Midrash su Salmi 48:2
גָּ֘ד֤וֹל יְהוָ֣ה וּמְהֻלָּ֣ל מְאֹ֑ד בְּעִ֥יר אֱ֝לֹהֵ֗ינוּ הַר־קָדְשֽׁוֹ׃
Grande è il Signore, e altamente lodato, nella città del nostro Dio, la sua montagna santa,
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
Another matter: “Your hair is like a flock of goats that streams down [shegaleshu] from Mount Gilad” (Song of Songs 4:1) – the mountain from whose midst you took away [shegelashten], I rendered a memorial for the nations of the world. Which is this? These are the priestly watches. What is it that you took away from its midst? “Your teeth are like a flock of ordered ewes” (Song of Songs 4:2) – defined matters, the twenty-four priestly watches, the twenty-four Levite watches, and twelve divisions.54These were divisions of men who would come for a month at a time to perform whatever labors the king would assign them (Etz Yosef). “That have come up from bathing” (Song of Songs 4:2) – who protect Israel. “That are all paired” – as we learned there: At three times during the year all the priestly watches were equal (Sukka 55b). “And there is none missing among them” (Song of Songs 4:2) – as we learned: “The first, the head and the hind leg…” (Tamid 31a).55Each of the priests had a role, and there were always enough priests to perform each task.
“Your lips are like a scarlet thread” (Song of Songs 4:2) – as we learned: [The High Priest] stooped to pour the libation, and the deputy waved the cloths, and ben Arza struck the cymbals (Tamid 33b).56This was the sign for the Levites to begin their song in the Temple. “Your speech is lovely” (Song of Songs 4:2) – this is the song, as we learned there: The song that the Levites would recite in the Temple. On the first day they would recite: “The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains” (Psalms 24:1).57The intention is that on Sunday the Levites would recite the entire chapter of Psalms beginning with this verse. The same is true for all of the citations cited here; one psalm was recited each day of the week. On the second day: “Great is the Lord and highly to be praised in the city of God…” (Psalms 48:2). On the third day: “God stands in the divine congregation” (Psalms 82:1). On the fourth day: “Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs, God to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth” (Psalms 94:1). On the fifth day: “Sing for joy to God, our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob” (Psalms 81:2). On the sixth day: “The Lord reigns: He is robed in majesty” (Psalms 93:1). On Shabbat they would recite: “A psalm, a song for the Shabbat day” (Psalms 92:1) – for the future, for the day that will be entirely Shabbat and rest for everlasting life.
“Your lips are like a scarlet thread” (Song of Songs 4:2) – as we learned: [The High Priest] stooped to pour the libation, and the deputy waved the cloths, and ben Arza struck the cymbals (Tamid 33b).56This was the sign for the Levites to begin their song in the Temple. “Your speech is lovely” (Song of Songs 4:2) – this is the song, as we learned there: The song that the Levites would recite in the Temple. On the first day they would recite: “The earth is the Lord’s and all it contains” (Psalms 24:1).57The intention is that on Sunday the Levites would recite the entire chapter of Psalms beginning with this verse. The same is true for all of the citations cited here; one psalm was recited each day of the week. On the second day: “Great is the Lord and highly to be praised in the city of God…” (Psalms 48:2). On the third day: “God stands in the divine congregation” (Psalms 82:1). On the fourth day: “Lord God, to whom vengeance belongs, God to whom vengeance belongs, shine forth” (Psalms 94:1). On the fifth day: “Sing for joy to God, our strength; shout aloud to the God of Jacob” (Psalms 81:2). On the sixth day: “The Lord reigns: He is robed in majesty” (Psalms 93:1). On Shabbat they would recite: “A psalm, a song for the Shabbat day” (Psalms 92:1) – for the future, for the day that will be entirely Shabbat and rest for everlasting life.
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Bamidbar Rabbah
Man or woman, who does any of the sins etc. - Rabi Abahu says (Hosea 14:8): 'Those that dwell under His shadow' those are the gerim that come and have love for the shadow of the Holy One of Blessing. 'They shall grow as grain' in [the study of] Talmud. 'Shall blossom as vine' in [the study of] Aggadah. 'His memory/scent shall be as the wine of Lebanon' - said the Holy One of Blessing: "The appreciation of the gerim is as dear to me as the wine that was poured on the altar [as libation.]" And why does He call it [the altar] Lebanon (root LVN)? Because it whitens (maLViN) the sins of Israel like snow, as it is written (Isaiah 1:18) 'though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.' Rabi Shimon Bar Yochai says: because all the hearts (LeVavot) become happy due to it. As it says (Psalms 48:2): 'Fair in situation, the joy of the whole earth.' And the rabbis say - because of the verse (II Kings 9:3) 'and My eyes and My heart shall be there perpetually.' Another interpretation: 'they will grow as grain' - they will make the essence, they are like Israel; as it is said (Zechariah 9:17) 'grain [for] the young men [of Israel]'. 'They shall blossom as vine', as [just like] Israel, as it says (Psalms 80:9) 'You plucked a vine from Egypt.' And so you find that, just as a portion of the Torah was written regarding one Israel and another - that if he misappropriated something of him, that he is obligated to a sacrifice, as it is written (Leviticus 5:21) 'If any one sin, and commit a trespass etc.' - so too you find that the Holy One of Blessing wrote a portion of the Torah regarding what goes on between Israel and gerim, that if a man from Israel steals from a ger, the judgement is as if he stole from another man from Israel. You find that regarding this it is written 'a sin that he sinned' and regarding stealing from a ger it is written 'from any sins of a man.' Regarding this one it is written 'and trespassed a trespass against the Lord' and regarding this one it is written 'to trespass a trespass against the Lord.' Regarding this one it is written: 'And it will be, when he sins and is guilty' and regarding the ger it is written 'and that soul will be guilty'. Regarding this one it is written: 'And he will pay with his head' and regarding the ger it is written 'and he will return his guilt with his head'. Regarding this one it is written: 'and he will add his fifth' and regarding the ger it is written 'and he will add a fifth'. Regarding this one it is written: 'and he will bring his guilt-offering to the Lord' and regarding stealing a ger it is written 'besides the ram for the kipurim'. Behold we have learned: that the essence of the gerim is like Israel's. Therefore, they will be as grain and blossom.
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