Mei HaShiloach · Volume I, Five Scrolls, Ruth, Chapter 2
1
עיניך בשדה אשר יקצרון. עיניך בשדה היינו שתוכל להתפשט, אשר יקצרון שבטח תגמור לטוב. והנה יש זריעה וקצירה, זריעה היינו ההתחלה שהאדם מקבל עליו עול מלכות שמים, אז צריך לצמצם את עצמו מבלי לתור אחר שום דבר שיחמוד, כמ"ש (במדבר ט"ו,ל"ט) ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם, וע"ז נאמר (תהלים קכ"ו,ה') הזורעים בדמעה, ודמעה היינו לשון צמצום כמו דאיתא בגמ' מדכתיב ודמעך למדו מזה שחטה אחת פוטרת את הכרי. וכל זה הוא בזמן הזריעה, אבל בזמן הקצירה היינו שלבו של אדם מזוכך ואינו חומד רק לדבר שהוא רצון ה' זה מותר להתפשט ברצונו, וע"ז נאמר עיניך בשדה אשר יקצורון, היינו בזמן קצירה מותר להתפשט אחרי עיניו, כי שדה רומז על התפשטות הרצונות, ולכן נאמר בעשו (בראשית כ"ה,כ"ז) איש שדה שהלך אחר לבו בכל חפצו. אבל בעוד שאין לב האדם מזוכך אסור להתפשט, ובעת שלב האדם מזוכך נקרא שדה אשר ברכו ה'.
“Let your eyes be on the field where they are reaping ….” (Ruth, 2:9) “Let your eyes be on the field” means the ability to expand outward. “Where they are reaping” means that surely it will be completed for the good. There is sowing, and there is reaping. “Sowing” is when one first accepts upon himself the yoke of the sovereignty of heaven. At that time he must constrict himself against running after the object of his lust. This is as it is said (in the third section of the Shema, concerning tsitsit, Bamidbar, 15:36), “so you will not seek out after your eyes and after your hearts.” On this it is said in the Tehilim (126:5), “those who sow in tears [will reap in joy].” “Tears” signifies constriction. This is understood in the laws of truma (tithes). The Gemara comments on the verse (Shemot, 22:28), “do not delay in giving the produce of your winepresses (Dima’acha the same as the word for tears, which Rashi says refers to required tithes).” There it says that even one grain of wheat that must be tithed is mixed into a measure of wheat that is exempt, then the whole measure must be tithed.1Hence the word for tear, Dima’a, signifies constriction and limitation. This all concerns the time of sowing. However, in the time of reaping, when man’s heart is sufficiently refined, and he only desires that which is God’s will, then he is permitted to extend as befits his will. On this it says, “let your eyes be on the field where they reap,” meaning that in the time of reaping it is permitted to seek out after your eyes.2Or, where your desires lead you. “Field” signifies expansion into one’s desires. This is why Eisav was described as (Bereshit, 25:27) “a man of the field,” for he went after his heart with all of his desires. However, before one has purified his heart, it is forbidden to expand outward. Then at the time when his heart is refined, it is called “the scent of a field that God has blessed.”3Which Yitzchak said of Yaakov when he blessed him. *In this sense, “field” refers to the ‘energy field’ emanating form the heart – which extends much further than even the energy field of the brain. [Hagahot Peretz]
2
ישלם ה' פעלך ותהי משכרתך שלמה. במדרש רות [רבה פרשה ה',ד'] איתא א"ר חסא, אשר באת לחסות תחת כנפיו. היינו כי ותהי משכורתך שלימה משמע כל הפעולה תהיה נקרא על שמך הן המחשבה הן הפעולה, ובאמת המחשבה ביד השי"ת וע"ז א"ר חסא אשר באת לחסות תחת כנפיו היינו החוסה בה' ותולה כל פעולותיו בהש"י, אזי הש"י נותן לו מדה במדה שתולה אף המחשבה על פעולות האדם. ולזה נקרא ר' חסא כי כל תנא נקרא על שם המאמר, וחסא הוא לשון חוסה בצל כנפיו. וזהו מאמר המדרש (שיר השירים רבה פרשה ג',כ"א) מה בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו וכו' לא זז מחבבה עד שקראה אמי, היינו אחר שאמר דוד המלך ע"ה (דברי הימים א' כ"ט,י"ד) ומידך נתנו לך, היינו שתלה כל המעשה בהש"י, לזאת לא זז מחבבה עד שקראה אמי, אמי היינו המחשבה, והוא כי אף המחשבה נקראת על שמך, וע"ז נאמר במדרש (במדבר רבה פרשה י"ב,כ"ג) אצל הנשיאים קח מאתם היינו כי משה רבינו ע"ה חלש דעתו בראותו מעשה הנשיאים והש"י אמר לו ליקח מאתם כי זאת הוא מעשה ידם, והיינו כי נתנאל בן צוער השיאן עצה הלזו והוא ידע אשר ה' יתן חכמה מפיו וכו' (משלי ב',ו'), לזאת קרא הדבר על שמם כמו שנתבאר במקומו בפ' נשא [ד"ה ויביאו].
“God shall pay you for your work, and your reward shall be complete ….” (Ruth, 2:12) In the Midrash on Ruth it is written (Ruth Rabba, 5:4), “Rav Chasa said, [the reward is given] because you will take shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence.” “Your reward shall be complete” means that every action will be called in your name, whether in thought or in deed. Yet truly, the realm of thought is in the hands of God. Therefore Rav Chasa said, “because you came to take shelter under His wings,” namely, that of your own initiative you came to take refuge with God and to ascribe all your actions to God. Therefore God responds in kind, by calling even thoughts4Which should be the province of God. the actions of man. This is the meaning of the name of Rav Chasa, for there is a principle that the sages of the Talmud are called in the name of their teaching. Chasa, is directly related to “Chusa—taking refuge,” as in “taking refuge in the shadow of His wings.” This is as it is written in the Midrash (Shir HaShirim Rabba, 23:25), “what is ‘with the crown with which His mother crowned Him.’ (Shir HaShirim 3)? This is likened to a king who loved his daughter so much, that he was not satisfied with calling her ‘daughter’ or ‘sister,’ and could only thoroughly express his love for her when he called her ‘his mother.’ [For there are various verses where God likens Israel to a daughter or a sister, and here in the present verse He calls Israel ‘His mother.’]”*When a man is worthy, and God considers his thoughts, which are really God’s realm, to be in the hands of man, then that person is, as it were, taking care of God like a mother takes care of her child. [Hagahot Peretz] Since David haMelech had said (Divrei haYamim 1, 29:14), “all things have come from You, from Your own hand have we given to You,” meaning that he ascribed all the actions of man to God, for this precisely, “He [God] could thoroughly express his love for her until He called her ‘His mother.’ ” “Mother” means thought (as the mother gives birth to the child, so does thought give birth to action). Thus even the realm of thought will then be called in your name. This is as it is written in the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba, 12:18), “it was told to Moshe concerning the sacrifices which they brought at the inauguration of the Tabernacle, “take from them.”5The princes knew what to offer, each a bull, and every two a wagon, which had not even been told to Moshe. Thus Moshe feared that the Shechina had departed from them and rested on the princes. Thus God reassured Moshe, saying, “take from them.” See the Mei HaShiloach, last selection in Parshat Nasso, for more on this. Moshe Rabeynu was discouraged when he saw what the princes had done (of their own accord). Then God told him that regardless, he was to take what the princes had brought, for this was the work of their hands. Thus the prince Netanel ben Tsoar had raised (presented) this advice, for he knew that, “God had placed wisdom in his mouth” (Mishlei, 2:6). For this, the matter was called in their name, as explained in its place in Parshat Nasso (last selection).
עיניך בשדה אשר יקצרון. עיניך בשדה היינו שתוכל להתפשט, אשר יקצרון שבטח תגמור לטוב. והנה יש זריעה וקצירה, זריעה היינו ההתחלה שהאדם מקבל עליו עול מלכות שמים, אז צריך לצמצם את עצמו מבלי לתור אחר שום דבר שיחמוד, כמ"ש (במדבר ט"ו,ל"ט) ולא תתורו אחרי לבבכם ואחרי עיניכם, וע"ז נאמר (תהלים קכ"ו,ה') הזורעים בדמעה, ודמעה היינו לשון צמצום כמו דאיתא בגמ' מדכתיב ודמעך למדו מזה שחטה אחת פוטרת את הכרי. וכל זה הוא בזמן הזריעה, אבל בזמן הקצירה היינו שלבו של אדם מזוכך ואינו חומד רק לדבר שהוא רצון ה' זה מותר להתפשט ברצונו, וע"ז נאמר עיניך בשדה אשר יקצורון, היינו בזמן קצירה מותר להתפשט אחרי עיניו, כי שדה רומז על התפשטות הרצונות, ולכן נאמר בעשו (בראשית כ"ה,כ"ז) איש שדה שהלך אחר לבו בכל חפצו. אבל בעוד שאין לב האדם מזוכך אסור להתפשט, ובעת שלב האדם מזוכך נקרא שדה אשר ברכו ה'.
“Let your eyes be on the field where they are reaping ….” (Ruth, 2:9)
“Let your eyes be on the field” means the ability to expand outward. “Where they are reaping” means that surely it will be completed for the good. There is sowing, and there is reaping. “Sowing” is when one first accepts upon himself the yoke of the sovereignty of heaven. At that time he must constrict himself against running after the object of his lust. This is as it is said (in the third section of the Shema, concerning tsitsit, Bamidbar, 15:36), “so you will not seek out after your eyes and after your hearts.” On this it is said in the Tehilim (126:5), “those who sow in tears [will reap in joy].” “Tears” signifies constriction. This is understood in the laws of truma (tithes). The Gemara comments on the verse (Shemot, 22:28), “do not delay in giving the produce of your winepresses (Dima’acha the same as the word for tears, which Rashi says refers to required tithes).” There it says that even one grain of wheat that must be tithed is mixed into a measure of wheat that is exempt, then the whole measure must be tithed.1Hence the word for tear, Dima’a, signifies constriction and limitation.
This all concerns the time of sowing. However, in the time of reaping, when man’s heart is sufficiently refined, and he only desires that which is God’s will, then he is permitted to extend as befits his will. On this it says, “let your eyes be on the field where they reap,” meaning that in the time of reaping it is permitted to seek out after your eyes.2Or, where your desires lead you. “Field” signifies expansion into one’s desires. This is why Eisav was described as (Bereshit, 25:27) “a man of the field,” for he went after his heart with all of his desires. However, before one has purified his heart, it is forbidden to expand outward. Then at the time when his heart is refined, it is called “the scent of a field that God has blessed.”3Which Yitzchak said of Yaakov when he blessed him.
*In this sense, “field” refers to the ‘energy field’ emanating form the heart – which extends much further than even the energy field of the brain. [Hagahot Peretz]
ישלם ה' פעלך ותהי משכרתך שלמה. במדרש רות [רבה פרשה ה',ד'] איתא א"ר חסא, אשר באת לחסות תחת כנפיו. היינו כי ותהי משכורתך שלימה משמע כל הפעולה תהיה נקרא על שמך הן המחשבה הן הפעולה, ובאמת המחשבה ביד השי"ת וע"ז א"ר חסא אשר באת לחסות תחת כנפיו היינו החוסה בה' ותולה כל פעולותיו בהש"י, אזי הש"י נותן לו מדה במדה שתולה אף המחשבה על פעולות האדם. ולזה נקרא ר' חסא כי כל תנא נקרא על שם המאמר, וחסא הוא לשון חוסה בצל כנפיו. וזהו מאמר המדרש (שיר השירים רבה פרשה ג',כ"א) מה בעטרה שעטרה לו אמו וכו' לא זז מחבבה עד שקראה אמי, היינו אחר שאמר דוד המלך ע"ה (דברי הימים א' כ"ט,י"ד) ומידך נתנו לך, היינו שתלה כל המעשה בהש"י, לזאת לא זז מחבבה עד שקראה אמי, אמי היינו המחשבה, והוא כי אף המחשבה נקראת על שמך, וע"ז נאמר במדרש (במדבר רבה פרשה י"ב,כ"ג) אצל הנשיאים קח מאתם היינו כי משה רבינו ע"ה חלש דעתו בראותו מעשה הנשיאים והש"י אמר לו ליקח מאתם כי זאת הוא מעשה ידם, והיינו כי נתנאל בן צוער השיאן עצה הלזו והוא ידע אשר ה' יתן חכמה מפיו וכו' (משלי ב',ו'), לזאת קרא הדבר על שמם כמו שנתבאר במקומו בפ' נשא [ד"ה ויביאו].
“God shall pay you for your work, and your reward shall be complete ….” (Ruth, 2:12)
In the Midrash on Ruth it is written (Ruth Rabba, 5:4), “Rav Chasa said, [the reward is given] because you will take shelter under the wings of the Divine Presence.” “Your reward shall be complete” means that every action will be called in your name, whether in thought or in deed. Yet truly, the realm of thought is in the hands of God. Therefore Rav Chasa said, “because you came to take shelter under His wings,” namely, that of your own initiative you came to take refuge with God and to ascribe all your actions to God. Therefore God responds in kind, by calling even thoughts4Which should be the province of God. the actions of man. This is the meaning of the name of Rav Chasa, for there is a principle that the sages of the Talmud are called in the name of their teaching. Chasa, is directly related to “Chusa—taking refuge,” as in “taking refuge in the shadow of His wings.” This is as it is written in the Midrash (Shir HaShirim Rabba, 23:25), “what is ‘with the crown with which His mother crowned Him.’ (Shir HaShirim 3)? This is likened to a king who loved his daughter so much, that he was not satisfied with calling her ‘daughter’ or ‘sister,’ and could only thoroughly express his love for her when he called her ‘his mother.’ [For there are various verses where God likens Israel to a daughter or a sister, and here in the present verse He calls Israel ‘His mother.’]”*When a man is worthy, and God considers his thoughts, which are really God’s realm, to be in the hands of man, then that person is, as it were, taking care of God like a mother takes care of her child. [Hagahot Peretz]
Since David haMelech had said (Divrei haYamim 1, 29:14), “all things have come from You, from Your own hand have we given to You,” meaning that he ascribed all the actions of man to God, for this precisely, “He [God] could thoroughly express his love for her until He called her ‘His mother.’ ” “Mother” means thought (as the mother gives birth to the child, so does thought give birth to action). Thus even the realm of thought will then be called in your name. This is as it is written in the Midrash (Bamidbar Rabba, 12:18), “it was told to Moshe concerning the sacrifices which they brought at the inauguration of the Tabernacle, “take from them.”5The princes knew what to offer, each a bull, and every two a wagon, which had not even been told to Moshe. Thus Moshe feared that the Shechina had departed from them and rested on the princes. Thus God reassured Moshe, saying, “take from them.” See the Mei HaShiloach, last selection in Parshat Nasso, for more on this. Moshe Rabeynu was discouraged when he saw what the princes had done (of their own accord). Then God told him that regardless, he was to take what the princes had brought, for this was the work of their hands. Thus the prince Netanel ben Tsoar had raised (presented) this advice, for he knew that, “God had placed wisdom in his mouth” (Mishlei, 2:6). For this, the matter was called in their name, as explained in its place in Parshat Nasso (last selection).