Midrasch zu Schir haSchirim 5:10

(Exod. 1:1:) NOW THESE ARE THE NAMES OF THE CHILDREN OF ISRAEL. This text is related (to Ps. 48:11 [10]): AS YOUR NAME, O GOD, SO DOES YOUR PRAISE < REACH > TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH <YOUR RIGHT HAND IS FULL OF RIGHTEOUSNESS. >¹Tanh., Exod. 1:2. When a king of flesh and blood enters a country, they praise²Gk.: kalos. him for being mighty while he is actually frail. They praise him for being merciful while he is actually cruel. They praise him for being handsome while he is actually ugly. They give him much praise for such things. With the Holy One, however, such is not the case. Rather, whenever anyone praises him, he exceeds the praise. How so? They praise him for being mighty; and he is mighty, as stated (in Deut. 10:17): THE GREAT, THE MIGHTY, AND THE AWESOME GOD. They praise him for being handsome; and he is handsome, as stated (in Cant. 5:10): MY BELOVED IS BRIGHT AND RUDDY. They praise him for being merciful; and he is merciful, as stated (in Deut. 4:31): FOR THE LORD YOUR GOD IS A MERCIFUL GOD …. Ergo (in Ps. 48:11 [10]): LIKE YOUR NAME, O GOD, SO DOES YOUR PRAISE < REACH > TO THE ENDS OF THE EARTH. R. Judah b. R. Shallum the Levite said: See what is written (in Exod. 15:11): AWESOME IN PRAISES < AND > DOING WONDERS. Huna bar Abbin the Priest said: What is the meaning of AWESOME IN PRAISES? God is awesome over <and above > all your praises. Ergo (in Exod. 15:11): AWESOME IN PRAISES. R. Simon said: See what David said (in I Chron. 29:11) TO YOU, O LORD, BELONG THE GREATNESS, THE MIGHT…; YOUR NAME IS EXALTED AS HEAD OVER ALL.³The Masoretic Text here reads somewhat differently. <Here is> the greatness for which we praise you.

"This is my G d and I will extol Him": R. Eliezer says: Whence is it derived that a maid-servant beheld at the Red Sea what was not beheld by Ezekiel and the other prophets, of whom it is written (Hoshea 12:11) "And to the prophets I appeared (in various) guises," and (Ezekiel 1:1) "The heavens opened and I saw visions of G d"? An analogy: A king of flesh and blood comes to a province, a circle of guards around him, warriors at his right and at his left, armies before him and behind him — and all asking "Who is the king?" For he is flesh and blood as they are. But when the Holy One was revealed at the sea, there was no need for anyone to ask "Who is the King?" For when they saw Him, they knew Him, and they all opened and said "This is my G d, and I will extol Him ("ve'anvehu," lit.: "I will 'host' Him")!" R. Yishmael says: Is it possible to "host" one's Master? Rather, (read "ve'anvehu" as) "I shall beautify myself (from the root "na'eh") before Him with mitzvoth — with a beautiful lulav, beautiful tzitzith, a beautiful shofar, beautiful prayer. Abba Shaul says: "I will liken myself to Him" (i.e., "ve'anvehu" = ani vehu ["I and He"]) Just as He is merciful and gracious, you, too, be merciful and gracious. R. Yossi Haglili says; "Beautify and praise the Holy One Blessed be He before all the peoples of the world." R. Yossi b. Dormaskith says: "I shall make a Temple before Him," "navth" being the Temple, as in (Psalms 79:7) "and they have destroyed navehu" (His Temple)", and (Isaiah 33:20) "But you will regard (with deference) Zion, the city of our assemblies. Your eyes will see Jerusalem, the peaceful habitation" (neveh sha'anan). R. Akiva says: "I shall speak of His beauty" — of the praise of the Holy One Blessed be He, who spoke and brought the world into being. The peoples of the world ask Israel (Song of Songs 5:9) "How is your Beloved (different) from the beloved (of all the other nations) that you have thus besworn us? (see Ibid. 8) that you thus die for Him and are thus murdered for Him, viz. (Ibid. 1:3) "alamoth have loved You" — they have loved You "al maveth" ("above death"), and (Psalms 44:23) "for over You we are slain all the day"? You are comely, you are strong. Come and join us. And Israel says to them: Do you know Him? Let us tell you part of His praise (Song of Songs 5:10) "My Beloved is white and ruddy, distinguished among legions." When they hear this, they say to Israel: Let us go with you, viz. (Ibid. 6:1) "Where did your Beloved go, you loveliest among the women? Whither has your Beloved turned? Let us seek Him with you." And Israel says to them (Ibid. 2:16) "My Beloved is mine, and I am His," and (Ibid. 6:3) "I am my Beloved's, and my Beloved is mine, who grazes His flock among the lilies." And the sages say (on "ve'anvehu"): "I shall accompany Him ("alavenhu") until I come with Him to His Temple. An analogy: A king's son goes abroad — he goes after him and attends upon him. He goes to a different city — he goes after him and attends upon him. Thus with Israel. When they went down to Egypt, the Shechinah was with them, viz. (Genesis 46:4) "I shall go down with you to Egypt." When they went up, the Shechinah went up with them, viz. (Ibid.) "and I shall also bring you up." When they went down to the sea, the Shechinah was with them, viz. (Exodus 14:19) "And the angel of G d, who went before the camp of Israel, etc." When they went out to the desert, the Shechinah was with them, viz. (Ibid. 13:21) "And the L rd went before them by day, etc." — until they brought Him with them to His holy Temple, viz. (Song of Songs 3: "I had almost passed them (Moses and Aaron) by, when I found Him whom my soul loved. I held onto Him and did not let go of Him until I had brought Him to the house of my mother and the chamber of my conception." "my G d" (Keli): With me He manifested the attribute of mercy, and with my fathers, the attribute of justice. And whence is it derived that "keli" connotes the attribute of mercy? From (Psalms 22:2) "Keli, Keli, why have You forsaken me?" and (Numbers 12:13) "Kel, I pray You, heal her, I pray You," and (Psalms 118:27) "The L rd is 'Kel,' and He has lighted (the way) for us." And whence is it derived that "Elokim" (as in [Exodus, Ibid] "the G d ['Elokei'] of my father") connotes justice? From (Devarim 1:17) "For the judgment is to 'Elokim.'" "the G d of my father, and I will exalt Him": I am a queen, the daughter of kings; a beloved one, the daughter of beloved ones; a holy one, the daughter of holy ones; a pure one, the daughter of pure ones. An analogy: A man goes to betroth a woman. Sometimes he is embarrassed in her; sometimes, in her kin. But I am not so, but a queen, the daughter of kings, etc. R. Shimon b. Elazar says: When Israel do the will of the L rd, His name is exalted in the world, as it is written (Joshua 5:1) "And it was, when all the kings of the Emori heard, etc." And thus did Rachav say to Joshuah's emissaries, (Ibid. 2:10) "for we heard how the L rd dried up, etc.", and (Ibid. 17) "and we heard and our hearts melted, and no man's spirit endured within him before you. For the L rd, He is G d in the heavens above, etc." And when they do not do His will, His name, as it were, is demeaned in the world, viz. (Ezekiel 36:20) "And they came to the nations … and they profaned My holy name when it was said of them: These are the peoples of the L rd, and from His land did they go forth …" and (Ibid. 23) "And I shall sanctify My great name which has been profaned among the nations, etc." "the G d of my father, and I will exalt Him": The congregation of Israel said before the Holy One Blessed be He: L rd of the world, it is not for the miracles that You performed with Me that I chant song before You, but for the miracles that You performed with my fathers and with me in all of the generations — thus: "This is my G d and I will extol Him; the G d of my father, and I will exalt Him."

[It is said above] "R. Akiba went into the heavenly garden in peace and came down from it in peace. And it is concerning him that the passage reads (Songs 1, 4) Oh, draw me! after thee will we run." Nevertheless R. Akiba was also in danger of being pushed away by the angels, but the Holy One, praised be He! said to them: "Leave this old scholar, for he is worthy to avail himself of my glory." (Fol. 16) What interpretation did R. Akiba give [that prevented him from being misled, as was Acher]? Rabba b. b. Chana said in the name of R. Jochanan (Deut. 33, 2) "And He came from the myriads holy; i.e., He is the ensign among His myriads." R. Abahu said (Songs 5, 10) "Pre-eminent above ten thousand; i.e., He is exemplified by His myriads [of Angels]." Resh Lakish said (Is. 47, 2) "The Lord of Hosts is His name; i.e., He is exemplified by His [multitude of] troops." R. Chiya b. Abba said in the name of R. Jochanan: "From the following passage (I Kings 19, 11-12) But not in the wind was the Lord; and after the wind was an earthquake, but not in the earthquake was the Lord; and after the earthquake was a fire, but not in the fire was the Lord; and after the fire was the sound of a soft whisper. And behold, the Lord passed by" (i.e., from the whisper he understood that there was the Shechina).