זְבוּלֻ֕ן לְח֥וֹף יַמִּ֖ים יִשְׁכֹּ֑ן וְהוּא֙ לְח֣וֹף אֳנִיּ֔וֹת וְיַרְכָת֖וֹ עַל־צִידֹֽן׃ (ס)
Zabulon occupera le littoral des mers; il offrira des ports aux vaisseaux et sa plage atteindra Sidon.
Mei HaShiloach
"And these are the names; And it was that because the midwives feared [the Lord], He made for them houses." - For by the fear of flesh and blood, when a person fears another of flesh and blood, he won't come to any peace of mind, for fear engenders the opposite of peace of mind, however, fear of God brings rest. This, therefore, informs us as to the meaning of "He made them houses", for houses symbolize rest and peace of mind. Therefore, when the midwives gained the peace of mind which follows the proper fear of God, they no longer feared any of Pharaoh's decrees, and this is the meaning of "He made them houses". This is also the meaning of that which is written elsewhere that "Zevulun will dwell by the seashore; He shall be a haven for ships", for water informs regarding proper fear, and ships inform regarding peace of mind, as it is brought down in the Gemara (Bava Metzia 9b) "Ships sit idle"
Kedushat Levi
Genesis 49,12. “his eyes are darker red than wine; his teeth are whiter than milk.” [These words clearly are hyperbole, as Yaakov on his deathbed would not indulge in poetry for poetry’s sake. Ed.]
It is an accepted principle that when a human being (Torah observant Jew) is desirous of obtaining the material blessings of this world, he is immediately overcome by the realization that in return for receiving such blessings he must intensify his attachment, דבקות, to his Creator Who has provided these blessings for him. Yaakov attempts to put the mind of such people at ease, basing himself on the statement in the Talmud Pessachim 112, that even though the calf is very anxious to drink from the milk of its mother, the mother cow is even more anxious to supply the calf with its milk. In this parable the “calf” is the Israelite, and the “mother cow” is the provider of the milk, i.e. G’d. Yaakov describes the overwhelming desire of G’d to bestow His largesse on His people. The satisfaction G’d derives from being able to do this for His “children,” exceeds even the joy of His children when receiving all these blessings.
It is an accepted principle that when a human being (Torah observant Jew) is desirous of obtaining the material blessings of this world, he is immediately overcome by the realization that in return for receiving such blessings he must intensify his attachment, דבקות, to his Creator Who has provided these blessings for him. Yaakov attempts to put the mind of such people at ease, basing himself on the statement in the Talmud Pessachim 112, that even though the calf is very anxious to drink from the milk of its mother, the mother cow is even more anxious to supply the calf with its milk. In this parable the “calf” is the Israelite, and the “mother cow” is the provider of the milk, i.e. G’d. Yaakov describes the overwhelming desire of G’d to bestow His largesse on His people. The satisfaction G’d derives from being able to do this for His “children,” exceeds even the joy of His children when receiving all these blessings.