בָּרֲכִ֥י נַפְשִׁ֗י אֶת־יְה֫וָ֥ה יְהוָ֣ה אֱ֭לֹהַי גָּדַ֣לְתָּ מְּאֹ֑ד ה֭וֹד וְהָדָ֣ר לָבָֽשְׁתָּ׃
לױב גאָט, מײַן זעל;ה׳ מײַן גאָט, ביסט גרױס ביז גאָר, אין גלאַנץ און שײנקײט ביסטו אָנגעקלײדט.
Eikhah Rabbah
“Gone from the daughter of Zion is all her splendor. Her princes are like deer that have not found pasture; they went powerless before the pursuer” (Lamentations 1:6)
“Gone from the daughter [mibat] of Zion.” Min bat is written. Rabbi Aḥa said: We have one fine portion; that is the Holy One blessed be He, as it is written in His regard: “The Lord is my lot [menat ḥelki] and my portion” (Psalms 16:5). “All its splendor,” this is the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “You are clothed in glory and splendor” (Psalms 104:1).119Thus, when the children were exiled (Lamentations 1:5), God was exiled too, as it were, as implied in Lamentations 1:6. Alternatively, “all its splendor,” this is the Sanhedrin, as it is written: “Might and splendor are her garments” (Proverbs 31:25).120This is stated regarding the Torah. Since it is the Sanhedrin who interpret the Torah and translates it into practical terms, they are the ones who clothe Torah in glory and splendor. The term splendor in Lamentations can therefore also be interpreted as referring to the Sanhedrin. Alternatively, “all its splendor [hadarah],” these are Torah scholars, as it is written: “You shall rise before the aged and honor [vehadarta] the presence of a sage” (Leviticus 19:32). Alternatively, “all its splendor,” these are the priestly watches, as it is written: “Praising with the splendor of holiness” (II Chronicles 20:21).
Alternatively, “all its splendor,” these are the children. Rabbi Yehuda said: Come and see how dear children are before the Holy One blessed be He. The Sanhedrin was exiled, but the Divine Presence was not exiled with them. The priestly watches were exiled, but the Divine Presence was not exiled with them. When the children were exiled, the Divine Presence was exiled with them. That is what is written: “Her infants are led into captivity before the adversary.” Immediately, “gone from the daughter of Zion is all her splendor.”
“Her princes are like deer [that have not found pasture].”121Pasture is typically associated with sheep, not deer. Rabbi Yehuda said: When they are soft they are likened to sheep, as it is stated: “The sheep will graze as in their pasture” (Isaiah 5:17). When they are rigid they are likened to deer, as it is stated: “Her princes are like deer.”
Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Abba and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua [said]: Just as these deer turn their faces away from one another during a heat wave,122They race directly to a water source with no consideration for any other deer. so too the prominent among Israel would see a matter of transgression and would turn their faces away from it. The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘A time will come when I will do so to you.’
“They went powerless before the pursuer.” Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon: When Israel performs the will of the Omnipresent, they add strength to the power on high, just as it says: “With God we will triumph” (Psalms 60:14). When Israel does not perform the will of the Omnipresent, they, as it were, exhaust the great power on high, as it is written: “You abandoned the Rock that begot you” (Deuteronomy 32:18). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi ben Rabbi Tarfon: When Israel performs the will of the Holy One blessed be He, they add strength to the power on high, just as it says: “Now, please, let the power of the Lord be great” (Numbers 14:17). When Israel does not perform the will of the Holy One blessed be He, they, as it were, exhaust the great power on high, and they, too, go “powerless before the pursuer.”
Rabbi Huna, Rabbi Aḥa, and Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, and the Rabbis in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: A person would say to his counterpart in Jerusalem: ‘Read one Bible column to me,’ and he would say to him: ‘I do not have the strength.’ ‘Teach me one chapter of Mishna,” and he would say to him: ‘I do not have the strength.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘A time will come and I will do so to you.’
“They went powerless before the pursuer [rodef].” Rabbi Aḥa said: Just as Israel was exiled only by a full-fledged pursuer, so, they will be redeemed only with a full-fledged redeemer, as it is written: “A redeemer [goel] will come to Zion” (Isaiah 59:20), it is written full.123The Hebrew word is written with a vav, just as the word rodef in the verse in Lamentations is written with a vav, despite the fact that both could have been written without the vav.
“Gone from the daughter [mibat] of Zion.” Min bat is written. Rabbi Aḥa said: We have one fine portion; that is the Holy One blessed be He, as it is written in His regard: “The Lord is my lot [menat ḥelki] and my portion” (Psalms 16:5). “All its splendor,” this is the Holy One blessed be He, as it is stated: “You are clothed in glory and splendor” (Psalms 104:1).119Thus, when the children were exiled (Lamentations 1:5), God was exiled too, as it were, as implied in Lamentations 1:6. Alternatively, “all its splendor,” this is the Sanhedrin, as it is written: “Might and splendor are her garments” (Proverbs 31:25).120This is stated regarding the Torah. Since it is the Sanhedrin who interpret the Torah and translates it into practical terms, they are the ones who clothe Torah in glory and splendor. The term splendor in Lamentations can therefore also be interpreted as referring to the Sanhedrin. Alternatively, “all its splendor [hadarah],” these are Torah scholars, as it is written: “You shall rise before the aged and honor [vehadarta] the presence of a sage” (Leviticus 19:32). Alternatively, “all its splendor,” these are the priestly watches, as it is written: “Praising with the splendor of holiness” (II Chronicles 20:21).
Alternatively, “all its splendor,” these are the children. Rabbi Yehuda said: Come and see how dear children are before the Holy One blessed be He. The Sanhedrin was exiled, but the Divine Presence was not exiled with them. The priestly watches were exiled, but the Divine Presence was not exiled with them. When the children were exiled, the Divine Presence was exiled with them. That is what is written: “Her infants are led into captivity before the adversary.” Immediately, “gone from the daughter of Zion is all her splendor.”
“Her princes are like deer [that have not found pasture].”121Pasture is typically associated with sheep, not deer. Rabbi Yehuda said: When they are soft they are likened to sheep, as it is stated: “The sheep will graze as in their pasture” (Isaiah 5:17). When they are rigid they are likened to deer, as it is stated: “Her princes are like deer.”
Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Shimon bar Abba and Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish in the name of Rabbi Yehoshua [said]: Just as these deer turn their faces away from one another during a heat wave,122They race directly to a water source with no consideration for any other deer. so too the prominent among Israel would see a matter of transgression and would turn their faces away from it. The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘A time will come when I will do so to you.’
“They went powerless before the pursuer.” Rabbi Azarya said in the name of Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon: When Israel performs the will of the Omnipresent, they add strength to the power on high, just as it says: “With God we will triumph” (Psalms 60:14). When Israel does not perform the will of the Omnipresent, they, as it were, exhaust the great power on high, as it is written: “You abandoned the Rock that begot you” (Deuteronomy 32:18). Rabbi Yehuda ben Rabbi Simon [said] in the name of Rabbi Levi ben Rabbi Tarfon: When Israel performs the will of the Holy One blessed be He, they add strength to the power on high, just as it says: “Now, please, let the power of the Lord be great” (Numbers 14:17). When Israel does not perform the will of the Holy One blessed be He, they, as it were, exhaust the great power on high, and they, too, go “powerless before the pursuer.”
Rabbi Huna, Rabbi Aḥa, and Rabbi Simon in the name of Rabbi Shimon ben Lakish, and the Rabbis in the name of Rabbi Ḥanina: A person would say to his counterpart in Jerusalem: ‘Read one Bible column to me,’ and he would say to him: ‘I do not have the strength.’ ‘Teach me one chapter of Mishna,” and he would say to him: ‘I do not have the strength.’ The Holy One blessed be He said to them: ‘A time will come and I will do so to you.’
“They went powerless before the pursuer [rodef].” Rabbi Aḥa said: Just as Israel was exiled only by a full-fledged pursuer, so, they will be redeemed only with a full-fledged redeemer, as it is written: “A redeemer [goel] will come to Zion” (Isaiah 59:20), it is written full.123The Hebrew word is written with a vav, just as the word rodef in the verse in Lamentations is written with a vav, despite the fact that both could have been written without the vav.
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
And Abraham was old, well stricken in age (Gen. 24:1). Scripture states elsewhere in allusion to this verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, Thou art very great; Thou art clothed with glory and majesty (Ps. 104:1). What prompted David to bless the Holy One, blessed be He, with his soul? He did so because the soul sees but is not seen, and the Holy One, blessed be He, sees but is not seen. Hence, the soul that sees but is not seen praised the Holy One, blessed be he, who sees but is not seen. Similarly, the soul guards the body and the Holy One, blessed be He, guards the entire universe. It is fitting, therefore, that the soul which guards the body should praise the Holy One, blessed be He, who guards His world. What is the meaning of the verse O Lord my God, Thou art very great? R. Eleazar explained it thus: “You were great before You created Your world, but Your greatness was magnified after You created Your world,” as it is said: Thou art very great.