וַיֹּאמֶר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה אֱמֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ אֲלֵיהֶם. אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹחָנָן, כָּל מָקוֹם שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר אֱמֹר וְאָמַרְתָּ, צָרִיךְ לִדְרֹשׁ. וַיֹּאמֶר הַמֶּלֶךְ אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ וַיֹּאמֶר לְאֶסְתֵּר הַמַּלְכָּה. וַיֹּאמֶר וַיֹּאמֶר, לָמָּה לִי. אָמַר לָהּ: אִם הוּא זֶה, מוּטָב. וְאִם לָאו, אִמְרִי שֶׁהוּא הוּא. דָּבָר אַחֵר, עַד שֶׁלֹּא הִכִּיר בָּהּ שֶׁהִיא יְהוּדִית, הָיָה מֵשִׂיחַ עִמָּהּ עַל יְדֵי תֻּרְגְּמָן. מִשֶּׁהִכִּיר בָּהּ, הִתְחִיל לְסַפֵּר עִמָּהּ. כַּיּוֹצֵא בּוֹ, וַיִּגַּשׁ אִישׁ הָאֱלֹהִים וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל מֶלֶךְ יִשְׂרָאֵל וַיֹּאמֶר כֹּה אָמַר ה' (מ״א כ, כח). וַיֹּאמֶר שְׁנֵי פְּעָמִים לָמָּה לִי. אֶלָּא אָמַר לוֹ: כְּשֶׁיִּפֹּל בֶּן הֲדַד בְּיָדְךָ, לֹא תַּחְמְלוּ עָלָיו. אֲמִירָה שְׁנִיָּה, אָמַר לוֹ: הֱוֵי יוֹדֵעַ כַּמָּה מְצוּדוֹת וַחֲרָמִים פָּרַשְׂתִּי לוֹ עַד שֶׁבָּא לְיָדְךָ. וְעַכְשָׁו אִם הִפָּקֵד יִפָּקֵד, וְהָיְתָה נַפְשְׁךָ תַּחַת נַפְשׁוֹ וְעַמְּךָ תַּחַת עַמּוֹ. כַּיּוֹצֵא בּוֹ, וַיֹּאמֶר אֶל הָאִישׁ לְבוּשׁ הַבַּדִּים וַיֹּאמֶר בֹּא אֶל בֵּינוֹת לַגַּלְגַּל (יחזקאל י, ב). הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אָמַר לַמַּלְאָךְ, וְהַמַּלְאָךְ לַכְּרוּב. אָמַר לוֹ: גָּזַר עָלַי הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, וַאֲנִי אֵין לִי רְשׁוּת לְהִכָּנֵס בְּתוֹךְ מְחִיצָתְךָ, אֶלָּא עֲשֵׂה עִמִּי צְדָקָה וְתֵן לִי שְׁנֵי גֶּחָלִים. מִיָּד, וַיִּשָּׂא וַיִּתֵּן אֶל חָפְנֵי לְבוּשׁ הַבַּדִּים (יחזקאל י, ז). רַבִּי פִּנְחָס אָמַר, הִפְשִׁירָן וּנְתָנָן לוֹ. רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן דְּסַכְנִין בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי לֵוִי אָמַר, שְׁנֵי גֶּחָלִים הָיוּ עֲמוּמוֹת בְּיַד גַּבְרִיאֵל, סָבוּר שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל יַעֲשׂוּ תְּשׁוּבָה. כֵּיוָן שֶׁלֹּא עָשׂוּ, בִּקֵּשׁ לִזְרֹק וּלְקַעְקֵעַ בֵּיצָתָן. אָמַר לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, לְגַבְרִיאֵל גַּבְרִיאֵל, לְהוֹנָךְ לְהוֹנָךְ, יֵשׁ בָּהֶן בְּנֵי אָדָם שֶׁעוֹשִׂין צְדָקָה אֵלּוּ עִם אֵלּוּ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וַיֵּרָא לַכְּרֻבִים תַּבְנִית יַד אָדָם תַּחַת כַּנְפֵיהֶם (שם פסוק ח). וְאַף כָּאן, אֱמֹר אֶל הַכֹּהֲנִים בְּנֵי אַהֲרֹן וְאָמַרְתָּ. אֲמִירָה רִאשׁוֹנָה, לְמֵת מִצְוָה יִטַּמָּא. וְהַשְּׁנִיָּה, לָאֲחֵרִים לֹא יִטַּמָּא. לְפִיכָךְ, אֱמֹר וְאָמַרְתָּ. לְפִי שֶׁבָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, כֹּהֵן מִטַּמֵּא לְמֵת מִצְוָה. אֲבָל לֶעָתִיד, אֵין אַתֶּם מִטַּמְּאִין כָּל עִקָּר. לָמָּה, שֶׁאֵין מִיתָה לֶעָתִיד, הָדָא הוּא דִּכְתִיב: בִּלַּע הַמָּוֶת לָנֶצַח (ישעיה כה, ח). (Lev. 21:1:) “Then the Lord said unto Moses, ‘Say unto the priests […], and say unto them.”17A somewhat awkward translation of this verse and others that follow is necessary, because the midrash is concerned with the double use of the verb “say/said” (rt.: ‘MR). R. Johanan said, “Wherever it says, ‘say […,]’ and ‘say,’ it must be interpreted.”18Lev. R. 26:8; see Lam. R. 1:13 (41); Meg. 16a. (Esth. 7:5:) “Then said King Ahasuerus, and he said to Queen Esther.” Why “said […]” and “he said?” He said to her, “If this (Haman) is the man, well and good; but if not, say that he is [regardless].” Another interpretation: Before [the king] came to know about her being Jewish, he talked with her through an interpreter; when he came to know about her, he began to talk with her [by himself]. Similarly (in I Kings 20:28), “Then the man of God approached and said unto the king of Israel and said, ‘Thus says the Lord.’” “Why “said […,]” and “said?”19ySanh. 11:7/5 (30c). He was saying to him (with the first said), “When Ben-Hadad falls into your hand, you shall not take pity on him.” A second saying: He said to him, “Be aware of how many nets and enticements I set out for him before he comes into your hand. So now, if he is missing (according to vs. 42), it will be your life for his life and your people for his people.” [Similarly (in Ezek. 10:2),] “Then he said unto the person clothed in linen, and said, ‘Go in among the wheel work, [under the cherub].’” The Holy One, blessed be He, said unto the angel, and the angel said to the cherub. He said to him, “The Holy One, blessed be He, has commanded me, but I do not have the authority to enter your section [of heaven]; so do me a favor and give me two burning coals.” Immediately (in vs. 7), “he took some and put them into the hands of the one who was clothed in linen.” R. Pinhas said, “He cooled them and gave them to him.”20Cf. Yoma. 77a. R. Joshua of Sikhnin said in the name of R. Levi, “Two burning coals were being quenched in Gabriel's hand. He was thinking that Israel would repent. When they did not do so, he sought to hurl them and destroy them. The Holy One, blessed be He, said to him, ‘Gabriel, slowly, slowly. There are among them people who are doing acts of charity with each other.’ Thus it is stated (in vs. 8), ‘And there the cherubim appeared to have the form of a human hand21A symbol of the almsgiving. under their wings.’” So also here (in Lev. 21:1), “Say unto the priests…, and say.” The first saying is for the unclaimed corpse, for which [a priest] must become unclean; and the second is for other [corpses], for which he may not become unclean. Ergo, “say […,]” and “say.” Since in this world, a priest becomes unclean for an unclaimed corpse, but in the future you will not become unclean at all. Why? As there will be no death in the future. That is as written (in Isaiah 25:8), “He will swallow death forever.”