יְהִ֤י כְב֣וֹד יְהוָ֣ה לְעוֹלָ֑ם יִשְׂמַ֖ח יְהוָ֣ה בְּמַעֲשָֽׂיו׃
Mamalagi nawa magpakailanman ang kaluwalhatian ng Walang-Hanggan; magalak nawa ang Walang-Hanggan sa Kanyang mga gawa.
Rabbeinu Bahya
A Midrashic approach to the words: “it was on the eighth day” (based on Tanchuma Shemini 2) David says in Psalms 75,5: אמרתי להוללים אל תהולו, “I said to the frivolous men: ‘do not be frivolous!’” Instead of reading אל תהולו, read אל תחולו, “do not break out in dance.” The reason is that true joy does not linger with man in this world but only in the world to come. Many people who rejoice and are happy today may find that on the morrow they have no such cause for happiness and exuberance. This is why Solomon, [using the same expression as David, מהולל, Ed.] said: (Kohelet 2,2) לשחוק אמרתי מהולל, “of revelry I said: ‘it is mad!’” If you require proof of the truth of both statements take a look at what happened at the creation. When G’d completed His handiwork at the end of 6 days and He reviewed it (Genesis 1,31) He was very pleased as we know from Psalms 104,31: “may the glory of the Lord endure forever, may the Lord rejoice in His works!” In the verse from Genesis we are told that “G’d looked at His entire handiwork and behold, it was very good!” Only a few chapters later (Genesis 6,6) the Torah reports וינחם ה' כי עשה את האדם בארץ ויתעצב אל לבו, “Hashem had to comfort Himself that He had made man on earth, and it caused Him sadness in His heart.” Keeping this verse in mind, Assaph said in Psalms 75,5 not to indulge in frivolous merriment. If even G’d’s joy did not endure, how much less is the chance that man’s joy on earth will endure!
Avraham progressed in his life and became exceedingly great and wealthy killing the most powerful kings on earth in the process. In his old age G’d gave him a son from Sarah. His joy was unbounded. A few years later G’d commanded him to take his son and to offer him up as a sacrifice. Even after having mastered that trial and being commended by G’d (Genesis 22,16-17), he went back from Moriah and had to bury his beloved wife Sarah. His joy had been short-lived. He even had trouble being given a suitable plot where to bury Sarah. In the end, he was literally fleeced, having to pay an astronomical sum of 400 shekel for a hole in the ground.
Yitzchak who enjoyed phenomenal success in Gerar, seeing his investment returned one hundred-fold, (Genesis 26,12) faced expulsion shortly thereafter as the Philistines became jealous of his wealth. His joy had been very short-lived. After Avimelech realized that he had wronged him and apologized and made a treaty with him (Genesis 26,28) and he surely thought that “he had it made,” we read that his eyesight failed him and that he almost made a fatal error bestowing the blessing on a son whom he had considered worthy but who in the event had been unworthy all along. His joy had proven to be short-lived. If a Yitzchak who had been a living example of what it means to be a “total-offering, i.e. burnt-offering,” was not allowed permanent joy on earth, i.e. the fruits of his total dedication to G’d’s command, how much less may we ordinary mortals expect joy on earth to be enduring.
Yaakov experienced great joy when he had the dream with the ladder, seeing angels ascending and descending, a promise from G’d that He would be with him, etc. (Genesis 28, 12-13). Not long afterwards he experienced a whole string of misfortunes, beginning with being tricked out of his chosen wife Rachel, the rape of Dinah, and concluding with the disappearance of Joseph. If Yaakov the righteous, of whom G’d had said that He would boast of such a man (Isaiah 49,3), could not hold on to his joy in this life, what can we lesser individuals expect in the way of enduring joy on earth?
Joshua experienced great joy in his time, he settled the Jewish people on their land, killed 31 Kings, was promised by G’d that no one would rise against him successfully, and enjoyed unchallenged authority by his people (compare Joshua 1,18) but died without leaving behind any children. Surely, this must have dimmed his joy on earth. If this was his lot, how much less joy can the righteous in our time expect to enjoy while on earth!
The High Priest Eli who did have sons had to experience the loss of the Holy Ark, the curse on his children who had disgraced him. When he died at a ripe old age the immediate cause of his death was the news that both his sons had been killed in battle (compare Samuel I 1,9; 1,10). If this happened to a righteous person such as the High Priest Eli, what sort of joy can there be in store in this world for the wicked?
Consider the fact that on this day, Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav experienced greater joy than any man or woman before her. She saw her husband begin his career as High Priest; Her brother-in-law, Moses, became king of Israel. Two of her sons became deputy High Priests. Her brother Nachshon became the first of the princes to be honoured with bringing the sacrifices by laymen. Even she did not long remain in such a blissful state of joy seeing that two of her sons, Nadav and Avihu, died on the very same day at the hands of G’d. Considering all these examples we need not be surprised at Solomon’s warning not to be frivolous, not to dance with joy, as such joy is apt to be all too brief.
Avraham progressed in his life and became exceedingly great and wealthy killing the most powerful kings on earth in the process. In his old age G’d gave him a son from Sarah. His joy was unbounded. A few years later G’d commanded him to take his son and to offer him up as a sacrifice. Even after having mastered that trial and being commended by G’d (Genesis 22,16-17), he went back from Moriah and had to bury his beloved wife Sarah. His joy had been short-lived. He even had trouble being given a suitable plot where to bury Sarah. In the end, he was literally fleeced, having to pay an astronomical sum of 400 shekel for a hole in the ground.
Yitzchak who enjoyed phenomenal success in Gerar, seeing his investment returned one hundred-fold, (Genesis 26,12) faced expulsion shortly thereafter as the Philistines became jealous of his wealth. His joy had been very short-lived. After Avimelech realized that he had wronged him and apologized and made a treaty with him (Genesis 26,28) and he surely thought that “he had it made,” we read that his eyesight failed him and that he almost made a fatal error bestowing the blessing on a son whom he had considered worthy but who in the event had been unworthy all along. His joy had proven to be short-lived. If a Yitzchak who had been a living example of what it means to be a “total-offering, i.e. burnt-offering,” was not allowed permanent joy on earth, i.e. the fruits of his total dedication to G’d’s command, how much less may we ordinary mortals expect joy on earth to be enduring.
Yaakov experienced great joy when he had the dream with the ladder, seeing angels ascending and descending, a promise from G’d that He would be with him, etc. (Genesis 28, 12-13). Not long afterwards he experienced a whole string of misfortunes, beginning with being tricked out of his chosen wife Rachel, the rape of Dinah, and concluding with the disappearance of Joseph. If Yaakov the righteous, of whom G’d had said that He would boast of such a man (Isaiah 49,3), could not hold on to his joy in this life, what can we lesser individuals expect in the way of enduring joy on earth?
Joshua experienced great joy in his time, he settled the Jewish people on their land, killed 31 Kings, was promised by G’d that no one would rise against him successfully, and enjoyed unchallenged authority by his people (compare Joshua 1,18) but died without leaving behind any children. Surely, this must have dimmed his joy on earth. If this was his lot, how much less joy can the righteous in our time expect to enjoy while on earth!
The High Priest Eli who did have sons had to experience the loss of the Holy Ark, the curse on his children who had disgraced him. When he died at a ripe old age the immediate cause of his death was the news that both his sons had been killed in battle (compare Samuel I 1,9; 1,10). If this happened to a righteous person such as the High Priest Eli, what sort of joy can there be in store in this world for the wicked?
Consider the fact that on this day, Elisheva, daughter of Aminadav experienced greater joy than any man or woman before her. She saw her husband begin his career as High Priest; Her brother-in-law, Moses, became king of Israel. Two of her sons became deputy High Priests. Her brother Nachshon became the first of the princes to be honoured with bringing the sacrifices by laymen. Even she did not long remain in such a blissful state of joy seeing that two of her sons, Nadav and Avihu, died on the very same day at the hands of G’d. Considering all these examples we need not be surprised at Solomon’s warning not to be frivolous, not to dance with joy, as such joy is apt to be all too brief.
Rabbeinu Bahya
The above will help you understand why the sages when formulating our benedictions and mentioning the attributes of Hashem and Elohim in the benedictions we recite have at the same time not employed the grammatical formula we would have expected such as אשר קדשתנו במצותיך וצויתנו, “You have sanctified us and You have commanded us,” but have insisted on the formula “who has sanctified us and who has commanded us” in the third person. The reason is that the words ברוך אתה, “blessed are You” at the beginning of the benediction refer to the words מלך העולם in a later part of the benediction. This is an attribute more familiar to us by the name תפארת. It is a reference to a certain emanation and it is this emanation (the attribute it represents) which “has sanctified us and commanded us.” It is this emanation which is the repository of G’d’s commandments to us. You will find what I have said confirmed in the Sefer Habahir item 184 who queries אשר קדשנו במצותיו instead of אשר קדשתנו וצויתנו? The answer given is that all the commandments are found in two worlds. In His great Mercy G’d has given them to us in order to sanctify us so that we will merit to establish a claim to the hereafter, the עולם גדול, in the here and now. Thus far the quote from the Sefer Habahir. From there you can conclude that the relationship between the Shechinah and the people of Israel is not one based merely on the need of the common Israelite, but that it is a reciprocal relationship also satisfying a need of the celestial forces represented by the Shechinah. Seeing that the glory of the tetragram and all it stands for is disseminated by the attribute כבוד, “glory, honour,” whenever this occurs an additional element of Holy Spirit is added to the Shechinah. This is why a prayer (Psalms 104,31) such as יהי כבוד ה’ לעולם ישמח ה‘ במעשיו, makes sense. The meaning of these words is: “the glory of G’d is enhanced to the emanation עולם when the attribute we know as the tetragram has occasion to rejoice in the deeds of its creatures.” This means that every Israelite has the potential to strengthen or, G’d forbid, to “weaken” certain attributes of G’d by his deeds or lack of them. This idea is expressed succinctly in Deut. 32,18 as צור ילדך תשי, literally: “You neglected the Rock that begot you;” according to Kabbalists this means: “when Israel neglects the Torah, it weakens the power of the Torah.” A verse conveying a similar sentiment is Psalms 60,14 באלו-הים נעשה חיל, “we can perform valiant deeds which enhance Elohim.”
The attribute of כבוד which we have spoken about is expressed in our verse by the words וידבר אלו-הים, “The One who spoke was the One who both writes and gives, i.e. hands over what He has written.” It is the same attribute we find referred to in Exodus 32,16 והמכתב מכתב אלו-הים הוא, “and the writing was the writing of Elohim.” When we read in Exodus 31,18 ויתן אל משה וגו’, the unnamed subject is the same Elohim who did the writing on the Tablets. The reference is to the word אלו-הים which appears at the very end of that verse. It was also this attribute of G’d which Moses (Deut. 33,12) referred to when he described Benjamin as ידיד ה’ ישכון לבטח עליו, describing that while this attribute rested on the Holy Temple, Benjamin and the entire Jewish people would dwell securely. Moses singled out Benjamin as the Holy Temple would be built on his tribal territory. This attribute was also referred to as פי י-ה-ו-ה, in Exodus 17,11 at al. This expression, i.e. “The mouth of the tetragram” means that the instructions emanated from an attribute outside the core of Hashem.
It was the attribute described as פי ה’ which Moses and Aaron sinned against in Numbers 20,12 when instead of having spoken to the rock Moses struck the rock. G’d spelled this out when He said לא האמנתם בי ...אשר מריתם את פי, “you did not believe in Me....you rebelled against פי. (Numbers 20,24) I shall explain this in greater detail when we discuss that event.
You will now be able to understand the meaning of the word צור when this word refers to an aspect of G’d. We have verses such as הצור תמים פעלו, “the Rock, His works are perfect” (Deut. 32,4). Another verse of that category is Deut. 33,12: צור ילדך תשי. A third word featuring the word צור occurred in Exodus 17,6 הנני עומד לפניך שם על הצור בחורב; I will explain the last verse in detail in connection with Numbers 20,8 [where only the word סלע is mentioned in contrast with the word צור in Exodus 17,6 Ed.].
The attribute of כבוד which we have spoken about is expressed in our verse by the words וידבר אלו-הים, “The One who spoke was the One who both writes and gives, i.e. hands over what He has written.” It is the same attribute we find referred to in Exodus 32,16 והמכתב מכתב אלו-הים הוא, “and the writing was the writing of Elohim.” When we read in Exodus 31,18 ויתן אל משה וגו’, the unnamed subject is the same Elohim who did the writing on the Tablets. The reference is to the word אלו-הים which appears at the very end of that verse. It was also this attribute of G’d which Moses (Deut. 33,12) referred to when he described Benjamin as ידיד ה’ ישכון לבטח עליו, describing that while this attribute rested on the Holy Temple, Benjamin and the entire Jewish people would dwell securely. Moses singled out Benjamin as the Holy Temple would be built on his tribal territory. This attribute was also referred to as פי י-ה-ו-ה, in Exodus 17,11 at al. This expression, i.e. “The mouth of the tetragram” means that the instructions emanated from an attribute outside the core of Hashem.
It was the attribute described as פי ה’ which Moses and Aaron sinned against in Numbers 20,12 when instead of having spoken to the rock Moses struck the rock. G’d spelled this out when He said לא האמנתם בי ...אשר מריתם את פי, “you did not believe in Me....you rebelled against פי. (Numbers 20,24) I shall explain this in greater detail when we discuss that event.
You will now be able to understand the meaning of the word צור when this word refers to an aspect of G’d. We have verses such as הצור תמים פעלו, “the Rock, His works are perfect” (Deut. 32,4). Another verse of that category is Deut. 33,12: צור ילדך תשי. A third word featuring the word צור occurred in Exodus 17,6 הנני עומד לפניך שם על הצור בחורב; I will explain the last verse in detail in connection with Numbers 20,8 [where only the word סלע is mentioned in contrast with the word צור in Exodus 17,6 Ed.].
Tze'enah Ure'enah
Bahya writes. King Solomon, of blessed memory, said: “Oil and incense gladden the heart, and the sweetness of a friend is better than one’s own counsel” [Proverbs, 27:9]. The verse teaches us that one should feed the stranger and the poor and one should speak positively with them. King Solomon compared the food to oil and incense that smells nice. This teaches us that one should honor the poor person with good food, well prepared and good tasting, to rejoice the heart of the poor person. He should speak nicely to the poor person. This is the meaning of “the sweetness of a friend.” That is to say, he should speak with him as if he was his good friend. Therefore, the verse also says, “than one’s own counsel.” That is to say, the good words to the poor person should be with his whole heart. There are many who speak with their mouth to the poor person, that he should eat, but his heart is not in it. The Midrash says about the verse, “Oil and incense gladden the heart.” The oil and the incense gladden the heart of the Holy One. So too, with the Holy One’s creatures it is written, “may the Lord rejoice in His works” [Psalms, 104:31]. The Holy One was also joyous. After the completion of the building of the Tabernacle the Lampstand was lit with oil and incense was brought. The Holy one was also happy, just like after the Holy One’s creation of humanity, which was the most important creation of all things. So too, after the completion of the Tabernacle, the Holy One commanded the high priest to light [the Lampstand] in the Tabernacle. Therefore, the portion says here.1Bahya, Tezaveh, Introduction.