Midrash Tanchuma, Matot 6

וּמִקְנֶה רַב. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: כִּי לֹא מִמּוֹצָא וּמִמַּעֲרָב (תהלים עה, ז). מַהוּ כִּי לֹא מִמּוֹצָא וּמִמַּעֲרָב. לֹא מִמַּה שֶּׁאָדָם יוֹצֵא וְעָמֵל בַּסְחוֹרָה וְהוֹלֵךְ מִמִּזְרָח לְמַעֲרָב נַעֲשֶׂה עָשִׁיר, אֶלָּא אֲפִלּוּ פָּרַשׁ בִּסְפִינוֹת וְהוֹלֵךְ מִמִּזְרָח לְמַעֲרָב וְחוֹזֵר עַל הַמִּדְבָּרוֹת וְעַל הֶהָרִים, אֵינוֹ נַעֲשֶׂה עָשִׁיר. מַהוּ וְלֹא מִמִּדְבָּר הָרִים (שם). אָמַר רַבִּי אַבָּא סַנֵּגוֹרְיָא, כָּל הָרִים שֶׁבַּמִּקְרָא הָרִים, חוּץ מִזֶּה, שֶׁהוּא רוֹמְמוּת, שֶׁאֵין אָדָם מִתְרוֹמֵם מִן הַדְּבָרִים הַלָּלוּ. וּמָה הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא עוֹשֶׂה. נוֹטֵל נְכָסִים מִזֶּה וְנוֹתֵן לָזֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי אֱלֹהִים שׁוֹפֵט, זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל וְזֶה יָרִים (שם פסוק ח). לְכָךְ נִקְרָא שְׁמָם נְכָסִים, שֶׁנִּכְסִין מִזֶּה וְנִגְלִין לָזֶה. וְלָמָּה נִקְרָא שְׁמָם זוּזִים. שֶׁזָּזִים מִזֶּה וְנִתָּנִין לָזֶה. מָמוֹן, מַה שֶּׁאַתָּה מוֹנֶה אֵינוֹ כְּלוּם. מָעוֹת, שֶׁהֵן מֵעֵת לְעֵת. וּבַלָּשׁוֹן הַזֶּה אַתָּה דּוֹרֵשׁ. וְכֵן חַנָּה אוֹמֶרֶת, ה' מוֹרִישׁ וּמַעֲשִׁיר מַשְׁפִּיל אַף מְרוֹמֵם (ש״‎א ב, ז), בָּאַף שֶׁהוּא מֵבִיא עַל זֶה, מְרוֹמֵם לָזֶה. שָׁאֲלָה מַטְרוֹנִיתָא אַחַת אֶת רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר חֲלַפְתָּא, בְּכַמָּה יָמִים בָּרָא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אֶת עוֹלָמוֹ. אָמַר לָהּ: לְשִׁשָּׁה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי שֵׁשֶׁת יָמִים עָשָׂה ה' אֶת הַשָּׁמַיִם וְאֶת הָאָרֶץ (שמות לא, יז). אָמְרָה לוֹ: וּמֵאוֹתָהּ שָׁעָה עַד עַתָּה מַהוּ עוֹשֶׂה. אָמַר לָהּ: יוֹשֵׁב וְעוֹשֶׂה סֻלָּמוֹת, מַעֲלֶה לָזֶה וּמוֹרִיד לָזֶה. לְכָךְ נֶאֱמַר: כִּי אֱלֹהִים שׁוֹפֵט, זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל וְזֶה יָרִים (תהלים עה, ח). תֵּדַע לְךָ כְּשֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ שֶׁיִּתְעַשְּׁרוּ בְּנֵי גָּד וּבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן, הִפִּיל אֶת הַמִּדְיָנִים לִפְנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל, כְּדֵי שֶׁיִּתְעַשְּׁרוּ בְּנֵי גָד וּבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן. מַהוּ כְּתִיב לְמַעְלָה, וַיִּשְׁבּוּ בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת נְשֵׁי מִדְיָן וְאֶת טַפָּם וְאֶת כָּל בְּהֶמְתָּם וְאֶת כָּל מִקְנֵיהֶם וְאֶת כָּל חֵילָם בָּזָזוּ, וְאַחַר כָּךְ כְּתִיב: וּמִקְנֶה רַב, הֲרֵי שֶׁהִשְׁפִּיל אֶת הַמִּדְיָנִים וְרוֹמֵם לִבְנֵי רְאוּבֵן וְלִבְנֵי גָּד, לְקַיֵּם מַה שֶּׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי לֹא מִמּוֹצָא וּמִמַּעֲרָב וְגוֹ', כִּי אֱלֹהִים שׁוֹפֵט, זֶה יַשְׁפִּיל וְזֶה יָרִים. (Numb. 32:1:) “Much livestock.” This text is related (to Ps. 75:7), “For it is not from the east or from the west [or from the wilderness that there comes an exaltation (harim)].” What is the meaning of (Ps. 75:7) “For it is not from the east (rt.: mts') or from the west?”¹⁵Numb. R. 22:8. It is not from a person working hard by going out (rt.: mts') for trade and traveling from east to west and searching in wildernesses and on mountains (harim) that he becomes wealthy. Rather even if one sails away in ships to go from east to west and searches in wildernesses and on mountains (harim), he does not become wealthy. What is the meaning of (Ps. 75:7, cont.), “or from the wilderness that there comes an exaltation (harim)?” R. Abba Sanagoria says, “Every use of harim in Scripture denotes mountains except for here, where it denotes exaltation. Thus one is not exalted from these things.” So what does the Holy One, blessed be He, do? He takes possessions (nekhasim) from one and gives them to another, as stated (in Ps. 75:7, cont.), “For God it is who gives judgment; He brings down one man, He lifts up another.” That is why they are called nekhasim, as they are covered (nikhsim) from one and revealed to another. And why is the name of [common coins] called zuzim? Because they move (zazim) from one and are given to another. [It is called] money (mammon), because what you count (mah [she’atah] moneh) is not anything. [It is called] coins (ma’ot), because they are from time (me’et) to time. And one can expound [with these] expression[s of money]. And so did Hannah say (in I Sam. 2:7), “The Lord makes poor and makes rich; He casts down, He also (af) lifts high,” [meaning] with the anger (af) that He bring upon one, He lifts up the other. A certain matron asked R. Jose ben Halafta, “In how many days did the Holy One, blessed be He, create His world? He said to her, “In six days, as stated (in Exod. 31:17), ‘for in six day the Lord made the heavens and the earth.’”¹⁶Above, Numb. 1:18; Gen. R. 68:4; PRK 2:4; Lev. R. 8:1; Numb. R. 3:6; cf. above, Gen. 1:2. She said to him, “And what has He been doing since that time?” He said to her, “He sits down and makes ladders for raising up one and putting down another. Hence it is stated (in Ps. 75:7), ‘For God it is who gives judgment; He brings down one man, He lifts up another.’” You yourself know that, when He wanted the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuben to become wealthy, He brought down the Midianites in front of Israel, so that the Children of Gad and the Children of Reuben would become wealthy. What is written above (in Numb. 31:9)? “Then the children of Israel took the women and children of the Midianites captive, and all their cattle, all their livestock, and all their wealth they seized as plunder.” Then after that, it is written (in Numb. 32:1), “Now [the Children of Reuben and the Children of Gad] had much livestock.” See that He brought down the Midianites and raised up the Children of Reuben and the Children of Gad, to fulfill that which is stated, (in Ps. 75:8), “For it is not from the east or from the west…, for it is God who judges; He brings down one man, He lifts up another.”