מַדּ֥וּעַ אָדֹ֖ם לִלְבוּשֶׁ֑ךָ וּבְגָדֶ֖יךָ כְּדֹרֵ֥ךְ בְּגַֽת׃
“Bakit pula ang iyong kasuotan, at ang iyong mga damit ay gaya ng sa isang yumuyurak ng ubas sa pisaan ng alak?”
Devarim Rabbah
“You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your might” (Deuteronomy 6:5). What is “with all your heart, with all your soul” – with each and every soul that He created for you.77Every aspect of the soul, represented by the five names mentioned below (Etz Yosef). Alternatively, with all of a person’s inclinations and energy (see Maharzu). Rabbi Meir said: For each and every breath that a person takes, he is obligated to laud his Creator. From where is this derived? As it is stated: “Let everyone who breathes praise the Lord” (Psalms 150:6).78Rabbi Meir interprets the phrase “everyone who breathes [kol haneshama]” to mean “for every breath [kol neshima].” Rabbi Simon said: The soul is called the following five names: Ruaḥ, nefesh, neshama, ḥaya, yeḥida. The Rabbis say: Come and see that the Holy One blessed be He fills His world, and [a person’s] soul fills his body. The Holy One blessed be He bears His world, and the soul bears the body. The Holy One blessed be He is One in His world, and the soul is one in the body. The Holy One blessed be He does not sleep, and the soul does not sleep. The Holy One blessed be He is the pure One in His world, and the soul is the pure one in the body. The Holy One blessed be He sees but is not seen, and the soul sees but it is not seen. Let the soul that sees but is not seen come and laud the Holy One blessed be He, who sees but is not seen.
Israel said: ‘Master of the universe, this soul that lauds you, until when will it be placed in the dust79Until when will the soul have to endure the physical body; alternatively, until when will the soul be held back from achieving its potential due to the hardships of life (see Etz Yosef; Anaf Yosef). [as it is written:] “Our soul is stooped in the dust”’ (Psalms 44:26)? The Holy One blessed be He said to them: As you live, the End will come, and your souls will rejoice. That is why Isaiah comforts them and says: “I will be gladdened in the Lord; my soul will exult in my God” (Isaiah 61:10).
Rabbi Berekhya said: In ten places the Holy One blessed be He called Israel “bride.”80The midrash here proceeds to list only nine such instances, but elsewhere (Shir HaShirim Rabba 4:8:3) it lists the tenth: “A locked garden is my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:12), which should be included here as well. They are: “With Me from Lebanon, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:8); “I came to My garden, My sister, My bride” (Song of Songs 5:1); “you have charmed Me, My sister, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:9); “how fair is your loving, My sister, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:10); “your lips drip nectar, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:11); “like the gladness of a groom with a bride” (see Isaiah 62:5); “the sound of a groom and the sound of a bride” (Jeremiah 33:11); “that you will don all of them like jewelry and you will tie them like a bride” (Isaiah 49:18); “and like a bride who bedecks herself with her ornaments” (Isaiah 61:10). Corresponding to them, Israel adorns the Holy One blessed be He with ten garments [levushin].81The reference is to ten instances in which Israel praises God with metaphors involving forms of the word garments [levushin]. They are: “I donned [lavashti] righteousness, and it clothed me [vayilbasheni]”; “like a robe and a mitre was my justice” (Job 29:14) – these make two. “He donned [vayilbash] righteousness like armor” (Isaiah 59:17); “He donned [vayilbash] garments of vengeance as His costume [tilboshet]” (Isaiah 59:17) – these make five. “His garment was like white snow” (Daniel 7:9); “why is there red on your garment” (Isaiah 63:2); “The Lord reigns; He is clothed [lavesh] in grandeur. The Lord is clothed [lavesh], girded with strength” (Psalms 93:1); “You are clothed [lavashta] in splendor and glory” (Psalms 104:1) – these make ten.
Another matter: “I will be gladdened in the Lord” (Isaiah 61:10) – to what is the matter comparable? It is to a woman whose husband, son, and son-in-law went to a country overseas…, as it is written in the Pesikta82The midrash here does not provide the full account of this analogy, but it is provided in Pesikta deRav Kahana 22:3 and Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:4:8. until: “I will be gladdened.”
Israel said: ‘Master of the universe, this soul that lauds you, until when will it be placed in the dust79Until when will the soul have to endure the physical body; alternatively, until when will the soul be held back from achieving its potential due to the hardships of life (see Etz Yosef; Anaf Yosef). [as it is written:] “Our soul is stooped in the dust”’ (Psalms 44:26)? The Holy One blessed be He said to them: As you live, the End will come, and your souls will rejoice. That is why Isaiah comforts them and says: “I will be gladdened in the Lord; my soul will exult in my God” (Isaiah 61:10).
Rabbi Berekhya said: In ten places the Holy One blessed be He called Israel “bride.”80The midrash here proceeds to list only nine such instances, but elsewhere (Shir HaShirim Rabba 4:8:3) it lists the tenth: “A locked garden is my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:12), which should be included here as well. They are: “With Me from Lebanon, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:8); “I came to My garden, My sister, My bride” (Song of Songs 5:1); “you have charmed Me, My sister, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:9); “how fair is your loving, My sister, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:10); “your lips drip nectar, My bride” (Song of Songs 4:11); “like the gladness of a groom with a bride” (see Isaiah 62:5); “the sound of a groom and the sound of a bride” (Jeremiah 33:11); “that you will don all of them like jewelry and you will tie them like a bride” (Isaiah 49:18); “and like a bride who bedecks herself with her ornaments” (Isaiah 61:10). Corresponding to them, Israel adorns the Holy One blessed be He with ten garments [levushin].81The reference is to ten instances in which Israel praises God with metaphors involving forms of the word garments [levushin]. They are: “I donned [lavashti] righteousness, and it clothed me [vayilbasheni]”; “like a robe and a mitre was my justice” (Job 29:14) – these make two. “He donned [vayilbash] righteousness like armor” (Isaiah 59:17); “He donned [vayilbash] garments of vengeance as His costume [tilboshet]” (Isaiah 59:17) – these make five. “His garment was like white snow” (Daniel 7:9); “why is there red on your garment” (Isaiah 63:2); “The Lord reigns; He is clothed [lavesh] in grandeur. The Lord is clothed [lavesh], girded with strength” (Psalms 93:1); “You are clothed [lavashta] in splendor and glory” (Psalms 104:1) – these make ten.
Another matter: “I will be gladdened in the Lord” (Isaiah 61:10) – to what is the matter comparable? It is to a woman whose husband, son, and son-in-law went to a country overseas…, as it is written in the Pesikta82The midrash here does not provide the full account of this analogy, but it is provided in Pesikta deRav Kahana 22:3 and Shir HaShirim Rabba 1:4:8. until: “I will be gladdened.”
Midrash Tanchuma Buber
(Ibid., cont.:) TO THE LAND OF SEIR IN THE FIELDS OF EDOM. [What is the meaning of TO THE LAND OF SEIR (rt.: S'R)?] That he makes one's hair (rt.: S'R) stand on end. TO THE FIELDS OF EDOM (rt.: 'DM).15Gen. R. 63:12; 75:4. He is red (rt.: 'DM), his food is red, his warriors are red, his attire is red, his shields are red, his land is red, the one who stands up to him is red, and the one who exacts retribution from him is red in red attire. He is red (according to Gen. 25:25): THE FIRST (i.e., Esau) CAME FORTH RUDDY. His food is red (according to Gen. 25:30): < PLEASE LET ME GULP DOWN > SOME OF THIS RED RED STUFF. His warriors are red (according to Nahum 2:4): HIS WARRIORS' SHIELDS ARE RED. His attire is red (according to ibid., cont.): AND HIS SOLDIERS ARE CLOTHED IN CRIMSON. His shields are red (according to ibid.): HIS WARRIORS' SHIELDS ARE RED. His land is red (rt.: 'DM) (according to Gen. 32:4 [3]): TO THE LAND OF SEIR IN THE FIELDS OF EDOM (rt.: 'DM). The one who stands up to him is red. This is David (according to I Sam. 16:12): SO HE SENT AND BROUGHT HIM. NOW HE WAS RUDDY. And what < else > is written about him (in II Sam. 8:14)? HE PUT GARRISONS IN EDOM. And the < the Holy One >, who exacts retribution from him, is red (according to Cant. 5:10): MY BELOVED IS BRIGHT AND RUDDY. (Is. 63:1:) WHO IS THIS COMING FROM EDOM (rt.: 'DM)? < He comes > in red attire (according to vs. 2): WHY IS YOUR CLOTHING SO RED … ?
Shir HaShirim Rabbah
“How fair is your loving, my sister, my bride; how much better is your loving than wine, and the fragrance of your oils than all spices” (Song of Songs 4:10).
“How fair is your loving, my sister, my bride” – Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Ḥelbo said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: In ten places Israel is called bride; six here and four in the prophets. Six here: “With me from Lebanon, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:8), “you have charmed me, my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:9), “how fair is your loving, my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:10), “your lips drip [nectar] my bride (Song of Songs 4:11), “a locked garden is my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:12), “I came to my garden, my sister, my bride (Song of Songs 5:1); these are six. And four in the prophets: “The sound of gladness and the sound of joy, the sound of a groom and the sound of a bride” (Jeremiah 33:11), “like a bride who bedecks herself with her jewelry” (Isaiah 61:10), “you will tie them like a bride” (Isaiah 49:18), “like a bridegroom rejoicing over his bride” (Isaiah 62:5).
Corresponding to them, the Holy One blessed be He donned ten garments. “The Lord reigns; He is clothed in grandeur” (Psalms 93:1); this is one. “The Lord is clothed with strength” (Psalms 93:1); this is two. “Girded” (Psalms 93:1); this is three. “He donned righteousness like armor” (Isaiah 59:17); this is four. “He donned garments of vengeance” (Isaiah 59:17); this is five. “Attire” (Isaiah 59:17); this is six. “He clothed Himself with zealotry like a coat” (Isaiah 59:17); this is seven. “This that is majestic in attire” (Isaiah 63:1); this is eight. “Why is there red on Your attire” (Isaiah 63:2); this is nine. “You are clothed in splendor and glory” (Psalms 104:1); this is ten. This is in order to exact retribution from the nations of the world who prevented Israel from fulfilling the Ten Commandments, which [Israel] was holding close to them like a bride.
“And the fragrance of your oils than all spices” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Just like this oil is odorless, but, by means of scenting it you smell several fragrances, so too, you expound this verse and find several good ideas.
“How fair is your loving, my sister, my bride” – Rabbi Berekhya and Rabbi Ḥelbo said in the name of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman: In ten places Israel is called bride; six here and four in the prophets. Six here: “With me from Lebanon, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:8), “you have charmed me, my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:9), “how fair is your loving, my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:10), “your lips drip [nectar] my bride (Song of Songs 4:11), “a locked garden is my sister, my bride” (Song of Songs 4:12), “I came to my garden, my sister, my bride (Song of Songs 5:1); these are six. And four in the prophets: “The sound of gladness and the sound of joy, the sound of a groom and the sound of a bride” (Jeremiah 33:11), “like a bride who bedecks herself with her jewelry” (Isaiah 61:10), “you will tie them like a bride” (Isaiah 49:18), “like a bridegroom rejoicing over his bride” (Isaiah 62:5).
Corresponding to them, the Holy One blessed be He donned ten garments. “The Lord reigns; He is clothed in grandeur” (Psalms 93:1); this is one. “The Lord is clothed with strength” (Psalms 93:1); this is two. “Girded” (Psalms 93:1); this is three. “He donned righteousness like armor” (Isaiah 59:17); this is four. “He donned garments of vengeance” (Isaiah 59:17); this is five. “Attire” (Isaiah 59:17); this is six. “He clothed Himself with zealotry like a coat” (Isaiah 59:17); this is seven. “This that is majestic in attire” (Isaiah 63:1); this is eight. “Why is there red on Your attire” (Isaiah 63:2); this is nine. “You are clothed in splendor and glory” (Psalms 104:1); this is ten. This is in order to exact retribution from the nations of the world who prevented Israel from fulfilling the Ten Commandments, which [Israel] was holding close to them like a bride.
“And the fragrance of your oils than all spices” – Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥman said: Just like this oil is odorless, but, by means of scenting it you smell several fragrances, so too, you expound this verse and find several good ideas.