יוֹנָתִ֞י בְּחַגְוֵ֣י הַסֶּ֗לַע בְּסֵ֙תֶר֙ הַמַּדְרֵגָ֔ה הַרְאִ֙ינִי֙ אֶתּ־מַרְאַ֔יִךְ הַשְׁמִיעִ֖ינִי אֶת־קוֹלֵ֑ךְ כִּי־קוֹלֵ֥ךְ עָרֵ֖ב וּמַרְאֵ֥יךְ נָאוֶֽה׃ (ס)
Aking kalapati, na nasa mga bitak ng bato, sa kublihan ng mga baytang, ipakita mo sa akin ang iyong anyo, iparinig mo sa akin ang iyong tinig, sapagkat ang iyong tinig ay matamis at ang iyong anyo ay kaaya-aya.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A Midrashic approach, based on Tanchuma Re'ey 12: the words: “honor the Lord from your wealth (הונך),” are interpreted as related to הנאה, something from which one derives satisfaction or profit. Solomon urges people who have received anything enjoyable from G’d over and above what the average person enjoys (not only their harvest) as obligated to “kick back” something to G’d and to thereby honour His name. As an example of the point just made, consider a person who has been endowed by G’d with an especially beautiful voice, a singer. It behooves such a person to place this gift in the service of the Lord by acting as Cantor in the Synagogue services during communal prayer, provided he does so in order to honor the Lord and not in order to receive personal applause by the congregants in his own honor. If such a person truly intends his vocal contribution to the Synagogue services to be in G’d’s honor, the words of Solomon in Song of Songs 2,15: “Let Me hear your voice for your voice is sweet,” may be applied to him. On the other hand, if such a well endowed person uses his gift to reap personal honor, Scripture applies to him the verse in Jeremiah 12,8: “She raised her voice against Me, therefore I have hated her.” A similar example would be someone endowed with the ability to be a calligrapher of especial talent. He should acknowledge having been granted this talent, by using it in the preparation of sacred texts, to write Torah scrolls, phylacteries, etc. If he does indeed write a Torah scroll from pure motives (not because he wants to sell it at a profit), he has acquired an outstanding merit. Our sages (Menachot 30) went as far as describing a person who wrote a Torah scroll from such motives as comparing him to someone who had literally received the Torah from heaven (at Mount Sinai). The same applies to people who possess exceptional skill in performing the art of circumcision. Such people should strive to use their skill regularly, seeing that the performance of that commandment is linked to 13 covenants between G’d and His people. All people endowed with exceptional skills or talents are duty bound to place it in the service of the Lord as a form of acknowledging that their talent is G’d-given.
The words ומראשית כל תבואתך quoted in Proverbs 3,9 are reminiscent of the fact that the Jewish people are described by G’d as “His first harvest (ראשית),” such as in Jeremiah 2,2. It behooves them therefore more than any other nation to know and acknowledge the Lord Who is the First of all Firsts. They must therefore honor the Lord by offering Him the very first of their respective harvests. This is what the Torah had in mind with the commandment governing the bringing of Bikkurim to the Temple as spelled out already in Exodus 23,1. The Torah commanded the Jewish people who have been called ראשית to go to Jerusalem, a place which is known as the first in the universe, i.e. ranking first in beauty, as described in Psalms 50,2 and to offer these firstlings of their harvest to the First, i.e. to the Lord of the universe. They deliver these gifts to the priest who represents the “first” of the nation performing service to the Lord in that capacity, etc. This is the meaning of the opening verse of our Parshah,
The words ומראשית כל תבואתך quoted in Proverbs 3,9 are reminiscent of the fact that the Jewish people are described by G’d as “His first harvest (ראשית),” such as in Jeremiah 2,2. It behooves them therefore more than any other nation to know and acknowledge the Lord Who is the First of all Firsts. They must therefore honor the Lord by offering Him the very first of their respective harvests. This is what the Torah had in mind with the commandment governing the bringing of Bikkurim to the Temple as spelled out already in Exodus 23,1. The Torah commanded the Jewish people who have been called ראשית to go to Jerusalem, a place which is known as the first in the universe, i.e. ranking first in beauty, as described in Psalms 50,2 and to offer these firstlings of their harvest to the First, i.e. to the Lord of the universe. They deliver these gifts to the priest who represents the “first” of the nation performing service to the Lord in that capacity, etc. This is the meaning of the opening verse of our Parshah,
Minchat Ani
According to the Jerusalem Talmud, we drink four cups of wine on the eve of Passover for the four promises of redemption: "I will take you out;" "I will save you;" "I will redeem you;" I will take you to be my people." (Ex. 6:6-7) These four promises are related to the four ways in which Israel gained the merit to be redeemed:
a) Prayer, as it is stated in scripture: "The children of Israel groaned under the bondage and cried out, and their cry for help from the bondage rose up to God." (Ex. 2:23) In response to this, scripture states: "God took notice of them." (Exodus 2:24) God knew that the time had come to redeem them and to destroy the heavenly prince of Egypt. That is why God promised "I will take you out from the labors of Egypt."
b) The offering of the Pesach sacrifice: Through this offering the Israelites were freed from Egyptian idolatry, as Pharaoh said: "What have we done, releasing Israel from our service?" (Ex. 14:5) Yet the redemption was not complete since it was clear as they stood by the sea that they still feared the Egyptians. That is why God promised "I will deliver you from (idolatrous) service."30Note that the Hebrew for this verse is "I will save you mei'avodatchem, from their bondage." The word avodah has multiple meanings - either bondage or service to either idolatry (avodah zarah) or to God (avodat hakodesh). Rabbi Ettlinger doesn’t include this verse here but implies that God saved Israel from serving the gods of Egypt.
c) They cried out to the Holy One at the sea. Midrash Shir HaShirim states: "Let me hear your voice." (Song 2:14) Israel cried out to God at the sea…when Israel cried out, God immediately saved them on that day by destroying Pharaoh and all of Egypt. That is why God promised "I will you redeem you with an outstretched arm."
d) Israel gave thanks and sang songs of praise. Because of their praise God made them His people, as it is stated: "In Your love, You led the people you redeemed; in Your strength You led them to Your holy abode." (Ex. 15:13) This is the song of thanksgiving and the purpose of the fourth cup.
a) Prayer, as it is stated in scripture: "The children of Israel groaned under the bondage and cried out, and their cry for help from the bondage rose up to God." (Ex. 2:23) In response to this, scripture states: "God took notice of them." (Exodus 2:24) God knew that the time had come to redeem them and to destroy the heavenly prince of Egypt. That is why God promised "I will take you out from the labors of Egypt."
b) The offering of the Pesach sacrifice: Through this offering the Israelites were freed from Egyptian idolatry, as Pharaoh said: "What have we done, releasing Israel from our service?" (Ex. 14:5) Yet the redemption was not complete since it was clear as they stood by the sea that they still feared the Egyptians. That is why God promised "I will deliver you from (idolatrous) service."30Note that the Hebrew for this verse is "I will save you mei'avodatchem, from their bondage." The word avodah has multiple meanings - either bondage or service to either idolatry (avodah zarah) or to God (avodat hakodesh). Rabbi Ettlinger doesn’t include this verse here but implies that God saved Israel from serving the gods of Egypt.
c) They cried out to the Holy One at the sea. Midrash Shir HaShirim states: "Let me hear your voice." (Song 2:14) Israel cried out to God at the sea…when Israel cried out, God immediately saved them on that day by destroying Pharaoh and all of Egypt. That is why God promised "I will you redeem you with an outstretched arm."
d) Israel gave thanks and sang songs of praise. Because of their praise God made them His people, as it is stated: "In Your love, You led the people you redeemed; in Your strength You led them to Your holy abode." (Ex. 15:13) This is the song of thanksgiving and the purpose of the fourth cup.
Da'at Zekenim
ויחסרו המים מקצה חמשים ומאת יום, “the waters decreased at the end of one hundred and fifty days.” This date was identical with the first day of the month of Sivan. The ark came to rest in the seventh month, the month of Sivan, counting from the month of Kislev which was the month during which the rains had ceased descending. The “seventh” month here could not have been the seventh month after the rains began to descend, as that would have been Iyar, seeing that it had commenced during the second month of the year, i.e. during Marcheshvan. If we were to assume that the Torah referred to the seventh month after the rains had begun, a count of 40 days of rain falling, plus 150 days of the waters continuing to rise, this would bring us only to the 17th day in Iyar. Clearly, we must allow for days during which the waters had begun to recede, else how could the ark come to rest anywhere, seeing that the Torah told us that at its highest, the waters were 15 cubits above the highest peaks on earth? If we accept our interpretation the ark would have come to rest on Arrarat on the sixteenth day after having risen to its highest level. That date had been in the tenth Av, not Ellul. When the Torah, in verse 5, speaks of the tenth month, on the tenth of which the highest peaks became visible once more. According to Rashi’s calculation forty days elapsed (verse 6) elapsed before Noach for the first time lifted the window at the top of the ark to dispatch the raven on its mission, which it did not really carry out. Apparently sixty days passed between the time when the highest peaks became visible until the surface of the earth was no longer covered with water. If we were to assume that the highest peaks had not become visible until the month of Ellul (the tenth month when commencing with Marcheshvan when the rains first descended) we would therefore have to conclude that the waters subsided at a rate of one cubit per four days, 15 cubits during the 60 days commencing with the highest peaks having become visible again. According to this calculation, the bottom of the ark had been in eleven cubits of water at one stage at least.
According to Rashi’s calculation we face the following problem: if as the Torah writes, (verse 6) Noach opened the window of the ark after forty days of it having come to rest on Arrarat and he sent the pigeon out more that 40 days after the ark had come to rest, how come that the pigeon did not find any place to park on? It surely should have been able to rest on some mountains slightly lower than Arrarat which was near there? Rashi was aware of this problem, and this is why he wrote on verse 6 that the highest peaks had become visible. According to my understanding we must assume that the mountain range of Arrarat at the time was not above the tree line, and that the tops of these trees were visible even earlier that the peaks themselves. Accordingly, we must understand the whole period as follows: the water level on earth began to recede after having constantly risen for 150 days. These days had come to an end on the first day of Sivan. On the seventeenth of that month the ark ran aground. Forty days after continuing receding of the water levels, Noach opened the window of the ark, i.e. on the tenth day of Tammuz. He immediately dispatched the raven. When after seven days the raven had not performed his mission, he sent out a pigeon. This was on the 17th day of Tammuz. The pigeon returned not having a place where to rest its feet. I venture to add on my own that we see an allusion to the dates of the beginning of the eventual destruction of the Temple which began on the seventeenth of Tammuz when the wall of Jerusalem was breached by the Romans. Israel- also known lovingly as יונה, pigeon, (Song of Songs 2,14) has never again found rest historically since that date when Noach’s pigeon could not find rest. Noach then waited another seven days to send out the pigeon again, and on that occasion it returned with a torn olive leaf in its beak, signaling that the earth was on the way to becoming normal again. This occurred in the month of Av, on the first of the month when the receding of the waters had come to an end. The next time the pigeon never returned having found it possible to live in freedom outside the confinements of the ark, seeing that the tops of the trees had become visible. This completed the 60 days it took from when the tips of the mountains to become visible as Rashi had stated. The month of Av was the tenth month, counting from when the rains first stated descending. All this is in accordance with what the Torah reported when it wrote that on the first day of the first month of the following year, the surface of the earth had become dry [though too soft to walk on without sinking into the ground. Ed.] I have found that Seder Olam, chapter 4 agrees with my explanation though it is worded differently. However, I find it difficult to understand that if as Rashi assumes the tops of the trees became visible before the peaks themselves had become visible why did the Torah write about the tops of the peaks being visible, instead of writing about the tops of the trees on them becoming visible? Even if we were to assume that only olive trees survived the deluge until that time as a result of what is written in verse 23, something that might be understood as the result of Rashi’s comment on that verse, [I fail to see how; Ed.] our author, bases himself on the tradition that Noach must have taken branches of fruit trees into the ark, else how could he have planted a vineyard, this was as he did not assume that any trees would survive. If indeed a single tree survived, the day on which this became evident was hardly worth a special mention. Regardless of all this, why would only the olive tree be the one surviving the deluge? If you were to answer that this was because in the future this tree and its fruit would be a basic necessity for the Jewish people in the Temple service, the same argument would be true also of the vines in the vineyard, whose fruit featured equally in the Temple service; so why did Noach have to take a branch with him into the ark instead of relying on some vines to survive the deluge? We would have to answer that the fruit of the vine was sufficient for Noach as a sample with which to start a vineyard, whereas a branch of an olive tree would dry out during the year in the ark so that it could not be revived when Noach came out of the ark.
According to Rashi’s calculation we face the following problem: if as the Torah writes, (verse 6) Noach opened the window of the ark after forty days of it having come to rest on Arrarat and he sent the pigeon out more that 40 days after the ark had come to rest, how come that the pigeon did not find any place to park on? It surely should have been able to rest on some mountains slightly lower than Arrarat which was near there? Rashi was aware of this problem, and this is why he wrote on verse 6 that the highest peaks had become visible. According to my understanding we must assume that the mountain range of Arrarat at the time was not above the tree line, and that the tops of these trees were visible even earlier that the peaks themselves. Accordingly, we must understand the whole period as follows: the water level on earth began to recede after having constantly risen for 150 days. These days had come to an end on the first day of Sivan. On the seventeenth of that month the ark ran aground. Forty days after continuing receding of the water levels, Noach opened the window of the ark, i.e. on the tenth day of Tammuz. He immediately dispatched the raven. When after seven days the raven had not performed his mission, he sent out a pigeon. This was on the 17th day of Tammuz. The pigeon returned not having a place where to rest its feet. I venture to add on my own that we see an allusion to the dates of the beginning of the eventual destruction of the Temple which began on the seventeenth of Tammuz when the wall of Jerusalem was breached by the Romans. Israel- also known lovingly as יונה, pigeon, (Song of Songs 2,14) has never again found rest historically since that date when Noach’s pigeon could not find rest. Noach then waited another seven days to send out the pigeon again, and on that occasion it returned with a torn olive leaf in its beak, signaling that the earth was on the way to becoming normal again. This occurred in the month of Av, on the first of the month when the receding of the waters had come to an end. The next time the pigeon never returned having found it possible to live in freedom outside the confinements of the ark, seeing that the tops of the trees had become visible. This completed the 60 days it took from when the tips of the mountains to become visible as Rashi had stated. The month of Av was the tenth month, counting from when the rains first stated descending. All this is in accordance with what the Torah reported when it wrote that on the first day of the first month of the following year, the surface of the earth had become dry [though too soft to walk on without sinking into the ground. Ed.] I have found that Seder Olam, chapter 4 agrees with my explanation though it is worded differently. However, I find it difficult to understand that if as Rashi assumes the tops of the trees became visible before the peaks themselves had become visible why did the Torah write about the tops of the peaks being visible, instead of writing about the tops of the trees on them becoming visible? Even if we were to assume that only olive trees survived the deluge until that time as a result of what is written in verse 23, something that might be understood as the result of Rashi’s comment on that verse, [I fail to see how; Ed.] our author, bases himself on the tradition that Noach must have taken branches of fruit trees into the ark, else how could he have planted a vineyard, this was as he did not assume that any trees would survive. If indeed a single tree survived, the day on which this became evident was hardly worth a special mention. Regardless of all this, why would only the olive tree be the one surviving the deluge? If you were to answer that this was because in the future this tree and its fruit would be a basic necessity for the Jewish people in the Temple service, the same argument would be true also of the vines in the vineyard, whose fruit featured equally in the Temple service; so why did Noach have to take a branch with him into the ark instead of relying on some vines to survive the deluge? We would have to answer that the fruit of the vine was sufficient for Noach as a sample with which to start a vineyard, whereas a branch of an olive tree would dry out during the year in the ark so that it could not be revived when Noach came out of the ark.
Rav Hirsch
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ואת הצפור לא בתר BUT THE BIRDS SPLIT HE NOT — Because other nations are compared to bulls, rams and goats, as it is said (Psalms 22:13) “Many bulls have encompassed me”, and it says, (Daniel 8:20) “The ram which thou sawest having two horns, they are the kings of Media and Persia” and it further says, (Daniel 8:21) “And the rough he-goat is the king of Greece” — and Israel is compared to young doves, as it is written, (Song 2:14) ‘‘O my dove that art in the clefts of the rock” — he therefore divided the animals indicating that other nations will gradually perish, ואת הצפור לא בתר but “the birds split he not”, suggesting thereby that Israel will live forever (Pirkei D'Rabbi Eliezer 28).
Da'at Zekenim
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כמטחוי קשת AS IT WERE A BOWSHOT — about two bowshots (since the first word is really plural) (Genesis Rabbah 53:13). The word signifies shooting an arrow — we find it so used in the Mishna (Sanhedrin 46a). If you say that it should have been written כמטחי קשת (since the root is טחה) then I say that it is quite regular for a ו to be inserted in these forms as (Song 2:14) “in the clefts (בחגוי) of the rock”, where בחגוי is of the same derivation as חגא in (Isaiah 19:17) “And the land of Judah shall become a breach (לחגא) to Egypt” and of the same derivation as יחוגו in (Psalms 107:27) “They reeled (וחוגו) to and fro and staggered like a drunken man”. Similar, also, is (Psalms 65:6) “The ends of (קצוי) the earth” which is of the same derivation as ,קצה, end.