시편 84:5의 인용 해설

Rabbi Yehoshua ben Chananya--happy is the one who gave birth to him!: The undifferentiated expression, 'happy' is a category that includes all of the virtues through which a person is happy. And when it mentions the trait [with it], it is [referring only to] a particular [trait]. And we have found it stated about fear as in "Happy is the man who fears the Lord" (Psalms 112:1). And also about the designation of a fixed place for Torah [study], as it is written (Proverbs 8:34), "Happy is the man who listens to me, coming early to my gates each day, waiting outside my doors," and it states (Psalms 84:5), "Happy are those who dwell in Your house; they will still forever praise You." And about devotion, as it is stated (Psalms 65:5), "Happy is the man You choose and bring near to dwell in Your courts." And about faith (Psalms 84:6), "Happy is the man who has refuge in You." It is also stated about one who prevents himself from [involvement with] evildoers (Psalms 1:1), "Happy is the man who has not followed the counsel of the evildoers, or taken the path of sinners, or joined the company of the scorners." It is also stated about those that keep the Shabbat (Isaiah 56:2), "Happy is the man who does this." It is also stated about those that walk in the Torah of the Lord (Psalms 119:1), "Happy are those whose way is blameless, who follow the Torah of the Lord." It is also stated about those that keep the commandments (Psalms 119:2), "Happy are those who observe His decrees, who turn to Him wholeheartedly." It is also stated about one who benefits from his toil (Psalms 128:2), "You shall enjoy the fruit of your labors; you shall be happy and it shall be good for you." It is also stated about those that keep the law and do justice (Psalms 106:3), "Happy are those who act lawfully, who do justice at all times." It is also stated about trust [in God] (Proverbs 16:20), "he who trusts in the Lord is happy." It is also stated about wisdom (Proverbs 3:13), "Happy is the man who finds wisdom," and it is also written (Proverbs 14:21), "he who shows pity for the lowly is happy." And about this is it said, "happy is the one who gave birth to him" undifferentiated; meaning to say he is happy with all of the happy traits - great in his wisdom and refined by his traits and in all of his affairs.

A Midrashic approach to this verse is that the exclamation רב, was meant to acknowledge Israel’s satisfaction at having been granted such a reward in his life on earth, whereas the second exclamation עוד, “in addition,” refers to the meta-physical dimension of this news, i.e. that his standing in the world to come would remain unimpaired, not as he had been afraid that the fact that he lost a child during his own lifetime was a sign that he had forfeited his claim to that world. Technically speaking, the use of both these exclamations in this sense is found in Psalms 31,20 מה רב טובך, whereas the word עוד in this sense is found in Psalms 84,5 עוד יהללוך סלה, “forever (even in the hereafter) they will praise You.”

V. 35. ופתח אלה מועד תשבו וגו׳. Erwägen wir, daß in Stellen wie אשרי יושבי ביתך וגו׳ בחרתי הסתופף בבית אלקי וגו׳ (Ps. 84, 5 u. 11) שבתי בבית ד׳ כל (daselbst 27, 4) offenbar das "Weilen im Gotteshause" die dadurch ימי חיי לחזות וגו׳ vermittelte Hingebung an die durch das Gotteshaus zum Ausdruck kommende Idee und Durchdringung mit den von ihm gelehrten Gedanken und Entschlüssen mit umfasst, da ja nur dadurch das Weilen im Gotteshause ein glückseliges Ziel menschlicher Sehnsucht werden kann, so glauben wir nicht zu irren, wenn wir in diesem vorgeschriebenen siebentägigen Weilen am Eingange des אהל מועד zugleich die Aufgabe erblicken: sich dort sieben Tage lang dem Erfassen, Aufnehmen und Aneignen der ganzen Fülle von Gedanken für Erkenntnis und Willen hinzugeben, die in dem אהל מועד-Heiligtum zur Darstellung gekommen, und deren Wartung und Pflege eben den Begriff des Priesterdienstes ausmachen, für welchen dieses siebentägige Weilen am Eingange zum Heiligtum sie vorbereiten sollte. — ושמרתם את משמרת ד׳: so heißt es von dem der göttlichen Bestimmung des Verweilens und des Weiterziehens auf der Wanderung durch die Wüste gezollten Gehorsam im allgemeinen (Bamidbar 9, 23), insbesondere aber von dem geduldigen langen Ausharren bis zum Signal des Aufbruches: ובהאריך הענן וגו׳ ושמרו בני ישראל את משמרת ד׳ ולא יסעו (daselbst 9, 19).