כָּל־עַבְדֵ֣י הַמֶּ֡לֶךְ וְעַם־מְדִינ֨וֹת הַמֶּ֜לֶךְ יֽוֹדְעִ֗ים אֲשֶׁ֣ר כָּל־אִ֣ישׁ וְאִשָּׁ֡ה אֲשֶׁ֣ר יָבֽוֹא־אֶל־הַמֶּלֶךְ֩ אֶל־הֶחָצֵ֨ר הַפְּנִימִ֜ית אֲשֶׁ֣ר לֹֽא־יִקָּרֵ֗א אַחַ֤ת דָּתוֹ֙ לְהָמִ֔ית לְ֠בַד מֵאֲשֶׁ֨ר יֽוֹשִׁיט־ל֥וֹ הַמֶּ֛לֶךְ אֶת־שַׁרְבִ֥יט הַזָּהָ֖ב וְחָיָ֑ה וַאֲנִ֗י לֹ֤א נִקְרֵ֙אתי֙ לָב֣וֹא אֶל־הַמֶּ֔לֶךְ זֶ֖ה שְׁלוֹשִׁ֥ים יֽוֹם׃
אַלע קנעכט פֿון מלך און דאָס פֿאָלק פֿון מלכס מדינות, װײסן אַז איטלעכער מאַן אָדער פֿרױ װאָס גײט אַרײַן צום מלך אין אינעװײניקסטן הױף, װען ער װערט ניט גערופֿן, איז פֿאַר אים בלױז אײן געזעץ, טײטן, סײַדן דער װאָס דער מלך שטרעקט אױס צו אים דעם גילדערנעם צעפּטער, ער בלײַבט לעבן; און איך בין ניט גערופֿן געװאָרן צו קומען פֿאַרן מלך שױן דרײַסיק טעג.
Tanna DeBei Eliyahu Rabbah
2. Blessed is the Lord, blessed is He, who recognizes at the start what will be in the end. And He proclaims from the beginning the ending from before that He made (i.e. created). And He knows that which He made and what it would be destined to do. And He foresees for good and He does not foresee for evil. He is rich and is happy with His portion. And in His wisdom and His understanding, He created His world, and He prepared and afterward created in it a Man (Adom), and flung him before Him. And He calculated until the end of all the generations and foresaw that his (man's) descendants would be angering. He said if I were to guard in him the first debts (i.e. seek payback in regards to sins), the world would not stand. It is on me to overlook the first (sins), so He does. Where can you know this is so? When (The Nation of) Israel was in the Desert, they rotted in their actions (by the sin of Golden Calf). He stood to overlook all that They had done, as it says "And Hashem passed (ויעבור) in front of him (Moshe) [Shemos 34:6]. Do not read he passed (ויעבור) rather he forgave (ויעביר). Learn that He forgave all the evil in front of him. And it should be known to you that so was with Mordechai in the time that Esther spoke not properly; since she said "but I have not been called to come in to the king etc." [Esther 4:11]. And he (Mordechai) responded to her "For if you remain silent etc." [Esther 4:14]. And when she repented and spoke to him properly, "Go, gather all the Jews" [Esther 4:16]. He looked past her words (i.e. her original words, forgiving them) as it says "And Mordechai passed" [Esther 4:17]. (The verb עָבַר has multiple meanings, literally to pass or take away, here the meaning is its use in the following verse) and he said: "Who is like God, who forgives iniquity, and overlooks transgression (וְעֹבֵ֣ר עַל־פֶּ֔שַׁע)" [Micha 7:18]. "Your eyes did see my unshaped flesh (for in Thy book all things are written)" etc. [Psalms 139:16] that teaching says in the future The Holy One Blessed Be He will sit in the Big House of Study of His. And the Righteous (צדיקים) will sit before him, and He will say to them 'My children, this generation such Torah it did and such I did with them righteousness, but I will not mention their sins, and they do not go upon my heart', as it says "and the former things shall not be remembered" etc. [Isaiah 65:17]. (Continuing the interpretation of the cited verse) "These days were formed, but not one from them" [Psalms 139:16] (the verse ends as written ולא אֶחָד בָּהֶם not one from them, yet is read וְלוֹ אֶחָד בָּהֶם which means and to him one from them both connotate a unique day). This refers to the day of Shabbos for Israel. How so? A man does work all six days and rests on the seventh. He has amity with his children and the people of his house. Mans returns to do work in the face of his enemy all six days, and rests on the seventh, forgetting all pain, as it is so with the ways of man - a good day he forgets the bad day. A bad day he forgets the good day. The Holy One Blessed be He says to Israel did I not write to them in my Torah, "You should not remove this Book of Torah from your mouths" [Joshua 1:8] even though you do work all six days, Shabbos you should make fully Torah. From here, it is said a man should arise early and learn on Shabbos. And go to the Synagogue and to the House of Study. And he should read Torah verse, then learn in the Prophets, and afterward go to his house and eat and drink to fulfill that which it says "[But you, the righteous one,] go and eat your bread in joy, and drink your wine with a good heart, (for G-d has already accepted your good deeds) [Ecclesiastes 9:7]. Accordingly, there is no refreshment to the Holy One Blessed be He except only with those who make Torah, therefore that it says "For all those things has my hand made, (and so all those things came to be, says the Lord:) but to this man will I look, to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word." [Isaiah 66:2]. From here it is said what a man says (i.e. when learning Torah) he should grasp in his hand in order that he does not have to handle the embarrassment and shame at the time when they say to him 'Stand and arrange (וערוך) the Verses you said and arrange (וערוך) the Mishnayos you have learned. And so it is explicit in the Tradition by King David, "Hashem, in the morning you hear my voice, in the morning I arrange before you (אֶעֱרָךְ־לְךָ) and I hope" [Psalms 5:4].
Shemot Rabbah
“This month shall be for you the first of months; it shall be the first month of the year for you” (Exodus 12:2).
Another interpretation: “This month shall be for you” – that is what is written: “Who is she who appears like the dawn [shaḥar], [beautiful as the moon, pure as the sun, fearsome as banners of a host?]” (Song of Songs 6:10). There are four terms of praise of Israel here, corresponding to the four exiles. For during the four exiles that Israel experienced, they did not deny the Holy One blessed be He. In the Babylonian exile, from where [can this be seen]? It is as it is stated: “Who is she who appears like the dawn?” Nebuchadnezzar prostrated himself to the sun, as it is stated: “How have you fallen from the heavens, glowing morning [shaḥar] star” (Isaiah 14:12).18“Morning star” refers to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel19Daniel lived during the Babylonian exile. would rise early [shoḥer] and pray to the Omnipresent, as it is stated: “And windows were open for him in his upper chamber facing Jerusalem” (Daniel 6:11), evening, morning, and noon. Why would he rise early and pray? It was so the Holy One blessed be He would have mercy upon Israel. In his regard, Solomon said: “He who seeks [shoḥer] good seeks favor” (Proverbs 11:27). God was present for them in their time of distress, as it is stated: “I love those who love me…” (Proverbs 8:17).
Likewise, we find, when Daniel was cast into the lions’ den, he was not harmed, as it is stated; “God sent His angel and closed the lions’ mouths, and they did not harm me” (Daniel 6:23). Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya were cast into the fiery furnace and were not harmed, as it is stated: “The hair of their heads was not singed [. . .] and the odor of fire did not cover them” (Daniel 3:27). Rather, they illuminated the world like the dawn, which illuminates the world. Therefore, “who appears like the dawn.” They caused the idolaters to acknowledge the Holy One blessed be He and to praise Him, as Nebuchadnezzar said when Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya emerged from the furnace: “Blessed is the God of Shadrakh, Meshakh, and Aved Nego” (Daniel 3:28),20These are the Babylonian names of Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya. “the servants of the exalted God” (Daniel 3:26). Likewise, Darius said after Daniel fell into the lions’ den “to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, who is the living God” (Daniel 6:27); therefore, it is written: “Who is she who appears like the dawn?”
“Beautiful as the moon” (Song of Songs 6:10) – in the Median [Persian] exile; you find during the night that if the moon is not seen in the sky, there is darkness in the world, and a person is unable to walk, even in the city. When the moon is seen in the sky, everyone is glad, and they walk on the road. So, during the days of Aḥashverosh, when they decreed against the Jews to “destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13), and Esther came and illuminated for Israel, as it is stated: “The Jews had light and gladness, [and joy and honor]” (Esther 8:16); that is why it is written: “Beautiful as the moon,” about the Median exile. If your wish is to know why Esther was likened to the moon: Just as the moon is reborn after thirty days, so too, Esther said: “But I have not been summoned to the king these thirty days” (Esther 4:11); that is why “beautiful as the moon” is in the Median exile.
“Pure as the sun” (Song of Songs 6:10) – during the Greek kingdom. Sandrios eim Ulios:21This phrase is in corrupted Greek, and two interpretations of it have been given. (1) The Sanhedrin against the sun, i.e., the Jewish Sanhedrin stands in opposition to the Greeks, represented by the sun (Mirkin); and (2) Alexander, son of Helios, i.e., Alexander the original Macedonian emperor, is the son of the god of the sun, Helios (Jastrow). The sun [ḥama] is its name, and the sun is called a strong man [gibor], as it is stated: “Rejoices as a strong man [gibor] to run its course” (Psalms 19:6).22The verse is referring to the movement of the sun on its course. During the summer, who can withstand the sun; everyone flees from it, as it is stated: “And nothing hides from its heat [meḥamato]” (Psalms 19:7). So, with regard to the Greek kingdom, everyone fled from it, and Matitya the priest and his sons were steadfast in their faith in the Holy One blessed be He, and the troops of Greece fled from before them and were all killed. So, the Holy One blessed be He said to them: “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; the weak will say: I am mighty [gibor]” (Joel 4:10). And it says: “So may all Your enemies perish, Lord…” (Judges 5:31), to fulfill what is stated: “Pure as the sun.”
“Fearsome as banners” (Song of Songs 6:10) – in [reference to the hegemony of] Edom [Rome]; why is it [Israel] called fearsome? It is because it remains steadfast in a kingdom that inspires fear, as it is stated: “And behold a fourth beast, dreadful and fearsome, and strong” (Daniel 7:7). What is “fearsome as banners?” You find that there are twelve constellations in the sky. Just as the heavens cannot endure without the twelve constellations, so, the world cannot endure without the twelve tribes, as it is stated: “If [these] statutes depart [from before Me, says the Lord, then the descendants of Israel will also cease from being a nation before Me forever]” (Jeremiah 31:35).
“Fearsome as banners” – banners are nothing other than armies, as it is stated: “The banner of the camp…and their host and their numbered” (Numbers 2:3–4). Likewise, the banners of the heavens are the angels, and the banners of the earth are Israel. The hosts of the heavens are angels, as it is stated: “And the entire host of the heavens standing…” (II Chronicles 18:18). The hosts of the earth are Israel, as it is stated: “All the hosts of the Lord emerged from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:41). The Master of them both is the Holy One blessed be He. Just as everyone fears the Holy One blessed be He and the angels, so too, the idolaters fear Israel, as it is stated: “And all the peoples of the land will see that the name of the Lord [is called upon you, and they will fear you]” (Deuteronomy 28:10). This is why it is stated: “Fearsome as banners,” because the Holy One blessed be He likened Israel to the angels.
Regarding angels it is stated: “Seraphim were standing above Him” (Isaiah 6:2), and regarding Israel it is stated: “You are standing today” (Deuteronomy 29:9). The angels say each day: “Holy, holy, holy [is the Lord of hosts]” (Isaiah 6:3), and Israel says: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.23At the beginning of the Amida prayer. Both the angels and Israel praise God with a threefold prayer. Angels are called fire, as it is written: “The flaming fire His servants” (Psalms 104:4), and Israel likewise, as it is written: “The house of Jacob will be fire” (Obadiah 1:18). Angels are renewed every morning, and praise the Holy One blessed be He and then return to the river of fire from which they emerged; and the Holy One blessed be He again renews them and restores them as they had been initially, as it is stated: “They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23). So, [the people of] Israel sink into iniquities due to the evil inclination that is in their bodies, and they repent. Each year, God forgives their iniquities and renews their hearts to fear Him, as it is stated: “I will give you a new heart” (Ezekiel 36:26). That is why it is written: “Fearsome as banners.”
Another interpretation: “This month shall be for you” – that is what is written: “Who is she who appears like the dawn [shaḥar], [beautiful as the moon, pure as the sun, fearsome as banners of a host?]” (Song of Songs 6:10). There are four terms of praise of Israel here, corresponding to the four exiles. For during the four exiles that Israel experienced, they did not deny the Holy One blessed be He. In the Babylonian exile, from where [can this be seen]? It is as it is stated: “Who is she who appears like the dawn?” Nebuchadnezzar prostrated himself to the sun, as it is stated: “How have you fallen from the heavens, glowing morning [shaḥar] star” (Isaiah 14:12).18“Morning star” refers to Nebuchadnezzar. Daniel19Daniel lived during the Babylonian exile. would rise early [shoḥer] and pray to the Omnipresent, as it is stated: “And windows were open for him in his upper chamber facing Jerusalem” (Daniel 6:11), evening, morning, and noon. Why would he rise early and pray? It was so the Holy One blessed be He would have mercy upon Israel. In his regard, Solomon said: “He who seeks [shoḥer] good seeks favor” (Proverbs 11:27). God was present for them in their time of distress, as it is stated: “I love those who love me…” (Proverbs 8:17).
Likewise, we find, when Daniel was cast into the lions’ den, he was not harmed, as it is stated; “God sent His angel and closed the lions’ mouths, and they did not harm me” (Daniel 6:23). Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya were cast into the fiery furnace and were not harmed, as it is stated: “The hair of their heads was not singed [. . .] and the odor of fire did not cover them” (Daniel 3:27). Rather, they illuminated the world like the dawn, which illuminates the world. Therefore, “who appears like the dawn.” They caused the idolaters to acknowledge the Holy One blessed be He and to praise Him, as Nebuchadnezzar said when Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya emerged from the furnace: “Blessed is the God of Shadrakh, Meshakh, and Aved Nego” (Daniel 3:28),20These are the Babylonian names of Ḥananya, Mishael, and Azarya. “the servants of the exalted God” (Daniel 3:26). Likewise, Darius said after Daniel fell into the lions’ den “to tremble and fear before the God of Daniel, who is the living God” (Daniel 6:27); therefore, it is written: “Who is she who appears like the dawn?”
“Beautiful as the moon” (Song of Songs 6:10) – in the Median [Persian] exile; you find during the night that if the moon is not seen in the sky, there is darkness in the world, and a person is unable to walk, even in the city. When the moon is seen in the sky, everyone is glad, and they walk on the road. So, during the days of Aḥashverosh, when they decreed against the Jews to “destroy, to kill, and to eliminate” (Esther 3:13), and Esther came and illuminated for Israel, as it is stated: “The Jews had light and gladness, [and joy and honor]” (Esther 8:16); that is why it is written: “Beautiful as the moon,” about the Median exile. If your wish is to know why Esther was likened to the moon: Just as the moon is reborn after thirty days, so too, Esther said: “But I have not been summoned to the king these thirty days” (Esther 4:11); that is why “beautiful as the moon” is in the Median exile.
“Pure as the sun” (Song of Songs 6:10) – during the Greek kingdom. Sandrios eim Ulios:21This phrase is in corrupted Greek, and two interpretations of it have been given. (1) The Sanhedrin against the sun, i.e., the Jewish Sanhedrin stands in opposition to the Greeks, represented by the sun (Mirkin); and (2) Alexander, son of Helios, i.e., Alexander the original Macedonian emperor, is the son of the god of the sun, Helios (Jastrow). The sun [ḥama] is its name, and the sun is called a strong man [gibor], as it is stated: “Rejoices as a strong man [gibor] to run its course” (Psalms 19:6).22The verse is referring to the movement of the sun on its course. During the summer, who can withstand the sun; everyone flees from it, as it is stated: “And nothing hides from its heat [meḥamato]” (Psalms 19:7). So, with regard to the Greek kingdom, everyone fled from it, and Matitya the priest and his sons were steadfast in their faith in the Holy One blessed be He, and the troops of Greece fled from before them and were all killed. So, the Holy One blessed be He said to them: “Beat your plowshares into swords and your pruning hooks into spears; the weak will say: I am mighty [gibor]” (Joel 4:10). And it says: “So may all Your enemies perish, Lord…” (Judges 5:31), to fulfill what is stated: “Pure as the sun.”
“Fearsome as banners” (Song of Songs 6:10) – in [reference to the hegemony of] Edom [Rome]; why is it [Israel] called fearsome? It is because it remains steadfast in a kingdom that inspires fear, as it is stated: “And behold a fourth beast, dreadful and fearsome, and strong” (Daniel 7:7). What is “fearsome as banners?” You find that there are twelve constellations in the sky. Just as the heavens cannot endure without the twelve constellations, so, the world cannot endure without the twelve tribes, as it is stated: “If [these] statutes depart [from before Me, says the Lord, then the descendants of Israel will also cease from being a nation before Me forever]” (Jeremiah 31:35).
“Fearsome as banners” – banners are nothing other than armies, as it is stated: “The banner of the camp…and their host and their numbered” (Numbers 2:3–4). Likewise, the banners of the heavens are the angels, and the banners of the earth are Israel. The hosts of the heavens are angels, as it is stated: “And the entire host of the heavens standing…” (II Chronicles 18:18). The hosts of the earth are Israel, as it is stated: “All the hosts of the Lord emerged from the land of Egypt” (Exodus 12:41). The Master of them both is the Holy One blessed be He. Just as everyone fears the Holy One blessed be He and the angels, so too, the idolaters fear Israel, as it is stated: “And all the peoples of the land will see that the name of the Lord [is called upon you, and they will fear you]” (Deuteronomy 28:10). This is why it is stated: “Fearsome as banners,” because the Holy One blessed be He likened Israel to the angels.
Regarding angels it is stated: “Seraphim were standing above Him” (Isaiah 6:2), and regarding Israel it is stated: “You are standing today” (Deuteronomy 29:9). The angels say each day: “Holy, holy, holy [is the Lord of hosts]” (Isaiah 6:3), and Israel says: The God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.23At the beginning of the Amida prayer. Both the angels and Israel praise God with a threefold prayer. Angels are called fire, as it is written: “The flaming fire His servants” (Psalms 104:4), and Israel likewise, as it is written: “The house of Jacob will be fire” (Obadiah 1:18). Angels are renewed every morning, and praise the Holy One blessed be He and then return to the river of fire from which they emerged; and the Holy One blessed be He again renews them and restores them as they had been initially, as it is stated: “They are new every morning” (Lamentations 3:23). So, [the people of] Israel sink into iniquities due to the evil inclination that is in their bodies, and they repent. Each year, God forgives their iniquities and renews their hearts to fear Him, as it is stated: “I will give you a new heart” (Ezekiel 36:26). That is why it is written: “Fearsome as banners.”