אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים הַיּוֹם כֻּלְּכֶם, אַתֶּם קִיּוּמוֹ שֶׁל עוֹלָם הַזֶּה וְשֶׁל עוֹלָם הַבָּא. כְּשֶׁיָּבֹא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִתֵּן שָׂכָר טוֹב לַצַּדִּיקִים, הוּא מַרְאֶה לָהֶם בְּהֵמוֹת רוֹבְצוֹת עַל הַרְרֵי אֶלֶף, וְאֶלֶף הָרִים מַעֲלִין עֲשָׂבִים וְהֵם אוֹכְלִים. וּמִנַּיִן שֶׁהֵם רוֹבְצוֹת עַל אֶלֶף הָרִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: בְּהֵמוֹת בְּהַרְרֵי אֶלֶף (תהלים נ, י). וְכָל מַה שֶּׁהַיַּרְדֵּן מוֹשֵׁךְ, הֵן שׁוֹתִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יִבְטַח כִּי יָגִיחַ יַרְדֵּן אֶל פִּיהוּ (איוב מ, כג). אָמַר רַב יוֹסֵף, כָּל מַה שֶּׁהַיַּרְדֵּן מוֹשֵׁךְ בְּשִׁשָּׁה חֳדָשִׁים, הֵן עוֹשִׂין גְּמִיעָה אַחַת. וּמִקְרָא מָלֵא הוּא, בְּרַעַשׁ וְרֹגֶז יְגַמֶּא אָרֶץ (שם לט, כד). וְאַף לִוְיָתָן רוֹבֵץ עַל הַתְּהוֹם. לָעוֹלָם הַבָּא אוֹמֵר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, בֹּאוּ וְהִלָּחֲמוּ בוֹ. וְכֵיוָן שֶׁהֵן יוֹרְדִין לְהִלָּחֵם כְּנֶגְדוֹ, הוּא תּוֹלֶה עֵינָיו וּמַבִּיט בָּהֶם וְהֵם מִתְיָרְאִים וּבוֹרְחִים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: מִשֵּׂתוֹ יָגוּרוּ אֵלִים, מִשְּׁבָרִים יִתְחַטָּאוּ (שם מא, יז). כְּשֶׁהוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ לֶאֱכֹל, הוּא עוֹשֶׂה שֶׁבֶר בַּיָּם, וְהַדָּגִים סְבוּרִים שֶׁהוּא דְּבַר אֲכִילָה וְהוֹלְכִים לְשָׁם, וְהוּא פּוֹתֵחַ וּבוֹלְעָן. אֵין אֶחָד מֵהֶן נִמְלָט, אֶלָּא כֻּלָּן נִכְנָסִין לְתוֹךְ פִּיו. וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹמֵר לְמַלְאֲכֵי הַשָּׁרֵת, יְרוּ חִצִּים. וְהֵם זוֹרְקִים בּוֹ וְאֵינוֹ מַשְׁגִּיחַ, אֶלָּא כְּקַשׁ הֵם נֶחְשָׁבִים לוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לֹא יַבְרִיחֶנּוּ בֶן קָשֶׁת (שם פסוק כ). וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹמֵר לָהֶם, טְלוּ אַבְנֵי בַּלִּסְטְרָא וְהַשְׁלִיכוּ עָלָיו. וְהֵן עוֹשִׂין. וְהוּא סָבוּר קַשׁ הֵן, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כְּקַשׁ נֶחְשְׁבוּ תוֹתָח (שם פסוק כא). וְאִם תֹּאמַר, הֵיכָן הוּא רָבוּץ. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, עַל טִיט שֶׁהוּא יָפֶה מִן הַזָּהָב, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יִרְפַּד חָרוּץ עֲלֵי טִיט (שם פסוק כב), רְפִידָתוֹ שֶׁל חָרוּץ. וְאִם תֹּאמַר, שֶׁאִם מְבַקֵּשׁ לָצֵאת יוֹצֵא. תַּלְמוּד לוֹמַר: סָגוּר חוֹתָם צַר (שם פסוק ז), סָגַרְתִּי לְפָנָיו וְחָתַמְתִּי כְּנֶגְדוֹ, וְגַם הֵצַרְתִּי לוֹ. וְהֵיאַךְ הַצַּדִּיקִים אוֹכְלִים. אֶלָּא הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא נוֹתֵן בַּבְּהֵמוֹת וְגַם בַּלִּוְיָתָן רוּחַ, וְהֵן בָּאִין וְנִלְחָמִין זֶה עִם זֶה, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֶחָד בְּאֶחָד יִגָּשׁוּ (איוב מא, ח). זֶה הוֹפֵךְ בָּאָרֶץ וְשׁוֹקֵט הַבְּהֵמוֹת, וְאֵלּוּ בּוֹקְעִין הַלִּוְיָתָן. מִיַּד הַצַּדִּיקִים מִתְכַּנְּסִין עֲלֵיהֶם, וְהַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא אוֹמֵר לְכָל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, וְאוֹכֵל לְפִי שְׂכָרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: יִכְרוּ עָלָיו חַבָּרִים (שם מ, ל). חִזְקִיָּה אָמַר, אֵלּוּ חַבְרֵי תּוֹרָה. דָּבָר אַחֵר, יִכְרוּ עָלָיו חַבָּרִים, כָּל מִי שֶׁחָבַר עַצְמוֹ מִלַּעֲשׂוֹת. יֶחֱצוּהוּ בֵּין כְּנַעֲנִים (שם). יֵשׁ בִּבְנֵי אָדָם שֶׁעוֹשִׂין סְחוֹרָה, זֶה נוֹתֵן חֲמִשִּׁים זְהוּבִים, וְזֶה נוֹתֵן עֲשָׂרָה. לוֹקְחִין מַרְגָּלִית אַחַת וְהִיא עוֹשָׂה שָׂכָר. לְפִי מַה שֶּׁנָּתַן כָּל אֶחָד וְאֶחָד, נוֹטֵל מִן הַשָּׂכָר. כָּךְ אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, כָּל מִי שֶׁעוֹסֵק בְּתוֹרָה וּבְמִצְוֹת יָבֹא וְיִטֹּל שְׂכָרוֹ, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: לֹא אַכְזָר כִּי יְעוּרֶנּוּ, וּמִי הוּא לְפָנַי יִתְיַצָּב (שם מא, ב). וּמִי הֵם שֶׁאוֹכְלִים לְפָנַי, אַתֶּם נִצָּבִים. אָמַר הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא, בָּעוֹלָם הַזֶּה, הֱיִיתֶם עוֹמְדִים לְקַבֵּל מִצְוֹת. אַף בָּעוֹלָם הַבָּא אֲנִי מַעֲמִיד אֶתְכֶם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: כִּי כַּאֲשֶׁר הַשָּׁמַיִם הַחֲדָשִׁים וְהָאָרֶץ הַחֲדָשָׁה אֲשֶׁר אֲנִי עוֹשֶׂה עוֹמְדִים לְפָנַי נְאֻם ה', כֵּן יַעֲמֹד זַרְעֲכֶם וְשִׁמְכֶם (ישעיה סו, כב). כָּךְ דָּרַשׁ רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא. You who are present today, all of you: You are the existence of this world and the world to come. When the Holy One, blessed be He, will come to give a goodly reward to the righteous, He will show them behemoths that crouch on a thousand mountains; and a thousand mountains will bring up grasses and they will eat. And from where [do we know] that they crouch on a thousand mountains? As it is stated (Psalms 50:11), "The behemoths on a thousand mountains." And they drink all [the water] that the Jordan draws, as it is stated (Job 40:23), "he is certain that he will draw the Jordan to his mouth." Rav Yosef said, "They take one swallow and draw all that the Jordan draws for six months. And it is a full verse (Job 39:24), 'With trembling and anger, he swallows the earth.'" And the Leviathan also crouches upon the deep. In the world to come, the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the ministering angels, "Come and fight with him." But when they descend to fight against him, he suspends his eyes and stares at them. And [then] they fear and flee, as it is stated (Job 41:17), "From his rising do the powers fears, the breakers are lacking." When he seeks to eat, he makes a wave in the sea. And [so] the fish think that it is [bringing] something edible, and they go to it; and he opens his mouth and swallows them. And not one of them escapes, but rather all of them enter into his mouth. And [then] the Holy One, blessed be He, says to the ministering angels, "Cast arrows." And they fling [them] at him, but he pays no attention, but they are rather considered like straw by him - as it is stated (Job 41:20), "The son of the bow does not make him flee." And [then] the Holy One, blessed be He, says to them, "Take projectile stones and hurl them at him." And they do it, but he thinks it is straw - as it is stated (Job 41:21), "The catapult is considered like straw." And if you say, where is he crouching; the Holy One, blessed be He, said, upon the clay that is better than gold - as it is stated (Job 41:22), "he reclines on the broken leaves of clay." And if you say [that] if he seeks to leave, he [can] leave - [hence] we learn to say, "he is enclosed with a narrow (tsar) seal" (Job 41:7) - I have closed in front of him, and sealed across from him and I have even restricted (hetsarti) him. And [so] how do the righteous ones eat [it]? Rather the Holy One, blessed be He, puts a spirit into the behemoths and also into the Leviathan, and they come and fight, one with the other - as it is stated (Job 41:8), "One approaches to the other." This one overturns the ground and quiets the behemoths, and these split the Leviathan. [Then] the righteous ones immediately gather around them, and the Holy One, blessed be He, says to each and every one [to eat]. And [each righteous one] eats according to his reward, as it is stated (Job 40:30), "Will the charmers (chavarim) repast upon him?" - Chizkiyah said, "These are [Torah] colleagues (chaverim)." Another [understanding]: "Will the charmers repast upon him?" - anyone who has charmed himself from doing [evil]. "Will it be divided by the traders?" (Job 40:30) - there are among men those that engage in trade: This one gives fifty gold pieces and this one gives ten; they purchase a pearl and it produces revenue. According to what each and every one gave do they take from the revenue. So did the Holy One, blessed be He, say - "Let anyone that was involved with Torah [study] and with [practice of] the commandments, come and take his reward"; as it is stated (Job 42:2), "There is no one so fierce as to rouse him; [and] who can stand (yityatsev) in front of Me?" Who are the ones that are eating in front of [God]? "You who are present." Said the Holy One, blessed be He, "You stood in front of Me in this world to accept the commandments; so too will I stand you in the world to come"; as it is stated (Isaiah 66:22), "For as the new heaven and the new earth, which I will make, shall stand in front of Me - speaks the Lord - so shall your seed and your name stand." Thus did Rabbi Tanchuma expound.