Greater Teaching (Pesikta rabbati)

Piska 14

Our Masters told this story: In Israel there was a certain man who owned a plowing heifer, but his wealth slipped out of his hand, and he had to sell her to a heathen. As soon as the heathen took possession of her, he plowed with her during the six days of the week. On the Sabbath he brought her out again to plow for him, but she lay down under the yoke. Though he kept beating the heifer, she would not budge from her place. Seeing this, he went to the Jew who had sold him the heifer, and said: “Come, take your heifer. Something’s ailing her, for though I beat her again and again, she will not budge from her place.”

The Jew understood that what the heathen was talking about had something to do with the Sabbath, the heifer having become accustomed to rest on the Sabbath. So he said to the heathen: “Come along, and I will get her up.” When he came to the heifer, he spoke to her, [spoke right] into her ear: “Heifer, heifer, thou knowest that when thou wast in my hands, thou didst plow six days in the week but wast allowed to rest on the Sabbath. But my sins having brought it about that thou art in the hands of a heathen, I beg thee to stand up and plow.”

At once she stood up and plowed.

The heathen then said to him: “I beseech you, take back your heifer! Will I have to come as I just have, and wait upon you, that you should appear and make her stand up? No matter what, I won’t let you go until you tell me one thing: What was it you did put into her ear that made her stand up and plow?¹ Because I wore myself out and even struck her, but still could not get her to stand up.”

The Jew then proceeded to calm him down and said to him: “I used neither sorcery nor witchcraft. But I put it to her, thus and thus, into her ear, and she stood up and plowed.”

Thereupon the heathen was awe-struck. He said: If a heifer which has no speech and no understanding could acknowledge her Creator, shall not I, whose Maker made me in His own image and put understanding into me—shall not I go and acknowledge my Creator?

At once he went and became a convert and studied and acquired Torah. They used to call him Johanan ben Torta [“son of a heifer”]. And to this day our Masters quote law in his name.

And if you are astonished that by means of a heifer a man should be brought near the wings of the Presence, reflect that by means of a heifer the purification of all Israel is achieved. This conclusion follows from the Scripture lesson for the day: This is the statute of the Torah . . . that they bring thee a Red Heifer (Numbers 19:2).

Piska 30

Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your God. (Isaiah 40:1)

These words are to be considered in the light of what Jeremiah was inspired by the holy spirit to say, What shall I take to testify to thy plight? What shall I liken to thee, O daughter of Jerusalem? (Lamentations 2:13). What did Jeremiah have in mind when he spoke this verse? He spoke it with a view to comforting Jerusalem [by likening her suffering to the suffering of other cities that had been plundered]. Like all the Prophets, he sought a likeness for Jerusalem but could not find an appropriate one. In this regard consider the parable of a man whose wife dies and whose friends come in to comfort him. If he refuses to be comforted for his wife as they seek to comfort him, they say to him: “Was your wife more beautiful than So-and-so’s wife who also died, yet for whom he let himself be comforted?” If he is grieving for his son, they say to him: “Was your son any more comely than the son of So-and-so?” [ . . . ]

When the children of Israel were banished from their Land, the Holy One, blessed be He, asked: Whom would you have lead you out? Your Patriarchs? Then I shall raise up any one of them from his grave, and he will lead you. Whether it be Abraham, Isaac, or Jacob, whether Moses or Aaron, I shall raise him from his grave, and he will lead you. Or if you would have David or Solomon, I shall raise either of them from his grave, and he will lead you. The congregation of Israel replied: Master of the universe, we do not wish any one of these—only Thee, as is said Thou art our Father; for Abraham knoweth us not, and Israel doth not acknowledge us; Thou, O Lord, art our Father, our Redeemer from everlasting is Thy name (Isaiah 63:16). The Holy One, blessed be He, answered: Since ye plead thus, I will go up with you to Babylon, as is said For your sake I had Myself go to Babylon (Isaiah 43:14); and also, I will set My throne in Elam (Jeremiah 49:38).

In this connection consider the parable of a king wed to a wife who was with him for many years, but by whom he had no children. He said to her: “My dear, go and get married to another man—perhaps you will have children by him. And when you go forth, take every precious thing that I have in my house.” She said: “If it must be so, I will make a banquet for you, and we will eat and drink, and then I shall take gracious leave of you, so that people will not say: Look you, the king’s wife—he hates her, and he has put her out of his house.” The king said to her: “Very well.” Thereupon she made a banquet, and the king ate and drank until he was drunk. At midnight she summoned her servants, and they rose up and brought him out on his couch to her father’s house. When the king awoke from his sleep, he asked: “What place is this I am lying in?” She replied: “In my father’s house.” He asked: “And for what reason am I in your father’s house?” She replied: “Because of what you said to me, ‘Every precious thing I have, take and go forth.’ Except for you, [my lord], I have nothing which is a delight to my eyes and a joy to my life.” Likewise the congregation of Israel, when the Holy One, blessed be He, said to them: “Whom do you wish that I raise up out of his grave, to lead you to Babylon?” they replied: We want none except Thee, as is said For Thou art our Father. Thereupon the Holy One, blessed be He, said: I will be thy companion, and I shall go up with you, as is said For your sake I had Myself go to Babylon (Isaiah 43:14). [ . . . ]