This is part of the ongoing Forest Hills Ruth Series, with the focus being on midrash. The rest of the material can be found here:
Synopsis of what we've seen so far
Last session, we began the second chapter. We read how after returning to Bethlehem, Ruth goes out to find a field in which to glean, so that she and her mother-in-law can have what to eat. And as luck would have it, she just happened to glean in the field of Boaz! A man of whom she did not know, but was a kinsman of Elimelekh, her deceased father-in-law.
Something about Ruth catches Boaz's eye, and he asks his workers about her. After hearing that she left her people and her home behind in order to accompany her aging mother-in-law, Naomi, he is moved to speak with her.
We pick up with their first exchange; a fateful moment.
(ח) וַיֹּאמֶר֩ בֹּ֨עַז אֶל־ר֜וּת הֲל֧וֹא שָׁמַ֣עַתְּ בִּתִּ֗י אַל־תֵּלְכִי֙ לִלְקֹט֙ בְּשָׂדֶ֣ה אַחֵ֔ר וְגַ֛ם לֹ֥א תַעֲבוּרִ֖י מִזֶּ֑ה וְכֹ֥ה תִדְבָּקִ֖ין עִם־נַעֲרֹתָֽי׃ (ט) עֵינַ֜יִךְ בַּשָּׂדֶ֤ה אֲשֶׁר־יִקְצֹרוּן֙ וְהָלַ֣כְתִּ אַחֲרֵיהֶ֔ן הֲל֥וֹא צִוִּ֛יתִי אֶת־הַנְּעָרִ֖ים לְבִלְתִּ֣י נָגְעֵ֑ךְ וְצָמִ֗ת וְהָלַכְתְּ֙ אֶל־הַכֵּלִ֔ים וְשָׁתִ֕ית מֵאֲשֶׁ֥ר יִשְׁאֲב֖וּן הַנְּעָרִֽים׃
(8) Boaz said to Ruth:
“Listen to me, daughter:
Don’t go to glean in another field. Don’t go elsewhere, but stay here close to my girls. (9) Keep your eyes on the field they are reaping, and follow them. I have ordered the men not to molest you. And when you are thirsty, go to the jars and drink some of [the water] that the men have drawn.”
Boaz was clearly inspired by Ruth's selfless act of kindness for Naomi. Here we see him reaching out a welcome, kindly hand in turn.
However, as usual, the sages see something a little deeper going on here. Take a look at the following midrash:
"Then Boaz said unto Ruth:
'Did you not hear, my daughter? Do not go to glean in another (acher) field (Ruth 2:8);
Understand this by way of, "You shall not have any other (acherim) gods before me (Exodus 20:3)".
Boaz said, "Neither pass from here (mizzeh) (Ruth 2:8)";
Understand this by way of, "This (zeh) is my God and I will praise him (Exodus 15:2)".
Boaz said, "But stay here beside my young women (na'arotay)":
These are the righteous who are called "youths" (ne'arim), as it is said "Will you play with it as with a bird? Or will you bind him for your maidens (na'aroteikha) (Job 40:29)". [This is God speaking to Job about the mighty Leviathan. What is his point here?]
The sages imagine something very different happening here than the pshat. How are they reading this exchange?
(10) She prostrated herself with her face to the ground, and said to him, “Why are you so kind as to single me out, when I am a foreigner?”
(11) Boaz said in reply, “I have been told of all that you did for your mother-in-law after the death of your husband, how you left your father and mother and the land of your birth and came to a people you had not known before. (12) May YHWH reward your deeds. May you have a full recompense from YHWH, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have sought refuge!”
(13) She answered, “You are most kind, my lord, to comfort me and to speak gently to your maidservant—though I am not so much as one of your maidservants.”
Ruth's question is a good one; what is so special about her, to deserve such favorable treatment? On the pshat level, what is his answer?
Similarly to the midrash above, there is much more to Boaz's words than meets the eye (from the sages' perspective, that is.). Read the passage below to see what else is underlying his complements.
וַיַּעַן בֹּעַז וַיֹּאמֶר לָהּ הֻגֵּד הֻגַּד לִי (רות ב, יא), לָמָּה שְׁתֵּי פְּעָמִים הֻגֵּד הֻגַּד לִי, הֻגַּד לִי בַּבַּיִת, הֻגַּד לִי בַּשָֹּׂדֶה. כֹּל אֲשֶׁר עָשִׂית אֶת חֲמוֹתֵךְ אַחֲרֵי מוֹת אִישֵׁךְ, שֶׁאֵין תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר בְּחַיֵּי אִישֵׁךְ.
וַתַּעַזְבִי אָבִיךְ וְאִמֵּךְ וְאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתֵּךְ זוֹ אִיפַרְכִיָּא שֶׁלָּךְ. וַתַּעַזְבִי אָבִיךְ וְאִמֵּךְ מֵעֲבוֹדַת כּוֹכָבִים שֶׁלָּךְ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (ירמיה ב, כז): אֹמְרִים לָעֵץ אָבִי אַתָּה וְלָאֶבֶן אַתְּ יְלִדְתָּנִי. וְאֶרֶץ מוֹלַדְתֵּךְ, זוֹ שְׁכוּנָתָהּ. וַתֵּלְכִי אֶל עַם אֲשֶׁר לֹא יָדַעַתְּ תְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם, שֶׁאִלּוּ תְּמוֹל שִׁלְשׁוֹם, לֹא הָיִית.
"And Boaz answered and said unto her: 'It hath fully been told (hugad hugad) to me all that you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband, and how you left your father and your mother, and the land of your birth"
...
"And left your father and your mother":
This is idolatry, as it is said "[The House of Israel is humiliated; They, their kings, their officers, their priests, and their prophets.] For they say to a tree: 'You are my father', and to a stone: 'You have brought us forth' (Jeremiah 2:27)".
"And the land of your birth": This is her village.
"And have come unto a people that you did not know yesterday": If "yesterday", you would not have been [accepted].
From the sages' eyes, Boaz is praising Ruth for abandoning a deeply-ingrained tradition of idolatry.
Where are they getting this from? Does this midrash, or the episode as described in Megillath Ruth, remind you of anything else?
Consider the following passage, which tells of yet another journey that someone in our history undertook, once upon a time:
(א) וַיֹּ֤אמֶר יְהוָה֙ אֶל־אַבְרָ֔ם לֶךְ־לְךָ֛ מֵאַרְצְךָ֥ וּמִמּֽוֹלַדְתְּךָ֖ וּמִבֵּ֣ית אָבִ֑יךָ אֶל־הָאָ֖רֶץ אֲשֶׁ֥ר אַרְאֶֽךָּ׃
(1) YHWH said to Abram:
“Go forth!
From your land; From the place of your birth; From your fathers's house; To the land that I will show you!"
Do you recognize this?
These are the very first words spoken by the Almighty to His beloved, Abraham. Do you notice any parallels here? (Think about content as well as linguistic.)
While the Torah tells us almost nothing about Abraham's childhood before this moment, there is one small comment from the book of Joshua which fills in some major blanks:
(ב) וַיֹּ֨אמֶר יְהוֹשֻׁ֜עַ אֶל־כָּל־הָעָ֗ם כֹּֽה־אָמַ֣ר יְהוָה֮ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵל֒ בְּעֵ֣בֶר הַנָּהָ֗ר יָשְׁב֤וּ אֲבֽוֹתֵיכֶם֙ מֵֽעוֹלָ֔ם תֶּ֛רַח אֲבִ֥י אַבְרָהָ֖ם וַאֲבִ֣י נָח֑וֹר וַיַּעַבְד֖וּ אֱלֹהִ֥ים אֲחֵרִֽים׃
(2) Then Joshua said to all the people,
“Thus said YHWH, the God of Israel!: In olden times, your forefathers—Terah, father of Abraham and father of Nahor—lived beyond the Euphrates and worshiped other gods!"
Does this help understand the sages' take on the Boaz-Ruth exchange?
Then Boaz said to her at meal-time,
"Come on over! Have some bread, and dip your morsel into the vinegar!"
So she sat beside the harvesters, and he handed her parched corn. She ate, she was satiated, and she had some left over.
וַיֹּאמֶר לָה בֹעַז לְעֵת הָאֹכֶל גּשִׁי הֲלֹם (רות ב, יד),
רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן [נ"א רבי יונתן] פָּתַר בָּהּ שִׁית שִׁטִּין
Then Boaz said to her at meal-time:
"Come on over! Eat of the bread and dip your morsel in the vinegar!"
So she sat beside the reapers, they handed her parched corn, she ate, was satisfied, and left (Ruth 2:14)".
Rabbi Yonatan began: "For this verse, there are six interpretations!"
- David
- Solomon
- Hezekiah
- Menashe
- The Messiah
- Boaz
As is often the case in midrash, the sages take this opportunity to show off their prowess in TaNaKh mastery. To do this, they will take turns picking one of the figures from the list above, and will connect every single detail in this verse to a detail elsewhere in TaNaKh which is connected to these figures' lives.
Our verse in question is broken down into five parts:
- "Come here!"
- "Eat the bread"
- "Dip it into the vinegar"
- They passed her corn
- She ate to her satisfaction and left
This list, combined with the fact that there are six figures in question above, results in a LONG midrash!
We won't look at all of them, but this midrash includes some wild and fascinating stories and interpretations. Let's look at some of the highlights:
מְדַבֵּר בְּדָוִד, גּשִׁי הֲלֹם, קְרוֹבִי לַמַּלְכוּת, וְאֵין הֲלֹם אֶלָּא מַלְכוּת, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (שמואל ב ז, יח): כִּי הֲבִאֹתַנִי עַד הֲלֹם. וְאָכַלְתְּ מִן הַלֶּחֶם, זוֹ לַחְמָהּ שֶׁל מַלְכוּת. וְטָבַלְתְּ פִּתֵּךְ בַּחֹמֶץ, אֵלּוּ הַיִּסּוּרִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים ו, ב): ה' אַל בְּאַפְּךָ תוֹכִיחֵנִי. וַתֵּשֶׁב מִצַּד הַקֹּצְרִים, שֶׁנּוֹצְדָה מִמֶּנּוּ הַמַּלְכוּת לְשָׁעָה, דְּאָמַר רַב הוּנָא כָּל אוֹתָן שִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים שֶׁהָיָה דָּוִד בּוֹרֵחַ מִפְּנֵי אַבְשָׁלוֹם לֹא עָלוּ מִן הַמִּנְיָן, שֶׁהָיָה מִתְכַּפֵּר לוֹ בִּשְׂעִירָה כְּהֶדְיוֹט. וַיִּצְבָּט לָהּ קָלִי, שֶׁחָזְרָה לוֹ מַלְכוּתוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (תהלים כ, ז): עַתָּה יָדַעְתִּי כִּי הוֹשִׁיעַ ה' מְשִׁיחוֹ. וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּע וַתֹּתַר, אוֹכֵל בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, וְאוֹכֵל לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ, וְאוֹכֵל לֶעָתִיד לָבוֹא.
One is David
"Come here (halom)": Draw near to kingship", and not "here" but rather "kingship", as it is written: "David sat before YHWH and said, What am I, that You have brought me thus far (halom)? (2 Samuel 7:18)". (These are the words of King David, full of awe and gratitude after the prophet Nathan informs him that the Davidic Royal Line will be eternal.)
"And eat from the bread": That is the bread of kingship. *(See the Eitz Yosef below.)
"And dip your morsel in the vinegar": These are the chastenings, as it is said "O YHWH, rebuke me not in Your anger, nor chasten me in Your wrath. (Psalm 6:2)".
"And she sat beside the reapers": That is, the kingship was taken from him for a time, as Rav Huna said:
"It was six months when David fled before Absalom and these are not included in the count, because he was making atonement for himself with a goat like a commoner."
"And they reached her parched corn": That is, his kingship was renewed, as it is said "Now I know that Hashem saves His anointed (Psalms 20:7)".
"And she did eat and was satisfied, and left thereof": He eats in this world, and he eats in the days of the Messiah, and he will eat in the world to come.
This is the bread of Kingship:
The midrash is being exacting, from the fact that it says the bread, with the demonstrative heh, and it does not say "Have some bread."
This is therefore referencing a very specific bread mentioned elsewhere in the context of Kings; And Solomon's daily provisions were... (1 Kings 5:2), as well as, Belshazzar made a great banquet (Daniel 5:1)
This next midrash is a strange one - and frankly, kind of eerie.
It is based on a verse from Ecclesiastes, one of the five Megilloth in the TaNaKh. In order to understand how the midrash works, keep the very first verse of the book in mind:
(א) דִּבְרֵי֙ קֹהֶ֣לֶת בֶּן־דָּוִ֔ד מֶ֖לֶךְ בִּירוּשָׁלִָֽם׃
(1) The words of Koheleth son of David, king in Jerusalem.
The "son of David," the "King in Jerusalem." Sound like anyone we know? The Torah Temima commentary, by Rabbi Baruch Epstein (Lithuania, 20th century) will connect the dots for us:
דברי קהלת. למה נקרא שמו של שלמה קהלת, לפי שהיו דבריו נאמרין בהקהל, כמו שנאמר (מלכים א ח׳:א׳) אז יקהל שלמה, וכתיב (שם ה') ויבאו מכל העמים לשמוע את חכמת שלמה
Why is Solomon called Kohelet?
Because his words were heard during convocations, as the Torah says, Then Solomon gathered (yakhel) the elders (1 Kings 8:1).
And it is also written, And they came from throughout all of the nations to hear the wisdom of Solomon (1 King 5:14).
For the sages, this one is too easy. How many parallels do we have here connecting Kohelet to Solomon?
With that, back to our midrash:
דָּבָר אַחֵר, גּשִׁי הֲלֹם, מְדַבֵּר בִּשְׁלֹמֹה, גּשִׁי הֲלֹם, קְרוֹבִי לַמַּלְכוּת. וְאָכַלְתְּ מִן הַלֶּחֶם, זוֹ לַחְמָהּ שֶׁל מַלְכוּת. שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר (מלכים א ה, ב): וַיְהִי לֶחֶם שְׁלֹמֹה לְיוֹם אֶחָד. שְׁלשִׁים כֹּר סֹלֶת וְשִׁשִּׁים כֹּר קָמַח. וְטָבַלְתְּ פִּתֵּךְ בַּחֹמֶץ, זֶה לִכְלוּךְ מַעֲשִׂים. וַתֵּשֶׁב מִצַּד הַקֹּצְרִים, שֶׁנּוֹצְדָה לוֹ מַלְכוּתוֹ לְשָׁעָה, דְּאָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָאי בַּר חֲנִינָא מַלְאָךְ יָרַד בִּדְמוּת שְׁלֹמֹה וְיָשַׁב לוֹ עַל כִּסְאוֹ. וְהָיָה מְחַזֵּר שְׁלֹמֹה עַל פִּתְחֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל וְאוֹמֵר (קהלת א, יב): אֲנִי קֹהֶלֶת [בן דוד] הָיִיתִי מֶלֶךְ עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל בִּירוּשָׁלָיִם, מֶה הָיְתָה אַחַת מֵהֶן עוֹשָׂה, הָיְתָה נוֹתֶנֶת לְפָנָיו קְעָרָה שֶׁל גְּרִישִׂין וּמַכָּה אוֹתוֹ בְּקָנֶה עַל רֹאשׁוֹ וְאוֹמֶרֶת לוֹ וְלֹא שְׁלֹמֹה יוֹשֵׁב עַל כִּסְּאוֹ וְאַתָּה אוֹמֵר אֲנִי שְׁלֹמֹה מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל.
Two is Solomon
..."And she sat beside the reapers": that is the kingship was taken from him for a time, as Rabbi Yochai the son of Chanina said:
"An angel once descended in the guise of Solomon and sat on his throne. And Solomon was going to each door Israel, saying "I, Kohelet, was king over Israel in Jerusalem (Ecclesiastes 1:12)".
And what did one woman from them do? She set before him a plate of beans and she struck him with a cane on his head and said to him "Does not Solomon sit on his throne? But you are saying "I am Solomon, king of Israel"
In our "Making of a Midrash" interlude-session, we explored the idea of there being "hooks" in verses, things in the verse of Scripture itself on which the sages hang their teachings. What is/are the hook/s upon which this midrash is built?
While Solomon was known to be incredibly flawed, there is still a tendency to look back at his reign as something of a Golden Age. He was widely respected by rulers throughout the Ancient Near East, the Kingdom of Israel was united and expanding (even entering into Empire-domain), the Holy Temple was the new World Wonder;
But now we go from one extreme to the other. Out of all of the kings of Southern Judea, very few were looked at favorably. King Hezekiah, who ruled during the growing threat of Assyria was one of the select few. His son, Manasseh, on the other hand, might very well have been the worst. (7th century).
He was not only an idolater himself, but dedicated his influence towards bringing Israelites to the worship of Canaanite gods such as Baal and Asherah.
His policy was also to reign with utmost terror. 2 Kings 21 says that the amount of innocent blood he was responsible for spilling could fill up the streets of Jerusalem from one end to another.
Imagine how incensed the Almighty would be at how far His hand-picked, once-glorious Judean Royal Dynasty had fallen. Nothing can do the extent of this disappointment the justice that His own words can.
(י) וַיְדַבֵּ֧ר יְהוָ֛ה בְּיַד־עֲבָדָ֥יו הַנְּבִיאִ֖ים לֵאמֹֽר׃ (יא) יַעַן֩ אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשָׂ֜ה מְנַשֶּׁ֤ה מֶֽלֶךְ־יְהוּדָה֙ הַתֹּעֵב֣וֹת הָאֵ֔לֶּה הֵרַ֕ע מִכֹּ֛ל אֲשֶׁר־עָשׂ֥וּ הָאֱמֹרִ֖י אֲשֶׁ֣ר לְפָנָ֑יו וַיַּחֲטִ֥א גַֽם־אֶת־יְהוּדָ֖ה בְּגִלּוּלָֽיו׃ (פ) (יב) לָכֵ֗ן כֹּֽה־אָמַ֤ר יְהוָה֙ אֱלֹהֵ֣י יִשְׂרָאֵ֔ל הִנְנִי֙ מֵבִ֣יא רָעָ֔ה עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֖ם וִֽיהוּדָ֑ה אֲשֶׁר֙ כָּל־שמעיו [שֹׁ֣מְעָ֔הּ] תִּצַּ֖לְנָה שְׁתֵּ֥י אָזְנָֽיו׃ (יג) וְנָטִ֣יתִי עַל־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֗ם אֵ֚ת קָ֣ו שֹֽׁמְר֔וֹן וְאֶת־מִשְׁקֹ֖לֶת בֵּ֣ית אַחְאָ֑ב וּמָחִ֨יתִי אֶת־יְרוּשָׁלִַ֜ם כַּֽאֲשֶׁר־יִמְחֶ֤ה אֶת־הַצַּלַּ֙חַת֙ מָחָ֔ה וְהָפַ֖ךְ עַל־פָּנֶֽיהָ׃ (יד) וְנָטַשְׁתִּ֗י אֵ֚ת שְׁאֵרִ֣ית נַחֲלָתִ֔י וּנְתַתִּ֖ים בְּיַ֣ד אֹֽיְבֵיהֶ֑ם וְהָי֥וּ לְבַ֛ז וְלִמְשִׁסָּ֖ה לְכָל־אֹיְבֵיהֶֽם׃ (טו) יַ֗עַן אֲשֶׁ֨ר עָשׂ֤וּ אֶת־הָרַע֙ בְּעֵינַ֔י וַיִּהְי֥וּ מַכְעִסִ֖ים אֹתִ֑י מִן־הַיּ֗וֹם אֲשֶׁ֨ר יָצְא֤וּ אֲבוֹתָם֙ מִמִּצְרַ֔יִם וְעַ֖ד הַיּ֥וֹם הַזֶּֽה׃
(11) “Because King Manasseh of Judah has done these abhorrent things—he has outdone in wickedness all that the Amorites did before his time—and because he led Judah to sin with his fetishes, (12) assuredly, thus said YHWH, the God of Israel:
I am going to bring such a disaster on Jerusalem and Judah that both ears of everyone who hears about it will tingle. (13) I will apply to Jerusalem the measuring line of Samaria and the weights of the House of Ahab; I will wipe Jerusalem clean as one wipes a dish and turns it upside down. (14) And I will cast off the remnant of My own people and deliver them into the hands of their enemies. They shall be plunder and prey to all their enemies (15) because they have done what is displeasing to Me and have been vexing Me from the day that their fathers came out of Egypt to this day.”
In the eyes of the narrator of the Book of Kings, Manassah is beyond as bad as it gets.
But what happens in the Book of Chronicles is utterly astounding. We'll be able to piece some of it together from the following midrash on Ruth:
מְדַבֵּר בְּבֹעַז, קְרוֹבִי לְהָכָא, וְאָכַלְתְּ מִן הַלֶּחֶם, זֶה לַחְמָן שֶׁל קוֹצְרִים. וְטָבַלְתְּ פִּתֵּךְ בַּחֹמֶץ, דֶּרֶךְ הַקּוֹצְרִים לִהְיוֹתָן טוֹבְלִין בַּחֹמֶץ פִּתָּן, אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן מִכָּאן שֶׁמּוֹצִיאִין מִינֵי חֻמְצָנִין לַגְּרָנוֹת. וַתֵּשֶׁב מִצַּד הַקֹּצְרִים, בְּצַד הַקּוֹצְרִים וַדַּאי. וַיִּצְבָּט לָהּ קָלִי, קַלִּיל זְעֵיר בִּשְׁתֵּי אֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק אַתְּ שָׁמַע מִינָהּ תַּרְתֵּי, אוֹ בְּרָכָה שָׁרְתָה בְּאֶצְבְּעוֹתָיו שֶׁל אוֹתוֹ צַדִּיק, אוֹ בְּרָכָה שָׁרְתָה בְּמֵעֶיהָ שֶׁל אוֹתָהּ צַדֶּקֶת, מִמַּה דִּכְתִיב: וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּע וַתֹּתַר, נִרְאִין הַדְּבָרִים שֶׁהַבְּרָכָה שָׁרְתָה בְּמֵעֶיהָ שֶׁל אוֹתָהּ צַדֶּקֶת. אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק בַּר מַרְיוֹן בָּא הַכָּתוּב לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאִם אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה יַעֲשֶׂנָּה בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, שֶׁאִלּוּ הָיָה רְאוּבֵן יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַכְתִּיב עָלָיו (בראשית לז, כא): וַיִּשְׁמַע רְאוּבֵן וַיַּצִּילֵהוּ מִיָּדָם, בִּכְתֵפוֹ הָיָה מוֹלִיכוֹ אֵצֶל אָבִיו. וְאִלּוּ הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ אַהֲרֹן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַכְתִּיב עָלָיו (שמות ד, יד): הִנֵּה הוּא יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתֶךָ בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחוֹלוֹת הָיָה יוֹצֵא לִקְרָאתוֹ. וְאִלּוּ הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ בֹּעַז שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַכְתִּיב עָלָיו: וַיִּצְבָּט לָהּ קָלִי וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּע וַתֹּתַר, עֲגָלוֹת מְפֻטָּמוֹת הָיָה מַאֲכִילָהּ. רַבִּי כֹּהֵן וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דְּסִכְנִין בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי לְשֶׁעָבַר הָיָה אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה וְהַנָּבִיא כּוֹתְבָהּ, וְעַכְשָׁיו כְּשֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה מִי כּוֹתְבָהּ, אֵלִיָּהוּ כּוֹתְבָהּ וּמֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חוֹתֵם עַל יְדֵיהֶם, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (מלאכי ג, טז): אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי ה' אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ וגו'.
Four is Menashe
"And she sat beside the reapers": That is the kingship was taken from him [Manasseh] for a time, as it is written : "And YHWH spoke to Manasseh, and to his people; but they gave no heed. Wherefore YHWH brought upon them the captains of the host of the king of Assyria, who took Manasseh with hooks (2 Chronicles 33:10-11)".
Rabbi Abba, the son of Kahana said: "with shackles".
Rabbi Levi the son of Chayata: "They made for him a mule of bronze and they kindled a fire under it, and he was calling out to this idol and that idol, saying "Save me!"
When he saw that it was all in vain, he said,
"I remember that my father read to recited to me, "When you are in distress and all these things have happened to you...for YHWH your God is a merciful God (Deuteronomy 4:30-31)."
Therefore, I will call to Him. If he answers, good! And if he does not answer, then all is the same and the whole thing is useless!"
Now at the time, the ministering angels stood and closed all the windows of the sky, and they said before Him;
"O Master of the Universe! A man sets up an image in your Holy Sanctuary, and you accept his repentance!?"
And He said to them: "If I do not accept his repentance, then behold, I would be locking the door in the face of all who repent!"
What did the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He dug a hole (chatirah) beneath his throne of glory [for the prayer to enter], a place where the angels were not able to reach; Behold! It is written:
"And he prayed unto Him; and He was entreated (vayye'ater) of him, and heard his supplication" (2 Chron 33:13). Rabbi Levi said: "In Arabia they call chatirah a 'atirah".
"And they reached her parched corn": That is, his kingship was renewed, as it is said: "And He brought (heshivo) him back to Jerusalem into his kingdom (2 Chronicles 33:13)".
I don't know who is more surprised; the angel's at the Almighty's willingness to forgive, or myself, with the human capacity to break old habits, change for the better, and grow.
The obvious question is, why would the account in Kings not include any of this? Firstly, its important to appreciate that the TaNaKh is not always functioning as a History book, relating events that were we to go back in time, we would see happening just as the TaNaKh describes it. There are certainly times when the TaNaKh relays history. But many other cases where it does not.
In this case, Manasseh's redemption is probably a result of Chronicles attempting to reconcile the fact that such a seemingly, wicked-to-the-core king could reign for 55 years, the longest of any monarch in Israel!
The Chronicler is known for having a worldview of strict retribution, in which good deeds are rewarded, and wicked deeds are punished. He probably could not accept that the Manasseh as portrayed by Kings did not at some point do a genuine, complete and whole-hearted teshuvah, for otherwise his reign would have been very quickly cut short.
With Manassah's redemption and renewal, we are currently on a high note. Let's ride that out until the end...
אָמַר רַבִּי יִצְחָק בַּר מַרְיוֹן בָּא הַכָּתוּב לְלַמֶּדְךָ שֶׁאִם אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה יַעֲשֶׂנָּה בְּלֵבָב שָׁלֵם, שֶׁאִלּוּ הָיָה רְאוּבֵן יוֹדֵעַ שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַכְתִּיב עָלָיו (בראשית לז, כא): וַיִּשְׁמַע רְאוּבֵן וַיַּצִּילֵהוּ מִיָּדָם, בִּכְתֵפוֹ הָיָה מוֹלִיכוֹ אֵצֶל אָבִיו. וְאִלּוּ הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ אַהֲרֹן שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַכְתִּיב עָלָיו (שמות ד, יד): הִנֵּה הוּא יֹצֵא לִקְרָאתֶךָ בְּתֻפִּים וּבִמְחוֹלוֹת הָיָה יוֹצֵא לִקְרָאתוֹ. וְאִלּוּ הָיָה יוֹדֵעַ בֹּעַז שֶׁהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא מַכְתִּיב עָלָיו: וַיִּצְבָּט לָהּ קָלִי וַתֹּאכַל וַתִּשְׂבַּע וַתֹּתַר, עֲגָלוֹת מְפֻטָּמוֹת הָיָה מַאֲכִילָהּ. רַבִּי כֹּהֵן וְרַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ דְּסִכְנִין בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי לְשֶׁעָבַר הָיָה אָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה וְהַנָּבִיא כּוֹתְבָהּ, וְעַכְשָׁיו כְּשֶׁאָדָם עוֹשֶׂה מִצְוָה מִי כּוֹתְבָהּ, אֵלִיָּהוּ כּוֹתְבָהּ וּמֶלֶךְ הַמָּשִׁיחַ וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא חוֹתֵם עַל יְדֵיהֶם, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (מלאכי ג, טז): אָז נִדְבְּרוּ יִרְאֵי ה' אִישׁ אֶל רֵעֵהוּ וגו'.
Six is Boaz
Rabbi Yitzchak the son of Maryon said: "The Scripture came to teach us that if a man is going to do a mitzvah, let it be done with his whole heart.
For if Reuben had known that the Holy One, blessed be He would write about him "And Reuben heard it, and delivered him out of their hand (Genesis 37:21)" on his shoulder he would have brought him to his father!
And if Aaron had known that the Holy One, blessed be He would write about him "And also, behold, he comes forth to meet you (Exodus 4:14)," with tambourines and dances he would have met him!
And if Boaz had known that the Holy One, blessed be He would write about him "And they reached her parched corn, and she did eat and was satisfied, and left thereof" he would have fed her with fattened calves".
Rabbi Kohen and Rabbi Joshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi:
"Previously when a man performed a mitzvah, a prophet wrote about it. But now, when a man performs a mitzvah who writes about it? Elijah writes it and the Messiah and the Holy One, blessed be He, seal it with their hands. See! It is written: "Then they that feared YHWH spoke one with another; and YHWH hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him, for them that feared YHWH, and that thought upon His name (Malachi 3:16)"".