לא תירא לביתה משלג כי כל ביתה לבוש שנים (משלי לא כא), חזקיה אמר משפט רשעים מגיהנם שנים עשר חדש, ששה חדשים בחמה, וששה חדשים בצינה, בתחלה הקב"ה מכניס בהם חיכוך, והם אומרים זו גיהנם של הקב"ה, ואחר כך הוא מוציאן לשלג, והם אומרים זו היא צינתו של הקב"ה, בתחלה הם אומרים ווה, ולבסוף הם אומרים ווי, הוא שדוד אמר ויעלני מבור שאון מטיט היון (תהלים מ ג), ממקום שאומרים וה וויי, והיכן משלימין עצמם, ר' יהודה [ברבי] אומר בשלג, הדה הוא דכתיב בפרש שדי מלכים בה תשלג בצלמון (שם סח טו), השלג הוא צלמונא שלהם, יכול אף ישראל כן, תלמוד לומר כי כל ביתה לבוש שנים, מילה ופריעה, ציצית ותפילין, הענק תעניק, נתון תתן, פתוח תפתח, עשר תעשר, לפיכך משה מזהיר לישראל עשר תעשר.
(Prov. 31:21): SHE IS NOT AFRAID FOR HER HOUSEHOLD BECAUSE OF SNOW, FOR ALL HER HOUSEHOLD ARE DRESSED TWOFOLD22ShNYM. The usual voweling for this word is shanim, which means “SCARLET,” but here the voweling, shenayim, which means “TWOFOLD,” better fits the sense of the midrash. Hezekiah said: The judgment of the wicked in Gehinnom <lasts> twelve months,23Tanh., Deut. 4:15; PRK 10:4; also above, Gen. 1:33. The judgment saying alone also occurs in ‘Eduy. 2:10, where it is attributed to R. Aqiba, and in ySanh. 10:3 (29b), where it is attributed to Judah b. R. Hezekiah and Rabbi. six months in the heat and six months in the cold. At first the Holy One has a cold24Hikkukh. The word generally means “itch.” For this translation, see Jastrow, s.v. HYKWK. enter them, and they say: Is this the Gehinnom of the Holy One? Then after that he brings them to the snow, where they say: Is this the cold of the Holy One? At first they say: Ah (wah), <from pleasure>, but in the end they say: Oh (way), <from pain>.25For this interpretation, see Buber, ad loc., n. 45. That is what David said (in Ps. 40:3): AND HE RAISED ME UP FROM THE PIT OF DESOLATION, FROM THE MIRY MUD (HYWN), <i.e.,> from a place where they say: Oh (WH), ah (WY). So where do they resign themselves <to their punishment>? R. Judah [Berabbi] says: In the snow. This is <the meaning of> what is written (in Ps. 68:15 [14]): WHEN THE ALMIGHTY SCATTERED KINGS THERE, IT SNOWED IN ZALMON.26Zalmon, which means “darkness,” is a name for Gehinnom. Their Zalmon is the snow. Can this also <apply to> Israel? Scripture teaches (in Prov. 31:21): <BECAUSE OF SNOW,> FOR ALL HER HOUSEHOLD ARE DRESSED TWOFOLD (i.e., Israel is clothed in scriptural pairs): Circumcision (of the foreskin) and uncovering (the corona), tassels and tefillin (i.e., phylacteries), (Deut. 15:14:) PROVIDE LIBERALLY (literally: PROVIDE PROVIDE for the redeemed slave) and (Deut. 15:10): GIVE LIBERALLY (literally: GIVE GIVE to the poor Israelite), (Deut. 15:11:) YOU SHALL SURELY OPEN UP (literally: OPEN UP OPEN UP to the poor and needy) and (Deut. 14:22:) YOU SHALL SURELY TITHE (literally: TITHE TITHE). For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22): YOU SHALL TITHE TITHE.
לא תירא לביתה משלג כי כל ביתה לבוש שנים (משלי לא כא), חזקיה אמר משפט רשעים מגיהנם שנים עשר חדש, ששה חדשים בחמה, וששה חדשים בצינה, בתחלה הקב"ה מכניס בהם חיכוך, והם אומרים זו גיהנם של הקב"ה, ואחר כך הוא מוציאן לשלג, והם אומרים זו היא צינתו של הקב"ה, בתחלה הם אומרים ווה, ולבסוף הם אומרים ווי, הוא שדוד אמר ויעלני מבור שאון מטיט היון (תהלים מ ג), ממקום שאומרים וה וויי, והיכן משלימין עצמם, ר' יהודה [ברבי] אומר בשלג, הדה הוא דכתיב בפרש שדי מלכים בה תשלג בצלמון (שם סח טו), השלג הוא צלמונא שלהם, יכול אף ישראל כן, תלמוד לומר כי כל ביתה לבוש שנים, מילה ופריעה, ציצית ותפילין, הענק תעניק, נתון תתן, פתוח תפתח, עשר תעשר, לפיכך משה מזהיר לישראל עשר תעשר.
(Prov. 31:21): SHE IS NOT AFRAID FOR HER HOUSEHOLD BECAUSE OF SNOW, FOR ALL HER HOUSEHOLD ARE DRESSED TWOFOLD22ShNYM. The usual voweling for this word is shanim, which means “SCARLET,” but here the voweling, shenayim, which means “TWOFOLD,” better fits the sense of the midrash. Hezekiah said: The judgment of the wicked in Gehinnom <lasts> twelve months,23Tanh., Deut. 4:15; PRK 10:4; also above, Gen. 1:33. The judgment saying alone also occurs in ‘Eduy. 2:10, where it is attributed to R. Aqiba, and in ySanh. 10:3 (29b), where it is attributed to Judah b. R. Hezekiah and Rabbi. six months in the heat and six months in the cold. At first the Holy One has a cold24Hikkukh. The word generally means “itch.” For this translation, see Jastrow, s.v. HYKWK. enter them, and they say: Is this the Gehinnom of the Holy One? Then after that he brings them to the snow, where they say: Is this the cold of the Holy One? At first they say: Ah (wah), <from pleasure>, but in the end they say: Oh (way), <from pain>.25For this interpretation, see Buber, ad loc., n. 45. That is what David said (in Ps. 40:3): AND HE RAISED ME UP FROM THE PIT OF DESOLATION, FROM THE MIRY MUD (HYWN), <i.e.,> from a place where they say: Oh (WH), ah (WY). So where do they resign themselves <to their punishment>? R. Judah [Berabbi] says: In the snow. This is <the meaning of> what is written (in Ps. 68:15 [14]): WHEN THE ALMIGHTY SCATTERED KINGS THERE, IT SNOWED IN ZALMON.26Zalmon, which means “darkness,” is a name for Gehinnom. Their Zalmon is the snow. Can this also <apply to> Israel? Scripture teaches (in Prov. 31:21): <BECAUSE OF SNOW,> FOR ALL HER HOUSEHOLD ARE DRESSED TWOFOLD (i.e., Israel is clothed in scriptural pairs): Circumcision (of the foreskin) and uncovering (the corona), tassels and tefillin (i.e., phylacteries), (Deut. 15:14:) PROVIDE LIBERALLY (literally: PROVIDE PROVIDE for the redeemed slave) and (Deut. 15:10): GIVE LIBERALLY (literally: GIVE GIVE to the poor Israelite), (Deut. 15:11:) YOU SHALL SURELY OPEN UP (literally: OPEN UP OPEN UP to the poor and needy) and (Deut. 14:22:) YOU SHALL SURELY TITHE (literally: TITHE TITHE). For that reason Moses warned Israel (in Deut. 14:22): YOU SHALL TITHE TITHE.