יִתְבָּרַךְ שְׁמוֹ שֶׁל מֶלֶךְ מַלְכֵי הַמְּלָכִים הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, שֶׁבָּרָא אֶת עוֹלָמוֹ בְּחָכְמָה וּבִתְבוּנָה, וְלִגְדֻלָּתוֹ אֵין חֵקֶר, וּלְנִפְלְאוֹתָיו אֵין מִסְפָּר, דִּכְתִיב: כּוֹנֵס כַּנֵּד מֵי הַיָּם וְגוֹ' (תהלים לג, ז). וּמַהוּ כּוֹנֵס כַּנֵּד מֵי הַיָּם. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הָעוֹלָם, אָמַר לֵיהּ לְשַׂר שֶׁל יָם, פְּתַח פִּיךָ וּבְלַע כָּל מֵימֵי בְּרֵאשִׁית. אָמַר לְפָנָיו, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, דַּי שֶׁאֶעֱמֹד בְּתוֹךְ שֶׁלִּי, וְהִתְחִיל לִבְכּוֹת. בָּעַט בּוֹ וַהֲרָגוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בְּכֹחוֹ רָגַע הַיָּם, וּבִתְבוּנָתוֹ מָחַץ רָהַב (איוב כו, יב). אַתְּ מוֹצֵא שֶׁשַּׂר שֶׁל יָם, רַהַב שְׁמוֹ. מֶה עָשָׂה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. כְּבָשָׁן וּדְרָכָן, וְכָךְ קִבְּלָן הַיָּם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְדוֹרֵךְ עַל בָּמֳתֵי אָרֶץ, ה' אֱלֹהֵי צְבָאוֹת שְׁמוֹ (עמוס ד, יג). שָׂם לַיָּם חוֹל, בְּרִיחַ וּדְלָתַיִם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיָּסֶךְ בִּדְלָתַיִם יָם וְגוֹ', וָאָשִׂים בְּרִיחַ וּדְלָתַיִם (איוב לח, ח-י). וּכְתִיב: הַאוֹתִי לֹא תִירָאוּ נְאֻם ה', אִם מִפָּנַי לֹא תָחִילוּ אֲשֶׁר שַׂמְתִּי חוֹל גְּבוּל לַיָּם (ירמיה ה, כב). וְאָמַר, וָאֹמַר עַד פֹּה תָבוֹא וְלֹא תֹסִיף, וּפֹה יָשִׁית בִּגְאוֹן גַּלֶּיךָ (איוב לח, יא). אָמַר לֵיהּ הַיָּם, רִבּוֹנוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם, אִם כֵּן יִתְעָרְבוּ מֵימַי הַמְּתוּקִים בַּמְּלוּחִים. אָמַר לוֹ: לָאו, כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד יְהֵא לוֹ אוֹצָר בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: נוֹתֵן בְּאוֹצְרוֹת תְּהוֹמוֹת (תהלים לג, ז). וְאִם תֹּאמַר, שֶׁזֶּה תֵּמַהּ גְּדוֹלָה שֶׁאֵין מִתְעָרְבִין כָּל מֵימֵי הַיָּם. הֲרֵי פַּרְצוּף שֶׁבָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בִּבְנֵי אָדָם מְלֹא הַסִּיט, יֵשׁ בּוֹ כַּמָּה מַעְיָנוֹת וְאֵינָן מִתְעָרְבִין זֶה בָּזֶה. מֵי עֵינַיִם, מְלוּחִים. מֵי אָזְנַיִם, שְׁמֵנִים. מֵי חֹטֶם, סְרוּחִים. מֵי הַפֶּה, מְתוּקִים. וּמִפְּנֵי מָה מֵי עֵינַיִם מְלוּחִים. שֶׁבִּזְמַן שֶׁאָדָם בּוֹכֶה עַל הַמֵּת בְּכָל שָׁעָה, מִסְתַּמֵּא. אֶלָּא עַל שֶׁהֵן מְלוּחִים, פּוֹסֵק וְאֵינוֹ בּוֹכֶה. מִפְּנֵי מָה מֵי אָזְנַיִם שְׁמֵנִים. שֶׁבְּשָׁעָה שֶׁאָדָם שׁוֹמֵעַ בְּאָזְנָיו שְׁמוּעָה קָשָׁה, אִלְמָלֵא תּוֹפְשָׂהּ בְּאָזְנָיו, הִיא מִתְקַשְּׁרָה בְּלִבּוֹ וָמֵת. וּמִתּוֹךְ שֶׁהֵן שְׁמֵנִים, מַכְנִיס בָּזֶה וּמוֹצִיא בָּזֶה. מִפְּנֵי מָה מֵי הַחֹטֶם סְרוּחִין. שֶׁבִּזְמַן שֶׁאָדָם מֵרִיחַ רֵיחַ רַע, אִלְמָלֵא מֵי הַחֹטֶם סְרוּחִין שֶׁמַּעֲמִידִין אוֹתוֹ, מִיַּד מֵת. וּמִפְּנֵי מַה מֵי הַפֶּה מְתוּקִין. פְּעָמִים שֶׁאָדָם אוֹכֵל אֲכִילָה וְאֵינָהּ מִתְקַבֶּלֶת בְּלִבּוֹ וּמְקִיאָהּ, אִם אֵין מֵי הַפֶּה מְתוּקִין, אֵין נַפְשׁוֹ חוֹזֶרֶת. וְעוֹד לְפִי שֶׁקּוֹרֵא בַּתּוֹרָה, וּכְתִיב בְּהוּ, וּמְתוּקִים מִדְּבַשׁ וְנֹפֶת צוּפִים (תהלים יט, יא). לְפִיכָךְ מֵי הַפֶּה מְתוּקִים. וַהֲרֵי דְּבָרִים קַל וָחֹמֶר. וּמַה מְּלֹא הַסִּיט, יֵשׁ בּוֹ כַּמָּה מַעְיָנוֹת. הַיָּם הַגָּדוֹל עַל אַחַת כַּמָּה וְכַמָּה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר בּוֹ: זֶה הַיָּם גָּדוֹל וּרְחַב יָדַיִם שָׁם רֶמֶשׂ וְאֵין מִסְפָּר (שם קד, כה). מַהוּ, לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁבְּכָל דָּבָר, הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ, וְלֹא בָּרָא דָּבָר אֶחָד לְבַטָּלָה. וּפְעָמִים שֶׁהוּא עוֹשֶׂה שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ עַל יְדֵי צְפַרְדֵּעַ, וּפְעָמִים עַל יְדֵי יַתּוּשׁ, וּפְעָמִים עַל יְדֵי צִרְעָה, וּפְעָמִים עַל יְדֵי עַקְרָב. אָמַר רַבִּי חָנָן דְּצִפּוֹרִי, מַעֲשֶׂה בָּעַקְרָב אֶחָד שֶׁהָלַךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא בְּעֵבֶר הַיַּרְדֵּן, וְזִמֵּן לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שָׁם צְפַרְדֵּעַ אַחַת וְעָבַר עָלֶיהָ, וְהָלַךְ אוֹתוֹ עַקְרָב וְעָקַץ אֶת הָאָדָם וָמֵת. וּמַעֲשֶׂה בְּקוֹצֵר אֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה מְעַמֵּר וְקוֹצֵר בְּבִקְעַת בֵּית כּוּזֵבָא. כֵּיוָן שֶׁבָּא הַשָּׁרָב, נָטַל עֵשֶׂב וּקְשָׁרוֹ בְּרֹאשׁוֹ. אָתָא עָלֶיהָ חַד חִיוְיָא גִּבּוֹר, קָם וְקָטְלֵיהּ. עָבַר עָלֶיהָ חַד חָבֵר, חָמָא חִיוְיָא קְטִיל. אָמַר לֵיהּ: מַאן קָטִיל הַדֵּין חִיוְיָא. אָמַר לֵיהּ: אֲנָא. אִסְתַּכֵּל בְּעִשְׂבָּא דִּבְרֵישֵׁיהּ. אֲמַר לָהּ, מֵרִים אַתְּ עִשְׂבָּא דִּבְרֵישֵׁךְ וְאַתְּ מַשְׁבִּיחַ. עֲבַד הָכִי. קְרַב לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְלֹא הִסְפִּיק לִיגַע בּוֹ, עַד שֶׁנָּשַׁר אֵבָרִים אֵבָרִים. רַבִּי יַנַּאי הָיָה יוֹשֵׁב וּפוֹשֵׁט בְּשַׁעַר עִירוֹ. רָאָה נָחָשׁ מַרְתִּיחַ וּבָא לָעִיר. מִן דְּמוּקְמִין לֵיהּ מִן הָכָא, אַזִּיל לְהָכָא. אָמַר, כִּמְדֻמֶּה אֲנִי שֶׁזֶּה הוֹלֵךְ לַעֲשׂוֹת שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ. כֵּיוָן שֶׁנִּכְנַס לָעִיר, נָפַל הֲבָרָה בָּעִיר, פְּלוֹנִי בֶּן פְּלוֹנִי נְשָׁכוֹ נָחָשׁ וָמֵת. רַבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הֲוֵה מְטַיֵּל בְּשׁוּנִיתָא דְּיַמָּהּ דְּקֵיסָרִי, מָצָא קוּלְיָא אַחַת מֻשְׁלֶכֶת בַּדֶּרֶךְ. הֲוָה מַצְנָע לֵיהּ מִן הָכָא, הֲדַר מַשְׁכַּח לֵיהּ מִן הָכָא. מִן דְּמַצְנָע מִן הָכָא, הֲדַר מַשְׁכַּח לֵיהּ מִן הָכָא. אָמַר כִּמְדֻמֶּה אֲנִי, שֶׁזּוֹ מְתֻקֶּנֶת לַעֲשׂוֹת שְׁלִיחוּתָהּ. בָּתַר יוֹמִין עָבַר בַּלְדְּרִים, נִכְשַׁל בָּהּ, נָפַל וָמֵת. בָּדְקוּ אַחֲרָיו, מָצְאוּ בְּיָדוֹ כְּתָבִין בִּישִׁין עַל יְהוּדָאִין. מַעֲשֶׂה בִּשְׁנֵי בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁהָיוּ מְהַלְּכִין בַּדֶּרֶךְ, אֶחָד פִּקֵּחַ וְאֶחָד סוּמָא. יָשְׁבוּ לֶאֱכֹל. פָּשְׁטוּ יְדֵיהֶם לְעֵשֶׂב הַשָּׂדֶה וְאָכְלוּ מֵהֶם. זֶה שֶׁהָיָה פִּקֵּחַ, נִסְתַּמֵּא. וְזֶה שֶׁהָיָה סוּמָא, נִתְפַּקֵּחַ. לֹא זָזוּ מִשָּׁם, עַד שֶׁזֶּה נִסְמַךְ עַל זֶה שֶׁהָיָה מְסַמְּכוֹ. מַעֲשֶׂה בְּאֶחָד שֶׁהָיָה הוֹלֵךְ מֵאֶרֶץ יִשְׂרָאֵל לְבָבֶל. כְּשֶׁהָיָה אוֹכֵל לֶחֶם, רָאָה שְׁנֵי צִפָּרִים מִתְנַצִּים זֶה עִם זֶה, הָרַג אֶחָד מֵהֶן אֶת חֲבֵרוֹ, הָלַךְ וְהֵבִיא עֵשֶׂב וְהֵנִיחוֹ עַל פִּיו וְהֶחְיָהוּ. הָלַךְ אוֹתוֹ הָאִישׁ נָטַל אוֹתוֹ עֵשֶׂב שֶׁנָּפַל מִן הַצִּפּוֹר, הָלַךְ לְהַחְיוֹת בּוֹ אֶת הַמֵּתִים כְּשֶׁהִגִּיעַ לְסֻלָּמָהּ שֶׁל צֹר, מָצָא אַרְיֵה מֵת מֻשְׁלָךְ בַּדֶּרֶךְ, וְהֵנִיחַ אוֹתוֹ הָעֵשֶׂב עַל פִּיו וְהֶחְיָהוּ. עָמַד הַאֲרִי וַאֲכָלוֹ. מַתְלָא אָמַר בֶּן סִירָא, טַב לְבִישׁ לָא תַּעֲבִיד, וּבִישָׁא לָא יִמְטֵי לָךְ. מַעֲשֶׂה בְּשִׁיחִין, אֶחָד סוּמָא שֶׁיָּרַד לִטְבֹּל בַּמַּיִם בַּמְּעָרָה, נִזְדַּמְּנָה לוֹ בְּאֵר שֶׁל מִרְיָם, וְטָבַל וְנִתְרַפֵּא. טִיטוּס הָרָשָׁע נִכְנַס בְּבֵית קָדְשֵׁי הַקָּדָשִׁים כְּשֶׁהוּא מְחָרֵף וּמְגַדֵּף. עָמַד וְגָדַר אֶת הַפָּרֹכֶת, וְנָטַל סֵפֶר תּוֹרָה וְהִצִּיעָהּ, וְהֵבִיא שְׁתֵּי זוֹנוֹת וְעָבַר עֲלֵיהֶם. שָׁלַף אֶת חַרְבּוֹ וְקָצַץ אֶת הַסֵּפֶר, וְנַעֲשָׂה נֵס, וְהִתְחִיל הַדָּם מְבַצְבֵּץ מִמֶּנּוּ. הִתְחִיל מִשְׁתַּבֵּחַ לוֹמַר, שֶׁעַצְמוֹ הָרַג. הִתְחִיל מִתְגַּבֵּר וְהוֹלֵךְ. כֵּיוָן שֶׁהִגִּיעַ לַיָּם, הָיָה הַיָּם הוֹלֵךְ וְסוֹעֵר. אָמַר, אֱלֹהֵיהֶם שֶׁל אֵלּוּ אֵין גְּבוּרָתוֹ אֶלָּא בַּיָּם. עָמַד פַּרְעֹה, בַּיָּם טִבְּעוֹ וְכֵן לְסִיסְרָא. עַכְשָׁו אִם הוּא רוֹצֶה, הֲרֵי הַיַּבָּשָׁה בֵּינִי לְבֵינוֹ וְנִרְאֶה מִי נוֹצֵחַ. אָמַר לֵיהּ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, רָשָׁע בֶּן רָשָׁע, בְּרִיָּה פְּחוּתָה וְקַלָּה שֶׁבִּבְרִיּוֹתַי אֲנִי מְשַׁלֵּחַ בְּךָ לְבַעֶרְךָ מִן הָעוֹלָם. נִכְנַס יַתּוּשׁ בְּחָטְמוֹ, וְעָמַד בְּחָטְמוֹ שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהָיָה עוֹבֵר בְּמָקוֹם שֶׁהַנַּפָּחִים עוֹשִׂין מְלַאכְתָּן, כַּד הֲוָה שָׁמַע קַלָּא דְּמַרְזֶפְתָּא, הֲוָה נָח. כָּל דַּהֲוָה עָבַר קַמֵּיהּ נָכְרִי, הֲוָה אַגִּיר בְּאַרְבַּע זוּזֵי, וְאָמַר לֵיהּ מַחִי קָמֵי כֻלֵיהּ יוֹמָא בְּמַרְזֶפְתָּא. וּכְדֵין הֲוָה עֲבִיד כָּל יוֹמָא, וַהֲוָה יָהִיב אַרְבַּע זוּזֵי. וְכַד עָבַר עָלָיו בַּר יִשְׂרָאֵל, וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ: קַח וְהַכֵּה עַל הַמָּקוֹם וַאֲנִי אֶתֵּן אֶת שְׂכָרְךָ, וְהָיָה מַכֶּה כָּל אוֹתוֹ הַיּוֹם. כֵּיוָן שֶׁבָּא לִיפָּטֵר מִמֶּנּוּ, אוֹמֵר לוֹ הַיְּהוּדִי, תֵּן לִי שְׂכָרִי. וְהָיָה מְשִׁיבוֹ וְאוֹמֵר לוֹ: מִסְתַּיֵּיךְ דְּקָא חֲזִית בְּשַׂנְאַךְ. כָּךְ הָיָה עוֹשֶׂה בְּכָל יוֹם, שָׁלֹשׁ שָׁנִים. כֵּיוָן שֶׁמֵּת, קָרְעוּ רֹאשׁוֹ וּמָצְאוּ שֶׁנַּעֲשָׂה כְּמִין גּוֹזָל וּכְצִפּוֹר דְּרוֹר, וְהָיוּ צִפָּרְנָיו קָשִׁין כִּנְחֹשֶׁת, וּמֵת בְּמִיתָה מְשֻׁנָּה. וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמָהּ בְּרִיָּה שְׁפָלָה. שֶׁמַּכְנִיס וְאֵינוֹ מוֹצִיא. וּפְעָמִים עַל יְדֵי צִרְעָה, דִּכְתִיב: וְשָׁלַחְתִּי אֶת הַצִּרְעָה (שמות כג, כח). אָמְרוּ רַבּוֹתֵינוּ זִכְרוֹנָם לִבְרָכָה: כְּשֶׁשָּׁלַח הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת הַצִּרְעָה לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל לַהֲרֹג אֶת הָאֱמוֹרִיִּים, רְאֵה מַה כְּתִיב בָּהֶם, וַאֲנֹכִי הִשְׁמַדְתִּי אֶת וְגוֹ' (עמוס ב, ט). הָיְתָה הַצִּרְעָה נִכְנֶסֶת לְתוֹךְ עֵינוֹ שֶׁל יָמִין וְשׁוֹפֶכֶת אַרְסָהּ, וְהָיָה מִתְבַּקֵּעַ וְנוֹפֵל וָמֵת. שֶׁכֵּן דַּרְכּוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לַעֲשׂוֹת שְׁלִיחוּתוֹ עַל יְדֵי דְּבָרִים קַלִּים לְכָל הַמִּתְגָּאִים עָלָיו, וְשׁוֹלֵחַ לָהֶם בְּרִיָּה קַלָּה לְהִפָּרַע מֵהֶן, לְהוֹדִיעָם שֶׁאֵין גְּבוּרָתָם מַמָּשׁ. וְכֵן לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא, עָתִיד הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהִפָּרַע מִן אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם עַל יְדֵי דְּבָרִים קַלִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהָיָה בַּיּוֹם הַהוּא יִשְׁרֹק ה' לַזְּבוּב (ישעיה ז, יח). וּכְתִיב: וּבָאוּ וְנָחוּ כֻלָּם בְּנַחֲלֵי הַבַּתּוֹת וְגוֹ' (שם פסוק יט). (Numb. 19:2:) Blessed be the name of the supreme King of kings, the Holy One, blessed be He, who created the world in wisdom and understanding; for His wonders have no limit and His greatness is beyond reckoning.1Numb. R. 18:22. (Ps. 33:7:) “He has gathered the waters of the sea like a mound, and He has put the deeps in storehouses.” Now what is the meaning of “He gathers the waters of the sea like a mound?” When the Holy One, blessed be He, created the world, He said to the ministering angel of the sea, “Open your mouth and swallow all the waters of creation,”2BB 74b. he said [back] to Him, “Master of the world, it is enough for me to continue with what is [already] mine.” Then he began to weep. [So God] kicked him to death, as stated (in Job 26:12), “In His power He stilled the sea, and in His understanding He struck down Rahab.” You find that the ministering angel of the sea was named Rahab. What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He subdued [the waters] and trampled them down; and so it was that the sea accepted them, as stated (in Amos 4:13), “He tramples on the heights3M. Pss. 93:5. Cf. Gen. R. 23:7, according to which the sea (i.e., the Mediterranean) is higher than the whole world. of the earth; the Lord God of hosts is His name.” So for [the waters] He set sand in place as bar and gates, according to what is stated (in Job 38:8, 10), “And [who] blocked off the sea with doors…. and I set bar and gates in place.” Moreover, it says (in Jer. 5:22), “’Do you not fear Me,’ says the Lord; ‘Will you not tremble because of Me, when I have placed sand as a boundary for the sea?’” And it says (in Job 38:11), “And I said, ‘You may come this far and no farther [...].’” Then the sea said to Him, “Master of the world, in that case my sweet waters will be mingled with the salt [waters]!” He said to it, “No! Each and every one will have a storehouse for itself, as stated (in Ps. 33:7), “and he has put the deeps in storehouses.”4See Gen. R. 4:5. If you should say that this is a great wonder for their waters not to mingle, then consider the face,5PRTsWP, an adaptation of the Gk.: prosopon. which the Holy One, blessed be He, created in people. [Although only] the [size of] a full sit,6According to Rashi on Shab. 106a, a single sit was the distance between the tips of the of the middle and index fingers when held widely apart. A double sit was the distance between the tips of the thumb and index finger when held widely apart. For various definitions, see Jastrow, p. 977, s.v. SYT. it has so many springs (from 'yn); yet they do not mingle with one another. The waters of the eyes ('yn) are salty; the waters of the ears are oily; the waters of the nose are putrid; the waters of the mouth are sweet. For what reason are the waters of the eyes salty? Because when someone weeps for the dead, [doing so] all the time, he would immediately become blind; however, because [tears] are salty, he stops and does not weep. For what reason are the waters of the ears oily? Because when a person hears bad news, if he held it in his ears, it would collect in his heart, and he would die. Because they are oily, [the news] goes in one ear and out the other.7Literally, “[A person] admits [bad news] through one [ear], and discharges it through the other.” For what reason are the waters of the nose putrid? Because when a person smells a bad odor, if the waters of the nose were not putrid [enough] to stop it, he would soon die. And for what reason are the waters of the mouth sweet? It sometimes happens that someone eats food that does not agree with him, and he vomits. Now if the waters of the mouth were not sweet, he would not recover. Moreover, since he reads the Torah, of which it is written (in Ps. 19:11), “sweeter also than honey and the drippings of the comb,” the waters of the mouth are therefore sweet. Now here are the grounds for arguing a fortiori (qal wehomer), that if [something the size of] a full sit has so many springs [without them mingling with one another], how much the more so in the case of the Great Sea, of which it is stated (in Ps. 104:25), “There the sea is great and wide […].” [This is] to teach that in everything, the Holy One, blessed be He, accomplishes His mission and that He has not created one thing in vain. Sometimes the Holy One, blessed be He, has accomplished His mission by means of a frog, by means of a gnat,8See Lev. R. 22:2-3; Eccl. R. 5:8:2, 4; PRE 49; also Shab. 77b; Exod. R. 10:1. by means of a wasp, or by means of a scorpion. R. Hanan of Sepphoris said,9Cf. Gen. R. 10:7; Lev. R. 22:4; Eccl. R. 5:8:5. “There is a story about a certain scorpion that went to carry out the Holy One, blessed be He's mission (to sting a certain person) beyond the Jordan; so the Holy One, blessed be He, summoned a certain frog for him, and he crossed over upon it. Then that scorpion went and stung [the] person so that he died. [There is] also a story about a certain reaper who stood and reaped in the valley of Beth-Kuzevah. When burning heat came, he took grass and tied it on his head. [When] a certain mighty serpent came at him, he killed it. A certain [snake] charmer passed by him. He saw the slain serpent. He said to him, ‘Who killed that serpent?’ [So the reaper] said to him ‘I [did].’ He looked at the grass on his head. He [then] said to him, ‘Remove the grass from your head and [then you can brag (if you still have that power)].’ When he did so, [the charmer] drew near. He had not succeeded in touching him, before [the reaper’s] body parts [all] shed.” R. Jannay was sitting as a judge at the gate of his city, [when] he saw a serpent hissing and coming toward the city. When they would secure against it in one place, it would go to another. He said, “It seems to me that this [serpent] is on its way to carry out its mission.” When it entered the city, a rumor spread in the city, “So-and-so ben so-and-so was bitten by a serpent and he is dead.” R. Elazar was strolling by the seashore of Caesarea. He found a femur bone strewn on the path. [So] he removed it from there, but he found it there again; he removed it from there [a second time] and found it there again. He said, “It seems to me that this [bone] is arranged to carry out its mission.” After [some] days, a minister came and fell over it and died. They looked into him and found evil documents against the Jews in his hand. There is a story about two people who were walking on the way. One who could see, and one was blind. They sat down to eat. They reached out their hands for the herbs of the field and ate. The one who could see became blind, and the one who had been blind became sighted. They did not move from there until the former was being supported by the latter whom he had been supporting. There is a story about a certain person who was going from the land of Israel to Babylon.10Lev. R. 22:4. While he was eating, he saw two birds fighting with each other. One of them killed its companion. Then going to get an herb, [it placed it on its mouth,] and made it live again. That person (the one who saw what had happened) went and took the very herb that had fallen from the bird. Then he went to make the dead live with it. When he arrived at the Ladder of Tyre,11A well-known landing dock four hours north of Tyre. See ‘Eruv. 80a. he found a dead lion lying in the open. He touched the herb to its mouth and made it live. The lion got up and ate him. The proverb says, “Do not do good to the evil, and evil will not happen to you.”12Gen. R. 22:8. There is a story of Shihin (a town near Sepphoris) about a certain blind person who went down to bathe in the waters in a cave. He happened upon the well of Miriam, immersed [himself in it], and was healed. Titus the wicked entered the interior of the holy of holies.13Git. 56b; Lev. R. 22:3. When he had cursed and blasphemed, he stood up and slashed the veil. Then he took a Torah scroll and brought it out. Next he unrolled it; and bringing two whores, he transgressed upon them. Then he drew his sword to cut up the book. A miracle took place in that blood began to spew forth from it. He began to boast, saying that he had killed himself (i.e. God).14The author is avoiding too literal a description of the sacrilege and therefore substitutes “himself” for God as a euphemism. He began to become bolder and bolder. When he reached the sea, the sea began to grow stormier and stormier. He said, “The God of these people only has power in the sea. When Pharaoh arose, He drowned him in the sea, and Sisera as well.15See Pes. 118b. Now if He would, let there be dry land between Him and I. Then let us see who overcomes.” The Holy One, blessed be He, said, “O you wicked one, son of a wicked one, I am sending against you a tiny creature, the least of My creatures, to eradicate you from the world.” A gnat entered his nostril, and stayed in his nostril for three years. When he passed by a place where blacksmiths were working [and the gnat] heard the sound of iron, it was still. Whenever a gentile [blacksmith] would pass him, [Titus] would hire him for four dinars and say to him, “Bang your hammer in front of me the whole day.” And when he would do this the whole day, [Titus] would give him his four dinars. But when a Jewish [blacksmith] passed him, he would say to him, “Take [your hammer] and bang it [here] and I will give you your wage.” And he would bang the whole day. [But] when he was about to leave him and the Jew would say to [Titus], “Give me my wage,” he would answer and say to him, “It is enough for you that you see your enemy like this.” So would he do every day for three years. When he died they split open his head and found that [the gnat had grown] to be like a partridge and a sparrow and its claws were as hard as copper. And he died an unnatural death. Why is it named a base creature? Because it takes in but does not excrete. Moreover, sometimes it is by means of a hornet [that God's will is carried out]. Thus it is written (in Exod. 23:28), “I will send the hornet before you [to drive out the Hivites, the Canaanites, and the Hittites from before you].” Our masters have said, “When the Holy One, blessed be He, sent the hornet before Israel to kill the Amorites, see what was written about them (in Amos 2:9), “Yet I destroyed the Amorites [before them, whose stature was like the cedars in height and who were as strong as the oaks].” It entered one's right eye and poured out its poison in it. Then [that person] burst open and dropped dead. This indeed is the way of the Holy One, blessed be He, to carry out His missions by means of small things against all who vaunt themselves against Him. He sends them a small creature to exact punishment from them, in order to inform them that there is no substance to their might. Also in the world to come the Holy One, blessed be He, is going to exact punishment from the [idol-worshiping] peoples of the world by means of small things. It is so stated (in Is. 7:18–19), “And it shall come to pass on that day that the Lord shall whistle for the fly. They all shall come […].”