בראשית רבה ל״זBereshit Rabbah 37

Section 1א׳

בְּנֵי יֶפֶת גֹּמֶר וּמָגוֹג (בראשית י, ב), אָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר אַמִּי זוֹ אַפְרִיקָה, וְגֵירְמַנְיָא וּמָדַי וּמַקְדּוֹנְיָא אִיסַנְיָא, וְתוֹנְיָה. תִּירָס רַבִּי סִימוֹן אָמַר זוֹ פָּרָס. רַבָּנָן אָמְרֵי תּוּרְקִי. וּבְנֵי גוֹמֶר אַשְׁכְּנַז וְרִיפַת וְתֹגַרְמָא, אַסְיָא, וְהַדְּיָף וְגֶרְמַנְיָא. רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה אָמַר גֵּירְמַנִיקְיָא. וּבְנֵי יָוָן אֱלִישָׁה וְתַרְשִׁישׁ, אֶלְסִיטְרוֹס אִיטַלְיָא דַּרְדָּנַיָּא. כָּתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר: וְדֹדָנִים, וְכָתוּב אֶחָד אוֹמֵר (דברי הימים א א, ז): וְרוֹדָנִים, רַבִּי סִימוֹן וְרַבִּי חָנִין, רַבִּי סִימוֹן אָמַר דּוֹדָנִים שֶׁהֵם בְּנֵי דוֹדִין שֶׁל יִשְׂרָאֵל, רוֹדָנִים שֶׁהֵן בָּאִים וְרוֹדִין אוֹתָם. אָמַר רַבִּי חֲנִינָא בְּשָׁעָה שֶׁיִּשְׂרָאֵל נְתוּנִים בַּעֲלִיָּה, אִנּוּן אָמְרִין לְהוֹן בְּנֵי דּוֹדְכֶן אֲנַן, וּבְשָׁעָה שֶׁהֵם נְתוּנִין בִּירִידָה הֵם בָּאִים וְרוֹדִין אוֹתָם.

“The sons of Yefet: Gomer, and Magog, and Madai, and Yavan, and Tuval, and Meshekh, and Tiras” (Genesis 10:2). “The sons of Yefet: Gomer, and Magog [and Madai]” – these are Africa, Germania, Madai. [“And Yavan, and Tuval and Meshekh”] – Macedonia, Isnia, and Tonia. “Tiras” – Rabbi Simon said: This is Persia. The Rabbis say: Thrace. “And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Rifat, and Togarma” (Genesis 10:3). “And the sons of Gomer: Ashkenaz, and Rifat, and Togarma” – Asia, Adiabene, and Germania; Rabbi Berekhya said: Germanicia. “And the sons of Yavan: Elisha, and Tarshish, Kitim, and Dodanim” (Genesis 10:4). “And the sons of Yavan: Elisha, and Tarshish, [Kitim, and Dodanim]” – Hellas and Tarsus, Italia, and Dardania. One verse says: “And Dodanim” and another verse says: “and Rodanim” (I Chronicles 1:7). Rabbi Simon and Rabbi Ḥanin, Rabbi Simon said: Dodanim – because they were Israel’s cousins [benei dodin]. Rodanim – because they would come and oppress [rodin] them. Rabbi Ḥanina said: When Israel is ascendant, they say to them: ‘We are your cousins,’ and when they are in decline, they come and oppress them.

Section 2ב׳

וּבְנֵי חָם כּוּשׁ וּמִצְרַיִם וּפוּט וּכְנָעַן (בראשית י, ו), אָמַר רַבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן לָקִישׁ הָיִינוּ סְבוּרִים שֶׁנִּתְבַּלְּעָה מִשְׁפַּחְתּוֹ שֶׁל פּוּט, בָּא יְחֶזְקֵאל וּפֵרַשׁ (יחזקאל ל, ה): כּוּשׁ וּפוּט וְלוּד וְכָל הָעֶרֶב וְכוּב וּבְנֵי אֶרֶץ הַבְּרִית אִתָּם בַּחֶרֶב יִפֹּלוּ. (בראשית י, ח): וְכוּשׁ יָלַד אֶת נִמְרֹד, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב (תהלים ז, א): שִׁגָּיוֹן לְדָוִד אֲשֶׁר שָׁר לַה' עַל דִּבְרֵי כוּשׁ בֶּן יְמִינִי, רַבִּי יְהוֹשֻׁעַ בַּר נְחֶמְיָה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי חֲנִינָה בֶּן יִצְחָק כְּנֶגֶד בִּימָה שֶׁל, רָשָׁע אֲמָרוֹ, וְכִי כּוּשִׁי הֲוָה, אֶלָּא שֶׁעָשָׂה כְּמַעֲשֵׂה נִמְרוֹד, הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב: עַל כֵּן יֵאָמַר נִמְרֹד גִּבּוֹר צַיִּד לִפְנֵי ה', אֵין כְּתִיב כָּאן, אֶלָּא כְּנִמְרֹד גִּבּוֹר צַיִּד, מַה זֶּה צָד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת בְּפִיהֶם, אַף זֶה צָד אֶת הַבְּרִיּוֹת בְּפִיהֶם, לָא גְנֵבְתְּ מַן גְּנַב עִמָּךְ, לָא קְטַלְתְּ מַן קְטַל עִמָּךְ.

“And the sons of Ḥam: Kush, and Mitzrayim, and Put, and Canaan” (Genesis 10:6). “And the sons of Ḥam: Kush, and Mitzrayim, and Put, and Canaan” –Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: We might have been under the impression that the family of Put was assimilated [into other nations]. But Ezekiel came and stated explicitly [otherwise]: “Kush, Put and Lud and all the intermingled people, Cub and the children of the land of the covenant, will fall with them by the sword” (Ezekiel 30:5). “And Kush begot Nimrod; he began to be a mighty one in the earth” (Genesis 10:8). “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord; therefore it is said: Like Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord” (Genesis 10:9). “And Kush begot Nimrod” – that is what is written: “A meditation by David, a song that he sang to the Lord concerning the words of Kush Ben Yemini” (Psalms 7:1). Rabbi Yehoshua bar Neḥemya in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina ben Yitzḥak: He said it corresponding to the [harsh] justice administered by that wicked one. But was Esau a Kushite? The meaning [of this description] is, rather, that he performed deeds like the deeds of [Kush’s son] Nimrod. That is what is written: “Therefore it is said:…Nimrod, a mighty hunter before the Lord” is not written here, but rather, “like Nimrod, a mighty hunter” (Genesis 10:9) – just as that one hunted [ensnared] people through their words, so, too, this one hunts [ensnares] people with their words. [They say:] ‘You [claim you] did not steal? Who stole with you? You [claim you] did not kill? Who killed with you?’

Section 3ג׳

הוּא הָיָה גִּבֹּר צַיִּד לִפְנֵי ה' (בראשית י, ט), חֲמִשָּׁה הוּא לְטוֹבָה, וַחֲמִשָּׁה הוּא לְרָעָה. הוּא הָיָה גִּבֹּר צַיּד לִפְנֵי ה', (בראשית לו, מג): הוּא עֵשָׂו אֲבִי אֱדוֹם, (במדבר כו, ט): הוּא דָּתָן וַאֲבִירָם, (דברי הימים ב כח, כב): הוּא הַמֶּלֶךְ אָחָז, (אסתר א, א): הוּא אֲחַשְׁוֵרוֹשׁ. וַחֲמִשָּׁה הוּא לְטוֹבָה, (דברי הימים א כז): אַבְרָם הוּא אַבְרָהָם: (שמות ו, כז): הוּא משֶׁה וְאַהֲרֹן: (שמות ו, כו): הוּא אַהֲרֹן וּמשֶׁה: (דברי הימים ב לב, ל): הוּא חִזְקִיָּה הַמֶּלֶךְ: (עזרא ז, ו): הוּא עֶזְרָא עָלָה מִבָּבֶל. רַבִּי בֶּרֶכְיָה בְּשֵׁם רַבִּי חָנִין אַף אִית לָן חַד הוּא טָבָא מִן כֻּלְּהוֹן, (תהלים קה, ז): הוּא ה' אֱלֹהֵינוּ, שֶׁמִּדַּת רַחֲמָיו לְעוֹלָם.

“He [hu] was a mighty hunter before the Lord” – there five instances of hu that are in a good sense and five instances of hu that are in a bad sense. [These are the bad ones:] “He was a mighty hunter before the Lord”; “He is Esau, father of Edom” (Genesis 36:43); “He was Datan, and Aviram” (Numbers 26:9); “He was King Aḥaz” (II Chronicles 28:22); “He was Aḥashverosh” (Esther 1:1). And five are in a good sense: “Abram, he is Abraham” (I Chronicles 1:27); “He was Moses, and Aaron” (Exodus 6:27); “He is Aaron, and Moses” (Exodus 6:26); “He was King Hezekiah” (II Chronicles 32:30); “He was Ezra, ascended from Babylon” (Ezra 7:6). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Ḥanin: We have one that is even better than them all: “He is the Lord our God” (Psalms 105:7), meaning that His attribute of mercy is eternal.