His son then discoursed on the verse: “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not among the company”, etc. (Num. 27, 3). ‘Why did the daughters of Zelopehad so particularly state that their father had died in the wilderness, seeing that so many thousands of others had also died in the wilderness?
Men are at a loss to explain this, and some say he was the man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath, and others say other things, but what I have learnt is this-my father taught it me on the day when he fell ill. We must take the word midbar (wilderness) here in the sense of “saying”.
Zelopehad was one of the principal men of the sons of Joseph, but because he did not know the ways of the Torah sufficiently he did not become their prince. His fault was that he was not careful of his speech and his tongue in front of Moses. Hence, because he sinned in his speech against Moses, his daughters thought that Moses bore a grudge against him, and therefore they drew near “before Moses and Eleazar and all the princes”, and spoke with Moses only in their presence, because they were afraid of his anger.
From this we learn that one who is afraid of a judge should bring a large audience before him in order that they may hear him judge and he may be afraid of them and conduct the case properly. Otherwise, he should not be allowed to conduct the case. They did not know that Moses “was exceedingly meek, above all the men on the face of the earth” (Num. 12, 3).
When Moses observed that a whole gathering of the leading men of Israel and all the heads of the fathers and all the princes were assembled round him, he at once resigned the case,and so it says, “And Moses brought their cause before the Lord” (Num. 27, 5), as if to say: This case is not for me. This shows the modesty of Moses, for other judges would not act so.’ R. Eleazar and the Companions were delighted,
and the boy continued: ‘The tonal accent (zarka) on the word “our father” resembles in shape a serpent drawing its tail into its mouth, being an indication of the One who presides over him above; for “he died in the wilderness” through the utterance of his mouth.’ At this point the boy became frightened and clung to his father’s neck, weeping and saying: ‘Zelopehad died through words, and thou, father, hast been restored to this world through words.’ His father in turn kissed and embraced him, and R. Eleazar and the Companions all wept, and his father with them, and they lifted him up and kissed him on his mouth and his head and his hands.
R. Eleazar said to him: ‘My son, since you have said so much, tell us what is meant by “but he died in his own sin”.’ He replied: ‘It means, by the sin of that serpent. And what is that? The speech of the mouth.’
R. Eleazar then clasped him tightly to his breast, and all the Companions wept. He said to them: ‘Rabbis, leave me here with my father because my spirit is not yet properly restored.’ R. Eleazar then asked R. Jose how many years and days old the boy was. He replied: ‘I beg of you, Companions, not to ask this, because five years have not yet passed over him.’ ‘God forbid,’
said R. Eleazar; ‘I desire to turn only a good eye on him, and your five years are “the five years in which will be no ploughing or reaping” (Gen. 45, 6), an omen that you shall never reap him.’ Said R. Eleazar to R. Abba: ‘Let us stay here seven days, till the house becomes settled, because for seven days after the soul has left the body it goes about naked, and now though it has returned it will not be settled in its place till after seven days.’
R. Abba replied: ‘It is written, “Thou shalt surely open thine hand unto thy brother, thy poor, thy needy, and to thy poor in thy land” (Deut. 15, 11), and we have learnt that this is a lesson that one should not abandon his own poor to give to another. Now R. Jose, your father-in-law, is sick; let us go and visit him, and when we return we will go in here, and all the time we are going and returning on this journey we shall see the resurrection of the dead.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘That is assuredly so.’ So they kissed the boy and blessed him and departed.
Said R. Abba: ‘I am amazed at the young children of this generation, what capacities they show, being already mighty and lofty rocks.’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘Blessed is my father, the master of this generation. In his days God has been pleased to establish His two Academies and to create for us a great and noble academy, for there shall not be another generation like this till the Messiah shall come.’ So they went their way.
פָּתַח הַהוּא יַנּוּקָא בְּרֵיהּ וְאָמַר, (במדבר כ״ז:ג׳) אָבִינוּ מֵת בַּמִּדְבָּר וְהוּא לֹא הָיָה בְּתוֹךְ הָעֵדָה וְגוֹ'. אָבִינוּ, הָא טַעֲמָא לְעֵילָּא, אָרִיךְ מִלָּה וּמָשִׁיךְ לָהּ, אִי חֲסִידִין קַדִּישִׁין, כַּמָה מְשִׁיכוּ דְּצַעֲרָא בְּמִקְרֵי אָבִינוּ. לֵית צַעֲרָא, וְלֵית כְּאֵבָא דְּרוּחָא וְנַפְשָׁא, אֶלָּא כַּד קָרָאן הָכִי, אָבִינוּ, בִּכְאֵבָא מִלִּבָּא. מֵת בַמִּדְבָּר, וְכִי אַחֲרָנִין לָא מִיתוּ בְּמַדְבְּרָא, דְּהָכָא רָשִׁים לֵיהּ, וְאָמַר דְּאִיהוּ מֵת בַּמִּדְבָּר, וְהָא אֶלֶף וְרִבְּבָן מִיתוּ בְּמַדְבְּרָא.
His son then discoursed on the verse: “Our father died in the wilderness, and he was not among the company”, etc. (Num. 27, 3). ‘Why did the daughters of Zelopehad so particularly state that their father had died in the wilderness, seeing that so many thousands of others had also died in the wilderness?
אֶלָּא כַּמָה בְּנֵי נָשָׁא עַרְטִילָאִין עַל דָּא, מִנְּהוֹן אַמְרֵי דְּהוּא מְקוֹשֵׁשׁ עֵצִים הֲוָה, דִּכְתִּיב כִּי בְחֶטְאוֹ מֵת. וּמִנְּהוֹן אַמְרֵי הָכִי, וּמִנְּהוֹן אַמְרֵי הָכִי, וַאֲנָא הָכִי אוֹלִיפְנָא, יוֹמָא דְּאַבָּא נָפַל בְּבֵי מַרְעֵיהּ, אוֹלְפֵי לִי דָּא. וַאֲנָא חֲמֵינָא מַה דַּחֲמֵינָא, דְּפָקִיד לִי אַבָּא דְּלָא לְגַלָּאָה. אֶלָּא כַּמָה וְכַמָּה הֲווֹ דְּמִיתוּ בְּמַדְבְּרָא, וְלָא עַל חוֹבָא דְּקֹרַח, וְלָא עַל חוֹבָא דִּמְרַגְלִים, כַּד אִתְגְּזַר גְּזֵרָה, (ס"א ולא על חובא דעגלא דעבדו וכו') אֶלָּא קּוֹדֶם (ס"א דמיתו על חובא דקרח, על חובא דמרגלים, כד אתגזר גזרה, וקודם) מַתַּן תּוֹרָה, וּבָתַר עֶגְלָא דְּעָבְדוּ, אִינּוּן מַטָּעַי עָלְמָא, וְאִינּוּן דְּאִתְמְשָׁכוּ אֲבַּתְרַיְיהוּ.
Men are at a loss to explain this, and some say he was the man who gathered sticks on the Sabbath, and others say other things, but what I have learnt is this-my father taught it me on the day when he fell ill. We must take the word midbar (wilderness) here in the sense of “saying”.
אֲבָל טַעֲנָה דְּטָעִינוּ אִינוּן בְּנָתִין, דְּמִית בַמִּדְבָּר, אִיהוּ, וַהֲוָה צְלָפְחָד רַב לְבֵי יוֹסֵף, וּמִגּוֹ דְּלָא יָדַע אָרְחוֹי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, לָא הֲוָה נָשִׂיא. וְהוּא הֲוָה דְּלָא נָטַר פּוּמֵיהּ וּמִלּוֹי לָקֳבְלֵיהּ דְּמֹשֶׁה, וְעָלֵיהּ כְּתִיב, (במדבר כ״א:ו׳) וַיָּמָת עָם רָב מִיִשְׂרָאֵל. גְּבָר דְּלָא יָדַע אוֹרַיְיתָא, (ס"א לאו רב באורייתא) וְאִיהוּ רַב מִשְּׁפָּחָה. רַב דְּזַרְעָא דְּיוֹסֵף, מִבְּנוֹי דִּמְנַשֶׁה. וּבְגִין דְּחָב בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּמִלּוּלָא לְגַבֵּי מֹשֶׁה, חָשִׁיבוּ דְּמֹשֶׁה אַנְטִיר דְּבָבוּ. וּבְגִין כָּךְ קְרִיבוּ לְקַמֵּיהּ דְּמֹשֶׁה, וְאֶלְעָזָר, וְכָל הַנְשִׂיאִין, וְכָל רֵישֵּׁי אֲבָהָן, וְלָא מַלִּילוּ עִם מֹשֶׁה אֶלָּא לְקַמַּיְיהוּ, בְּגִין דְּקַנִּיאוּ קִנְאָה מִנֵּיהּ.
Zelopehad was one of the principal men of the sons of Joseph, but because he did not know the ways of the Torah sufficiently he did not become their prince. His fault was that he was not careful of his speech and his tongue in front of Moses. Hence, because he sinned in his speech against Moses, his daughters thought that Moses bore a grudge against him, and therefore they drew near “before Moses and Eleazar and all the princes”, and spoke with Moses only in their presence, because they were afraid of his anger.
מִכָּאן, מַאן דְּחָיִישׁ מִן דַּיָּנָא, יְקָרֵב אַחֲרָנִין, וְיִסְגֵּי בְּגוּבְרִין בַּהֲדֵי הַהוּא דַּיָּינָא, בְּגִין דְּיִשְׁמְעוּן דִּינָא מִנֵּיהּ, וְיִדְחַל מִנַּיְיהוּ, וְלָא יְהֵא דָן אֶלָּא כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת, וְאִי לָא, יִדְחֵי לֵיהּ מִן דִּינָא. וְאִינּוּן לָא יָדְעוּ דְּהָא (במדבר י״ב:ג׳) מֹשֶׁה עָנָו מְאֹד מִכָּל הָאָדָם אֲשֶׁר עַל פְּנֵי הָאֲדָמָה. וְלָא יָדְעוּ דְּמֹשֶׁה לָאו הָכִי.
From this we learn that one who is afraid of a judge should bring a large audience before him in order that they may hear him judge and he may be afraid of them and conduct the case properly. Otherwise, he should not be allowed to conduct the case. They did not know that Moses “was exceedingly meek, above all the men on the face of the earth” (Num. 12, 3).
כֵּיוָן דְּחָמָא מֹשֶׁה כַּךְ, אָמַר חֲמֵינָא דְּכֹל כְּנוּפְיָא דְּגוּבְרִין רַבְרְבִין מִיִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכָל רֵישֵׁי אֲבָהָן וְכָל נְשִׂיאֵי כְּנִשְׁתָּא, עָלַי קְרִיבוּ. מִיַּד אִתְפְּרַשׁ מֹשֶׁה מִן דִּינָא, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב, (במדבר כ״ז:ה׳) וַיַּקְרֵב מֹשֶׁה אֶת מִשְׁפָּטָן לִפְנֵי יְיָ. (אמר משה דא לא אתחזי לדינא) עַנְוָתָנוּתָא דְּמֹשֶׁה, אַקְרִיב אֶת מִשְׁפָּטָן לִפְנֵי יְיָ. דַּיָּינִין אַחֲרָנִין, אָרְחָא דָּא לָא נַטְלֵי, דְּאַף עַל גַּב דִּכְנוּפְיָא סַגִּי עֲלֵיהוֹן. אִינּוּן דַּיְינֵי אִקְרוּן עַזֵּי פָּנִים, לֵית בְּהוּ מֵעַנְוָתָנוּתָא דְּמֹשֶׁה כְּלָל. זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ דְּמֹשֶׁה. חֲדוּ רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְחַבְרַיָּיא.
When Moses observed that a whole gathering of the leading men of Israel and all the heads of the fathers and all the princes were assembled round him, he at once resigned the case,and so it says, “And Moses brought their cause before the Lord” (Num. 27, 5), as if to say: This case is not for me. This shows the modesty of Moses, for other judges would not act so.’ R. Eleazar and the Companions were delighted,
אָמַר הַהוּא יַנּוּקָא, אַהֲדַרְנָא לְמִלִּין קַדְמָאִין. אָבִינוּ מֵת בַּמִּדְבָּר אָבִינוּ הַאי טַעֲמָא דָּאמֵי, לְנָּחָשׁ תַּלְיָיא עַל קְדָלֵיהּ, וּמָשִׁיךְ זַנְבֵּיהּ בְּפוּמֵיהּ, בְּטַעְמָא, דְּהַהוּא דְּאִתְמְשָׁךְ עָלֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא. מֵת בַּמִּדְבָּר, בְּמִלּוּלָא דְּפוּמֵיהּ. אִתְבְּהִיל הַהוּא יַנּוּקָא בִּבְהִילוּ, וְאַתְקִיף בְּקוּדְלָא דַּאֲבוֹי, וּבָכָה וְאָמַר, צְלָפְחָד דָּא בְּמִלּוּלָא מִית, וְאַנְתְּ אַבָּא בְּמִלּוּלָא אַהֲדְרַת לְעָלְמָא דָּא. אַהְדָּר אֲבוֹי וְנָשִׁיק לֵיהּ, וְגָפִיף לֵיהּ. בָּכוּ רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, וְחַבְרַיָּיא כֻּלְּהוּ, וַאֲבוֹי בָּכָה בַּהֲדַיְיהוּ, נְטָלוּהוּ כֻּלְּהוּ וּנְשָׁקוּהוּ בְּפוּמוֹי, עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ, וְעַל עֵינוֹי, וַאֲבוּהּ הֲוָה בָּכֵי בַּהֲדֵיהּ.
and the boy continued: ‘The tonal accent (zarka) on the word “our father” resembles in shape a serpent drawing its tail into its mouth, being an indication of the One who presides over him above; for “he died in the wilderness” through the utterance of his mouth.’ At this point the boy became frightened and clung to his father’s neck, weeping and saying: ‘Zelopehad died through words, and thou, father, hast been restored to this world through words.’ His father in turn kissed and embraced him, and R. Eleazar and the Companions all wept, and his father with them, and they lifted him up and kissed him on his mouth and his head and his hands.
אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, בְּרִי, הוֹאִיל וְאַמְרַת מִלָּה דָּא, מַהוּ כִּי בְחֶטְאוֹ מֵת. אָמַר הַהוּא יַנּוּקָא, אַבָּא, אַבָּא, בְּחַד מִלָּה סַגִּי לוֹן, בְחֶטְאוֹ דְּהַהוּא (ס"א כיון דההוא) נָחָשׁ דְּכָרִיךְ בִּזְנָבֵיהּ לְעֵילָּא, מָשִׁיךְ טַעֲמָא בְחֶטְאוֹ, מַאי בְחֶטְאוֹ. בְחֶטְאוֹ דְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ. (ולא בחטא אחרא) וּמַאי אִיהוּ. מִלּוּלָא דְּפוּמֵיהּ, כִּי בְחֶטְאוֹ מֵת, טַעֲמָא דְּהַהוּא מְשִׁיכוּ דְּהַהוּא נָחָשׁ דְּכָּרוּךְ בִּזְנָבֵיהּ, בְחֶטְאוֹ וַדַּאי.
R. Eleazar said to him: ‘My son, since you have said so much, tell us what is meant by “but he died in his own sin”.’ He replied: ‘It means, by the sin of that serpent. And what is that? The speech of the mouth.’
נַטְלֵיהּ רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר בְּתוּקְפֵּיהּ, בֵּין דְּרוֹעוֹי, וּבָכוּ כֻּלְּהוּ חַבְרַיָּיא. אָמַר לוֹן, רַבָּנָן, שְׁבוֹקוּ לִי בַּהֲדֵי אַבָּא, דְּעַד כְּעַן לָא אִתְיַישְׁבָא רוּחִי (ס"א רוחיה). אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר לְרִבִּי יוֹסֵי, אֵימָּא כַּמָה יוֹמִין וְשָׁנִין לְהַאי יַנּוּקָא. אָמַר לוֹן, חַבְרַיָּיא, בְּמָטוּ מִנַּיְיכוּ לָא תִּבְעוּן דָּא, דְּהָא עַד לָא מָטוּ עֲלוֹי חָמֵשׁ שְׁנִין.
R. Eleazar then clasped him tightly to his breast, and all the Companions wept. He said to them: ‘Rabbis, leave me here with my father because my spirit is not yet properly restored.’ R. Eleazar then asked R. Jose how many years and days old the boy was. He replied: ‘I beg of you, Companions, not to ask this, because five years have not yet passed over him.’ ‘God forbid,’
אָמַר לֵיהּ רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, חַס וְשָׁלוֹם, דְּהָא בְּעֵינָא טָבָא אַשְׁגַּחְנָא בֵּיהּ. וּמַה דְּאַמְרַת חָמֵשׁ שְׁנִין, אִינּוּן חָמֵשׁ שְׁנִין (בראשית מ״ה:ו׳) אֲשֶׁר אֵין חָרִישׁ וְקָצִיר. דְּלָא תִּקְצוֹר לֵיהּ לְעָלְמִין. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר לְרִבִּי אַבָּא, נֵיתִיב הָכָא עַד ז' יוֹמִין, בְּגִין דְּאִתְיַישְּׁבָא בֵּיתָא. דְּהָא כָּל שִׁבְעָה יוֹמִין דְּנִשְׁמְתָא נַפְקַת מִן גּוּפָא, אַזְלַת עַרְטִילָאָה. וְהַשְׁתָּא דְּאָהַדָרַת, עַד כָּעַן לָא אִתְיַישְּׁבַת בְּדוּכְתָּהָא, עַד שִׁבְעָה יוֹמִין.
said R. Eleazar; ‘I desire to turn only a good eye on him, and your five years are “the five years in which will be no ploughing or reaping” (Gen. 45, 6), an omen that you shall never reap him.’ Said R. Eleazar to R. Abba: ‘Let us stay here seven days, till the house becomes settled, because for seven days after the soul has left the body it goes about naked, and now though it has returned it will not be settled in its place till after seven days.’
אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, כְּתִיב (דברים ט״ו:י״א) פָּתוֹחַ תִּפְתַּח אֶת יָדְךָ לְאָחִיךָ לַעֲנִיֶּךָ וּלְאֶבְיוֹנְךָ, קְרָא דָּא, הָא תָּנֵינָן לֵיהּ, דְּלָא יִשְׁבּוֹק בַּר נָשׁ עַנְיָא דִּילֵיהּ, וְיָהִב לְאַחֲרָא. הָא רִבִּי יוֹסֵי חָמוּךְ בְּבֵי מַרְעֵיהּ, נֵיזִיל וְנִגְמוֹל חֶסֶד עִמֵּיהּ. וּבָתַר דְּנֶהְדַּר, נֵיעוּל בְּהַאי. וְהָא כָּל זִמְנָא דְּנֵהַךְ וְנֶהְדָּר בְּאָרְחָא דָּא, נֶחֱמֵי תְּחִיַּית הַמֵּתִים. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וַדַּאי הָכִי הוּא, נְשָׁקוּהוּ לְהַהוּא יַנּוּקָא, בֵּרְכוּהוּ וְאַזְלוּ.
R. Abba replied: ‘It is written, “Thou shalt surely open thine hand unto thy brother, thy poor, thy needy, and to thy poor in thy land” (Deut. 15, 11), and we have learnt that this is a lesson that one should not abandon his own poor to give to another. Now R. Jose, your father-in-law, is sick; let us go and visit him, and when we return we will go in here, and all the time we are going and returning on this journey we shall see the resurrection of the dead.’ Said R. Eleazar: ‘That is assuredly so.’ So they kissed the boy and blessed him and departed.
אָמַר רִבִּי אַבָּא, תַּוַוהְנָא עַל דַּרְדְּקֵי דְּדָרָא דָּא, כַּמָה תַּקִּיפָא חֵילַיְיהוּ, וְאִינּוּן טִנָרִין רַבְרְבִין רָאמִין. אָמַר רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר, זַכָּאָה חוּלָקֵיהּ דְּאַבָּא, מָארֵיהּ דְּדָרָא דָּא. דְּהָא בְּיוֹמוֹי, בָּעֵי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא לְאַתְקְּנָא, תְּרֵין מְתִיבְתִּין דִּילֵיהּ, וּלְמֶעְבַּד לוֹן יִשּׁוּבָא רַבְרְבָא וְעִלָּאָה כַּדְּקָא יָאוּת. דְּהָא לָא יְהֵא כְּדָרָא דָּא, עַד דְּיֵיתֵי מַלְכָּא מְשִׁיחָא. אַזְלוּ.
Said R. Abba: ‘I am amazed at the young children of this generation, what capacities they show, being already mighty and lofty rocks.’ R. Eleazar replied: ‘Blessed is my father, the master of this generation. In his days God has been pleased to establish His two Academies and to create for us a great and noble academy, for there shall not be another generation like this till the Messiah shall come.’ So they went their way.