Musar sur Job 37:26

We have now learned that the three parts of the Tabernacle correspond to the three parts of the universe concerning which King David said in Psalms 103,20: "Bless the Lord, O, His angels, mighty creatures who do His bidding, ever obedient to His bidding. Bless the Lord all His hosts, His servants who do His will; bless the Lord all His works, through the length and breadth of His realm." David's son Solomon also adopted his father's outlook when he alluded to this in three consecutive verses in Song of Songs 5,13-15. Three different parts of the human body form the subject of those verses, each one representing a different aspect of the universe and how man's composition reflects this division of the universe into three constituent parts. I (Rabbenu Bachyah) have explained this in detail when I discussed Jacob's dream of the ladder." Thus far the quotation from Rabbenu Bachyah.

This is what Eliphaz said to Iyov: "What is man that he would be pure, and that one born of woman should be found righteous? Lo! He does not believe in His holy ones, and the heavens are not pure in His eyes" (Iyov 15:14-15), and "Behold, in His servants he puts no trust, and his angels he charges with error; how much more those who dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, who are crushed before the worm" (ibid 18:19). Therefore, behold, certainly every human being should always fear and quake, as Elihu said: "At this also my heart quakes and leaps out from its place; Hear attentively the thunder of His voice and the rumbling that emanates from His mouth" (Iyov 37:1-2).

The fourth thing that the sinner should know is that all the transgressions that he committed all of his days, the great sins and the small, and all the evil thoughts, and all of the idle things, and all his affairs from small to large — all is written in a book and there is no forgetfulness with God, may He be Exalted, as it is written, "Is not this laid up in store with Me, sealed up in My treasuries?" (Deut. 32:34). And further, "He sealeth up the hand of every man" (Job 37:7). For if a man should think that there is forgetfulness concerning his sins, he will not have remorse and he will not ask God for forgiveness for them. For many think that because the Holy One, Blessed be He, delays in demanding retribution for sins, that these have been forgotten and that they will not come to judgment for them, as it is said, "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil" (Eccl. 8:11).

לא יהיה בך עקר ועקרה . We have a statement by Rav Yudah in the name of Rav in Rosh Hashanah 17a that any community leader who imposes more than the necessary fear upon the people under his charge (when he is not motivated by Heaven-oriented considerations) will fail have to a Torah scholar as a son. Rav supports this statement with a quotation from Job 37,24: "Therefore men are in awe of Him Whom none of the wise can perceive." Thus far the Talmud. This is what refers to the blessing in our verse. The main reason that a person wants to have children is that these should excel in performing good deeds. Our "fruit" are our good deeds. It follows that our children should excel in good deeds.

The camp and flag of the tribe of Dan were situated in the North. The name of G–d concludes with the letter ה, symbolizing the charity, i.e. צדקה, of G–d. It is pointed out in the 12th chapter of the Talmud Shabbat, folio 104, that the letters ג and ד in the Hebrew alphabet are short for גמול דלים, dealing kindly with the poor. These letters are followed by the letter ה, a letter of the name of G–d. Not only does the way this letter is formed represent the name of G–d, but if you use the bottom left leg of the letter and place it before what remains, you get יד, hand, an allusion to the hand that should be extended to the poor. There are various symbolic meanings to the manipulation of sections of this letter, amongst others the result achieved is דודי. He who gives charity in the North, i.e. "hidden", anonymously, before G–d, is considered as having chosen a very commendable way of giving charity (The word Tzafon, North, should be read instead as Tzafun, "hidden"). Gold is supposed to have its origin in the North, or "is hidden," not easily accessible. The angel גבריאל, is positioned on the left, i.e. near the camp of Dan. We are told in Midrash Eicha, by Rabbi Joshua of Sachinan, that the angel Gabriel held the coals (symbol of the destruction that would come upon Jerusalem) in his hands for seven years, all the while hoping that Israel would do תשובה. When they failed to do so, he was ready to throw all these coals at Israel in anger and cause the destruction of Jerusalem. G–d called out to him to be careful not to be so indiscriminate, since there were amongst the people those who practised this charity anonymously, [and that is why their good deeds had not come to the attention of Gabriel. Ed.] In the book Shaarey Gan Eden, commenting on Ezekiel 10,8, "There appeared under the wings of the Cherubs the form of a man's hand," this is explained as a reference to this Midrash Eichah we have just quoted. The words "under their wings" is a reference to the hidden nature of these charitable deeds performed by Jews in Jerusalem.