Musar do Powtórzonego Prawa 1:10

The very fact that Moses uses this whole portion to bless the Jewish people according to their tribes teaches that bestowing a blessing is a great מצוה. We find the following comment by the Zohar (Sullam edition Bamidbar page 3) on this subject at the beginning of the Book of Numbers. "A person who praises the good qualities of a friend or neighbor, his sons or his wealth, should pronounce a blessing to express his thanks for the beneficence bestowed upon such a person. Whence do we know this? We know this from Moses. When Moses said of the Jewish people in Deuteronomy 1,10: "You are today as numerous as the stars in the sky," he immediately added a blessing, i.e. "May the Lord the G–d of your fathers increase your numbers a thousand fold, and bless you as He promised you." This verse contains two blessings: Moses blessed G–d, Moses asking G–d to bless Israel." He blessed the Lord for having blessed Israel thus far. If someone were to praise his friend's qualities without at the same time acknowledging the source of his friend's good fortune by adding a blessing, he would be punished, i.e. he (the friend) will suffer damage on account of the failure of the friend who admires him acknowledging G–d as the source of his good fortune. If, on the other hand, he does bless the friend in question, he himself will also be blessed on that account. It is essential that one pronounce such a blessing with a generous heart and not just by reluctantly going through the motions. When one pronounces a blessing for G–d one most certainly must do so with an עין טובה ולב טוב, "generously, and with a well meaning intention." G–d expects us to be full of love; this is why the Torah commands in 6,5: "Love the Lord your G–d with all your heart". Thus far the Zohar.

We must try and understand why Rabbenu Bachyah was so selective in his comparison of the creation with the construction of the Tabernacle. He could have cited additional parallels. A look at a lengthy Midrash in Shemot Rabbah 33,4 quotes Rabbi Berechyah as presenting a long list of parallels between the Tabernacle and מעשה בראשית. The list includes many items found in the heavens such as ערפל, זבול, עצי שטים, כרובים, אופנים and many others. In each case Rabbi Berechyah demonstrates that the Tabernacle contained something parallel.

The "seven pillars that she has hewn" refers to seven categories of righteous people (Sifri Devarim 1,10). These groups occupy different levels in גן עדן, one above the other. Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai comments on Psalms 16:11: שבע שמחות, "full of joys," [i.e. satisfied, from Sova] that the word should be read as שבע, "seven." It would then refer to the seven facets of the various righteous people who would be similar to the moon, the sun, the firmament, the stars, lightning, שושנים, [a reference to the righteous as per Psalms 45,1, see my translation of the Alshich's commentary page 315. Ed.], and the candlestick in the Temple.