What kindness has the Holy One shown to Israel in every period of its history! Observe that it says: “O my people, what have I done unto thee?… and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron and Miriam” (Micah 6, 4). Now, there were many other prophets after Moses, and so surely it ought to run: ‘And l sent… Moses, Aaron, Eleazar, Phineas, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, and ever so many other righteous men and saints.” Why are only these three mentioned? Because what the Holy One meant was this: “My people, why do you not remember all the kindness that I have shown you in sending to you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam?”
God was like a king who had a province and sent to it august governors to rule it, to lead the people, and to care for their welfare. Upon whom should fall the obligation of providing these high representatives of the king with their requirements, if not upon the inhabitants of that province?
But with God it was the opposite. “I have sent unto you”, says the Holy One, “Moses, who gave you manna to e at and led you and your children and your cattle, and exerted himself on your behalf, that all your wants might be satisfied. I have sent to you Aaron likewise, who brought to you clouds of glory wherewith to cover you as with a king’s garment, who bathed you with the precious dew so that your garments and your sandals did not wear out, but were renewed every day. Also I have sent unto you Miriam, who brought a miraculous cistern to supply you with water from which you and your cattle drank and were refreshed. These three provided you all things needful for your existence and ye ate and drank and sat under their canopy of glory, but ye gave not anything to them—on the contrary, when they laboured on your behalf and took your burdens on their shoulders, ye rewarded them with insult ancl scorn.”
כַּמָה טִיבוּ עָבִיד קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּכָל דָּרָא וְדָרָא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל. תָּא חֲזֵי, מָה כְּתִיב, (מיכה ו׳:ד׳) וָאֶשְׁלַח לְפָנְיךָ אֶת מֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם. וְהָא כַּמָה נְבִיאֵי הֲווֹ לְבָתַר מֹשֶׁה, וָאֶשְׁלַח לְפָנְיךָ אֶת מֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וְאֶלְעָזָר וּפִנְחָס יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְאֵלִיָּהוּ וְאֱלִישָׁע, וְכַמָּה שְׁאַר צַדִּיקֵי וַחֲסִידֵי מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אִלֵּין תְּלָתָא אֲמַאי. אֶלָּא אָמַר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, עַמִּי, בָּנַי, אֲמַאי לָא תִּדְכְּרוּן לְכָל טָבִין דַּעֲבָדִית לְכוּ, דְּשַׁדָּרִית לְכוּ לְמֹשֶׁה אַהֲרֹן וּמִרְיָם.
What kindness has the Holy One shown to Israel in every period of its history! Observe that it says: “O my people, what have I done unto thee?… and I sent before thee Moses, Aaron and Miriam” (Micah 6, 4). Now, there were many other prophets after Moses, and so surely it ought to run: ‘And l sent… Moses, Aaron, Eleazar, Phineas, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, and ever so many other righteous men and saints.” Why are only these three mentioned? Because what the Holy One meant was this: “My people, why do you not remember all the kindness that I have shown you in sending to you Moses, Aaron, and Miriam?”
לְמֶלֶךָ בָּשָׂר וָדָם, דְּאִית לֵיהּ מְדִּינְתָּא, וְשָׁדַר לְגַבָּהּ, גּוּבְרִין, אִפַּרְכִּין רַבְרְבָנִין, דִּיהוֹן מְנַהֲלֵי עַמָּא, וּמְעַיְינִין בְּהוּ, וּבְדִּינַיְיהוּ. מַאן אִצְטְרִיךְ לְמֶהֱוֵי זָקוּק בִּמְזוֹנַיְיהוּ, בְּמִלִּין דְּיִּצְטְרִכוּן. לָאו עַמָּא דִּמְדִּינְתָּא, בַּעַל כָּרְחַיְּיהוּ יִצְטְרָכוּ לְעַיְינָא בְּהוּ, וּלְמֵיהַב לְהוּ יְקָרָא.
God was like a king who had a province and sent to it august governors to rule it, to lead the people, and to care for their welfare. Upon whom should fall the obligation of providing these high representatives of the king with their requirements, if not upon the inhabitants of that province?
שַׁדָּרִית לְמֹשֶׁה, אִיהוּ אַיְיתֵי קָמַיְיכוּ מָן לְמֵיכַל, וְנָהִיל לְכוּ וּלְבָנַיְיכוּ וְלִבְעִירַיְיכוּ, וְאִשְׁתְּדַּל בְּדִינַיְיכוּ, (ס"א במזונייכו) וּבְכָל מָה דְּאִצְטְרִיךְ לְכוּ. שַׁדָּרִית לְאַהֲרֹן, אַיְיתֵי (ס"א לכו ענני) הֵיכָלִין דַּעֲנָנִי יְקָר לְחֹפָּאָה עָלַיְיכוּ, כְּמַלְכִין. אַסְחֵי לְכוּ בְּטַלֵּי יְקָר, דְּלָא אִתְרַקְבוּ לְבוּשֵׁיכוֹן וּמִנְעֲלֵיכוֹן, וַהֲווּ מִתְחַדְּשֵׁי בְּכָל יוֹמָא. שַׁדָּרִית לְמִרְיָם, אַיְיתִיאָת בֵּירָא לְאַשְׁקָאָה לְכוּ, וְשָׁתִיתוּן אַתּוּן וּבְעִירְכוֹן. אִינּוּן יָהַבוּ לְכוֹן, וּמִדִּלֵהוֹן אָכַלְתּוּן וְשָׁתִיתוּן, וִיְתִיבְתּוּן בְּחוּפָּאָה דִּיקָר דִּלְהוֹן. וּמִדִּלְכוֹן לָא יָהַבְתּוּן לוֹן. וְלא עוֹד, אֶלָּא דְּאִשְׁתַּדְּלוּ עֲלֵיכוֹן, וְנַטְלוּ עַל צַוָארֵיהוֹן מָטוּלְכוֹן, וַהֲוִיתוּן מְחָרְפִין וּמְגַּדְפִין לוֹן.
But with God it was the opposite. “I have sent unto you”, says the Holy One, “Moses, who gave you manna to e at and led you and your children and your cattle, and exerted himself on your behalf, that all your wants might be satisfied. I have sent to you Aaron likewise, who brought to you clouds of glory wherewith to cover you as with a king’s garment, who bathed you with the precious dew so that your garments and your sandals did not wear out, but were renewed every day. Also I have sent unto you Miriam, who brought a miraculous cistern to supply you with water from which you and your cattle drank and were refreshed. These three provided you all things needful for your existence and ye ate and drank and sat under their canopy of glory, but ye gave not anything to them—on the contrary, when they laboured on your behalf and took your burdens on their shoulders, ye rewarded them with insult ancl scorn.”