וישא משלו ויאמר (שם כג ג). ילמדנו רבינו מי שאכל ולא נטל ידיו, מה יהא חייב, כך שנו רבותינו, נטילת ידים לפני המזון רשות, לאחר המזון חובה. מעשה היה בשעת השמד בחנוני ישראל שהיה מבשל בשר טהור, ובשר חזיר, ומוכר שלא ירגישו בו שהוא יהודי, וכך היה מנהגו, כל מי שנכנס לחנות שלו ואינו נוטל ידיו, היה יודע שהוא עובד כוכבים, ונותן לפניו בשר חזיר, וכל מי שהיה נוטל ידיו ומברך, יודע שהוא יהודי, ומאכילו בשר טהור, פעם אחת נכנס יהודי לאכול שם, ולא נטל את ידיו, היה סבור שהוא עובד כוכבים, נתן לפניו בשר חזיר, אכל ולא בירך, בא לעושת עמו חשבון על הפת ועל הבשר, ובשר חזיר נמכר ביוקר א"ל יש לי עליך כך וכך מן בשר שאכלת, שהחתיכה שוה עשרה מנה, א"ל אתמול נתת אותה לי בשמונה, והיום אתה רוצה עשרה, א"ל זו של חזיר היא שאכלת, כיון שא"ל כך עמדו לו שערותיו, ונבהל ונפחד, א"ל בצינעה יהודי אי ונתת לי בשר חזיר, א"ל תיפח רוחך כשראיתי שאכלת בלא נטילל ידים ובלא ברכה, הייתי סבור שאתה עובד כוכבים, מיכאן אמרו חכמים מים הראושנים האכילו בשר חזיר, מים אחרונים הרגו את הנפש. (Numb. 24:3:) SO HE TOOK UP HIS THEME AND SAID.93These words also appear in Numb. 23:7, 18; 24:15, 20, 21, 23, but the context of this verse certainly fits the sense of the midrash. Let our master instruct us:94Yelammedenu rabbenu. When these words appear at the beginning of a section along with the response, “Thus have our masters taught…,” they commonly introduce a new parashah. In the case of one who eats without washing his hands, what penalty will he incur?95Tanh., Numb. 7:15; Numb. R. 20:21. Thus have our masters taught: Washing hands before the meal is an option; after the meal it is an obligation.96Hul. 105a, but not in the Mishnah. It once happened in a time of religious persecution that there was one of the Israelite shopkeepers who would cook and sell both clean meat and pork, so that they would not notice that he was a Jew. Now his custom was this: Whenever anyone came into his shop and did not wash his hands, he knew that he was a star worshiper and would set pork before him; but whenever anyone washed his hands and recited the blessing, he knew that he was a Jew and would serve him clean meat. Once a certain Jew came in to eat there but did not wash his hands. Thinking that he was a star worshiper, he set pork before him. He ate without saying the blessing (after the meal). When he came to settle the account with him for the bread and for the meat, the pork was expensively priced. He said to him: I have such and such against you over the meat which you have eaten, for the slice is worth ten minas.97Gk.: mna. He said to him: Yesterday you gave it to me for eight. Now today you want ten! He said to him: This which you ate is from a hog. When he said this to him, his hair stood on end, for he became terrified and afraid. He said to him privately: I am a Jew and you have given me pork. He said to him: A curse on you! When I saw that you ate without washing your hands and without a blessing, I thought that you were were a star worshiper. Hence the sages have said: The <omission of> the first water (before the meal) caused him to serve him pork; <the neglect of> the latter water (after the meal) took a life.98Yoma 83b; Hul. 106a.
מעשה באדם אחד אשכל קיטנית ולא נטל ידיו, ירד לשוק וידיו מטונפות מן הקיטנית, ראה אותו חבירו, הלך ואמר לאשתו, אמר ליך בעליך סימן שאכל עכשיו קיטנית, שגרי לו אותו טבעת, לאחר שעה בא בעלה, אמר לה היכן הטבעת, אמרה לו פלוני בא בסימנין שלך ונתתיה לו, נתמלא חימה עמד והרגה, לפיכך מי שאינו נוטל את ידיו אחר המזון כאילו הורג את הנפש, לפיכך הזהיר הקב"ה את ישראל שלא לפשוע אפילו במצות קלות, שנאמר כי לא דבר רק הוא מכם כי הוא חייכם (דברים לב מז), אפילו דבר מצוה שאתה רואה אותה שהיא ריקה וקלה, בה חיים, ואריכות ימים, אמר הקב"ה לישראל אם שמרתם את מצותי, אני אפיל שונאיכם לפניכם, שנאמר לו עמי שומע לי ישראל בדרכי יהלכו כמעט אויביהם אכניע וכגו' (תהלים פא יד טו). כשראה בלעם היאך ישראל משמרים את המצות הקלות, אמר מי יוכל לקלל את אלו שהם משמרים מצות, ושמו גלוף עליהם, שנאמר ה' אלהיו עמו (במדבר כג כא), המקלל מקלל לעצמו, ששמו משותף עמהם, התחיחל הופך למשלים. There is a story about a certain person who ate pulse without washing his hands. When he went down to the market place, his hands were filthy from the pulse. When an acquaintance of his saw him, he went and said to his wife: Your husband has mentioned as a token99Siman. Gk.: semeion. to you <of my authenticity> that he has just now eaten pulse.100I.e., the fact that he knew what his friend had just eaten would be evidence of his having spoken with him. Send him that ring. After a time her husband came. He said to her: Where is the ring? She said to him: So and so came with your tokens, and I gave it to him. Becoming filled with rage, he arose and killed her. Therefore, whoever does not wash his hands after the meal is like one who takes a life. Therefore, the Holy One has warned Israel not to transgress even insignificant commandments, as stated (in Deut. 32:47): FOR IT (the Torah) IS NO EMPTY THING FOR YOU, IN THAT IT IS YOUR VERY LIFE. Even some commandment that you consider to be empty and insignificant has within it life and length of days. The Holy One said to Israel: If you keep my commandments, I will cast down your enemies before you, as stated (in Ps. 81:14–15[13–14]): O THAT MY PEOPLE WOULD LISTEN TO ME, THAT ISRAEL WOULD WALK IN MY WAYS. THEN I WOULD VIRTUALLY SUBDUE THEIR ENEMIES…. When Balaam saw how Israel observed <even> the insignificant commandments, he said: Who can curse these people, when they observe commandments and when his name is engraved upon them. It is so stated (in Numb. 23:21: THE LORD THEIR GOD IS WITH THEM. Whoever curses them curses himself, because his name is joined with them.101I.e., the name El (“God”) forms part of the name Israel. He began turning to oracles.
וישא משלו. זש"ה מברך רעהו בקול (רם) [גדול] בבקר השכים קללה תחשב לו (משלי כז יד), כשבא בלעם לקלל את ישראל, פקם הקב"ה את לשונו והתחיל לברך, שנאמר ולא אבה ה' אלהיך לשמוע אל בלעם ויהפוך ה' אלהיך לך את הקללה לברכה (דברים כג ו), נתן הקב"ה כח בקולו, והיה קולו הולך מסוף העולם ועד סופו, כדי שישמעו האומות שהוא מברכן, ועליו נאמר מברך רעהו בקול (רם) [גדול] וגו', שאמר לכה איעצך, והרג ארבעה ועשרים אלף, יש קללה כזו. (Numb. 24:3:)102See the note at the beginning of this chapter. SO HE UTTERED HIS ORACLE. This text is related (to Prov. 27:14): WHOEVER RISES EARLY IN THE MORNING TO BLESS HIS NEIGHBOR IN A {SHRILL} [LOUD] VOICE SHALL HAVE IT RECKONED TO HIM AS A CURSE. When Balaam came to curse Israel, the Holy One diverted his tongue, so that he began to bless. It is so stated (in Deut. 23:6 [5]): BUT THE LORD YOUR GOD DID NOT WANT TO HEED BALAAM; SO THE LORD YOUR GOD TURNED THE CURSE INTO A BLESSING FOR YOU. The Holy One put power in his voice and his voice went from one end of the world to the other, so that the nations would hear that he was blessing <Israel>. Now it is stated concerning him (in Prov. 27:14): WHOEVER <RISES EARLY IN THE MORNING TO> BLESS HIS NEIGHBOR IN A {SHRILL} [LOUD] VOICE <SHALL HAVE IT RECKONED TO HIM AS A CURSE>. <This verse refers to the fact> that he had said (in Numb. 24:14): COME, LET ME ADVISE YOU. Then he killed twenty-four thousand.103What Balaam advised them was to worship Baal-peor and the Gods of Moab (Numb. 25:1-3), and the result was a plague that killed 24,000 (Numb. 25:9). Is there <any> curse like this?