R. Eleazar was once travelling along a road on which R. Phineas ben Yair happened to be coming towards him. The ass on which R. Phineas was riding whinnied, and he said: ‘Verily, from the note of gladness in the ass’s voice, I see that I shall meet someone here.’ When he emerged from under the brow of the hill he saw R. Eleazar approaching, and said: ‘Assuredly, the omen of the ass’s voice has been fulfilled.’ R. Eleazar then came up to him and kissed him. He said to him: ‘If you have the same destination as I have, let us join company, and if not, go your way.’ He replied: ‘Indeed, I was going to look for you, and since I have found you I will follow you and we can keep company.’
R. Phineas then began a discourse on the verse: “The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem” etc. (Ps. 128, 5). ‘Why’, he said, “from Zion “? Because there blessings repose, as it is written, “For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” (Ps. 133, 3). And for the sake of Zion Jerusalem is blessed and visited with mercy, and when Jerusalem is blessed all the people are blessed.
The words “all the days of thy life” mean that the rainbow shall not be seen in thy days any more than in the days of thy father. “And see thy children to thy children”, god-fearing, saintly and holy. “Peace upon Israel1The appearance of the rainbow was supposed to indicate a lack of virtue in the generation. Cf. Zohar, Gen. 225a.“: as who should say. “Peace upon the head of the king that he may lack nothing.” So there is peace upon Israel when righteous men are in the world.’
R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: “Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children are their fathers” (Prov. 17, 6). ‘The word “children”’, he said, ‘has its well-known esoteric meaning. “Children’s children” are the other crowns of the King, and of them it says that -“the glory of children are their fathers”, because the sons are only crowned through the fathers. From this we leam that the sons are only crowned and revived by the running Stream when the Fathers are crowned and blessed.’
רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר הֲוָה אָזִיל בְּאוֹרְחָא, אַשְׁכָּחֵיהּ לְרִבִּי פִּנְחָס בֶּן יָאִיר דְּהֲוָה אָתֵי, גָּעָא חֲמָרֵיהּ. אָמַר רִבִּי פִּנְחָס, וַדַּאי בְּטַקוּלָא (נ"א בקלא) דְּחֶדְוְותָא דַּחֲמָרָא, חֲמֵינָא (חמית) אַנְפִּין חַדְתִּין יִשְׁתַּכְּחוּן הָכָא, כֵּיוָן דְּנָפַק מִבָּתַר עַנְפּוֹי דְּטוּרָא, חָמָא לֵיהּ לְרִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר דְּהֲוָה אָתֵי, אָמַר וַדַּאי טַקוּלָא (נ"א קלא) דְּחֶדְוְותָא אִשְׁתְּלִים. נָחַת רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר לְגַבֵּיהּ, וְנָשִׁיק לֵיהּ, אָמַר לֵיהּ אִי טוּפְסָא דְּאָרְחָא, חַד לְגַבָּךְ, נֵזִיל וְנִתְחַבֵּר כַּחֲדָא. וְאִי לָאו טוֹל אָרְחָךְ וְזִיל. אָמַר לֵיהּ, וַדַּאי לָקֳבְלָךְ אֲזִילְנָא, כֵּיוָן דְּאַשְׁכַּחְנָא לָךְ, אֵיזִיל אֲבַתְרָךְ וְנִתְחַבָּר כַּחֲדָא.
R. Eleazar was once travelling along a road on which R. Phineas ben Yair happened to be coming towards him. The ass on which R. Phineas was riding whinnied, and he said: ‘Verily, from the note of gladness in the ass’s voice, I see that I shall meet someone here.’ When he emerged from under the brow of the hill he saw R. Eleazar approaching, and said: ‘Assuredly, the omen of the ass’s voice has been fulfilled.’ R. Eleazar then came up to him and kissed him. He said to him: ‘If you have the same destination as I have, let us join company, and if not, go your way.’ He replied: ‘Indeed, I was going to look for you, and since I have found you I will follow you and we can keep company.’
פָּתַח רִבִּי פִּנְחָס וְאָמַר, (תהילים קכ״ח:ה׳) יְבָרֶכְךָ יְיָ' מִצִּיּוֹן וּרְאֵה בְּטוּב וְגוֹ'. יְבָרֶכְךָ יְיָ' מִצִיּוֹן, מַאי טַעְמָא מִצִּיּוֹן. בְּגִין דְּהָא מִתַמָּן שָׁרָאן בִּרְכָאן לְאִשְׁתַּתְּפָא (ס"א לאשתכחא). הֲדָא הוּא דִכְתִיב כִּי שָׁם צִוָּה יְיָ' אֶת הַבְּרָכָה חַיִּים עַד הָעוֹלָם. וּבְגִין כָּךְ יְבָרֶכְךָ יְיָ' מִצִיּוֹן דְּהָא מִתַּמָּן נַפְקֵי בִּרְכָאן לְכֹלָּא. וּרְאֵה בְּטוּב יְרוּשָׁלַם, דִּבְגִינֵי צִיּוֹן יְרוּשָׁלַם אִתְבָּרְכָא, דְּכֵיוָן דְּצִיּוֹן אִתְמְלֵי בִּרְכָאן, כְּדֵין יְרוּשָׁלַם אִתְבָּרְכָא, וְאִשְׁתְּכָחוּ בָּהּ רַחֲמִים. וְכַד יְרוּשָׁלַם אִתְבָּרְכָא, כָּל עַמָּא אִתְבָּרְכָא.
R. Phineas then began a discourse on the verse: “The Lord shall bless thee out of Zion, and thou shalt see the good of Jerusalem” etc. (Ps. 128, 5). ‘Why’, he said, “from Zion “? Because there blessings repose, as it is written, “For there the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore” (Ps. 133, 3). And for the sake of Zion Jerusalem is blessed and visited with mercy, and when Jerusalem is blessed all the people are blessed.
כָּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ, דְּלָא יִתְחֲזֵי קֶשֶׁת בְּיוֹמָךְ, כְּמָה לְאָבוּךְ. וְעַל דָּא וּרְאֵה בְּטוּב יְרוּשָׁלַם כֹּל יְמֵי חַיֶּיךָ. וּרְאֵה בָנִים לְבָנֶיךָ, דַּחֲלֵי חַטָּאָה, חֲסִידִין, קַדִּישִׁין, כְּדֵין שָׁלוֹם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל. מַאי שָׁלוֹם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל. אֶלָּא, כְּמַאן דְּאָמַר שְׁלָמָא עַל רֵישֵׁיהּ דְּמַלְכָּא, דְּלָא יֶחְסַר כֹּלָּא. כַּךְ שָׁלוֹם עַל יִשְׂרָאֵל, בְּזִמְנָא דְּצַדִּיקַיָּיא יִשְׁתַּכְּחוּן בְּעָלְמָא.
The words “all the days of thy life” mean that the rainbow shall not be seen in thy days any more than in the days of thy father. “And see thy children to thy children”, god-fearing, saintly and holy. “Peace upon Israel1The appearance of the rainbow was supposed to indicate a lack of virtue in the generation. Cf. Zohar, Gen. 225a.“: as who should say. “Peace upon the head of the king that he may lack nothing.” So there is peace upon Israel when righteous men are in the world.’
פָּתַח רִבִּי אֶלְעָזָר וְאָמַר, (משלי י״ז:ו׳) עֲטֶרֶת זְקֵנִים בְּנֵי בָנִים וְתִפְאֶרֶת בָּנִים אֲבוֹתָם. בָּנִים הָא אוֹקִימְנָא. בְּנֵי בָנִים, אִלֵּין (ל"ה ע"א) שְׁאָר כִּתְרֵי מַלְכָּא, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר (ישעיהו נ״ד:י״ג) וְכָל בָּנַיִךְ לִמּוּדֵי יְיָ'. וּכְתִיב (איכה ד׳:ב׳) בְּנֵי צִיּוֹן הַיְקָרִים, כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר וְתִפְאֶרֶת בָּנִים אֲבוֹתָם, לָא מִתְעַטְּרָן בְּנִין אֶלָּא בַּאֲבָהָן. מִכָּאן אוֹלִיפְנָא, דִּבְנִין לָא מִתְעַטְּרֵי, וְלָא מִשְׁתַּקְיָין מִשַּׁקְיוּ דְּנַחֲלָא, אֶלָּא בְּזִמְנָא דַּאֲבָהָן מִתְעַטְּרָאן וּמִתְבָּרְכָאן, הֲדָא הוּא דִּכְתִּיב וְתִפְאֶרֶת בָּנִים אֲבוֹתָם.
R. Eleazar discoursed on the verse: “Children’s children are the crown of old men, and the glory of children are their fathers” (Prov. 17, 6). ‘The word “children”’, he said, ‘has its well-known esoteric meaning. “Children’s children” are the other crowns of the King, and of them it says that -“the glory of children are their fathers”, because the sons are only crowned through the fathers. From this we leam that the sons are only crowned and revived by the running Stream when the Fathers are crowned and blessed.’