וְהִתְעַנַּ֥ג עַל־יְהוָ֑ה וְיִֽתֶּן־לְ֝ךָ֗ מִשְׁאֲלֹ֥ת לִבֶּֽךָ׃
또 여호와를 기뻐하라 저가 네 마음의 소원을 이루어 주시리로다
Rabbeinu Bahya
I have found the following in Devarim Rabbah 6,3: “the reward for fulfilling the commandment of dispatching the mother bird are children (being granted them).” G’d formulated this reward as follows: ‘if you presently do not have children, I will grant you children.’ How is all this contained in the wording of the text? The Torah writes שלח תשלח את האם ואת הבנים תקח לך, “if you will surely dispatch the mother you will be able to acquire the children for yourself.” This Midrash alludes to the mystical aspect of this commandment I already discussed.
This also clarifies that the emanation (attribute) בינה is the one responsible for the granting or denying of children. This is the meaning of the peculiar expression ותתפלל על ה' reported in Samuel I 1,10 where Channah is described as praying for children. We would have expected the text to say ותתפלל חנה אל ה', that Channah prayed “to the Lord,” not על ה'. The expression על ה' suggests a domain above that of the seven lower emanations, a domain of a world which is totally good, totally enduring, everlasting. This is implied in the words והתענג על ה', (Psalms 37,4) where the psalmist says: “seek favour of the Lord and He will grant you the desires of your heart.” If one penetrates to that emanation, to that attribute of G’d, one will have one’s wish for children granted.
Seeing that this is so the legislation before us concludes with the words למען ייטב לך והארכת ימים, “so that it will be good for you and you will enjoy long life.” We have learned in Niddah 70 “what is a person to do in order to be endowed with wisdom?” Let him ask for mercy from the One Who owns wisdom, for it is written וה' יתן חכמה, “the Lord will grant wisdom” (Proverbs 2,6). The Talmud there continues: “what is someone to do who yearns to have children?” “Let him ask for mercy from the One to whom the children belong.” as we know from Psalms 127,3: “sons are the provisions of the Lord, the fruit of the womb, His reward.”
It is worthwhile to analyse in this saying how the sages arranged the requirements (objects of prayer) in the descending order of the emanations. [Wisdom is stored in the higher emanation חכמה, followed by the next lower emanation בינה, which is the source of children. Ed].
This commandment belongs to the category we described earlier as מקובלות, [the author had divided the commandments into three groups, מושכלות, מקובלות,חוקים, compare beginning of commentary on Parshat Chukat Ed.] Normally, the sages instituted a benediction to be recited prior to the performance of any of the commandments which the author described as מקובלות. We do not know of any such benediction before the performance of this commandment. Why is this so? The reason is that it is not one of the commandments man should strive to fulfill, seek out opportunities to observe. If the occasion arises, the commandment needs to be fulfilled. This is why the whole paragraph is introduced with the words כי יקרה, “if it so happens.” Even if the opportunity arises, this commandment applies only if the finder wants to take the eggs or chicks for himself.
This also clarifies that the emanation (attribute) בינה is the one responsible for the granting or denying of children. This is the meaning of the peculiar expression ותתפלל על ה' reported in Samuel I 1,10 where Channah is described as praying for children. We would have expected the text to say ותתפלל חנה אל ה', that Channah prayed “to the Lord,” not על ה'. The expression על ה' suggests a domain above that of the seven lower emanations, a domain of a world which is totally good, totally enduring, everlasting. This is implied in the words והתענג על ה', (Psalms 37,4) where the psalmist says: “seek favour of the Lord and He will grant you the desires of your heart.” If one penetrates to that emanation, to that attribute of G’d, one will have one’s wish for children granted.
Seeing that this is so the legislation before us concludes with the words למען ייטב לך והארכת ימים, “so that it will be good for you and you will enjoy long life.” We have learned in Niddah 70 “what is a person to do in order to be endowed with wisdom?” Let him ask for mercy from the One Who owns wisdom, for it is written וה' יתן חכמה, “the Lord will grant wisdom” (Proverbs 2,6). The Talmud there continues: “what is someone to do who yearns to have children?” “Let him ask for mercy from the One to whom the children belong.” as we know from Psalms 127,3: “sons are the provisions of the Lord, the fruit of the womb, His reward.”
It is worthwhile to analyse in this saying how the sages arranged the requirements (objects of prayer) in the descending order of the emanations. [Wisdom is stored in the higher emanation חכמה, followed by the next lower emanation בינה, which is the source of children. Ed].
This commandment belongs to the category we described earlier as מקובלות, [the author had divided the commandments into three groups, מושכלות, מקובלות,חוקים, compare beginning of commentary on Parshat Chukat Ed.] Normally, the sages instituted a benediction to be recited prior to the performance of any of the commandments which the author described as מקובלות. We do not know of any such benediction before the performance of this commandment. Why is this so? The reason is that it is not one of the commandments man should strive to fulfill, seek out opportunities to observe. If the occasion arises, the commandment needs to be fulfilled. This is why the whole paragraph is introduced with the words כי יקרה, “if it so happens.” Even if the opportunity arises, this commandment applies only if the finder wants to take the eggs or chicks for himself.
Ralbag
The first benefit is to inform us that when a person prays, they should first endeavor to arrange the praises of God, blessed be He, and to comprehend Him to the best of their ability. After doing so, when the person is closely connected to God, it is appropriate for them to pray and request what they desire from Him. You will see that even Moses, our teacher, peace be upon him, despite reaching a level of perfection where he was always with God to the extent that he could prophesy whenever he wished—as it is said, "Stand still, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you"—nevertheless, when he wanted to pray to God to ask permission to cross the Jordan and see the land, he first recounted the praises of God, blessed be He, as much as he could, indicating God's providence as far as was possible. Only afterward did he make his request. Because of this, our Sages of blessed memory established that a person should link the redemption (Geulah) to the prayer (Tefillah), so that the prayer would follow after the arrangement of the marvelous praises included in the blessings of the Shema and the Shema itself. This is also what is meant by the verse, "Delight yourself in the Lord, and He will give you the desires of your heart" (Psalms 37:4). For whoever comprehends God, blessed be He, to the extent possible, will delight in Him with a wondrous delight. Consequently, their prayer will then be heard due to the attachment of divine providence to them. This is also what Job said: "If he delights in the Almighty, he can call to God at any time" (Job 27:10).