16a (ט״ז:א׳)

And from this you will understand the teaching in the first chapter of Berakhot (וּמִזֶּה תָּבִין מַאֲמַר פֶּרֶק קַמָּא דִּבְרָכוֹת): “It was taught: Rabbi Yishma’el ben Elisha said, once I entered to offer incense within the innermost chamber and I saw Akatriel” ("תַּנְיָא אָמַר רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל בֶּן אֱלִישָׁע, פַּעַם אַחַת נִכְנַסְתִּי לְהַקְטִיר קְטֹרֶת לִפְנֵי וְלִפְנִים וְרָאִיתִי אֲכַתְרִיאֵ״ל)-that is to say, Keter of the Name of 42 (רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר: כֶּתֶר מ״ב).

Explanation: that the Holy One Blessed Be He revealed His Glory there with all His hosts conducted by the Name of 42 (פֵּירוּשׁ: שֶׁהקב״ה גִּלָּה כְבוֹדוֹ שָׁם עִם כָּל צְבָאָיו נָהוּגִים עִם שֵׁם מ״ב), which is founded on the Name Y–H, with which the Holy One Blessed Be He created two worlds (שֶׁהוּא מְיֻסָּד מִשֵּׁם י״ה שֶׁעִמּוֹ בָּרָא הקב״ה שְׁנֵי עוֹלָמוֹת), as it is said: “For with Y–H, Hashem formed worlds” (שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר ״כִּי בְּי״ה ה׳ צוּר עוֹלָמִים) (Isaiah 26:4), and He sat upon His Throne of Glory (וְיָשַׁב עַל כִּסֵּא כְבוֹדוֹ).

Immediately the throne was “exalted and uplifted” (מִיָּד הָיָה הַכִּסֵּא ״רָם וְנִשָּׂא) (Isaiah 6:1). And He said: “Yishma’el, My son, bless Me” (וְאָמַר: ׳יִשְׁמָעֵאל בְּנִי, בָּרְכֵנִי). And is there any power in a created being to bless the Master of all? (וְכִי יֵשׁ כֹּחַ בְּשׁוּם נִבְרָא לְבָרֵךְ לַאֲדוֹן הַכֹּל) For behold, He is the wellspring and source of all blessings (וַהֲלֹא הוּא מַעְיָן וּמָקוֹר הַבְּרָכוֹת). But from the response of Rabbi Yishma’el to the Holy One Blessed Be He, you will understand the secret of the blessing that we offer to Him, may He be blessed (אֶלָּא מִתְּשׁוּבָתוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל לַהקב״ה תָּבִין סוֹד הַבְּרָכָה שֶׁאֲנַחְנוּ מְבָרְכִים לוֹ יִתְבָּרַךְ):

For he said: “May it be Your will that Your mercies conquer Your anger” (שֶׁאָמַר: ״יְהִי רָצוֹן מִלְּפָנֶיךָ שֶׁיִּכְבְּשׁוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ אֶת כַּעַסְךָ״). Rabbi Yishma’el requested that berakhah [blessing] should subdue and prevail over makkeh [a blow], for both are within the middah [attribute] of Malkhut [Kingship] (בִּקֵּשׁ רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל שֶׁיִּכְבּוֹשׁ וְיִנְצַּח בְּרָכָה לְמַכֶּה, שֶׁשְּׁנֵיהֶם בְּמִדַּת מַלְכוּת), that He have mercy upon His children, who are Yisrael (לְרַחֵם עַל בָּנָיו שֶׁהֵם יִשְׂרָאֵל). At the end of the statement: “He nodded to me with His head” (סוֹף הַמַּאֲמָר: ״נִנְעֵנַע לִי בְּרֹאשׁוֹ״), Rashi, of blessed memory, explained: as one who assents to my blessing and answers Amen (פֵּירֵשׁ רַשִ״י ז״ל: כְּמוֹדֶה עַל בִּרְכָּתִי וְעוֹנֶה אָמֵן).

Behold for you the explanation of “Great is the one who answers Amen [truly] more than the one who blesses” (הֲרֵי לְךָ פֵּירוּשׁ ״גָּדוֹל הָעוֹנֶה אָמֵן יוֹתֵר מִן הַמְבָרֵךְ״): For the prayer of Rabbi Yishma‘el was that the two Names—Rachamim [Mercy] and Berakhah [Blessing], which are twenty-six and sixty-five—be united and flow upon Kenesset Yisrael [Congregation of Israel] (כִּי תְּפִלָּתוֹ שֶׁל רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל הָיְתָה שֶׁיִּתְחַבְּרוּ שְׁנֵי שֵׁמוֹת בְּרַחֲמִים וּבְרָכָה שֶׁהֵם כ״ו ס״ה וְיַשְׁפִּיעוּ עַל כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל), and that He remove from them the makkeh [blow] alluded to in this middah [attribute] (וְיָסִיר מֵהֶם מַכֶּה הָרְמוּזָה בַּמִּדָּה הַזֹּאת).

And this is: “May Your mercies conquer Your anger,” as we explained above (וְזֶהוּ ״וְיִכְבְּשׁוּ רַחֲמֶיךָ אֶת כַּעַסְךָ״ כְּמוֹ שֶׁפֵּרַשְׁנוּ לְמַעְלָה). And the Holy One, blessed be He, was appeased and reconciled to the prayer of Rabbi Yishma‘el, and answered Amen [truly] (וְהקב״ה נִתְפַּיֵּס וְנִתְרַצָּה לִתְפִלַּת רַבִּי יִשְׁמָעֵאל וְעָנָה אָמֵן), for He is the faithful witness, and nothing is hidden from Him (שֶׁהוּא הָעֵד הַנֶּאֱמָן שֶׁאֵין דָּבָר נֶעְלָם מִמֶּנּוּ).

And the one who answers Amen [truly] bears witness to the truth of Hashem, may He be blessed (וְהָעוֹנֶה אָמֵן עוֹשֶׂה עֵדוּת עַל אֱמִיתּוֹ שֶׁל ה׳ יִתְבָּרַךְ), and he is greater than the one who blesses Hashem (וְהוּא גָּדוֹל יוֹתֵר מִן הַמְבָרֵךְ לַה׳), for Amen [truly] is, in gematria, “He is the witness” (שֶׁאָמֵן בְּגִימַטְרִיָּא ׳הוּא הָעֵד׳). That is to say, he is a witness to the berakhah [blessing]: that it is fitting for the Holy One, blessed be He, inasmuch as He blesses the entire world (רוֹצֶה לוֹמַר: עֵד עַל הַבְּרָכָה שֶׁהִיא רְאוּיָה לַהקב״ה מִצַּד שֶׁהוּא מְבָרֵךְ לָעוֹלָם כולו).

In the parashah of “Beha‘alotekha,” regarding the Nunim in the verse “And it was when the Ark set out” and in the verse “And when it rested, he would say” (בְּפָרָשַׁת "בְּהַעֲלֹתְךָ" עַל הַנוּ״נִים שֶׁבַּפָּסוּק "וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן" וּבַפָּסוּק "וּבְנֻחֹה יֹאמַר)

Rabbi said that the Torah is divided into seven parts (אָמַר רַבִּי שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה נֶחְלֶקֶת לְשִׁבְעָה חֲלָקִים). And in this he meant to say that the Torah, which is the 'Five Books of Moses,' is [actually] divided into seven books (וְכִיּוֵן בָּזֶה לוֹמַר שֶׁהַתּוֹרָה שֶׁהִיא חֲמִשָּׁה חֻמְשֵׁי תּוֹרָה נֶחְלֶקֶת לְשִׁבְעָה סְפָרִים), And this [is done] by dividing the Book of 'Vayidaber' (Numbers) into three books (וְזֶה בְּחַלְקוֹ סֵפֶר ״וַיְדַבֵּר״ לִשְׁלֹשָׁה סְפָרִים). And it was said in the Gemara: “According to whom does this statement of Rabbi Shmuel bar Naḥmani in the name of Rabbi Yonatan go: ‘She carved out her pillars sevenfold’-these are the seven books of Torah”? According to whom? According to Rabbi (וְאָמְרוּ בַּגְּמָרָא: ״כְּמַאן אַזְלָא הָא דְּאָמַר רַבִּי שְׁמוּאֵל בַּר נַחְמָנִי אָמַר רַבִּי יוֹנָתָן 'חָצְבָה עַמּוּדֶיהָ שִׁבְעָה׳ אֵלּוּ שִׁבְעָה סִפְרֵי תּוֹרָה. כְּמַאן כְּרַבִּי). And the opinion of Rabban Shim‘on ben Gamliel is that this is their place, but in the future it will be uprooted from its place in the days of the Messiah, when all punishments will be annulled and the evil inclination nullified (וּדְעַת רַבָּן שִׁמְעוֹן בֶּן גַּמְלִיאֵל שֶׁהוּא מְקוֹמָהּ, אֲבָל עֲתִידָה שֶׁתֵּעָקֵר מִמְּקוֹמָהּ לִימוֹת הַמָּשִׁיחַ, שֶׁיִּהְיוּ כָּל הַפֻּרְעָנִיּוֹת בְּטֵלִים וְיֵצֶר הָרָע בָּטֵל).p1-4

The intent of this teaching is to explain the Nunim in these verses, which are two reversed Nunim, and from these two verses is made a book in its own right (כַּוָּנַת זֶה הַמַּאֲמָר לְפָרֵשׁ הַנּוּ״נִים שֶׁהֵם בָּאֵלּוּ הַפְּסוּקִים, שֶׁהֵם ב׳ נוּ״נִים הֲפוּכוֹת, וְנַעֲשָׂה מֵאֵלּוּ הַב׳ פְּסוּקִים סֵפֶר בִּפְנֵי עַצְמוֹ). But know that these two verses are not themselves the book, but they allude to another book mentioned later (אֲבָל תֵּדַע שֶׁאֵלּוּ הַב׳ פְּסוּקִים אֵינָם בְּעַצְמָם הַסֵּפֶר אֶלָּא שֶׁהֵם רוֹמְזִים לְסֵפֶר אַחֵר שֶׁנֶּאֱמַר לְהַלְּן). And to indicate this, these two Nunim were written here (וּלְהוֹרוֹת זֶה נִכְתְּבוּ כָּאן אֵלּוּ הַב׳ נוּ״נִים). And their tops are bent downward, to indicate that the goodness and influence that had come to Yisrael at first is destined to be overturned (וְרָאשֵׁיהֶן כְּפוּפוֹת לְמַטָּה לְהוֹרוֹת שֶׁהַטּוֹב וְהַשֶּׁפַע שֶׁהָיָה לְיִשְׂרָאֵל מִתְּחִלָּה עֲתִידִין לְהִתְהַפֵּךְ), and the Ark of the Covenant will in the future journey from its place (וַאֲרוֹן הַקֹּדֶשׁ עָתִיד לִסּוֹעַ מִמְּקוֹמוֹ), and Yisrael are destined to be lowered from their exalted state and to be afflicted with suffering (וְיִשְׂרָאֵל עֲתִידִין לְהִשָּׁפֵל מִמַּעֲלָתָם וְלִהְיוֹת מְיוּסָרִים בְּיִסּוּרִין), and their lands are destined to be inhabited by their enemies (וְאַרְצוֹתֵיהֶם עֲתִידוֹת שֶׁיֵּשְׁבוּ בָהֶן אוֹיְבֵיהֶם).

Therefore it says: “And it was when the Ark set out, and Moshe said…” and there is an etnachta (pause) there (וְעַל כֵּן אָמַר ״וַיְהִי בִּנְסֹעַ הָאָרֹן וַיֹּאמֶר מֹשֶׁה״, וְשָׁם יֵשׁ אֶתְנַח). And afterwards it says: “Arise, Hashem…” and there is a pause between “Arise” and “Hashem” (וְאַחַר כָּךְ אָמַר ״קוּמָה ה׳״, וְיֵשׁ פָּסֵק בֵּין ״קוּמָה״ לַה׳). And it is known that one only says “Arise” regarding one who is fallen (וְיָדוּעַ הוּא שֶׁאֵין אוֹמְרִים ״קוּמָה״ אֶלָּא לְמִי שֶׁהוּא נוֹפֵל), to allude to the downfall of the enemies of Yisrael (לְרַמֵּז מַפַלְתָּן שֶׁל שׂוֹנְאֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל). And when the Holy One Blessed Be He rises to assist Israel, His enemies will be scattered and His haters will flee (וּכְשֶׁיָּקוּם הקב״ה בְּסִיוּעַ יִשְׂרָאֵל, יָפוּצוּ אוֹיְבָיו וְיָנֻסוּ מְשַׂנְאָיו). And it says “from before You” to allude to the Temple (וְאָמַר "מִפָּנֶיךָ" לְרַמֵּז עַל בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ), for it is known that the Temple below is aligned precisely opposite the Temple above (שֶׁיָּדוּעַ הוּא שֶׁבֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ שֶׁל מַטָּה מְכֻוָּן כְּנֶגֶד בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ שֶׁל מַעְלָה), and when the Holy One Blessed Be He rises, His enemies will flee from before Him-that is, from the Temple (וּכְשֶׁיָּקוּם הקב״ה, יָנֻסוּ אוֹיְבָיו מִפָּנָיו שֶׁהוּא בֵּית הַמִּקְדָּשׁ).