“Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to take you to the place that I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20). “Behold, I am sending an angel” – that is what is written: “I had said: You are divine beings” (Psalms 82:6). Had Israel waited for Moses and not performed that act,1The sin of the Golden Calf. there would have been no exiles, and the angel of death would not have had dominion over them. Likewise it says, “[The tablets were the work of God] and the script was the script of God, engraved [ḥarut] on the tablets” (Exodus 32:16). What is ḥarut? Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya: Rabbi Yehuda said: Freedom [ḥerut] from exiles. Rabbi Neḥemya said: Freedom from the angel of death. When Israel said: “Everything that the Lord spoke, we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7), the Holy One blessed be He said: Adam the first man, I commanded one mitzva for him so that he would fulfill it, and I likened him to the ministering angels, as it is stated: “Behold, the man has become like one of us” (Genesis 3:22); these, who perform and fulfill the six hundred and thirteen mitzvot besides the generalizations, the specificities, and the details, is it not logical that they live and endure forever? Likewise it says: “And from Matana to Naḥaliel” (Numbers 21:19)2Matana and Naḥaliel are generally understood as the names of places, but the midrash is interpreting the verse to mean that through the gift [matana] of the Torah, Israel received from God [naḥalu El] eternal life. – they received it from the Holy One blessed be He so they would be alive and enduring forever. When they said: “This is your god, Israel” (Exodus 32:8), death came upon them. The Holy One blessed be He said: You followed the approach of Adam the first man who did not withstand his ordeal for three hours, and at nine hours he was sentenced to death.3The text in Vayikra Rabba (29:1) states that Adam was commanded in the ninth hour, he sinned in the tenth hour, and his punishment was pronounced in the eleventh hour (see Maharzu). “I had said: You are divine beings,” but you followed the attribute of Adam the first man; “indeed, as men you will die” (Psalms 82:7). What is: “As one of the princes you will fall” (Psalms 82:7)? Rabbi Yehuda said: Either like Adam or like Eve.4Each received the punishment that was appropriate for him or for her. Another matter: “As one of the princes you will fall” – Rabbi Pinḥas HaKohen ben Rabbi Ḥama said: The Holy One blessed be He said to them: You have toppled yourselves. In the past, you were served by means of the Divine Spirit; now, you are served only by means of an angel. That is, “behold, I am sending an angel before you.”
Another matter: “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” – that is what is written: “And I said: How shall I place you [ashitekh] among the children” (Jeremiah 3:19). What is ashitekh? The Holy One blessed be He said: From the moment that you stood at Sinai and received the Torah, and I wrote that I love you, as it is stated: “But because of the Lord’s love for you” (Deuteronomy 7:8) – after I loved you, how can I hate you? “How shall I place you [ashitekh]among the children?” Ashitekh indicates nothing other than animosity, as it is stated: “I will place [ashit] animosity” (Genesis 3:15). Another matter: “How shall I place you [ashitekh] among the children?” (Jeremiah 3:19) – Rabbi Yehoshua said: You have obligated yourselves, as it is written: “In accordance with all that shall be imposed [yushat] upon him” (Exodus 21:30). Rabbi Berekhya said: You have laid waste to yourselves, as it is written: “Briers and thistles [shayit]” (Isaiah 5:6). “I gave you a desirable [ḥemda] land” – why is it called desirable? Because the Temple is located in it; that is what is written: “The mountain that God desired [ḥamad] for His abode” (Psalms 68:17). Another matter: “A desirable land” (Jeremiah 3:19) – for all the kings desired it, as between Ai and Jericho is only three mil, and this one had a king and that one had a king. Another matter: “A desirable [ḥemda] land” (Jeremiah 3:19) – the Rabbis say: A land that was made desirable for the patriarchs of the world.5God made it desirable to Abraham and Isaac by commanding them to live there and by promising them the land. They fulfilled these commands, thereby indicating how desirable it was to them. Abraham, as it is stated: “Go from your land…[to the land that I will show you]” (Genesis 12:1). Isaac – “reside in this land” (Genesis 26:3). Jacob – “you shall transport me from Egypt” (Genesis 47:30). Why did it become desirable for them?6Why was it desirable to them to be in the Land of Israel even after death, as in the case of Jacob? (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Because [those who are buried there] come to life first in the messianic era. What is “a magnificent inheritance [naḥalat tzevi]” (Jeremiah 3:19)? Why is it analogized to a gazelle [tzevi]? Just as the gazelle, when a person flays it, its hide cannot contain its flesh, so too, when Israel took possession of it, the Land of Israel could not contain its produce. Another matter: Just as the gazelle is easy to eat,7They do not require raising and herding. so too, the produce of the Land of Israel is easy to eat.8When the people of Israel are deserving, the land produces great bounty without requiring hard work. The Rabbis say: Just as the gazelle, its legs are fleeter than any animal and any beast, so, the Land of Israel is faster to ripen its produce than all the lands. Why to that extent? The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘So that My name will be uniquely associated with you.’ “I said: You shall call Me my Father, and do not turn back from following Me” (Jeremiah 3:19), but you did not do so, but rather, “indeed, a woman has betrayed her lover” (Jeremiah 3:20). The Rabbis say: It is not written here, “her husband,” but rather, “her lover.” Just as a woman cannot rebel against her husband, but she can reject her lover – why, because there is no marriage contract between them – so the Holy One blessed be He says to Israel: ‘You did not render Me a husband but rather a lover; just as a woman betrays her lover, so “you have betrayed Me, house of Israel”’ (Jeremiah 3:20). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: If only [they were] like a woman to her lover. For as long as he gives her a wage, she obeys him; if he stops giving her wage, she says to him: ‘Was I not subservient to you only for the wage?’ So, the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘Have I withheld anything from you such that you have rejected Me?’ That is, “a woman has betrayed her lover.” Another matter: “Behold, I am sending an angel” – the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: Had you merited, I, Myself, would have become a messenger for you just as I did for you in the wilderness, as it is stated: “The Lord was going before them by day” (Exodus 13:21). Now that you did not merit, I am passing you to a messenger, as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending an angel.”
When were they passed to a messenger? It was when they engaged in idol worship. From where is it derived? For this is what the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “Go, lead the people…[behold, My angel will go before you]” (Exodus 32:34).9This verse was stated in the aftermath of the sin of the Golden Calf. Moses said: “If Your presence does not go, do not take us up from here” (Exodus 33:15). Moreover, Moses said to the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe, what is the difference between us and the idolaters? We have prophets and they have prophets.10This is based on Exodus 33:16, where Moses continues to plead that God Himself lead Israel, arguing that if He does not do so there will be no difference between Israel and other nations. We have a guardian angel and they have a guardian angel. Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He abolished two good benefits from the idolaters such that prophets would not arise for them and that Israel would not be passed to a guardian angel all the days of Moses. When Moses died, that guardian angel returned to his place, for Joshua saw him, as it is stated: “It was when Joshua was in Jericho.… He said: No, for I am commander of the host of the Lord; now I have come” (Joshua 5:13–14). That is why it is stated: “Behold, I am sending an angel before you.”
“Beware of him and heed his voice; do not defy him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for My name is in him” (Exodus 23:21). “Beware of him” – the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: Beware of the messenger, as he does not renege on My mission; he is the attribute of justice. “Do not defy him” – regarding the past it says: “You have been defiant with the Lord” (Deuteronomy 9:7), and I would accept it from you. But now, “do not defy him, for he will not pardon your transgression.” Another matter: “Do not defy [tamer] him” – do not substitute him for Me and do not render Me his substitute [temurato]. Perhaps you will say: Since he is our guardian angel, it is him that we worship, and he will forgive our sins. No, “for he will not pardon your transgression,” unlike Me, as it is written in My regard: “Pardoning iniquity, and overlooking transgression” (Micah 7:18), but “he will not pardon your transgression.” Moreover, you will cause My name to be removed from within him, as it is stated: “For My name is in him.” Another matter: “For My name is in him” – because ministering angels are sustained only from the aura of the Divine Presence, as it is stated: “You sustain [meḥayeh] them all, [and the host of the heavens prostrates itself to You]” (Nehemiah 9:6). What is that?11Why does the verse use the term meḥayeh, which is generally interpreted to mean “bring to life,” given that angels do not die such that they would need to be brought back to life? (Maharzu). Rabbi Ḥagai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: You are the life force [miḥya] for them all. Moreover, he incurs liability by their means.12If the angel is worshipped, the worshippers will cause the angel himself to be punished (Maharzu). “For if you heed his voice and perform all that I will say” (Exodus 23:22) – it is not written here, “he will say,” but rather, “I will say.” If you accept it from him it will be as though you are accepting it from Me. If you do so: “I will be an enemy to your enemies” (Exodus 23:22); that is, “behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20).
Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “And I said: How shall I place you among the children.… Indeed, a woman has betrayed her lover” (Jeremiah 3:19–20). “And I said: How shall I place you among the children” – all the miracles and mighty acts that I performed on your behalf were not so you would give Me My reward, but rather, so you would respect Me like children and call Me your Father. “I said: You shall call Me my Father” (Jeremiah 3:19) – what miracles did I perform for any creature more than you, as you would walk after Me and I would walk before you and illuminate for you, as it is stated: “The Lord was going before them by day [in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to illuminate for them]” (Exodus 13:21). “I said: You shall call Me my Father” (Jeremiah 3:19), but you, what did you do? “Indeed, a woman has betrayed her lover” (Jeremiah 3:20) – it is not written here, “her husband,” but rather, “her lover.” Why? It is because a man who takes a wife and spends many days with her, even if he becomes poor, his wife does not reject him; rather, she says: When he was wealthy, he fed me and clothed me, and now that he has become poor, I do not reject him. But when she is a prostitute,13The prostitute is with a man only because he pays her and not because they share a marriage relationship. if he gives to her she thanks him, if he does not give to her, she does not acknowledge him. That is why it is stated: “Indeed, a woman has betrayed her lover.” Another matter: When a prostitute has a lover and he honors her with an object, she shows it to her friends and says: See how much my lover has honored me. But you, house of Israel, did not do so. Rather, I performed miracles and mighty acts on your behalf, as the clouds of glory were surrounding you, the manna was falling, the spring of water was rising, and the quail was available, but you did not laud Me, and you were not like a prostitute who lauds the fee <see ezekiel="" 16:31="">, as it is stated: “They did not say: Where is the Lord, who takes us up from the land of Egypt” (Jeremiah 2:6). I, too, “for I will not ascend in your midst” (Exodus 33:3), but rather, “behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20).
Another matter: “Behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20) – that is what is written: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them” (Psalms 34:8). If a person performs one mitzva, the Holy One blessed be He provides him with one angel to protect him, as it is stated: “The angel of the Lord encamps.” If he performs two mitzvot, the Holy One blessed be He provides him with two angels to protect him, as it is stated: “For He will command His angels on your behalf to protect you in all your ways” (Psalms 91:11). If he performs many mitzvot, the Holy One blessed be He will provide him with half His camp, as it is stated: “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand” (Psalms 91:7), and that is half His camp, as it is stated: “The chariots of God are myriad [ribotayim], thousands of companies” (Psalms 68:18).14The term ribotayim literally means tens of thousands. Due to the general rule that plural terms indicate two, as nothing more than that can be conclusively proven from the plural usage, tens of thousands and thousands would mean twenty-two thousand, half of which is eleven thousand.
Another matter: “Behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20) – that is what is written: “I had said: You are divine beings, celestial beings, all of you” (Psalms 82:6). When the children of Israel stood at Sinai and received the Torah, the Holy One blessed be He said to the angel of death, ‘You have license against all the idolaters, but you have no license against this nation, as they are My portion. Just as I live and endure, so My children endure,’ as it is stated: “When the Most High bequeathed to the nations” (Deuteronomy 32:8), and it is written: “For His people is the portion of the Lord, Jacob the allotment of His inheritance” (Deuteronomy 32:9). But you did not want it, and you corrupted your actions and said to the Calf: “This is your god, Israel” (Exodus 32:8). Therefore, “indeed, as men you will die [and as one of the minsters [sarim] you will fall]” (Psalms 82:7) – just as idolaters utilize guardian angels [sarim],15They are under the auspices of angels. God does not provide for them directly but rather through angels. Similarly, they are susceptible to the angel of death. so do you, as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending an angel.” Likewise, you find that the Holy One blessed be He showed Jacob the guardian angels of each and every kingdom, as it is stated: “He dreamed, and behold, a ladder set on the earth” (Genesis 28:12). He showed him several nations, several officials, and several governors rising from each and every kingdom. Just as he showed them to him rising, he showed them to him falling, as it is stated: “And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending upon it” (Genesis 28:12). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘You, too, ascend.’ Jacob said to Him: ‘I fear that I, too, will descend just as they descended.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Fear not, just as I do not descend from My greatness, so too, neither you nor your descendants will descend from their greatness,’ as it is stated: “Behold, the Lord was standing over him” (Genesis 28:13). ‘When? It is when they perform My will. But when they said: “This is your god, Israel,” and you forsook Me and followed the ways of the idolaters, just as idolaters utilize guardian angels, so you will [utilize] guardian angels,’ as it is stated: “behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20).
Moses said to Him: ‘Are You sending an angel with me? Were those the terms? Did You not say: “I have descended to rescue it from the hand of Egypt and to bring it up from that land [to a good and expansive land]” (Exodus 3:8), and now You say: “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:30)? “If Your presence does not go, do not take us up from here”’ (Exodus 33:15). [God] said to him: “For I will not ascend in your midst” (Exodus 33:3). Moses said: ‘You said angel, and I say: “If Your presence does not go,” let us see whose words will stand’; that is what is written: “Moses said to the Lord: See, You say to me: [Take this people up, but You did not inform me whom You will send with me]” (Exodus 33:12). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘As you live, “My Presence will go, and I will give you rest”’ (Exodus 33:14). The Divine Spirit cries out: “Since the king's rule is in his word, [who will say to him: What are you doing?] One who observes a mitzva will know no evil matter” (Ecclesiastes 8:4–5).16The midrash applies the verse in Ecclesiastes to mean that someone of Moses’s stature had the ability to annul the divine decree.
“Behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20) – the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: The one who protected the patriarchs will protect the descendants. Likewise, you find with Abraham, when he blessed his son Isaac, he said to him: “The Lord, God of the heavens…He will send His angel before you” (Genesis 24:7). Jacob our patriarch, what did he say to his children? “The angel who redeems me [from all evil]” (Genesis 48:16). He said to them: ‘He redeemed me from Esau, he redeemed me from Laban, he fed me and supported me during the years of famine.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Now, too, the one who protected the patriarchs will protect the descendants, as it is stated: “Behold, I am [sending an angel].”’ Every place that an angel is seen, the Divine Presence is seen, as it is stated: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire” (Exodus 3:2), and immediately, “God called to him” (Exodus 3:4). Moreover, when Israel cries out before Him, salvation will come to them. So it was at the bush, as it is stated: “Now, behold, the outcry of the children of Israel has come to Me” (Exodus 3:9). Likewise with Gideon, “An angel [of the Lord] came.… The angel of the Lord appeared to him…” (Judges 6:11–12).17Following this, in verse 13, Gideon complains to the angel about Israel’s oppression at the hands of Midian. The midrash will now cite the angel’s response to Gideon. “He said: Go with this strength of yours and save Israel” (Judges 6:14). Likewise, in the future, when he will reveal himself, redemption will come to Israel, as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me” (Malachi 3:1).
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים פב, ו): אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם, אִלּוּ הִמְתִּינוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְמשֶׁה וְלֹא הָיוּ עוֹשִׂים אוֹתוֹ מַעֲשֶׂה, לֹא הָיְתָה גָּלֻיּוֹת וְלֹא מַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת שׁוֹלֵט בָּהֶן, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (שמות לב, טז): וְהַמִּכְתָּב מִכְתַּב אֱלֹהִים הוּא חָרוּת עַל הַלֻּחֹת, מַהוּ חָרוּת, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה, רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹמֵר חֵרוּת מִן גָּלֻיּוֹת, וְרַבִּי נְחֶמְיָה אוֹמֵר חֵרוּת מִמַּלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָמְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל (שמות כד, ז): כֹּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֶּר ה' נַעֲשֶׂה וְנִשְׁמָע, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן צִוִּיתִיו מִצְוָה אַחַת כְּדֵי שֶׁיְקַיְמֶנָּה וְהִשְׁוֵיתִיו לְמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ג, כב): הֵן הָאָדָם הָיָה כְּאַחַד מִמֶּנּוּ, אֵלּוּ שֶׁהֵן עוֹשִׂין וּמְקַיְּימִין תרי"ג מִצְווֹת חוּץ מִן הַכְּלָלִים וּמִן הַפְּרָטִים וּמִן הַדִּקְדּוּקִים, אֵינוֹ דִין שֶׁיִּהְיוּ הֵן חַיִּין וְקַיָּמִין לְעוֹלָם, וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר (במדבר כא, יט): וּמִמַּתָּנָה נַחֲלִיאֵל, שֶׁנָּחֲלוּ מֵהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שֶׁיִּהְיוּ חַיִּים וְקַיָּמִים לְעוֹלָם, כֵּיוָן שֶׁאָמְרוּ (שמות לב, ח): אֵלֶּה אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, בָּא מוֹת עֲלֵיהֶם, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּשִׁיטָתוֹ שֶׁל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן הֲלַכְתֶּם שֶׁלֹא עָמַד בְּנִסְיוֹנוֹ שָׁלשׁ שָׁעוֹת וּבְתֵשַׁע שָׁעוֹת נִקְנְסָה עָלָיו מִיתָה, אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם, וַהֲלַכְתֶּם אַחַר מִדּוֹתָיו שֶׁל אָדָם הָרִאשׁוֹן (תהלים פב, ז): אָכֵן כְּאָדָם תְּמוּתוּן. מַהוּ (תהלים פב, ז): וּכְאַחַד הַשָֹּׂרִים תִּפֹּלוּ, אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה אוֹ כְּאָדָם אוֹ כְּחַוָּה. דָּבָר אַחֵר, וּכְאַחַד הַשָֹּׂרִים תִּפֹּלוּ, אָמַר רַבִּי פִּנְחָס הַכֹּהֵן בֶּן רַבִּי חָמָא אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הִפַּלְתֶּם עַצְמְכֶם, לְשֶׁעָבַר הֱיִיתֶם מִשְׁתַּמְשִׁים עַל יְדֵי רוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ, עַכְשָׁיו אֵין אַתֶּם מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁים אֶלָּא עַל יְדֵי מַלְאָךְ, הֱוֵי: הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ לְפָנֶיךָ.
“Behold, I am sending an angel before you to protect you along the way and to take you to the place that I have prepared” (Exodus 23:20).
“Behold, I am sending an angel” – that is what is written: “I had said: You are divine beings” (Psalms 82:6). Had Israel waited for Moses and not performed that act,1The sin of the Golden Calf. there would have been no exiles, and the angel of death would not have had dominion over them. Likewise it says, “[The tablets were the work of God] and the script was the script of God, engraved [ḥarut] on the tablets” (Exodus 32:16). What is ḥarut? Rabbi Yehuda and Rabbi Neḥemya: Rabbi Yehuda said: Freedom [ḥerut] from exiles. Rabbi Neḥemya said: Freedom from the angel of death. When Israel said: “Everything that the Lord spoke, we will perform and we will heed” (Exodus 24:7), the Holy One blessed be He said: Adam the first man, I commanded one mitzva for him so that he would fulfill it, and I likened him to the ministering angels, as it is stated: “Behold, the man has become like one of us” (Genesis 3:22); these, who perform and fulfill the six hundred and thirteen mitzvot besides the generalizations, the specificities, and the details, is it not logical that they live and endure forever?
Likewise it says: “And from Matana to Naḥaliel” (Numbers 21:19)2Matana and Naḥaliel are generally understood as the names of places, but the midrash is interpreting the verse to mean that through the gift [matana] of the Torah, Israel received from God [naḥalu El] eternal life. – they received it from the Holy One blessed be He so they would be alive and enduring forever. When they said: “This is your god, Israel” (Exodus 32:8), death came upon them. The Holy One blessed be He said: You followed the approach of Adam the first man who did not withstand his ordeal for three hours, and at nine hours he was sentenced to death.3The text in Vayikra Rabba (29:1) states that Adam was commanded in the ninth hour, he sinned in the tenth hour, and his punishment was pronounced in the eleventh hour (see Maharzu). “I had said: You are divine beings,” but you followed the attribute of Adam the first man; “indeed, as men you will die” (Psalms 82:7). What is: “As one of the princes you will fall” (Psalms 82:7)? Rabbi Yehuda said: Either like Adam or like Eve.4Each received the punishment that was appropriate for him or for her.
Another matter: “As one of the princes you will fall” – Rabbi Pinḥas HaKohen ben Rabbi Ḥama said: The Holy One blessed be He said to them: You have toppled yourselves. In the past, you were served by means of the Divine Spirit; now, you are served only by means of an angel. That is, “behold, I am sending an angel before you.”
דָּבָר אַחֵר, הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ לְפָנֶיךָ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (ירמיה ג, יט): וְאָנֹכִי אָמַרְתִּי אֵיךְ אֲשִׁיתֵךְ בַּבָּנִים, מַהוּ אֲשִׁיתֵךְ, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁעֲמַדְתֶּם בְּסִינַי וְקִבַּלְתֶּם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וְכָתַבְתִּי שֶׁאֲנִי אוֹהֵב אֶתְכֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים ז, ח): כִּי מֵאַהֲבַת ה' אֶתְכֶם, וְאַחַר שֶׁאָהַבְתִּי אֶתְכֶם הֵיאַךְ אֲנִי יָכוֹל לִשְׂנֹא אֶתְכֶם, אֵיךְ אֲשִׁיתֵךְ בַּבָּנִים, וְאֵין אֲשִׁיתֵךְ אֶלָּא שִׂנְאָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית ג, טו): וְאֵיבָה אָשִׁית. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֵיךְ אֲשִׁיתֵךְ בַּבָּנִים, רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ אוֹמֵר חִיַּבְתֶּם עַצְמְכֶם, כְּדִכְתִיב (שמות כא, ל): כְּכֹל אֲשֶׁר יוּשַׁת עָלָיו, וְרַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה אָמַר בִּיַּרְתֶּם עַצְמְכֶם, כְּדִכְתִיב (ישעיה ה, ו): שָׁמִיר וָשָׁיִת. (ירמיה ג, יט): וְאֶתֶּן לָךְ אֶרֶץ חֶמְדָה, לָמָּה נִקְרֵאת חֶמְדָה, שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ נָתוּן בְּתוֹכָהּ, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (תהלים סח, יז): הָהָר חָמַד אֱלֹהִים לְשִׁבְתּוֹ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֶרֶץ חֶמְדָה, שֶׁחָמְדוּ לָהּ כָּל הַמְלָכִים, שֶׁבֵּין הָעַי וּבֵין יְרִיחוֹ אֵינוֹ אֶלָּא שְׁלשָׁה מִלִּין, לָזוֹ מֶלֶךְ וְלָזוֹ מֶלֶךְ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אֶרֶץ חֶמְדָה, רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי אֶרֶץ שֶׁנֶּחְמְדוּ לָהּ אֲבוֹת הָעוֹלָם, אַבְרָהָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית יב, א): לֶךְ לְךָ מֵאַרְצְךָ, יִצְחָק (בראשית כו, ג): גּוּר בָּאָרֶץ הַזֹּאת, יַעֲקֹב (בראשית מז, ל): וּנְשָׂאתַנִי מִמִּצְרַיִם. וְלָמָה הֵם מִתְחַמְדִים לָהּ, אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ, מִפְּנֵי שֶׁהֵם חַיִּים תְּחִלָה לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ. וּמַהוּ (ירמיה ג, יט): נַחֲלַת צְבִי, לָמָה הוּא מוֹשְׁלָהּ לִצְבִי, מַה הַצְּבִי מִשֶּׁאָדָם מַפְשִׁיטוֹ אֵין עוֹרוֹ מַחֲזִיק אֶת בְּשָׂרוֹ, כָּךְ בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁזָּכוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל אֵין אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מַחְזֶקֶת פֵּרוֹתֶיהָ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, מַה צְּבִי זֶה קַל לֶאֱכֹל, כָּךְ אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל פֵּרוֹתֶיהָ קַלִּין לֶאֱכֹל. וְרַבָּנִין אָמְרֵי מַה צְּבִי זֶה רַגְלָיו קַלִּין יוֹתֵר מִכָּל בְּהֵמָה וּמִן הַחַיָּה, כָּךְ אֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל מְמַהֶרֶת לְבַשֵּׁל פֵּרוֹתֶיהָ יוֹתֵר מִכָּל הָאֲרָצוֹת, וְכָל כָּךְ לָמָּה, אָמַר לָהֶם הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּדֵי שֶׁיְהֵא שְׁמִי מְיֻחָד עֲלֵיכֶם, (ירמיה ג, יט): וָאֹמַר אָבִי תִּקְרְאִי לִי וּמֵאַחֲרַי לֹא תָשׁוּבִי, אַתֶּם לֹא עֲשִׂיתֶם כֵּן אֶלָּא (ירמיה ג, כ): אָכֵן בָּגְדָה אִשָּׁה מֵרֵעָהּ, רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי מֵאִישָׁהּ אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן אֶלָּא מֵרֵעָהּ, מַה אִשָּׁה זוֹ אֵינָה יְכוֹלָה לִמְרֹד בְּבַעֲלָהּ אֶלָּא בְּרֵעָהּ הִיא יְכוֹלָה לִכְפֹּר בּוֹ, לָמָּה שֶׁאֵין בֵּינֵיהֶן גָּמִיסְקִין, כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא עֲשִׂיתוּנִי כְּבַעַל אֶלָּא כְּרֵעַ, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁהָאִשָּׁה בּוֹגֵדָה בְּרֵעָהּ כָּךְ בְּגַדְתֶּם בִּי בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל. אָמַר רַבִּי יְהוּדָה בֶּן רַבִּי סִימוֹן הַלְוַאי כְּאִשָּׁה בְּרֵעָהּ שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁהוּא נוֹתֵן לָהּ שָׂכָר הִיא נִשְׁמַעַת לוֹ פָּסַק הֵימֶנָּה שָׂכָר אוֹמֶרֶת לוֹ כְּלוּם הָיִיתִי מְשֻׁעְבֶּדֶת לְךָ אֶלָּא בִּשְׁבִיל הַשָֹּׂכָר, כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּלוּם חִסַּרְתִּי אֶתְכֶם עַד שֶׁכְּפַרְתֶּם בִּי, הֱוֵי: בָּגְדָה אִשָּׁה מֵרֵעָהּ, דָּבָר אַחֵר, הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, אִלּוּ זְכִיתֶם אֲנִי בְּעַצְמִי נַעֲשֵׂיתִי לָכֶם שָׁלִיחַ כְּדֶרֶךְ שֶׁעָשִׂיתִי לָכֶם בַּמִּדְבָּר, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג, כא): וַה' הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם, וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁלֹא זְכִיתֶם, הֲרֵינִי מוֹסֵר אֶתְכֶם לְשָׁלִיחַ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ.
Another matter: “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” – that is what is written: “And I said: How shall I place you [ashitekh] among the children” (Jeremiah 3:19). What is ashitekh? The Holy One blessed be He said: From the moment that you stood at Sinai and received the Torah, and I wrote that I love you, as it is stated: “But because of the Lord’s love for you” (Deuteronomy 7:8) – after I loved you, how can I hate you? “How shall I place you [ashitekh] among the children?” Ashitekh indicates nothing other than animosity, as it is stated: “I will place [ashit] animosity” (Genesis 3:15).
Another matter: “How shall I place you [ashitekh] among the children?” (Jeremiah 3:19) – Rabbi Yehoshua said: You have obligated yourselves, as it is written: “In accordance with all that shall be imposed [yushat] upon him” (Exodus 21:30). Rabbi Berekhya said: You have laid waste to yourselves, as it is written: “Briers and thistles [shayit]” (Isaiah 5:6). “I gave you a desirable [ḥemda] land” – why is it called desirable? Because the Temple is located in it; that is what is written: “The mountain that God desired [ḥamad] for His abode” (Psalms 68:17).
Another matter: “A desirable land” (Jeremiah 3:19) – for all the kings desired it, as between Ai and Jericho is only three mil, and this one had a king and that one had a king.
Another matter: “A desirable [ḥemda] land” (Jeremiah 3:19) – the Rabbis say: A land that was made desirable for the patriarchs of the world.5God made it desirable to Abraham and Isaac by commanding them to live there and by promising them the land. They fulfilled these commands, thereby indicating how desirable it was to them. Abraham, as it is stated: “Go from your land…[to the land that I will show you]” (Genesis 12:1). Isaac – “reside in this land” (Genesis 26:3). Jacob – “you shall transport me from Egypt” (Genesis 47:30). Why did it become desirable for them?6Why was it desirable to them to be in the Land of Israel even after death, as in the case of Jacob? (Etz Yosef). Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: Because [those who are buried there] come to life first in the messianic era.
What is “a magnificent inheritance [naḥalat tzevi]” (Jeremiah 3:19)? Why is it analogized to a gazelle [tzevi]? Just as the gazelle, when a person flays it, its hide cannot contain its flesh, so too, when Israel took possession of it, the Land of Israel could not contain its produce.
Another matter: Just as the gazelle is easy to eat,7They do not require raising and herding. so too, the produce of the Land of Israel is easy to eat.8When the people of Israel are deserving, the land produces great bounty without requiring hard work. The Rabbis say: Just as the gazelle, its legs are fleeter than any animal and any beast, so, the Land of Israel is faster to ripen its produce than all the lands. Why to that extent? The Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘So that My name will be uniquely associated with you.’
“I said: You shall call Me my Father, and do not turn back from following Me” (Jeremiah 3:19), but you did not do so, but rather, “indeed, a woman has betrayed her lover” (Jeremiah 3:20). The Rabbis say: It is not written here, “her husband,” but rather, “her lover.” Just as a woman cannot rebel against her husband, but she can reject her lover – why, because there is no marriage contract between them – so the Holy One blessed be He says to Israel: ‘You did not render Me a husband but rather a lover; just as a woman betrays her lover, so “you have betrayed Me, house of Israel”’ (Jeremiah 3:20). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon said: If only [they were] like a woman to her lover. For as long as he gives her a wage, she obeys him; if he stops giving her wage, she says to him: ‘Was I not subservient to you only for the wage?’ So, the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: ‘Have I withheld anything from you such that you have rejected Me?’ That is, “a woman has betrayed her lover.”
Another matter: “Behold, I am sending an angel” – the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: Had you merited, I, Myself, would have become a messenger for you just as I did for you in the wilderness, as it is stated: “The Lord was going before them by day” (Exodus 13:21). Now that you did not merit, I am passing you to a messenger, as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending an angel.”
וְאֵימָתַי נִמְסְרוּ לְשָׁלִיחַ, בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעָבְדוּ עֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים, מִנַּיִן, שֶׁכֵּן אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה (שמות לב, לד): לֵךְ נְחֵה אֶת הָעָם, אָמַר משֶׁה (שמות לג, טו): אִם אֵין פָּנֶיךָ הֹלְכִים אַל תַּעֲלֵנוּ מִזֶּה. וְעוֹד אָמַר משֶׁה רִבּוֹן הָעוֹלָם מַה בֵּינֵינוּ לְבֵין עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים לָנוּ נְבִיאִים וְלָהֶם נְבִיאִים, לָנוּ שַׂר וְלָהֶם שַׂר. אָמַר רַבִּי לֵוִי שְׁתֵּי מִדּוֹת טוֹבוֹת בִּטֵּל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מֵעוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, שֶׁלֹא יַעַמְדוּ עֲלֵיהֶם נְבִיאִים וְשֶׁלֹא יִמָּסְרוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְשַׂר כָּל יְמֵי משֶׁה, כֵּיוָן שֶׁמֵּת משֶׁה חָזַר אוֹתוֹ הַשַֹּׂר לִמְקוֹמוֹ, שֶׁכֵּן יְהוֹשֻׁעַ רָאָהוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (יהושע ה, יג יד): וַיְהִי בִּהְיוֹת יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בִּירִיחוֹ, וַיֹּאמֶר לֹא כִּי אֲנִי שַׂר צְבָא ה' עַתָּה בָאתִי, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ לְפָנֶיךָ.
When were they passed to a messenger? It was when they engaged in idol worship. From where is it derived? For this is what the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: “Go, lead the people…[behold, My angel will go before you]” (Exodus 32:34).9This verse was stated in the aftermath of the sin of the Golden Calf. Moses said: “If Your presence does not go, do not take us up from here” (Exodus 33:15). Moreover, Moses said to the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe, what is the difference between us and the idolaters? We have prophets and they have prophets.10This is based on Exodus 33:16, where Moses continues to plead that God Himself lead Israel, arguing that if He does not do so there will be no difference between Israel and other nations. We have a guardian angel and they have a guardian angel. Rabbi Levi said: The Holy One blessed be He abolished two good benefits from the idolaters such that prophets would not arise for them and that Israel would not be passed to a guardian angel all the days of Moses. When Moses died, that guardian angel returned to his place, for Joshua saw him, as it is stated: “It was when Joshua was in Jericho.… He said: No, for I am commander of the host of the Lord; now I have come” (Joshua 5:13–14). That is why it is stated: “Behold, I am sending an angel before you.”
הִשָּׁמֶר מִפָּנָיו, אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, הִזָּהֲרוּ בַּשָּׁלִיחַ שֶׁאֵינוֹ חוֹזֵר בִּשְׁלִיחוּתִי, מִדַּת הַדִּין הוּא (שמות כג, כא): אַל תַּמֵּר בּוֹ, לְשֶׁעָבַר הוּא אוֹמֵר (דברים ט, ז): מַמְרִים הֱיִיתֶם עִם ה', וְהָיִיתִי מְקַבֵּל מִכֶּם, אֲבָל עַכְשָׁיו אַל תַּמֵּר בּוֹ כִּי לֹא יִשָֹּׂא לְפִשְׁעֲכֶם. דָּבָר אַחֵר, אַל תַּמֶּר בּוֹ, אַל תְּמִירוּנִי בוֹ וְאַל תַּעֲשׂוּנִי תְּמוּרָתוֹ, שֶׁמָּא תֹּאמְרוּ הוֹאִיל וְהוּא הַשַֹּׂר שֶׁלָּנוּ לוֹ אֲנַחְנוּ עוֹבְדִים וְהוּא נוֹשֵׂא אֶת פְּשָׁעֵינוּ, לָאו, אֶלָּא כִּי לֹא יִשָֹּׂא לְפִשְׁעֲכֶם, לֹא כְּמוֹתִי שֶׁכָּתוּב בִּי (מיכה ז, יח): נֹשֵׂא עָוֹן וְעֹבֵר עַל פֶּשַׁע, אֲבָל הוּא לֹא יִשָֹּׂא לְפִשְׁעֲכֶם. וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁאַתֶּם גּוֹרְמִים לוֹ שֶׁיִּשָּׁמֵט שְׁמִי מִקִּרְבּוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות כג, כא): כִּי שְׁמִי בְּקִרְבּוֹ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, כִּי שְׁמִי בְּקִרְבּוֹ, לְפִי שֶׁאֵין מַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת נִזּוֹנִין אֶלָּא מִזִּיו שְׁכִינָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (נחמיה ט, ו): וְאַתָּה מְחַיֶּה אֶת כֻּלָּם, מַהוּ כָּךְ אָמַר רַבִּי חֲגַאי בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי יִצְחָק וְאַתָּה מִחַיָּה לְכוּלְּהוֹן, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא שֶׁהוּא מִתְחַיֵּב עַל יָדָם, (שמות כג, כב): כִּי אִם שָׁמוֹעַ תִּשְׁמַע בְּקֹלוֹ וְעָשִׂיתָ כֹּל אֲשֶׁר אֲדַבֵּר, יְדַבֵּר אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן אֶלָּא אֲדַבֵּר, אִם מְקַבְּלִין אַתֶּם הֵימֶנוּ כְּאִלּוּ לִי אַתֶּם מְקַבְּלִים, אִם עוֹשִׂים אַתֶּם כֵּן (שמות כג, כב): וְאָיַבְתִּי אֶת אֹיְבֶיךָ, הֱוֵי: הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ.
“Beware of him and heed his voice; do not defy him, for he will not pardon your transgression, for My name is in him” (Exodus 23:21).
“Beware of him” – the Holy One blessed be He said to Israel: Beware of the messenger, as he does not renege on My mission; he is the attribute of justice. “Do not defy him” – regarding the past it says: “You have been defiant with the Lord” (Deuteronomy 9:7), and I would accept it from you. But now, “do not defy him, for he will not pardon your transgression.”
Another matter: “Do not defy [tamer] him” – do not substitute him for Me and do not render Me his substitute [temurato]. Perhaps you will say: Since he is our guardian angel, it is him that we worship, and he will forgive our sins. No, “for he will not pardon your transgression,” unlike Me, as it is written in My regard: “Pardoning iniquity, and overlooking transgression” (Micah 7:18), but “he will not pardon your transgression.” Moreover, you will cause My name to be removed from within him, as it is stated: “For My name is in him.”
Another matter: “For My name is in him” – because ministering angels are sustained only from the aura of the Divine Presence, as it is stated: “You sustain [meḥayeh] them all, [and the host of the heavens prostrates itself to You]” (Nehemiah 9:6). What is that?11Why does the verse use the term meḥayeh, which is generally interpreted to mean “bring to life,” given that angels do not die such that they would need to be brought back to life? (Maharzu). Rabbi Ḥagai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: You are the life force [miḥya] for them all. Moreover, he incurs liability by their means.12If the angel is worshipped, the worshippers will cause the angel himself to be punished (Maharzu). “For if you heed his voice and perform all that I will say” (Exodus 23:22) – it is not written here, “he will say,” but rather, “I will say.” If you accept it from him it will be as though you are accepting it from Me. If you do so: “I will be an enemy to your enemies” (Exodus 23:22); that is, “behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20).
רַבִּי יִצְחָק פָּתַח (ירמיה ג, יט כ): וְאָנֹכִי אָמַרְתִּי אֵיךְ אֲשִׁיתֵךְ בַּבָּנִים, אָכֵן בָּגְדָה אִשָּׁה מֵרֵעָהּ. וְאָנֹכִי אָמַרְתִּי אֵיךְ אֲשִׁיתֵךְ בַּבָּנִים, כָּל הַנִּסִּים וְהַגְּבוּרוֹת שֶׁעָשִׂיתִי לָכֶם לֹא שֶׁתִּתְּנוּ שְׂכָרִי אֶלָּא שֶׁתִּהְיוּ מְכַבְּדִים אוֹתִי כְּבָנִים וְקוֹרְאִים אוֹתִי אֲבִיכֶם, (ירמיה ג, יט): וָאֹמַר אָבִי תִּקְרְאִי לִי, וּמַה נִּסִּים עָשִׂיתִי לִבְרִיָה בָּעוֹלָם יוֹתֵר מִכֶּם, שֶׁעָשִׂיתִי לָכֶם שֶׁהֱיִיתֶם מְהַלְּכִים אַחֲרַי וַאֲנִי מְהַלֵּךְ לִפְנֵיכֶם וּמֵאִיר לָכֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות יג, כא): וַה' הֹלֵךְ לִפְנֵיהֶם יוֹמָם. וָאֹמַר אָבִי תִּקְרְאִי לִי, וְאַתֶּם מָה עֲשִׂיתֶם, אָכֵן בָּגְדָה אִשָּׁה מֵרֵעָהּ, מֵאִישָׁהּ אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן אֶלָּא מֵרֵעָהּ, לָמָּה, אֶלָּא אָדָם שֶׁהוּא נוֹטֵל אִשָּׁה וְעוֹשֶׂה עִמָּהּ יָמִים הַרְבֵּה אֲפִלּוּ הֶעֱנִי אִשְׁתּוֹ אֵינָהּ כּוֹפֶרֶת בּוֹ אֶלָּא אוֹמֶרֶת בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהָיָה עָשִׁיר הֶאֱכִילַנִי וְהִלְבִּישַׁנִי, וְעַכְשָׁיו שֶׁהֶעֱנִי אֵינִי כּוֹפֶרֶת בּוֹ, וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁהִיא זוֹנָה אִם נָתַן לָהּ הֲרֵי הִיא מוֹדָה לוֹ, וְאִם לֹא נָתַן לָהּ אֵינָה מַכֶּרֶת אוֹתוֹ, לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: אָכֵן בָּגְדָה אִשָּׁה מֵרֵעָהּ. דָּבָר אַחֵר, הַזּוֹנָה בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיֵּשׁ לָהּ אוֹהֵב וְהוּא מְכַבְּדָהּ בְּחֵפֶץ, הִיא מַרְאַתּוֹ לְחַבְרוֹתֶיהָ וְאוֹמֶרֶת רְאוּ כַּמָּה כִּבְּדַנִּי אוֹהֲבִי, וְאַתֶּם בֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל לֹא עֲשִׂיתֶם כֵּן, אֶלָּא עָשִׂיתִי לָכֶם נִסִּים וּגְבוּרוֹת שֶׁהָיוּ עַנְנֵי כָּבוֹד מַקִּיפִין אֶתְכֶם וְהַמָּן יוֹרֵד וְהַבְּאֵר עוֹלָה וְהַשְֹּׂלָיו מָצוּי, וְלֹא קִלַּסְתֶּם אוֹתִי וְלֹא הֱיִיתֶם כַּזּוֹנָה לְקַלֵּס אֶתְנָן [על פי (יחזקאל טז, לא)]: שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה ב, ו): וְלֹא אָמְרוּ אַיֵּה ה' הַמַּעֲלֶה אֹתָנוּ מֵאֶרֶץ מִצְרָיִם, אַף אֲנִי (שמות לג, ג): כִּי לֹא אֶעֱלֶה בְּקִרְבְּךָ, אֶלָּא מָה אֶעֱשֶׂה הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ.
Rabbi Yitzḥak began: “And I said: How shall I place you among the children.… Indeed, a woman has betrayed her lover” (Jeremiah 3:19–20). “And I said: How shall I place you among the children” – all the miracles and mighty acts that I performed on your behalf were not so you would give Me My reward, but rather, so you would respect Me like children and call Me your Father. “I said: You shall call Me my Father” (Jeremiah 3:19) – what miracles did I perform for any creature more than you, as you would walk after Me and I would walk before you and illuminate for you, as it is stated: “The Lord was going before them by day [in a pillar of cloud to lead them on the way, and by night in a pillar of fire to illuminate for them]” (Exodus 13:21).
“I said: You shall call Me my Father” (Jeremiah 3:19), but you, what did you do? “Indeed, a woman has betrayed her lover” (Jeremiah 3:20) – it is not written here, “her husband,” but rather, “her lover.” Why? It is because a man who takes a wife and spends many days with her, even if he becomes poor, his wife does not reject him; rather, she says: When he was wealthy, he fed me and clothed me, and now that he has become poor, I do not reject him. But when she is a prostitute,13The prostitute is with a man only because he pays her and not because they share a marriage relationship. if he gives to her she thanks him, if he does not give to her, she does not acknowledge him. That is why it is stated: “Indeed, a woman has betrayed her lover.”
Another matter: When a prostitute has a lover and he honors her with an object, she shows it to her friends and says: See how much my lover has honored me. But you, house of Israel, did not do so. Rather, I performed miracles and mighty acts on your behalf, as the clouds of glory were surrounding you, the manna was falling, the spring of water was rising, and the quail was available, but you did not laud Me, and you were not like a prostitute who lauds the fee <see ezekiel="" 16:31="">, as it is stated: “They did not say: Where is the Lord, who takes us up from the land of Egypt” (Jeremiah 2:6). I, too, “for I will not ascend in your midst” (Exodus 33:3), but rather, “behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20).
דָּבָר אַחֵר, הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שׁוֹלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב (תהלים לד, ח): חֹנֶה מַלְאַךְ ה' סָבִיב לִירֵאָיו וַיְחַלְּצֵם, עוֹשֶׂה אָדָם מִצְוָה אַחַת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נוֹתֵן לוֹ מַלְאָךְ אֶחָד לְשָׁמְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: חֹנֶה מַלְאַךְ ה'. עוֹשֶׂה שְׁתֵּי מִצְווֹת הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נוֹתֵן לוֹ שְׁנֵי מַלְאָכִים לְשָׁמְרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים צא, יא): כִּי מַלְאָכָיו יְצַוֶּה לָךְ לִשְׁמָרְךָ בְּכָל דְּרָכֶיךָ. עָשָׂה הַרְבֵּה מִצְווֹת נוֹתֵן לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חֲצִי מַחֲנֵהוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים צא, ז): יִפֹּל מִצִּדְךָ אֶלֶף וּרְבָבָה מִימִינֶךָ, וְהוּא חֲצִי מַחֲנֵהוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים סח, יח): רֶכֶב אֱלֹהִים רִבֹּתַיִם אַלְפֵי שִׁנְאָן.
Another matter: “Behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20) – that is what is written: “The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, and rescues them” (Psalms 34:8). If a person performs one mitzva, the Holy One blessed be He provides him with one angel to protect him, as it is stated: “The angel of the Lord encamps.” If he performs two mitzvot, the Holy One blessed be He provides him with two angels to protect him, as it is stated: “For He will command His angels on your behalf to protect you in all your ways” (Psalms 91:11). If he performs many mitzvot, the Holy One blessed be He will provide him with half His camp, as it is stated: “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand” (Psalms 91:7), and that is half His camp, as it is stated: “The chariots of God are myriad [ribotayim], thousands of companies” (Psalms 68:18).14The term ribotayim literally means tens of thousands. Due to the general rule that plural terms indicate two, as nothing more than that can be conclusively proven from the plural usage, tens of thousands and thousands would mean twenty-two thousand, half of which is eleven thousand.
דָּבָר אַחֵר, הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים פב, ו): אֲנִי אָמַרְתִּי אֱלֹהִים אַתֶּם וּבְנֵי עֶלְיוֹן כֻּלְכֶם, כְּשֶׁעָמְדוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל בְּסִינַי וְקִבְּלוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמַלְאַךְ הַמָּוֶת, עַל כָּל עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים יֵשׁ לְךָ רְשׁוּת בָּהֶם וְעַל אֻמָּה זוֹ אֵין לְךָ רְשׁוּת בָּהּ, שֶׁהֵם חֶלְקִי, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאֲנִי חַי וְקַיָּם כָּךְ בָּנַי קַיָּמִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (דברים לב, ח): בְּהַנְחֵל עֶלְיוֹן גּוֹיִם, וּכְתִיב (דברים לב, ט): כִּי חֵלֶק ה' עַמּוֹ יַעֲקֹב חֶבֶל נַחֲלָתוֹ, וְלֹא רְצִיתֶם אֶלָּא חִבַּלְתֶּם מַעֲשֵׂיכֶם וַאֲמַרְתֶּם לָעֵגֶל (שמות לב, ח); אֵלֶּה אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל, וּלְכָךְ (תהלים פב, ז): אָכֵן כְּאָדָם תְּמוּתוּן, מָה עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים מִשְׁתַּמְּשִׁים בְּשָׂרִים אַף אַתֶּם כֵּן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ. וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא שֶׁהֶרְאָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְיַעֲקֹב שָׂרֵי כָּל מַלְכוּת וּמַלְכוּת, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כח, יב): וַיַּחֲלֹם וְהִנֵּה סֻלָּם מֻצָּב אַרְצָה, הֶרְאָה לוֹ כַּמָּה אֻמּוֹת וְכַמָּה אִיפָרְכִין וְכַמָּה שִׁלְטוֹנִין עוֹמְדִים מִכָּל מַלְכוּת וּמַלְכוּת, וּכְשֵׁם שֶׁהֶרְאָה לוֹ אוֹתָן עוֹמְדִים כָּךְ הֶרְאָה לוֹ אוֹתָן נוֹפְלִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כח יב): וְהִנֵּה מַלְאֲכֵי אֱלֹהִים עֹלִים וְיֹרְדִים בּוֹ. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עֲלֵה אַף אַתָּה, אָמַר לוֹ יַעֲקֹב מִתְיָרֵא אֲנִי שֶׁמָּא אֵרֵד כְּשֵׁם שֶׁיָּרְדוּ אֵלּוּ, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אַל תִּתְיָרֵא, כְּשֵׁם שֶׁאֵינִי יוֹרֵד מִגְּדֻלָּתִי כָּךְ לֹא אַתָּה וְלֹא בָנֶיךָ יוֹרְדִים מִגְּדֻלָּתָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (בראשית כח, יג): וְהִנֵּה ה' נִצָּב עָלָיו, אֵימָתַי בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁהֵם עוֹשִׂים רְצוֹנִי, וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁאֲמַרְתֶּם אֵלֶה אֱלֹהֶיךָ יִשְׂרָאֵל וַעֲזַבְתֶּם אוֹתִי וַהֲלַכְתֶּם בְּדַרְכֵי עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים, מָה עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים בְּשָׂרִים אַף אַתֶּם בְּשָׂרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שׁוֹלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ.
Another matter: “Behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20) – that is what is written: “I had said: You are divine beings, celestial beings, all of you” (Psalms 82:6). When the children of Israel stood at Sinai and received the Torah, the Holy One blessed be He said to the angel of death, ‘You have license against all the idolaters, but you have no license against this nation, as they are My portion. Just as I live and endure, so My children endure,’ as it is stated: “When the Most High bequeathed to the nations” (Deuteronomy 32:8), and it is written: “For His people is the portion of the Lord, Jacob the allotment of His inheritance” (Deuteronomy 32:9). But you did not want it, and you corrupted your actions and said to the Calf: “This is your god, Israel” (Exodus 32:8). Therefore, “indeed, as men you will die [and as one of the minsters [sarim] you will fall]” (Psalms 82:7) – just as idolaters utilize guardian angels [sarim],15They are under the auspices of angels. God does not provide for them directly but rather through angels. Similarly, they are susceptible to the angel of death. so do you, as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending an angel.”
Likewise, you find that the Holy One blessed be He showed Jacob the guardian angels of each and every kingdom, as it is stated: “He dreamed, and behold, a ladder set on the earth” (Genesis 28:12). He showed him several nations, several officials, and several governors rising from each and every kingdom. Just as he showed them to him rising, he showed them to him falling, as it is stated: “And behold, the angels of God ascending and descending upon it” (Genesis 28:12). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘You, too, ascend.’ Jacob said to Him: ‘I fear that I, too, will descend just as they descended.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘Fear not, just as I do not descend from My greatness, so too, neither you nor your descendants will descend from their greatness,’ as it is stated: “Behold, the Lord was standing over him” (Genesis 28:13). ‘When? It is when they perform My will. But when they said: “This is your god, Israel,” and you forsook Me and followed the ways of the idolaters, just as idolaters utilize guardian angels, so you will [utilize] guardian angels,’ as it is stated: “behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20).
אָמַר לוֹ משֶׁה, מַלְאָךְ אַתָּה מְשַׁלֵּחַ עִמִּי, כָּךְ הָיוּ הַתְּנָאִים, לֹא אָמַרְתָּ (שמות ג, ח): וָאֵרֵד לְהַצִּילוֹ מִיַּד מִצְרַיִם וּלְהַעֲלֹתוֹ מִן הָאָרֶץ הַהִוא, וְעַתָּה אַתָּה אוֹמֵר: הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ לְפָנֶיךָ, (שמות לג, טו): אִם אֵין פָּנֶיךָ הֹלְכִים אַל תַּעֲלֵנוּ מִזֶּה. אָמַר לוֹ (שמות לג, ג): כִּי לֹא אֶעֱלֶה בְּקִרְבְּךָ, אָמַר משֶׁה הֲרֵי אָמַרְתָּ מַלְאָךְ, וַאֲנִי אוֹמֵר: אִם אֵין פָּנֶיךָ הֹלְכִים, נִרְאֶה דִּבְרֵי מִי עוֹמְדִים, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (שמות לג, יב): וַיֹּאמֶר משֶׁה אֶל ה' רְאֵה אַתָּה אֹמֵר אֵלַי, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, חַיֶּיךָ (שמות לג, יד): פָּנַי יֵלֵכוּ וַהֲנִחֹתִי לָךְ, וְרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ צוֹוַחַת (קהלת ח, ד ה): בַּאֲשֶׁר דְּבַר מֶלֶךְ שִׁלְטוֹן וגו', שׁוֹמֵר מִצְוָה לֹא יֵדַע דָּבָר רָע.
Moses said to Him: ‘Are You sending an angel with me? Were those the terms? Did You not say: “I have descended to rescue it from the hand of Egypt and to bring it up from that land [to a good and expansive land]” (Exodus 3:8), and now You say: “Behold, I am sending an angel before you” (Exodus 23:30)? “If Your presence does not go, do not take us up from here”’ (Exodus 33:15). [God] said to him: “For I will not ascend in your midst” (Exodus 33:3). Moses said: ‘You said angel, and I say: “If Your presence does not go,” let us see whose words will stand’; that is what is written: “Moses said to the Lord: See, You say to me: [Take this people up, but You did not inform me whom You will send with me]” (Exodus 33:12). The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘As you live, “My Presence will go, and I will give you rest”’ (Exodus 33:14). The Divine Spirit cries out: “Since the king's rule is in his word, [who will say to him: What are you doing?] One who observes a mitzva will know no evil matter” (Ecclesiastes 8:4–5).16The midrash applies the verse in Ecclesiastes to mean that someone of Moses’s stature had the ability to annul the divine decree.
הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָךְ, אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה, מִי שֶׁשָּׁמַר אֶת הָאָבוֹת הוּא יִשְׁמֹר אֶת הַבָּנִים, וְכֵן אַתָּה מוֹצֵא בְּאַבְרָהָם כְּשֶׁבֵּרַךְ אֶת יִצְחָק בְּנוֹ, אָמַר לוֹ (בראשית כד, ז): ה' אֱלֹהֵי הַשָּׁמַיִם וגו' הוּא יִשְׁלַח מַלְאָכוֹ לְפָנֶיךָ, וְיַעֲקֹב אָבִינוּ מָה אָמַר לְבָנָיו (בראשית מח, טז): הַמַּלְאָךְ הַגֹּאֵל אֹתִי וגו' אָמַר לָהֶם הוּא גְאָלַנִי מִיַּד עֵשָׂו, הוּא הִצִּילַנִי מִיַּד לָבָן, הוּא זָנַנִי וּפִרְנְסַנִי בִּשְׁנֵי רְעָבוֹן. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמשֶׁה אַף עַכְשָׁו מִי שֶׁשָּׁמַר אֶת הָאָבוֹת יִשְׁמֹר אֶת הַבָּנִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: הִנֵּה אָנֹכִי. בְּכָל מָקוֹם שֶׁהַמַּלְאָךְ נִרְאֶה הַשְּׁכִינָה נִרְאֵית, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ג, ב): וַיֵּרָא מַלְאַךְ ה' אֵלָיו בְּלַבַּת אֵשׁ, וּמִיָּד (שמות ג, ד): וַיִּקְרָא אֵלָיו אֱלֹהִים, וְלֹא עוֹד אֶלָּא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁצּוֹעֲקִים יִשְׂרָאֵל לְפָנָיו תָּבוֹא לָהֶם תְּשׁוּעָה, כָּךְ בַּסְּנֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (שמות ג, ט): הִנֵּה צַעֲקַת בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל בָּאָה אֵלַי, וְכֵן בְּגִדְעוֹן (שופטים ו, יא יב): וַיָּבֹא מַלְאָךְ וגו' וַיֵּרָא אֵלָיו מַלְאַךְ ה' וגו' (שופטים ו, יד): וַיֹּאמֶר לֵךְ בְּכֹחֲךָ זֶה וְהוֹשַׁעְתָּ אֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְכֵן לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיִּגָּלֶה הַגְּאֻלָּה בָּא עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלאכי ג, א): הִנְנִי שֹׁלֵחַ מַלְאָכִי וּפִנָּה דֶרֶךְ לְפָנָי.
“Behold, I am sending an angel” (Exodus 23:20) – the Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: The one who protected the patriarchs will protect the descendants. Likewise, you find with Abraham, when he blessed his son Isaac, he said to him: “The Lord, God of the heavens…He will send His angel before you” (Genesis 24:7). Jacob our patriarch, what did he say to his children? “The angel who redeems me [from all evil]” (Genesis 48:16). He said to them: ‘He redeemed me from Esau, he redeemed me from Laban, he fed me and supported me during the years of famine.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to Moses: ‘Now, too, the one who protected the patriarchs will protect the descendants, as it is stated: “Behold, I am [sending an angel].”’
Every place that an angel is seen, the Divine Presence is seen, as it is stated: “An angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire” (Exodus 3:2), and immediately, “God called to him” (Exodus 3:4). Moreover, when Israel cries out before Him, salvation will come to them. So it was at the bush, as it is stated: “Now, behold, the outcry of the children of Israel has come to Me” (Exodus 3:9). Likewise with Gideon, “An angel [of the Lord] came.… The angel of the Lord appeared to him…” (Judges 6:11–12).17Following this, in verse 13, Gideon complains to the angel about Israel’s oppression at the hands of Midian. The midrash will now cite the angel’s response to Gideon. “He said: Go with this strength of yours and save Israel” (Judges 6:14). Likewise, in the future, when he will reveal himself, redemption will come to Israel, as it is stated: “Behold, I am sending My messenger, and he will clear a way before Me” (Malachi 3:1).