Комментарий о цитате к Шир ха-ширим 4:6

“And God said to Abram, ‘Go forth, etc.’” What would the verse have been lacking if it had simply said “Go forth to the land that I will show you”? Why did it need to specify these details from your land, from your birthplace, and from your father’s house? Also, the word lecha [for yourself] needs explanation, as it doesn’t mean “go for your benefit.” Furthermore, the Ramban’s interpretation that it’s similar to the phrase I will go for myself to the mountain of myrrh (Song of Songs 4:6) doesn’t seem correct, as both “li” and “lecha” should have a different explanation that’s closer to the simple meaning. It appears to me that the Holy One, Blessed be He, moved him from one matter to another, like how we educate a child, because perhaps it would be difficult for him to accept everything at once. Therefore, He made three divisions and moved him to a fourth matter. Initially, He asked him to leave his land, which was a small request, since a person doesn’t gain more benefit from his own land than from other lands. The only benefit is the fame and imagined honor people give someone in a place where they know him, but beyond this, he has no help or support from all the people of his land who are not related, so it’s easy to be persuaded to leave them. Then, after he removed his whole land from his heart, He addressed the possibility that his soul might be bound to the people of his kin, from whom he had some help and support, as families typically do, where one person bears the burden for his relatives and they don’t allow strangers to dominate them. This offered somewhat more benefit than the first. After he was persuaded of this too, there was concern that his soul might cling to his father’s house, where he had additional benefit beyond all these, namely the benefit of wealth, as house and wealth are inherited from fathers.

I believe we must explain our verse by recalling the Zohar volume one page 217. We are told there that 40 days prior to man's death his נשמה leaves him. Zohar bases this on Song of Songs 4,6: ונסו הצללים, "and the shadows fled." These "shadows" search for a resting place in the celestial regions and the righteous are aware of this. It is described there that Rabbi Shimon ben Yochai was aware of the fact that Rabbi Yitzchak's soul had already departed from him while the latter was still alive.

For this reason, the phrase “And God appeared to him” is not mentioned at the beginning of this vision. Rather, it only appears after he entered the land [of Israel], for then he was ready to see divine visions. But before this, while he was still outside the Land [of Israel], he only heard the voice of words, for God had not yet appeared to him until he came to the Land, as will be explained shortly. Therefore, he called that place “Sulama of Tzur” [the ladder of the rock], as it appears in the Yalkut on this portion: “When Abraham reached Sulama of Tzur, he said ‘Let my portion be in this land.’” How did the author of the Midrash know that Abraham reached Sulama of Tzur? Certainly, his intention refers to Mount Moriah, for that is the location of the ladder that Jacob saw standing in Beth El, and through that ladder souls ascend and descend, and there is the rock from which the body is hewn, as it is written Look to the rock from which you were hewn (Isaiah 51:1). For from that rock, which is called the Foundation Stone [Even Shetiyah], the general world was founded, and also man, who is called a small world, was formed from the place of that rock, where the ladder for the soul is also located, as mentioned. And for this reason, the phrase “lech lecha” is used here, and in the story of the Binding [of Isaac], and similarly in the verse I will go for myself to the mountain of myrrh, and the rain is over and gone for itself — it has gone to its source, for mist rises from the earth. And similarly Rise up and cross over the brook for yourselves (Deuteronomy 2:13) — this also refers to the Land of Israel. And likewise I will go for myself to the great ones (Jeremiah 5:5) — for there is the dwelling of the complete ones. And so too, all instances of “li” [for/to me], “lo” [for/to him], “lecha” [for/to you], and “lahem” [for/to them] in Scripture are explained in this way, and Abraham understood from the words lech lecha to go to the land of Canaan, even though he was not told which land to go to.

ולא יתן עליו לבנה NOR SHALL HE PUT FRANKINCENSE THEREON — Because the matriarchs are symbolically termed frankincense, as it is said, (Songs 4:6) “I will get me … to the hill of frankincense” (which is taken as an allusion to the matriarchs), whilst she deviated from their paths (Midrash Tanchuma, Nasso 3).