Commentaire de citation sur Les Psaumes 84:12

And the wise of the generation interpret: לראי יקפיל —that God will remove the heavens, which are compared to a cast mirror (ראי). And וחדשים יכפיל — these are the new heavens. But this is also incorrect, for there is only one possible meaning of it in that case: God will remove the mirror and double the new mirror. Maybe they're really thick — twice as thick — so it's hard to strike them!^note The Ra"ava is being sarcastic here. This is followed by several examples of reductio ad absurdium, with the same sarcastic tone. Should a person say "no animal is as wise as a wild ass," since a wild ass refers to a man, as is written and a wild-ass onager is born a man (Job 11:12)? Or should he say "happy is the people who worships fire and bows to the sun" since fire is the glorious and awesome Name as is written for the LORD your God is a consuming fire, a zealous God (Deuteronomy 4:24), as is the sun as is written for sun and shield is the LORD (Psalm 84:12)? Certainly, since those are written without a kaph, unlike strong like a mirror (Job 37:18). So the verse only compared the heavens to a mirror because mirrors are so strong! Should a person pray "Blessed are You, o Lion" since it is found regarding the Place "like a lion He will roar" (Hosea 11:10)? Will that seem good in the LORD's eyes? And why not learn from Solomon? For none was as wise as him after him; and behold, his prayer that he prayed (I Kings 8:22-53) is known, and all who know the holy tongue understand it, without riddles or allegories. And so too the prayer of Daniel (Daniel 9:4-19) who loosened knotty problems (Daniel 5:12). Behold, they only prayed with understandable matters, and they were wise. All the more so, one who prays for many people, many of whom are not wise! Thus all prayer for weekdays and holidays that the Early Sages ordained are without riddles and allegories. And what is the meaning of saying that God would double the new heavens? Will there be two heavens?

The voice. The angel.¹⁶I. E. prefers to let the angel speak to Isaiah, to attributing to God a voice in its literal meaning. Said unto the prophet. כחציר═חציר Like grass. Comp. כשמש═שמש as sun (Ps. 84:12).

Wir haben bereits zu Schmot 12, 2 des Wortes der Weisen gedacht, die den Ausspruch החדש הזה לכם durch: רוגמא שלכם erläutern und damit die Bedeutung unseres Mondfestkalenders in den Gedanken zusammenfassen, daß wir in den Licht- und Dunkelphasen des Mondes das Vorbild unserer inneren und äußeren Überstrahlung mit dem göttlichen Lichte und der göttlichen Gnade finden mögen, die ja nach der Stellung, die wir Gott gegenüber einnehmen, wächst und schwindet, und der wir mondgleich aus dem tiefsten Dunkel immer wieder entgegen streben sollen. Heißt ja Gott in der Waltung seiner Gnade und seines Rechtes: Sonne und Schild, כי שמש ומגן ד׳ אלקים (Ps. 84, 12). Soll uns doch die Sonne nicht das Licht unserer Tage und der Mond nicht den Abglanz für die Nächte bieten, sondern Gott uns das ewige, nimmer untergehende Licht einst werden. לא יהיה לך עוד השמש לאור יומם ולנגה הירח לא יאיר לך והיה ד׳ לך לאור עולם וגו׳ לא יבא עוד שמשך וירחך לא יאסף כי ד׳ יהיה לך לאור עולם ושלמו ימי אבלך (Jes. 60, 19 u. 20). Sieht uns doch der Anfang dieses Kapitels einst von Gottes Licht überstrahlt, Völkern und Königen Weg leuchtend am Nachterdhimmel der Nationen als Gotteslichtträger aufgehen: ההשך קומי אורי וגו׳ כי הנה יכסה ארץ וגו׳ ועליך יזרח ד׳ וכבודו עליך יראה והלכו גוים לאורך ומלכים לנגה זרחך (daselbst 1-3).

your windows Jonathan renders: your woodwork, and Menahem associated it with (Dan. 7:10): “ministered to Him (יְשַׁמְּשׁוּנֵהּ).” (Menahem, apparently renders: your utensils, i.e., the vessels that serve you.) And some interpret it as an expression of a sun (שֶׁמֶשׁ), windows through which the sun shines, and they make opposite it a barrier of kinds of colored glass for beauty, and Midrash Psalms interprets שִׁמְשׁוֹתַיִךְ as well as שֶׁמֶשׁ וּמָגֵן (Ps. 84:12) as “the pinnacles of the wall.”