וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה דַּבֵּר אֶל אַהֲרֹן אִישׁ אִישׁ מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁחַט. וְרוּחַ הַקֹּדֶשׁ צֹוַחַת, כִּי מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ וְעַד מְבוֹאוֹ גָּדוֹל שְׁמִי בַּגּוֹיִם (מלאכי א, יא). מִשָּׁעָה שֶׁהַשֶּׁמֶשׁ זוֹרֵחַ עַד שָׁעָה שֶׁהוּא שׁוֹקֵעַ, אֵין קִלּוּסוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא פּוֹסֵק מִפִּיו, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: מִמִּזְרַח שֶׁמֶשׁ וְעַד מְבוֹאוֹ. וְכֵן אַתְּ מוֹצֵא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁעָמַד יְהוֹשֻׁעַ וְעָשָׂה מִלְחָמָה בְּגִבְעוֹן, מַה כְּתִיב שָׁם, אָז יְדַבֵּר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לַה' בְּיוֹם תֵּת ה' אֶת הָאֱמוֹרִי לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר לְעֵינֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁמֶשׁ בְּגִבְעוֹן דּוֹם וְגוֹ' (יהושע י, יב). בִּקֵּשׁ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לְשַׁתֵּק אֶת הַחַמָּה, אָמַר לוֹ: שֶׁמֶשׁ בְּגִבְעוֹן דּוֹם. לֹא אָמַר עֲמֹד אֶלָּא דּוֹם. לָמָּה אָמַר לוֹ דּוֹם. שֶׁכָּל זְמַן שֶׁהוּא מְקַלֵּס, יֵשׁ בּוֹ כֹּחַ לְהַלֵּךְ. דָּמַם, עָמַד. לְכָךְ אָמַר לוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ שֶׁיַּעֲמֹד, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: שֶׁמֶשׁ בְּגִבְעוֹן דּוֹם. אָמַר לוֹ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לִיהוֹשֻׁעַ, יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, וְכִי יֵשׁ קָטָן אוֹמֵר לְגָדוֹל מִמֶּנּוּ דּוֹם. אֲנִי נִבְרֵאתִי בָּרְבִיעִי, וּבְנֵי אָדָם בַּשִּׁשִּׁי, וְאַתָּה אוֹמֵר לִי דּוֹם. אָמַר לוֹ יְהוֹשֻׁעַ, בֶּן חוֹרִין שֶׁהוּא קָטָן וְיֵשׁ לוֹ עֶבֶד זָקֵן, אֵינוֹ אוֹמֵר לוֹ שְׁתֹק וְאַבְרָהָם אָבִי הִקְנָה לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בָּרוּךְ אַבְרָם לְאֵל עֶלְיוֹן קוֹנֵה שָׁמַיִם וָאָרֶץ (בראשית יד, יט). וְלֹא עוֹד, אֶלָּא שֶׁנִּשְׁתַּחֲוָה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ לִפְנֵי יוֹסֵף, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְהִנֵּה הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ וְהַיָּרֵחַ וְגוֹ' (בראשית לז, ט). הֱוֵי, שֶׁמֶשׁ בְּגִבְעוֹן דּוֹם. אָמַר לוֹ הַשֶּׁמֶשׁ, וְכִי אַתָּה גּוֹזֵר עָלַי שֶׁאֱדֹם. אָמַר לוֹ: הֵן. אָמַר לוֹ: וְכֵיוָן שֶׁאֲנִי שׁוֹתֵק מִי יֹאמַר קִלּוּסוֹ שֶׁל הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא. אָמַר לוֹ: דּוֹם אַתָּה וַאֲנִי אוֹמֵר שִׁירָה בַּעֲבוּרְךָ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אָז יְדַבֵּר יְהוֹשֻׁעַ לַה' (יהושע י, יב). וְאֵין אָז אֶלָּא שִׁירָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אָז יָשִׁיר מֹשֶׁה (שמות טו, א). וּבְכָל מָקוֹם מֻקְטָר מֻגָּשׁ לִשְׁמִי וּמִנְחָה טְהוֹרָה (מלאכי א, יא). שָׁאַל רַבִּי אָמִי אֶת רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן, מַהוּ וּבְכָל מָקוֹם מֻקְטָר מֻגָּשׁ לִשְׁמִי וּמִנְחָה טְהוֹרָה. וְהַתּוֹרָה מַזְהֶרֶת וְאָמְרָה, הִשָּׁמֵר לְךָ פֶּן תַּעֲלֶה עוֹלוֹתֶיךָ בְּכָל מָקוֹם וְגוֹ', כִּי אִם בְּמָקוֹם אֲשֶׁר יִבְחַר ה' (דברים יב, יג-יד). וְכֵן הוּא אוֹמֵר, אִישׁ אִישׁ מִבֵּית יִשְׂרָאֵל אֲשֶׁר יִשְׁחַט שׁוֹר אוֹ וְגוֹ', וְאֶל פֶּתַח אֹהֶל מוֹעֵד לֹא הֱבִיאוֹ (ויקרא יז, ג-ד), וְאַתָּה אוֹמֵר, וּבְכָל מָקוֹם מֻקְטָר מֻגָּשׁ לִשְׁמִי. אָמַר לוֹ רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָן, אֵיזוֹ הִיא מִנְחָה טְהוֹרָה בְּכָל מָקוֹם. אֵין מֻקְטָר אֶלָּא תְּפִלַּת הַמִּנְחָה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: תִּכּוֹן תְּפִלָתִּי קְטֹרֶת לְפָנֶיךָ וְגוֹ' (תהלים קמא, ב). וְאוֹמֵר: וַיְהִי בַּעֲלוֹת הַמִּנְחָה וַיִּגַּשׁ אֵלִיָּהוּ (מ״א יח, לו). (Lev. 17:1, 3:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses, ‘Speak to Aaron saying, “…. If any single person from the House of Israel slaughters.”’” The holy spirit proclaims (in Mal. 1:11), “From the rising of the sun to its setting, My name shall be great among the gentiles.” From the time that the sun rises until it sets, the praise61Qillus. Cf. the Greek, kalos (“beautiful”). of the Holy One, blessed be He, never ceases from its mouth, as stated (in Ps. 113:3), “From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is praised.” And you find it so when Joshua waged war with Gibeon. What is written there (in Josh. 10:12)? “Then Joshua spoke to the Lord…, ‘O sun, be quiet (dom)62Although dom can mean “stand still”, it commonly means, “be quiet” in the sense of “be silent.” It is this latter sense which the midrash is stressing here. at Gibeon.’” [When] Joshua wanted to silence the sun, he did not say to it, "O sun, stand still ('amod) at Gibeon," but “Be quiet (dom).” Why did he say, “Be quiet?” Because every hour that it is traveling, it is praising the Holy One, blessed be He; and as long as it praises [the Holy One, blessed be He], it has the power to travel [its course]. Joshua therefore told it to be silent, as stated (ibid.), “O sun, be quiet at Gibeon.” The sun said to Joshua, “May someone younger be saying, ‘Be quiet,’ to someone older? I was created on the fourth [day], while human beings were created on the sixth; and are you saying, ‘Be quiet,’ to me?” Joshua said to [the sun], “When a young free person has an elderly slave, does he not say to him, ‘Be silent?’ In the case of our father Abraham, the Holy One, blessed be He, delivered (rt.: pnh) heaven and earth to him, as stated (in Gen. 14:19), ‘Then he blessed him, and said, “Blessed be Abram of God most high, acquirer (rt.: pnh)63Apart from the context in the midrash, a traditional biblical translation would read: CREATOR. of heaven and earth.”’ And not only that, but you bowed down to Joseph, as stated (in Gen. 37:9), ‘here were the sun, the moon, [and eleven stars bowing down to me.’ So would you speak against me?]” Ergo (in Josh. 10:12), “O sun, be quiet at Gibeon.” The sun said to Joshua, “And so are you decreeing over me that I am to be quiet?” He said to it, “Yes.” It said to him, “Then who will speak the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He?“ He said to him, “You be quiet, and I will speak the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He,” as stated (in Josh. 10:12), “Then (az) Joshua spoke to the Lord.” Now az can only be a hymn, since it is stated (in Exod. 15:1), “Moses sang then (az).”64THEN is understood as the object of the verb SANG. See Tanh. (Buber), Gen. 1:32; Exod. 4:12. (Mal. 1:11:) “And in every place incense is offered to My name, even a pure oblation.” R. Ammi asked R. Samuel bar Nahman, “Is it correct that ‘In every place incense is offered to My name, even a pure oblation?’65See Numb. R. 13:4. The Torah warns (in Deut. 12:13-14), ‘Take heed that you do not offer up your burnt offerings in any place that you see. But only in the place that [the Lord] will choose….’ So also it says (in Lev. 17:3-4) ‘If any single person from the House of Israel slaughters an ox, a lamb, or a goat in the camp…. And does not bring it unto the entrance of the tent of meeting…, [bloodguilt shall be imputed to that person.’ So how can you] say (in Mal. 1:11), ‘and in every place incense (muqtar) is offered to My name, [even a pure oblation]?’” R. Samuel bar Nahman said to him (i.e., to R. Ammi), “What is a pure oblation (minhah) which is burned (muqtar) in every place and offered to the name of the Holy One, blessed be He?66The Hebrew wording of this question reproduces almost exactly the wording in Mal. 1:11. This is the prayer of the afternoon service (minhah). Incense (muqtar) can only be the prayer of the afternoon service (minhah), since it is stated (in Ps. 141:2), ‘Let my prayer be set forth as the incense before you….’ [It also says] (in I Kings 18:36), ‘And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the oblation (minhah), Elijah drew near.’”