ציטירנדיקער פּירוש אויף קהלת 9:8

All of the above-noted categories are included in the Holy Torah, which is called fire. (The reason that the Torah is described as a “fire of law,” rather than a “law of fire,” [is that fire is also symbolic of the Divine nature of the Torah, which is then used by man to derive the commandments].¹⁴See Commentary of Gaon of Vilna in Divrei Eliyahu, as referenced by Netziv in Ha’amek Davar ad loc. By applying gematria and recombining the letters of esh, dat and the neighboring words in that verse, we can derive that esh refers to the written Torah and dat refers to the Talmud. The Midrash (Tanhuma, Vayeshev) notes, that the Torah is a “fire of law”¹⁵This is the exact translation of the Netziv’s quote from the Midrash Tanhuma. I have not seen the version of the Midrash Tanhuma from which the Netziv quotes. The version found in the current texts (Buber Edition) of the Midrash Tanhuma reads as follows: “The Torah scholars are guardians of the Torah, that is, a law of fire given by the One Who Is a Consuming Flame.” This version provides even greater support for the Netziv’s understanding of why the Torah is called a fire of law. The Torah is described by our version of the Midrash Tanhuma as the law of fire given by the Consuming Flame; therefore, the reason why it is referred to as a fire of law in Deut. is that it was given by the Consuming Flame (God). and God is referred to as “a consuming fire.” See also Yoma 21b,¹⁶“There are six forms of fire…. The fire that consumes fire is the Shechinah (the Divine Presence).” [which describes God as a consuming flame]. These Talmudic statements allude to how Nahmanides wrote in the introduction to his commentary on the Torah: “The Torah consists of combinations of God’s Holy Names” – that is, [“fire” alludes to “God’s Holy Names,”] which are the root of the Torah. It is clear to me that this idea [that His Holy Names are the source of the Torah], is expressed by the verse in Shir ha-Shirim, “Your name is oil poured forth,”¹⁷Song of Songs, 1:3. meaning that the commandments are cast and formed from His Holy Names, and are symbolized by the word oil.¹⁸See further discussion of this concept in Part 2, chapter 7. See also the Midrash Koheles on the verse, “Your head will never lack oil,”¹⁹Koheles, 9:8. Koheles Rabbah, 8 states: “[Let your garments always be white, and your head never lack oil.] Rabban Yohanan ben Zakkai said: ‘Do not the idol worshippers have numerous white garments and oil? Rather, the verse is referring to the commandments, good deeds and the Torah.’” [which compares the commandments to oil], as does the verse, “for the commandment is a lamp.”²⁰Prov. 6:23. The fuel of a lamp is oil. [Therefore the Torah is called eish-das, a fire of law, because it emanates from God] as esh (fire) and is subsequently processed [by man] into das, law).²¹As we shall see in Chapter 3, the law is a combination of God’s and man’s efforts.

Remove the foreign gods that are in your midst. The text should have said “in your hands,” as it later states and they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands. This is because every action is preceded by thought, and contemplation of sin comes before the actual deed. Therefore, he commanded them to first purify the sin of improper thoughts, saying “Remove the foreign gods that are actually within you,” for Jacob said “Perhaps my children have sinned and blessed [cursed] God in their hearts,” and they had been contemplating the idols that were in their hands, “and purify yourselves.” Through this, God will create for you a pure heart. Or it could be said to refer to general sinful thoughts that come from the evil inclination, which is called a “foreign god that is within you,” as our Sages said (Shabbat 105b) regarding the verse There shall be no foreign god within you (Psalms 81:10) - what is the foreign god that is within a person’s body? This refers to the evil inclination. Afterward, he warned them about rectifying the sin of action, saying to remove the filthy garments and clothe themselves in clean garments, for we find in many places that clothing is a metaphor for actions, as it is written (Ecclesiastes 9:8) At all times, let your garments be white. Regarding this, he said and change your garments. And let us arise and go up to Bethel. For one cannot come to the king’s gate in clothing soiled with sin and iniquity until they first rectify both the sin of thought and action. And they gave to Jacob all the foreign gods that were in their hands. Through this they rectified both the sin of action and thought as one - the action literally through nullifying the idols in their hands, and the removal of the evil inclination [the foreign god that was actually within them] was also alluded to in their saying the foreign gods that were in their hands As our Sages said (Bereishit Rabbah 34:10), the wicked are under the control of their hearts, but the righteous have their hearts under their control and in their hands. This is the meaning of the foreign gods that were in their hands - indicating that what was within them was now in their hands. This is a correct allusion that makes sense.

and repent one day before your death: One should repent today, lest he die tomorrow. And since he does not know the day of [his] death, it comes out that all of his days will be in repentance. And this is that which is stated (Ecclesiastes 9:8), "At all times, let your clothes be white." These three things are a pearl in the mouth of Rabbi Eliezer ben Horkenos, as they are things that are always needed by every man.