Комментарий о цитате к Йешайау 51:4

AND THE ETERNAL HAD BLESSED ABRAHAM IN ALL THINGS. I.e., with riches, possessions, honor, longevity and children, which are all the treasures of man. Scripture mentions this in order to say that Abraham was perfect in every detail, lacking in no respect save seeing his son have children who would inherit his superior position and his honor. This was why he desired it.
Now our Rabbis have a wonderful insight into this verse. They said:⁶⁵Baba Bathra 16b. “And the Eternal had blessed Abraham ‘bakol’ (in all things). Rabbi Meir said that Abraham was blessed in that he did not have a daughter. Rabbi Yehudah said that he did have a daughter. Acheirim⁶⁶Literally “other ones,” other Rabbis besides those mentioned. Rabbi Meir is sometimes called by this name. Here, however, it could not refer to him since his opinion has already been stated. Acheirim here refers to anonymous authorities or to the opinion of Rabbi Meir’s master, Elisha ben Abuyah, who was also known as Acheir. See Chagigah 15a. say that he did have a daughter and her name was Bakol.”⁶⁷The profounder meaning of this saying will be explained further in the text. Rabbi Meir thus explained that Abraham did not have a daughter. This was a blessing for Abraham for he could not have married her except to the cursed sons of Canaan. If he were to send her to his country, she would also worship the idols as they did because a woman is subject to the authority of her husband. Indeed, Abraham did not want his worthy children from his wife Sarah to go outside the Land, and surely not that they worship the idols. Rabbi Yehudah, however, explained that Abraham did have a daughter since the Merciful One did not even cause him to lack a daughter, and that was the blessing implied by the expression, in all things, for he had everything that people desire, completely without exception. Then came Acheirim and mentioned the name of the daughter. Now truthfully, the intent of Acheirim and their controversy with Rabbi Yehudah were not merely to inform us of the name of this daughter. Far it be from them to expend the great and generalized blessing of Abraham on this matter, i.e., that Scripture is saying that G-d blessed him with one daughter with that name. However, Acheirim established a new interpretation on this verse, a very profound matter, and they explained with it one of the secrets of the Torah. Thus they said that the word bakol hints at a great matter, namely, that the Holy One, blessed be He, has an attribute called Kol (All), so called because it is the foundation of everything. It is with reference to this attribute that it says, I am the Eternal that maketh ‘Kol’ (all).⁶⁸Isaiah 44:24. And this is also what Scripture says, And the profit of the earth is ‘bakol’ (in all),⁶⁹Ecclesiastes 5:8. that is to say, the profit of the earth and the abundant goodness that is bestowed upon all that come into the world is on account of this attribute Kol. It is the eighth attribute of the thirteen attributes.⁷⁰See Ramban Exodus 34:6. And there is another attribute called bath [literally “daughter”] that emanates from it, and with it He moves everything. This is “the Court of the Holy One, blessed be He,” that is hinted at in the word, Vahashem (And the Eternal), in all places. It is called kalah (bride) in the book of The Song of Songs because it is comprised of hakol (the All), and it is this attribute which the Sages have surnamed Knesseth Yisrael (the assembly of Israel) in many places because it is the gathering of hakol (the All). It was this attribute which was to Abraham as a bath because he was the man of kindness, and he conducted himself in accordance with it. This was why Acheirim said that this blessing with which Abraham had been blessed in all things does not allude either to his having begotten a daughter from his wife Sarah, as Rabbi Yehudah said, or not, as Rabbi Meir claimed, but instead it hints at a great matter, i.e., that he was blessed with an attribute called bath which is contained in the attribute Kol, and is therefore also called Kol, being analogous to the expression, For My name is in him.⁷¹Exodus 23:21. Thus Abraham was blessed in heaven and on earth. This is why he said, By the Eternal, the G-d of heaven and the G-d of the earth.⁷²Verse 3 here.
This matter is to be found hinted at in the traditions of our Rabbis in many places. Thus they said in the Midrash Chazita:⁷³Another name for the Midrash Rabbah on the Song of Songs. The name Chazita is derived from the first word in the verse with which this Midrash opens. ‘Chazita’ (Seest thou) a man diligent in his business? he shall stand before kings. (Proverbs 22:29.) The Midrash quoted is found ibid., 3:21. “Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai asked Rabbi Eliezer the son of Rabbi Yosi, ‘Have you possibly heard from your father of the meaning of the verse, The crown wherewith his mother hath crowned him?’⁷⁴Song of Songs 3:11. He said to him, ‘Yes.’ He asked, ‘How?’ He replied, ‘It is like a king who had an only daughter whom he loved very much, and he would call her “my daughter.” This did not completely express his love for her until he called her “my sister.” Still he was not satisfied until he called her “my mother.” In the same way, the Holy One, blessed be He, loved Israel in the beginning and called them “My daughter.” It is this which Scripture says, Hearken, O daughter, and consider.⁷⁵Psalms 45:11. This did not completely express His love for them until He called them “My sister,” as it is said, Open to me, my sister, my love.⁷⁶Song of Songs 5:2. Still He was not satisfied until He called them “My mother,” as it is said, Attend unto Me, O My people, ‘ule’umi’ (O My nation).⁷⁷Isaiah 51:4. The word is written le’imi (O My mother).’ Then Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai arose and kissed him on his head, and he said to him, ‘Had I come to listen to this word of yours it would have been sufficient.’…”
Now, had the commentator who prides himself on his knowledge of the Torah’s secrets⁷⁸Reference here is to Ibn Ezra who often prides himself on knowing the secrets of the Torah but who, in the case of this Midrash concerning Abraham’s having a daughter by the name of Bakol, criticizes the interpretation by commenting that if that were the case, the word bakol should have had an additional letter beth preceding it and meaning “and G-d blessed Abraham ‘with’ bakol.” known this, his lips would be dumb and not deride the words of our Rabbis. Therefore, I have written this in order to silence those who speak arrogantly against the righteous one.⁷⁹See Psalms 31:19.

And I carried you on eagles’ wings and brought you to Myself. Here, three ascending levels are mentioned. First, He said, And I carried you on eagles’ wings, which is like a caretaker carrying an infant. At this stage, the Holy One, Blessed be He, is at the level of a father, and Israel at the level of a son. Afterward, He said, And I brought you to Myself, implying that you would be equal to Me, like two brothers of equal standing. Then He said, And you shall be to Me a kingdom, meaning, as it were, kings to Me, as it is written, The righteous ruler in the fear of God (2 Samuel 23:3). This is explained according to the Midrash Chazit, which Ramban cites in Parashat Chayei Sarah (24:1), which states: Rabbi Shimon bar Yochai asked Rabbi Elazar bar Yossi, “Is it possible that you heard from your father the meaning of with the crown with which his mother crowned him” (Song of Songs 3:11)? He replied, “This is comparable to a king who had an only daughter whom he cherished greatly. At first, he called her ‘my daughter.’ His love for her grew until he called her ‘my sister.’ His love continued to grow until he called her ‘my mother.’ Similarly, the Holy One, Blessed be He, cherishes Israel and called them ‘my daughter,’ as it is said, Listen, daughter, and see (Psalms 45:11). His love for them grew until He called them ‘my sister,’ as it is said, Open for me, my sister, my beloved (Song of Songs 5:2). His love for them continued to grow until He called them ‘my mother,’ as it is said, Listen to Me, My people, and My nation [le’umi] (Isaiah 51:4), which is written as ‘le’imi’ [to my mother].”

And the number of generations before Him, that shall be their appointed end: For it is said, “calling the generations from the beginning” (Isaiah 51:4) Although it is said, “And shall serve them, and they shall afflict them four hundred years” (Genesis 15:13), it is also said, “And in the fourth generation they shall come hither again” (Genesis 15:16). This section has been explained in many different ways and is very difficult to understand. I will explain it the way that Albeck explains. Rabbi Akiva is dealing with the issue of fate: if a father controls the number of years that his son will live, how is that God has already determined how long the world will last. The answer that Rabbi Akiva gives is that the number of generations is fixed, as the verse in Isaiah says, but the number of years in each generation is not fixed. Although one verse from Exodus seems to say that God counts years, a few verses later generations are mentioned. According to Rabbi Akiva’s interpretation of these verses and his theology, a person’s years are determined by his actions and by his father’s actions, and not predetermined by God. It is only the number of generations until redemption that is known by God. Of course, human beings do not know this number. It is important to note that when we deal with issues such as fate and the end of the world, we are dealing with issues about which many different Jewish answers have been given. This is not an issue that human beings can fully understand.

with which his mother adorned him. The Tent of Meeting, which was adorned with hues of blue, purple, and scarlet. Rabbi Nechunya said, “Rabbi Shimon son of Yochai asked Rabbi Elazar the son of Rabbi Yose, ‘Perhaps you heard from your father what is meaning of “upon the crown with which his mother adorned him”?’ He replied, “This is a parable of a king who had an only daughter of whom he was very fond. He could not stop loving her until he called her “my daughter,” as it is stated, “listen daughter and see.”¹⁴Tehillim 45:11. He could not stop loving her until he called her “my sister,” as it is stated, “Open for me, my sister, my love.”¹⁵Below 5:2. He could not stop loving her until he called her “my mother,” as it is stated, “Listen to Me, My people, and My nation וּלְאֻמִּי give ear to Me.”¹⁶Yeshayahu 51:4. “וּלְאֻמִּי” is written [without a vav and can be read as “וּלְאִמִּי” “and to my mother”]. Thereupon Rabbi Shimon son Yochai stood up and kissed him on his head, etc.