Daf 215b (דַּף רט״ו ע״ב)

Why is the name of the holy place called Lechem (וְלָמָּה אִתְקְרֵי שְׁמָא דְּאַתְרָא קַדִּישָׁא: דְּאַתְרָא הָדֵין לֶחֶם)? Because it is from the Name of Kudsha Berikh Hu that dwells in it (בְּדִיל דְּהוּא מִן שְׁמָא דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בֵּיהּ). Their image is imprinted there upon His Name-Yod–Dalet, their image there upon His Name-Yod–Heh (דִּימוּתוּן תַּמָּן עַל שְׁמֵיהּ: י״ד, דִּימוּתוּן תַּמָּן עַל שְׁמֵיהּ: י״ה). Lechem in exile-because it is from His Name, Kudsha Berikh Hu (לֶחֶם בְּגָלוּתָא, בְּדִיל דְּהוּא מִן שְׁמֵיהּ דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא). “And Yisrael saw the sons of Yosef and said: Who are these?” (וַיַּרְא יִשְׂרָאֵל אֶת בְּנֵי יוֹסֵף וַיֹּאמֶר: מִי אֵלֶּה) (Bereshit 48).

Rabbi Abba opened: (Isaiah 49) “And you will say in your heart: Who has begotten these for me?” (רִבִּי אַבָּא פָּתַח: וְאָמַרְתְּ בִּלְבָבֵךְ: מִי יָלַד לִי אֶת אֵלֶּה). What does it teach? The Lower Yisrael (מַאי קָא מַיְירֵי: יִשְׂרָאֵל לְתַתָּא) saw that the children of Yisrael were before him (חָזֵי דְּיֵיתוּן בְּנוֹהִי דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל קָדָמֵיהּ), when they shall come (Isaiah 11) from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamat, and from the islands of the sea (כַּד יֵיתוּן: מֵעֵילָם וּמִשִּׁנְעָר וּמֵחֲמָת וּמֵאִיֵּי הַיָּם), and they are many (וִיהוֹן סַגִּיאִין).

Will the Shekhinta reject all of them, with no disqualified ones among them from foreign seed? (תֵּימָא: שְׁכִינְתָּא מֵאַן אִינוּן כֻּלְּהוֹן, וְלָא בְּהוֹן פְּסוּל מִבְּנֵי נוּכְרָאָה). They will say to Him: We are all from Your blessing (יִימְרוּן לֵיהּ: אֲנַחְנָא כֻּלָּנָא מִבֵּרַךְ), and there is not among us a foreign-born child (וְלֵית בְּנָא נוּכְרָאָה בַּהֲדָן). Let them separate one from the other, and He shall circumcise them as one, and they shall convert (דְּיִתְפָּרְשׁוּן דָּא מִן דָּא, וְכָרַת לְהוֹן כְּחֲדָא, וְיִתְגַּיְּרוּן); converts shall return with Yisrael, and they shall be as one (יְתוּבוּן גִּיּוּרִין עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל, וִיהוֹן כְּחֲדָא). It was taught (תָּנָא): Converts are hard for Yisrael like a scab on live flesh, for their land (קָשִׁים גֵּרִים לְיִשְׂרָאֵל כְּסַפַּחַת בְּעוֹר הַחַי, לְאַרְעָהוֹן). As it is written (Isaiah 14) “For Hashem will show mercy to Ya'akov and will yet choose Yerushalayim, and the convert shall join them, and they shall be joined to the House of Ya'akov” (כִּי יְרַחֵם יי עַל יַעֲקֹב וּבָחַר עוֹד בִּירוּשָׁלַיִם, וְנִלְוָה הַגֵּר עֲלֵיהֶם וְנִסְפְּחוּ עַל בֵּית יַעֲקֹב).

When they return to their land, created anew, and there shall be mercy upon them (כַּד יְתוּבוּן לְאַרְעָהוֹן בְּרָיָא, וִיהֶוְיָין רְחִימוּ בְּהוֹן), (Zechariah 14) “Hashem shall be One and His Name One” (יִהְיֶה יי אֶחָד וּשְׁמוֹ אֶחָד); the converts shall join Yisrael, and they shall be to them like sinews in their flesh (יִתְלַוּוּן גִּיּוֹרִין עִם יִשְׂרָאֵל, וִיהֶוְוִין לְהוֹן כְּעוּמְקָא בִּבְשָׂרֵיהוֹן). And why all this? Come and hear (וְכָל כָּךְ לָמָּה. תָּא שְׁמַע), Rabbi Shimon said (אָמַר רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן): for the borders of the land (עַל תְּחוּמִין דְּאַרְעָא), that everyone will desire to dwell in the land of Yisrael (דְּכָל חַד יְהֵא רַעֲוָא לְמֵידַּר בְּאַרְעָא דְּיִשְׂרָאֵל), and there will be crowding of dwellers (וְתִסְתָּעַר דִּיּוּרִין).

It is written (כְּתִיב): “And strengthen your pegs” (וִיתֵדוֹתַיִךְ חֲזֵקִי) (Isaiah 54). It means (צָבֵי לְמֵימַר): the supports that were with you from the beginning (סִיכְיָא דְּהַוְיָין עִמָּךְ מֵעִקָּרָא) strengthen them (אַתְקִיף יַתְהוֹן), and support them more than other nations (וְסַיַּיע יַתְהוֹן יַתִּיר מִשְׁאָר עַמָּמִין). As if to say (כִּבְיָכוֹל), that you are destined to be strengthened more than all other nations (דְּאַתְּ סָכֵי לְאִתְתַּקְּפָא יַתְהוֹן בְּכָל עַמְּמַיָא אָחֳרָא), and they shall be many (וִיהוֹן סַגִּיאִין). “And Yosef said to his father: These are my sons whom God has given me here” (וַיֹּאמֶר יוֹסֵף אֶל אָבִיו: בָּנַי הֵם אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לִי אֱלֹהִים בָּזֶה) (Bereshit 48).

Rabbi Shimon taught from here (רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן תָּאנִי מֵהָכָא): “And this is the Torah which Moshe set before the children of Yisrael” (וְזֹאת הַתּוֹרָה אֲשֶׁר שָׂם מֹשֶׁה לִפְנֵי בְּנֵי יִשְׂרָאֵל) (Deuteronomy 4). Yisrael below will say (יוֹמַר יִשְׂרָאֵל לְתַתָּא): when Yisrael is exalted above (כַּד יִשְׂרָאֵל עֲלֵיהוֹן לְעֵילָא): “They are my sons” (בָּנַי אִינוּן), for Kudsha Berikh Hu gave me the Orayta (דְּיָהַב לִי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אוֹרַיְתָא). How precious are they and their customs (כַּמָּה יַתְהוֹן וְנִימוּסֵיהוֹן קְשִׁיטִין), in the customs of the Orayta (בְּנִימוּסֵי אוֹרַיְתָא) that was given to them (דַּאֲתְיָהֵיב לְהוֹן).

Come and see (תָּא חֲזֵי): When Yisrael are under the wings of the Shekhinta, their Orayta is called “this” (Zot) (כַּד יְהוֹן יִשְׂרָאֵל תַּחוֹת גַּדְפֵי שְׁכִינְתָּא, אוֹרַיְּיתָא דִּלְהוֹן אִתְקְרִיאַת זֹאת). This is what is written (Exodus 15) “This is my God and I will glorify Him” (זֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ). And at all times when David did not speak under the wings of the Shekhinta, he only prophesied what was to be, and it is called Zot (וּבְכָל עִדָּן דְּלָא הֲוָה דָּוִד מְמַלֵּל תַּחוֹת גַּדְפֵי שְׁכִינְתָּא דָּא מִלָּתָא, אֶלָּא אִתְנַבֵּי מַה דְּלֶהֱוֵי, אִתְקָרֵינָא זֹאת).

Rav Naḥman said from here (רַב נַחְמָן אָמַר מֵהָכָא): (Psalms 27) “If a camp encamps against me, my heart shall not fear… in this I trust” (אִם תַּחֲנֶה עָלַי מַחֲנֶה לֹא יִירָא לִבִּי… בְּזֹאת אֲנִי בּוֹטֵחַ) Zot (This) is the Orayta (זֹאת דָּא אוֹרַיְּיתָא). Let Mashiach come (תְּהֵא לֵיתֵי מְשִׁיחָא), and because of this: (Song of Songs 2) “The voice of the turtledove is heard in our land” (וְקוֹל הַתּוֹר נִשְׁמַע בְּאַרְצֵנוּ). Why is the Orayta likened to a dove? (עַל מָה אִתְמַתְלַת אוֹרַיְּיתָא לְגוֹזָלָא) Because the voice of a dove is sweet (מַה גּוֹזָלָא קָלֵיהּ עָרֵב), so too the utterances of the Orayta, its voice is sweet (אַף פִּתְגָּמֵי אוֹרַיְּיתָא קָלֵיהּ עָרֵב), and this voice will be when Mashiach comes, for the Day of Judgment (וְדָא קָלָא יְהֵא לֵיתֵי מְשִׁיחָא לְיוֹמָא דְּדִינָא).

It was taught, “The blossoms appeared in the land” (תָּנָא, הַנִּצָּנִים נִרְאוּ בָאָרֶץ), “the time of the song has arrived” (עֵת הַזָּמִיר הִגִּיעַ), “and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land” (וְקוֹל הַתּוֹר נִשְׁמַע בְּאַרְצֵנוּ). “The blossoms” - these are the Patriarchs of the Merkava (הַנִּצָּנִים, דָּא אֲבָהָתָן דְּמֶרְכָּבָה), who shall rise from the world and be revealed (דְּמִן עַלְמָא יְקוּמוּן וְיִתְחֲזוּ). “The time of the song has arrived” - this is the praise that the Levites shall praise (עֵת הַזָּמִיר הִגִּיעַ, תּוּשְׁבַּחְתָּא דִּישַׁבְּחוּן לֵיוָאֵי), when they return to their service as at first (כַּד יְתוּבוּן לְפוּלְחָנֵיהוֹן כִּדְבְּקַדְמִיתָא). “And the voice of the turtledove” - that which Elohim has given me in this (וְקוֹל הַתּוֹר, אֲשֶׁר נָתַן לִי אֱלֹהִים בָּזֶה), the sayings of the Orayta (פִּתְגָמֵי דְּאוֹרַיְיתָא), which are sweet like the voice of the turtledove (דְּאִינוּן עֲרֵבִין כְּקָלָא דְּתוֹרָא), This: Zeh, Zot, Tor are equal (דָּא זֶ''ה זֹא''ת תּוֹר שָׁוִין). What is it illuminating? (מַאי קָא מַיְירֵי).

And the secret of the matter is this: At a time when they are not under the wings of the Shekhinta (וְרָזָא דְמִלְּתָא, בְּעִדָּנָא דְּלָא תֶהֶוְיָין תְּחוֹת גַּדְפֵי שְׁכִינְתָּא), the Alef of “this” descends (א' דִּלְזֹאת נָחִית), and it is below all (וְהוּא מִתְּחוֹת לְכֹלָּא), and the ascent is of the Hei, as in “this is my God and I will glorify Him” (וּסְלִיקַת ה', דְּזֶה אֵלִי וְאַנְוֵהוּ), from when the House was destroyed (מִדְּחָרַב בֵּיתָא), the Hei could not dwell and be among idol-worshipping and star-gazing nations (דְּה''א, לָא יָכְלָא לָדוּר וּלְמֶהֱוֵי בֵּין עַמָּמִין עוֹבְדֵי כּוֹכָבִים וּמַזָּלוֹת), for the holy Hei is cut off from the Name (דְּה''א קַדִּישָׁא חֲתוּכָא מִן שְׁמָא).

The Hei is Alef (ה''א אֶלֶף), the Hei is greater in holiness (ה''א עֲדִיפַת בִּקְדוּשָּׁה), and the Alef is greater in letters (א' עֲדִיפַת לְאַתְוָון). When Yisrael return to their land (כַּד יְתוּבוּן יִשְׂרָאֵל לְאַרְעֲהוֹן), the holy Hei, which is cut off from the Name of Kudsha Berikh Hu (ה''א קַדִּישָׁא דְּהוּא חֲתוּכָא מִן שְׁמָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא), shall return in this and go out (תֵּיתוּב בָּזֶה וְיִפּוּק), from the Day of Judgment, and the Alef shall receive (מיומא דדינא, והא' תקבל), from the count of Tikkun (מִנְיָינָא תַּקַנְתָּא).