R. Jose then began to discourse on the verse: Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine in the innermost parts of thy house; thy children like olive plants, round about thy table (Ps. 128, 3). ‘So long’, he said, ‘as a woman abides in the innermost parts of the house, she remains chaste and is fit to bear worthy children. She is like a vine, for just as a vine is never grafted with another kind but only with its own, so the worthy woman does not bear offspring from a strange man but only from her husband.’
Her reward is to have “children like olive plants, round about thy table”. Just as the leaves of olive trees do not fall off but remain firmly attached to the twigs all the year round, so shall “thy children be like olive plants, round about thy table.”
The text proceeds: “Behold, surely thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord” (Ibid. 4). The term “surely” seems to be superfluous. It indicates, however, a further lesson, viz. that so long as the Shekinah stayed modestly in her own place, if one may be permitted the expression, then it could be said of her, “thy children like olive plants, round about thy table”, referring to Israel during the time that they dwelt in the Land of Israel; “round about thy table” they were, eating and drinking and bringing offerings and feasting before the Holy One, blessed be He: both all those on high and all those below were blessed through them.
But when the Shekinah departed, Israel were driven from the table of their father, and dispersed among the nations, and they continually cried out without anyone taking heed, excepting the Holy One, as it is written: “And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, etc.” (Lev. 26, 44). We have seen how many saintly and holy men have perished through tyrannical decrees, all as part of Israel’s punishment for not keeping the Law when they were in the Holy Land.
It is written, “Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things” (Deut. 28, 47). The words “because thou didst not serve with joyfulness” refer to the priests, who offered sacrifices and holocausts “with joyfulness”; “and with gladness of heart” alludes to the Levites; “by reason of the abundance of all things” is an allusion to the lay Israelites whose position was in the middle, and who received blessings from all sides.
Again it is written, “Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast made great their joy” (Is. 9, 2), in allusion to the priests; “they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest” (Ibid.) indicates the lay Israelites whom the Holy One blesses with a good harvest of the field, from all of which they give a tenth; “as men rejoice when they divide the spoil” (Ibid.) refers to the Levites, who take a tenth from the threshing floor.
According to another explanation: “Thou hast multiplied the nation” indicates Israel, who have faith in the Holy One; “Thou hast made great his joy” alludes to the first and supernal grade, to which Abraham attached himself, this being great and filled with joy;
“they joy before thee” at the time when they go up to attach themselves to Thee, “according to the joy in harvest”, an allusion to the community of Israel, to which properly belongs the joy in harvest; “as men rejoice when they divide the spoil”, a reference to the joy evinced by the rest of the lower powers and chariot-riders when they divide the spoil and fall upon their prey in the forefront of all.’
פָּתַח רַבִּי יוֹסֵי וְאָמַר. (תהלים קכז) אֶשְׁתְּךָ כְּגֶפֶן פֹּרִיָּה בְּיַרְכְּתֵי בֵיתֶךָ בָּנֶיךָ כִּשְׁתִילֵי זֵיתִים סָבִיב לְשֻׁלְחָנְךָ. אֶשְׁתְּךָ כְּגֶפֶן פֹּרִיָּה, כָּל זִמְנָא דְּאִתְּתָא בְּיַרְכְּתֵי בֵיתָא וְלָא נָפְקָא לְבַר, הִיא צְנוּעָה וְאִתְחֲזֵי לְאוֹלָדָא בְּנִין דְּכָשְׁרָן. כְּגֶפֶן, מַה גֶּפֶן לָא אִתְנַטְעָא אלָּא בְּזִינָהּ וְלָא בְּזִינָא אָחֳרָא. כָּךְ אִתְּתָא דְכָשְׁרָא לָא תֶעֱבַד נְטִיעָן בְּבַר נָשׁ אָחֳרָא. מַה גֶּפֶן לָא אִית בֵּיהּ רְכִיבָה מֵאִילָנָא אָחֳרָא, אוּף הָכִי אִתְּתָא דְּכָשְׁרָא הָכִי נָמֵי.
R. Jose then began to discourse on the verse: Thy wife shall be as a fruitful vine in the innermost parts of thy house; thy children like olive plants, round about thy table (Ps. 128, 3). ‘So long’, he said, ‘as a woman abides in the innermost parts of the house, she remains chaste and is fit to bear worthy children. She is like a vine, for just as a vine is never grafted with another kind but only with its own, so the worthy woman does not bear offspring from a strange man but only from her husband.’
חֲמֵי מָה אַגְרָהּ, בָּנֶיךָ כִּשְׁתִילֵי זֵיתִים. מַה זֵיתִים לָא נָפְלֵי טַרְפַּיְיהוּ כָּל יוֹמֵי שַׁתָּא וְכֻלְּהוּ קְשׁוּרִין (נ"א בסירי) תָּדִיר, אוּף הָכִי בָּנֶיךָ כִּשְׁתִילֵי זֵיתִים סָבִיב לְשֻׁלְחָנֶךָ.
Her reward is to have “children like olive plants, round about thy table”. Just as the leaves of olive trees do not fall off but remain firmly attached to the twigs all the year round, so shall “thy children be like olive plants, round about thy table.”
מַה כְּתִיב בַּתְרֵיהּ הִנֵּה כִי כֵן יְבֹרַךְ גָּבֶר יְרֵא יְיָ. מַאי הִנֵּה כִי כֵן יְבֹרַךְ גָּבֶר. הִנֵּה כֵן מִבָּעֵי לֵיהּ. אֶלָּא לְאַסְגָּאָה מִלָּה אָחֳרָא דְּאוֹלִיפְנָא דָּא מִינָּהּ, דְּכָל זִמְנָא דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא הֲוָה צְנִיעָא בְּאַתְרָהּ כְּדְקָא חָזֵי לָהּ כִּבְיָכוֹל בָּנֶיךָ כִּשְׁתִילֵי זֵיתִים אִלֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּד שָׁרָאן בְּאַרְעָא. סָבִיב לְשֻׁלְחָנְךָ. דְּאָכְלֵי וְשָׁתָאן וּקְרֵבִין קָרְבָּנִין וְחָדָאן קַמֵּי קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא, וּמִתְבָּרְכָן עִלָּאִין וְתַתָּאִין בְּגִינַיְיהוּ.
The text proceeds: “Behold, surely thus shall the man be blessed that feareth the Lord” (Ibid. 4). The term “surely” seems to be superfluous. It indicates, however, a further lesson, viz. that so long as the Shekinah stayed modestly in her own place, if one may be permitted the expression, then it could be said of her, “thy children like olive plants, round about thy table”, referring to Israel during the time that they dwelt in the Land of Israel; “round about thy table” they were, eating and drinking and bringing offerings and feasting before the Holy One, blessed be He: both all those on high and all those below were blessed through them.
לְבָתַר דִּשְׁכִינְתָּא נָפְקַת, אִתְגָּלוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל מֵעַל פְּתוֹרָא דְּאֲבוּהוֹן וְהֲווּ בֵּינֵי עַמָּמַיָא וְצָוְוחִין כָּל יוֹמָא וְלֵית דְּאַשְׁגַּח בְּהוּ בַּר קוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא דִּכְתִיב (ויקרא כ״ו:מ״ד) וְאַף גַּם זֹאת בִּהְיוֹתָם בְּאֶרֶץ אוֹיְבֵיהֶם וְגו'. וְחָמִינָן כַּמָּה קַדִּישִׁין עִלָּאִין מִיתוּ בִּגְזֵרִין תַּקִּיפִין, וְכָל דָּא בְּגִין עוֹנָשָׁא דְאוֹרַיְיתָא דְּלָא קִיְימוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל כַּד הֲווּ שָׁרָאן בְּאַרְעָא קַדִּישָׁא.
But when the Shekinah departed, Israel were driven from the table of their father, and dispersed among the nations, and they continually cried out without anyone taking heed, excepting the Holy One, as it is written: “And yet for all that, when they are in the land of their enemies, etc.” (Lev. 26, 44). We have seen how many saintly and holy men have perished through tyrannical decrees, all as part of Israel’s punishment for not keeping the Law when they were in the Holy Land.
חֲמֵי מַה כְּתִיב, (דברים כ״ח:מ״ז) תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר לא עָבַדְתָּ אֶת יְיָ אֱלהֶיךָ בְּשִׂמְחָה וּבְטוּב לֵבָב מֵרֹב כֹּל. הַאי קְרָא אִיהוּ רָזָא, תַּחַת אֲשֶׁר לא עָבַדְתָּ בְּשִׂמְחָה, בִּזְמַן דְּכֹהֲנֵי הֲווּ קְרֵבִין קָרְבָּנִין וַעֲלָוָון וְדָא הִיא בְּשִׂמְחָה. וּבְטוּב לֵבָב, אִלֵּין לֵיוָאֵי. מֵרוֹב כֹּל, אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּהֲווּ אֶמְצָעִיִּים בֵּינַיְיהוּ וְנָטְלֵי בִּרְכָאן מִכָּל סִטְרִין.
It is written, “Because thou didst not serve the Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, by reason of the abundance of all things” (Deut. 28, 47). The words “because thou didst not serve with joyfulness” refer to the priests, who offered sacrifices and holocausts “with joyfulness”; “and with gladness of heart” alludes to the Levites; “by reason of the abundance of all things” is an allusion to the lay Israelites whose position was in the middle, and who received blessings from all sides.
דִּכְתִיב, (ישעיהו ט׳:ב׳) הִרְבִּיתָ הַגּוֹי לוֹ הִגְדַּלְתָּ הַשִּׂמְחָה. אִלֵּין כַּהֲנֵי. שָׂמְחוּ לְפָנֶיךָ כְּשִׂמְחַת בַּקָּצִיר, אֵלּוּ יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא בָּרִיךְ לוֹן עִבּוּרָא דְחַקְלָא וְיַהֲבֵי מַעַשְׂרָא מִכֹּלָּא. כַּאֲשֶׁר יָגִילוּ בְּחַלְּקָם שָׁלָל. אִלֵּין לֵיוָאֵי דְּנָטְלָא מַעַשְׂרָא מִגּוֹ אִדְרָא.
Again it is written, “Thou hast multiplied the nation, thou hast made great their joy” (Is. 9, 2), in allusion to the priests; “they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest” (Ibid.) indicates the lay Israelites whom the Holy One blesses with a good harvest of the field, from all of which they give a tenth; “as men rejoice when they divide the spoil” (Ibid.) refers to the Levites, who take a tenth from the threshing floor.
דָּבָר אַחֵר הִרְבִּיתָ הַגּוֹי. אִלֵּין יִשְׂרָאֵל דִּמְהֵימְנוּתָא דְקוּדְשָׁא בְּרִיךְ הוּא עֲלַיְיהוּ כְּדְקָא חָזֵי. לוֹ הִגְדַלְתָּ הַשִּׂמְחָה, דָּא אִיהוּ דַרְגָּא רֵישָׁא עִלָּאָה דְּאַבְרָהָם דְּאִתְדָּבַּק בָּהּ, דְּאִיהוּ גָּדוֹל וְחֶדְוָה בֵּיהּ אִשְׁתַּכַּח.
According to another explanation: “Thou hast multiplied the nation” indicates Israel, who have faith in the Holy One; “Thou hast made great his joy” alludes to the first and supernal grade, to which Abraham attached himself, this being great and filled with joy;
שָׂמְחוּ לְפָנֶיךָ, בְּשַׁעֲתָא דְּסָלְקִין לְאִתְדַבְּקָא בָּךְ. כְּשִׂמְחַת בַּקָּצִיר, דָּא כְּנֶסֶת יִשְׂרָאֵל דְּשִׂמְחַת בַּקָּצִיר דִּילֵיהּ הֲוָה. כַּאֲשֶׁר יָגִילוּ בְּחַלְּקָם שָׁלָל. כַּאֲשֶׁר יָגִילוּ, אִלֵּין שְׁאָר חֵילִין וּרְתִיכִין לְתַתָּא בְּזִמְנָא דִּמְחַלְּקֵי שָׁלָל וְטַרְפֵי טַרְפָא בְּרֵאשִׁיתָא דְכֹלָּא.
“they joy before thee” at the time when they go up to attach themselves to Thee, “according to the joy in harvest”, an allusion to the community of Israel, to which properly belongs the joy in harvest; “as men rejoice when they divide the spoil”, a reference to the joy evinced by the rest of the lower powers and chariot-riders when they divide the spoil and fall upon their prey in the forefront of all.’