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Primary
Sources for “ An English translation will follow the Hebrew ויקרא
רבה כ:ב דבר אחר: תדע שכן שחזר יצחק אצל אמו
ואמרה לו: אן היית ברי? והיה אברהם מהרהר בלבו
ואומר: "אחרי מות שני בני
אהרן."
Vayikra
Rabba
20:2 Another exposition of the text,
"After the death of the two sons of
Aaron." R. Levi opened his discourse by
citing: "I say unto the arrogant
(la-hollelim): Deal not arrogantly" (Tehillim 75:5).
"La-hollelim" means "to those who create confusion,"
those whose hearts are full of evil
intrigues. R. Levi used to call them "woe-makers"
because they bring woe into the
world. "And to the wicked: Lift not up the
horn "(Tehillim, ibid.). The Holy One, blessed be He, said to
the wicked: "The righteous were never happy in
this world of Mine, and you seek to be
happy!" Adam was never happy in this world of
Mine, and you seek to be
happy! Resh Lakish, in the name of R. Shimon
the son of Menasya, said: The apple of Adam's heel outshone the
globe of the sun; how much more so the brightness of his
face! Nor need you wonder -
In the ordinary way, if a person makes
serving trays, one for himself and one for his
household, whose will he make more beautiful?
Not his own? Similarly, Adam was created for the
service of the Holy One, blessed be He, and the globe of the sun for the service
of mankind. R. Levi said in the name of R. Chama
the son of Chanina: The Holy One, blessed be He,
fitted up for him thirteen canopies in
the Garden of Eden, as it says, "You were in every precious stone was your covering
- the cornelian, the topaz, and the
emerald, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the
carbuncle, and the smaragad, and gold; the workmanship of your settings and
of your sockets was in you. In the day that you were created, they
were prepared (Yechezkel 28:13). R. Shimon ben Lakish said there were
eleven canopies, and our Rabbis say there were ten.
And they are not in disagreement.
The authority who reckons them as
thirteen makes the expression. "Every precious stone was your
covering" represent three. The authority who reckons them as
eleven makes these words represent one, while the authority who reckons them as
ten does not make these words represent
even one. And after all this glory, he is told:
"For dust you are, and unto dust shall
you return (Bereishit 3:19)! Abraham was not happy in this world of
Mine, and you seek to be happy!
A son was born to him when he was a
hundred years old, and in the end the Holy One, blessed
be He, said to him: "Take now your son... and offer him...
for a burnt-offering (Bereishit 22:2)! Avraham went a distance of three days’
journey. After three days, he perceived a cloud
resting on the top of a mountain. Said he to Yitzchak: "My son, do you
see what I see?" "Yes," he answered him.
"What do you see?" he inquired.
He told him: "I see a cloud resting on
the top of the mountain." He said to Yishmael and Eliezer: "Do
you see anything?" "No," they answered him.
Said he to them: "Since you perceive nothing and this
ass perceives nothing, 'Abide you here with (im) the
ass'" (ibid., 22:5). By the expression "im the ass,"
he implied that they were a people
(am) resembling the ass. He took Yitzchak his son and led him
up mountains and down hills. He took him up on one of the
mountains, built an altar, arranged the wood,
prepared the altar
pile, and took the knife to slay him.
Had not an angel from heaven called
him, Isaac would have already been
slain. There is proof that this is so,
for Isaac returned to his mother and
she said to him: "Where have you been, my son?"
Said he to her: "My father took me and led me up
mountains and down hills," etc. "Alas," she said, "for the son of a
hapless woman!
Had it not been for the angel you
would by now have been slain!" "Yes," he said to her.
Thereupon, she uttered six cries,
corresponding to the six blasts. It has been said:
She had scarcely finished speaking
when she died. Hence it is written,
"And Avraham came to mourn for Sarah,
and to weep for her" (ibid., 23:2). Where did he come from?
R. Judah son of R. Simon said: He came
from Now Abraham harbored doubts in his
heart and thought: Perhaps, heaven forefend,
some disqualifying blemish has been
found in him and his offering had not been
accepted. A heavenly voice went forth and said
to him: "Go your way, eat your bread with
joy...for God has already accepted your works" (Kohelet
9:7). as may be inferred from the fact that
it does not say: " but "shall rejoice" (Tehillim
149:2), as much as to say:
They are destined to rejoice in the
works of the Holy One, blessed be He, in the Time to Come.
The Holy One, blessed be He, if the
expression be permitted, did not enjoy happiness in this world
of His, as may be inferred from the fact that
it does not say, "The Lord rejoiced in His
works" but, "The Lord will rejoice" (ibid.,
104:31), as much as to say:
The Holy One, blessed be He, will in
the Time to Come rejoice in the works of the
righteous. Elisheva the daughter of Amminadav did
not enjoy happiness in the world. True, she witnessed five crowns
[attained by her relatives] in one day: her brother-in-law was a king,
her brother was a prince,
her husband was High Priest,
her two sons were both Deputy High
Priests, her grandson Phinehas was a Priest
anointed for war. But when her sons entered to offer
incense and were burnt, her joy was changed to mourning.
Thus it is written,
"After the death of the two sons of
Aaron." |
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