Daf 10b (דַּף י׳ ע״ב)

Rabbi El'azar opened and said (פָּתַח רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְאָמַר): “Who is this that comes up from the wilderness…” p1-18(מִי זֹאת עוֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר וְגו׳). “Who is this” (מִי זֹאת), this is the generality of the two sanctities of the two worlds, in one union and one bond (כְּלָלָא דִּתְרֵין קִדּוּשִׁין דִּתְרֵין עָלְמִין בְּחִבּוּרָא חֲדָא וְקִשּׁוּרָא חֲדָא). “Comes up” truly, to be Holy of Holies (עוֹלָה מַמָּשׁ לְמֶהוֵי קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁין). For the Holy of Holies is from Mi (Who) (דְּהָא קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁין מִ״י), and it was joined with “Zot” (This) (וְאִתְחַבְּרָא בְּזֹא״ת), in order that “Zot comes up” be Holy of Holies (בְּגִין לְמֶהֱוֵי זֹאת עוֹלָה דְּאִיהִי קֹדֶשׁ קָדָשִׁין). “From the wilderness”—for from the wilderness she inherited to be a bride and to enter the huppah (מִן הַמִּדְבָּר דְּהָא מִן הַמִּדְבָּר יָרְתָא לְמֶהֱוֵי כַּלָּה וּלְמֵיעַל לְחֻפָּה). Again, “from the wilderness she comes up,” as you say: “And your wilderness is comely” (וּמִדְבָּרֵךְ נָאוֶה) (Song of Songs 4)—from that wilderness of whisperings in her lips, she comes up (בְּהַהוּא מִדְבָּר דִּלְחִישׁוּ בְּשִׂפְוָון אִיהִי עוֹלָה).

And we have learned: What is it that is written, “The mighty Elohim, these are the Elohim who smote Egypt with every plague in the wilderness” (וְתָנִינָן מַאי דִכְתִיב הָאֱלֹהִים הָאַדִּירִים הָאֵלֶּה אֵלֶּה הֵם הָאֱלֹהִים הַמַּכִּים אֶת מִצְרַיִם בְּכָל מַכָּה בַּמִּדְבָּר) (I Samuel 4). And was it in the wilderness that Kudsha Berikh Hu did all to them? Behold, it was in settled land (וְכִי כָּל דְּעֲבַד לוֹן קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בַּמִּדְבָּר הֲוָה, וְהָא בְּיִשּׁוּבָא הֲוָה). Rather, “in the wilderness”—in speech (אֶלָּא בַּמִּדְבָּר, בְּדִבּוּרָא), as you say: “And your speech is comely” (כְּמָא דְאַתְּ אָמֵר וּמִדְבָּרֵךְ נָאוֶה) (Song of Songs 4). And it is written: “From the wilderness of mountains” (וּכְתִיב מִמִּדְבַּר הָרִים) (Psalms 75). So too, “comes up from the wilderness”—surely from the wilderness (אוּף הָכִי עוֹלָה מִן הַמִּדְבָּר, מִן הַמִּדְבָּר וַדַּאי). In that word of the mouth she ascends, and enters between the wings of Imma (בְּהַהוּא מִלָּה דְּפוּמָא אִיהִי סַלְקָא וְאָעֳלַת בֵּין גַּדְפֵי דְּאִמָּא). And afterward, in speech, she descends and rests upon the heads of the holy people (וּלְבָתַר בְּדִבּוּרָא נַחְתָא וְשַׁרְיָא עַל רֵישַׁיְיהוּ דְּעַמָּא קַדִּישָׁא). How does she ascend in speech? (הֵיךָ סַלְקָא בְּדִבּוּרָא). For in service, when a man rises in the morning, he must bless his Master (דְּהָא בְּשֵׁירוּתָא כַּד בַּר נָשׁ קָאִים בְּצַפְרָא אִית לֵיהּ לְבָרְכָא לְמָארֵיהּ).

At the time that he opens his eyes, how does he bless? (בְּשַׁעְתָּא דְּפָקַח עֵינוֹי הֵיךְ מְבָרֵךְ). Thus did the early pious ones do: they placed before them a vessel of water, and when they arose in the night they would wash their hands (הָכִי הֲווּ עַבְדֵי חֲסִידֵי קַדְמָאֵי, נַטְלָא דְמַיָּיא הֲווּ יַהֲבֵי קָמַיְיהוּ, וּבְזִמְנָא דְּאִתְעָרוּ בְּלֵילְיָא אַסְחָן יְדַיְיהוּ). And they would arise and engage in Orayta and bless upon its reading, etc. (וְקָיְימֵי וְלָעָאן בְּאוֹרַיְיתָא וּמְבָרְכֵי עַל קְרִיאָתָהּ וְכוּ׳). When the rooster would call, and at that time, at the very middle of the night (תַּרְנְגוֹלָא קָרֵי וּכְדֵין פַּלְגוּת לֵילְיָא מַמָּשׁ), then Kudsha Berikh Hu is found with the Righteous in the Garden of Eden (וּכְדֵין קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אִשְׁתַּכַּח עִם צַדִּיקַיָּיא בְּגִנְתָא דְעֵדֶן) (Zohar 3b).

And it is forbidden to bless with defiled and polluted hands (וְאַסִּיר לְבָרְכָא בִּידַיִן מְסוֹאָבוֹת וּמְזְהָמוֹת). And they bless (וּמְבָרְכִין). And so at every time (וְכֵן כָּל שַׁעֲתָא). Because at the time that a man sleeps (בְּגִין דִּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּבַר נָשׁ נָאִים), his spirit flies from him (רוּחֵיהּ פָּרְחָא מִנֵּיהּ). And at the time that his spirit flies from him (וּבְשַׁעֲתָא דְּרוּחֵיהּ פָּרְחָא מִנֵּיהּ), an impure spirit is ready and rests upon his hands (רוּחָא מְסָאָבָא זַמִּין וְשָׁרְיָא עַל יְדוֹי), and it defiles them (וּמְסָאַב לוֹן), and it is forbidden to bless with them without washing (וְאַסִּיר לְבָרְכָא בְּהוּ בְּלָא נְטִילָה).

And if you say: If so, during the day when he does not sleep and his spirit does not fly from him, and the impure spirit does not rest upon him (וְאִי תֵימָא אִי הָכִי הָא בִּימָמָא דְּלָא נָאִים וְלָא פָּרַח רוּחֵיהּ מִנֵּיהּ וְלָא שַׁרְיָא עֲלֵיהּ רוּחָא מְסָאֲבָא), then when he enters the privy he should not bless nor read in the Torah even one word until he washes his hands (וְכַד עָאל לְבֵית הַכִּסֵּא לָא יְבָרֵךְ וְלָא יִקְרָא בַּתּוֹרָה אֲפִלּוּ מִלָּה חָדָא עַד דְּיִסְחֵי יְדוֹי). And if you say, because they are dirty (וְאִי תֵימָא בְּגִין דִּמְלוּכְלָכִים אִנּוּן), this is not so—for with what are they dirtied (לָאו הָכִי הוּא, בַּמֶּה אִתְלַכְלְכוּ)?

Rather, woe to the sons of the world, who do not regard nor know the glory of their Master, and do not know upon what the world stands (אֶלָּא וַוי לִבְנֵי עָלְמָא דְּלָא מַשְׁגִּיחִין וְלָא יַדְעִין בְּיִקְרָא דְמָארֵיהוֹן וְלָא יָדְעֵי עַל מַה קָּיְימָא עָלְמָא). There is one spirit in every privy of the world (רוּחָא חֲדָא אִית בְּכָל בֵּית הַכִּסֵּא דְּעָלְמָא), that dwells there and is sustained from that filth and impurity (דְּשַׁרְיָא תַּמָּן וְאִתְהַנִּי מֵהַהוּא לִכְלוּכָא וְטִנּוּפָא). And immediately it rests upon the fingers of a man’s hands (וּמִיָּד שָׁרֵי עַל אִנּוּן אֶצְבְּעָן דִּידוֹי דְּבַר נָשׁ).

Rabbi Shimon opened and said (פָּתַח רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן וְאָמַר): Whoever rejoices in those festivals and does not give his portion to Kudsha Berikh Hu (כָּל מָאן דְּחָדֵי בְּאִנּוּן מוֹעֲדַיָּא וְלָא יָהִיב חוּלָקֵיהּ לְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא), that evil eye, the Satan, hates him and accuses him (הַהוּא רַע עַיִן שָׂטָן שׂוֹנֵא אוֹתוֹ וְקָא מְקַטְרֵג לֵיהּ), and removes him from the world (וְסָלִיק לֵיהּ מֵעָלְמָא), and many crookednesses upon crookednesses surround him (וְכַמָּה עָקוּ עַל עָקוּ מְסַבֵּב לֵיהּ).

The portion of Kudsha Berikh Hu is to gladden the poor, according to what one is able to do (חוּלָקֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, לְמֶחדֵי לְמִסְכְּנֵי כְּפוּם מַה דְּיָכִיל לְמֶעְבַּד). For Kudsha Berikh Hu, on these days, comes to look at those broken vessels of His (בְּגִין דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בְּיוֹמַיָּיא אִלֵּין אָתֵי לְמֶחמֵי לְאִנּוּן מָאנִין תְּבִירִין דִּילֵיהּ), and He enters among them and sees that they have nothing with which to rejoice, and He weeps over them (וְעָאל עָלַיְיהוּ וְחָמֵי דְּלָא אִית לְהוֹן לְמֵחֱדֵי, וּבְכֵי עָלַיְיהוּ). He ascends above, and desires to bring destruction upon the world (סָלִיק לְעֵילָא וּבָעֵי לְחָרְבָּא עָלְמָא).

The sons of the Academy came before Him (אֲתָאן בְּנֵי מְתִיבְתָּא קַמֵּיהּ), and said: Master of the world, merciful and gracious One, You are called—let Your mercies be rolled upon Your children (וְאָמְרֵי רִבּוֹן עָלְמָא, רַחוּם וְחַנּוּן אִתְקְרִיאַת יִתְגַּלְגְּלוּן רַחֲמָךְ עַל בְּנָךְ). He said to them: Do the people of the world not know that I made it only upon Chesed, as it is written, “I said, the world shall be built with Chesed” (אָמַר לוֹן וְכִי בְּנֵי עָלְמָא לָא יָדְעִין דְּלָא עָבְדִית לֵיהּ אֶלָּא עַל חֶסֶ״ד דִּכְתִיב אָמַרְתִּי עוֹלָם חֶסֶד יִבָּנֶה) (Psalms 89), and upon this the world stands (וְעָלְמָא עַל דָּא קָיְימָא). The supernal angels said before Him (אָמְרֵי קַמֵּיהּ מַלְאֲכֵי עִלָּאֵי): Master of the world, here is this one who eats and drinks and is able to do good with the poor and gives them nothing (רִבּוֹן עָלְמָא הָא פְּלַנְיָא דְּאָכִיל וְרָוֵי וְיָכִיל לְמֶעְבַּד טִיבוּ עִם מִסְכְּנִי וְלָא יָהִיב לוֹן מִידִי). Then that accuser comes and demands permission and pursues after that man (אָתֵי הַהוּא מְקַטְרְגָא וּתְבַע רְשׁוּ וּרְדַף אֲבַתְרֵיהּ דְּהַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ).

Who do we have in the world greater than Abraham, who did good to all creatures (מָאן לָן בְּעָלְמָא גָּדוֹל מֵאַבְרָהָם דְּעֲבַד טִיבוּ לְכָל בִּרְיָין)? On the day that he made a feast, what is written (בְּיוֹמָא דְּעֲבַד מִשְׁתְּיָיא, מַה כְּתִיב): “And the child grew and was weaned, and Abraham made a great feast on the day that Yitzchak was weaned” (וַיִּגְדַּל הַיֶּלֶד וַיִּגָּמַל, וַיַּעַשׂ אַבְרָהָם מִשְׁתֶּה גָדוֹל בְּיוֹם הִגָּמֵל אֶת יִצְחָק) (Bereshit 21). Abraham made a feast and called all the great ones of the generation to that banquet (עֲבַד אַבְרָהָם מִשְׁתְּיָיא וּקְרָא לְכָל רַבְרְבֵי דָרָא לְהַהִיא סְעוּדָתָא). And we have learned: In every feast of joy, that accuser goes and sees if that man first did good with the poor, and the poor are in the house—then that accuser departs from that house and does not enter there (וְתָנִינָן בְּכָל סְעוּדָתָא דְּחֶדְוָה, הַהוּא מְקַטְרְגָא אָזִיל וְחָמֵי אִי הַהוּא בַּר נָשׁ אַקְדִּים טִיבוּ לְמִסְכְּנֵי, וּמִסְכְּנֵי בְּבֵיתָא, הַהוּא מְקַטְרְגָא אִתְפְּרַשׁ מֵהַהוּא בֵּיתָא וְלָא עָאל תַּמָּן). And if not, he enters there, and he sees the commotion of joy without the poor and without good done first for the poor, and he ascends above and accuses him (וְאִי לָאו עָאל תַּמָּן, וְחָמֵי עִרְבּוּבְיָא דְּחֶדְוָה בְּלָא מִסְכְּנִי וּבְלָא טִיבוּ דְּאַקְדִּים לְמִסְכְּנֵי, סָלִיק לְעֵילָא וּמְקַטְרְגָא עֲלֵיהּ).