Bereishit Rabba 37 Core texts Use with https://www.sefaria.org/sheets/325872

(1) "The descendants of Japheth: Gomer, Magog, Madai, Javan (Genesis 10:2)": Rabbi Samuel son of Ammi said: "This is Africa, Germania, Media, Macedonia Isania". "And Tiras": Rabbi Simon said: "This is Persia". The Rabbis said: "Thrace". "The descendants of Gomer: Ashkenaz, Riphath, and Togarmah (Genesis 10:3)": Asia, Adiabene, and Germania. Rabbi Berechya said: "Germanica". "The descendants of Javan: Elishah and Tarshish (Genesis 10:4)": Hellas, Italia, Dardania. One verse says: "the Dodanim" and a different verse says "the Rodanim (1 Chronicles 1:7)". Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Chanin: Rabbi Simon said: "Dodanim" because they are the children of the uncles [dodin] of Israel, Rodanim because they went and attack [rodin] them".

Rabbi Chanina said: "When Israel was placed in a high position they came and said to them, we are the children of your uncle [dod-khen], and when they are placed in a low position they come and attack [rodin] them".

2. And the sons of Ham: Cush, and Mizraim, and Put, and Canaan (x, 6). Resh Lakish said: We might have thought that the family of Put was absorbed, 8 had not Ezekiel came and explicitly enumerated him: Ethiopia, and Put, and Lud, and all the mingled people . . . shall fall (Ezek. xxx, 5).

And Cush begot Nimrod (x, 8). This explains the text, Shiggaion of David, which he sang unto the Lord, concerning Cush a Benjamite — ish yemini (Ps. vn, i). R. Joshua b. R. Nehemiah said in the name of R. Hanina b. Isaac: He [David] composed this with reference to the seat of judgment of that wicked man.

Was then Esau a Cushite? [He is so called] because he acted like Nimrod. Hence it is written, Like Nimrod a mighty hunter before the Lord (x, 9): it is not written, Nimrod [was a mighty hunter], but Like Nimrod

just as the one snared people by their words, so did the other [Esau, i.e. Rome] snare people by their words, saying, * [True,] you have not stolen, [but tell us] who was your partner in the theft ; you have not killed, but who was your accomplice in the murder/

3. He (hu) was a mighty hunter, etc. Five times 'hu* is found denoting a wicked character, and five times denoting a good one. It is employed five times to denote a wicked character: He (hu) was a mighty hunter; This (hu) is Esau the father of the Edomites (Gen. xxxvi, 43); These are (hu) that Dathan and Abiram (Num. xxvi, 9); This same (hu) king Ahaz (11 Chron. xxviii, 22); This is (hu) Ahasuerus (Est. 1, 1). Five times 'hu' denotes a good character: Ahram — the same is (hu) Abraham (1 Chron. 1, 27); These are (hu) thai Moses and Aaron (Ex. vi, 27); These are (hu) that Aaron and Moses (ib. 26); This same (hu) Hezekiah (11 Chron. xxxn, 30); This (hu) Ezra went up (Ezra vh, 6).

R. Berekiah said in the name of the Rabbis of the other country [i.e. Babylonia] : We have another that is better than all : He is (hu) the Lord

our God (Ps. cv, 7), teaching that His mercy endures for ever. 1

4. And the beginning of his kingdom was Babel, and Erech, and Accad, and Calneh (x, 10): i.e. Edessa, 2 Nisibis, and Ctesiphon. 3 In the land of Shinar: this is Babylonia. Shinar connotes that it is emptied (shemenu' ereth) of precepts, lacking the precepts of terumah, tithes, and the Sabbatical year. 4 Shinar connotes that its inhabitants die in anguish, 5 without a light and without a bath. 6 Shinar connotes that its princes (sarim) die young (ne'arim). Shinar finally connotes that its princes study the Torah in their youth. 7

Out of that land went forth Asshur (x, 11 f.): from that scheme 8 Asshur dissociated himself. 9 When he saw them come to wage war against the Holy One, blessed be He, he quitted his country. Said God to Him : ' Thou hast departed from four places 10 ; by thy life ! I will give thee four'; hence, And builded Nineveh, AND REHOBOTH-IR, AND CALAH, AND RESEN, [the last-named being] Talsar.

11 Yet he [Asshur] did not remain constant [in his righteousness], and when he came and joined them in destroying the Temple God said to him:

* Yesterday a chicken and to-day an eggl 1 Yesterday thou didst soar aloft with religious actions and noble deeds, whilst now thou art shut up like [a chicken in] an egg' 2 ; therefore, They have been an arm to the children of Lot (Ps. lxxxiii, 9), which means, for a curse (le-lezoat). 3 The same is the great CITY. We do not know whether Resen is the great city or Nineveh; since, however, it is written, Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city (Jonah ill, 3), it follows that Nineveh is the great city.

5. And Mizraim [i.e. Egypt] begot, etc. (x, 13 f.). R. Abba b. Kahana said: The entire coinage of Egypt is thoroughly debased: thus Pathruthim implies degradation, Casluhim implies shame. 4

4 The passage is extremely obscure, the translation being only a con- jecture. He seems to mean that the name of Mizraim's children are all adjectival, descriptive of disgraceful types which originated in Egypt, but the meaning of the actual words in the text is very doubtful. Other MSS. have quite a different reading.

R. Abba b. Kahana said: The Pathruthim and Casluhim set up bazaars where they stole [interchanged] each other's wives. What came forth from them? The Philistines and Caph- t o r 1 m (x, 14) : the Philistines were mighty men, while the Caphtorim were dwarfs. 5

6. And Canaan begot Zidon his firstborn, etc. (x, 15-18).

The H 1 v 1 t e : the inhabitants of Hildin 6 ; The Arkite: i.e. Arkas of the Lebanon. 7 The Sinite: Orthosia. 8 The Arvadite: Aradus. 9 The Zemarite: Hamats 10 ; and why is it called Zemarite? Because wool (zemer) is manufactured there. The Hamathite: Epiphania. 1 And the border of the Canaanite was . . . unto Las ha (x, 19): i.e. as far as Callirrhoe. 2

7. And unto Shem, the father of all the children of Eber, the elder brother of Japheth, to him also were children born (x, 21). We do not know from this verse whether Shem or Japheth was the elder. 3 But since it is written, Now these are the generations of Shem. Shem was a hundred years old, and begot Arpachshad two years after the flood (Gen. xi, 10), it follows that Japheth was the elder. 4

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4 For Noah begot his first child at the age of 500, while the Flood occurred in his 600th year. Now his children are enumerated thus: Shem, Ham, and Japheth ; consequently, if these were in the order of birth, Shem would have been 102 years old two years after the Flood, not 100. Hence we must assume that they are enumerated in order of wisdom, not of age, Shem being the youngest, Ham a year older, and Japheth the eldest (Sanh. 696).

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And unto Eber were born two sons; the nameof the one was Peleg [i.e. division], for in his days was the earth divided (x, 25).

R. Jose said: The ancients, since they knew their genealogy, 5 named themselves in reference to the events [of their days]. But we who do not know our genealogy name our- selves by our fathers.

R. Simeon b. Gamaliel said: The ancients, because they could avail themselves of the Holy Spirit, named themselves in reference to [forthcoming] events 6 ; but we who cannot avail ourselves of the Holy Spirit are named after our fathers. R. Jose b. R. Halafta said : Eber must have been a great prophet, seeing that he named his child in reference to a [future] incident, as it is

written, And unto Eber were born two sons, etc. And why was the other called 'Joktan'? Because he minimised (maktin) [the importance of] his affairs. 1 What did he thereby earn? He was privileged to found thirteen families. Now if a younger is thus rewarded because he minimises his affairs, how much more so when a great man minimises his importance! Similarly, And Israel stretched out his right hand, and laid it upon Ephraim's head, who was the elder (ib. xlviii, 14). Said R. Huna: Do we not know from the birth records that he was the younger. But younger (za'ir) means that he minimised (maz'ir) his importance. What did he thereby earn? He attained the birthright. Now if the younger is thus rewarded because he minimises his importance, how much the more so when an older minimises his importance!

8. And Joktan begot . . . and Hazarmareth (x, 26). R. Huna said: It refers to a place called Hazar Maweth, 2 where people eat leeks, wear garments of papyrus, and hope daily for death. 3 Samuel said : They did not even have garments of papyrus.

And their dwelling was from Mesha (x, 30). R. Eleazar b. Pappos said: Mesene 4 is dead; Media is sick, and Elam is dying. 5 Habil Yamma 6 is the glory of Babylon. 7 Zuzira 8 is the glory of Habil Yamma. R. Judah

said: Between the rivers 1 is as the Exile [sc. Babylon] in respect of genealogy. 2 As thou goest toward Sephar; i.e. Taphar 3 ; Unto the mountain of the East: I.e. the moun- tains of the East. 4