Komentaryong Sumisipi para sa Mga Awit 21:3

If you will examine the text even more closely, you will observe that the word בראשית, is composed of the two words אש ברית, an allusion to the third and enduring Temple based on the prophecy in Zachariah 2,9, (see commentary by Rabbi Chavell). The words are derived from a rearrangement of the letters in בראשית. You can also divide the word בראשית to form the two words ברא שית, suggesting "He created the foundation," שיתין, the place underneath the altar in the Holy Temple in Jerusalem which the Talmud described as the "navel" of the earth. A third possibility is to divide the wordבראשית into,ברא תיש "He created a ram," an allusion to the ram offered on Mount Moriah by Avraham in lieu of his son Yitzchak. Our sages in Avot 5,6 have described this ram as having been created prior to the conclusion of the six days of creation. Another word contained within the wordבראשית is the word ארשת, an allusion to speech (Psalms 21,3).
The meaning of the additional letter י, which combined with the word ארשת spells ,בראשית ,is that we have an allusion to the ten directives G'd uttered and which are recorded in the Torah's report about G'd's creative activity. Remember that the universe was created in the month of Tishrey and that the word בראשית alludes to this, i.e. the letters can be read as א-בתשרי.
Concerning this date of when the universe was created there is a dispute in Rosh Hashanah, folios 10-11, between Rabbi Eliezer and Rabbi Yehoshua. The former holds that the universe was created in Tishrey, whereas Rabbi Yehoshua believed that it was created in the month of Nissan. Although, generally speaking, in a dispute between these two scholars we rule according to the view of Rabbi Yehoshua, in this instance the Talmud rules in favour of the view of Rabbi Eliezer. This is the meaning of the statement on that folio: "when we pray nowadays on Rosh Hashanah, describing it as זה היו תחלת מעשיך, 'this is the day when You commenced Your works,' this reflects the opinion of Rabbi Eliezer."

And I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse. The reason it doesn’t say “and I will curse those who curse you” in the same way it says and I will bless those who bless you, is because to man belong the arrangements of the heart (Proverbs 16:1). Before a person expresses any speech outwardly, he first arranges it in his heart and thoughts. It is known that regarding good deeds, the Holy One combines thought with action, but regarding evil thoughts, the Holy One does not combine them with action, as it is said: Had I seen iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have heard (Psalms 66:18), and it is written: Before they call, I will answer (Isaiah 65:24). Because before a person expresses his request verbally, he has already contemplated it in his heart, therefore the Holy One answers from His holy heavens before he calls. This is different from flesh and blood, where when someone asks something from his fellow, he needs to express it with his lips because no person knows what is in another’s heart. But the Holy One, who examines hearts, fulfills all the desires of one’s heart, as it is written: May He grant you according to your heart (Psalms 20:5), and as it is said: To man belong the arrangements of the heart, but from the Lord comes the answer of the tongue (Proverbs 16:1). He wished to resolve this difficulty with this explanation: If truly the Holy One fulfills one’s request after it has been arranged in a person’s heart, then why did God command prayer with the mouth? To this he says, “from the Lord comes the answer of the tongue” — this is God’s gift that He gave the answer of the tongue to man. As our Sages said (Yevamot 64a), “The Holy One desires the prayers of the righteous.” This is because they are compared to the Holy One as a beloved child to his father — if the child asks something from his father, even though the father knows what the child needs, nevertheless, the father wants the child to express his request verbally because the father delights in the speech of the child’s lips. Similarly, the Holy One says to Israel, “Let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet to approach Me.” The Holy One does not wish to conduct Himself with us like earthly rulers, who don’t allow much speaking before them and immediately when they understand the requester’s intention, they say “shorten your words” or “finish your speech and leave.” But the Holy One, in His kindness, is not so, as it is written: You have given him his heart’s desire, and the request of his lips You have not withheld, Selah (Psalms 21:3). Because we are in His eyes like a delightful child and precious son. This is what it means: Even though before they call, I will answer, nevertheless, while they are still speaking, I will hear, for I have not withheld from them the expression of their lips.

WITH ALL THY HEART. In the opinion of the Midrash²²⁵Sifre, Va’ethchanan 32; Berachoth 54 a: “With all thy heart — with both your impulses, the good impulse and the evil impulse.” the heart mentioned here is the power of desire, similar to the expressions: Thou hast given him his heart’s desire;²²⁶Psalms 21:3. lust not after her beauty in thy heart.²²⁷Proverbs 6:25. If so, with all thy soul denotes the intellectual [capacity rather than the sensual capacity of the] soul. Similarly, yet the soul of my lord shall be bound in the bundle of life²²⁸I Samuel 25:29. [refers to the rational soul which is immortal]. And according to our Rabbis, who in the Talmud²²⁹Berachoth 54 a: “And with all thy soul — even if He take away thy soul,” i.e., even at the sacrifice of your life. derived from this [phrase] that one must submit to death and not violate [the Law, the expanded expression] “with all thy soul” is supplementary,²³⁰For, since thy soul by itself indicates that you must suffer martyrdom rather than deny the Law, the question arises, what is signified by the additional word all [‘all’ thy soul], since you cannot speak of half a life? Ramban will offer two answers. for since he said with ‘all’ thy heart … and with ‘all’ thy might [where the intent is to exclude the serving of G-d with only part of the heart’s capacity, or with only part of one’s might or belongings], he also said with ‘all’ thy soul [meaning “your very life,” despite the obvious fact that the command to give “all” rather than “part” of his life is incongruous]. The meaning thereof is that you love Him as your very life, giving up your life with love [for His sake whenever the Law requires you to do so].²³¹See Vol. II, pp. 301-302. Or [another explanation of the word all may be] that suffering or [the loss of body] organs are referred to as “part of the soul,” while martyrdom [death] is termed with ‘all’ thy soul. And Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra commented: “thy soul means the desire, like: enough ‘k’nafshecha’ (at thine own) pleasure;²³²Further, 23:25. the full soul loatheth a honey-comb;²³³Proverbs 27:7. deliver me not over ‘b’nefesh’ (unto the desire of) mine adversaries.²³⁴Psalms 27:12. With all thy heart refers to knowledge, this being a surname for the rational spirit since [the heart] is its first resting place, and similarly it is stated, The wise in heart will receive commandments. ”²³⁵Proverbs 10:8. Rabbi Abraham ibn Ezra’s interpretation of the expression with all thy heart appears likely from that which he stated, And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart.²³⁶Verse 6. This shows that with all thy ‘heart’ refers to the rational soul, for in that case it is possible to say that these words shall be upon your “heart” meaning your rational soul. But if we are to interpret with all thy ‘heart’ as referring to the desires, as explained earlier, then how can it be said that these words shall be upon your “heart” or your desires?

according to the sanction of Heb. כְּרִשְׁיוֹן as the sanction of the king was upon them to build the Temple. כְּרִשְׁיוֹן is an expression of permission (רְשּׁוּת) derived from רשּׁה ; since from אבה to want, he says [i.e., derives] אֶבְיוֹן, a needy person; and from צבה, to desire, צִבְיוֹן, desire; and from חזה to see, חִזָיוֹן, a vision; and from רעה, רַעְיוֹן, thought; from חבה, חֶבְיוֹן, hiding; and from רשּׁה, he says רְשּׁוּת, permission; like from, ענה, עֱנוּת, affliction; and from שּׁבה, שְּׁבוּת,captivity; and from ראה, רְאוּת, a sight; and from זנה, זְנוּת, harlotry. The result is that רְשּׁוּת and רִשְׁיוֹן are derived from the same root according to the gauge of grammar, and they are the same expression. Menahem, (p. 34) however, associated it with (Ps. 21:3): “and the speech of his lips (וַַַַַאֲרֶשֶּׁת),” but he was not exact with its root. Nevertheless, these two manners [of defining words] are close to each other in their meanings.