Midrash מִדְרָשׁ
After a criminal has been executed, the Torah says the body has to be buried that day:
לֹא־תָלִ֨ין נִבְלָת֜וֹ עַל־הָעֵ֗ץ כִּֽי־קָב֤וֹר תִּקְבְּרֶ֙נּוּ֙ בַּיּ֣וֹם הַה֔וּא
כִּֽי־קִלְלַ֥ת אֱלֹהִ֖ים תָּל֑וּי
Do not let the body hang too long on the post. Rather, bury it that same day.
Because it’s a curse to God to let it hang there.
How would that be a curse to God?
זִלְזוּלוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ הוּא, שֶׁאָדָם עָשׂוּי בִּדְמוּת דְּיוֹקָנוֹ, וְיִשְׂרָאֵל הֵם בָּנָיו; מָשָׁל לִשְׁנֵי אַחִים תְּאוֹמִים שֶׁהָיוּ דּוֹמִים זֶה לָזֶה, אֶחָד נַעֲשָׂה מֶלֶךְ וְאֶחָד נִתְפַּס לְלִסְטִיּוּת וְנִתְלָה, כָּל הָרוֹאֶה אוֹתוֹ אוֹמֵר הַמֶּלֶךְ תָּלוּי.
It’s an insult to the king, because people are made in the image of the One they are like, and Israel are God’s children. It is like two twin brothers who looked alike. One of them was king over all the world; the other one became a criminal, and they hanged him.
But everyone who went past, said, “The king is being hanged!”
- The midrash Rashi quotes is based on the idea that all human beings are created בְּצֶלֶם אֱלֹקִים (be-tzelem Elokim, in the image of God). Based on this idea, why would not showing respect to another person (even if that person is a criminal!) be an insult to God? What does this teach us about how we should treat other people?
- What does it mean to be an image of God? Why were human beings created to be like God? What can this teach us?
- How many relationships to God does Rashi describe? What is the difference between being God’s subjects, God’s children, and God’s twins? What can each of these relationships teach us about our connection to God?
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