Deuteronômio 33:23 Cabalá: Sefer HaBahir

[Rabbi Berechiah continued,] "And why does the Torah begin with [the letter] Bet? To start with a blessing [b'racha]. From this, we learn that the Torah is called a blessing, as it is said, 'Full [with the] blessing of YHVH, possess the sea and the south' (Deuteronomy 33:23). There is no sea other than Torah, as it is said, 'And broader than the sea' (Job 11:9). And what is 'Full with the blessing of God'? It means that every place that [the letter] Bet is said is the language of blessing. As we say, 'b'reishit'. And there is no beginning [ראשית] except wisdom, as it is said, 'The beginning [ראשית] of wisdom is the fear of YHVH' (Psalms 111:10). And there is no wisdom except [as the result of a] blessing, as it is said, 'And Elohim blessed Solomon,' and it is written, 'YHVH gave wisdom to Solomon' (1 Kings 5:26). This is comparable to a king that marries his daughter to his son and says to him [the son] at the wedding, 'Do with her as you will.'"

Rabbi Rachumai sat and expounded, "Why is it written 'And filled with the blessing of YHVH, inherit the sea and the south' (Deuteronomy 33:23)? In every place [where there is the letter] Bet, it is blessed. 'It' is the filling, as it is said, 'And the filling is the blessing of YHVH.' From there, the needy drink, and from the filling [God] took counsel in the beginning. To what parable is this similar? To a king who wants to build his palace in strong cliffs. He cut stones and chiseled boulders, and a spring of great waters — living waters — went out from it. The king said, 'Since I have waters bursting forth, I will plant a garden and I will delight in it — I and the whole world.' This is as it is written, 'And I was with Him as a confidant, and I was a source of delight every day [יום יום], to rejoice before Him at all times' (Proverbs 8:30). The Torah said, 'For two thousand years I was in the bosom of the Blessed Holy One,' as it is said 'A day, a day [יום יום]'. A day of the Blessed Holy One is a thousand years, as it is said, 'For a thousand years in Your eyes is like a yesterday that has passed' (Psalms 90:4). From then on, it is for times — as it is said, 'At every time' — but the remainder is for the world — as it is said, 'And I will breathe my praise to you' (Isaiah 48:9). What does it mean 'my praise'? As it is written, 'A song of praise of David, I will raise You high' (Psalms 145:1) Why is it 'praise'? Because 'I will raise You high.' And what is this elevation? Because 'I will bless Your name forever' (Psalms 145:2)."

Rabbi Amorai sat and expounded, "Why is it written 'And full of the blessing of YHVH, he will take possession of the west and south' (Deuteronomy 33:23)? Thus Moses said, 'If you walk in His laws, you will inherit this world and the next world.' The world to come is compared to the sea, as it is said 'And [it is] wider than the sea' (Job 11:9). And this world is compared to the south, as it is said '[Give me a blessing,] for you have placed me in the land of the Negev [the southern desert]' (Joshua 15:19), and from our targum [this is translated into Aramaic as], 'Behold, the earth is the south' (Targum Jonathan, Joshua 15:19)."