\" (Deuteronomy 33:27), this refers to Esau (and his chiefs), for it is written, \"And Esau took his wives\" (Genesis 36:6). \"And He will thrust out\" and rely upon the Lord alone, \"and Israel dwelt securely\" (Deuteronomy 33:28).",
+                "[2] Another explanation: \"My God, His dwelling place of old.\" Rabbi Aha said: The Holy One, blessed be He, did not create a dwelling place for Himself, but rather so that you may do My will and be in awe of Me in these conditions. As it is written: \"Only acknowledge Me in all your ways, and I will make your paths smooth\" (Proverbs 3:6). And it also says: \"He drove out the enemy from before you and said: 'Destroy!'\" (Deuteronomy 33:27). \"So Israel dwells securely alone\" (Deuteronomy 33:28). As long as the Holy One, blessed be He, is at peace, Israel is at peace. This can be compared to a hired singer - [edit. <i>dagar-to gather together as a brood</i>] - who used to sing in his master's house. He would sit and dine and sing, but after a while, his master brought in the son of the prince - [edit. <i> \"Ben haNatz\" = refer to to sparkle. literally means \"son of a bud.\" In this context, it refers to a person who is considered a rising star or a person who has the potential to become great in the future, here it means Shekina and prob. also Messiah</i>] -. When the singer saw him, he ran under the table and hid himself and did not open his mouth anymore. The king entered to dine and said to the son of the prince, \"Why isn't the singer singing?\" He replied, \"Because you brought in the son of the prince and he saw him and was afraid, and he is not singing anymore.\" The king then took out the son of the prince and the singer sang again. So too, Israel is in the Diaspora, while the Shechinah dwells in its own land, as it is written: \"Those who dwell in Jerusalem say: 'Far from us be the Lord's land; it was given to us as our inheritance'\" (Ezekiel 11:15). The Holy One, blessed be He, says to Israel: \"Why do you not praise Me?\" As it is written: \"My dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the covert of the steep place, let Me see your countenance, let Me hear your voice\" (Song of Songs 2:14). Moses said to Him: \"Master of the Universe, as long as You are in Your land, Israel is not seen in the world, but when You remove them, they are seen, as it is written: 'He drove out and said: \"Destroy!\"' and afterwards: 'So Israel dwells securely alone.'\" Even the Holy One, blessed be He, is not seen in the world, as it were, until the time when the kingdom of Edom is uprooted, as it is written: \"God is King over the nations\" (Psalms 47:9). At that time, God will sit on His holy throne. (Psalms 47:9).",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And Jacob dwelled.\" What is written above, \"And Esau took\" (Genesis 36:6). This corresponds to \"In your distress, when all these things have befallen you in the end of days, you will return to the Lord, your God, and hearken to His voice\" (Deuteronomy 4:30), which refers to the angels, as it says, \"And Jacob said when he saw them\" (Genesis 32:3). All of them will be uplifted, as it says, \"And they shall lift up their wings\" (Isaiah 40:31). This refers to Esau (and his chieftains) who went to a land because of his brother Jacob (Genesis 36:6), \"The one who trusts in Me shall inherit the land\" (Isaiah 57:13). This refers to Jacob and his sons, and Jacob dwelled. - [edit. also refers Legends of Jews 1:3 and Psalm 90:3 <i> 'Return, ye children of men.'</i>]",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: \"And Jacob dwelled.\" In scriptures it is said: \"For we are strangers before You, and sojourners, as were all our fathers\" (1 Chronicles 29:15). This is the way of the righteous, who are the essence of the world and make themselves secondary. This is how Avraham was, who made himself secondary, as it says \"I am a stranger and a sojourner among you\" (Genesis 23:4). This is how Yaakov spoke to Esau, \"I have sojourned with Laban\" (Genesis 32:5). Similarly, Israel is written \"strangers and sojourners\" (Leviticus 25:23), therefore David says \"Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear to my cry\" (Psalm 39:13), why? Because I am a stranger with You, a sojourner, as were all my fathers. - [edit. <i> this refers to world-to-come \"as we are strangers in this world\"</i> (Leviticus 25:23)(Duties of the Heart, Fourth Treatise on Trust 4:61)]"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (58) 59: Prophets</b> [1] The vision of Obadiah. \"Thus says the Lord God concerning Edom (Jeremiah 49:7): We have heard a report from the Lord, and a messenger has been sent among the nations: 'Rise up! Let us rise against her for battle!'\" (Jeremiah 49:14). When Jacob, our father, saw the leaders of Esau, he became afraid and began to say, \"Who can stand up against all of them, so many kings and leaders, and I am but one person? How can I stand up against all of them?\" Then the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"Do not be afraid. Look at what is behind you.\" \"These are the generations of Jacob. Joseph\" (Genesis 37:2). \"Who can stand up against all of them?\" \"The smallest one among your children.\" \"And the House of Jacob shall be fire and the House of Joseph a flame\" (Obadiah 1:18). It is compared to a goldsmith who was sitting and doing his work, and his disciple was with him. The disciple raised his eyes and saw many camels loaded with straw. He began to wonder and said to his teacher, \"Who can stand up against all of them?\" His teacher replied, \"One spark from the furnace can burn them all.\" So the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob, \"Are you afraid of them? One spark from you can burn them all,\" as it is stated, \"Behold, they shall be as stubble, the fire shall burn them; they shall not deliver themselves from the power of the flame\" (Isaiah 47:14). This refers to Joseph, as it is stated, \"And the House of Joseph shall be a flame\" (Obadiah 1:18). Therefore, \"and he (Jacob) descended\" (Genesis 36:1), the descent (interpreted as) the worst (possible scenario) that Jacob loses them all, and the descent of your children is combined against Esau. Even Obadiah, the lowest of all the prophets, takes revenge against Edom, as it is stated, \"The vision of Obadiah. \"Why has Yaakov descended?\" (Obadiah 1:18)",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: Vision of Obadiah. It says, \"God rebukes the wild beasts and so on\" (Psalms 68:31). Rabbi Pinchas said about this, \"David said to God, 'Master of the universe, You rebuke the wild beasts that come from the cane, and their king writes with a cane, seals and takes golden coins, as well as Ephah measures, governors, and scribes who take much gold from the people every day, the testimony of the mighty ones in the carts of the peoples, who eat the fat of the peoples and come with the strength of the mighty ones, the strength of Abraham and Isaac. They say of themselves, 'Esau the son of Isaac, and Isaac the son of Abraham, crouches in the dust for silver.' Even though they are angry with someone who sins, they accept his bribe and take money from him. Moreover, they scatter Israel from their Torah study and bring them into the evil inclination's desire, as it says, 'Foreign nations will crave your closeness' (Psalms 68:32). God said, 'I will uproot them from the world. But I and you and the Messiah will stand against them,' as it says, 'You will trample the poor, you will walk on their backs' (Isaiah 26:6). God's foot, as it were, is Edom, as it says, 'I will cast my shoe over Edom' (Psalms 60:9). The foot of the poor is the Messiah, as it says, 'He is poor and rides on a donkey' (Zechariah 9:9). The feet of the poor are Israel, as it says, 'How beautiful are your steps' (Song of Songs 7:2). Therefore, Obadiah was commanded to stand against all the kingdoms on behalf of Israel because they are difficult to overcome, as it says, 'The vision, rise up and let us wage war against her' (Obadiah 1:1).\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: Vision of Obadiah: What did Obadiah see that he prophesied against Edom? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Obadiah was raised among two wicked people, Ahab and Jezebel, but he did not learn their ways. Rather, Obadiah was extremely God-fearing. Esau, on the other hand, was raised among two righteous people, Isaac and Rebecca, but he did not learn their ways. Therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said: Obadiah, who was raised among two wicked people and did not learn their ways, will come and take revenge against Esau, who was raised among two righteous people and did not learn their ways. Hence it is said: \"The vision of Obadiah.\"",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: Vision of Obadiah: What did Obadiah see as a reason to punish Edom? Rather, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"Abraham used to feed fetuses and wayfarers, and Esau came and killed them, and he used to fill the caves with corpses, and Jezebel used to kill the prophets. Obadiah hid them in caves and sustained them, as it says, 'And it was when Jezebel was cutting off the prophets of the Lord, Obadiah took a hundred prophets and hid them in fifty caves and sustained them with bread and water' (1 Kings 18:4). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Let Obadiah come, who fed the prophets in caves, and punish Esau, who killed people in caves.' Therefore it is said, 'The vision of Obadiah.' Another commentary: Esau circumcised his fathers, but he despised the circumcision and chose to remain uncircumcised. Obadiah, on the other hand, was uncircumcised and despised it, but he chose to be circumcised. The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Let Obadiah come, who despised circumcision and circumcised himself, and punish Esau, who circumcised his fathers and made himself uncircumcised.' Therefore it is said, \"The vision of Obadiah.\" Another commentary: Esau sought to fulfill the wishes of his father, as it says, 'And Esau said in his heart, \"Let the days of mourning for my father draw near\"' (Genesis 27:41), but Obadiah honored one who was not his father, as it says, 'And behold, Obadiah was on the way, and Elijah met him, and he recognized him and fell on his face...' (1 Kings 18:7). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Let Obadiah come, who honored one who was not his father, and punish Esau, who sought the death of his father.' [Obadiah 1:21] Therefore it is said, 'The vision of Obadiah, but for Israel, I have known his thoughts...' (Jeremiah 29:11)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (59) 60: Psalms</b> [1] \"A song of ascents. Many times they have afflicted me from my youth,\" let Israel say (Psalm 129:1). And it shall be, when you find yourself in great distress and tribulation, this song shall bear witness against you (Deuteronomy 31:21). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"When Israel finds itself in such troubles and I deliver them from it, at that moment they shall sing a song,\" as it is said, \"Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the Lord\" (Exodus 15:1). This is also true when they were in Egypt and were enslaved; once they were saved and sat down to eat, they immediately sang a song, as it is said, \"You will have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept\" (Isaiah 30:29). On that same night, it is said, \"a night of watching\" (Exodus 12:42). This is also true at the sea, when they were in great distress, as it is said, \"They crossed the sea through great trial\" (Zechariah 10:11), and when God performed miracles and saved them, they immediately sang a song, as it is said, \"And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians, and the people feared the Lord, and believed in the Lord, and in Moses his servant\" (Exodus 14:31). Immediately after that they sang, \"Then sang Moses and the children of Israel\" (Exodus 15:1). When they came to the wilderness and were thirsty, as it is said, \"Their soul fainted within them\" (Psalm 107:5), and they cried out to the Lord, when they saw the well of water, they immediately sang a song, as it is said, \"Then Israel sang this song, 'Spring up, O well'\" (Numbers 21:17-18). Therefore, it is written, \"And it shall be, when you find yourself in great distress\" (Deuteronomy 31:21), and so it was with Deborah and Barak when Sisera oppressed them, as it is said, \"And Sisera called together all his chariots\" (Judges 4:13), and when the Holy One, blessed be He, delivered them, immediately Deborah sang, as it is said, \"Then Deborah sang\" (Judges 5:1). Similarly, when Sennacherib came, Hezekiah said, \"And my song shall be with you\" (Isaiah 38:20).  And so with David, when troubles came upon him, as it says, \"For troubles without number surround me\" (Psalm 40:13), and once the Almighty saved him from all of them, immediately he said a song, as it says, \"These four were born to the giant in Gath, and fell by the hand of David and his servants\" (2 Samuel 21:22), \"Then David spoke to the Lord the words of this song\" (2 Samuel 22:1). Therefore, it says, \"And it shall come to pass, when many evils and troubles have befallen them, this song shall testify before them\" (Deuteronomy 31:21), therefore we say in Psalm 129:1, \"Many times they have oppressed me from my youth.\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (60) 61: Torah</b> [1] And Joseph was brought down to Egypt (Genesis 39:1). This is what scriptures say: \"Good is the man who sits alone and is silent, for he will bear the yoke upon himself. He will put his mouth to the dust and hope that there may be hope, because the Lord will not cast off forever\" (Lamentations 3:27-29). \"Good is the man\" [who bears the yoke] \"in his youth\". Blessed is he who accepts suffering in his youth, for his end will be peaceful. Job's friends also said to him: \"Why do you complain about the suffering that has come upon you? Rather, your end will be peaceful,\" as it is said: \"Your beginning was small, but your end will be very great\" (Job 8:7). The suffering that you are experiencing now will save you from Gehenna (Hell), and you will rest in Gan Eden (Paradise), as it is said: \"And he also brought you out of distress into a broad place where there was no constraint\" (Job 36:16). This is to save you from the narrow mouth of Gehenna, which is narrow from above but wide from below, as it is said: \"The earth is dark and barren, like a shadow\" (Job 10:22). The wicked are like birds in Gehenna, because there is no air or land there. Therefore, it is wide and not constrained below, and not only did the suffering that came upon you save you from Gehenna, but you rest in Gan Eden, as it is said: \"And your table will be full of fatness\" (Job 36:16). Therefore, \"Good is the man\" [who bears the yoke in youth] and so on. [Pirkei Avot 3:5]",
+                "[2] And so all the righteous suffered in their youth and ultimately found comfort. Abraham suffered greatly in his youth, was thrown into a fiery furnace, and was cast out of his father's house. Sixteen kings came against him, and his wife was taken from him by both Pharaoh and Abimelech. He was tested with his only son, Isaac, but in the end found peace, as it says \"And Abraham was old, well advanced in age; and the Lord had blessed Abraham in all things\" (Genesis 24:1). Isaac also suffered greatly in his youth, as Ishmael took an arrow and tried to kill him. It says, \"And Sarah saw the son of Hagar the Egyptian, whom she had borne to Abraham, playing with her son Isaac\" (Genesis 21:9). \"Playing\" means he took an arrow and tried to kill him. Furthermore, his father Abraham was going to slaughter him, and then famine came, as it says, \"Now there was a famine in the land\" (Genesis 26:1). Isaac went to Abimelech and became the target of jealousy, as it says, \"And the Philistines envied him\" (Genesis 26:14). They told him to leave, and he went and settled in Gerar, where he disputed with the shepherds. But ultimately he found comfort, as it says, \"Therefore he called it Rehoboth, for he said, 'For now the Lord has made room for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land'\" (Genesis 26:22). Similarly, Jacob suffered greatly, as Esau pursued him, and he was enslaved by his sons. He was pursued by Laban and punished through his daughter. His son was sold, and in the end he found peace, as it says, \"And Jacob lived in the land of Egypt seventeen years\" (Genesis 47:28). Joseph was deeply pained when his brothers despised him, threw him into a pit, sold him into slavery, and he was imprisoned. As it is written, \"They afflicted his feet with shackles; iron pierced his soul until his word came to pass and God's word proved him true\" (Psalms 105:18-19). Joseph remained silent, as it is written, \"He sits alone in silence\" (Lamentations 3:28). In the end, he was redeemed, as it is written, \"He will not abandon forever, for He desires to show kindness\" (Lamentations 3:31). And it is written at the end, \"Hurry and go up to my father\" (Genesis 45:9).",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And Joseph went down to Egypt.\" (Genesis 39:1) It is said in scriptures: \"He (God) has withdrawn you (Israel) from the land of the living.\" (Hosea 11:4) This refers to Joseph, as it is said, \"There were certain men who were defiled by a human corpse.\" (Numbers 9:6) If not for the fact that Israel had to go down to Egypt due to Joseph's story, they would have been worthy of descending to Egypt in chains, just as they descended to Babylon, as it is said, \"You should know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land not their own, and they will be enslaved and oppressed there.\" (Genesis 15:13) But because God loved them, He caused them to descend to Egypt in a pit and brought about the story of Joseph's sale so that they would descend of their own accord. Our sages say in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua ben Korcha that this was due to the coat of many colors that Jacob added to Joseph's clothing. His brothers were jealous of him and sold him to Egypt, and they also descended there after him, as it is said, \"And Israel loved Joseph and made him a coat of many colors.\" (Genesis 37:3) The coat of many colors had an argaman (purple) stripe that reached the palm of his hand. Alternatively, it was the coat of many strips of parchment (shetarot) that his brothers wrote on concerning him, debating which type of death to kill him with. One said burning and one said killing, as it is said, \"And they saw him from afar and plotted to kill him.\" (Genesis 37:18) The coat of many colors was stripped off of Joseph after they sold him, as it is said, \"And they stripped Joseph of his coat, the coat of many colors that was on him.\" (Genesis 37:23) They debated amongst themselves who would take him and bring him to their father Jacob. Once they made their peace, Judah suggested that they sell him, and they sent him down to Egypt with his coat, as it is said, \"And they sent the coat of many colors and brought it to their father.\" (Genesis 37:32) Judah went and said to him [Joseph], \"Please recognize [me], and let me know [who you are].\" And [Joseph] said [to his brothers], etc. (Genesis 44:32-33) The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Judah, \"You have spoken well to your father, [when you said] 'Please recognize [me],' for you also have [a lesson] to hear, as it says [about Tamar], 'And she said, 'Please recognize [this],' etc.\" (Genesis 38:25). And Judah recognized [Joseph], etc. (Genesis 44:33) Jacob said to him, \"I know who did this to my son, a wild animal devoured him\" (Genesis 37:33). \"I know that you gave the advice,\" [said Jacob,] as it says, \"And Judah said to his brothers, 'What profit is there...'\" (Genesis 37:26), for no harm comes from a lion. And who is this Judah? As it says, \"Judah is a lion's cub\" (Genesis 49:9). \"You have torn Joseph,\" [said Jacob,] \"and ascended to the throne,\" as it says, \"A lion's cub, Judah, you have risen\" (Genesis 49:9). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Judah, \"You have no children, and you do not know the pain of having children. You deceived [your father] and said, 'A wild animal devoured [Joseph].' Now you will know what the pain of having children is.\" And what is written after [Jacob's rebuke]? \"And it was at that time that Judah went down [from his brothers]\" (Genesis 38:1). And this also applies in the future, \"A son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, and a father shall not bear the iniquity of the son\" (Ezekiel 18:20)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (61) [62]: Prophets</b> [1] \"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel?\" (Isaiah 40:27). This can be explained as follows: \"Why should a living man complain about his sins?\" (Lamentations 3:39). Rabbi Shmuel said: \"If a person should not complain about the sins of his lifetime, all the more so should he not complain about the sins of the world to come. Rather, he should look at the sins of his hands, those he could have controlled.\" And Rabbi Shimon said: \"Why should a person complain? Is it not enough that he is alive and sees this sun? As King Solomon said, 'What profit does man have in all his toil which he toils under the sun?' (Ecclesiastes 1:3). Is it not enough that he sees the sun?\" Therefore, God said to Jacob, \"Why do you contend and argue, O Jacob?\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"Why do you say, O Jacob?\" (Isaiah 40:27). Rabbi Shmuel says, \"How can a person mourn over sins of the world? Let him examine his own sins that he has overcome.\" And Rabbi Shimon says, \"How can a person mourn when he is alive and sees this sun? And similarly, Solomon says, 'What advantage does a man have in all his labor under the sun?' (Ecclesiastes 1:3). If it were not enough that he sees the sun, therefore, the Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob, 'Why do you call out, O Jacob? Why do you say, O Israel?'\" As for Rabbi's comment, \"The foolishness of man perverts his way\" (Proverbs 19:3). Rabbi says there were thirteen types of fragrant plants in the Garden of Eden and ten chambers, as it is said, \"In Eden, the garden of God\" (Ezekiel 28:13). And God said, \"It is not good for man\" (Genesis 2:18), he did not need to praise me, but rather he began to complain and say, \"The woman You gave me\" (Genesis 3:12). And so Abraham went to war and made him king over sixteen kings and I returned their captivity, and he thought it was his reward, so I said to him, \"Your reward is very great\" (Genesis 15:1). He did not need to thank me, but rather say, \"The Lord God, what will You give me?\" (Genesis 15:2). And so Jacob said, \"With my staff I crossed this Jordan\" (Genesis 32:11) and I did all that good for him, and he said to Pharaoh, \"Few and evil have been the days of my life\" (Genesis 47:9), \"I have caused you evil, Jacob, that you speak so.\" And similarly, the generation of the wilderness, how many good things I did for them, as it is said, \"In the wilderness, where you saw\" (Deuteronomy 1:31), and they said, \"Our souls loathe this light bread\" (Numbers 21:5). Thus it is your blasphemy and your complaint. So why do you say, O Jacob?",
+                "[3] [ד\"א למה תאמר יעקב. זש\"ה] - Why do you say \"Jacob\"? (an expression in Hebrew meaning \"why are you bothering with something that is insignificant or irrelevant\") For a man whose path is hidden, and God shields him (Job 3:23). God said to him before he was born, \"Your path will be hidden, but it will follow the heel of your brother\" (Hosea 12:4).",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: Why does it say \"Yaakov said\"? Rav said: Don't read it as \"Why does Yaakov say?\", but rather \"What should Yaakov say?\" This can be compared to a man who marries off his daughter and starts to accept his son-in-law. He says, \"I won't provide her with food.\" The son-in-law replies, \"Not what you say, but what the third between us says.\" In the same way, let the name of the Holy One, blessed be He, be blessed. Yaakov's daughter is the congregation of Israel, as it says, \"Thus you shall say to the house of Yaakov\" (Exodus 19:3). And the Holy One, blessed be He, is the son-in-law, as it says, \"And Moses said to the people, 'Do not be afraid, for God has come to test you'\" (Exodus 20:17). Yaakov began to accept the son-in-law, and God said to him, \"Not what you say, but the heavens will testify that I have fed your children with manna, as it says, 'Behold, I will rain bread from heaven for you' (Exodus 16:4), and the earth will testify that I have provided them with water, as it says, 'The well that the princes dug' (Numbers 21:18). And all of this is because of the love that I have for you, as it says, 'I have loved Jacob' (Malachi 1:2). Similarly, 'When Israel was a child, then I loved him' (Hosea 11:1). Can a king praise a person if he has not seen him? But I have praised you even before you were created, as it says, 'Blessed be the Lord, God of Israel, from eternity to eternity' (Psalms 41:14). I have done all this good for you, and you complain. Why does it say \"Yaakov said\"? God said to him, \"Return to your staff.\" Just as you returned to your staff when you blessed the tribes, so should you say now, \"For your salvation I wait, O Lord\" (Genesis 49:18). Return to yourself now. From where do we learn this? From the end of the portion, where it says, \"Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength\" (Isaiah 40:31)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "Chapter (62) 63: Writings [1] A song of ascents. \"Many [peoples] have afflicted me from my youth,\"(Psalms 129:1) As it is written in scriptures: \"The myrrh bush of my beloved,\" to me (Song of Songs 1:13). The Assembly of Israel says: Although the inclination and the evil urge troubled me, as it is said, \"And they embittered their lives\" (Exodus 1:14), the Almighty's son will stay between the two sons of Amram, between Moses and Aaron, as it is said, \"Your two breasts\" (Song of Songs 7:4). And so it is with the sea, \"They were rebelled upon the sea, the Sea of Reeds\" (Psalms 106:7). \"But he dwells among the desolate cliffs. Your right hand, O Lord, is glorious in power; Your right hand, O Lord, shatters the enemy.\" (Exodus 15:6).In the desert, both the adversary and the yetzer hara (evil inclination) troubled me, as it is written \"And the Lord afflicted the people\" (Exodus 32:35), but nevertheless, the Almighty's son will stay between the two, between the first count and the last. Additionally, Jacob, the son of Isaac and grandson of Abraham, says \"Great troubles have encompassed me since my youth, but even so, they were not able to overcome me, whether from the hand of God or the evil inclination. As it is said, 'See, I have not caused you to suffer before me' (Genesis 48:11).\" Therefore, Jacob began to say, \"Great troubles have encompassed me since my youth, but even so, they were not able to overcome me.\" "
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (63) 64: Torah</b> [1] \"And it came to pass at that time that Judah went down\" (Genesis 38:1). Like it is said in scriptures: \"I will yet bring you, O inhabitants of Mareshah\" (Micah 1:15). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Israel, \"Even though I made a covenant with your father Abraham and told him to 'Arise, walk through the land' (Genesis 13:17), and I did what I promised him, and gave him all the land, as it is said, 'And the children came and possessed the land' (Nehemiah 9:24), and also 'I brought you into a land of fruitful fields' (Jeremiah 2:7), a land that is soft and full, yet you angered Me and came and defiled My land, etc.\" (Jeremiah 2:7). \"What shall I do with you? Behold, I will bring the nations against you, and they shall drive you out of your land. I will yet bring you, O inhabitants of Mareshah\" (Micah 1:15). This is because you did not listen to the words of Micah the Morashtite, who prophesied in the days of Hezekiah, King of Judah, etc. (Jeremiah 26:18). Therefore, this is what will be done to them: \"The heir to Israel will come, and the glory of Israel will not be snuffed out\" (Micah 5:1). When Israel went into exile, they were stripped and made to wear rags until they reached their destination. Their enemies stripped them of their clothing and left them naked, as it is written: \"The glory of Israel will come to you forever\" (Micah 4:5). A person's honor is in their clothing. If you don't believe this, consider what is written: \"I will strip you of your clothes and leave you naked\" (Ezekiel 23:26). They were ashamed to be seen naked, as it was embarrassing for one person to see the shame of another. Jeremiah also says: \"All her splendor has departed\" (Lamentations 1:6), which teaches us that they went out without clothing, and splendor is nothing but clothing, as it is written: \"This is the generation that wears clothing\" (Isaiah 33:1). Their officers were like deer (Lamentations 1:6). Just as these rams go one after the other, and each one's head is behind the back of his fellow, and he sees his own shame, so too did the Israelites see the shame of each and every one of them, but not their own shame, because they were stripped and in collars, until they arrived at eternity. Their enemies would strip them of their clothing and leave them naked, as it says, \"until eternity the honor of Israel will come\" (Micah 4:5). From the beginning, the tribe of Judah hinted to them that this is what would happen to them when they arrived at \"World to come\" [edit. actual word is 1. עדולם Adullam =<i> \"justice of the people</i>. 2. <i>a town of the Canaanites allotted to Judah and lying in the lowlands; site of the cave where David hid.</i>]",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And it came to pass at that time that Judah went down.\" (Hosea 12:1) This is referring to the tribe of Judah. \"Ephraim surrounds me with falsehood.\" (Ibid.) This is in reference to what is written, \"They have denied the Lord and said, 'He is not!'\" (Jeremiah 5:12) \"And with deceit, the House of Israel.\" (Hosea 12:1) The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"Even with their deceit, they call upon Me,\" as it is written, \"Your dwelling is in the midst of deceit.\" (Jeremiah 9:4) Therefore, they are subject to descent. \"Judah still goes down with them to battle against the enemy.\" (Hosea 12:2) Come and see how I cherish you, that even when you sin and are subject to descent, I am with you, as it is written, \"Judah still goes down with them.\" This is like what I said to Jacob, \"I will go down with you to Egypt and I will also surely bring you up.\" (Genesis 46:4) Similarly, in Babylon, I sent you into exile for your benefit, as it is written, \"And when they ascend, so do I.\" (Isaiah 43:14) As it is written regarding Samuel, \"And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him.\" (I Samuel 3:19) Similarly, regarding Solomon, \"And the Lord magnified Solomon exceedingly on high.\" (I Chronicles 29:25) And regarding David, \"David went and became great, and the Lord of Hosts was with him.\" (II Samuel 5:10) When you are in a state of descent, I am with you, as it is written, \"Judah still goes down with them.\" In every place where these two tribes meet, they hate each other, and they are antagonistic to each other. Judah and Joseph are different from each other in this regard. And the children of Israel asked, \"Who shall go up for us against the Canaanites first, to fight against them?\" (Judges 1:1) And the Lord said, \"Judah shall go up.\" (Judges 1:2) And what is written? \"And the House of Joseph also went up against Bethel, and the Lord was with them.\" (Judges 1:22) And it is written, Ephraim became a trained heifer, But preferred to thresh; [i  *Lit. “passed over the comeliness of its neck.”placed a yoke Upon her sleek neck.-i] I will make Ephraim  [*Taking rkb in the sense of the Arabic krb.do advance plowing;-j] Judah [*Emendation yields “Israel.”] shall do [main] plowing! Jacob shall do final plowing!(Hosea 10:11) You say that just as the Anointed One who will arise from Joseph and the Anointed One who will arise from Judah are not jealous of each other, as it is written: \"Ephraim shall not envy Judah, and Judah shall not harass Ephraim\" (Isaiah 11:13), so too will the antagonism between the sects come to an end in the future when they are united. However, in this world, since they are not connected to each other, they envy each other. As long as they are in this state of descent, they remain lowly. But in the future, when they are connected to each other, they will rise up, as it is written: \"The children of Judah and the children of Israel will be gathered together\" (Hosea 2:2), and at that time they will ascend from the earth (Hosea 2:2). God said, \"Now that you are united, you have risen up, and I am also elevated with you,\" as David said: \"The princes of the peoples gather together, even the people of the God of Abraham\" (Psalm 47:10), for which reason it is said, \"Judah will yet go up to God.\" When the nations rise up, Israel descends, and when Israel rises up, the nations descend. In the days of Rehoboam, when they sinned, they descended and the nations ascended, as it is written: \"Now it came to pass in the fifth year of King Rehoboam, that Shishak king of Egypt came up against Jerusalem\" (1 Kings 14:25). In the days of Hosea, when they sinned, they descended and the nations ascended, as it is written: \"In his days Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came up, and Jehoiakim became his servant\" (2 Kings 24:1). In the days of Jehoiakim and Zedekiah, when they sinned, they descended and the nations ascended, as it is written: \"Now it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it\" (2 Kings 25:1). However, in the future, the opposite will happen. As it is written, \"Son of man, wail over the multitude of Egypt, and cast them down\" (Ezekiel 32:18), and \"I will bring you down with those who descend into the Pit\" (Ezekiel 26:20), and Israel will ascend, as it is written, \"The children of Judah and the children of Israel will be gathered together\" (Hosea 2:2), and the Holy One, blessed be He, will be with them, as it is written, \"God is greatly exalted over all gods\" (Psalm 97:9).",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And Judah went down, etc., and he saw there a daughter of a Canaanite man and took her. Once he took her, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'The Messiah is destined to issue from Judah, and he went and took a Canaanite wife! What then shall I do? I will cause that she engage in improper conduct and have a son from her, and the son will marry my daughter Tamar, who is the daughter of the great Shem.' Said the Holy One, blessed be He, 'Let her die as a Canaanite,' as it is said, 'And the days were multiplied and she died, daughter of Shua, the wife of Judah' (Genesis 38:12). And her sons died, as it is said, 'And Er and Onan died' (Genesis 38:7)[from Onan: Genesis 38:10], so that Judah should cling to Tamar, who was the priestly daughter of Shem son of Noah, as it is said, 'And Melchizedek king of Salem' (Genesis 14:18). And it came to pass, as she was giving birth, that one put out a hand; and the midwife took and bound upon his hand a scarlet thread, saying, “This one came out first.” But it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out; and she said, “How hast thou broken forth? [i.e., breached the womb].” Therefore his name was called Perez. And afterward his brother came out that had the scarlet thread upon his hand; and his name was called Zerah (Genesis 38:27-30). At the time of Tamar's childbirth, Zerah sought to come out first. God said, \"The Messiah will come from Perez.\" Zerah then emerged first, but later returned to his mother's womb, and Perez emerged first. The Messiah comes from Perez, as it is written, \"And it came to pass, as he drew back his hand, that, behold, his brother came out: and she said, 'How hast thou broken forth?' Therefore his name was called Perez.\" This Perez is the Messiah, as it is written, \"The breaker is come up before them\" (Micah 2:13)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (64) 65: Prophets</b> [1] \"Why do you say, O Jacob, and speak, O Israel?\" (Isaiah 40:27) The Midrash explains: \"Do not be hasty with your words, and let your heart not rush to bring a matter before God\" (Ecclesiastes 5:1). Why is this so? Look at what is written: \"You have seen a man who is hasty with his words - there is more hope for a fool than for him\" (Proverbs 29:20). Therefore, let your words be few (Ecclesiastes 5:2). See what Job said: \"If he insisted on a trial with Him,He would not answer one charge in a thousand.\" (Job 9:3). The Holy One, blessed be He said to Jacob, \"If so, why do you say, O Jacob?\" (Isaiah 40:27)",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"Why do you say, O Jacob...\" Rabbi Yitzchak Nafcha said, \"It is written 'Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these' (Isaiah 40:26). This can be compared to one who spoke negatively about my table. I said to him, 'How much do I calculate and not err, yet you find fault in a pebble.' So too, the Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created these, who brings out their hosts by number; He calls them all by name' (Isaiah 40:26). Perhaps you thought that one of the stars was missing its name, but they are all called by name. Or perhaps the light of the sun or the moon was diminished, but not one is missing. All these were created for your sake, and I did not compromise on their judgment. But for you, I will overlook the judgment. Why then do you say, 'O Jacob'..?\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"Why do you say, O Jacob...\" This is what scriptures say: Jacob said to him, \"I never loved anyone as much as Joseph, and you sent him down to Egypt.\" [God] replied, \"It was already decreed, as it is written, 'Know for certain that your descendants will be strangers in a land not their own' (Genesis 15:13). And perhaps you treated him as a slave, but Joseph is the ruler, as it is written, 'Joseph is now in Egypt, and I myself will take him' (Genesis 45:28). And your sons, when they were in Egypt, perhaps you treated them as slaves, but they were as swift as eagles (Psalm 68:14). And it is written, 'He brought them out with silver and gold, and no one among the tribes stumbled' (Psalm 105:37). After all this, Why do you say, 'Jacob'..?'\"",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: \"Why did Jacob say, O, Jacob...\" Rabbi Shmuel bar Nachman said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham, \"You are called a wanderer (Hebrew: t'gar), for when you fell into the fiery furnace, I said to myself, 'If only Jacob, who will descend from you, were standing here, you would not leave this place. But for the sake of Jacob, you will leave.' As it is written, 'Therefore, for the sake of Jacob, I will not do it; because I will save Abraham' (Isaiah 29:22). From where did I redeem him? From the fiery furnace. Abraham should have said, 'I have no merits before You to save me; I will only be saved through the merits of someone else.' However, Abraham did not say this, and you do say it. Why did you say, O, Jacob?\"",
+                "[5] Another interpretation: \"Why do you say, O, Jacob\"? RRabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Abraham: \"I have given precedence to your name over that of your father's, as it is stated: 'And I will remember My covenant with Jacob, and also My covenant with Isaac, and also My covenant with Abraham' (Leviticus 26:42), and you are called Tegar*.\" [*תַּגָּר merchant, dealer, trader.]",
+                "[6] Another interpretation: Why do you say \"O, Jacob\"? Rabbi Nehemiah said, \"The Holy One, blessed be He, said, 'I have honored your name above your fathers', as it says, 'And I will remember My covenant with Jacob' (Leviticus 26:42). With Abraham, I remembered him even for the sake of Ishmael and the sons of Keturah, and with Isaac, I remembered him even for the sake of Esau (and Eliphaz) [and his dukes], but you, who have established for me that holy community, are all beautiful, my bride, and I have not remembered you except for your own covenant, and you are called \"Tagger\" [תְּגַר  (sec. r. of גור) to travel about; to trade]. So why do you say \"O, Jacob\"? Didn't you know, \"Have you not heard?\" (Isaiah 40:28)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (65) 66: Writings</b> [1] A song of ascents. Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth, let Israel now say— (Psalm 129:1) See, O LORD, the distress I am in! My heart is in anguish, [*Lit.<i>  “My heart has turned over within me”; cf. Exod. 14.5; Hos. 11.8.I know how wrong I was</i> ] To disobey. Outside the sword deals death; Indoors, the plague. (Lamentations 1:20) The Knesset of Israel said: \"Master of the Universe, you saw fit for us to experience suffering, as it is written 'With him who wrote with me, I am in distress' (Psalm 91:15). Behold, we are in distress, and it is good for You. Until now, Israel would say of themselves that no one had risen up against them like Balaam the wicked. Our rabbis said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Pazi that when Balak sent Balaam to curse Israel, Balaam said to him, 'What are you doing? Do you want to anger the Lord who is with them? They are like two people who are inseparable. If one of them is hit, it is as if both are hit. The Lord is like this with Israel. If I curse them, it is as if I am touching Him.' As it says, How can I damn whom God [<i>God Heb El, as often in these poems.</i>] has not damned, How doom when יהוה has not doomed? (Numbers 23:8). Similarly, Jeremiah says, 'For as the girdle cleaves to the loins of a man' (Jeremiah 13:11). When will this happen? When what Moses said is fulfilled: 'You shall love the Lord your God and listen to His voice, and you shall cling to Him' (Deuteronomy 30:20). Therefore, David said: \"Though I walk through  [*Others “the valley of the shadow of death.”] a valley of deepest darkness, I fear no harm, for You are with me; Your rod and Your staff—they comfort me. (Psalm 23:4)"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (66) 67: Torah</b> [1] After two years’ time, (Genesis 41:1). Like Scriptures say: \"As an endless dream [(with no awakening, so was their end [viz. Isaiah 37:36])]. The Lord (אֲ֝דֹנָ֗י), in the city [that they violated (Jerusalem)], despised their form [(burning them all)].\" (Psalm 73:20). The Holy One, blessed be He, God does not reveal himself to the wicked during the day, and why is that? To shame them, like a dream in the summer, and why at night? Because their deeds are darkness and obscurity, as it is written, \"And it shall be in the darkness of their deeds\" (Isaiah 29:15). Therefore, He reveals Himself to them in darkness, like a dream in the summer. And even at night, the wicked are not worthy of having God revealed to them. However, He makes Himself a messenger to the wicked in order to fulfill the wishes of the righteous. This is also evident in the case of Pharaoh. When he took Sarah, God did not send an angel or a fiery seraph, but rather He Himself, as it were, went and struck Pharaoh and finished with him, as it is written, \"And the Lord afflicted Pharaoh and his household with great plagues\" (Genesis 12:17). This was in the merit of Sarah, as it is written, \"On account of the matter of Sarah, the wife of Abraham\" (ibid. 18). Two are better than one. And similarly, when Abimelech took Sarah, God appeared to him in a dream at night, as it is written, \"Then God came to Abimelech in a dream at night\" (Genesis 20:3). And so it was with Laban, as it is written, \"Then God came to Laban the Aramean in a dream at night\" (Genesis 31:24). Similarly, Pharaoh showed him in a dream what he was going to do, and it came to pass at the end of two full years that Pharaoh dreamed. And so it was with Nebuchadnezzar, who dreamed dreams. Why did God reveal Himself to them in dreams? To shame them, \"Like a dream of summer, O Lord, may their city be put to shame.\" [Psalm 73:20]",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And there will be an end...\"  Like scriptures says: \"For from the house of bondage he went out to reign\" (Ecclesiastes 4:14), referring to Abraham who left Ur of the Chaldeans and was raised in the world, as it says, \"I am the Lord who brought you out\" (Genesis 15:7). Alternatively, \"from the house of bondage\" refers to Isaac, whom God saved from the sword of his father, as it is written: \"And he said, 'Do not stretch out your hand against the lad'\" (Genesis 22:12). Isaac went out into the world and grew up, as it is written: \"And Isaac went out to meditate\" (Genesis 24:63). Additionally, regarding \"from the house of the prisoners,\" this refers to Jacob, who left his father's house when he fled from Esau, as it says \"And Jacob went out\" (Genesis 28:10). And what is written about him? \"And the man broke out exceedingly\" (Genesis 30:43). However, even in his kingship he was born poor (Ecclesiastes 4:14), as when Esau came and took his goats and more (Genesis 32:15). Alternatively: \"Regarding Joseph, who came from the house of prisoners and became king, as it is said 'The king sent and released him, even the ruler of peoples, and set him free.' (Psalms 105:20). However, even in his kingship, he was born poor, as it says 'A poor man who became king.' (Ecclesiastes 4:14). He did not elevate himself to become king, but just as his heart was when he was imprisoned, as it says 'And Joseph was the ruler...and he was the provider' (Genesis 42:6). And do not think that I only know him as the ruler and provider, but rather to teach you that he was both in his youth and as a king. As Solomon says: \"If the spirit [of judgment] of the Ruler arises against you...\"(Ecclesiastes 10:4).\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And there will be an end...\" Like Scriptures say: \"For I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds\" (Jeremiah 30:17). The measures of God are not like the measures of flesh and blood, for He can strike with a sword and heal with a sword. He is able to heal Israel in the very thing in which they sinned. For example, when they sinned with a cloud, it is written, \"He has covered Himself with a cloud\" (Lamentations 3:44), and they were struck with a cloud, as it is written, \"Behold, he shall come up like clouds\" (Jeremiah 4:13), and they were healed with a cloud, as it is written, \"Who are these that fly as a cloud?\" (Isaiah 60:8). Similarly, it is written, \"And the Lord will create upon every dwelling place of mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day\" (Isaiah 4:5). When they sinned with a thick darkness, it is written, \"And darkness shall cover the earth\" (Isaiah 60:2), and they were struck with darkness, as it is written, \"He has made my skin black and my bones to shake\" (Lamentations 3:4), and they were healed with darkness, as it is written, \"Who are these that fly as a cloud?\" (Isaiah 60:8). When they sinned with justice, it is written, \"They judge not the cause, the cause of the fatherless\" (Jeremiah 5:28), and they were struck with justice, as it is written, \"He will speak judgment to the Gentiles\" (Isaiah 42:1), and they were healed with justice, as it is written, \"Zion shall be redeemed with judgment\" (Isaiah 1:27). They were struck in dreams, \"as a dream when one awakens\" (Psalms 73:20), and they were healed in dreams, \"Your old men shall dream dreams\" (Joel 3:1). Similarly, Joseph was not sold except for the sake of dreams, as it is written, \"Behold, this dreamer comes\" (Genesis 37:19), and he was healed in a dream, as it is written, \"And it came to pass at the end of two full years, that Pharaoh dreamed\" (Genesis 41:1), \"For I will restore health to you, and I will heal you of your wounds\" (Jeremiah 30:17)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (67) 68: Prophets</b> [1] \"In the second year of King Darius, the word of the Lord came through the prophet Haggai\" (Haggai 1:1). Like the scriptures say: \"A voice of one calling: “In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level,the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.” (Isaiah 40:3-5) [also look: Eikhah Rabbah 1:23]. \"A voice calls out [in the wilderness]\" [edit: ] . Rabbi Levi said: \"Why is it called 'in the wilderness'? Rather, it is in accordance with the practice of the world. Just as someone who lost a valuable object does not search for it in the place where it was lost, but rather in a public place where many people pass through, so too the Holy One, blessed be He, caused Israel to be lost in the wilderness, as it is said, 'In this wilderness they shall be consumed, and there they shall die' (Numbers 14:35), and there He goes and seeks them. A voice calls out in the wilderness, 'Prepare the way.' What should we prepare? He said to them, 'Remove the obstacles from among you.' As Laban said to Eliezer, 'Do not be delayed by me, now that the Lord has granted success to your journey. Let me see you off and send you on your way to my master' (Genesis 24:56). Laban had already uprooted [Rebecca] from here [Haran] for Eliezer's sake, as it is said, 'And I have set my face towards the Lord' (Genesis 24:27). And what about the place for the camels? He said to him, 'Rebecca does not steal in this place. And I have set my face towards the Lord.' And who will steal [the idols]? Rachel, who is destined to stand up [to Laban], will steal them and put them among the camels, as it is said, 'And Rachel took the <i> teraphim</i> * [*תְּרָפִים m.n. pl. a kind of <i> household idols</i>. Of uncertain origin. According to Neubauer and others, related to רֽפָאִים ᴵ (= <i> shades, ghosts</i> ).], and put them in the camel's saddle' (Genesis 31:34). Alternatively, 'And I have set my face towards the Lord' is a reference to the statue of Manasseh. And when was it [that it was hidden]? When Nebuchadnezzar went out to destroy it, as it is compared to a camel, as it is said, 'The burden upon beasts of burden' (Isaiah 21:7). The burden upon beasts of burden is the Messiah, and the burden upon a camel is Nebuchadnezzar. On the day that Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Temple, the Messiah was born, as it is said, 'And Lebanon shall fall by a mighty one' (Isaiah 10:34), and 'a shoot shall grow out of the stock of Jesse' (Isaiah 11:1). Therefore, 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness a highway for our God' (Isaiah 40:3), straighten yourselves like those whom I straightened out in the wilderness who were crooked, 'and let every valley be exalted, and every mountain and hill be made low' (Isaiah 40:4), so that you will no longer be afraid of sin, as it is said, 'Look at your way in the valley' (Jeremiah 2:23).\" Alternative interpretation: \"All valleys will be exalted. I will carry Moshe, who was buried in a valley, as it is written 'And He buried him in the valley' (Deuteronomy 34:6). This can be compared to a wise man who entrusted his son to a scribe to learn Torah laws and teachings. When they came to appoint him as a wise man, he said, 'I swear that my son has not yet been appointed a wise man until his teacher comes and sanctifies him.' Similarly, Hashem entrusted Israel to Moshe and taught them everything, as it is written, 'See, I have taught you statutes and laws' (Deuteronomy 4:5). And the Messiah will come to redeem them, and Hashem says to him, 'I swear that my children will not be redeemed until Moshe Rabbeinu comes,' as it is written, 'I saw his beginning and ending' (Isaiah 41:4). Why do I carry him? 'Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill shall be made low' (Isaiah 40:4). These are the kingdoms, as it is written, 'And I looked up and saw four chariots coming out from between two mountains' (Zechariah 6:1). And 'The crooked shall be made straight and the rough places smooth' (Isaiah 40:4). This refers to the evil inclination, as it is written, 'The heart is deceitful above all things' (Jeremiah 17:9). And 'The riders shall come down to the plain' (Isaiah 40:4). These are wicked people, as David says, 'You will hide them in the shelter of Your presence from the intrigues of men' (Psalms 31:21). Afterwards, 'And the glory of Hashem shall be revealed' (Isaiah 40:5), because in this world the prophets prophesy indirectly, saying, 'I saw Hashem standing by the altar' (Amos 9:1). Ezekiel says, 'The word of Hashem came to me and I saw visions by the river Kevar' (Ezekiel 1:1). Amos says, 'Behold, Hashem stood upon a wall with a plumb line' (Amos 7:7). \"And the prophet Haggai prophesied about the Jews who were in Judah and Jerusalem\" (Ezra 5:1), but in the future, everyone will see it, as it is said, \"And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all flesh will see it together, for the mouth of the Lord has spoken\" (Isaiah 40:5).",
+                "[2] additional interpretation: In the second year of Darius, why did The Holy One, blessed be He, choose to mention Zion? It is because everything that happened to Joseph also happened to Zion, [and why mention] Joseph? \"And Israel loved Joseph\" (Genesis 37:3), and [Order of lines inverted for clarity.] \"The LORD loves the gates of Zion\" (Psalms 87:2). \"Joseph's brothers hated him\" (Genesis 37:5), and \"Zion was hated for the voice of her groaning\" (Jeremiah 12:8). Joseph, \"Behold, we are binding sheaves\" (Genesis 37:7), and Zion, \"Let Zion come, let her rejoice in her king\" (Isaiah 62:1). Joseph's brothers said to him, \"Do you indeed reign over us?\" (Genesis 37:8), and Zion says, \"Your God reigns over you\" (Isaiah 52:7). Joseph dreamed a dream (Genesis 37:5), and Zion says, \"When the Lord restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream\" (Psalm 126:1). Joseph said, \"Here comes that dreamer\" (Genesis 37:19), and Zion says, \"For Zion's sake I will not keep silent, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not be quiet\" (Isaiah 62:1). Joseph said, \"Come now, let me show you the kindness of my brothers\" (Genesis 37:14), and Zion says, \"Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf\" (Jeremiah 29:7). Joseph's brothers saw him from afar (Genesis 37:18), and Zion says, \"The Lord appeared to me from far away\" (Jeremiah 31:3). Joseph and before they approached him to kill him (Genesis 37:18). \"They conspire against your people; they plot against those you cherish.\" (Psalm 83:3). \"And they stripped Joseph of his coat\" (Genesis 37:23), \"And they will strip off your clothes and take your fine jewelry\" (Ezekiel 23:26). \"And they threw him into the pit\" (Genesis 37:24), \"He has walled me in so I cannot escape; he has weighed me down with chains\" (Lamentations 3:7). \"The pit where there is no water\" (Genesis 37:24), \"They threw Jeremiah into a cistern, where he sank into the mud\" (Jeremiah 38:6). \"They sat down to eat bread\" (Genesis 37:25), \"Those who once ate delicacies are destitute in the streets\" (Lamentations 4:5). \"And they drew Joseph up and lifted him out of the pit\" (Genesis 37:28), \"And they pulled Jeremiah up with ropes and lifted him out of the cistern\" (Jeremiah 38:13). \"And Jacob tore his clothes\" (Genesis 37:34), \"The Lord did what he had planned; he carried out his word\" (Lamentations 2:17). Joseph put a sackcloth on his waist (Genesis 37:34), and Zion put on sackcloth, lamented, and girded herself with mourning (Isaiah 22:12). Joseph refused to be comforted (Genesis 37:35), and Zion said, \"Do not comfort me\" (Isaiah 22:4). Joseph was sold by his brothers to the Ishmaelites (Genesis 37:28), and Zion and the sons of Judah and the sons of Jerusalem were sold to the Greeks (Joel 4:6). Behold, what happened to Joseph happened to Zion. The good things are also mentioned; \"Now Joseph was handsome in form and appearance\" (Genesis 39:6), and Zion, \"This beautiful city, admired by all\" (Lamentations 2:15). \"Joseph is not greater in this house than I\" (Genesis 39:9), but \"The Lord is great in Zion\" (Psalm 99:2). \"The Lord was with Joseph\" (Genesis 39:21), and \"My eyes and my heart will be there always\" (1 Kings 9:3). \"And Joseph found grace in his sight\" (Genesis 39:21), and \"Therefore, Zion, you are redeemed by mercy\" (Isaiah 60:10). Joseph was taken out of the pit, his clothes were changed (Genesis 41:14), and Zion, \"Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow\" (Isaiah 1:18). Joseph was clothed in fine linen* [*שש means = <i>something \"bleached white\", byssus (Latin = cotton), linen, fine linen, also: alabaster, similar stone, marble. Also means number 6</i>] (Genesis 41:42), and Zion, \"Awake, awake, put on your strength, O Zion!\" (Isaiah 52:1). Joseph was redeemed after two years, from the day he interpreted the dreams of the butler and the baker (Genesis 41:1), and it came to pass after two full years that Zion was redeemed in the second year of Darius (Haggai 1:1). Therefore, David said, \"You have redeemed your people with your arm, the sons of Jacob and Joseph\" (Psalm 77:16)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "[1] A song of ascents. \"Many [peoples] have afflicted me from my youth,\" (Psalms 129:1). And scriptures say: From [(the following)] six woes He shall save you [(by the afflictions which you have suffered)], and in the seventh, evil shall not reach you.\" (Job 5:19). Solomon explains that \"six things the Lord hates...\" (Proverbs 6:16). David says, \"I have kept them,\" (Psalms 119:128) \"My eyes are raised high\" (ibid. 131), \"My heart is not haughty, my eyes are not lofty\" (Psalms 131:1), \"A lying tongue\" (Proverbs 6:17), \"My soul is saved from deceitful lips and tongue\" (Psalms 120:2). \"Hands that shed innocent blood\" (Proverbs 6:17), \"I am clean and my kingdom is from the Lord\" (2 Samuel 3:28). \"A heart that devises wicked schemes\" (Proverbs 6:18), \"My heart is firm, O God; my heart is firm;\" (Psalms 57:8) [edit. There is error in Hebrew reference says 57:5]. \"Feet quick to run to evil,\" (Proverbs 6:18), \"My feet stand on level ground\" (Psalms 26:12). \"A false witness who pours out lies\" (Proverbs 6:19), \"Do not hand me over to the desire of my foes, for false witnesses rise up against me\" (Psalms 27:12). \"And one who sows discord among brethren\" (Proverbs 6:19), \"But as for me, listen to my plea for mercy when I cry out to you for help, when I lift up my hands toward your most holy place\" (Psalms 28:2). From [(the following)] six woes He shall save you [(by the afflictions which you have suffered)], and in the seventh, evil shall not reach you.\" (Job 5:19), as the Holy One, blessed be He, saved David from these things because he kept them.",
+                "[2] Another explanation According to our father Jacob, he exclaimed and said, \"Greatly have I been afflicted from my youth, let Israel now say\" (Psalms 129:1). The Holy One, blessed be He, responded and said, \"But in every trouble that entered upon you, was I not with you and saved you? I redeemed you from death in famine (Job 5:20), when Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt and said, 'Why do you just keep looking at each other?' (Genesis 42:1), and in war from the hand of the sword (Job 5:20), when Esau came with four hundred men, \"You will hide from the sword of the tongue\" (Job 5:21). When did Jacob hear the words of Laban's sons, etc.? (Genesis 31:1), and \"Do not be afraid of sudden terror, nor of trouble from the wicked when it comes\" (Proverbs 3:25). When did the people of Shechem come and depart and a terror from God fell upon them? (Genesis 35:5), \"You shall laugh at destruction and famine\" (Job 5:22). When did he leave his father's house and Esau took his blessings from him? (It seems to be different opinions regarding the interpretation of the beginning of Parshat Vayetze) Nevertheless, the Holy One, blessed be He, did not abandon him, as it is written, \"With my staff I crossed this Jordan, and now I have become two camps\" (Genesis 32:11), \"Do not be afraid of the beasts of the earth\" (Job 5:22), for as long as he was a shepherd, not one of the animals touched the flock, as it is written, \"I did not bring you animals torn by wild beasts\" (Genesis 31:39). \"For you have made a covenant with the stones of the field\" (Job 5:23). When did he take stones from the place and set them up as a pillar? (Genesis 28:18). \"And the wild beast of the field shall be at peace with thee\" (Job 5:23), \"And Esau ran to meet him\" (Genesis 33:4), which is called a \"Chayah\" (wild animal), as it says, \"Shout down the beast of the reeds\" [(Yishmael, who is like a swine living among the reeds)] (Psalms 68:31). \"And you will know that your tent is in peace\" (Job 5:24), \"When was it that Israel settled?\" (Genesis 33:22), and what is written after that? \"And the sons of Jacob were twelve\" (Genesis 35:22). \"And you will lie down, and none shall make you afraid\" (Job 11:19), \"And Israel shall dwell in safety, alone\" (Deuteronomy 33:28), \"Many faces have been humbled before you\" (Job 40:14), \"And many nations shall come\" (Isaiah 2:3). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to Jacob: \"After all these things that I have done for you, you will call me your adversary\" (Hosea 12:14). Jacob also said, \"Many have been my afflictions from my youth\" (Psalms 129:1), and also said, \"They have not prevailed against me\" (Psalms 129:2). David said to him, \"For all these things, I will give you praise,\" as it says, \"Many are the afflictions of the righteous, but the Lord delivers him from them all\" (Psalms 34:19)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (69) 70: Torah</b> [1] \"And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt\" (Genesis 42:1). This teaches us that both the ear hears and the eye sees, \"The Lord has made them both\" (Proverbs 20:12). Why did Solomon mention both the ear and the eye? Because not only did the Holy One, blessed be He, create them, but also all of a person's organs will be judged, except for the ear and the eye. Why? Because the eye sees what is not good for a person and the ear hears what is not good for a person. But the hands, if a person does not want to steal, he does not steal. If he does not want to burn, he does not burn. If he does not want to strangle, he does not strangle. And so too with the feet. Therefore, it is said, \"The ear that hears and the eye that sees\" (Proverbs 20:12). Come and see, all the time that Joseph was sold, Jacob and his sons did not know that Joseph was still alive. When the time came, the Holy One, blessed be He, gave their eyes and ears the ability to know, as it is said, \"And Jacob saw that there was grain in Egypt,\" and he said, \"Behold, I have heard\" (Genesis 42:1-2).",
+                "[2] Alternative explanation: \"An ear that hears and an eye that sees.\" Rabbi Ashi said in the name of Rabbi Chelkiah: \"Because in this world, Israel sinned and became deaf to the Torah and blind to the Divine Presence, as it says, 'Their ear is uncircumcised, and they cannot listen; behold, the word of the Lord is to them an object of scorn; they take no pleasure in it' (Jeremiah 6:10). Therefore, they were prevented from learning Torah, and their eyes were sealed from seeing the Divine Presence. Similarly, Isaiah cries out, 'Hear, you deaf, and look, you blind, that you may see!' (Isaiah 42:18). And they say to Him, 'We grope, like blind men along a wall; Like those without eyes we grope. We stumble at noon, as if in darkness; Among the sturdy, we are-b like the dead.' (Isaiah 59:10). And they do not hear, as it says, \"And I [(Israel)] was like a deaf man, not hearing [their taunts]; and as a mute, not opening his mouth.\" (Psalm 38:14). What does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? In the future, He will first revive them and then open their eyes and ears, as it says, 'Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped' (Isaiah 35:5). And they will hear the words of God, as it says, 'And your ears shall hear a word behind you, saying, \"This is the way, walk in it,\" when you turn to the right or when you turn to the left' (Isaiah 30:21), and they will see how He teaches, as it says, 'And your Teacher will not hide himself anymore, but your eyes shall see your Teacher' (Isaiah 30:20). At that time, the verse will be fulfilled, 'An ear that hears and an eye that sees' (Proverbs 20:12). Neither an angel nor a seraph does this, but the Lord does both.\" [edit. How LORD guides you?  The Ruach haKodesh guides you (Megillah 14a:13)]",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And Jacob saw\" Like it is said in scriptures: that he said \"Who commands the sun not to shine\" and to consume (Job 9:7).Indeed, all of Job's wisdom - does he not know that if the Holy One, blessed be He, were to command the sun, moon, and stars not to shine, they would not shine, except for Jacob and his sons who are compared to the sun, moon, and stars, as it is said, \"And behold, the sun, the moon, and eleven stars were prostrating themselves to me\" (Genesis 37:9). Joseph was separated from his father for twenty-two years, and the Divine spirit was withdrawn from Jacob and his sons, and he was not far from them except for three days, and they did not know that he was in Egypt. Before that, great prophets were Jacob and his sons. If you wish to know, when Joseph related his dreams to them, what did they say to him? \"Are you really going to be a king and rule over us?\" (Genesis 37:8). And when he was sold, they did not know where he was. Why did the Holy One, blessed be He, say this and why did He do it? In order that the prophets should not become haughty, He weakened their power and showed them that they were nothing. This is also the way Moses, the greatest of the prophets, was tested, as it is said, \"The matter that is too difficult for you, you shall bring to me\" (Deuteronomy 1:17). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"You can solve a difficult problem? I will test you.\" When the case of the daughters of Zelophehad came before him, he began to falter, not knowing what to say. He only said, \"And Moses brought their case before the Lord\" (Numbers 27:5). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, \"Moses, did you not say, 'The matter that is too difficult for you'? Behold, the women know something that you do not know, as it is said, 'So are the daughters of Zelophehad speaking'\" (Numbers 27:7). The women argued more eloquently than you did. Even though Samuel was as respected as Moses, when he said to Saul \"I am the one who sees\" (1 Samuel 9:19), the Lord said to him, \"Tomorrow I will show you if you really see, as it is written, 'Fill your horn with oil' (1 Samuel 16:1).\" As soon as he went and saw Eliab, the Lord said to him, \"You are the one who said 'I see,' but you did not see, as it is written, 'Do not look at his appearance' (1 Samuel 16:7). Why does one who chips away at a stone finish it? (Job 9:7). Even Elisha, a great man, accomplished double the miracles that Elijah did, as it is written, \"Please let there be a double portion of your spirit upon me\" (2 Kings 2:9). And there came a moment when he knew nothing, when he saw the Shunammite woman coming to him, he said to Gehazi, \"Please run to meet her and ask her, 'Are you well? Is your husband well? Is your child well?'\" (2 Kings 4:26). He did not know that the child had died. Eventually, he felt something and said to Gehazi, \"Let her be, for her soul is bitter within her, and the Lord has hidden it from me and has not told me\" (2 Kings 4:27). Thus, you have learned that everything is from the Almighty - if He wants people to see, they will see, and if He wants them to hear, they will hear, as it is written, \"The ear that hears and the eye that sees - the Lord has made them both\" (Proverbs 20:12). Therefore, it is said, \"He who says to the deaf, etc.\" (Proverbs 27:14).",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: \"And Jacob saw [that there was grain in Egypt]\": David said, \"Happy is the one who seeks the help of Jacob's God, whose hope is in the Lord his God\" (Psalm 146:5). Jacob knew that they were in Egypt, and this refers to Joseph, who was his hope (i.e., he hoped to see him again).",
+                "[5] Another interpretation: \"And Jacob saw that there was grain.\" Job said, \"The eyes of the righteous will not be dimmed\" (Job 36:7), referring to Jacob, who, despite the fact that the Holy Spirit had departed from him and he did not know that his son was alive, the Lord informed him, as it is said, \"And Jacob saw.\" Therefore, it is said that \"the eyes of the righteous will not be dimmed, and they will establish kings on the throne, but the throne will be exalted above them\" (Genesis 41:40). And even the future anointed one*, who will stand up from Joseph, was shown to him, as it is said, \"And he established them forever and exalted them\" (Job 36:7) [edit: also Psalm 76:14 and *Mashiach: Isaiah 11:1-6]"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (70) 71: Prophets</b>  [1] \"But Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, the Lord has forgotten me.'\" (Isaiah 49:14) This means that if Zion says, \"The Lord has forsaken me,\" the Lord says in response, \"If I remember you, Jerusalem, I remember the Torah that I gave you on your right hand,\" as it is written, \"From his right hand a fiery law for them\" (Deuteronomy 33:2). Another explanation: \"If I remember you, Jerusalem,\" I remember all the miracles that I performed for Israel at the sea, as the children of Israel said to him, \"Your right hand, O Lord, glorious in power\" (Exodus 15:6), and you say, \"The Lord has forgotten me.\" [Isaiah 49:15]",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"And Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.'\" (Isaiah 49:15) This refers to the sin of the golden calf, which caused the Shechinah to depart from the Israelites. Therefore, Zion says, \"The Lord has forsaken me.\" However, God responds, \"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, may my right hand forget its skill\" (Psalms 137:5). In other words, God did not forget the Israelites, but rather, they forgot Him. This is why He says, \"If I forget you,\" indicating that it was the Israelites who forgot Him. Another interpretation: also suggests that \"Zion\" refers to the Torah, which the Israelites neglected and abandoned. This is why it says, \"The Lord has forsaken me,\" as if the Torah itself is speaking. God responds, \"If I forget you,\" meaning that He did not forget the Torah, but rather, the Israelites forgot it. The Targum translates this passage as, \"And Zion said, 'I have sinned, and my children have abandoned me.'\" In either case, the message is clear: it was the Israelites who turned away from God, not the other way around. God remains faithful to His covenant and His word, even when His people fail to uphold their end of the bargain.",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"And Zion said, 'The Lord has forsaken me.' David said, 'I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. Have you forever rejected us? Will you be angry with us forever?' (Psalm 77:6-8). What did Zion mean when she said, 'The Lord has forsaken me'? She meant to say, 'I have considered all the days since creation and have not been redeemed. I considered the days of menstruation, as the prophet said, \"Their way was like the uncleanness of menstruation before me\" (Ezekiel 36:17). I considered the days of childbirth, as the prophet said, \"Therefore, he will give them up until the time when she who is in labor bears a child\" (Micah 5:2). I thought about the generations, as it is written \"May his days be like those of a generation (Psalm 71:7).\" I thought that twenty years had passed since Isaac desired to have children, as it says \"Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah... (Genesis 25:20),\" and he had a son at the age of sixty, as it says \"Isaac was sixty years old when they were born (Genesis 25:26).\" I thought and was not redeemed. I thought that twenty-two years had passed for Jacob, corresponding to the twenty-two years that Joseph was separated from him [his father], and after twenty-two years he was reunited with him, as it says \"Joseph is still alive (Genesis 45:28).\" I thought and was not redeemed. I thought that Babylonian rule lasted for seventy years, as it says \"When Babylon reaches seventy years (Jeremiah 29:10),\" and I thought that the rule of Media and Greece would also end, but I was not redeemed. For many years, Aram enslaved me, and I was not redeemed. Has God forgotten how to pity? (Psalm 77:10), or perhaps \"Has His faithfulness disappeared forever?\" (Psalm 77:9). Therefore, I say, \"God has abandoned me.\" (Isaiah 49:14)",
+                "[4] Another explanation: Why did she say \"God has forsaken me\" instead of saying \"the people of Zion have forgotten me\" as it is stated, \"For there they that led us captive asked of us words of song, and our tormentors asked of us mirth: 'Sing us one of the songs of Zion.'\" (Psalm 137:3) and it did not mention God, as it says, \"By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.\" (Psalm 137:1) But you say \"If I forget you, O Jerusalem, let my right hand wither; [Others “forget its cunning].\" (Psalm 137:5) and you did not say \"If I forget thee, O Zion,\" therefore, you say \"God has forsaken me.\" (Isaiah 49:14)",
+                "[5] Another explanation for why Zion said \"The Lord has forsaken me\" - she did not mean that His presence was in that place and left and returned again. This is like what Sarah said in the wilderness of Sinai, perhaps His presence was removed from there and returned again. Sarah said the same thing in Nov, Shiloh, and Giv'on when His presence was removed from there and returned again. But in my case, I said, \"This is my rest forever; here I will dwell, for I have desired it\" (Psalm 132:14), and His presence was removed and did not return. Therefore, I say that just as He did in all those places, so He does to me. \"The Lord has forsaken me, and the Lord has forgotten me.\" But God said to her, \"Can a woman forget her nursing child, that she should have no compassion on the son of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you\" (Isaiah 49:15). Perhaps you will forget the sacrifices and the burnt offerings that I accepted from you, but I will not forget you. Rabbi Berachiah said, \"Your life! Although You have done many good things for me, You have also done many bad things. But I do not remember the bad things You have done, only the good things. Even those things will be forgotten, but I will not forget You, the Lord my God\" (Isaiah 49:15). \"Why do many waters cannot quench love?\" (Song of Solomon 8:7). What kind of love does the Lord love? \"The Lord loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwelling places of Jacob\" (Psalm 87:2). "
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (71) 72: Writings</b> [1] A Song of Ascents. \"Many times they have afflicted me from my youth, and so on\" (Psalm 129:1) It is said in scriptures: \"In all their affliction, He was not afflicted\" (Isaiah 63:9). If Israel does the will of the Almighty in all their troubles, then He is afflicted with them, but if they do not do His will in their troubles, then He is not afflicted with them. This is evident from the incident in Egypt where the Israelites made bricks from straw and were revealed to Moses at the burning bush as if they were making them from precious stones (Exodus 24:10). Thus it is written, \"I am with him in trouble\" (Psalm 91:15) and \"the angel of His presence saved them\" (Isaiah 63:9). This angel, who sees the Almighty's face every day, is their savior. Jacob also said, \"the angel who has redeemed me\" (Genesis 48:16). Through His love (Isaiah 63:9) and in the merit of Abraham, who loved Him, twenty generations hated Him, but when Abraham appeared, they loved Him. Through His mercy (Isaiah 63:9) and in the merit of Isaac, who was almost sacrificed, it is written, \"do not lay a hand on the boy\" (Genesis 22:12). He Himself redeemed them (Isaiah 63:9) in the merit of Jacob, as it is written, \"The Lord redeemed Jacob\" (Isaiah 48:20). Raised them (Isaiah 63:9) from the sea and exalted them (Isaiah 63:9), in the desert, All the days of old.(Isaiah 63:9) In the land of Israel. Another interpretation: \"they were sustained by manna in the desert and were lifted up (carried) in the wilderness all the days of eternity in Shiloh.\" Another interpretation:\"And He carried them in the clouds [in the wilderness], and He raised them up in the desert [in the Promised Land], all the days of eternity [i.e. forever] in the land of Israel. Another interpretation: \"And He carried them in the manna, and He raised them up in the wilderness, all the days of eternity in Shiloh.\" Another interpretation: \"And they were sustained by manna in the first Temple, and they were lifted up in the desert, all the days of eternity in Shiloh. And they will be sustained in the future Temple, and lifted up in the second Temple, all the days of eternity, as it is said, 'One thing I ask of the Lord, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life' (Psalms 27:4).\" Alternatively, He carried them in the monarchy of the House of David, and He will lift them in the monarchy of the Messiah, all the days of this eternal world, as it is said, \"The Lord will reign forever and ever\" (Exodus 15:18).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (72) 73: Torah</b>  [1] \"And the El Shaddai grant you mercy\" (Genesis 43:14). As it is written in scriptures: Knowledge [of escape from You] is concealed from me. It is too formidable. I cannot know it. (Psalm 139:6). What is the meaning of \"extraordinary level of understanding beyond my grasp\"? It refers to something that is difficult for a person to comprehend, as it says, \"If there arise among you a matter too hard for judgment\" (Deuteronomy 17:8). Jacob said, \"I cannot understand this matter.\" God promised Abraham that he would have twelve tribes, as it says, \"Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them...So shall thy seed be\" (Genesis 15:5). Just as there are twelve constellations in the heavens that govern the world, so too I will establish twelve tribes from you that will govern the world, as it is said, \"Thus shall your seed be\" (Genesis 15:5). When Ishmael was born and he begot twelve princes, as it is said, \"And he shall be a wild ass of a man: his hand shall be against every man, and every man's hand against him; and he shall dwell in the face of all his brethren\" (Genesis 16:12), Abraham thought that these were the twelve tribes. But God said to him, \"No, not those that you think. Sarah will bear a son for you\" (Genesis 17:19), as it is said, \"And God said, Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac\" (Genesis 21:12). It is through Isaac that your seed will be called (Genesis 21:12), as I said to you, \"Thus shall your seed be\" (Genesis 15:5). When Isaac married Rebecca and she was found to be barren, he began to question how the promise that God made to Abraham could be fulfilled, as she was barren, as it is said, \"And Isaac entreated the Lord for his wife, because she was barren\" (Genesis 25:21), and the children struggled within her (Genesis 25:22). \"I'm sorry,\" she began, \"if that's the case, I apologize to one another and \"She went to inquire of יהוה,\" (Genesis 25:22), went to the study hall of Shem, and the Lord said to her, 'Two nations are in your womb, and two peoples shall be separated from your body' (Genesis 25:23). Why did she say why is it? (Genesis 25:22), \"this\" is numerically equivalent to 12. And God said to her [Sarah], \"What you think is not so, but there are two nations in your womb.\" When Jacob stood up and went out to Laban, Isaac called him and said to him, \"Let it be known that the Lord is establishing twelve tribes from you,\" as it is said, \"Isaac called Jacob and blessed him, and commanded him, and said to him, 'Do not marry a Canaanite woman. Arise, go to Padan Aram, to the house of Bethuel, your mother's father, and take a wife from there of the daughters of Laban, your mother's brother. And may God Almighty bless you, and make you fruitful, and multiply you, that you may be a congregation of peoples; and give you the blessing of Abraham, to you and your descendants with you\" (Genesis 28:1-4). The blessing that He blessed Abraham with, saying, \"Look up now\" (Genesis 15:5), is fulfilled through you. And once Jacob went and took wives and fathered twelve tribes, as it says, \"And the sons of Jacob were twelve\" (Genesis 35:22), Joseph began to see hints of it in his dream, saying, \"Behold, I have dreamed a dream\" (Genesis 37:9). Jacob began to keep watch over his father's words, and his father kept the matter (Genesis 37:11). And when Joseph was sold and Simeon was bound and Benjamin was brought to take revenge, Jacob began to cry out, \"Me? What do I know? I thought that from my fathers I would establish twelve tribes, but I am dwindling and going down,\" as it says, \"Joseph is gone\" (Genesis 42:36). Everything that the old man promised was fulfilled, and yet I am decreasing and going down. \"How incomprehensible is this to me,\" as it says, \"I do not know what to say to you, but one thing remains in my hand, the blessing that my father blessed me with, saying, 'And Almighty God bless you'\" (Genesis 28:3).",
+                "[2] Another interpretation:\"And may the El Shaddai grant you mercy.\"As it is written in scriptures: \"All the devout shall pray for this at the appropriate time (Psalm 32:6). For this, all the tribes shall pray, as it is said, 'And this is what their father said to them, etc.' (Genesis 49:28). At the appropriate time, when all the tribes went out from Jacob, he said to them, 'And to El Shaddai, etc.' (ibid. 49:1). With that same mouth that Joseph and Shimon did not recognize (Genesis 42:8), the Holy Spirit rested upon him and he began to prophesy in his prayer that all his sons would be present at the appropriate time, for he thought he had lost them, as it is said, 'And he sent for you their brother, etc.' (Genesis 43:29), referring to Joseph; 'And the other, etc.' (Genesis 42:24), referring to Shimon; and 'And Benjamin, etc.' (Genesis 43:15), as it is written. Therefore, it is said, 'All the devout shall pray for this at the appropriate time,' because when all the tribes went down to Egypt and turned their faces away, and he did not see any of them, he began to say, 'Perhaps they have joined with the nations and become one.' But the Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, 'that the rushing mighty waters not overtake him.' (Psalm 32:6). And who are these great waters? They are the nations, as it is said, 'Ah, the roar of many peoples, that roar as roars the sea, the rage of nations that rage as rage the mighty waters—' (Isaiah 17:12). Why do I have to suffer for a moment even though I may be sorry, but not forever, as it is written \"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; But with great compassion will I gather thee.\" (Isaiah 54:7).",
+                "[3] Another interpretation:\"And El Shaddai did not need to say 'grant you mercy' but rather 'grant you mercy before the king,' or 'before the ruler,' just as it is written, 'and Joseph was the ruler, etc.'\" (Genesis 42:6) Why does it say \"before the man\"? It could have just said to give you mercy before the king, or before the ruler, as it is written \"and Joseph was the ruler, etc.\" (Genesis 42:6). And why did his mother call him by his name Joseph, as it is written \"And she called his name Joseph\" (Genesis 30:24), while Pharaoh called him Zaphenath-paneah [\"treasury of the glorious rest\"] (Genesis 41:45) and the Egyptians called him Avrech [father in wisdom.] (Genesis 41:43)? Jacob omitted all of these names and only said \"And El Shaddai, etc.\" before the man. Why, when his father sent him to his brothers, did the angel who was assigned by God to watch over him find him wandering and ask him what he was looking for? As it is written \"And a man found him, and behold he was wandering in the field\" (Genesis 37:15), and he said to him \"What are you looking for?\" and he answered \"I am looking for my brothers.\" Once he arrived there, they threw him into a pit, then took off his coat, and then sold him four times, as it is written \"Thus says the Lord: For three transgressions of Israel, and for four, I will not turn away\" (Amos 2:6). And when the tribes went down to Egypt, as soon as he saw them, he had compassion on them.\" As it is written, \"And Joseph recognized them\" (Genesis 42:8). \"And he turned himself away from them and wept\" (Genesis 42:24). Immediately, the angel descended and appeared to Joseph in the form of a man, and he said to him, \"Why do you have mercy on these people? Don't you know how much they have troubled you? They threw you into a pit and sold you four times. He began to accuse them and said to Joseph, \"Immediately he revealed himself to them\" (Genesis 45:1). He said to them, \"Don't you know that I am a magician? I take the cup, smell it, and make myself a magician. He said to them, \"I know that you are spies, but if you are honest, then you are finished.\" (Genesis 42:19). When they came to Jacob and said to him, \"What do you think the king of Egypt said to us? He is not merciful to us.\" Only one person knows where he sent us from, and he stands and accuses us before him, as it is written, \"The man said, 'Your servant, our lord, has asked us about our family'\" (Genesis 43:7). For the man said, \"You are spies\" (Genesis 42:14). He said to them, \"There is a man who accuses you, so be kind to him, as it is written, 'And Almighty God will give you mercy before the man' (Genesis 43:14), and not only before this man, but before all nations, as it is written, 'give them compassion before those who carried them captive.' (I Kings 8:50)\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (73) 74: Prophets</b>  [1] \"Hear the word of the Lord, O house of Jacob\" (Jeremiah 2:4). This means that just as the new heavens and the new earth (Isaiah 66:22), when the Lord speaks, they come into being, as it is said, \"By the word of the Lord the heavens were made\" (Psalms 33:6). But you do not listen. \"Hear the word of the Lord\" and nullify all other words, \"I am [the Lord your God]\" (Exodus 20:2). They denied the Lord (Jeremiah 5:12). \"You shall have no other gods before me\" (Exodus 20:3). \"For your gods [Israel] were as numerous as your cities\" (Jeremiah 2:28). \"You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain\" (Exodus 20:7). \"But if they swear falsely, then my oath to them is nullified\" (Jeremiah 5:2). \"Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy\" (Exodus 20:8). \"And they have desecrated my Sabbaths\" (Ezekiel 22:8). \"Honor your father and your mother\" (Exodus 20:12). \"Father and mother were treated lightly among you\" (Ezekiel 22:7). \"You shall not murder. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal\" (Exodus 20:13-15). \"But you murder, commit adultery, and steal\" (Hosea 4:2). \"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor\" (Exodus 20:16). \"For false witnesses rise up against me\" (Psalms 27:12). \"You shall not covet\" (Exodus 20:17). \"They covet fields and seize them\" (Micah 2:2). Although you nullified all other commandments, one commandment remains, and I will forgive you. And what is that? The Sabbath, as Jeremiah said to Israel, \"Do not carry a load out of your houses on the Sabbath day or do any work, but keep the Sabbath day holy, as I commanded your forefathers\" (Jeremiah 17:22). \"And this city shall remain forever\" (Jeremiah 17:25). \"But if you do not listen to me\" (Jeremiah 17:27), \"I swear by myself,\" declares the Lord, \"that this house will become a desolation\" (Jeremiah 22:5). Therefore, it is said, \"Hear the word of the Lord,\" and \"Hear the word of the Lord\" means only the Sabbath, as it is said, \"From one New Moon to another and from one Sabbath to another, all mankind will come and bow down before me,\" declares the Lord\" (Isaiah 66:23). Similarly, the Lord said to Moses, \"Speak to the Israelites and say to them, 'You must observe my Sabbaths'\" (Exodus 31:13).",
+                "[2] Another explanation: they fulfilled the commandment of Hashem both in action and in hearing, as it says, \"They heard the voice of Hashem as He was speaking the words\" (Exodus 20:15), which means that they not only heard the words, but they also acted on them. This can be compared to a king who betrothed a woman from a prominent family, and he asked his advisors what kind of clothing she wears. They replied that she wears two fine stockings that are priceless. When the king saw them, one slipped off and was lost. The woman was ashamed to go to her husband with only one stocking, but the king heard about it and told her to keep the remaining one, and there was nothing wrong with that. Similarly, when the Israelites stood at Mount Sinai to receive the Torah, they accepted both the action and the hearing of the commandments, as it says, ‘All that the HaShem hath spoken will we do, and obey.’ (Exodus 24:7). The Holy One, blessed be He said, \"You have done well in committing to action, and you will fulfill the hearing as well.\" They heard the word of Hashem.",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"Listen to the word of the Lord. Before you wander around and seek something but do not find it, as it is said 'They will wander from sea to sea and from north to east they will roam to seek the word of the Lord, but they will not find it' (Amos 8:12). And not only that, but I see how you turn away and do not find, and I play with you, saying that you did not hear me when I was living among you, when you are turning away from the whole world, just as Solomon says, 'Since I called out and you refused...' (Proverbs 1:24-25). Also, I will laugh at your calamity...when distress and trouble come upon you' (Proverbs 1:26-27). It is like a king who called his treasurer, but she did not answer him. He became angry and went to the land of the sea, and she started to travel by ship, through rivers, and in the desert, returning to see his image, but could not find him. The king hears about it and makes fun of her, saying, 'When I was with her in her smallness, I called her and she did not pay attention to me, but now she is turning away from the whole world, and I am not paying attention to her.' So said the Lord, 'When I was in my house with them, I said to them, 'Listen to the word of the Lord,' but they did not listen to me or turn their ear to me' (Jeremiah 7:26). I am leaving here, as it is said, 'Behold, there is no longer any healing in Zion' (Jeremiah 8:19), and they wander through the seas, rivers, and deserts, seeking something, as it is said, 'They will wander from sea to sea' (Amos 8:12). The Holy Spirit cries out and says, 'Since I called out and you refused' (Proverbs 1:24), listen to the word of the Lord. But if you listen, you will live in peace and thrive, as it says, 'Listen to the Lord and live' (Isaiah 55:3)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (74) 75: Writings</b>  [1] For the conductor, a psalm of Asaph [a song known in Judah], God is great in Israel, His name is exalted (Psalms 76:1-2). The scriptures says: You have been shown [to know that the Hashem, He is God; there is none beside Him]. (Deuteronomy 4:35). Moses said to them, \"Before God chose you (whose name became known to you, you were shown [the truth], and so on), no person in the world knew that He is God of the world, as it is said, 'Pour out Your wrath on the nations that do not know You' (Jeremiah 10:25).\" \"From the moment that God chose you, His name became known to you, you were shown [the truth], and so on. Similarly, you can see this with Pharaoh, to whom Moses said, 'Thus says the Lord, the God of Israel,' and Pharaoh responded, 'Who is the Lord?' (Exodus 5:2). God said to him, 'You claim not to know Me?' (Exodus 5:3). When the Israelites reached the Red Sea, they were afraid to go down into it. At that moment, the tribe of Judah stepped forward and descended into the sea, as it says, 'Judah became God's sanctuary' (Psalms 114:2). From that moment on, God's name became known throughout the world, as it says, 'For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea' (Isaiah 11:9). When the sea covered the Egyptians, who made His name known to you? It was through Judah, as it says, 'In Judah God is known, His name is great in Israel' (Psalms 76:2).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (75) 76: Torah</b>  [1] \"Then Judah approached him\" (Genesis 44:18). And scriptures say this: \"Have we not all one Father? [Did not one God create us? Why do we break faith with one another, profaning the covenant of our ancestors?]\" (Malachi 2:10). \"We, your twelve servants, are brothers, the sons of one man in the land of Canaan\" (Genesis 42:13). Not like the tents of the measure of mercy, nor like the Egyptians who bow down to every kind of idolatry, as it was said in the tribes of Egypt, \"and do not defile yourselves [with the fetishes of Egypt]\" (Ezekiel 20:7). But we trust in only one God who created us, as it is said, \"Did not one God create us?\" (Malachi 2:10). So why would one betray his brother? As it is said, \"Why should you betray us, by secretly keeping the money you found in our sacks?\" (Genesis 44:8). And you accuse us of theft, as it is said, \"The man who found the cup\" (Genesis 44:17). We violate the covenant that the Lord made with our forefathers, and not only that, but the laws that we have made among ourselves. As it is said, \"If you are honest, leave one of your brothers here in prison\" (Genesis 42:19). And you said, \"Bring your youngest brother\" (Genesis 44:23). Our father did not ask for it, yet we complied with his request, as it is said, \"If I don't bring him back to you, I'll be guilty forever\" (Genesis 43:9). And you say, \"The man who found the cup\" (Genesis 44:17). So where is the covenant that the Lord gave us in His Torah, saying, \"Do not oppress one another\" (Leviticus 25:17), and \"You shall not work your brother like a slave\" (Leviticus 25:39)? Why then would one betray his brother? (Malachi 2:10).",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: And Judah approached him (Joseph), as it is said in scriptures, \"and I will be with him in trouble, and I will deliver him and honor him\" (Psalms 91:15). So too did the Almighty increase the Torah. Whoever seeks to engage in Torah study, the Torah plays with him, as it is said, \"playing in the inhabited world\" (Proverbs 8:31). There is no greater scholar than Solomon, and regarding one who sought to abolish the letter Yud (י) from the Torah, see what happened to him. When Solomon became king and sat on his throne and reviewed the Torah, it is written, \"And it will be when he sits on the throne of his kingdom, he shall write for himself a copy of this Torah\" (Deuteronomy 17:18). When he saw that he had not increased wealth or women, he said, \"I will multiply wives for myself and gold and horses\" (Deuteronomy 17:17). How many women did he have? As it is said, \"And he had seven hundred wives, princesses, and three hundred concubines\" (I Kings 11:3). How many horses did he have? As it is said, \"And Solomon had forty thousand stalls of horses\" (Ibid, 4:26). And how much silver and gold did he have? As it is said, \"The king made silver and gold in Jerusalem like stones\" (II Chronicles 1:15). \"Immediately, the Torah ascended before the Holy One, blessed be He, and said to Him: 'Master of the Universe, why am I still waiting here on earth? If King Solomon, the wisest of the wise, annulled me, who will uphold me?' The Holy One, blessed be He, replied: 'Your life is worth a thousand times the life of Solomon, for even if all the sages were to nullify you, the letter yud (י) in the Torah cannot be nullified. Whatever is nullified, the yud is never nullified. I will treat it as if the entire Torah was nullified because of it, as it is said: 'And the Lord said to Solomon: \"Since this has been your attitude and you have not kept my covenant and my decrees\" (1 Kings 11:11). The Torah that is referred to as 'this' (זאת), as it is said: 'And this is the Torah' (Deuteronomy 4:44). It is said that it was 'with him' (Solomon), as it is said: 'And it shall be with him and he shall read it' (Deuteronomy 17:19). And you (Torah) have caused the tearing apart of the kingdom from him, as it is said: 'I will tear the kingdom away from you [and give it to one of your servants.]' (I Kings 11:11)[edit. Hebrew text says \"<i> shem</i> \" 11:15]. Why? Because you played games in his world.\"",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"Rejoicing in His inhabited world.\" These are the tribes who sought to nullify something from the Torah. When Joseph saw the dream and said, \"And behold, the sun, and the moon\" (Genesis 37:9), they said to him, \"Shall you indeed reign over us?\" (Genesis 37:8). Once he left, they said to each other, \"Come, let us kill him\" (Genesis 37:20), etc. The Holy One, Blessed be He, said to them,  \"You seek to abolish something from the Torah and said, 'Let us be killed for it,' let us see who will uphold his words. He only did it when Joseph was sold as a slave and became a ruler, as it is said, 'And Joseph was the ruler, etc.' And Joseph's brothers came, etc. (Genesis 42:6). He began to accuse them of being spies (Genesis 42:9), they said to him, 'No, my lord, your servants have come, etc.' (Genesis 42:10-11), he said to them, 'No, you are thieves who sell your siblings as slaves. Send one of you etc.' (Genesis 42:16). And in the end, when the cup was found in Benjamin's hand, he began to say, 'Who stole the cup? Benjamin, son of a thief mother, for Rachel stole, etc.' (Genesis 31:19). 'Behold, you are the thief,' they began to say to him, 'What shall we say to my lord?'  (Genesis 44:16) 'About Joseph,' he replied, 'What shall we speak?' (Genesis 44:16) 'and how shall we justify ourselves?'(Genesis 44:16) 'but] God has found [a way to exact punishment for] the [former] sin of your servants.'(Genesis 44:16) God said to them, 'What could you have abolished one thing for which you said, \"Let us be killed for it?\" Yet you seek to make yourselves slaves and He does not want that, as it is said, \"Far be it from me to do so,\" etc.' (Genesis 44:17). \"He who mocks them [God's words], will play the fool [or 'will be played for a fool'] in his own land [or 'in his own country'].\" [refer: Mishneh Torah, Torah Study 6:11]",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: \"And Judah approached him.\" As it is said in scripture: 'One on one they shall approach' (Job 41:11), not like the way animals are destined to fight with Leviathan, animals butting at Leviathan with their horns, and Leviathan emits fire and overcomes the animals, as it is said 'From his nostrils smoke comes forth' (Job 41:12). So too was Joseph, who was called the firstborn bull, he clashed his horns against his brothers, took them and imprisoned them, as it is said 'And he gathered them into custody for three days' (Genesis 42:17). Once Judah came forward and Joseph could not restrain himself, therefore it is said, 'The lion is mightiest among the beasts, [And recoils before none.]' (Proverbs 30:30).\n"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b>Chapter (76) [77] Prophets</b> [1] When it was time to present the meal offering (1 Kings 18:36), as it is written in scriptures: \"Let my prayer be set forth as incense before You, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice\" (Psalm 141:2). There is nothing more beloved than the Mincha (afternoon) prayer, as we see with Daniel who prayed for twenty-one days and was not answered until his Mincha prayer, as he says, \"And while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God; yea, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening offering\" (Daniel 9:20-21). Isaac also prayed only the Mincha prayer, as it says, \"And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at the eventide\" (Genesis 24:63). David also requested this, as it says, \"Let my prayer be set forth before You as incense, the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice\" (Psalm 141:2). Therefore, when Elijah saw that the Mincha prayer was so beloved, he prayed only this prayer, as it says, \"And it came to pass at the time of the evening offering\" (1 Kings 18:36).",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: When it was time to present the meal offering (1 Kings 18:36) David said, \"My prayer, O Lord, is at an opportune time\" (Psalm 69:14). God has appointed a time for everything except prayer. When should one pray in order to be answered? As it says, \"For every desire there is a time and a judgment\" (Ecclesiastes 8:6). If a person knew when to pray and be answered, he would only pray on that day. Therefore, God said, \"I will not let you know when you will be answered, so that you will pray at all times\" as it says, \"Trust in Him at all times\" (Psalm 62:9). Even the forefathers of the world were sometimes answered and sometimes not. Moses, the great leader of the world, prayed and was answered, as it says, \"And the Lord did as Moses asked\" (Exodus 8:17). And so it says, \"I have forgiven you as you asked\" (Numbers 14:20). But sometimes, even when he prayed, he was not answered, as it says, \"But the Lord was angry with me because of you\" (Deuteronomy 3:26). David was answered at all times, as it says, \"I sought the Lord and He answered me\" (Psalm 34:5), and also, \"And He answered him from heaven with fire\" (1 Chronicles 21:26). When was he not answered? When the child was sick and he fasted, lay on the ground, and begged for mercy, but in the end the child died. When is the opportune time for everyone? As it says, \"At an opportune time I answered you\" (Isaiah 49:8). David said to God, \"Master of the universe, every hour that I pray, make it an opportune time for me to be answered\" as it says, \"My prayer, O Lord, is at an opportune time\" (Psalm 69:14). When is the opportune time? It is the afternoon prayer, as it says, \"And it came to pass at the time of the evening offering\" (1 Kings 18:36).",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: When it was time to present the meal offering (1 Kings 18:36) When was the altar built, and when were the wood and stones repaired, and the water in the troughs, and when was the ox slaughtered, and when was the prayer recited, and when the meal offering was brought? Rather, it teaches that Elijah caused the sun to stand still on that day and said to Joshua, \"You will know all this for the sake of your Lord.\" This was when Joshua fought against Israel's enemies, as it says, \"And the sun stood still...until the nation avenged themselves upon their enemies\" (Joshua 10:13). Now, the sun stood still not for Joshua or Israel, but for the sanctity of God's name. As soon as Elijah said this, the sun immediately stood still, as it says, \"For God will rise up like Mount Perazim\" (Isaiah 28:21). Just as the sun stood still in Gibeon and the moon in the Valley of Aijalon (Joshua 10:12), so too will the Valley of Gibeon tremble (Isaiah 28:21). Why? In order to perform His strange work and carry out His task (Isaiah 28:21). Therefore it says, \"And when the meal offering was brought.\"",
+                "[4] Another explanation: When it was time to present the meal offering (1 Kings 18:36) And why did Elijah not say the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, but said the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel? It is because Elijah knew that the Israelites had sunk after the Baal and did not know who God was anymore. If Elijah had prayed and said the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, they would have said that there were three gods. Therefore, he mentioned only one, \"the Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel.\" If you cannot do it for the sake of the patriarchs, do it for the sake of the tribes, as it says, \"Return for the sake of your servants, the tribes of your inheritance\" (Isaiah 63:17). Similarly, it says, \"And Elijah took twelve stones (according to the number of the tribes of the children of Israel), according to the number of the tribes of the children of Jacob\" (1 Kings 18:31), and Elijah said, \"Today, you shall know\" (1 Kings 18:36). Leave to me what you did for Egypt, as it is written, \"And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord\" (Exodus 14:4), and leave to me what you did for our ancestors, as it says, \"And the nations shall know that those who are left around you\" (Ezekiel 36:36). And leave to me what you will do in the future, as it says, \"And I shall sanctify myself, and I shall be known before the eyes of many nations\" (Ezekiel 38:23). At that time, you are the God in Israel, and I am your servant\" (1 Kings 18:36). If you cannot do it for Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, do it to make known that I am your servant. I have already told them, \"Behold, I am sending you Elijah the prophet\" (Malachi 3:23). If you do it now, they will believe what you will do with me. And I have done according to your words (1 Kings 18:36), and I have done it for your name's sake. All these people did it for the sake of Baal, but I did it for you. So please do not let me be ashamed. Answer me, O Lord, answer me. (1 Kings 18:37). Answer me with fire, answer me with water, answer me in this world, answer me in the future world, answer me through the prophets of Ba'al, answer me through the prophets of Asherah. And if you do so, we will sing before you, as David said: \"I will thank you for you have answered me and you have become my salvation\" (Psalm 118:21)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (77) 78: Writings</b>  [1] For the leader; with instrumental music. A psalm of Asaph, a song. \"God (אֱלֹהִ֑ים) has made Himself known in Judah, His name is great in Israel;\" (Psalms 70:1-2). The scriptures say: The Hashem is known for executing judgment; the wicked are ensnared by the work of their own hands. (Psalms 9:17) The Almighty is only known in this world by bringing suffering upon his creations, as it is said: \"The Hashem is known for executing judgment.\" Even though he brings suffering, he still infuses his world with justice and mercy, as it is said: \"The Lord [יהוה], the Lord [יהוה], merciful and gracious\" (Exodus 34:6). Similarly, it says: \"For when your judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world learn righteousness\" (Isaiah 26:9). In the earlier generations, because they were not afflicted, they rebelled against God. Similarly, in the generation of the flood, they were at peace in their homes, not fearing God (Job 21:9). And concerning them it says: \"And they said to God, 'Depart from us! We do not desire the knowledge of your ways. What is the Almighty, that we should serve him?'\" (Job 21:14-15). Therefore, God put an end to them, as it is said: \"And these are the judgments that you shall set before them\" (Exodus 21:1). Once he executes judgment, he is known, as it says: \"The Lord is known for executing judgment.\" However, Israel sanctifies God's name upon themselves, as it says: \"[In Judah God (אלהים) became known], His name is great [גדול] in Israel\" (Psalms 76:2)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (78) 79: Torah</b> [1] \"And Judah he sent before him unto Joseph\" (Genesis 46:28). As it is said in scriptures: \"A small city (Ecclesiastes 9:14), this is the Garden of Eden. And there are few people in it (Ecclesiastes 9:14), these are Adam and Eve. And a great king came to it (Ecclesiastes 9:14), this is the serpent. And he built great fortifications on it (Ecclesiastes 9:14), because God knows, etc. (Genesis 3:5). And a poor and wise man was found in it (Ecclesiastes 9:15), this is Adam, as it is said 'And the man called his wife's name Eve' etc. (Genesis 3:20). And if he had been in the Garden of Eden when the serpent deceived Eve, they would not have eaten from the tree. And he saved her (Ecclesiastes 9:15), 'the woman whom you gave to be with me' etc. and ate (Genesis 3:12), for if he had not confessed to eating, God would have destroyed the Garden of Eden for their sake. But because he confessed, he was expelled from the Garden of Eden, as it is said 'And he drove out and completed' (Ecclesiastes 9:15). And Adam did not remember (Ecclesiastes 9:15), God said 'Adam did not remember, but I remember' as it is said 'And the Lord God called to the man' etc. (Genesis 3:9).\"",
+                "[2]Another interpretation: \"This is about a small city.\" This is the generation of the Flood and there were few people in it, they were the mighty men, etc. (Genesis 6:4) And a great king came to it, this is the King of the World. And he built great fortifications on it, to destroy man, etc. (Genesis 6:7) And he found in it a poor and wise man, this is Noah. And he saved him, along with every pure animal, etc. (Genesis 7:2-3) And God remembered Noah, and every living thing, etc. (Genesis 8:1)",
+                "[3]Another interpretation: \"This is about a small city\", this is the generation of the desert, and people in it are few, these are Israel, as it is written \"you are the fewest\" (Deuteronomy 7:7), and a great king came to it, this is the King of the world, and he built great fortresses on it, \"I will wipe them out\" (Deuteronomy 9:14). And he found in it a poor and wise man, this is Moses, as it is written \"A city of heroes went up, a wise man enters it\" (Proverbs 21:22). And he delivered him, if not for Moses, his chosen one, he would have perished (Psalm 106:23). And man did not remember, God said \"and man did not remember, but I remembered, as it is said 'And [God] remembered the days of old, Moses and his people'\" (Isaiah 63:11).",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: \"This is about a small city\", the house of Joseph, and there are few people there, these are the tribes, as it is said, \"Am I not too few for the number of your mercies?\" (Genesis 32:11). A great king came to this city, this is Joseph, as it is written \"God made me lord\" (Genesis 45:8). He built great fortifications around it, and said to them, \"You are spies.\" But a poor and wise man was found in the city, this is Judah, and he was saved, \"I will be his surety\" (Genesis 43:9). Mankind did not remember him, so they sent a messenger to him, as it is said, \"And he sent Judah ahead of him\" (Genesis 45:12).",
+                "[5] Another interpretation: \"And you, Judah,\" It is said in scriptures: \"The wolf and the lamb shall feed together...\" (Isaiah 65:25). In this world, the wolf pursues the lamb and the lion chases after the ox, but in the future, everyone will be healed except for the snake, as it is written, \"And the snake's food shall be dust\" (Isaiah 65:25). Why is this so? Because the snake was the one who caused everything to return to dust, as it says, \"For dust you are, and to dust you shall return\" (Genesis 3:19). Therefore, it will never be healed, but will eat dust. In the future, even the snake will eat dust. Just as the snake will never be healed, so too one who speaks evil about another will never be healed in the future, as it is written, \"If the snake bites without enchantment, there is no advantage to the master of the tongue\" (Ecclesiastes 10:11). David also says, \"Whoever secretly slanders his neighbor, him I will destroy\" (Psalm 101:5). (In the Zohar, Parshat Shlach, Rabbi Shimon says, \"God does not forgive one who speaks 'lashon hara'* .\") [*the meaning of Lashon hara (or loshon horo, or loshon hora) (Hebrew: לשון הרע; \"evil tongue\") is the halakhic term for speech about a person or persons that is negative or harmful to them, even though it is true.]",
+                "[6] Another interpretation: \"זאב וטלה [ירעו כאחד]\" - \"The wolf and the lamb shall graze together\" (Isaiah 65:25). From the time that Joseph was sold, Benjamin did not leave his father's side, as he was compared to a lamb and the tribes were compared to a wolf. As it is written, \"Israel is scattered sheep\" (Jeremiah 50:17) and \"Your brothers will not come down with you\" (Genesis 42:34). Once Joseph revealed himself to them, he went down with them, as it is written, \"Then he lifted his eyes and saw Benjamin his brother\" (Genesis 43:29). \"The lion shall eat straw like the ox\" (Isaiah 11:7) and \"His firstborn ox has majesty\" (Deuteronomy 33:17), and the lion will be sent among the cattle, as it is written, \"And he sent Judah ahead of him\" (Genesis 46:28) and \"The lion shall eat straw like the ox\" (Isaiah 11:7). Why is there no longer jealousy between them? As it is written, \"Ephraim shall turn from envy\" (Isaiah 11:13). Similarly, in the future, when the Messiah, son of Joseph, will rise from Joseph, and the Messiah, son of David, will rise from Judah, Ephraim will not envy Judah, and Judah will not oppress Ephraim (Isaiah 11:13).\n"
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (79) 80: Prophets</b> [1] And it came to pass when the offering was completed (1 Chronicles 18:26). This can be compared to the second thread and the end, like a tower, etc. (Song of Songs 4:4) Like the second thread of your lips, you used to say, \"We will do and we will listen,\" like the thread of the veil that separated between holy and profane, so I separated you from all the nations. Why was Israel compared to the veil? Rabbi Berechiah said, \"There was no vessel in the Temple more praiseworthy than the veil\" (and so we learn in Tractate Middot). It was forty cubits long and twenty cubits wide, woven with seventy-two threads, and the thread was folded twenty-four times. Everyone desired to see it, and whoever saw it was not satisfied, as there was no form in the world as praiseworthy as it, and there was no form in the world that did not have an image, as it is said, \"The work of the skillful workman\" (Exodus 26:1). He made them in the form of cherubim, arranged in rows, just as you were before, like the second thread of your lips. \"And your speech is comely\" (Song of Songs 4:3), when you said to Moses, \"We are able\" (Deuteronomy 5:22). Therefore, I said to Moses, \"Well said, all that they have spoken\" (ibid. 28), and for the reward they received, they immediately merited to have prophets arise from them, as it is said, \"I will raise them up a prophet\" (ibid. 18:18). \"And your speech is comely,\" when you speak words of Torah. [Da'at Mikra 1 Chronicles 18:26] \"Moreover, your speech is pleasant, and your conduct is seemly. Your conduct is nothing but a custom. And in their custom, they recite blessings as follows: they bless upon the luminaries, they read the Shema and pray, they read from the Torah, the Cohen reads first, the Levite second, and the Israelite third, and they conclude with the Haftarah. They stand and pray, and they pass before the Ark, the Cohanim open their palms, and they bless Israel. This is a proper custom, like the second thread of the ephod. And concerning your conduct, this is the Choshen (breastplate), which contained good stones fixed in order, with the names of the tribes engraved upon them. Rabbi Acha said: Why were the names of the tribes inscribed on the stones? Because they were all called Cohanim at Sinai, as it is said, \"And you shall be unto me a kingdom of priests\" (Exodus 19:6). The Holy One, blessed be He, said, \"Is it possible that they should all offer sacrifices on the altar? Let all their names be inscribed upon the heart of the High Priest, so that whenever he enters to offer the sacrifice, each one of them should be considered as if he himself were the High Priest, vested in his priestly garments, like the blossom of the pomegranate, this is the Tzitz (forehead-plate), which extends over the forehead, and like the garland that is fastened behind, this is the Nezer (crown). Moreover, like the blossom of the pomegranate, your temples. The heads of the people of Israel are filled with commandments like the fruit of the pomegranate. \"Through your temples,\" they assemble and congregate, and stand crowded together in the synagogues, and drink in the words of the Torah with thirst. \"As a tower of David,\" your neck. This is the Temple, which is compared to the neck, and why? Because just as the neck is dearer than all the other members of the body, so that if one of the members of the body were removed, a man could still have life, but if the neck were severed, he could not live, even so Israel cannot exist without the Temple. \"As a tower of David,\" your neck. Just as the neck of man is taller than all his other members, so too the Temple was taller than all the world, as it is said, \"He set me down upon a very high mountain\" (Ezekiel 40:2).\" \"As the neck supports the body, so too all of Israel is dependent on Abraham, as it says, 'The shield of Abraham, upon which a thousand shields hang' (Song of Songs 4:4). He does kindness for thousands (Exodus 20:6), and his commandment is for a thousand generations (Psalms 105:8). Through the merit of Abraham, the chain of the generations hangs upon him for a thousand generations, and through the merit of the three patriarchs, even more so. All the conquests of heroes (Song of Songs 3:7) refer not only to heroes but also to the righteous, as it says, 'Mighty heroes who do His bidding' (Psalms 103:20).In addition, \"And your speech is comely\" refers to the wilderness in which you dwell, which is comely before Me, all the more so the settled areas among you. Who are the wilderness people? These are the ignorant people who neither read nor study nor inquire. They are like a wilderness that does not produce fruit. They enter synagogues and houses of study, and bless, \"Blessed be He who formed the luminaries and gives life to the dead,\" for He created and gives life to the dead, and they answer, \"Amen,\" and say, \"We believe that He gives life to the dead and created the world,\" even if they have nothing but the reward of this \"Amen.\" Therefore, Isaiah praises the Holy One, blessed be He, saying, \"Lord, Thou art our God; we will praise Thee\" [Isaiah 25:1].",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"Like a thread of scarlet [are your lips]. This refers to the time when God said to the Israelites, \"How long will you continue to celebrate Passover?\" (I Kings 18:21). Your speech is also beautiful when God said, \"The God who answers by fire is the true God\" (1 Kings 18:24), and immediately all the people responded and said, \"The matter is good\" (1 Kings 18:24). Your speech is also beautiful when you declared to the Israelites, \"The Lord is God, the Lord is God\" (1 Kings 18:39), like the cluster of pomegranates. This refers to the generation that had little merit, yet they were beloved like the pomegranate, because of what they did when they gathered at Mount Carmel, as it is said, \"And now, send and gather to me all of Israel at Mount Carmel\" (1 Kings 18:19). Like the Tower of David is your neck. This refers to the altar that was built, as it is said, \"And he repaired the altar of the Lord that had been torn down\" (1 Kings 18:30), which was a source of healing for Israel. A thousand shields refer to the merit of the tribes, as it is said, \"And Elijah took twelve stones, one for each tribe of the sons of Jacob\" (1 Kings 18:31). All the rulers of the mighty refer to the merit of the patriarchs that was mentioned, and not because of Elijah himself. Rather, all the rulers of the mighty are dependent only on this Tower, and what is this Tower? It is Abraham, for all prayers are dependent on him. Moses said, \"Remember Abraham\" (Exodus 32:13), David said, \"O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, our fathers, keep forever this attitude and thought in the hearts of Your people\" (1 Chronicles 29:18), and Elijah also said, \"And Elijah approached and said, 'O Lord, God of Abraham, Isaac, and Israel'\" (1 Kings 18:36). Therefore, a thousand shields are dependent on him.\" "
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (80) 81: Writings</b>  [1] For the choir director, with stringed instruments, a Psalm of Asaph. God is known in Judah;(Psalm 76:1-2) and scriptures say: I will make my opinions widely known (Job 36:3), The Lord said, \"I will bring Abraham from a faraway place, calling a bird of prey from the east [a man of my counsel from a distant land]\" (Isaiah 46:11), he who informs me about my world, \"To those who perform righteousness, I will give recompense\" (Job 34:11). To those who become my workers, just as the worker toils in his labor, so did Abraham labor in the trials that God tested him with, and at what point did he believe in God? (Genesis 15:6).",
+                "[2] Another explanation: \"I will make my opinions widely known.\" This is Jacob, when he went down to Egypt, he declared the power of the Almighty, as it is written \"And he blessed Joseph and said, 'The God before whom my fathers Abraham and Isaac walked, the God who has been my shepherd all my life to this day'\" (Genesis 48:15). He said to them, \"May it be the will [of God] that you go in the ways of Abraham and Isaac.\" They gathered and listened (Genesis 49:1). And why did he call them? Rather he said, \"Abraham, my grandfather, had two sons, Isaac and Ishmael. Ishmael was wicked, Isaac was righteous. Similarly, Isaac had two sons, Esau and I. Esau despised the ways of God, and I loved His ways. And God gave me twelve sons. You may say that half of them are righteous and half are wicked.\" They said to him, \"We know what is in your heart.\" He immediately prostrated himself, as it is written \"And Israel bowed in worship\" (Genesis 47:31), and began saying \"Blessed be the Name of His glorious kingdom forever and ever.\" Rabbi Chanina said, \"Why did he prostrate himself? So that no impure matter should leave his body. At that moment, it was fulfilled 'God has made Himself known in Judah, His name is great in Israel;'\" (Psalm 76:2)."
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (81) 82: Torah</b>  [1] \"And Jacob called unto his sons\" (Genesis 49:1). The scriptures say: \"For Sheol will not praise you (Isaiah 38:18), it was not for you to say 'let Esau be called to his sons,' as he was the firstborn, and why did he not perform the duty of honoring (i.e. burying) his father Isaac, but rather Jacob did it? It is because in the custom of the world, a murderer does not perform the duty of honoring, for he does not know when he will die, and who performs the duty of honoring for the fathers who died in their beds. Thus, Esau was not allowed to perform the duty of honoring, as he was a murderer, as it is said 'Now, therefore, let me get some game and make me savory food, that you may eat, and bless me' (Genesis 27:31), and 'For my soul is weary of murderers' (Jeremiah 4:31), and tired only means killing, as it is said 'Woe is me! For my soul is weary of murderers' (Jeremiah 4:31). Therefore, he did not call his sons, as it is said 'They do not know nor do they understand; they walk in darkness' (Psalms 82:5). Therefore, 'For Sheol will not praise you' (Isaiah 38:18), but a father will inform his sons, and he will call Jacob.\"",
+                "[2] Another interpretation: \"and Yaakov was called.\" It is said in scriptures: \"The glory of God is to conceal a matter, but the glory of kings is to search out a matter.\" (Proverbs 25:2) God showed Jacob, our forefather, what He did not show Abraham and Isaac. He showed Abraham only what was before him, as it says, \"For all the land which you see, I will give to you and your descendants forever.\" (Genesis 13:15) He showed Isaac only what was in his present surroundings, as it says, \"Sojourn in this land, and I will be with you and bless you.\" (Genesis 26:3) But to Jacob, God showed him both what was before him and what was hidden, as it says, \"And your seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south.\" (Genesis 28:14) God showed him the four corners of the world. When Jacob was about to leave this world, he revealed everything to his children. God said to him, \"Just as Jacob concealed a matter, so too you shall reveal to your children my secrets, which are my hidden things.\" These traits of concealment and revelation belong to Me, not to you. Similarly, Solomon said, \"He who goes about as a talebearer reveals secrets, but he who is trustworthy conceals a matter.\" (Proverbs 11:13) Balaam, the wicked one, said, \"I will show you what he will do to your people in the end of days.\" (Numbers 24:14) This is one who goes about as a talebearer. But you are trustworthy and a spirit of covering a matter belongs to you. (Proverbs 25:2)",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"and Yaakov was called.\" It is said in scriptures: You have held my eyelids open; (Psalm 77:5) This is Jacob, to whom the Holy One, blessed be He, showed everything that will happen: how the prophets will stand, how the Temple will be built and destroyed, how Gog and Magog will rise up against God and His Messiah, and how God will go out and fight them, all to show His children everything, as it is written, \"Gather yourselves together, and hear, ye sons of Jacob; and hearken unto Israel your father\" (Genesis 49:2). When will Gog and Magog rise up? As it is written, \"And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that I will bring thee against My land\" (Ezekiel 38:16). When will God build His Temple? As it is written, \"And it shall come to pass in the end of days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established\" (Isaiah 2:2). When will the kingdoms stand? As it is written, \"And say, How long, O Lord?\" (Habakkuk 1:2). Once God had revealed everything to His children, He became concealed from Jacob, and his heart was sealed, as it is written, \"My heart was hot within me, while I was musing the fire burned\" (Psalms 39:4). This can be compared to a king who made a trust for his faithful friend. He entrusted his treasures to him, and when he was about to die, he called his children and said to them, \"Where are the treasures of the king?\" The friend knew the answer, but when he saw the king's distress, he said, \"Honor the king as you have honored me.\" Likewise, Jacob sought to show his children what was to come, and immediately the Holy One, blessed be He, appeared to him. He had nothing to say but \"Fear the Lord, and hearken unto Israel your father\" (Genesis 49:2), and so it is said, \"You have held my eyelids open;\" (Psalms 77:5).",
+                "[4] Another interpretation: \"and Yaakov was called.\" It is said in scriptures: \"Go my sons, listen to me, I will teach you the fear of the Lord.\" (Psalm 34:12) When righteous people depart from this world, they are not remembered by their children because of their wealth or possessions, but because of their fear of God. This is also found in David, as it is written, \"When David’s life was drawing to a close, he instructed his son Solomon as follows: “I am going the way of all the earth; be strong and show yourself a man. Keep the charge of the LORD your God, walking in His ways and following His laws, His commandments, His rules, and His admonitions as recorded in the Teaching of Moses, in order that you may succeed in whatever you undertake and wherever you turn.'\" (1 Kings 2:1-3). Similarly, Jacob commanded his children for the fear of God, as it says, \"I will teach you the fear of the Lord.\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (82) 83: Prophets</b>  [1] \"I will assemble Jacob, all of you; I will bring together the remnant of Israel;. (Micah 2:12). Like it is said in scriptures: Assemble and listen, and complete [note: last word גומר doesn't exist in verse] (Genesis 49:2). Although the exact time of judgment day is unknown, I say to you that when you gather and assemble, at that moment you will be redeemed, as it is said, \"I will surely gather all of you, O Jacob; I will surely gather the remnant of Israel; I will set them together like sheep in a fold, like a flock in its pasture, a noisy multitude of men\" (Micah 2:12). \"Reuben, you are my firstborn\" (Genesis 49:3), I have not seen a blemish in you since I was born. \"My might and the beginning of my strength\" (same verse), since the day I was born I have been saying, \"Perhaps Reuben will go up to the roof and die, or he will go down and fall.\" You were the beginning of my strength. \"Excelling in dignity and excelling in power\" (same verse), and because of the sin you committed, they took three crowns away from you and gave them to your brothers: the firstborn to Joseph, the priesthood to Levi, and the kingdom to Judah. Otherwise, you would have been the firstborn. \"Excelling in dignity,\" that is the priesthood, as it is said, \"And Aaron shall bear the iniquity of the holy things\" (Exodus 28:38). \"Excelling in power,\" I was worthy of purifying them, as it is written, \"To cleanse and to sprinkle\" (Leviticus 14:56). \"Unstable as water\" (Genesis 49:4), our rabbis have taught that three liquids are forbidden because of exposure: water, wine, and milk. If one finds exposed milk, water, or wine, they should be spilled out, just as you are unstable as water. Alternatively, \"unstable\" means that you acted recklessly, disgracefully, and insulted others. Just as the vessels in which liquids are poured out or stored become unusable, but the liquids themselves remain, so too you, because of your sin, should not remain. Another thing: is raging like water. Just as water purifies for everyone, so too will you purify your sins when the one who is saved from the water comes to give you blood, and who is this but Moses, as it is written, \"She called his name Moses, for I drew him out of the water\" (Exodus 2:10). And when does he give you blood? When you spread out your bed (Genesis 49:14), when he comes to ascend Mount Nebo, as it is written, \"Let Reuben live and not die\" (Deuteronomy 33:6). \"Simeon and Levi are brothers\" (Genesis 49:5), and not only were they brothers, but they became brothers to do justice, as it is said, \"And two sons of Jacob, Simeon and Levi, took each man his sword\" (Genesis 34:25). Their weapons are instruments of violence (Genesis 49:5). The Greek language is their swords. Jacob said, \"If these two tribes sit together, they will destroy the world. But I will scatter them, divide them among Jacob and disperse them among Israel\" (Genesis 49:7). \"Judah, your brothers will praise you; your hand will be on the neck of your enemies\" (Genesis 49:8), referring to his killing of Esau. Similarly, Moses said, \"His hands are his to contend with; you helped him against his foes\" (Deuteronomy 33:7). \"Judah, your lion's cub; from prey, my son, you have gone up\" (Genesis 49:9), which is as you were named. So did your mother say, \"This time I will thank God\" (Genesis 29:35), and she praised God in the story of Tamar, and all the tribes praised her. \"The sons of my concubine have risen against me\" (Genesis 49:29), Tamar's tragedy, that she and her two sons were already doomed, as it says \"they brought her out and burned her\" (Genesis 38:24), but she confessed and saved herself and her two sons, just as Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah were saved whole when they were thrown into the furnace. \"He crouches like a lion, like a lioness--who dares to rouse him?\" (Genesis 49:9), referring to David, the anointed one from you, as it says \"whose heart is like that of a lion\" (2 Samuel 17:10). \"Forbidding the vine its fruit [and the donkey's colt to drink] (Genesis 49:11). This refers to the Messiah who will arise from you, as it is written, 'humble and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey' (Zechariah 9:9). And to the flute and the finisher. Where are the Israelites forbidden and their sins atoned for? In the territory of Judah in Jerusalem. 'The scepter shall not depart from Judah' (Genesis 49:10) refers to the kingdom, 'nor a lawgiver' (ibid.) refers to the leader, 'until Shiloh comes' (ibid.) refers to the Messiah, 'and to him shall be the obedience of the people' (ibid.). 'And the children of Israel shall return and seek the Lord their God, and David their king' (Hosea 3:5), and similarly it says, 'and she ate and was satisfied, and left over' (Ruth 2:14). 'And she ate' refers to the leader, as it is written, 'and from among your brothers you shall appoint a leader' (Deuteronomy 17:15), 'and was satisfied' refers to the kingdom, and 'left over' refers to the leadership. Zebulun shall dwell by the seashore, and he shall be a haven for ships (Genesis 49:13).\" \"He who makes ships, goes forth and comes back and brings sufficiency to the tribe of Yissachar, who occupy themselves with Torah, as it is said, Yissachar is a strong-boned donkey, crouching among the sheepfolds. And he saw a resting place that was good, and the land that it was pleasant, and he inclined his shoulder to bear, and became a servant to tribute. (Genesis 49:14-15). Those who toil in Torah, as it is said, \"And of the children of Yissachar, who had understanding of the times, to know what Yisrael ought to do; the heads of them were two hundred; and all their brothers were at their commandment.\" (1 Chronicles 12:33). This teaches that two hundred members of the Sanhedrin stood from the tribe of Yissachar, and all of them were with the power of Zebulun, who go out to the sea and bring them [Yissachar] what they need, as it is said, \"Rejoice, Zebulun, in your going out, and Yissachar, in your tents.\" (Deuteronomy 33:18).\" \"Dan will judge his people\" (Genesis 49:16). This refers to rest. \"Let Dan be a serpent\" (ibid. v. 17) refers to Samson, who, just as a serpent bites on its own, so too Samson fought and killed on his own. Another interpretation is that just as a serpent doesn't die if it is bitten on its tail or belly, because it only dies if it is bitten on the head (as it says, \"You will strike his head,\" Genesis 3:15), so too Samson, when he was bound with his hands and feet, and his strength was not known, as soon as his hair was cut, his strength left him (Judges 16:19). Yet, even so, he bit the heels of a horse and its rider fell backward (Genesis 49:17), as he grasped both pillars and brought the house down (Judges 16:29), and Jacob exclaimed, \"I have waited for Your salvation, O Lord\" (Genesis 49:18). \"Gad, a troop shall tramp upon him\" (ibid. v. 19) refers to Elijah, who crushed the gang of a certain ruler. \"He shall provide the first part for himself\" (ibid. v. 20) refers to Asher, whose land produces rich fruits and excellent oil, and he brings olive oil as an offering (ibid.). \"Naphtali is a hind let loose\" (ibid. v. 21) refers to all those who study the Torah and are beloved to the Almighty like deer, as it says, \"A loving hind and a graceful doe\" (Proverbs 5:19). \"Joseph is a fruitful bough, a fruitful bough by a fountain\" (Genesis 49:22). When Pharaoh heard Joseph's interpretation of his dreams, he said that Joseph was wise and discerning (Genesis 41:39). \"His eyes are darker than wine\" (Genesis 49:12) refers to Joseph's children, whom the other tribes did not begrudge, and the children of Joseph say to Joshua, \"We are a numerous people and God has blessed us until now\" (Joshua 17:14). Joshua said to them, \"This is what you say, and yet you are not afraid of the evil eye?\" They replied, \"Jacob our father already prayed for us that the evil eye should not rule over us, as it is said, 'Against me [Jacob] was the evil eye' (Genesis 49:27), and Benjamin is compared to a wolf that tears (Genesis 49:27). In the Temple, which was built within its borders, they would sacrifice there one lamb, etc. (Numbers 28:4). Once he blessed each person according to their needs, he made them into tribes, as it is said, 'These are the tribes of Israel' (Genesis 49:28). He said to them, \"Behold, I have blessed you,\" as it is said, 'And this is what their father spoke to them and blessed them' (Genesis 49:28). A faithful man will come and seal my blessings, and who is this? It is Moses, as it is said, 'And this is the blessing with which Moses blessed' (Deuteronomy 33:1).\""
+            ],
+            [
+                "<b> Chapter (83) 84: Writings</b>  [1] \"Listen to Me, O Jacob, Israel, whom I have called: I am He—I am the first, And I am the last as well.\" (Isaiah 48:12) This is what scriptures say: \"You have seen what I did to Egypt, and how I carried you on eagles' wings and brought you to myself. Now if you obey me fully and keep my covenant, then out of all nations you will be my treasured possession. Although the whole earth is mine, you will be for me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation.\" (Exodus 19:4-6) \"You did not come to me except to hear my voice,\" Rabbi Abbahu said, \"In the future, everyone will be astonished in comparison to those who listened to the Holy One, blessed be He, and will say: 'What is the matter with so-and-so, who sat and did not learn and did not read?' But he will be sitting with the patriarchs, engaged in discourse with them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, will say to them, 'Why are you amazed? These have only merited it because they listened to me during their lifetime,' as it says, 'The ear that hears rebukes will live among the wise' (Proverbs 15:31). Heed me, O Jacob.\"",
+                "[2] Alternative interpretation: \"Hear me, O Jacob\" (Isaiah 43:22). In scriptures it is said like this: \"And you did not call upon me, Jacob\" (Isaiah 43:22). This is compared to a king who had a beloved poor man and made a feast for him. The king called his own sons and stood in the middle of the house, saying to the poor man, \"You called all your children, but you did not call me. I do not love you.\" The poor man begged the king, saying, \"I am poor and did not act according to your honor. I would be ashamed to call you.\" The king replied, \"You should not be ashamed. You are more precious to me than what I have in my palaces.\" Similarly, when our father Jacob came to pass from this world, he called his sons and said his farewell and blessings. He sent them out throughout the land, and immediately the Lord was revealed to him. Jacob said to God, \"You did not call upon me, and I did not call upon you, Jacob.\" God replied, \"Do you not know that if a poor person calls upon me, I hear him? As it says, 'This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him' (Psalm 34:7). You should have called upon me with your children.\" Jacob said, \"I was ashamed.\" God responded, \"May you not be ashamed, as it is written, 'But now thus says the Lord, who created you, O Jacob, and he who formed you, O Israel: \"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by your name; you are mine\"'\" (Isaiah 43:1). When Jacob's sons saw him, they began to praise the Lord and His compassion towards them. As it is written, \"When he saw his sons, he recited, and said\" (Genesis 49:1), and thereafter, \"Listen to me, O Jacob\" (Isaiah 48:12).",
+                "[3] Another interpretation: \"Listen to me, Jacob.\" Those who are killed and called by his name, as it is said \"For thy sake are we killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter\" (Psalms 44:23). And Job says, \"Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him\" (Job 13:15). Those who call upon me every year, as it is said, \"I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord\" (Psalms 116:13), \"I find trouble and sorrow\" (Psalms 116:3). These generations said to him, \"Lord of the Universe, the earlier generations had the patriarchs as their fathers, and they have the merit of their fathers; we are orphans and have no father to stand up for us.\" But you wrote and said, \"In you the fatherless find mercy\" (Hosea 14:4), \"You have seen it, for You have taken note of trouble and grief, to requite it with Your own hand\" (Psalms 10:14). You gave many commandments in the Torah to look after the orphans: \"When you reap the harvest of your land, you shall not wholly reap the corner of your field, neither shall you gather the gleanings of your harvest. You shall leave them for the poor, and for the stranger: I am the Lord your God\" (Leviticus 23:22). \"When you beat your olive tree, you shall not go over the boughs again: it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow\" (Deuteronomy 24:20). And we are orphans, have mercy upon us, as it is written, \"In you the fatherless find mercy\" (Hosea 14:4). Obadiah was blessed in his household when his sons became orphans. When was Isaac blessed? After Abraham's death, as it is said, \"And it came to pass after the death of Abraham, that God blessed his son Isaac\" (Genesis 25:11). The tribes said, \"And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation\" (Exodus 1:6). And \"the children of Israel were fruitful, and increased abundantly\" (Exodus 1:7). \"Your eyes are on the orphans, who will have compassion on you? God said to them, \"Repent and I will heal your backslidings.\" He said, \"Until they repent, I have stopped healing them.\" As it is said, \"Return, you backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings\" (Jeremiah 3:22). And it is also written, \"I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely\" (Hosea 14:4). Love that never ceases, I love you. Isaac called Esau his firstborn, and I call Jacob my firstborn (Exodus 4:22). The birthright of Isaac was voided and fulfilled in Jacob. Isaac loved Esau, as it is said, \"And Isaac loved Esau\" (Genesis 25:28), and I love Jacob. His love for Esau was voided and fulfilled in his love for Jacob. How much difficulty have they caused to try to instill hatred between us, and they cannot nullify it, as it is said, \"Many waters cannot quench love\" (Song of Songs 8:7). These nations are compared to water, as it is said, \"Woe to the multitude of many people who make a noise like the noise of the sea\" (Isaiah 17:12) Moreover, how many times were the Israelites killed for the sake of returning them to God, and the Assembly of Israel says to them \"I cannot remain silent about Him. My soul became aroused in His presence.\" (Song of Songs 5:6) \"My soul went forth [when he spoke].\" (ibid. 5:16) \"When He spoke on Sinai, my soul heard [His voice].\" (ibid. 6:2) \"But my heart is sick with love for Him.\" (ibid. 5:8) They said to her, \"What is your beloved more than another beloved?\" (ibid. 5:9) She said to them, \"I will extol His praises and relate His greatness to you. And you will know that I do not pursue Him in vain.\" (ibid. 5:16) \"My beloved is pure and ruddy.\" (ibid. 5:10) \"Pure for Israel, ruddy for Esau.\" (Rashi on Song of Songs 5:10) \"Why are your clothes red?\" (Isaiah 63:2) \"Dignified from among the myriads\" (Song of Songs 5:10), for there are none among the exalted multitudes like Him. \"His head is as fine gold\" (ibid. 5:11), which is the Torah, as it is written \"More desirable than gold, than much fine gold\" (Psalms 19:11). \"His locks are bushy, and black as a raven\" (Song of Songs 5:11), this is the script. Alternatively, \"black\" refers to the Assembly of Israel, as it is written \"I am black\" (Song of Songs 1:5), \"His eyes are like doves\" (Song of Songs 5:12), this is the sun and moon. \"His hands are like rods of gold\" (ibid.), this is the rainbow. \"His body is like polished ivory, inlaid with sapphires\" (ibid. 5:14), this is the air. \"His legs are like pillars of marble set on sockets of fine gold\" (ibid.), these are the mountains, founded on the adonai of fine gold, these are the foundations of the Temple. \"His appearance is like Lebanon\" (ibid. 5:15), this is the Temple. \"Choice as the cedars\" (ibid.), which refers to walking with the righteous, as it is written \"And I will walk among you\" (Leviticus 26:12). \"Awaiting the delight [of his beloved],\" this refers to the time of the giving of the Torah, and \"altogether desirable,\" when He receives the penitent. The nations of the world said to them, \"Since He receives penitents, where is your beautiful Beloved?\" (Song of Songs 5:17) Said the Holy One, blessed be He, \"The nations hate Me because of My children, and My children love Me despite all these nations. I give them one hundred worlds filled with the love that I have for My children, as it is said, 'If a man would give all the wealth of his house for love, they would utterly despise him' (Song of Songs 8:7).\" <b>This is from the Midrash Aggadah on Genesis.</b> "
+            ]
+        ]
+    },
+    "versions": [
+        [
+            "Sefaria Community Translation",
+            "https://www.sefaria.org"
+        ],
+        [
+            "Aggadat Bereshit - Kalle Kannisto - Suomeksi [fi]",
+            "https://www.academia.edu/100066748/Aggadat_Bereshit_Midrash_Heprea_Suomi_versio_k%C3%A4%C3%A4nn%C3%B6ksest%C3%A4"
+        ]
+    ],
+    "heTitle": "אגדת בראשית",
+    "categories": [
+        "Midrash",
+        "Aggadah"
+    ],
+    "schema": {
+        "heTitle": "אגדת בראשית",
+        "enTitle": "Aggadat Bereshit",
+        "key": "Aggadat Bereshit",
+        "nodes": [
+            {
+                "heTitle": "",
+                "enTitle": ""
+            }
+        ]
+    }
+}
\ No newline at end of file