הַֽ֭לְלוּהוּ שֶׁ֣מֶשׁ וְיָרֵ֑חַ הַ֝לְל֗וּהוּ כָּל־כּ֥וֹכְבֵי אֽוֹר׃
Хвалите Его, солнце и луну; Хвалите Его, все звезды света.
Shemot Rabbah
“You shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the basin, and touch the lintel and the two doorposts with the blood that is in the basin; and you shall not go out, each from the door of his house, until the morning” (Exodus 12:22).
“You shall take a bunch of hyssop” – that is what is written: “Everything the Lord has done is for His purpose” (Proverbs 16:4). You find that everything that the Holy One blessed be He created during the six days of Creation, He created only for His glory and to perform His will with them. On the first day, He created the heavens and the earth, and He created them, too, for His glory, as it is stated: “So said the Lord, the heavens are My throne” (Isaiah 66:1), and it says: “The heavens relate the glory of God” (Psalms 19:2). Likewise, the light that He created was for His glory, as it is written: “He covers Himself with light as with a garment” (Psalms 104:2).
What was created on the second day? The firmament, and He created it for His glory, so that the angels would stand there and laud him, as it is stated: “Praise Him in the firmament of His power” (Psalms 150:1).
What did He create on the third day? Grasses and trees, and we found that the grasses laud the Holy One blessed be He as it is stated: “They shout for joy, they even sing” (Psalms 65:14). From where is it derived that the same is true of the trees? It is as it is stated: “Then the trees of the forest will sing before the Lord” (I Chronicles 16:33). You find that the Holy One blessed be He issued a command to perform mitzvot with the trees. Regarding the red heifer, He issued a command to cast into its conflagration cedar wood and hyssop; He issued a command to perform the sprinkling of the waters of sprinkling with hyssop;1After the red heifer is burned, its ashes are mixed with spring water and a priest uses hyssop to sprinkle the mixture on people or objects that have become impure due to contact with a corpse. See Numbers 19:17–18. and He commanded to perform the purification of the leper with cedar wood and hyssop. Likewise, in Egypt, He issued a command to apply the blood to the lintel and the two doorposts with hyssop, as it is stated: “You shall take a bunch of hyssop.” Likewise, He created the water on the third day, as He collected it from covering the earth. From there, His laudation ascends, as it is stated: “From the sound of much water, the mighty breakers of the sea, [the Lord on high is mighty]” (Psalms 93:4).
What was created on the fourth day? The lights, and He created them for His glory, as it is stated: “Praise Him, sun and moon; [praise Him, all stars of light]” (Psalms 148:3). On the fifth day, He created the birds for His glory, to sacrifice an offering from them, as it is stated: “If his offering is a burnt offering from the birds…” (Leviticus 1:14). What was created on the sixth day? Animals, for His glory, and He commanded to sacrifice an offering from them, as it is stated: “A person among you who sacrifices an offering to the Lord from the animal, from the cattle” (Leviticus 1:2). And He created man for His glory, as it is stated: “Praise the Lord, from the earth, sea creatures…[young men…elders…let them praise the name of the Lord]” (Psalms 148:7, 12–13); that is: “Everything the Lord has done is for His purpose.”
“You shall take a bunch of hyssop” – that is what is written: “Everything the Lord has done is for His purpose” (Proverbs 16:4). You find that everything that the Holy One blessed be He created during the six days of Creation, He created only for His glory and to perform His will with them. On the first day, He created the heavens and the earth, and He created them, too, for His glory, as it is stated: “So said the Lord, the heavens are My throne” (Isaiah 66:1), and it says: “The heavens relate the glory of God” (Psalms 19:2). Likewise, the light that He created was for His glory, as it is written: “He covers Himself with light as with a garment” (Psalms 104:2).
What was created on the second day? The firmament, and He created it for His glory, so that the angels would stand there and laud him, as it is stated: “Praise Him in the firmament of His power” (Psalms 150:1).
What did He create on the third day? Grasses and trees, and we found that the grasses laud the Holy One blessed be He as it is stated: “They shout for joy, they even sing” (Psalms 65:14). From where is it derived that the same is true of the trees? It is as it is stated: “Then the trees of the forest will sing before the Lord” (I Chronicles 16:33). You find that the Holy One blessed be He issued a command to perform mitzvot with the trees. Regarding the red heifer, He issued a command to cast into its conflagration cedar wood and hyssop; He issued a command to perform the sprinkling of the waters of sprinkling with hyssop;1After the red heifer is burned, its ashes are mixed with spring water and a priest uses hyssop to sprinkle the mixture on people or objects that have become impure due to contact with a corpse. See Numbers 19:17–18. and He commanded to perform the purification of the leper with cedar wood and hyssop. Likewise, in Egypt, He issued a command to apply the blood to the lintel and the two doorposts with hyssop, as it is stated: “You shall take a bunch of hyssop.” Likewise, He created the water on the third day, as He collected it from covering the earth. From there, His laudation ascends, as it is stated: “From the sound of much water, the mighty breakers of the sea, [the Lord on high is mighty]” (Psalms 93:4).
What was created on the fourth day? The lights, and He created them for His glory, as it is stated: “Praise Him, sun and moon; [praise Him, all stars of light]” (Psalms 148:3). On the fifth day, He created the birds for His glory, to sacrifice an offering from them, as it is stated: “If his offering is a burnt offering from the birds…” (Leviticus 1:14). What was created on the sixth day? Animals, for His glory, and He commanded to sacrifice an offering from them, as it is stated: “A person among you who sacrifices an offering to the Lord from the animal, from the cattle” (Leviticus 1:2). And He created man for His glory, as it is stated: “Praise the Lord, from the earth, sea creatures…[young men…elders…let them praise the name of the Lord]” (Psalms 148:7, 12–13); that is: “Everything the Lord has done is for His purpose.”
Midrash Tehillim
I bless the Lord, my God, with great exaltation, splendor and majesty. The King of flesh and blood cannot clothe himself in His garments, but the Holy One, blessed be He, clothes human beings in His garments, as it is said (Psalm 21:6): "You endow him with eternal blessings; You gladden him with the joy of Your presence." This is what the verse (1 Chronicles 29:11) means when it says, "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness, the power, the glory, the victory, and the majesty; for all that is in the heavens and on the earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O Lord, and You are exalted as head over all." Rabbi Huna said: What does it mean that God is exalted as head over all? It means that everything praises the Holy One, blessed be He, as it is said (Psalm 113:3): "From the rising of the sun to its setting, the name of the Lord is praised." And there is no greater praise for the Holy One, blessed be He, than the praise of Israel, as it is said (Isaiah 43:21): "This people I have formed for Myself, that they might declare My praise." You should know that it is written above, "Bless the Lord, all His hosts, you ministers of His, who do His will" (Psalm 103:21). "Mighty ones who do His bidding, obedient to His spoken command" (Psalm 103:20). If it was necessary to say that what a person hears he should do, why is it written so? Rather, regarding Israel, the verse speaks of their standing at Sinai and placing their actions before their hearing, as it is said (Exodus 24:7): "All that the Lord has spoken we will do, and we will hear." Just as Israel praises the Holy One, blessed be He, the angels also praise Him after Israel, as it is said (Psalm 148:2): "Praise Him, all His angels; praise Him, all His hosts." And what is written after that? "Praise Him, sun and moon; praise Him, all you shining stars" (Psalm 148:3). These are the angels, as it is said (Isaiah 24:21): "On high, the Lord will punish the hosts of heaven, and on earth, the kings of the earth." "He is exalted as head over all." And there is no head other than Israel, as it is said (Exodus 30:12): "When you take a census of the Israelite people according to their enrollment, each shall pay the Lord a ransom for himself." And it says (Jeremiah 2:3): "Israel was holy to the Lord, the first fruits of His harvest." Another interpretation of "exalted as head over all" is that Rabbi Simon said: "You are the head of all those who praise You." And You are exalted above all blessings and praises, as it is said (Psalm 89:6): "Who in the skies can compare with the Lord? Who among the heavenly beings is like the Lord?" Who can recount the Lord's mighty acts or declare His praises? If a person tries to express the Lord's praises, he will become tongue-tied, as it is said (Job 37:19): "Teach us what we shall say to Him, for we cannot order our words because of darkness." You should know that this is what David meant when he composed one hundred and forty-five psalms of praise the Lord, as it is said (Psalm 145:21) 'My mouth will speak the praise of the Lord, and let all flesh bless His holy name forever and ever.' All things culminate in the number 248, which is the number of limbs in a person, as it is said (ibid. 35) 'All my bones shall say: Lord, who is like unto Thee?' David did not leave out any limb in his praise of the Lord. He said to them, 'What do you think? Because I culminated in the praise of the Lord in all these things, perhaps I touched one of the myriad praises due to Him? Now I am at the top of the culminations' (Psalm 145:1) 'I will exalt Thee, my God, O King, and bless Thy name forever and ever.' Rabbi Af also said, even when the mouths of the righteous in the future will speak like a stream that never ceases, never will they exhaust the praise of the Holy One, blessed be He. Rather, it should be said that in memory of Your great goodness they will say, there is no writing here, only they will pour forth their praises like a stream. Let it be for all to the head. Even so, David said (Psalm 145:3) 'Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised...'"...