The same R. Phineas then quoted the verse: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”, etc. (Ps. 27, 1). ‘When a man’, he said, ‘turns his eyes to the heavenly light, he will be illumined by the light that God will cause to shine upon him, and he will fear no one, either in the upper worlds or the lower. So Scripture says: “But upon thee the Lord will arise, and his glory shall be upon thee” (Isa. 60, 2); “The Lord is the stronghold of my life” (Ps. 27, 1), for when the Almighty takes hold on a man he will have no fear in the other world of any of the executors of judgement. So I,’ said R. Phineas, ‘having taken hold of thee and of thy father, have no fear of anything in this world or in the other world.
It is concerning such a one as thou that it is written: “Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her that bore thee rejoice” (Prov. 23, 25). “Thy father” is the Holy One, blessed be He, and “thy mother” is an allusion to the Community of Israel, while “her that bore thee” refers to thy mother here below. As for thy father, R. Simeon, where is his joy referred to? In a separate verse, saying: “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him” (Ibid. 24), where by “the father of the righteous” is meant the Holy One, blessed be He, and “the begetter of a wise child” refers to thy father here below.’
פָּתַח וְאָמַר, (תהילים כ״ז:א׳) יְיָ אוֹרִי וְיִשְׁעִי מִמִּי אִירָא וְגוֹ'. יְיָ אוֹרִי וְיִשְׁעִי, כֵּיוָן דְּבַר נָשׁ אִסְתָּכַּל (נ"א אתאחד) בִּנְהוֹרָא דִּלְעֵילָּא, וְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אַנְהִיר עָלֵיהּ, לָא דָּחִיל מֵעִלָאִין וְתַתָּאִין. כְּמָה דְאַתְּ אָמֵר, (ישעיהו ס׳:ב׳) וְעָלַיִךְ יִזְרַח יְיָ וּכְבוֹדוֹ עָלַיִךְ יֵרָאֶה. יְיָ מָעוֹז חַיַי, כֵּיוָן דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא אָחִיד בֵּיהּ בְּבַר נָשׁ, לָא מִסְתָּפֵי בְּהַהוּא עָלְמָא מִכָּל מָארֵיהוֹן דְּדִינִין. אוּף אֲנָא כְּהַאי גַּוְונָא, כֵּיוָן דְּאַחִידְנָא בְּאָבוּךְ וּבָךְ לָא אֶסְתַּפֵינָא בְּהַאי עָלְמָא וּבְעָלְמָא אַחֲרָא.
The same R. Phineas then quoted the verse: “The Lord is my light and my salvation, whom shall I fear?”, etc. (Ps. 27, 1). ‘When a man’, he said, ‘turns his eyes to the heavenly light, he will be illumined by the light that God will cause to shine upon him, and he will fear no one, either in the upper worlds or the lower. So Scripture says: “But upon thee the Lord will arise, and his glory shall be upon thee” (Isa. 60, 2); “The Lord is the stronghold of my life” (Ps. 27, 1), for when the Almighty takes hold on a man he will have no fear in the other world of any of the executors of judgement. So I,’ said R. Phineas, ‘having taken hold of thee and of thy father, have no fear of anything in this world or in the other world.
וְעָלָךְ כְּתִיב, (משלי כ״ג:כ״ה) יִשְׂמַח אָבִיךָ וְגוֹ'. כֵּיוָן דִּכְתִּיב יִשְׂמַח אָבִיךָ וְאִמֶּךָ, מַאי וְתָגֵל יוֹלַדְתֶּךָ, דְּהָא בְּאִמֶּךָ סַגְיָא. אֶלָּא יִשְׂמַח אָבִיךָ: דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְאִמֶּךָ: דָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל. וְתָגֵל יוֹלַדְתֶּךָ: יוֹלַדְתֶּךָ דִּלְתַּתָּא. רִבִּי שִׁמְעוֹן אָבוּךְ אָן חֶדְוָותָא דִּילֵיהּ. אֶלָּא קְרָא הוּא בִּלְחוֹדוֹי דִּכְתִּיב, (משלי כ״ג:כ״ד) גִּיל יָגִיל אֲבִי צַדִּיק: דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא. וְיוֹלֵד חָכָם יִשְׂמַח בּוֹ: דָּא אָבִיךָ דִּלְתַּתָּא. דָּבָר אַחֵר, גִּיל יָגִיל אֲבִי צַדִּיק: דָּא אָבִיךָ דִּלְתַּתָּא. וְיוֹלֵד חָכָם יִשְׂמַח בּוֹ, כְּתִיב בְּתוֹסֶפֶת וָא"ו, דָּא קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא הוּא לְעֵילָּא.
It is concerning such a one as thou that it is written: “Let thy father and thy mother be glad, and let her that bore thee rejoice” (Prov. 23, 25). “Thy father” is the Holy One, blessed be He, and “thy mother” is an allusion to the Community of Israel, while “her that bore thee” refers to thy mother here below. As for thy father, R. Simeon, where is his joy referred to? In a separate verse, saying: “The father of the righteous will greatly rejoice, and he that begetteth a wise child will have joy of him” (Ibid. 24), where by “the father of the righteous” is meant the Holy One, blessed be He, and “the begetter of a wise child” refers to thy father here below.’