Sifra Bechukotai Chapter 3

¹1) (Vayikra 26:10) ("And you will eat the old grown old; and you will remove the old in the face of the new.") What is the intent of this? We are hereby taught that whatever is older is better than its neighbor. "grown old": This tells me only of wine, which is wont to become old. Whence do I derive (the same) for all things that grow old? From "the old grown old." "and you will remove the old in the face of the new": The granaries will be full of the new, and the store-houses will be full of the old. And you will ponder "How can we remove the old to make room for the new?" ²2) (Vayikra 26:11) "And I will place My tabernacle in your midst": the Temple. "and My soul will not abhor you": When I redeem you (in the end of days), I will not (again) despise you (to remove My Shechinah from you). ³3) (Vayikra 26:12) ("And I will walk in your midst, and I will be, unto you, a G d, and you will be unto Me, a people.") To what may this be compared? A king went out to walk with his tenant-farmer in his orchard. The tenant-farmer (sees him) and hides from him. The king says to him: "Why do you hide from me? I am like you" (i.e., I planned the orchard and you are tending it.) (And the Holy One Blessed be He speaks (in this wise) to the righteous ones.) Thus is the Holy One Blessed be He destined to walk with the righteous in the Garden of Eden in time to come. They will see Him and recoil before Him, (and He will say to them) "I am like you." ⁴4) I might think (this implies that) My awe will not be upon you; it is, therefore, written "and I will be unto you, a G d, and you will be unto Me, a people." If you do not trust Me in all of these things (remember that) (Vayikra 26:13) "I am the L–rd your G d, who took you out of the land of Egypt, etc." I am the one who wrought miracles for you in Egypt and I am the one who is destined to perform all of these miracles for you. ⁵5) "so that you not be slaves to them": What is the intent of this? Because it is written (Devarim 7:8) "And he rescued you from the house of bondage," I might think that they were slaves to slaves; it is, therefore, written "slaves to them" — They were slaves to kings, and they were not slaves to slaves. ⁶6) "and I will break the bars of your yoke": To what may this be compared? One has a cow that he plows with and he lends it to another to plow with. That man has ten sons. This one comes and plows with it and leaves, and that one comes and plows with it and leaves — until the cow is exhausted and buckles under. All the cows (i.e., all the nations) enter and that cow (Israel) does not enter. It does not wait to be freed (of its yoke) by that man; but He comes immediately and breaks the yoke and cuts the yoke thongs. So, Israel in this world. One power comes and subjugates her and leaves, and another power comes and subjugates her and leaves. And the furrow is long, as it is written (Tehillim 128:3) "Plowmen have plowed on my back; they have lengthened their furrow." Tomorrow, when the end arrives, the Holy One Blessed be He will not tell the nations: "This and this is what you have done to My children." But immediately He will come and break the yoke and cut the yoke thongs, as it is written "And I will break the bars of your yoke." And thus is it written (Tehillim, Ibid. 4) "He has cut the cords of the wicked." ⁷7) "and I will make you walk upright": R. Shimon says: Two hundred ells. R. Yehudah says: One hundred ells as (the height of) Adam. This tells me only of men. Whence do I derive (the same for) women? From (Tehillim 144:12) "our daughters as corner-stones, fashioned as the form of the sanctuary." And how (high) were the walls of the sanctuary? One hundred ells. Variantly: "And I will make you walk upright": With a straight stature, afraid of no one.