אַשְׁרֵ֥י הַֽמְחַכֶּ֖ה וְיַגִּ֑יעַ לְיָמִ֕ים אֶ֕לֶף שְׁלֹ֥שׁ מֵא֖וֹת שְׁלֹשִׁ֥ים וַחֲמִשָּֽׁה׃
Mapalad ang naghihintay at umaabot sa isang libo tatlong daan at tatlumpu't limang araw.
Ruth Rabbah
“Boaz said to her at mealtime: Come here, and eat of the bread, and dip your loaf in the vinegar. She sat beside the reapers and he handed her roasted grain, and she ate, was sated, and there was some left over” (Ruth 2:14).
“Boaz said to her at mealtime: Come here.” Rabbi Yoḥananinterpreted this [verse] with six approaches. [According to one approach, this verse] is referring to David. “Come here [halom],” – draw near to kingship, as halom means nothing other than kingship, as it is written: “[King David came and he sat before the Lord and said: Who am I, my Lord God, and who is my household, that You have brought me to this point [halom]?” (II Samuel 7:18). “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – these are the afflictions, as it is stated: “Lord, do not rebuke me in Your wrath” (Psalms 6:2).185This verse was stated by David. “She sat beside [mitzad] the reapers” – the kingship was temporarily captured [notzeda] from him, as Rav Huna said: Those six months that David was fleeing from Avshalom are not included in the tally,186Of the years of David’s reign. as he would gain atonement with a female goat like a commoner.187A commoner brings a female goat as a sin-offering (Leviticus 4:27-28), whereas a king brings a male goat (Leviticus 4:22–23). Thus, Rav Huna is stating that during those six months David did not have the status of a king. “He handed her roasted grain” – the kingship returned to him, as it is stated: “Now I know that the Lord has redeemed His anointed” (Psalms 20:7). “She ate, was sated, and there was some left over” – [David] eats in this world, eats in messianic days, and eats in the future.
Alternatively, “come here,” is referring to Solomon. “Come here” – draw near to kingship. “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship, as it is stated: “Solomon's provision for one day was thirty kor of fine flour, and sixty kor of meal” (I Kings 5:2). “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – these are his sullied actions. “She sat beside [mitzad] the reapers” – the kingship was temporarily captured [notzeda] from him, as Rabbi Yoḥai bar Ḥanina said: An angel in the image of Solomon descended and sat on his throne, and Solomon would circle among the entrances of Israel188Seeking charity and say: “I am Kohelet, I was king over Israel in Jerusalem” (Ecclesiastes 1:12). What did one of them do? She gave him a bowl of grits and struck him on his head with a reed, and said to him: ‘Isn’t Solomon sitting on his throne, and [yet] you say: I am Solomon king of Israel?’ “He handed her roasted grain” – the kingship returned to him. “She ate, was sated, and there was some left over” – he eats in this world, eats in messianic days, and eats in the future.
Alternatively, “come here,” is referring to Hezekiah. “Come here” – draw near to kingship. “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – these are the afflictions, as it is stated: “Isaiah said: Let them take a cake of figs [and spread it on the rash and he will live]” (Isaiah 38:21).189The verse is stated regarding Hezekiah. “She sat beside [mitzad] the reapers” – the kingship was temporarily captured [notzeda] from him, as it says: “So said Hezekiah: A day of distress and chastisement” (Isaiah 37:3). “He handed her roasted grain” – the kingship returned to him, as it is stated: “He was exalted in the eyes of all nations thereafter” (II Chronicles 32:23). “She ate, was sated, and there was some left over” – he eats in this world, eats in messianic days, and eats in the future.
Alternatively, “come here,” is referring to Menashe. “Come here” – draw near to kingship. “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – that he sullied his actions like vinegar due to his evil actions. “She sat beside [mitzad] the reapers” – the kingship was temporarily captured [notzeda] from him, as it is written: “The Lord spoke to Menashe and his people, but they would not pay heed. The Lord brought the officers of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they took Menashe captive in manacles” (II Chronicles 33:10–11). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: They were manacles of iron and bronze. Rabbi Levi bar Ḥayyata said: They made a bronze cauldron and kindled a fire beneath it. He was crying: ‘Idol so-and-so, idol so-and-so, rescue me!’ When he saw that they were of no avail to him at all, he said: ‘I remember that my father would read to me: “In your distress [all these things] will find you…For the Lord your God is a merciful God [He will not forsake you]” (Deuteronomy 4:30–31). I will cry to Him. If He answers, that is good; if He does not answer, everything is one, all the gods are the same.’ At that moment, the ministering angels arose and sealed all the supernal windows, and they said before Him: ‘Master of the Universe, a person who placed an idol in the Sanctuary, are You accepting him through repentance?’ He said to them: ‘If I do not accept him through repentance, I would thereby be locking the door before all penitents.’ What did the Holy One blessed be He do? He excavated an opening beneath His throne of glory, in a place that no angel has control. That is what is written: “He prayed to Him, He acceded to his entreaty [vaye’ater] and He heard his supplication” (II Chronicles 33:13). Rabbi Levi said: In Arabia, they call excavation atira. “He handed her roasted grain” – the kingship returned to him, as it is stated: “He returned him to Jerusalem, to his kingdom” (II Chronicles 33:13). With what did He return him? Rabbi Shmuel in the name of Rabbi Aḥa said: He returned him with the wind. This is what is said: He causes the wind to blow. “She ate, was sated, and left over” – he eats in this world, eats in messianic days, and eats in the future.
Alternatively, it is referring to the messianic king. “Come here” – draw near to kingship. “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – these are the afflictions, as it is stated: “He was pained by our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). “She sat beside [mitzad] the reapers” – his kingship is destined to be temporarily captured [litzod] from him, as it says: “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for the war and the city will be captured” (Zechariah 14:2). “He handed her roasted grain” – it is destined to return to him, as it is stated: “He will smite the land with the rod of his mouth” (Isaiah 11:4). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Levi: Like the initial redeemer, so the ultimate redeemer. Just as the initial redeemer was revealed, and then was again concealed from them, and for how long was he concealed from them, for three months, as it is stated: “They encountered Moses and Aaron” (Exodus 5:20);190The midrash interprets this as referring to the officers of the Israelites meeting Moses and Aaron after Moses returned from a three-month hiatus in Midyan. See Shemot Rabba 5:19, which similarly states that Moses departed to Midyan, but states that it was for six months. so too, the ultimate redeemer will be revealed to them and concealed from them. How long will he be concealed from them? Rabbi Tanḥuma in the name of the Rabbis: Forty-five days; that is what is written: “From the time the daily offering is abolished…[one thousand two hundred and ninety days]” (Daniel 12:11), and it is written: “Happy is one who waits and it comes [to one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days]”(Daniel 12:12). These extra days, what are they? Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Ketzarta in the name of Rabbi Yona: These are the forty-five days that Israel will gather and eat saltwort; that is what is written: “Who pick saltwort from the bushes.” (Job 30:4).
Where will he lead them?191Where will the messianic king lead the Jewish people? To the Judean Desert, as it is stated: “Behold, I will seduce her and I will lead her to the desert” (Hosea 2:16). [There is] one who says: To the wilderness of Siḥon and Og, as it is stated: “I will yet settle you in tents as in the days of the appointed times” (Hosea 12:10). Anyone who believes in him will live, and one who does not believe in him will go to the nations of the world and they will kill him. Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon said: Ultimately, the Holy One blessed be He will appear to them and rain down manna for them, “and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
Alternatively, “come here,” is referring to Boaz, draw near and “eat of the bread,” this is the bread of the reapers. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar,” as it is the way of reapers to dip their loaves in vinegar. Rabbi Yonatan said: From here it is derived that one takes out sour foods to the threshing floors. “She sat beside the reapers,” she certainly sat alongside them.192But not in their midst, for reasons of modesty. “He handed her roasted grain,” a light, small amount, with his two fingers. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: You derive from this one of two matters: Either a blessing rested on the fingers of that righteous man, or that a blessing rested on the innards of that righteous woman. From where? It is from that which is written: “She ate, was sated, and there was some left over.”193If he gave her just a pinch of roasted grain, how could she have been sated, with grain to spare? It stands to reason that the blessing rested on the innards of that righteous woman.
Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon said: The verse comes to teach you that if a person performs a mitzva he should perform it wholeheartedly, as had Reuben known that the Holy One blessed be He was dictating in his regard: “Reuben heard and he rescued him from their hands” (Genesis 37:21),194This verse is stated regarding Reuben saving Joseph from his brothers, who wanted to kill him. he would have taken him to his father on his shoulder. Had Aaron known that the Holy One blessed be He was dictating in his regard: “Behold, he is emerging to meet you” (Exodus 4:14), he would have emerged to meet [Moses] with drums and dancing. Had Boaz known that the Holy One blessed be He was dictating in his regard: “He handed her roasted grain, and she ate, was sated, and there was some left over,” he would have fed her fattened calves. Rabbi Kohen and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: In the past, a person would perform a mitzva and the prophet would write it. Now, when a person performs a mitzva, who writes it? Elijah writes it, and the messianic king, and the Holy One blessed be He affixes a seal for them. That is what is written: “Then those who feared the Lord spoke one with another, [and the Lord heeded, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him]” (Malachi 3:16).
“Boaz said to her at mealtime: Come here.” Rabbi Yoḥanan
Alternatively, “come here,” is referring to Solomon. “Come here” – draw near to kingship. “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship, as it is stated: “Solomon's provision for one day was thirty kor of fine flour, and sixty kor of meal” (I Kings 5:2). “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – these are his sullied actions. “She sat beside [mitzad] the reapers” – the kingship was temporarily captured [notzeda] from him, as Rabbi Yoḥai bar Ḥanina said: An angel in the image of Solomon descended and sat on his throne, and Solomon would circle among the entrances of Israel188Seeking charity and say: “I am Kohelet
Alternatively, “come here,” is referring to Hezekiah. “Come here” – draw near to kingship. “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – these are the afflictions, as it is stated: “Isaiah said: Let them take a cake of figs [and spread it on the rash and he will live]” (Isaiah 38:21).189The verse is stated regarding Hezekiah. “She sat beside [mitzad] the reapers” – the kingship was temporarily captured [notzeda] from him, as it says: “So said Hezekiah: A day of distress and chastisement” (Isaiah 37:3). “He handed her roasted grain” – the kingship returned to him, as it is stated: “He was exalted in the eyes of all nations thereafter” (II Chronicles 32:23). “She ate, was sated, and there was some left over” – he eats in this world, eats in messianic days, and eats in the future.
Alternatively, “come here,” is referring to Menashe. “Come here” – draw near to kingship. “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – that he sullied his actions like vinegar due to his evil actions. “She sat beside [mitzad] the reapers” – the kingship was temporarily captured [notzeda] from him, as it is written: “The Lord spoke to Menashe and his people, but they would not pay heed. The Lord brought the officers of the army of the king of Assyria against them, and they took Menashe captive in manacles” (II Chronicles 33:10–11). Rabbi Abba bar Kahana said: They were manacles of iron and bronze. Rabbi Levi bar Ḥayyata said: They made a bronze cauldron and kindled a fire beneath it. He was crying: ‘Idol so-and-so, idol so-and-so, rescue me!’ When he saw that they were of no avail to him at all, he said: ‘I remember that my father would read to me: “In your distress [all these things] will find you…For the Lord your God is a merciful God [He will not forsake you]” (Deuteronomy 4:30–31). I will cry to Him. If He answers, that is good; if He does not answer, everything is one, all the gods are the same.’ At that moment, the ministering angels arose and sealed all the supernal windows, and they said before Him: ‘Master of the Universe, a person who placed an idol in the Sanctuary, are You accepting him through repentance?’ He said to them: ‘If I do not accept him through repentance, I would thereby be locking the door before all penitents.’ What did the Holy One blessed be He do? He excavated an opening beneath His throne of glory, in a place that no angel has control. That is what is written: “He prayed to Him, He acceded to his entreaty [vaye’ater] and He heard his supplication” (II Chronicles 33:13). Rabbi Levi said: In Arabia, they call excavation atira. “He handed her roasted grain” – the kingship returned to him, as it is stated: “He returned him to Jerusalem, to his kingdom” (II Chronicles 33:13). With what did He return him? Rabbi Shmuel in the name of Rabbi Aḥa said: He returned him with the wind. This is what is said: He causes the wind to blow. “She ate, was sated, and left over” – he eats in this world, eats in messianic days, and eats in the future.
Alternatively, it is referring to the messianic king. “Come here” – draw near to kingship. “Eat of the bread” – this is the bread of kingship. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar” – these are the afflictions, as it is stated: “He was pained by our transgressions” (Isaiah 53:5). “She sat beside [mitzad] the reapers” – his kingship is destined to be temporarily captured [litzod] from him, as it says: “I will gather all the nations to Jerusalem for the war and the city will be captured” (Zechariah 14:2). “He handed her roasted grain” – it is destined to return to him, as it is stated: “He will smite the land with the rod of his mouth” (Isaiah 11:4). Rabbi Berekhya in the name of Rabbi Levi: Like the initial redeemer, so the ultimate redeemer. Just as the initial redeemer was revealed, and then was again concealed from them, and for how long was he concealed from them, for three months, as it is stated: “They encountered Moses and Aaron” (Exodus 5:20);190The midrash interprets this as referring to the officers of the Israelites meeting Moses and Aaron after Moses returned from a three-month hiatus in Midyan. See Shemot Rabba 5:19, which similarly states that Moses departed to Midyan, but states that it was for six months. so too, the ultimate redeemer will be revealed to them and concealed from them. How long will he be concealed from them? Rabbi Tanḥuma in the name of the Rabbis: Forty-five days; that is what is written: “From the time the daily offering is abolished…[one thousand two hundred and ninety days]” (Daniel 12:11), and it is written: “Happy is one who waits and it comes [to one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days]”(Daniel 12:12). These extra days, what are they? Rabbi Yitzḥak ben Ketzarta in the name of Rabbi Yona: These are the forty-five days that Israel will gather and eat saltwort; that is what is written: “Who pick saltwort from the bushes.” (Job 30:4).
Where will he lead them?191Where will the messianic king lead the Jewish people? To the Judean Desert, as it is stated: “Behold, I will seduce her and I will lead her to the desert” (Hosea 2:16). [There is] one who says: To the wilderness of Siḥon and Og, as it is stated: “I will yet settle you in tents as in the days of the appointed times” (Hosea 12:10). Anyone who believes in him will live, and one who does not believe in him will go to the nations of the world and they will kill him. Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon said: Ultimately, the Holy One blessed be He will appear to them and rain down manna for them, “and there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
Alternatively, “come here,” is referring to Boaz, draw near and “eat of the bread,” this is the bread of the reapers. “Dip your loaf in the vinegar,” as it is the way of reapers to dip their loaves in vinegar. Rabbi Yonatan said: From here it is derived that one takes out sour foods to the threshing floors. “She sat beside the reapers,” she certainly sat alongside them.192But not in their midst, for reasons of modesty. “He handed her roasted grain,” a light, small amount, with his two fingers. Rabbi Yitzḥak said: You derive from this one of two matters: Either a blessing rested on the fingers of that righteous man, or that a blessing rested on the innards of that righteous woman. From where? It is from that which is written: “She ate, was sated, and there was some left over.”193If he gave her just a pinch of roasted grain, how could she have been sated, with grain to spare? It stands to reason that the blessing rested on the innards of that righteous woman.
Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon said: The verse comes to teach you that if a person performs a mitzva he should perform it wholeheartedly, as had Reuben known that the Holy One blessed be He was dictating in his regard: “Reuben heard and he rescued him from their hands” (Genesis 37:21),194This verse is stated regarding Reuben saving Joseph from his brothers, who wanted to kill him. he would have taken him to his father on his shoulder. Had Aaron known that the Holy One blessed be He was dictating in his regard: “Behold, he is emerging to meet you” (Exodus 4:14), he would have emerged to meet [Moses] with drums and dancing. Had Boaz known that the Holy One blessed be He was dictating in his regard: “He handed her roasted grain, and she ate, was sated, and there was some left over,” he would have fed her fattened calves. Rabbi Kohen and Rabbi Yehoshua of Sikhnin in the name of Rabbi Levi: In the past, a person would perform a mitzva and the prophet would write it. Now, when a person performs a mitzva, who writes it? Elijah writes it, and the messianic king, and the Holy One blessed be He affixes a seal for them. That is what is written: “Then those who feared the Lord spoke one with another, [and the Lord heeded, and heard, and a book of remembrance was written before Him]” (Malachi 3:16).
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
Another matter, “my beloved is like a gazelle,” Rabbi Yitzḥak said: The congregation of Israel said to the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, You said to us: Come, come. You come to us first.’ “My beloved is like a gazelle,” just as this gazelle appears and is then obscured, appears and is then obscured, so too, the first redeemer [Moses] appeared, was obscured, and appeared again. How long was he obscured from them? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: Three months. That is what is written: “They encountered Moses and Aaron” (Exodus 5:20).105This verse, written about the Israelite foremen, implies that they had not seen Moses and Aaron for some time. This is because they were in Goshen, where most of the Israelites lived, whereas Aaron was in the Egyptian capital and Moses had returned briefly to Midian (Etz Yosef). Yehuda ben Rabbi said: [They encountered Moses] from time to time. So too, the ultimate redeemer will appear to them and will then be obscured from them. For how long will he be obscured from them? Forty-five days; that is what is written: “From the time of the abolishing of the continual offering, and the setting of the desolating detestable thing, there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11), and it is written: “Happy is one who waits, and reaches one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” (Daniel 12:12). These extra days, what are they? Rabbi Yoḥanan ben Ketzarta said in the name of Rabbi Yona: These are the forty-five days that he will be obscured from them, and during those days Israel will pick saltwort and juniper roots as food. That is what is written: “Who pick saltwort from bushes, and the roots of the broom are their food” (Job 30:4).
To where will he lead them? There is one who says: To the wilderness of Judah, and one who says: To the wilderness of Siḥon and Og. The one who says to the wilderness of Judah; that is what is written: “I will yet settle you in tents as in the days of old” (Hosea 12:10). The one who says: To the wilderness of Siḥon and Og [derives it] from what is written: “Therefore, behold, I will seduce her, and I will lead her to the wilderness and I will speak to her heart. I will give her her vineyards” (Hosea 2:16–17). Anyone who believes in him, follows him, and waits; he will live, and anyone who does not believe in him, and goes to the nations of the world; ultimately, they kill him. Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon said: At the conclusion of forty-five days, he will appear to them and cause manna to fall for them; “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
To where will he lead them? There is one who says: To the wilderness of Judah, and one who says: To the wilderness of Siḥon and Og. The one who says to the wilderness of Judah; that is what is written: “I will yet settle you in tents as in the days of old” (Hosea 12:10). The one who says: To the wilderness of Siḥon and Og [derives it] from what is written: “Therefore, behold, I will seduce her, and I will lead her to the wilderness and I will speak to her heart. I will give her her vineyards” (Hosea 2:16–17). Anyone who believes in him, follows him, and waits; he will live, and anyone who does not believe in him, and goes to the nations of the world; ultimately, they kill him. Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon said: At the conclusion of forty-five days, he will appear to them and cause manna to fall for them; “there is nothing new under the sun” (Ecclesiastes 1:9).
Bamidbar Rabbah
“My beloved is like a gazelle or a fawn [ofer ha’ayalim]…” (Song of Songs 2:9) – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe, in truth you came to us first. “My beloved is like a gazelle” – just as the gazelle leaps, so the Holy One blessed be He leapt and bounded from Egypt to the sea and from the sea to Sinai. In Egypt, “I will pass in the land of Egypt…” (Exodus 12:12). At the sea, “this is my God and I will exalt Him” (Exodus 15:2). At Sinai, “He said: The Lord came from Sinai” (Deuteronomy 33:2). “Or a fawn” – Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: To the fawn of deer.6Rabbi Yosei teaches that "ofer ha'ayalim" means a fawn, and not a certain type of deer.
“Behold, he is standing behind our wall” (Song of Songs 2:9) – this is the wilderness of Sinai. “Watching from the windows” (Song of Songs 2:9) – “the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai…” (Exodus 19:20). “Peering through the cracks” (Song of Songs 2:9) – “God spoke all these matters…” (Exodus 20:1). “My beloved spoke up and said to me” (Song of Songs 2:10) – “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2).
Another matter: “My beloved is like a gazelle” (Song of Songs 2:9) – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe, You told us that You will come to us first. “My beloved is like a gazelle” – just as the gazelle appears and is then concealed, so, the initial redeemer appeared and was then concealed. Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Like the initial redeemer, so will be the ultimate redeemer. The initial redeemer, this is Moses; he appeared to them and was then concealed from them. How long was he concealed from them? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: Three months; that is what is written: “They encountered Moses and Aaron…” (Exodus 5:20).7“Encountered” indicates that there had been an interruption in the contact between them. The ultimate redeemer, too, will appear to them and will then be concealed from them. How long will he be concealed from them? Rabbi Tanḥuma said in the name of Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Hoshaya: Forty-five days. That is what is written: “From the time of the abolishing of the daily offering and the setting up of the abomination of desolation there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11), and it is written: “Happy is one who waits, and reaches one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” (Daniel 12:12). How many are these extra days? They are the forty-five days that he will be concealed from them and will then reappear to them.
Where will he take them?8Where will they be during those forty-five days? Some say to the Judean desert, and some say to the wilderness of Siḥon and Og. Anyone who believes him and follows him will eat roots of the broom tree and saltwort leaves; that is what is written: “Who pick saltwort from bushes, and the root of the broom tree is their food” (Job 30:4). Anyone who does not follow him will go and make peace with the nations of the world, and they will ultimately kill him. Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon said: At the conclusion of forty-five days, the Holy One blessed be He will cause manna to fall for them. That is what is written: “I will yet settle you in tents as in the appointed [moed] days” (Hosea 12:10), and it says: “The appointed time [moed] of your exodus from Egypt” (Deuteronomy 16:6). “Or a fawn” (Song of Songs 2:9) – Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: To the fawn of deer.
“Behold, he is standing behind our wall” (Song of Songs 2:9) – this is the western wall of the Temple, which is never destroyed. Why? It is because the Divine Presence is in the west. “Watching from the windows” (Song of Songs 2:9) – due to the merit of the patriarchs; “peering through the cracks” (Song of Songs 2:9) – due to the merit of the matriarchs. Just as there is a distinction between a window and a crack, so there is a distinction between the merit of the patriarchs and the merit of the matriarchs. “My beloved spoke up and said to me” (Song of Songs 2:10) – what did He say? “As I live, the utterance of the Lord, that you will don all of them like jewelry, and you will tie them like a bride” (Isaiah 49:18).
Another matter: “My beloved is like a gazelle” (Song of Songs 2:9) – just as this gazelle leaps from place to place, from fence to fence, from tree to tree, and from booth to booth, so, the Holy One blessed be He leaps and bounds from this synagogue to that synagogue. Why to that extent? It is order to bless Israel, as it is stated: “In every place I mention My name, [I will come to you and I will bless you]” (Exodus 20:21). By what merit? It is by the merit of Abraham our patriarch, as it is written: “So [ko] you shall bless,” just as it says: “So [ko] shall be your offspring” (Genesis 15:5). “Or a fawn” (Song of Songs 2:9) – Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: To the fawn of deer.
“Behold, he is standing behind our wall” (Song of Songs 2:9) – when the Holy One blessed be He came to visit Abraham our patriarch on the third day since his circumcision, just as it says: “The Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting [yoshev]…” (Genesis 18:1). Yashav is written.9Yoshev is written without a vav, so it looks like yashav. He sought to stand; the Holy One blessed be He said to him: Sit, Abraham, you are a paradigm for your descendants, as when your descendants enter synagogues and study halls and recite Shema, they sit and My glory stands. What is the source? “God stands [nitzav] in the assembly of the Almighty” (Psalms 82:1) – Rabbi Ḥagai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: It is not written here, “God omed,”10The word “stands” would usually be rendered as omed. but rather, “God nitzav,” at the ready. This is just as it says: “It will be before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24). That is why it is stated: “Behold, he is standing behind our wall”; these are the synagogues and study halls.
“Watching from the windows” (Song of Songs 2:9) – when the Holy One blessed be He said to Aaron and his sons: “So you shall bless…,” Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, to the priests You said that they should bless us. We need only Your blessings and to be blessed from Your mouth.’ That is what is written: “Look from Your holy abode, from Heaven, and bless Your people Israel” (Deuteronomy 26:15). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Although I said to the priests that they should bless you, with them I stand and bless you.’ That is why the priests spread their hands, saying: The Holy One blessed be He is standing behind us. That is why it says: “Watching from the windows” – from between the priests’ shoulders; “peering through the cracks” (Song of Songs 2:9) – from between the priests’ fingers. “My beloved spoke up and said to me” – “and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27).
“So you shall bless” – that is what is written: “I will render you a great nation…” (Genesis 12:2). Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair said: The Holy One blessed be He blessed Abraham with seven blessings, and these are they: “I will render you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2); “I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2); “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2); “you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). I will bless those who bless you” (Genesis 12:3); “one who curses you, I will curse” (Genesis 12:3), “[all the families of the earth] will be blessed in you” (Genesis 12:3). These correspond to the seven verses in the act of Creation in which “that it was good” is written.11Seven including Genesis 1:31: “And it was very good.”
Rabbi Levi bar Ḥayata and Rabbi Abba son of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: There are three expressions of greatness and four blessings written here. He apprised him that there would be three patriarchs and four matriarchs. But is it not that there are only two expressions of greatness? “I will render you [ve’e’eskha]” is an expression of greatness12Thus, there are, in fact, three expressions of greatness., as it is written: “It is the Lord who appointed [asa] Moses [and Aaron]” (I Samuel 12:6).
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: “I will render you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2) – this is that we recite: God of Abraham. “I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2) – this is that we recite: God of Isaac. “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2) – this is that we recite: God of Jacob. Do we, perhaps, conclude with all of them? The verse states: “You will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2) – it is with you they conclude: The Shield of Abraham, and we do not conclude with all of them.13This midrash is referring to the first blessing of the Amida prayer. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Ze’eira said: “You will be a blessing” – your blessing precedes Mine, as after they recite Shield of Abraham, only then do they recite: Who revives the dead.
Another matter: “You will be a blessing [berakha]” (Genesis 12:2) – you will be a pool [berekha]. Just as this pool purifies the impure, you, too, draw the distant under the wings of the Divine Presence. “I will render you [ve’e’eskha] a great nation” (Genesis 12:2) – Rabbi Berekhya said: It is not written here, Etenkha,14See Genesis 17:20: “I will make him [untativ] a great nation.” asimekha,15See Genesis 46:3: “I will make you [asimekha] a great nation there.” but rather ve’e’eskha.16This connotes creation of a new entity. After I create you as a new creation, just as it says: “God made [vayaas] the firmament” (Genesis 1:7), then you will be fruitful and multiply.
“A great nation” (Genesis 12:2) – Abraham said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, from Noah, did You not produce seventy nations?’ He said to him: ‘That nation in whose regard it is written: “For who is a great nation” (Deuteronomy 4:7), I am producing from you.’ Rabbi Pinḥas HaKohen bar Ḥama said: When did the Holy One blessed be He render Abraham a great nation? It was when they departed from Egypt, came to Sinai, received the Torah, and arrived in the Land of Israel. Moses looked at them and said: They have been rendered just as the Holy One blessed be He promised to the elder, as it is stated: “And who is a great nation” (Deuteronomy 4:8). Alternatively, “a great nation” – as I will give your descendants the Torah, and from it they will be called a great nation, as it is stated: “It is a particularly wise and understanding people, this great nation” (Deuteronomy 4:6).
“I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2) – Rabbi Berekhya said: Because travel causes a person three phenomena: It lessens procreation, it lessens his expenditure,17It reduces his disposable income. and it lessens his reputation; that is why it was stated to him: “I will render you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2) – travel will not lessen your procreation; “I will bless you” – travel will not lessen your expenditure; “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2) – it will not lessen your reputation.
People say in a parable: From house to house, a cloak; from place to place, a soul. However, you will lose neither a soul nor property.
“You will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2) – it is already written: “I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2); why does the verse state: “You will be a blessing”? Rabbi Eliezer said: The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘From when I created My world until now, I needed to bless My creations,’ as it is stated: “God blessed them…” (Genesis 1:28), and it says: “God blessed Noah and his sons” (Genesis 9:1). ‘But from here on, the blessings are granted to you; to one whom you see fit to bless, bless.’ Nevertheless, Abraham did not bless his sons. Why is it so? It is analogous to a king who had an orchard and he entrusted it to a sharecropper. In that orchard there was one tree that was an elixir of life and one tree a deadly poison. The sharecropper said: I will cultivate and complete [my work], and the king will do with his orchard what he chooses. So, the king, this is the Holy One blessed be He. The orchard, this is the world. He granted it to Abraham, as He said to him: “You will be a blessing.” What did Abraham do? He had two sons, one righteous and one wicked: Isaac and Ishmael. Abraham said: If I bless Isaac, Ishmael will request to be blessed, and he is wicked. Rather, I am a servant; I am flesh and blood. Tomorrow, I will pass from the world, and what the Holy One blessed be He wishes to do in His world, He will do. When Abraham passed away, the Holy One blessed be He appeared to Isaac and blessed him, as it is stated: “It was after the death of Abraham, [God blessed Isaac his son]” (Genesis 25:11). Isaac blessed Jacob, and Jacob blessed the twelve tribes, as it is stated: “All these are the tribes of Israel, twelve, and this is that which their father spoke to them, and he blessed them” (Genesis 49:28). From here on, the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘The blessings are granted to you. The priests will bless My children, just as I said to Abraham their patriarch: “You will be a blessing.”’ That is why it is stated: “So you shall bless…”
“Behold, he is standing behind our wall” (Song of Songs 2:9) – this is the wilderness of Sinai. “Watching from the windows” (Song of Songs 2:9) – “the Lord descended upon Mount Sinai…” (Exodus 19:20). “Peering through the cracks” (Song of Songs 2:9) – “God spoke all these matters…” (Exodus 20:1). “My beloved spoke up and said to me” (Song of Songs 2:10) – “I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 20:2).
Another matter: “My beloved is like a gazelle” (Song of Songs 2:9) – Rabbi Yitzḥak said: Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: Master of the universe, You told us that You will come to us first. “My beloved is like a gazelle” – just as the gazelle appears and is then concealed, so, the initial redeemer appeared and was then concealed. Rabbi Berekhya said in the name of Rabbi Levi: Like the initial redeemer, so will be the ultimate redeemer. The initial redeemer, this is Moses; he appeared to them and was then concealed from them. How long was he concealed from them? Rabbi Tanḥuma said: Three months; that is what is written: “They encountered Moses and Aaron…” (Exodus 5:20).7“Encountered” indicates that there had been an interruption in the contact between them. The ultimate redeemer, too, will appear to them and will then be concealed from them. How long will he be concealed from them? Rabbi Tanḥuma said in the name of Rabbi Ḥama ben Rabbi Hoshaya: Forty-five days. That is what is written: “From the time of the abolishing of the daily offering and the setting up of the abomination of desolation there will be one thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11), and it is written: “Happy is one who waits, and reaches one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days” (Daniel 12:12). How many are these extra days? They are the forty-five days that he will be concealed from them and will then reappear to them.
Where will he take them?8Where will they be during those forty-five days? Some say to the Judean desert, and some say to the wilderness of Siḥon and Og. Anyone who believes him and follows him will eat roots of the broom tree and saltwort leaves; that is what is written: “Who pick saltwort from bushes, and the root of the broom tree is their food” (Job 30:4). Anyone who does not follow him will go and make peace with the nations of the world, and they will ultimately kill him. Rabbi Yitzḥak bar Maryon said: At the conclusion of forty-five days, the Holy One blessed be He will cause manna to fall for them. That is what is written: “I will yet settle you in tents as in the appointed [moed] days” (Hosea 12:10), and it says: “The appointed time [moed] of your exodus from Egypt” (Deuteronomy 16:6). “Or a fawn” (Song of Songs 2:9) – Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: To the fawn of deer.
“Behold, he is standing behind our wall” (Song of Songs 2:9) – this is the western wall of the Temple, which is never destroyed. Why? It is because the Divine Presence is in the west. “Watching from the windows” (Song of Songs 2:9) – due to the merit of the patriarchs; “peering through the cracks” (Song of Songs 2:9) – due to the merit of the matriarchs. Just as there is a distinction between a window and a crack, so there is a distinction between the merit of the patriarchs and the merit of the matriarchs. “My beloved spoke up and said to me” (Song of Songs 2:10) – what did He say? “As I live, the utterance of the Lord, that you will don all of them like jewelry, and you will tie them like a bride” (Isaiah 49:18).
Another matter: “My beloved is like a gazelle” (Song of Songs 2:9) – just as this gazelle leaps from place to place, from fence to fence, from tree to tree, and from booth to booth, so, the Holy One blessed be He leaps and bounds from this synagogue to that synagogue. Why to that extent? It is order to bless Israel, as it is stated: “In every place I mention My name, [I will come to you and I will bless you]” (Exodus 20:21). By what merit? It is by the merit of Abraham our patriarch, as it is written: “So [ko] you shall bless,” just as it says: “So [ko] shall be your offspring” (Genesis 15:5). “Or a fawn” (Song of Songs 2:9) – Rabbi Yosei ben Rabbi Ḥanina said: To the fawn of deer.
“Behold, he is standing behind our wall” (Song of Songs 2:9) – when the Holy One blessed be He came to visit Abraham our patriarch on the third day since his circumcision, just as it says: “The Lord appeared to him in the plains of Mamre, and he was sitting [yoshev]…” (Genesis 18:1). Yashav is written.9Yoshev is written without a vav, so it looks like yashav. He sought to stand; the Holy One blessed be He said to him: Sit, Abraham, you are a paradigm for your descendants, as when your descendants enter synagogues and study halls and recite Shema, they sit and My glory stands. What is the source? “God stands [nitzav] in the assembly of the Almighty” (Psalms 82:1) – Rabbi Ḥagai said in the name of Rabbi Yitzḥak: It is not written here, “God omed,”10The word “stands” would usually be rendered as omed. but rather, “God nitzav,” at the ready. This is just as it says: “It will be before they call, I will answer” (Isaiah 65:24). That is why it is stated: “Behold, he is standing behind our wall”; these are the synagogues and study halls.
“Watching from the windows” (Song of Songs 2:9) – when the Holy One blessed be He said to Aaron and his sons: “So you shall bless…,” Israel said before the Holy One blessed be He: ‘Master of the universe, to the priests You said that they should bless us. We need only Your blessings and to be blessed from Your mouth.’ That is what is written: “Look from Your holy abode, from Heaven, and bless Your people Israel” (Deuteronomy 26:15). The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘Although I said to the priests that they should bless you, with them I stand and bless you.’ That is why the priests spread their hands, saying: The Holy One blessed be He is standing behind us. That is why it says: “Watching from the windows” – from between the priests’ shoulders; “peering through the cracks” (Song of Songs 2:9) – from between the priests’ fingers. “My beloved spoke up and said to me” – “and I will bless them” (Numbers 6:27).
“So you shall bless” – that is what is written: “I will render you a great nation…” (Genesis 12:2). Rabbi Pinḥas ben Yair said: The Holy One blessed be He blessed Abraham with seven blessings, and these are they: “I will render you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2); “I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2); “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2); “you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2). I will bless those who bless you” (Genesis 12:3); “one who curses you, I will curse” (Genesis 12:3), “[all the families of the earth] will be blessed in you” (Genesis 12:3). These correspond to the seven verses in the act of Creation in which “that it was good” is written.11Seven including Genesis 1:31: “And it was very good.”
Rabbi Levi bar Ḥayata and Rabbi Abba son of Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Abba said: There are three expressions of greatness and four blessings written here. He apprised him that there would be three patriarchs and four matriarchs. But is it not that there are only two expressions of greatness? “I will render you [ve’e’eskha]” is an expression of greatness12Thus, there are, in fact, three expressions of greatness., as it is written: “It is the Lord who appointed [asa] Moses [and Aaron]” (I Samuel 12:6).
Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish said: “I will render you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2) – this is that we recite: God of Abraham. “I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2) – this is that we recite: God of Isaac. “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2) – this is that we recite: God of Jacob. Do we, perhaps, conclude with all of them? The verse states: “You will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2) – it is with you they conclude: The Shield of Abraham, and we do not conclude with all of them.13This midrash is referring to the first blessing of the Amida prayer. Rabbi Ḥiyya bar Ze’eira said: “You will be a blessing” – your blessing precedes Mine, as after they recite Shield of Abraham, only then do they recite: Who revives the dead.
Another matter: “You will be a blessing [berakha]” (Genesis 12:2) – you will be a pool [berekha]. Just as this pool purifies the impure, you, too, draw the distant under the wings of the Divine Presence. “I will render you [ve’e’eskha] a great nation” (Genesis 12:2) – Rabbi Berekhya said: It is not written here, Etenkha,14See Genesis 17:20: “I will make him [untativ] a great nation.” asimekha,15See Genesis 46:3: “I will make you [asimekha] a great nation there.” but rather ve’e’eskha.16This connotes creation of a new entity. After I create you as a new creation, just as it says: “God made [vayaas] the firmament” (Genesis 1:7), then you will be fruitful and multiply.
“A great nation” (Genesis 12:2) – Abraham said before Him: ‘Master of the universe, from Noah, did You not produce seventy nations?’ He said to him: ‘That nation in whose regard it is written: “For who is a great nation” (Deuteronomy 4:7), I am producing from you.’ Rabbi Pinḥas HaKohen bar Ḥama said: When did the Holy One blessed be He render Abraham a great nation? It was when they departed from Egypt, came to Sinai, received the Torah, and arrived in the Land of Israel. Moses looked at them and said: They have been rendered just as the Holy One blessed be He promised to the elder, as it is stated: “And who is a great nation” (Deuteronomy 4:8). Alternatively, “a great nation” – as I will give your descendants the Torah, and from it they will be called a great nation, as it is stated: “It is a particularly wise and understanding people, this great nation” (Deuteronomy 4:6).
“I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2) – Rabbi Berekhya said: Because travel causes a person three phenomena: It lessens procreation, it lessens his expenditure,17It reduces his disposable income. and it lessens his reputation; that is why it was stated to him: “I will render you a great nation” (Genesis 12:2) – travel will not lessen your procreation; “I will bless you” – travel will not lessen your expenditure; “I will make your name great” (Genesis 12:2) – it will not lessen your reputation.
People say in a parable: From house to house, a cloak; from place to place, a soul. However, you will lose neither a soul nor property.
“You will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2) – it is already written: “I will bless you” (Genesis 12:2); why does the verse state: “You will be a blessing”? Rabbi Eliezer said: The Holy One blessed be He said to him: ‘From when I created My world until now, I needed to bless My creations,’ as it is stated: “God blessed them…” (Genesis 1:28), and it says: “God blessed Noah and his sons” (Genesis 9:1). ‘But from here on, the blessings are granted to you; to one whom you see fit to bless, bless.’ Nevertheless, Abraham did not bless his sons. Why is it so? It is analogous to a king who had an orchard and he entrusted it to a sharecropper. In that orchard there was one tree that was an elixir of life and one tree a deadly poison. The sharecropper said: I will cultivate and complete [my work], and the king will do with his orchard what he chooses. So, the king, this is the Holy One blessed be He. The orchard, this is the world. He granted it to Abraham, as He said to him: “You will be a blessing.” What did Abraham do? He had two sons, one righteous and one wicked: Isaac and Ishmael. Abraham said: If I bless Isaac, Ishmael will request to be blessed, and he is wicked. Rather, I am a servant; I am flesh and blood. Tomorrow, I will pass from the world, and what the Holy One blessed be He wishes to do in His world, He will do. When Abraham passed away, the Holy One blessed be He appeared to Isaac and blessed him, as it is stated: “It was after the death of Abraham, [God blessed Isaac his son]” (Genesis 25:11). Isaac blessed Jacob, and Jacob blessed the twelve tribes, as it is stated: “All these are the tribes of Israel, twelve, and this is that which their father spoke to them, and he blessed them” (Genesis 49:28). From here on, the Holy One blessed be He said: ‘The blessings are granted to you. The priests will bless My children, just as I said to Abraham their patriarch: “You will be a blessing.”’ That is why it is stated: “So you shall bless…”