וַיְדַבֵּר ה' אֶל מֹשֶׁה וְאֶל אַהֲרֹן לֵאמֹר אֲלֵיהֶם, זֹאת הַחַיָּה אֲשֶׁר תֹּאכְלוּ. זֶה שֶׁאָמַר הַכָּתוּב: עָמַד וַיְמֹדֶד אֶרֶץ, רָאָה וַיַּתֵּר גּוֹיִם (חבקוק ג, ו). מַהוּ עָמַד וַיְמֹדֶד אֶרֶץ. בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לִתֵּן הַתּוֹרָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל, עָמַד וּמָדַד אֶת הָאָרֶץ וְנָתַן הַתּוֹרָה בַּמִּדְבָּר בְּפַרְהֶסְיָא. לְכָךְ כָּתוּב, עָמַד וַיְמֹדֶד אֶרֶץ, שֶׁבִּקֵּשׁ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא לְהַחְזִיר אֶת הָעוֹלָם לִמְדִידַת מֵימָיו, כְּעִנְיָן שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: מִי מָדַד בְּשָׁעֳלוֹ מַיִם (ישעיה מ, יב). וְכֵיוָן שֶׁלֹּא קִבְּלוּ אֻמּוֹת הָעוֹלָם אֶת הַתּוֹרָה, כְּבָר הָיָה הָעוֹלָם חוֹזֵר לִמְדִידַת מֵימָיו אִלּוּלֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁקִּבְּלוּ אֶת הַתּוֹרָה וְאָמְרוּ כָּל אֲשֶׁר דִּבֵּר ה' נַעֲשֶׂה (שמות כד, ז). וְכֵיוָן שֶׁקִּבְּלוּהָ, שָׁקַט הָעוֹלָם, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: אֶרֶץ יָרְאָה וְשָׁקָטָה (תהלים עו, ט). וּמִשָּׁם נָטְלוּ הַגּוֹיִם אַפּוֹפְסִין, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: רָאָה וַיַּתֵּר גּוֹיִם. רַבִּי תַּנְחוּמָא בֶּן חֲנִילַאי אָמַר, הִתִּיר לָהֶם אֶת הָאִסּוּרִים וְאֶת הַשְּׁקָצִים וְאֶת הָרְמָשִׂים. מָשָׁל לְמָה הַדָּבָר דּוֹמֶה. לְרוֹפֵא שֶׁהָלַךְ לְבַקֵּר שְׁנֵי חוֹלִים, רָאָה אֶחָד מֵהֶם שֶׁהָיָה בְּסַכָּנָה, אָמַר לִבְנֵי בֵיתוֹ, תְּנוּ לוֹ כָּל מַאֲכָל שֶׁהוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ. רָאָה הָאֶחָד שֶׁעָתִיד לִחְיוֹת. אָמַר לָהֶם: כָּךְ וְכָךְ מַאֲכָל יֹאכַל וְכָךְ וְכָךְ לֹא יֹאכַל. אָמְרוּ לָרוֹפֵא, מַה זֶּה. לָזֶה אַתָּה אוֹמֵר יֹאכַל כָּל מַאֲכָל שֶׁהוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ, וְלָאַחֵר אָמַרְתָּ לֹא יֹאכַל כָּךְ וְכָךְ. אָמַר לָהֶם הָרוֹפֵא, לְזֶה שֶׁהוּא לְחַיִּים, אָמַרְתִּי לוֹ זֶה אֱכֹל וְזֶה לֹא תֹּאכַל. אֲבָל אוֹתוֹ שֶׁהוּא לְמִיתָה, אָמַרְתִּי לָהֶם, כָּל מַה שֶּׁהוּא מְבַקֵּשׁ תְּנוּ לוֹ, שֶׁאֵינוֹ לְחַיִּים. וְכָךְ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא הִתִּיר לַגּוֹיִם הַשְּׁקָצִים וְהָרְמָשִׂים. אֲבָל יִשְׂרָאֵל שֶׁהֵם לְחַיִּים, אָמַר לָהֶם: וִהְיִיתֶם קְדֹשִׁים כִּי קָדוֹשׁ אָנִי, אַל תְּשַׁקְּצוּ אֶת נַפְשׁוֹתֵיכֶם, אֶת זֶה תֹּאכְלוּ, וְאֶת זֶה לֹא תֹּאכֵלוּ, לֹא תִּטַּמְּאוּ בָּהֶם וְנִטְמֵתֶם בָּם. לָמָּה, שֶׁהֵם לְחַיִּים, שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר: וְאַתֶּם הַדְּבֵקִים בַּה' אֱלֹהֵיכֶם חַיִּים כֻּלְּכֶם הַיּוֹם. הֱוֵי, עָמַד וַיְמֹדֶד אֶרֶץ, רָאָה וַיַּתֵּר גּוֹיִם. שְׁלֹשָה דְּבָרִים נִתְקַשָּׁה מֹשֶׁה, וְהֶרְאָה לוֹ הַקָּדוֹשׁ בָּרוּךְ הוּא וְכוּ'. (Lev. 11:1-2:) “Then the Lord spoke unto Moses and unto Aaron, saying […], ‘Speak unto the Children of Israel, saying, “These are the creatures that you may eat….”’” It is stated (in Hab. 3:6), “He arose and measured the earth; He looked and made nations tremble.” What is the meaning of “He arose and measured the earth?”28Tanh., Deut. 11:3. It is simply that, when the Holy One, blessed be He, wanted to give the Torah to Israel, He arose and measured (mdd) the earth.29Cf. Mekhilta de Rabbi Ishmael, Bahodesh 1, 5; Lev. R. 8:2. Then he gave the Torah in public30Gk.: parresia. in the desert.31The sense here is that the Holy One gave the Torah openly on neutral ground, not secretly in Israel. Therefore (in Hab. 3:6), “He arose and measured the earth,” because He wanted to return the world to the measurements of His waters, when the nations did not want to accept the Torah. If it had not been for Israel accepting it, the world would have returned to the measurements of His waters. [It is] just as you say (in Is. 40:12), “Who has measured the waters in the hollow of His hand?” But when Israel accepted it, the earth was still, as stated (in Ps. 76:9), “the earth was afraid and was still.” So it is from there (i.e., from Sinai) that the gentiles received their judgement,32Gk.: apophasis. as stated (Hab. 3:6, cont.), “He looked and made nations tremble (rt.: ntr).” R. Tanhum ben Hanila'i said, “He permitted (hittir) what was forbidden, abhorrent creatures and creeping things.” The matter is comparable to a physician who went to visit two patients.33Lev. R. 13:2. He saw that one of them was in danger. He said to the children of his house, “Tell him to eat whatever he wants.” He saw the other, who was recovering. He said to the children of his house, “Such and such food he may eat; such and such food he may not eat.” They said to the physician, “What is [the difference] that you said to the one, ‘Let him eat whatever he wants,’ but said to the other one, ‘Such and such food he may eat; such and such food he may not eat?’” The physician said to them, “When I saw that the one was dying, I said, ‘Give him [any food] because he is going to die’; but let the other one watch himself, because there is life in him.” So also the Holy One, blessed be He, has permitted (hittir) abhorrent creatures and creeping things to the gentiles. But in the case of Israel, because they are [destined] for life, He has said to them (in Lev. 11:44), “and be holy, for I am holy”; (in Lev. 11:43) “You shall not make yourselves loathsome.” This you may eat and this you may not eat. Why? Because they are alive, as stated (in Deut. 4:4), “But you who clung to the Lord your God are all alive today.” Ergo (in Hab. 3:6), “He arose and measured the earth; He looked and permitted (rt.: ntr) gentiles,” [that which is forbidden]….34So R. Tanhum ben Hanila’i has reinterpreted the more traditional, AND MADE NATIONS TREMBLE. Three things Moshe found difficult [to comprehend], and the Holy One, blessed be He, showed him, etc.